The Pulse of Football

Feb

2026

Preview: Bottom meets top in midweek Premier League clash

The Premier League’s basement side Wolves face top of the table Arsenal on Wednesday evening, with the home side searching for just their second win of the season.

By Matt Smith

The Gunners will be hoping to extend their lead at the top, looking to bounce back after dropping points last time out.

Rob Edwards’ side almost pulled off one of their most impressive results of the season when these two sides met back in December, but a 94th minute own goal from Yerson Mosquera secured a 2-1 victory for Arsenal.

Team News

Edwards was fairly cautious when discussing team news ahead of this game, confirming that there are a few players who are ‘feeling it’ after the Grimsby clash in the FA Cup. Toti Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan remain sidelined, but we could see further changes from Wolves.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that both Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White will likely be fit enough to face the Wanderers. The Arsenal boss has also revealed that Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz will miss out.

It’s looking bleak for the Wanderers

Wolves have started to pick up some results over the last few months, but it’s not looking like enough for them to complete the great escape. Wolves currently sit 18 points adrift of safety with 12 games remaining, and relegation is now looking like a formality.

The Midlands outfit secured a 1-0 victory over Grimsby Town in the FA Cup, so there’s a small chance they can rescue something from their dismal season with a cup run. It’s not over until it’s over, and Wolves do have a chance of making the title race a little more interesting this week.

Arsenal averaging fewer points that 2023/24

One concern for Arsenal could be that they are currently averaging fewer points than the 2023/2024 season, when they missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by two points. Pep Guardiola’s side are hot on their tail, with the gap closed to just four points.

Arsenal and Man City go head-to-head in April, which could be crucial in the race for the title. The Gunners have been known to throw things away at the final hurdle, but as it stands, they are in the driving seat.

Eze’s time to shine

Last time out, in the FA Cup, Eberechi Eze was given a rare start, and with Martin Ødegaard out injured, we could see him given another chance after his recent performance. The England international achieved the highest FotMob rating in the game, providing two assists.

Eze has been knocking on the door for more regular starts, and his display against Wigan could bring him into Mikel Arteta’s thinking. With the Gunners facing their north London rivals Tottenham at the weekend, Eze might be the one to watch as Arteta is forced to manage his squad.

Prediction

It doesn’t get more predictable than the league leaders beating 20th. We’re going for a 2-0 victory to Arsenal.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2026

Dominik Szoboszlai is Liverpool’s get out of jail card

Not long after Arne Slot was appointed as Liverpool manager, the Dutch tactician made his intentions for Dominik Szoboszlai patently clear.

By Sam McGuire

“I think something that we have to work on with him is that he’s also even more involved in scoring goals and creating chances for us.

“Last season he scored three [in the league] if I remember correctly and for an attacking midfielder at Liverpool his numbers need to go up. But I’m really happy with the way he’s done until now and I’m 100 percent sure that if he plays in a team with so much quality around him, with the quality he has he will in the end score more goals for us as well.”

*Szoboszlai player traits compared to similar players in big 5 leagues*

The former RB Leipzig attacker did respond positively to this, finishing his debut season under the ex-Feyenoord boss with six goals and six assists in the Premier League. And while he was much more of a goal threat, ending the campaign with an Expected Goals per 90 average of 0.25, this didn’t necessarily translate to him being a goalscorer. His first goal only arrived at the end of November on Matchday 12 against Southampton while he finished the season with one goal in his final 10 outings.

Liverpool’s decision to go out and spend £100million on Florian Wirtz seemed to suggest the club weren’t sold on the idea that Szoboszlai could be their long-term, starting attacking midfielder.

In all likelihood, had everyone been fit and firing at the start of the season, the Hungary skipper would’ve headed into the 2025/26 campaign as a midfield rotation option. He was even trialled there at the end of last season with Slot acknowledging the player preferred a deeper position, saying: “He is playing as an eight [against Brighton], with Ryan [Gravenberch] as a six, with Harvey [Elliott] a bit more forward. I think Dominik sees his best position as an eight.”

With Slot selling Wirtz on the idea of building the Liverpool attack around him, according to various reports, Szoboszlai would’ve found minutes as relief for the German playmaker or battling it out with Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones for a start in the double pivot.

It didn’t go to plan for the champions though. Within weeks of the new campaign, Szoboszlai was starring at right-back in wins over Newcastle United and Arsenal. He then made himself incredibly important in the double pivot alongside Jones as Slot looked at ways to regain control. The Liverpool No. 8 was resorted to the attacking midfield role he’d lost to Wirtz at one stage before replacing Mohamed Salah on the right-side of the attack when the No. 11 was benched before he left for AFCON.

Szoboszlai went from being a potential squad player to being the most important member of the squad. He’s thrived in the chaos of Liverpool’s transitional season. Following the win over Brighton in the FA Cup, Salah implied the one-time Salzburg youngster could shape the season for the Reds, saying: “It’s going to depend on his [Dominik Szoboszlai] performances. He is one of the best players in the world right now. It’s good for everyone and I hope we can do it again.”

And Slot backed this idea up too: “I think there are a lot of very good to elite football players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that Dom is one of them.”

*Szoboszlai’s possession stats in the Premier League this season*

Liverpool are trying desperately to tie their No. 8 down to a new, long-term deal. His current contract expires in 2028 and he’s been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Szoboszlai’s agent Matyas Esterhazy appeared on NB1’s YouTube channel and was even asked about the Real Madrid links.

“It’s completely normal for the public, when Dominik is performing like this, to talk about what’s next and if there’s something higher,” Esterhazy said.

“For us it’s not a topic. We are mid-season; he has a lot of work ahead of him in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League. He has said many times how important this competition is for him.

“So at the moment to talk about what will happen in the summer in my opinion is not correct. Not to mention, Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world and Dominik is in a position within the team that has a lot of reserve, so we are not looking outside or elsewhere.”

The longer he performs at the level he’s currently at, the more the external pressure will ramp up. Real Madrid always want shiny, new toys. Szoboszlai has friends within the Madrid dressing room, including the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham.

On current form, there’s nobody more deserving of a new deal at Anfield. In fact, securing him to a new deal should be priority number one for Richard Hughes this summer. The parallels to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard are more than justified this season.

*Szoboszlai’s defensive stats in the Premier League this season*

He’s digging his team out of trouble on an almost weekly basis. He’s doing it while playing different roles. The 25-year-old has five goals and two assists in his last eight outings across all competitions. He has a minimum FotMob rating of 8.1 in six of his last eight outings. He’s the form player for the Reds.

The form extends beyond this apparent purple patch though. This season, he has 10 goals and six assists across all competitions. He even has eight goal involvements in eight Champions League matches. He’s joint-top for the Reds for Chances Created with Florian Wirtz (44), and only Wirtz and Cody Gakpo (both 4.1) have a higher Expected Assists total than Szoboszlai (3.8).

His underlying numbers are down but he’s not been deployed as an attacking midfielder on a permanent basis, so this is expected. He is, however, completing a higher percentage of dribbles and he’s busier defensively. Szoboszlai has morphed into the perfect modern day midfielder. And Liverpool need to do everything they can to keep him at Anfield.

(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.

Feb

2026

Diego Simeone’s record tenure at Atletico may be reaching a turning point

Diego Simeone has been under pressure as Atlético Madrid manager before, but this time feels different as his team’s struggles continue.

By Graham Ruthven

Atlético Madrid’s recent form makes for confusing reading. In their last four outings, Diego Simeone’s team have produced two of their best two performances of the whole season, first thumping Real Betis 5-0 before putting four past Barcelona in a comprehensive Copa del Rey dismantling of the Spanish champions.

In between these two victories, however, have been two of Atleti’s worst performances of the season so far. Indeed, the 1-0 home defeat to Real Betis and Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano were a nadir for the capital club, not just in terms of this season, but potentially of the entire Simeone era.

Simeone is under pressure to prove he is still the right man for the Atlético Madrid job. December marked 14 years since the former midfielder took over at the club and few managers have been as influential as him in that timeframe. Simeone built Atleti into the institution it is today.

Increasingly, though, the evidence is accumulating that maybe Simeone has taken Los Colchoneros as far as he can. Atleti find themselves stuck in no man’s land, somewhere between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of Spanish football and the rest of the chasing pack. Simeone is seemingly out of ideas to bridge the gap.

Not so long ago, ‘Cholismo’ was the philosophical light that guided Atlético Madrid. Simeone’s conservative approach might not have been tolerated at some other clubs, but having spent so many years on the outside looking in, Atleti’s supporters idolised their manager for the way he lifted up the underdogs.

In recent times, however, ‘Cholismo’ hasn’t been so effective. Atlético Madrid have become a soft touch. Their mentality has been called into question and Simeone isn’t the dressing room galvaniser he once was. In fact, some reports have even speculated that Simeone has fallen out with a number of key players this season.

*Simeone’s PPG ratio remains consistent*

Simeone might not be entirely to blame for all this. It’s possible the modern game has left him behind much like it did Arsene Wenger towards the end of his tenure at Arsenal. Like Simeone, he moulded an elite-level club in his own image only for his methods to lose their potency. Wenger fell behind the curve.

At least Simeone has attempted to evolve. More than once he has vowed a stylistic shift. He has promised a more expansive, attack-minded style of play, even tailoring Atleti’s transfer strategy in accordance. Every time, though, Simeone goes back to what he knows best. His default setting even if it no longer works so well.

Ademola Lookman’s January arrival gave Simeone another attacking tool to use, but while the Nigerian has shown glimpses of his brilliance for his new team, including on his Atlético Madrid debut, the balance of the side remains off. The midfield lacks creativity and the defence is wide open.

Until recently, Simeone had complete control at the Metropolitano Stadium. However, Apollo Sports Capital’s purchase of Atlético Madrid in November has changed the landscape. The new owners are ambitious and reportedly want Atleti to play a more exciting brand of football.

Simeone has voiced his own thoughts on what might come next for him after Atleti. He has publicly revealed his desire to one day coach Inter Milan where he was successful as a player. “It doesn’t depend on me, but in my coaching career, I imagine a time on the Inter bench,” said Simeone when asked if the San Siro could be a future destination.

Several Premier League clubs have been linked with Simeone in the past. There was once a time when countless teams would have moved heaven and earth to secure the Argentine previously seen as a force of nature. Now, though, there are doubts over his compatibility for the modern game.

This season could still be a successful one for Atlético Madrid. They have one foot in the Copa del Rey final after their semi-final first leg demolition of Barcelona and are favourites to make the Champions League last 16 over Club Brugge. A third place finish in LaLiga wouldn’t be disastrous either – Atleti haven’t finished higher than this since winning the title in 2021.

And yet Atlético Madrid are entitled to wonder if they are capable of more. Apollo expects a return on their investment of $2.5 billion and they will only achieve that if Atleti can compete and beat the very best in Spanish and European football. The truth, though, is that Simeone’s team maybe a long way from this level and he might not be the manager best suited to take them there.

(Images from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2026

Liverpool: Champions League race and top-five finish

After wins over Sunderland and Brighton – the latter in the FA Cup – optimism might be rising that Liverpool can reignite their dismal season and push into Champions League spots. But have Arne Slot’s team left it too late?

By Karl Matchett

The least-celebrated unbeaten run in Liverpool’s recent history came to an end late in January when they were beaten by Bournemouth. It was 13 without defeat prior to that as Slot tried to halt the astonishing decline of September to November, but even so there were precious few victories. Even now, Liverpool have only won twice in the Premier League in 2026, which leaves them sixth in the table, trailing Manchester United and Chelsea in the fight for a top-five finish.

Which means the rest of this campaign, league-wise, has to be about ensuring they are in Europe’s top competition next term, while also challenging on two cup fronts.

The two-part league job at hand

There are two ways to look at it. One is that Liverpool are only one place and two points off fifth – which should be good enough for a Champions League spot in 2026/27. Across 12 remaining fixtures, that’s nothing; that position could swap hands multiple times. But the important contextual other part to consider is that Liverpool’s form is heading in the wrong direction, relative to the clubs above them.

So, the first part of the trick for Slot is to more consistently manage his team’s own performance, then the second part is to earn more points across the last dozen matches than either Michael Carrick or Liam Rosenior. It can be argued that both the English-born duo have been getting that fabled “new manager bounce” after five matches in charge apiece: four wins and a draw have Manchester United the most in-form club in the league over a six-game period, while they are joint-top of the form table over five. Alongside them in the latter are Chelsea with the same 13 points. Across the same run of games, Liverpool are ninth over five games, tenth over six.

*Five sides are outscoring Liverpool this season*

In fact, roll it back further: exclude a five-game win streak that the Reds started the season with and Liverpool also sit tenth from a 21-match period. Their points-per-game rate has been wretched for quite some time.

What’s needed in a sprint finish?

So if looking backwards offers little reason to suggest the Reds will suddenly turn into the consistent, win-by-any-means machine they were in previous seasons, what about looking ahead?

Over the last decade, the average points claimed to finish fifth in the Premier League is 67.7 – given the fairly intense competition for it this season, it’s fair to round up to 68, which is equivalent to 1.79 points per game across the season.

Right now after 26 games apiece, Manchester United are running a 1.73ppg campaign; Chelsea are on 1.69ppg and Liverpool 1.62ppg – though the past 21 matches have been an utterly desperate 1.29ppg. While Brentford and others have been, and remain close to Reds in the table and thus can be considered in the top-five fight by some, for the purposes here of looking whether Liverpool can climb up, only those three sides’ tallies are worth considering as Slot’s team have to overhaul one of them.

*Eight sides are conceding less goals per game than Liverpool*

So, a significant improvement is required for certain in terms of consistency and racking up points quicker – three wins in a row is Liverpool’s best since October, which will likely need beating if they are to jump up a spot. To put it another way, to hit 68 points from now, Liverpool need 26 more from 12 remaining matches – 2.17ppg, or some variation around eight wins, two draws and two defeats.

If Liverpool are to be considered in or approaching their “best” form of the campaign now – more impressive despite losing to Man City, determined in victory at Sunderland, and resounding at home to Brighton – then it’s contextually important to note their last eight victories currently span 14 fixtures, and that’s across all competitions so including Qarabağ and Barnsley.

Liverpool need a fall-off from a rival

It’s reasonable to think, therefore, Liverpool cannot likely reach 68 points. That doesn’t mean they can’t get a top-five finish in isolation, because 68 points being the total required is the unknown part of the equation.

There is home-instead-of-away context to consider (and vice versa) but against their remaining opponents, Liverpool have taken 19 points this term. They still have to go to Everton and Man United, and host Chelsea – naturally big swing games in this particular race. Chelsea took 18 against their remaining opponents, United 21. That duo also have to face off in April. If it’s a case of “same again” (which it obviously won’t be, football is too uncertain) then United would reach 66 points. However, they’re much better recently in points-earning terms than earlier in the season.

An unquantifiable counter-argument is that neither newly appointed boss has done a big Premier League run-in like this before where every point matters; Slot won a title last year but end-of-season results were also undeniably poor, with the heavy lifting done far earlier.

Liverpool might be top of the possession stats this season, but Slot is trying to take a team sixth for clean sheets, seventh for big chances created, and eighth for shots on target per game…and engineer a top-five finish. The league table might show a small gap to that position, but the direction of numbers – and performances behind them – say something very different. If they want Champions League football next year, they may well have to win it this time.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Benfica and Real Madrid set for Champions League rematch

José Mourinho faces his former club just weeks after Benfica shocked Real Madrid in the most dramatic circumstances possible.

By Graham Ruthven

All over again

Anatoliy Trubin’s stoppage time header to send Benfica through to the knockout rounds of this season’s Champions League, and dump Real Madrid into the playoff round, will live long in the memory.

It was in the script that the two teams would meet each other again in the round of 32 and so it proved with José Mourinho once again set to face his former club.

Real Madrid enter Tuesday’s match in Lisbon on the back of arguably their best performance of the season so far. Indeed, Álvaro Arbeloa’s team were in top form as they put Real Sociedad to the sword in a comprehensive 4-1 win.

On the whole, though, Los Blancos have struggled for consistency recently and were exposed by Benfica’s directness and willingness to get bodies forward in last month’s spectacular encounter.

Benfica have won three of their last four meetings against Real Madrid and have yet to suffer defeat in Liga Portugal since Mourinho took over in September.

This promises to be the most compelling fixture of the entire round. Have Real Madrid learned lessons from what happened last month or will Benfica play the tape again to secure another famous win?

Key players

Benfica’s front four of Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup, Georgiy Sudakov and Vangelis Pavlidis caused mayhem against Real Madrid when the two sides clashed last month.

Indeed, the Lisbon outfit created no fewer than eight Big Chances, many of which came from their willingness to get forward quickly and flood the Real Madrid penalty area with bodies.

Pavlidis has scored an incredible 20 goals in 22 league appearances for Benfica this season. The Greek striker is a dangerous penalty box presence and will test the Real Madrid backline.

Nicolás Otamendi and Antonio Silva boast plenty experience between them in central defence while Trubin will surely be called upon at some point, although probably not to score the winning goal again.

Real Madrid have the attackers to blow away any opponent on their day, chief among them Kylian Mbappé who has scored an incredible 13 goals in just seven Champions League outings this season.

Vinícius Júnior is expected to start, potentially as one of two split strikers alongside Mbappé. Trent Alexander Arnold will also feature after an excellent performance against Real Sociedad.

The England international right back’s passing range gives Real Madrid a different dimension and could be key to Arbeloa’s team having more control of the ball against Benfica.

Team news

Fredrik Aursnes is set to miss out through injury, dealing Benfica a blow. Samuel Soares and Richard Ríos are also injury doubts for the home team.

Jude Bellingham is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning he will miss Tuesday’s match for Real Madrid who will also be missing Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo through suspension.

Mbappé didn’t feature against Real Sociedad on Saturday, but is reportedly in the frame to start against Benfica. Éder Militão is a long-term absentee.

Prediction

The January meeting between these two aside, too many draws have been a feature of Benfica’s season. At least when it comes to their domestic league, where despite being unbeaten, they are not in the title race. Here, we expect another score draw, meaning this tie will be decided back at the Bernabéu next week: Benfica 2-2 Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2026

Preview: Barca face fellow Catalans Girona in bid to take back top spot

Barcelona face a trip to Girona on Monday evening as they look to return to the top of the LaLiga table.

By Ross Kilvington

Real Madrid moved to the summit after an impressive 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday evening, putting the pressure back on Barcelona.

Earlier this season, Hansi Flick’s side won the reverse fixture 2-1, although they had to rely on a 93^rd minute goal by Ronald Araújo to seal all three points.

Barcelona will want to put midweek humiliation behind them

In recent weeks, everything has appeared rosy for Barcelona. The club have emerged as favourites for the league title, while finishing fifth in the Champions League group stage.

Enter Atlético Madrid. In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final in midweek, Diego Simeone’s men dominated Barcelona at the Metropolitano.

A clinical first half display which featured goals from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, Julián Alvarez and an own goal from Eric García saw the home side lead 4-0 at the break.

No further goals were scored and Barcelona have a mountain to climb if they wish to defend the trophy they won last season.

The away side can find solace in their superb league form, however, winning their previous three matches, scoring nine and conceding just one goal.

Lamine Yamal has been on fire across those games, scoring in each one and it looks as though he is peaking at precisely the right time.

With 15 goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season, the teenager could be pivotal over the next few months.

Can Girona spring a surprise?

Girona currently occupy 15^th place in the league table, just two points above the relegation zone, but they will be looking to take advantage of a shellshocked Barcelona.

The away side could start with a hangover from their midweek defeat in the Copa del Rey, something which Girona could take full advantage of.

Girona haven’t defeated Barcelona since December 2023 and this was only their second ever victory over them.

Their hopes will be pinned on striker Vladyslav Vanat, who has scored eight goals for Girona this season.

They will have to improve on their home form to stand any chance of getting a result, having won just three of their 11 league games in Girona.

Team news

Barcelona loanee Marc-André ter Stegen, Portu, Juan Carlos, Donny van de Beek, Àlex Moreno and Ricard Artero are all absent for Girona this evening.

Azzedine Ounahi faces a late fitness test to see whether he will be ready to feature.

For Barcelona, Andreas Christensen, Gavi and Pedri are unavailable. Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford and Raphinha are major doubts, which means Flick will have some rejigging to do ahead of this match.

Prediction

The 4-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid was certainly a shock, but this clash against Girona represents the ideal chance for Barcelona to bounce back to winning ways.

Girona will make it tricky, but the away side have so much firepower within their ranks: Girona 1-3 Barcelona.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Feb

2026

Preview: Arsenal host League One Wigan in the FA Cup

The FA Cup fourth round gives Arsenal the chance to take their mind off the pressure of the Premier League title race.

By Graham Ruthven

A welcome distraction

There’s no denying Arsenal have bigger things to worry about right now than the FA Cup. Indeed, this season’s Premier League title race is giving Mikel Arteta and his players enough to think about.

This is certainly true after Thursday’s 1-1 draw away to Brentford. What might have been a nine-point lead for the Gunners only a week ago has now been whittled down to a four-point advantage. The title race is far from over.

FA Cup fourth round weekend could be a welcome distraction for a team that might benefit from a favourable tie against a struggling League One opponent to loosen them up.

Wigan Athletic arrive at the Emirates Stadium on the back of four straight defeats. They sacked manager Ryan Lowe only a few days ago, placing Glenn Whelan and Graham Barrow in interim charge for this weekend’s match.

It’s difficult to envisage anything other than a comfortable home win on Sunday, but the fabled magic of the cup can never be fully discounted.

Key players

Arteta is almost certain to rotate his squad for this match after a testing run of games in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.

Gabriel Jesus could be in line to start as Arsenal’s centre forward having been on the bench for three of the Gunners’ last four matches. Gabriel Martinelli is another Brazilian who could possibly come into the starting lineup.

*Martinelli scored a hattrick in the last round*

Myles Lewis-Skelly is another fringe player who could receive significant minutes to boost his chances of earning a place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Kepa Arrizabalaga started Arsenal’s FA Cup third round win over Portsmouth and is a solid bet to start this match in the next round, especially after playing in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

Callum Wright is Wigan’s top scorer this season and is expected to start in a position behind the Latics’ centre forward. Christian Saydee is likely to be that centre forward even with his record of just two goals in 27 league games.

Realistically, Sam Tickle will need to be in top form to keep Arsenal at bay. Considering the 23-year-old goalkeeper has conceded eight goals in his last two outings, that will be easier said than done.

Team news

Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino will miss the match against Wigan, leaving Arteta short of options in attacking midfield. Otherwise, Max Dowman is the only other senior squad member currently unavailable for the Premier League leaders.

Martin Ødegaard, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka have all recently carried knocks, but featured against Brentford on Thursday. Arteta will be able to use the trio in the FA Cup fourth round.

While Wigan’s league form is cause for concern, Whelan and Barrow have a fully fit and available squad to choose from for the trip to North London this weekend.

Prediction

The gulf in class should be pretty evident, even accounting for some heavy rotation in the home team’s line-up at the Emirates: Arsenal 3-0 Wigan.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2026

Preview: Real Madrid meet Matarazzo’s in form Real Sociedad

Perhaps LaLiga’s two most in-form clubs meet at Estadio Bernabéu on Saturday

By Filip Mishov

Los Blancos keen to put pressure on and leapfrog Barça at the top the table

Real Madrid’s flawless form in LaLiga continues to put pressure on the leaders, Barcelona, as Kylian Mbappé & co. came off victorious from the tricky trip to Mestalla to extend their seven-match winning streak, which stretches back to December last year. Furthermore, the Whites have conceded just 18 goals, or the joint-least in Spain’s top tier, with no goalkeeper keeping more clean sheets (11) than Thibaut Courtois, and also, only the reigning champions, Barça (63), have scored more goals (49) this campaign.

With the in-form Real Sociedad coming to Estadio Bernabéu next, a difficult challenge awaits Álvaro Arbeloa‘s squad to strengthen the third-best home record in the league.

La Real are riding high on a wave of confidence, as the Basque club is on a seven-match (4W, 3D) unbeaten run in LaLiga and on an incredible 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions as well, which includes a draw against Atletico Madrid, a surprising win over Barcelona and, most recently, a victory in the Basque derby. To put it into context, since Pellegrino Matarazzo took over the helm back at the start of this calendar year, Real Sociedad have climbed up to 8th place in the standings and are on the verge of reaching the Copa del Rey final.

However, the White and Blues’ recent record at the Bernabéu is relatively poor, as Real Sociedad’s last win in Madrid dates back to 2020, but they have recorded three defeats and three draws since then, which is ultimately better than most!

Key Players

The free-firing Frenchman up front might be stealing the headlines, but Álvaro Carreras deserves plaudits for his impressive performances this season too, as the uncapped Spaniard opened the scoring at Valencia last weekend, earning him a FotMob rating of 8.5 and thus, the Player of the Match award. Also, the attacking-minded left-back is ranking high (over 95% in each category) in goals scored (2), successful passes (1.114), touches (1.687) and recoveries (119) among the other full-backs in the league, which makes him the highest-rated (7.51) defender in LaLiga.

Regardless of who is at the helm in San Sebastián, Mikel Oyarzabal is the undisputed protagonist and the Spanish international is La Real’s top scorer (9 goals) and joint-top assist maker (3) in LaLiga, while the versatile forward is also leading the ranks in terms of chances created (30) and possession won (0.9) in the final 3rd per 90, making him the best and most important player in the squad.

Team news

With Trent Alexander-Arnold coming off the bench against Valencia, Éder Militao, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo remain the only absentees in Arbeloa’s squad, with Vinícius Júnior also set to return to the starting XI after serving a one-match suspension.

For Real Sociedad, Brais Méndez will serve his second match of his two-match suspension in Madrid, while Luka Sucic, Arsen Zakharyan, Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea are injured.

Prediction

Even though Real Madrid’s performances are not really eye-catching, securing wins and collecting points is all that matters in a title race, and with Real Sociedad playing a midweek Basque derby in the Copa del Rey and Álvaro Arbeloa enjoying a full week to prepare for the match, I expect the hosts to celebrate a narrow victory in Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Feb

2026

Preview: Man City meet neighbours Salford for FA Cup rematch

There are some worrying warning signs for League Two Salford City, ahead their short journey of their FA Cup Fourth Round trip to Manchester City.

By Ian King

Manchester City are cranking back into gear, while Salford have wobbled in League Two

Manchester City may be slipping back into gear. Three wins in their last four matches have reignited the Premier League title race, with the gap between themselves and Arsenal at the top of the table now cut to four points, while they’ve already booked a place at Wembley in the Carabao Cup and they remain in the Champions League, although they don’t find out who they play in the Round of Death play-off until the 27th February.

Salford City are having a wobble at the top of League Two ahead of their 5-mile journey south to the Etihad. A 1-0 defeat at Accrington Stanley last weekend bumped them down from third to sixth in the table; it was their second defeat in three League games, following a run which had seen them go unbeaten since the 22nd November.

They’ve already won three ties to get this far, having already beaten League One promotion-chasing Lincoln City on penalties in the First Round, another League One side, Leyton Orient, 4-0 in the Second Round, and Swindon Town in the Third.

There are few good omens ahead of this match for Salford City

Two key numbers stand out when considering this tie. Firstly, these two sides have only ever met once before, but this just happened to be in the Third Round of this competition last season, with Manchester City winning 8-0. And secondly, Manchester City have only played one game in this year’s FA Cup, but that was a 10-1 win against League One Exeter City. Neither of these offer a great deal of reason to be optimistic, from a Salford perspective.

This match could be an opportunity for Rayan Cherki to continue his recent goalscoring run

Manchester City’s starting XI for this match is difficult to predict, but we can probably expect an appearance from winger Rayan Cherki, at some point. Cherki has scored a couple relatively recently, against Spurs in the Premier League and Galatasaray in the Champions League. This match could be an opportunity for him to get some more on the board.

It’ll likely have to be all eyes on the Salford City goalkeeper Matty Young, for this match. 19-year-old Young joined Salford on a season-long loan in July 2024 from Sunderland, made 27 appearances for them last season, and has made the starting spot his own this season. He was also the goalkeeper on Salford’s visit here in January last year, so he’ll be hoping for an improvement on that particular night.

Expect sweeping changes from Manchester City

From a Manchester City perspective, it’s best to compare the team which started against Manchester City compared to the team that started their last Premier League match against Fulham, to get an idea of what we might expect, this time around:

Their team vs Exeter – Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Rodri, Reijnders, McAidoo, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland.

Their team vs Fulham – Donnarumma, Nunes, Ruben Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Haaland, Foden.

Only three of those who started against Exeter, started against Fulham (Rodri, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland), and we can expect their team to look more like the former than the latter, although Haaland went off at half-time against Fulham with a “niggle”, and can’t be considered to have any greater than a 50-50 chance of featuring in this match at all. John Stones could return from injury.

Salford also have some injury issues. Winger Kelly Nmai has been out since December and will miss the rest of the season, while midfielder Ossama Ashley is out until at least the end of the month, while Ben Woodburn, Dan Chesters, and Josh Austerfield are also on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

There’s nothing to suggest that Salford won’t be on the receiving end of another shellacking

FA Cup shocks of this nature have come around before. In 2015, for example, Bradford City won 4-2 at Chelsea in this round of the competition, while in 2019, Newport County beat Leicester City.

But it’s rare, and the gulf is massive. Salford City’s annual wage budget is an estimated £180,000 less than Manchester City’s weekly wage budget, and there’s little to suggest that there’s going to be a surprise on this occasion.

Manchester City have made a habit of obliterating small fry who stand to get in their way, and Salford themselves were on the receiving end of this as recently as last season. And we’ve already had one truly generational shock this season, with Macclesfield knocking out Crystal Palace. Salford haven’t even been in great form themselves, over the last couple of weeks.

There are the scenes we all want to see, and the scenes that we are vastly more likely to see. Manchester City are starting to build a head of steam again and struggling to overcome a team three divisions below them would hardly be the winning mentality they need to lock into right now, if they’re to chip away at Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League.

They didn’t take Exeter lightly in the last round, and they may not take Salford lightly either. So where does this end up? 6-1? 8-0 (again)? 10-1 (again)? I’ll go for 7-1 to Manchester City. If there’s a sprinkling of cup magic to be found anywhere this weekend, it’s highly unlikely to be here.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Feb

2026

Preview: Liverpool meet Brighton in all-Premier League Cup tie

Premier League duo Liverpool and Brighton face off at Anfield on Saturday evening with a place in the fifth round of the FA Cup up for grabs.

By Sam McGuire

Both teams have been fairly inconsistent.

Liverpool find themselves sixth in the Premier League despite winning their opening five matches. The reigning champions have struggled for form and even their 10-match unbeaten run in the English top-flight felt underwhelming, with four wins and six draws.

Their last four outings in the Premier League have seen them win two and lose two. They travelled to the North East on Wednesday evening and ended Sunderland’s unbeaten run at the Stadium of Light with a 1-0 win courtesy of a Virgil van Dijk header. The Reds are now three points behind fourth placed Manchester United.

In truth, the FA Cup is probably an unwelcome distraction for Liverpool boss Arne Slot. The Reds are struggling with injuries right now and a number of his starting XI are in dire need of a rest. However, it is unlikely he’ll make wholesale changes to his team for the visit of the Seagulls. Momentum matters and he’ll want to make it two wins on the bounce all while protecting his key players. It’s a tricky one to balance but he’s paid to do just that.

For Brighton, the FA Cup is a welcome distraction.

The Seagulls have struggled this season and currently sit 14th in the Premier League table, just seven points clear of the drop zone.

On current form, Fabian Hürzeler’s side are joint bottom of the table with two points from their last five matches. In fact, they haven’t won a match in over a month. Their last victory arrived in the FA Cup when Brighton defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford. They’ve also drawn with Manchester City this season and beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They lost 2-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in December but, in truth, deserved a lot more from the game.

The point is they can and do raise their game in the bigger matches. They just lack consistency and that’s why they find themselves in the bottom half of the table with a goal difference of zero at this point in February.

*Recent H2H results in all competitions*

Key Players

Identifying key players for an FA Cup game is always tricky. You never know what sort of XI the managers are going to select. Still, I do think Curtis Jones will make his first start for Liverpool since mid-January and he’s going to view it as an opportunity to force himself back into Slot’s thinking.

For the Seagulls, maybe Yankuba Minteh? He was a handful for Liverpool back in December and he’s been out of the team recently, meaning he could be fresh for this fixture. It is also a potential audition for the former Feyenoord man with the Reds in the market for a Mohamed Salah replacement this summer.

Team News

The hosts are without Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak, Wataru Endo and Conor Bradley. Joe Gomez made his return on Wednesday evening and could get a start here as he steps up his return from injury.

The visitors, meanwhile, are missing Adam Webster, Solly March and Stefanos Tzimas but Mats Wieffer and Yasin Ayari are back in contention.

Prediction

We’ll go with a narrow 2-1 win for Liverpool.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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