The Pulse of Football

Jul

2025

Preview: England meet neighbours Wales in final group game

England’s Euro 2025 campaign is back on track and the final group game should see them into the knockouts; Wales have already done themselves proud just by being here and competing.

By Jamie Spencer

Group D Permutations

As long as England win, they will progress to the quarter-finals without needing to worry about the result in the Netherlands-France game. Alternatively, a draw would be enough if Netherlands don’t beat France. They could even get through with a shock defeat to Wales – by less than four goals – but that would be skin of the teeth stuff because Netherlands also have to lose.

For England to have a chance of winning the group, Netherlands have to beat France, but by fewer than seven goals.

Wales can still just about reach the last eight. But it requires a monumental result and a helping hand, beating England by at least four goals and for France to win against Netherlands.

Head-to-Head

England have never lost in the 10 games they have played against Wales over the years, winning nine and drawing one. This is a first time for Sarina Wiegman facing Wales as England boss – the Lionesses last faced the Dragons in 2018 when Phil Neville was in charge; winning 3-0 – but she did oversee a 5-0 Netherlands victory against Wales shortly before Euro 2017.

Player Focus

Alessia Russo must be wondering what she needs to do to get on the scoresheet at this tournament. The Arsenal striker, although as underwhelming as her teammates against France, had a goal disallowed for the most marginal of offsides in the build-up in that game. Another against the Netherlands was also ruled out, again for an offside in the build-up.

Russo’s graft against the Dutch was rewarded in other ways, putting in the hard yards and setting up her teammates to score instead. But couple of goals, or more, against Wales – which is certainly plausible, and she’d be firmly in the Golden Boot race going into the knockout rounds.

Proud Wales

Imminent group stage elimination isn’t really the point for Wales. They are the lowest ranked team at the Euros and qualifying was in itself a huge achievement. Rhian Wilkinson’s team have been far from embarrassed in their two defeats so far and the Canadian coach declared after facing France that she has “never been prouder” of the courage and determination on display.

Team News

England enjoyed a clean bill of health going into each of their first two games. Changes, generally, aren’t expected after things went so right in the Netherlands win.

Wales swapped goalkeepers, from Olivia Clark to Safia Middleton-Patel, between their Netherlands and France defeats. It remains to be seen which will start here, or if uncapped Poppy Soper will get a chance instead. At just 23, Clark is the most senior of the young trio.

Sophie Ingle made her comeback from a long-term knee injury as a late substitute against France.

Prediction

Wales won’t want to exit the tournament without a fight and they could very well make it tough for the Lionesses in the first half – as they did against France. But in a similar way, England’s greater quality should shine through and, if they perform anything like they did against the Netherlands, will eventually run up the score: England 4-1 Wales.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings.

And for exclusive coverage from on the ground at the tournament, please sign up for our free newsletter – here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Chelsea and PSG face off in Club World Cup Final

Love it or loathe it, the new-look FIFA Club World Cup has produced some good moments and plenty of talking points. It all comes to a climax on Sunday, with Chelsea kicking-off against French and European champions PSG.

By Alex Roberts

Both sides have played arguably the best football at the tournament, although PSG’s route to the final has been a little trickier than Chelsea’s. Of course, any side that beats Real Madrid 4-0 has to be considered favourites.

Unstoppable force vs immovable object

With Moisés Caicedo back in training and seemingly fit to face PSG, he will come up against another midfielder that has made a name for himself as one of the best ball winners in the game, João Neves.

Neves has undergone quite the transformation since joining the French giants. While at Benfica, he was more creative, under Luis Enrique, his tenacity and undying engine have seen him become more of a N’Golo Kanté.

*Club World Cup defensive numbers comparison*

He was absolutely everywhere in the win over Real Madrid, winning the most duels (7) and tackles (4) in the game. Caicedo put up similar numbers in the win over Benfica, winning 100% of his tackles, making 10 recoveries, and winning five duels. This game will likely be won in the midfield.

João Pedro!? More like Wow Pedro

Talk about an instant impact. The Brazilian was on a beach in Rio just over a week ago, now he’s arguably Chelsea’s first choice striker. His two goals against Fluminense were superbly taken, a penny for Nicolas Jackson’s thoughts.

He offers a different kind of option to Liam Delap and Jackson. While Delap is more of a Jack Russell Terrier, biting and the ankles of defenders, Pedro relies on his hold-up play and deft touches to create space and strike the ball with venom.

Jackson’s best asset is his movement; he’s just often let down when it comes to actually putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s an exciting time to be a Chelsea fan, and it would be hard for Enzo Maresca to pick anyone other than Pedro to start in this one.

In all but name

PSG don’t need a little badge on their shirt to know they’re the best side in the world at the moment; they’ve proven it over and over again by beating the best of the best. Luis Enrique has done a hell of a job.

Chelsea are on the come up under Enzo Maresca, but PSG have already beaten better sides to get here. They’re only behind Man City in terms of xG with 12.5 and level with them in big chances created with 24.

They’re also so hard to break down. PSG have conceded just one goal in the tournament, coming in their shock 1-0 defeat to Brazilian side Botafogo. Perhaps Chelsea can take inspiration from that game.

Money, Money, Money

It’s no secret the immense amount of cash on offer is the main driving force for clubs in the competition, it’s the name of the modern game. FIFA put up a $1 billion prize pot to be divided between the 32 competing teams.

The winner of this one will have bagged around £70 million for their time at the tournament, which is roughly how much Chelsea pay for any given squad player, it’s quite the motivator for the accountants at least.

We shouldn’t discount professional pride as a motivator; both of these clubs are used to winning and adding another trophy to the cabinet, regardless of what people think, will have the players licking their lips.

Prediction

This is the greatest test in Maresca’s time as Chelsea manager, and we reckon it may just be a step too far. PSG should win this fairly comfortably, 3-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can watch the Club World Cup live on DAZN – watch here for free!

Jul

2025

Preview: Inter Miami look to continue post-Club World Cup bounce against Nashville

It’s a battle between two of the in-form attackers in Major League Soccer as Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami take on Sam Surridge’s Nashville SC on Saturday night.

By James Nalton

Javier Mascherano’s side are looking to recover ground on the teams ahead of them in the MLS standings following the Club World Cup, and here they have a chance to take points off the one sitting in second place.

Internacional Miami

The Club World Cup has been and gone, for MLS at least, but the international football experience on home soil seems to have given Inter Miami an extra swagger on their return to regular season MLS matches.

When you’ve just beaten Porto and tested yourselves against Paris Saint-Germain, returning to MLS could either be a chore or a chance to show why you were at the Club World Cup in the first place.

Inter Miami have gone down the latter route, following up a 4-1 thrashing of Montréal with a 2-1 win against New England Revolution.

As is often the case in Miami games, the opponents put up good numbers, and the xG suggests the Revolution might have won their recent meeting, but Messi happened.

More Messi records

Messi scored both his side’s goals in New England, adding to the two he scored against Montréal.

From the three games immediately prior to the Club World Cup and the two immediately after, Messi has nine goals and four assists.

His brace against New England followed two-goal hauls against Montréal, Columbus Crew, and Montréal again, and made him the first player in MLS history to score multiple goals in four straight regular-season games.

You wouldn’t bet against him making it five.

The Surridge effect

Not all of the players joining MLS from Europe are high-profile names who create a stir back home on moving to, or indeed playing in, MLS.

Very few of them, though, regardless of profile, have been as successful as Sam Surridge has become this season in Nashville.

Having moved to MLS from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023, Surridge’s first season and a half were steady and more than respectable, yielding 20 goals in 47 games in all competitions.

In 2025, though, Surridge has been the most prolific striker in the league, scoring 18 goals in 22 games across MLS and the US Open Cup.

While Messi is making the headlines once again, and making a late push to retain his MVP title from 2024, it is Surridge who tops the MLS goalscoring charts, two ahead of Messi.

Surridge’s tally does include five penalty kicks, but two goals in the Open Cup quarter-final win against DC United on Wednesday take him to 12 goals in his last eight games in all competitions.

There are few more in-form players in the league than Messi and Surridge, while Nashville still have a former MVP of their own in Hany Mukhtar, who could also cause Miami problems.

Prediction

If this were in Tennessee, you might fancy Nashville, but at home in Fort Lauderdale, the Herons should do enough to get a draw, with goals for both sides, as is almost always the case in games involving Inter Miami.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

The Lionesses are back: Wiegman tweaks tactics as James answers critics

England’s record-breaking win over the Netherlands kept them alive at Euro 2025 and erased all the negativity from a woeful start to the tournament against France.

By Jamie Spencer

That was much, much better.

England knew just how much was at stake before kick-off against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Defeat would have spelled elimination with a game still to play.

Prior to Saturday night’s humbling loss against France, no reigning European champion had ever been beaten in their opening game of the tournament. To create more unwanted history as the first holders not to escape the group stage was unthinkable.

Instead, there was a different piece of history, England became the first team ever to score more than two goals in a single major tournament game against the Netherlands. The 4-0 score-line and everything about the performance was the perfect response to what had unfolded four days earlier.

After being “absolutely bullied” by France, there was a call for calm from the Lionesses camp, no need to overreact. For midfielder Georgia Stanway, one of many off her usual game that evening, the defeat amounted to a “bad night out” to be forgotten, and nothing more.

Sarina Wiegman’s selection for game two raised eyebrows, making just a single change – Ella Toone for Beth Mead – and keeping faith in Jess Carter following a mauling by France winger Delphine Cascarino. But once the game kicked off, it was clear Carter had traded places with Alex Greenwood, who moved to left-back. Playing centrally, she instantly looked much more protected and comfortable.

Lauren James moved wide to accommodate Toone in the No. 10 role, which seemed to give the midfield a better balance and shape, but the Chelsea star had license to roam too.

After France, critics unfairly rounded on James. There were outside voices calling for her to be dropped, but she was the one England player who’d performed in that game. Everything the Lionesses did well in the first 15 minutes, until later being overrun, was through her.

Underpinned by vastly improved intensity and physicality from those around her – the Lionesses won 52% of all duels, up from only 42% against France – operating from the right seemed to suit James better. This was only her third game back from a hamstring injury that meant she didn’t feature for Chelsea in April or May. But the effortless quality on display made that impossible to detect.

It was a fine finish to break the deadlock only 22 minutes in, cutting onto her left foot on the edge of the box, and a poacher’s goal for England’s third on the hour mark, gobbling up a rebound after Toone’s initial shot had been blocked.

It wasn’t just on the ball either, she pinned Netherlands left-back Esmee Brugts from early on, nullifying what could have been a serious danger, given how vulnerable England had been in wide areas against France. In one instance, James forced Brugts back towards her own penalty area and won a corner. The Barcelona star didn’t return after the half-time interval.

At 4-0 up, James was withdrawn after 69 minutes, preserving her fitness with the job done.

Stanway scored England’s second with an opportunistic strike from distance. More importantly, she was back to her usual self in other ways, making more tackles (3) than any other player on the pitch. Toone had justified her starting place before adding the fourth, arriving unmarked in the box.

Alessia Russo deserves credit too, disappointing against France but coming away from this one with a hat-trick of assists. She put in the hard yards to stretch the pitch and keep the Dutch guessing – England’s first and fourth goals were the direct result of Russo running behind the defensive line and picking out the right pass at the right time.

“The priority was that we wanted to skip [midfield] and exploit space. The Netherlands pushed up so we wanted to go over them. That worked really well,” Wiegman explained after the final whistle. “When you’re in their half of the pitch, you can start playing. We had some nice crosses and we spoke about that too. We wanted Ella [to start] because she can make good runs in behind.”

As a whole, England played more on the front foot this time – 308 accurate passes were split exactly 50/50 between their own half and the opposition half, compared to just 29% of all successful Dutch passes being in English territory. In the first half alone, there were 11 attempts on goal, almost four times as many as in the opening 45 minutes against France (3).

Suddenly, France looks like a blip and this was the “proper England” – the buzz phrase doing the rounds since that result. Only time will tell if they are genuine contenders to retain the title, but 90 minutes against the Netherlands was enough of a statement to suggest they absolutely could be.

Next up, the aim is to finish the job by beating Wales on Sunday night to reach the knockouts stage.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings.

And for exclusive coverage from on the ground at the tournament, please sign up for our free newsletter – here.

Jul

2025

Preview: Midweek New England test for Inter Miami

Inter Miami continue their road trip on their return to Major League Soccer action following their involvement in the Club World Cup.

By James Nalton

They will be hoping to follow up a convincing win in Montreal, where Lionel Messi was on top form, with another against New England at Gillette Stadium, Massachusetts, on Wednesday night.

Ready for the second half

Inter Miami returned from the Club World Cup in style with a 4-1 win in Canada against CF Montréal.

The home side took the lead within two minutes, but any fears of a Miami hangover from the summer tournament were soon allayed.

By half-time, they were in the lead through goals from Tadeo Allende and Messi. Then, after the break, Telasco Segovia added a third and Messi scored a fourth following a typical, mazy solo run to make it a convincing win.

The goals and the performance could be an indication that Messi and Miami are ready to kick on towards the end of the season in a bid to retain their Supporters’ Shield title.

There are four games in hand for them to work with, and they are ten points off the top of the table, a position currently held by FC Cincinnati.

The Montréal game took them to the halfway point in the regular season, and they will now be looking for a strong second half of the campaign, beginning in New England.

Goals galore

Despite having played fewer games than all other teams in the Eastern Conference (in many cases, four fewer) Inter Miami have still managed to score the most goals in the conference with 40.

Only Western Conference teams San Diego FC and San Jose Earthquakes have scored more than Miami in all of MLS, and both of those Californian teams have played four games more.

It’s this attacking prowess that keeps Javier Mascherano’s team winning games even if they have not been convincing defensively.

Finding the net against New England might not be quite as easy as the league table would have you believe, as despite sitting 11th, only New York City and Philadelphia Union have conceded fewer goals than the Revolution this season.

But that Miami attack will fancy themselves to score against even the best defences in the league.

Opposition watch: New England

Carles Gil remains the standout player for the Revolution and is one of the best players in the league regardless of how well his team are doing overall.

This season, said team performance has been fairly mediocre, and they haven’t won in their last four games, losing three and drawing one.

They do have a couple of games in hand on many teams, though, so have scope to start turning things around.

Despite the below-par league position, Gil has the second-highest FotMob rating in MLS, behind Messi, of course, and has seven goals and four assists this season.

Ignatius Ganago remains out for New England, but they recently extended his loan deal from Nantes until the end of the season. The Revolution will hope Ganago can help fire them toward the playoffs once he returns, but he will not do so against Miami.

Prediction

Another Miami win against another side struggling at the lower end of the table.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Arsenal are moving in the transfer market – would Viktor Gyokeres complete Arteta’s squad?

After three successive second-placed finishes, Arsenal are setting themselves up for one, big title challenge this summer.

By Sam McGuire

The Gunners convinced Martin Zubimendi to leave the Basque Country while Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, arrived at the Emirates for a bargain fee of £5million. Brentford skipper Christian Nørgaard is expected to add depth to the Arsenal midfield and there’s talk that Noni Madueke could be signed from Chelsea as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attack.

The difference-maker, however, could be the imminent arrival of Viktor Gyökeres. Arsenal, for all of their easy-on-the-eye football during the Arteta era, have lacked that exclamation point in the final third from time to time.

They’ve been without a player who is obsessed with putting the ball into the back of the net. A true goalscorer.

Arteta has invested in the forward line over the years, signing Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. The Gunners also brought Raheem Sterling in on loan. While these are goal threats, they aren’t necessarily goalscorers. They aren’t going to hit 30 across all competitions, are they?

And that appears to have been Arsenal’s downfall over recent seasons. Last term, they finished sixth for Expected Goals in the Premier League with a total of 61.6. Bournemouth (64.9) were one of the five teams to be more of a threat and Liverpool topped the charts with a haul of 83.5. For further context here, the Gunners could only claim a fifth placed finish in the Big Chances table with a total of 110, 40 shy of leaders Liverpool.

In a sport in which goals are king, the lack of real threat for Arsenal was clearly a problem. You can have the best defence in the league but if you don’t have the firepower to make the most of it, you’ll always fall short.

*Arsenal had the sixth highest xG in the Premier League, 2024/25*

Gyökeres doesn’t guarantee goals. No player does. But the Sweden international is a supreme goalscorer and an elite chance-getter. Provide him with enough chances and he will, more often than not, put the ball into the back of the net.

It’s why Sporting are reportedly demanding a guaranteed £60.2million to part ways with the 27-year-old this summer.

Last term, the one-time Brighton man scored 39 league goals and netted 54 across all competitions. To put into perspective just how impressive this is, Havertz, Trossard, Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored a combined 34 league goals during the 2024/25 campaign.

The 6’2″ powerhouse was just inevitable for the Lisbon giants. He claimed an average 8.33 FotMob rating last season for his performances in the Portuguese top flight. In fact, he was the only player in Portugal to finish with an average rating of over 7.9.

He was a class above everybody else. He finished with 46 goal involvements in the league, 20 clear of his closest rival. His Expected Goals haul of 30.9 was 12.5 more than the man in second.

If you want a pure, out-and-out No. 9 this summer, he’s the best bet.

*Gyökeres shot map, Liga Portugal 2024/25*

His shot map is the sort that all strikers yearn for. Huge volume inside of the area and only a handful of attempts from low-value areas. He is where you want him to be, all of the time.

There are, of course, a few things to caveat though. For example, 12 of his 39 league goals arrived via the penalty spot. Penalties aren’t awarded so freely in the Premier League and he might be behind Saka in the pecking order, so that needs to be factored in.

The sheer volume of shots on a per 90 basis also needs to be looked at. Last season, he averaged 4.46 shots per 90.

The only two players to crack the four shots per game on average barrier were Julio Enciso and Jhon Durán. The former appeared in fewer than 1,200 minutes while the latter was sold in January having racked up just 626 minutes. The point here is it is almost impossible to maintain that sort of shot volume while playing 2,600 minutes. The most prolific shooter for the Gunners last term was Saka with 3.5. Next up was Havertz with 2.5.

How Arteta goes about ensuring his new centre-forward gets the service he needs is going to be intriguing. Without it, it is hard to know just how impactful Gyökeres can be. After all, the key to his success in Portugal has been shot volume. If Arsenal are unable to create an environment for him to thrive, this signing could cause more problems than solutions for the title challengers.

You have to believe that Arsenal have done their due diligence though. Earlier in the transfer window, it appeared as though Benjamin Šeško was the one for them but he was priced out of a move. There was also talk of Hugo Ekitike.

Gyökeres has an advantage over both though having already played in England. The adaption should be a little easier. The Sporting No. 9 also has experience battling for the title. Another tick for him. There’s also an argument that he’s more of the finished article, with Ekitike and Šeško still learning on the job. Arteta needs someone who can make an immediate impact. And, in theory, Gyökeres can, all for a reasonable fee of €70million as opposed to the €100million that RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt reportedly want for their strikers.

Signing the Sweden international would be smart business. But only if Arsenal are prepared to play to his strengths. Do that and they could have the firepower to finally win a Premier League title under Arteta.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can track all the summer moves via the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Does Arda Guler’s future lie in a midfield role?

Arda Güler has been a key figure for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup in a way few could have predicted for the Turkish youngster.

By Graham Ruthven

No Real Madrid player had more touches of the ball in the Club World Cup quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund than Arda Güler. It was the same against Juventus in the previous round when the Turkish international pulled the strings for Xabi Alonso’s team in a role he has surprisingly embraced this summer.

While Güler’s deployment as a central midfielder was initially an emergency measure to combat Real Madrid being reduced to 10 men against Pachuca in the group stage, the 20-year-old has since proved why his skill set lends itself to this area of the pitch. With every passing match, Güler looks more and more like Luka Modrić’s long-term successor.

Alonso’s Real Madrid are a work-in-progress. Los Blancos started their Club World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal that highlighted many of the deficiencies left over from the previous regime. Thibaut Courtois candidly admitted Real Madrid were still playing with “Ancelotti’s automations” as they struggled on both sides of the ball.

Match by match, though, Alonso has moulded Real Madrid in his own image, borrowing many of the ideas that worked so well for him at Bayer Leverkusen. He has, in the main, recycled the 3-4-3 shape that formed the framework of his previous team in the Bundesliga, pushing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García high and wide as wing backs.

Aurélien Tchouaméni has been dropped into the defensive line while Dean Huijsen has been emboldened to make line-breaking passes out from the back. Fede Valverde is being harnessed as a box-to-box number eighth with Gonzalo García enjoying a breakthrough summer as the penalty box presence Real Madrid have lacked since the departure of Joselu.

However, no Real Madrid player’s career has been altered so dramatically since the arrival of Alonso like Güler’s. Last season, he was a peripheral figure, starting just 14 games in LaLiga and one in the Champions League. Now, Güler appears to be a central pillar of the team Alonso is building in his own image.

To truly be the rhythm-building central midfielder Real Madrid need after the end of the Toni Kroos-Modrić age, Güler will have to sharpen his defensive instincts. He will also have to add some physicality to his game to operate at the base of Alonso’s midfield in the long-term. He’s not the complete package just yet.

“Try to anticipate rather than be reactive,” said Alonso when asked how Güler can improve. “If the position is better, you get to the duel sooner and you don’t have to beat them physically. We know Arda will make mistakes during this learning process, but he’ll also do good thinks.

“It’s also a time to invest in a process, in Arda’s development. He’s doing well, and we keep pushing him. We want him gain experience, mature, and be able to make mistakes. Let him accept them because they’re part of his development if we want to have a strong Arda in that area.”

In Alonso, Güler couldn’t hope for a better mentor. The Real Madrid manager was one of the best pace-setting midfielders of his generation. He knows what it takes to succeed in the position and so there’s good reason to believe Güler will continue to grow as he gets used to the role he’s being asked to perform.

Of course, the true gauge of Güler as Modrić’s replacement will come next season when Real Madrid will be expected to fight on all fronts for silverware. Barcelona set a new standard at the top of LaLiga last season while Paris Saint-Germain looked unbeatable as they won the Champions League.

This adds another layer of intrigue to Wednesday’s meeting with the European champions in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. The match will be a useful gauge for Real Madrid to judge how much closer they are to the Champions League winner after a summer of change. Can Alonso’s team impose themselves on an opponent with as clear an identity as PSG?

Güler won’t have faced a threat in central midfield like the one PSG will pose. The trio of João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha compromise the best midfield unit in the game at this moment in time and so Güler will have to do just as much against the ball as he will on it. The 20-year-old will have to play his best game simply not to be overwhelmed.

Talent has never been an issue for Güler. Nicknamed ‘The Turkish Messi’ from a young age, he has been tipped for the top since becoming a first team figure for Fenerbahçe at the age of only 16. It’s only now, however, that Güler’s purpose as a Real Madrid player has become clear. Alonso was the first to see it.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

England were second best for the majority of their opening fixture against France and a second defeat against the Dutch would spell an unfathomable early elimination for the defending champions with a game still to play.

Even a draw would leave the Lionesses with an uphill battle and not in control of their own destiny when it comes to reaching the knockouts – on top of winning their own final game against Wales, they would likely have to rely on the other result in the group.

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

The Lionesses won the most recent clash in December 2023, in the UEFA Nations League, coming from 2-0 down to claim a 3-2 victory in stoppage time at Wembley Stadium. But the Dutch had won 2-1 in the reverse fixture just a few weeks earlier.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

The Netherlands enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Wales on matchday one that saw Vivianne Miedema score her 100^th international goal – Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova and Barcelona’s Esmee Brugts got the others. But coming into the tournament, they had been frustrated by Scotland (1-1) and thrashed by Germany (4-0) in their two previous competitive games.

Fresh Energy

Wiegman defended her team selection against France, which featured 10 players who were part of the Euro 2022-winning squad from three years ago. “I don’t have regrets. We try to turn every stone before we make the lineup,” she said after the defeat, but equally hasn’t ruled out making changes.

There is a clamour for Michelle Agyemang to get more of an opportunity. The teenager scored a stunner 41 seconds into her senior debut in April and had an impact in a short cameo against France. Her uncompromising style and fearlessness already commands respect from her teammates.

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

All 23 players again trained for England on Tuesday, which had been the case before facing France. Lauren James is building fitness all the time, a significant boost given that they she was the player who looked more likely than any other to make something happen last time out.

There should be plenty of familiarity with the Dutch squad for most of the Lionesses, with more than half (12) of the squad playing their club football in England last season. But that works both ways. “I already know a lot of those girls,” right-back Kerstin Casparij said.

Prediction

The Lionesses started well and finished well against France, it was 70 minutes in the middle that was the problem. They need to be better. The Dutch aren’t as polished all over the pitch as the French, but still possess huge threats and will take confidence from both their own victory over Wales and the nature of England’s opening performance: England 2-2 Netherlands.

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(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025 Women’s Euros with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Jul

2025

Preview: European royalty PSG and Madrid meet in Club World Cup semifinal

Not the final the new version of the Club World Cup deserved, and not the one it will get either – but PSG versus Real Madrid is the titanic type of clash Fifa had in mind for the uber-expanded tournament. A winner here will be favourite for the overall biggest prize of around £90m.

By Karl Matchett

One key tactical matchup

What this semi-final has is one team with a tactical plan they know and love, and another who are experimenting with the likely set-up for next season, with a new boss in place and a few new faces too. The most interesting part of that, in terms of immediate on-pitch impact, is in PSG’s front three against Real Madrid’s back three…or back five, depending on how hard-working they are and how cautious Xabi Alonso wants to be.

If Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran García get pinned back in a five to tie down the movement of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, then the Spanish side could really struggle to break out of shape and dominate the match. But if they don’t track back at all or passes from PSG’s deep midfield sail over them, a Real Madrid back three unused to the setup could find themselves in a lot of one-v-one situations.

*Our best rated sides at the Club World Cup*

Defensive differences

It’s not just the direct numbers either. Real haven’t been exactly able to practice Alonso’s preferred system with a regular collection of faces: Éder Militão is still sidelined, Raúl Asencio was sent-off early in the tournament, Dean Huijsen was last time out too. It’s tough to get right on the fly, let alone when you’re facing the world’s most dangerous attacking line of the last few months. Real actually rank in the tournament’s top ten for saves per match and are ninth for highest xG conceded; PSG on the other hand have only seen one goal scored past them at the tournament in total.

Recent form

On the assumption that actual in-season results don’t really have any bearing on this competition, PSG are on a Club World Cup run of four wins and one defeat from their quintet of outings – just Brazilians Botafogo beat them in the groups. Real Madrid drew their opener with Al Hilal and have won four on the trot since then.

Team news

PSG are without two suspended players, centre-back Willian Pacho plus defensive sub Lucas Hernández. Real Madrid have Eduardo Camavinga back in training and former PSG star Kylian Mbappé is back in the fold once more after illness, but Huijsen is suspended after a red card and the likes of Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Endrick are all longer-term injury absentees.

Key player

Vitinha. His ability to shift the ball will test Real’s new alignment, not just through midfield but to the sides of the defence too. He is top for accurate long passes per 90 at the tournament and second only to Rodri in overall accurate passes per 90 – plus he’s top five for expected assists.

Prediction

Possibly the match-up the watching world wanted to see at this tournament: the reigning European champions and the biggest club on the planet. We’ll go for the team who have already celebrated recently: PSG 2-1 Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jul

2025

Preview: Netherlands test key to England’s chances at the Euros

The Lionesses are back in action at Euro 2025 on Wednesday evening, faced with having to get a result against the Netherlands just to stay alive in the tournament.

By Jamie Spencer

Must-Win

For the Netherlands, a win gets them through – thanks to what would be a superior head-to-head record against Wales and England – and takes the pressure off their next game against France.

Head-to-Head

There have been 23 encounters since a first meeting in 1973, with England winning 14 of those. Four have been draws and the Dutch have won five times.

Recent Form

England only lost three of the first 39 competitive fixtures played under Sarina Wiegman, now it’s three defeats in the last four.

Fresh Energy

Grace Clinton also impressed briefly against France, while Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Aggie Beever-Jones all have attributes that could improve what was a stale performance last time out.

Team News

Prediction

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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