The Pulse of Football

Dec

2024

Preview: First vs. second as Barcelona meet Atletico in LaLiga

A potentially season-defining encounter for both Barcelona and Atlético Madrid looms on Saturday with the two rivals separated by only goal difference at the top of LaLiga.

By Graham Ruthven

A title duel

Not so long ago, it appeared Barcelona might run away with the Spanish title. Hansi Flick’s team started the season strongly, winning their opening seven league fixtures, blowing away opponents in the process.

Since then, though, the Catalans have lost their way. Barca have won just one of their last six league games, opening the door for Real Madrid and a resurgent Atlético Madrid to make their presence felt at the top of LaLiga.

Atleti’s season has had the opposite arc with Diego Simeone’s team currently on an 11-game winning run in all competitions after a difficult start to the campaign which even had many questioning the Argentine manger’s future at the club.

An away win for Atlético Madrid at Montjuïc would lift them above Barcelona in the table and could make them title favourites such is the run of form they are on right now.

Key players

Raphinha has been the surprise package of the season so far, registering an astonishing 17 goal contributions (11 goals and six assists) in just 18 league appearances. The Brazilian has been unstoppable and will be a goal threat this weekend.

Robert Lewandowski is also enjoying an excellent campaign having notched 16 goals in 17 league games. Around the Polish striker, the likes of Dani Olmo and Pedri will give Barcelona invention through the midfield and into the forward line.

In central midfield, Marc Casadó will be charged with holding it all together for Barcelona as their number six. The youngster could face a difficult evening up against the dynamic Atleti midfield pairing of Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo de Paul.

Atlético Madrid will hope to cause some attacking problems of their own with Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann forging a strong partnership as a front two in recent weeks. They will have plenty space to exploit in behind Barca’s high defensive line.

*Griezmann and Alvarez stat comparison, LaLiga 2024/25*

Giuliano Simeone’s work ethic will be key to Atleti’s chances of stopping the threat of Raphinha down the left side. At the back, José Giménez and Clément Lenglet will need to keep it tight to give the visitors a solid defensive foundation.

Team news

Lamine Yamal will be unavailable for Saturday’s match with the teenager set for another period on the sidelines after sustaining ligament damage in the home defeat to Leganés. Without the Euro 2024 winner, Barca sometimes lack creativity in the attacking third.

Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen and Marc-André ter Stegen will also be missing for the home side as long-term absentees. Otherwise, Flick has a fully fit squad to choose from.

Reports in Spain claim Simeone experimented with a 4-5-1 shape in a training game during the week, hinting at a potential tactical shift by the longterm manager for Saturday’s showdown.

Prediction

With the weight of expectation around this match, we’re expecting goals, and for both teams to perform. But we also think that the home side may reassert their title credentials: Barcelona 2-1 Atlético Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Preview: Crystal Palace vs. Arsenal Take Two

The Eagles and the Gunners go at it for the second time this week, this time in a Premier League clash at Selhurst Park.

By Ian King

Very recent history

Well, we do have something extremely recent to go on here, though how much practical application that might have this weekend is open to question. These two met in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Arsenal scraping through to the semi-finals of the competition with a 3-2 win. Of course, because this was the League Cup neither team was at full-strength, but Arsenal may have gained a psychological edge as a result of it all.

Form

Wednesday night’s EFL Cup match has to be treated with a little caution as a predictor for what might happen at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Matches in this competition feature changes to teams and may not be treated with quite the intensity that a Premier League fixture might be.

And this was a curate’s egg of a performance for both teams. Arsenal were behind for fifty minutes before coming back to win by a margin somewhat more comfortable than the final scoreline suggested, with changes made at half-time switching the balance of play decisively throughout the second half. Palace played well throughout those opening stages, but Arsenal did create a lot of chances throughout.

Key players

The key player for this weekend’s match is one who hasn’t featured much so far this season. Gabriel Jesus has only been a fringe player, with just two Premier League starts and no League goals, but his hat-trick on Wednesday night, coupled with Arsenal’s inability to find a way past Jordan Pickford last weekend, might make starting him up front feel like a gamble worth taking for Mikel Arteta. It’s a crazy plan, but it might just work.

Team News

For Arsenal, Declan Rice is expected to return this weekend while Martin Ødegaard, who was substituted early against Everton last Saturday, returned on Wednesday night and will be expected to play again this weekend. Neto may return to the bench after being cup-tied, but Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain absent and Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko both remain doubtful.

For Palace, Joel Ward was on the bench as an unused substitute on Wednesday night and may return, but Adam Wharton wasn’t and will not be expected to feature in this match.

Prediction

For Arsenal, last weekend was without question a missed opportunity. With almost everybody else near the top of the table dropping points they could have made up some ground on Liverpool, but instead they fired blanks against Everton and it turned out, if anything, to be Chelsea’s weekend. How much of that will have been forgotten as a result of Wednesday night’s win?

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, have blown extremely hot and cold this season, though it should be remembered that their 3-1 win at Brighton last weekend was their best performance of the season so far and that Selhurst Park can be a bearpit on a good night. On this occasion, I feel safer going for the draw, at 1-1, though this really does feel like one of those games in which anything could happen.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Preview: Villa meet City with both sides in need of a win

Champions League football secured last year, a home match offering the chance to go above Manchester City this year…

By Karl Matchett

In theory that’s magic progression for Aston Villa under Unai Emery, but as ever, context is king: Villa have fallen away from last year’s consistency, won only three of their last 12 in all competitions and have won only half of their home league games this term. And yet, improbably, that’s far better than the champions are faring right now.

In the same stretch of a dozen matches, Pep Guardiola’s side have won only twice. Yet a dozen games precisely reaches back to the start of their recent malaise: a 1-0 home win over bottom club Southampton was 12 games ago, and since then it’s a single win in 11. Home or away, domestic or Europe, Guardiola is going through a spell he never has before as a coach, and certainly this group of players haven’t either.

Heading into the match there’s one more potential item of context to note: almost a full week of training ground time for Man City since their last defeat, that late one to local rivals Man United, which is a first full week of tactical and organisational work Guardiola has been able to do since mid-August. The downside of that is, Villa have also had a full week to prepare.

Form

Narrowing the lens to more recent matches, Villa broke their winless streak by claiming three victories on the bounce against Brentford, Southampton and Leipzig. None are outstanding results but should certainly have boosted confidence, before Nottingham Forest ruined the rebuild with two late goals a week ago. For City, the same team proved a false dawn: they finally picked up a first win in eight against Forest and most expected them to simply pick up again; instead they drew at Palace, lost at Juventus and were utterly shocked by United last week. Confidence will have been at rock bottom right then – how much can it change in six days?

Team news

Jacob Ramsey is the only definite absentee for the hosts, but Leon Bailey is also a doubt. Tyrone Mings could miss the game too but wouldn’t start anyway. For Man City, it’s just the same long-term absentees as has been the case of late: Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji and now Nathan Aké. John Stones is back though and probably starts.

Key player?

This match hosts the players with the best goals per 90 rate (Jhon Durán) and the best xG (Erling Haaland) but surely victory comes from which defence stands firm for once, after so many errors. No team has missed more big chances (37) than Villa in the league this term, with Ollie Watkins (15) the prime culprit. We’ll make Joško Gvardiol the one to watch as he has most interceptions and tackles per 90 of any City defender, but also has impact going forward.

Prediction

An error-fest of two teams desperate for wins but riddled with anxiety, and in the end, nobody wins: Villa 2-2 Man City!

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Premier League game with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Atletico are firing up their title challenge with Alvarez and Griezmann up top

In the last two decades, Atlético Madrid are the only team to have broken Barcelona and Real Madrid’s stranglehold on Spanish football. By winning LaLiga in 2014 and 2021, Diego Simeone turned Spain’s Big Two into a Big Three and Los Colchoneros are once again making their presence felt in another title race.

By Graham Ruthven

Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Atleti has the potential to be a season-defining moment for both teams. While Barca need a positive result to stop the slide that has seen them win just one of their last six league fixtures, Simeone’s side could go clear at the top of the table with a victory.

It wasn’t so long ago that Simeone appeared to be facing a reckoning at the Metropolitano. An inconsistent start to the season raised questions over the Argentine’s future at the club. Between the 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano in mid-September and the 1-0 defeat to Real Betis in late October, Atleti won just two from six games.

More damning than this was yet another failure by Simeone to evolve the playing style of his team. Not for the first time, the Argentine attempted to turn Atlético Madrid into a more modern, expansive outfit. And not for the first time, Atleti’s players struggled to absorb the new ideas of their manager. The safest job in European football no longer looked so safe.

Within a few weeks, though, the situation changed. The defeat to Betis was the last time Atleti dropped points in the league with Simeone’s side currently on an 11-game winning streak in all competitions. Not only are Atlético back to being a winning team, they’re a Simeone team again too. ‘Cholismo’ is back.

Clean sheets against Las Palmas, Mallorca, Real Valladolid and Getafe have given Atleti a platform to climb the table. They might not be as defensively stubborn as they were in the days of Diego Godín and Miranda, but Atlético have managed to stem the flow of goals they were conceding too easily earlier in the season.

Even when Atleti have been defensively vulnerable, they have shown spirit to fight back – as they did against Sevilla earlier this month when a 93rd minute winner completed a comeback that saw Atlético come back from 3-1 down to win 4-3. If Atleti win the title this season, that result will be looked back upon as a catalyst.

Simeone made some key changes to turn around his team’s fortunes. He moved away from the back three that gave Atleti’s early-season opponents too much space to exploit in the final third and brought Javi Galán into the lineup at left back, making good use of the 30-year-old’s energy just a few months after he came close to leaving the capital club in the summer.

Pablo Barrios was brought into the central midfield unit to freshen up an area of the Atleti team that had been too static over the early stages of the season. As a pairing, Koke and Rodrigo De Paul lacked the mobility to cover the pitch as a double pivot. With Barrios in there, though, Atlético Madrid have a true two-way operator.

On the right side, Giuliano Simeone was given the chance to earn a place in his father’s team. Far from being an over-promoted nepo-baby, the 22-year-old has brought cohesion to the Atlético attack through his work ethic and versatility. Simeone is certainly a chip off the old block and this has helped give Atleti an identity again.

Further forward, Julián Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann have been partnered together as a fluid, mobile front two. Originally, Simeone originally wanted to use summer signing Alexander Sørloth as the focal point of a front three that had Alvarez in a wider position. Now, the 2022 World Cup winner has the freedom to take up good scoring positions centrally.

Atleti’s resurgence has coincided with a dramatic dip in form from Barcelona. Lamine Yamal’s absence through injury has unsettled the Catalans in attack while Hansi Flick’s high defensive line has made his team vulnerable to opponents that can exploit open space with speed and directness. This could be to Atleti’s benefit on Saturday.

Real Madrid are also in title contention, but have suffered struggles of their own. Kylian Mbappé has still to be fully integrated into Carlo Ancelotti’s frontline while Toni Kroos’ retirement at the end of last season has left Los Blancos lacking a midfield pace-setter in the centre of the pitch. Real Madrid are an unbalanced team.

“We have to take it one game at a time, there is no way to see our present without working and trying to keep improving,” said Simeone when asked about the growing possibility of Atlético mounting a genuine title challenge this season. “I’m reiterative, I’m boring, I’m not going to change. Until the last day, it will be one game at a time. If we don’t look at it that way, there will be no light.”

Simeone’s legacy as Atleti manager was secured a long time ago. He is the most important figure in the club’s modern history. The Metropolitano is proof of the transformation that has taken place over the 13 years that Simeone has been in charge, as are the two championships won in that time. However, a third league title for an Atlético team that started the season so poorly would be a triumph unlike any other so far.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from LaLiga on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Premier League Preview, Matchday 17

‘Twas the matchday before Christmas.

By Sam McGuire

Leading the way on Christmas Day doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be leading the way at the end of the season but the signs are positive. Across 32 seasons in the English top-flight, the leaders on December 25th have gone on to win the league on 16 occasions.

Liverpool and Chelsea have the opportunity to finish this weekend as said leaders. At the other end, Everton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town are looking to avoid the final relegation spot. There’s plenty at stake across matchday 17.

A top four battle at Villa Park

A few months back, people would’ve circled the clash between Aston Villa and Manchester City as a game that could have huge ramifications in the title race.

Now, though, it is very much a game that falls into the race for a top four finish category.

Villa started the season well, losing just one of their opening nine Premier League matches. However, they have lost four of their last seven in the English top-flight and find themselves in seventh position, just three points clear of 13th place Manchester United.

City, meanwhile, looked like title favourites early on but have suffered a collapse, losing five of their last seven in the Premier League. They trail leaders Liverpool by nine points having played a game more and could finish the weekend as low as ninth depending on how results go.

Last December, Villa claimed a 1-0 win over Man City. A similar result could get their season back on track after a bit of a blip while also damaging a rival in the process. It really is a must-not lose for either team. Whatever happens here could shape the entire narrative for the remainder of the season.

Fortress Gtech

Brentford have put together a real Jekyll and Hyde season so far.

At home, the Bees have been the best team in the Premier League. That is no exaggeration either. Thomas Frank’s men have won seven of their eight matches at the Gtech and have picked up 22 points from a possible 24 on offer.

They are averaging over three goals per game on home soil.

Away from home, they are the worst team in the English top flight with one point from eight matches.

*Brentford’s contrasting form this season*

Fortunately for the Bees, they’re playing at the Gtec this weekend. Unfortunately for them, however, they’re up against one of the best sides on the road this term, Nottingham Forest.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s men are third in the table when looking at away fixtures with only Chelsea and Liverpool picking up more points.

Forest beat Manchester United and Aston Villa in back-to-back weekends and could head into the festive period in third position depending on results. A remarkable achievement for a team many tipped to be in a relegation battle this season.

This is a fascinating match-up. Can Forest end Brentford’s unbelievable home record? Will Frank’s side be able to extend their incredible run of results at the Gtech against one of the best teams in the league this season?

Relegation dogfight

Leicester City pulled the trigger in November, dismissing Steve Cooper and replacing him with Ruud Van Nistelrooy. In the three games he’s been in charge for, the Foxes have claimed four points and are currently two points clear of the drop zone.

Wolves held on a little longer, giving Gary O’Neil the benefit of the doubt despite poor results, only to then sack the former Bournemouth boss after a 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town last weekend.

This decision could prove costly. Wolves are currently on a four-match losing run and are five points away from safety. Had they acted a little earlier, just as Leicester did, they might find themselves in a safer position right now.

As is, Leicester host Wolves on Sunday knowing a win would open up an eight point gap between the two teams. Vitor Pereira has been announced as O’Neil’s successor, a coach who has long sought a Premier League role after spells in leagues around the world, including Greece, China, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil.

If the visitors can claim a positive result at the King Power, the Portuguese tactician’s arrival could be a springboard to salvage the season.

Which Spurs will show up?

Tottenham Hotspur welcome Liverpool to North London on Sunday. Spurs returned to winning ways last weekend, beating Southampton 5-0 in one of the most one-sided games of the season. It was Ange Postecoglu side’s first Premier League win since their 4-0 dismantling of Manchester City in November.

The memorable win at the Etihad was followed up by a 1-1 draw with Fulham and losses against Bournemouth and Chelsea. This has been the story of Tottenham’s 2024/25 campaign. Sometimes brilliant. Sometimes not so brilliant.

In their seven wins this season, they have scored a minimum of three goals. In their nine other matches they have averaged just one goal. It is a case of feast or famine.

Liverpool lead the way in the Premier League and have a 100% record in the Champions League. However, they have been giving up chances over recent weeks, conceding a combined five goals against Newcastle and Fulham. Their injury crisis might be over but there are tired legs in the squad now and this is why they’re now giving up chances they previously weren’t.

And this is why, despite their injuries, Spurs will likely fancy their chances of recording just their third win over the Reds since October 2017.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Tyler Morton has proved he is Premier League ready – but that may force Liverpool midfielder into a tough decision

With seven first-choice starters left at home and eight changes made to the starting lineup, it was a very different cast but the same outcome for Liverpool as they beat Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals – on another night that showed not only the value of their academy but also the quality of their youth recruitment.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

Trey Nyoni, the prodigious 17-year-old midfielder signed from Leicester in 2023 before shooting up the ranks, made his first start while another recent addition, 16-year-old former Chelsea winger Rio Ngumoha, made the bench for the first time.

There was a return to first-team action for Jayden Danns and James McConnell, both brought on from the bench, while regulars Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah made their latest outings as staples of Arne Slot’s squad.

While the likes of Nyoni, Danns and, despite going unused, Ngumoha drew the attention as popular names among those with a keen eye on Liverpool’s academy, another homegrown talent went about his night with little fuss.

That player was Tyler Morton, the 22-year-old from Wallasey, a town over the River Mersey in the Wirral – basically, as close to Liverpool as you can get without being from Liverpool.

Part of the Reds’ academy setup since the age of seven, Morton has been involved with the first team for over three years, making his senior debut in the Carabao Cup victory over Norwich back in September 2021.

Loan spells with Blackburn and Hull in the last two seasons have established his status as a player capable of performing week in, week out at a high level, only enhanced by his experience training with many of the world’s best players at Liverpool.

But while considered a full-time member of Slot’s first-team squad, there remains a sense that Morton’s long-term future will not be at Anfield.

That was only underlined on Wednesday night, as the combative midfielder produced an outstanding display that saw him start as a deep-lying midfielder before shifting to an unnatural role of right-back upon Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s withdrawal at half-time.

Morton served as a composed outlet in possession, crisp in his passing with more than a hint of former teammate Thiago‘s influence showing, while reacting strongly to the physical battle as he used his body well despite its nimble frame.

Really, such a display should warrant him more opportunities in the coming weeks and months – if it weren’t for the calibre on players ahead of him.

Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones were all given the night off in midweek, while Alexis Mac Allister almost certainly would have been joined them had the Argentine not just come back from an enforced two-week break due to suspension.

Add Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo – match-winner and arguably Man of the Match at St Mary’s respectively – into the mix and Slot has six top-level options for three roles in his midfield; at least two, in Gravenberch and Mac Allister, who can be considerable undroppable.

“The thing for them is it’s not about easily playing at this level, you have to compete with Mo and Virgil and all these kinds of players,” Slot told journalists after the game when asked about the input of his academy players against Southampton.

“It’s not enough to be good enough to play at this level, you have to be good enough to play for Liverpool, and that is probably the next step they have to make.

“But they’ve shown today that these players are capable of playing at Premier League level, that’s for sure.”

While for the likes of Nyoni and Danns, still only 17 and 18 respectively, that may have served as encouragement for the future, for Morton, who turned 22 in October and is therefore registered as a senior player in both league and Champions League, it may have been a reminder of a tough decision ahead.

It appears as though the player himself was set to make that decision months ago, with Morton attracting interest from RB Leipzig, Feyenoord, Atalanta, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sevilla, Ipswich, Bournemouth and Southampton.

The most serious option was Xabi Alonso‘s Bayer Leverkusen, with an offer to take the midfielder on loan for the 2024/25 – but that was rejected, with Liverpool seemingly only willing to consider permanent bids in the region of £20 million.

While turning down that offer may have indicated the club’s faith in Morton, that they were open to approaches in the first place highlights where he stands in the pecking order.

Slot is right that Morton has proved he can comfortably play at Premier League level – you only need to have watched him cleverly shield the ball out of danger and shimmy into promising positions at St Mary’s on Wednesday night to appreciate that.

But that he has still played more than twice the amount of minutes for Liverpool’s U21s (348) than he has the first team (162) this season shows he is unlikely to do so by staying at Anfield.

There would be no shame in leaving, either – former teammates Harry Wilson and Neco Williams, now of Fulham and Nottingham Forest respectively, can attest to that.

A move to an upwardly mobile club such as Bournemouth or a horizon-broadening transfer to Germany, Spain, Italy or the Netherlands should be the perfect step for a player of Morton’s proven quality and vast potential.

The only pity is that the right opportunity hasn’t landed for him at his boyhood club.

(Images from IMAGO)

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Dec

2024

Preview: Spurs meet United in the last of the Carabao Cup quarter-finals

A trophy would mean a lot to both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United with the two rivals going head-to-head for a place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

By Graham Ruthven

Chance to make a statement

There has been a lot of overlap between the respective seasons of Tottenham and Manchester United. Indeed, both teams have struggled for consistency and could use a deep run in the Carabao Cup to prove they are making progress.

Spurs have stood by Ange Postecoglou, but the Australian has come under pressure as his team have suffered a series of damaging results. Sunday’s win over Southampton was Tottenham’s first in five matches.

United, meanwhile, changed manager by swapping Erik ten Hag for Rúben Amorim with the Old Trafford outfit still absorbing the ideas of the Portuguese coach.

Sunday’s Manchester Derby victory was Amorim’s biggest result as Manchester United boss to date. A win over Spurs on Thursday would add to the sense that United are building momentum.

A tale of two attacks

Tottenham are best when they have open space to attack. The likes of Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski all thrive in quick transition and so Spurs will attempt to create as many rapid attacking moments as they can.

Manchester United are similarly set up to attack open space with Amad Diallo in particular thriving under the stewardship of Amorim who has installed the Ivorian as a key figure. He could keep his place for the away game at Spurs, although Amorim has hinted at rotating Diallo.

Rasmus Højlund has scored five goals in his last five outings and has given United the attacking focal point they need to make Amorim’s system work. Around the Dane in the final third, Diallo and Bruno Fernandes have been favoured.

Thursday’s match could be a high-scoring affair with Tottenham scoring two or more goals in each of their last four matches against Manchester United in all competitions.

Team news

Yves Bissouma could return to the Tottenham lineup after serving a one-match suspension against Southampton. He could replace Lucas Bergvall in the side.

Postecoglou has a long injury list to contend with. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are all currently sidelined for Tottenham Hotspur.

Destiny Udogie is also a doubt for the North London outfit after sustaining a knock in the first half of Sunday’s thumping of Southampton. This could push Djed Spence over to the left side of the defence.

Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho could return after being omitted from Manchester United’s matchday squad for Sunday’s win over City, although Amorim clearly has an issue with the pair’s commitment levels.

Mason Mount is a doubt after coming off with a fresh injury against Manchester City, although it’s unclear just how long the midfielder will be out of action for.

Jonny Evans and Noussair Mazrouai are injury concerns ahead of the quarter-final meeting with Tottenham. Luke Shaw is a long-term injury and will be missing.

Prediction

With inconsistency cursing Spurs this season and Manchester United’s burgeoning confidence levels, we could be looking at an away win here; Tottenham 1-2 Manchester United.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Preview: Shamrock Rovers go to Chelsea in dream Conference League clash

Chelsea host Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League on Thursday as they aim to make it six wins from six games, and secure qualification to the knock-out rounds.

By Alex Roberts

The two sides have never met in European competition before, with Enzo Maresca’s B-team needing just a point to ensure they’re in the next round, so long as Vitória do not beat Fiorentina by a 10-goal margin!

Shamrock Rovers won’t be pushovers, however, not only do they boast the third best defensive record in the competition, but the Dubliners are also one of three unbeaten sides remaining, alongside Chelsea and Vitória.

Missing Mykayhlo Mudryk

Chelsea will be without the rapid Ukrainian winger for the game against Shamrock Rovers and the foreseeable future after he was provisionally suspended for failing a drugs test. He, of course, denies the allegations.

Mudryk had managed to find some form in the Europa Conference League before his latest setback, making six goal contributions in their previous five games, including a stunning strike against FC Heidenheim.

Maresca remains adamant that the winger still has a future at the club but don’t expect to see him in a blue shirt any time soon.

Johnny Kenny scores goals

The young Irish striker has been in outstanding form, netting 13 goals in 29 matches during the 2024 League of Ireland season and adding five goals in five European appearances.

Kenny’s brace against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Borac Banja Luka puts him on level terms with Chelsea’s £55 million man Christopher Nkunku in the race for the golden boot, while they both have a single assist each too.

No matter who Chelsea play at centre-back, it will likely be the toughest night of Kenny’s short career, but he certainly has it in him to cause problems.

Back in from the cold, Josh Acheampong

Acheampong had previously been frozen out at Chelsea, banned from playing for either the first team or the youth sides until his contract situation was sorted.

The right-back has since made his return, earning his first start for the senior team in Chelsea’s comfortable 3-1 win over FC Astana in the previous round and ended the game as one of the club’s stand out performers.

With a 94% pass accuracy rate, nine recoveries, and six ground duels won, it’s easy to see why Chelsea were so keen to tie the youngster down to a new deal.

Now that he’s committed his long-term future to the club, expect to see more from Acheampong.

Doing Irish football proud

Sitting in sixth with 11 points from their opening five games, Shamrock Rovers face the very real possibility of qualifying for the next round, marking the first time a League of Ireland club has featured in knock-out European football.

They may have lost out on the league title to former Chelsea winger Damien Duff and his Shelbourne FC side, but the Rovers may well get the last laugh.

Prediction

Shamrock Rovers shouldn’t be judged on their performance against the Premier League giants. That been said, we’re going to go with 4-0 to Chelsea.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Conference League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.

Dec

2024

Analysis: Why the Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup should be cherished

Between the ongoing FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the first-ever expanded Club World Cup draw earlier this month, there has been a lot of talk of international club football tournaments of late. The general view of them – particularly in European circles – appears to be pretty unfavourable, but there are some positives which might be overlooked.

By Neel Shelat

Fixture congestion concerns

The biggest criticism of FIFA’s expansion of the Club World Cup is that it adds more fixtures to what is already an overly congested calendar for many sides. This certainly is a valid criticism as FIFA could have limited the number of games by adopting a different format, but, it is worth emphasising that this issue is not just limited to the best European teams.

If anything, there are certain sides who have it worse than the European elite. Egyptian giants Al Ahly, for example, have had to forfeit a couple of domestic cup tournaments in recent years as they almost always compete all the way in the CAF Champions League and regularly feature in the Club World Cup / Intercontinental Cup (and also participated in the new-fangled African Football League last year). In 2024, they are set to play a total of 56 competitive fixtures despite dropping out of the Egyptian Cup entirely. Nevertheless, they do not seem to be making much of a fuss about their gruelling schedule, likely because the greater revenue of international tournaments means a lot more to them than it does to the top European teams.

Even Al Ahly’s numbers look paltry in comparison to what most Brazilian sides have to contend with, though. Since over half of the Série A teams qualify for continental football and all participate in their regional state championships ahead of the league season, the average Brazilian top-flight club plays over 60 matches a year! The busiest of them all – the ones who make long cup runs both domestically and internationally – can even end up touching the 80-game mark.

Since this is a challenge that the majority of Brasileirão clubs face annually, it has become pretty normalised in the country. The simple solution they have adopted is to increase the squad size, including a good chunk of youngsters and academy graduates to keep wages in check. As a result, the first-team squads of most Brazilian sides have 33 or more players.

Given their vastly superior financial might, there is no reason why European clubs cannot replicate this approach. While steps should be taken to ensure fixture congestion does not spiral out of control (and all relevant authorities – including FIFA, continental federations and domestic FAs – should stop trying to cram in as many games as possible), the issue of overly demanding schedules can still be mitigated from an individual player’s point of view if clubs adequately utilise squad depth.

Game-changing prize pots

At an executive level, one of the biggest selling points of the expanded Club World Cup is the eyewatering €2.5 billion prize pot that FIFA are said to have promised. That would make the tournament one of the most lucrative competitions not just in football but in all of sport. The breakdown of this prize money is reportedly such that every participant will be guaranteed at least €50 million.

If FIFA do produce that amount, clubs will be clamouring to participate in the tournament. The prize money will prove valuable enough even for the biggest European clubs, but it will be completely game-changing for almost all others.

Financial accounts are not equally accessible for all clubs around the world, but we can use squad values to get a rough idea of just how impactful Club World Cup revenue will be for most participants. In South America, only six squads are valued more than the reported winning prize of €100m. There are just four such teams in Asia – namely the big four Saudi Pro League clubs. All other squads outside of Europe are valued under that figure, including three CONCACAF participants whose squad values are lower than the €50m participation prize. The same can be said of all African clubs, while Oceanian representatives Auckland City will receive a life-changing windfall since their entire squad is worth just about €5m!

In this way, the Club World Cup can help somewhat redistribute the eyewatering finances in football to all parts of the world.

Celebrating the global nature of football

With as many as 12 European teams set to participate in the Club World Cup, many analysts have raised fears that the latter knockout rounds will feel like a repeat of the UEFA Champions League knockouts. Indeed, this is a strong possibility, but that should not take away from the global nature of the tournament as a whole.

While some European clubs and fans might see such international tournaments as little more than an inconvenience, they are a big deal for everyone else around the world. Previous iterations of such tournaments have regularly seen good fan turnouts both from host nation club supporters and expatriates or proximally-based fans. At the ongoing Intercontinental Cup, for example, Al Ahly have been very well supported by the large Egyptian community in Qatar, while Middle Eastern Real Madrid fans will relish the opportunity to watch Los Blancos in the final.

Moreover, meetings between clubs from different continents are special occasions that should be cherished. Many a memorable matchup has taken place in the past, including the last Club World Cup final between Pep Guardiola’s clinical Manchester City and Fernando Diniz’s fluid Fluminense, with City running out 4-0 winners.

Such fixtures are great occasions for clubs to see how they and their players and styles of play stack up against counterparts from around the world. For fans, such games should serve as a reminder of the global nature of football – which really is a unique aspect as no other sport is formally played in every country in the world.

So, regardless of some surrounding issues, we should all very much look forward to matches like today’s Intercontinental Cup final between Real Madrid and Pachuca as well as some of the best Club World Cup group stage fixtures such as Porto vs Al Ahly, Urawa Red Diamonds vs Monterrey, and perhaps best of all, Auckland City vs Boca Juniors!

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Dec

2024

Preview: Real Madrid meet Pachuca for the Intercontinental Cup

Pachuca have made their way to the final of the newly-rebranded FIFA Intercontinental Cup, where they face a certain Real Madrid. Exactly two years on from the culmination of the 2022 World Cup, a new champion will be crowned at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

By Neel Shelat

History beckons for Pachuca

This is Pachuca’s fifth appearance at a FIFA-organised international tournament. Most recently, they qualified for the 2017 Club World Cup, in which they won third place.

*Third place playoff, 2017 Club World Cup*

This time, they have managed to go at least one better by reaching their first final. Guillermo Almada’s side will be firm underdogs, but they will have the chance to become the first non-European winners of this tournament in 12 years and the very first to come from CONCACAF.

Record champions Real Madrid looking to lift another trophy

Real Madrid have more UEFA Champions League trophies in their cabinet than anyone else, so they unsurprisingly also are the record champions of the FIFA Club World Cup. They’ve won the title in each of their last five appearances – including three times in succession between 2016 and 2018. They also won the old Intercontinental Cup – the annual showdown between the European and South American club champions – thrice before it made way for the Club World Cup.

Los Blancos have been far from their best this season, but they should have more than enough quality to get the job done here. The new format makes it so that they only have to play one match instead of two, so they need just one result to make sure of avoiding their second trophyless season since 2010.

Pachuca fresh after a shortened season

Pachuca are a pretty successful club in their own right with seven Liga MX titles and six CONCACAF Champions Cup crowns to boot. Of course, they too tasted success earlier this year by winning the continental championship in the summer to qualify for this tournament, but the second half of the season went very poorly for them.

Tuzos recorded their lowest-ever finishing position in the 2024/25 Liga MX Apertura, finishing 16th of 18 teams with just 13 points.

Having failed to qualify for the Liga MX playoffs, Pachuca did not see any competitive action for a month leading up to the Intercontinental Cup. They seemed to benefit from that freshness, though, getting the better of stronger but more tired opponents in Botafogo and Al Ahly to reach this final.

A chance for Real Madrid to continue experimenting

Despite picking up an injury last week, Kylian Mbappé is fit enough to make the squad for this match. So, Carlo Ancelotti might get another opportunity to find a formula that gets the best out of him alongside attacking stars like Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, though he has bigger issues to contend with elsewhere in the side. Defenders Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy are all out injured, so the Italian tactician will have to fashion a second-string back line once again.

Prediction

As is often the case in these tournaments, the gulf in squad quality is big enough for the European side to come out on top even with a subpar performance.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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