Here’s the FotMob TOTW for the latest round of games in La Liga.
There were two games in Spain last night, which concluded Round 34 – but before Round 35 gets underway later today (there is no let up in the schedule!), we thought we’d reflect on the games just gone.
🇫🇷 Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann obviously didn’t let the adverse press attention on his role at the club affect him, scoring a delightful lob to ease the pressure on his performances this season.
🤝 The assist for Griezmann’s goal came from a familiar source, with Lionel Messi providing his 18th and 19th assists in the league this season.
💪 Alvaro Morata scored a brace in Atlético’s win over Mallorca on Friday night and he is joined in the team by Koke – who scored the other goal in their 3-0 victory.
8️⃣.1️⃣ Our strongest performing defender was Jesús Navas, who set up the only goal for Seville as they saw off Eibar.
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Here’s the FotMob TOTW for the latest round of games in the Premier League.
Round 33 of the English top flight ended with a 1-0 victory for Spurs over Everton last night. (Sidenote: Spurs are now unbeaten in 15 league games against Everton!)
🇵🇹 For the second time in a week, Bruno Fernandes is our best rated player. The United playmaker was instrumental in their eventual 5-2 demolition of AFC Bournemouth.
United also provide two of our front-line, with 18-year-old Mason Greenwood outscoring Marcus Rashford by just 0.6 in our ratings.
1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ Jamie Vardy earns a place in our team on the occasion of his milestone achievement for Leicester City. The frontman scored his 100th and then his 101st Premier League goal in their victory over Crystal Palace.
🧤 And such was Alisson Becker’s performance in Liverpool’s return to winning ways against Aston VIlla, he actually earned the same rating as 2-goal Vardy. That was the Brazilian’s 13th, and the club’s 15th clean sheet in their record breaking campaign.
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Here’s the FotMob TOTW for the latest round of games in the Premier League.
Round 32 took a while to get through, with Aston Villa and Wolves kicking it off way back on Saturday.
⭐️ There were plenty of high scoring performances from forwards, with Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick Augameyang’s brace and assist notching him a 9.2… which was bettered by the 9.3 that Allan Saint-Maximin rated for his hat-trick of assists in Newcastle’s win at Bournemouth!
🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes continues his strong case for being one of the best ever buys in the January transfer window as his 4th and 5th league goals for Manchester United saw him rack up another 9.2 rating.
👊 Burnley’s centre-back pairing of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski impressed in their 1-0 backs to the wall win at Crystal Palace, with both of them scoring in the 8s.
🧤 And finally, in the battle of Brazil’s Number 1 and Number 2 in the big game last night, it was Manchester City’s Ederson who surpassed Alisson, who to be fair was probably still a bit partied out after Liverpool’s title celebrations.
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July is here and we are now in to the final month of Europe’s elongated football season, whilst leagues elsewhere in the world are just getting going. The end result for us at FotMob is that it’s business as usual, with games coming up thick and fast from all over the place! So here’s our regular look at the best action coming up this weekend.
🍽 Friday Night.
🇪🇸 Tonight is relatively quiet in terms of major league action, but the fixture in La Liga should provide some entertainment.
🏴 The EFL League 1 play-offs get underway in England tonight and the home end at Fleetwood Town is looking… errr, a little weird. pic.twitter.com/Vv3638nOUF
🇮🇹 There’s still 9 rounds to go in Serie A but Saturday’s key fixtures involving the sides at the top could go some way to determining the outcome of the title.
With Juve boasting a 4 point lead, any fresh slip-up from chasers Lazio will surely pave the way for Juventus to hone in on their 9th straight Scudetto.
🇯🇵 The J League, one of the biggest leagues in Asian football finally makes its return tomorrow.
Japan’s top tier was suspended after just one round of the new season back in Feburary, so there’s not a lot to go on in terms of the form guide! Outside observers, and particularly any Barcelona fans currently disgruntled with with their lot might be interested in watching Andrés Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe side take on Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The year is 2020 and Andrés Iniesta can still unlock that hole in your defence. 🧙♂️
🇪🇸 If you believe the press, the season is all but over for Barcelona but with 5 games to go in La Liga, it’s still a little early to call this two horse race. Yes, Barca are dropping points here, there and everywhere but Real Madrid’s lead is still only 4 points.
🏴 Liverpool might have partied a little too hard after being crowned Premier League Champions, that’s if Thursday’s result at Manchester City was anything to go by. But who can blame them after they finally ended the club’s thirty year wait for a title!
We’re nearly at the end of June now and the action just keeps rolling on! On the face of it, this weekend may seem a little calmer but there’s still games in most of the major leagues and there will be more coming in what looks like being a bumper July in the weeks to come.
Back to the present – here are the matches that matter over the next few days. And remember, you can set alerts for any of these fixtures by clicking the links to open the game in the app.
The Italian giants answered a few critics by winning their first game back in the league last Monday, whilst tough results for the only sides who could stop them from winning a ninth straight title – Lazio (defeated by Atalanta) and Inter (held by Sassuolo) means they’re already sitting 4 points clear at the top.
🇪🇸 In Spain, and for the second Friday in a row Sevilla feature in the main game. After holding Barca to a goalless draw last week, they’ve since drawn with Villarreal and slipped to fourth in the table – so a victory over tonight’s visitors, Real Valladolid would boast their hopes of a Champions League place.
🇩🇪 As the first major league to re-start, it’s sadly now time for us to big farewell to the Bundesliga as we reach the final round of games. There will be relegation play-offs to come but this will be the last chance to see most of these sides until next season.
Bayern and Leipzig are of course still involved in the Champions League whilst Wolfsburg, Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt all have the Europa League knock-out stages to look forward to in August.
On Saturday though – the most important games involve sides at the top and the bottom of the table.
At the bottom we’re left with two sides fighting for another shot at staying up. Neither Werder Bremen or Fortuna Düsseldorf can get out of the relegation zone, with one guaranteed automatic relegation whilst the other will have to face a play-off against the side who finish 3rd in the 2. Bundesliga.
🇪🇸 In La Liga, Barcelona are in a neck-and-neck fight with Real Madrid – with the latter only leading the table due to their head-to-head record this season.
🇺🇸 Saturday will also see the return of football to US soil, where the NWSL have gathered the elite woman’s sides to play a one-off tournament in Utah.
Run as something of a fore-runner to a similar tournament that the MLS have planned for Florida next month, this will be a real test of what’s currently possible in the States with all the sides staying, training and playing in a contained, Olympic-village style setting.
🇳🇴 Lastly, we’ll be holding out for a last minute surprise from our local club, Brann where in the early stages of the Eliteserien, crowds of 200 fans have been drawn out of a hat and allowed to attend games. We’re just waiting for that call!
A special midweek edition of our Premier League TOTW.
Round 31 of the Premier League was completed across the last 3 nights, with the obvious headline that these were the games in which Liverpool finally confirmed their title win.
⭐️ In terms of our ratings, it was actually a Manchester United player who outperformed everyone – Anthony Martial bagged a whopping 9.6 for his hat-trick against Sheffield United. He’s joined in our line-up by teammate Marcus Rashford, who set up two of those goals for Martial.
🤝 He’s joined in our line-up by teammate Marcus Rashford, who set up two of those goals for Martial.
9️⃣ Perhaps unsurprisingly, Liverpool supply the most players from any team in our XI with Fabinho becoming the 3rd player to hit the dizzy heights of a rating in the 9s.
🧤 Kasper Schmeichel is our goalkeeper – his penalty saving antics in Leicester’s draw against Brighton enough to earn him a FotMob rating of 8.2.
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If your team was one of the few sides who played over the weekend, or you’re just an avid student of the matches tab you’ll know this already – but football has re-started in Italy.
In Serie A, you’ll find one of the more intriguing title races set to be resolved in European football this season. And with a lot still to play for, the games will be coming thick and fast between now and the first weekend of August.
Juventus: The 8-time consecutive champions may well be leading the table once again but they’re not having it all their own way and since lockdown, the Old Lady have looked far from their fluent best – losing out on the Coppa Italia after a penalty shoot-out defeat to Napoli in the final just last week.
But with 12 games to go and all of them due to be played in just over a month, they will have the advantage of experience in winning all those titles and undoubtably what is the largest and most talented squad.
Lazio: The Roman side are Juve’s main rivals this season, thanks in part to the amazing goalscoring of talismanic striker, Ciro Immobile. He has 27 in 26 league matches so far and as good omens go – his rumoured new contract shows his true commitment to the club.
The remainder of Lazio’s run-in does look a little smoother than Juve’s and as long as they can keep within touching distance or even maintain the 1 point gap – the game between the two in Turin on Monday, 20th July will effectively be a title decider. That’s one to stick in your diary.
Inter: For their part and as Christian Eriksen was quick to point out after they played their game-in-hand over the weekend, Inter still see themselves as very much a part of this title race.
Thanks to goals from their dynamite front pair of Romulu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez, Inter secured a 2-1 win over Sampdoria in their first game back, cutting their deficit on Lazio to 5 points.
Lukaku and Martínez, the latter already the number 1 target for transfer speculation ahead of the next transfer window have now scored 30 league goals between them.
There is a lot going on over the next few days; the first full weekend back in the Premier League, the return of Serie A, the penultimate round of the Bundesliga and more derbies than you will ever need in your life! Here’s our pick of the action this weekend.
🍽 Friday Night.
🏴 The Premier League may have actually started back on Wednesday, but those were games in hand outstanding from before the break in the season. Tonight sees the start of the first proper #ProjectRestart round of fixtures.
Since lockdown, Sevilla have enjoyed a derby victory over Betis but drew last time out against Levante whilst Barcelona, and Lionel Messi in particular have looked in ominous form in their first two games back. With a victory tonight, Barca would move 7 points clear in the table.
Elsewhere, two of the last leagues in Europe to return are thankfully coming out of the woodwork this evening.
🇩🇪 We’ve now reached the second-to-last round of games in Germany’s Bundesliga and whilst top spot (Bayern München) and bottom place (Paderborn) are already sealed, pretty much everything else is still up for grabs!
And at the bottom, the 4 sides fighting over the last automatic relegation and the relegation play-off position all face each other. Werder Bremen are most at risk and in reality, the best they can now hope for is pipping Düsseldorf to 16th.
🏴 The Premier League have staggered the four games scheduled for Saturday so you could in theory, never leave the comfort of your armchair. And with Bournemouth’s clash with Crystal Palace becoming the first top flight league fixture broadcast on state broadcaster, BBC 1 since 1992, it will likely become the most watched game in the UK since the dawn of the Premier League era!
🇮🇹 In Italy, we’ve already seen the Coppa Italia come to a dramatic conclusion during the last few days but now it’s time for the bread and butter of Serie A.
Neither of the top two play until next week (Juventus, Lazio) so on Saturday, you’ll have to make do with the games between Torino and Parma or Hellas Verona vs. Cagliari.
🇮🇹 Here's Nikola Maksimović hanging out of a taxi celebrating the Coppa Italia win with Napoli fans.
But, when you’ve already waited over 100 days to pick up one of the last 2 remaining wins you need to secure a first title in 30 years, what’s another couple of days!?
Everton fans will be hoping to delay the inevitable, and break the hoo-doo that surrounds this fixture. They last beat the other team on Merseyside way back in 2010.
🏴 After a lot of fuss, both Everton and Liverpool will be able to play their remaining Premier League games at their respective homes across Stanley Park – including the potential title deciding derby on Sunday 21 June. 🙌https://t.co/9UIXa4Dfa3pic.twitter.com/xtw7y4Duqr
With the EPL finally set to return to the app in under 24 hours time, we thought we’d recap where each club stands and what we’ve got to look forward to during the hectic finale to the season. #ProjectRestart is well and truly upon us and there are 92 games to be played before the end of July!
And all 92 will have all the coverage you’d expect from your favourite live scores app.
Recap: It’s been almost the perfect season for Jürgen Klopp’s side, but hey – who apart from Watford fans will remember that one blot on the copy book if Liverpool go on to win the remainder of their games… something that looks a distinct possibility! On a seemingly endless pursuit of all-time records for points, wins, goals and every other stat worth mentioning – Liverpool will guarantee a first title in 30 years with just 2 more victories.
Best Performer on FotMob: With 9 squad players averaging a rating over 7 out of 10, Liverpool’s dominance in the league sees their players well represented in a lot of our stats. Sadio Mané is performing best of all, with an average score of ⭐️7.65.
Main Objective: After over 100 days without a game, to get the title won as quickly as possible. If that’s at the home of arch-rivals Everton on Sunday, well that might just be even sweeter.
It doesn't take long to wash your hands 🧼💦
In 20 seconds, you can enjoy Sadio Mane's 50th @premierleague goal for the Reds not once, not twice, but three times (plus an additional knee slide celeb 😁) ⚡️
Recap: 25 points down on Liverpool and having lost more games than in the last two seasons combined, it’s not been a stella title defence from City – but typically, any side managed by Pep Guardiola is capable of pulling off the exceptional and a treble of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League remains on the cards.
Best Performer on FotMob: Kevin De Bruyne isn’t just the best rated player at City, he’s the best rated player anywhere in the Premier League according to our stats! His league-leading 16 assists and 8 goals have contributed to his overall rating of ⭐️7.93.
Key Fixture: We’ve already mentioned the game against Liverpool that could see them left fighting for dignity against the newly crowned champions, so let’s focus instead on tomorrow’s home game against Arsenal!
Main Objective: To win every competition they still can. And if it comes to it, delay Liverpool’s coronation when they meet them in 3 weeks time.
Recap: Having enjoyed a campaign where they’ve clearly been the best of the rest, Leicester will be looking to wrap that up by securing Champions League qualification with a minimum of fuss. They may also be comfortable enough to take a tilt at the FA Cup.
Best Performer on FotMob: One of England’s most exciting talents, James Maddison has been involved in a lot of Leicester’s best work this season, earning himself a rating of ⭐️7.38.
Main Objective: Secure just their second appearance in Europe’s main event and help Jamie Vardy win the Golden Boot. He has 19 league goals this season and his next will be his 100th in the Premier league.
Recap: Frank Lampard’s first season in charge has been extremely positive – on course for a top four finish and still involved in the FA Cup and Champions League, albeit 3-0 down in their tie against German Champions Bayern.
Best Performer on FotMob: Lampard’s focus on young players has been widely reported this season, but it’s old timer Willian leading the way in the stats! The 31-year-old is averaging a score of ⭐️ 7.29 per game.
Main Objective: Chelsea may need to be pragmatic and concentrate on finishing the Premier League as strongly as possible, ignoring any dreams of a crazy comeback against what will be a well rested Bayern Munich side, whenever the Champions League resumes.
Recap: Ole Gunnar Solskjær appears to have steadied a ship that was looking frustratingly inconsistent at the start of the season, and when we went in to lock-down – they were the league’s form side, unbeaten in 11 straight league and cup games. Champions League qualification is well within their grasp.
Best Performer on FotMob: Man of the moment if you follow political news in England, let alone the sports pages – Marcus Rashford, now recovered from injury has been United’s best rated player, scoring at ⭐️7.43.
Main Objective: Champions League qualification and some sort of national recognition for the amazing work carried out by the selfless Marcus Rashford during the UK’s pandemic lockdown.
Recap: By the time Wolves complete their fixtures on 26 July, their 2019/20 season will have spanned a full calendar year! And they’ll still have the Europa League to play. That’s an epic season by anyone’s standards but such is the price of success and they could easily go one better by finishing in the Premier League top 6.
Best Performer on FotMob: Adama Traoré has been at the heart of much of Wolves’ best football this season – with 4 player of the match awards contributing to his overall average rating of ⭐️7.34.
Recap: Yep – Sheffield United are 7th in the Premier League! Their return to the top flight must have their fans in dreamland (our English member of staff remembers his side beating them in the League One play-offs not so long ago!). With away form that has seen them lose only to Liverpool and City they’re serious contenders for Europe.
Best Performer on FotMob: John Fleck, the midfielder who has been with them on their rise through the leagues has enjoyed a fairytale first season at this level. 5 goals sees them as the Blades’ joint top scorer and he’s bringing home an average of ⭐️7.03 every game.
Main Objective: Anything they go on to achieve now has got to be seen a massive overachievement but fans will be thirsting for a first taste of European football since the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1994.
Recap: After Mauricio Pochettino’s era at the club came to an end in November, José Mourinho’s return to the Premier League was highly anticipated. As it happens, it’s taken some time for the real Spurs to show themselves but their season could still go either way. Qualify for Europe or languish in mid-table, or worse.
Best Performer on FotMob: Heung-min Son has been back in the Korea Republic completing his military service during the lockdown on English football – proving there’s not much he can’t turn his hand to. He currently has an average of ⭐️7.16 for the season.
Main Objective: There’s always the pressure to finish above Arsenal but Spurs fans will be hoping the side gels for Mourinho and they mark the end of the season with qualification for Europe.
Recap: Despite still finding themselves as close to the bottom 3 as the top 3 points-wise, there’s renewed optimism around Arsenal since the arrival of Mikel Arteta as manager in December. There’s still the chance to win the FA Cup and with an unlikely late charge, they could secure Champions League qualification.
Best Performer on FotMob: Somehow, the supposed flop signing of the season, Nicolas Pépé heads up our best rated Arsenal players – averaging ⭐️7.07. He’s ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang by 0.7!
Main Objective: Besides the usual aim of finishing above Spurs, Arsenal will be looking to secure that outside bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Recap: Since Christmas, the Clarets have quietly averted a crisis and going into the break they were unbeaten in seven. That run saw them rise steadily up the table and puts them in good stead to obtain their highest finish in the Premier League era.
Best Performer on FotMob: Ashley Westwood has personified that sense of going under the radar, putting in a string of strong performances to earn a rating of ⭐️6.89.
Main Objective: Keep the unbeaten record going and ultimately match, or even better their finish in the 2017/18 season that saw them qualify for the Europa League.
Recap: To the relief of a fanbase used to their fare share of drama, Roy Hodgson’s men have averted earlier fears of a relegation battle and their record of 10 wins, 9 draws and 10 defeats sees them with almost the perfect record for mid-table obscurity! Their last 3 games all resulted in victories, meaning they were on they best streak since 2018 as we went into lockdown.
Best Performer on FotMob: Before he spent his time taking down some of England’s biggest racist agitators on social media, Patrick van Aanholt was already having an impressive season – notching up an average rating of ⭐️6.80 including 3 player of the match awards.
Main Objective: Having already taken points off the likes of Manchester United and City this season, Palace could look at bruising a few more egos during the run-in.
Recap: After the deflation of Marco Silva’s tenure as manager was ended back in December, the expected bounce from appointing a manager with the calibre of Carlo Ancelotti perhaps hasn’t come through to the extent that Everton fans will have wanted. But it there’s a coach who can sort the wheat from the chaff, it’s the 3-time Champions League winner.
Best Performer on FotMob: Brazilian forward Richarlison hasn’t scored as many goals as homegrown striker come good, Dominic Calvert-Lewin but he is outscoring him in the app – with a rating of ⭐️7.04 to 6.81.
Main Objective: To delay the inevitable by picking up their first derby victory in a decade. Particularly crucial should Arsenal beat City and set Liverpool up for a possible title win at Goodison Park.
🏴 After a lot of fuss, both Everton and Liverpool will be able to play their remaining Premier League games at their respective homes across Stanley Park – including the potential title deciding derby on Sunday 21 June. 🙌https://t.co/9UIXa4Dfa3pic.twitter.com/xtw7y4Duqr
Recap: The story of Newcastle’s season has come mainly away from the pitch as the possible sale of the club to new Saudi owners has both inspired a fanbase dreaming of future success and upset the Premier League powers that be. On the pitch, a recent (well, pre-lockdown) upturn in form has seen Steve Bruce safely navigate the club away from any relegation fears.
Best Performer on FotMob: The Magpies most consistent player this season, and on his day – capable of providing flashes of genius is midfielder Jonjo Shelvey. He’s averaging ⭐️7.24 for 2019/20.
Key Fixture: Newcastle haven’t scored twice in a home game all season, so changing that in one of the two upcoming matches they play at St. James Park would reward the fans! They face Sheffield United at the weekend, and then Aston Villa in midweek.
Main Objective: To get a final decision on the takeover and let the fans enjoy a transfer window of speculation about buying up some of the world’s best footballing talent!
Recap: The club’s form since the infamous 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester back in October has been unrecognisable, particularly away from home where they have excelled at beating the sides around them – often the key to staying in the Premier League. The Saints will re-start 7 points clear of the relegation zone.
Best Performer on FotMob: Dead-ball specialist James Ward-Prowse has proved there is a lot more to his game this season and he stands out with an average rating of ⭐️7.03.
Main Objective: The club gave coach, Ralph Hasenhüttl a new four year contract earlier this month so once safety is guaranteed the club can really look forward to next season.
Recap: Although they top the current bottom six, Brighton will feel their position in the Premier League is precarious – perhaps why they’ve been one of the most vocal critics of the rush back to football. Without a win in 2020, this is crunch-time for the Seagulls.
Best Performer on FotMob: Davy Pröpper has been pulling the strings in midfield and in a side low on big star names, the Dutchman is averaging a rating of ⭐️6.96.
Key Fixture: At the turn of the month, Brighton face a run of games against Manchester City, Norwich City and Liverpool – and they’ll feel that game against the bottom side is a must-win.
Main Objective: Pick up as many points early on to relieve the pressure and ensure they beat the teams below them.
Recap: Level with the two sides directly below them in the table, these are troubling time for David Moyes in his second stint at West Ham. Having won just once in 9 games prior to the break, they should at least have had the chance to re-group ahead of a what will be a massive run-in.
Best Performer on FotMob: Brazilian wideman, Felipe Anderson may frustrate on occasion, but when he’s been on form this season – as his club leading average of ⭐️7.06 shows, he is crucial to the side.
Recap: Being the only side to beat Liverpool all season (to date) will count for nothing if the Hornets can’t pull themselves away from the relegation zone. Nigel Pearson took over at the club in November but they remain level on points with Bournemouth, the side below the dreaded red line.
Best Performer on FotMob: Watford’s midfield pairing of Abdoulaye Doucouré and Etienne Capoue have matched each other’s performances this season, with them both averaging ⭐️6.78 a game!
Main Objective: Goalscoring has been the main problem this season but with Troy Deeney and Ismaïla Sarr both now fit, they’ll be hoping that goals from them will see them safe.
Recap: From the dizzy heights of September when the Cherries went 3rd to now sitting 3rd bottom and in a relegation dogfight, it’s been a tough season. But, with the lengthy lay-off allowing a host of long-term absentees to recover from injury things could be looking up.
Best Performer on FotMob: Diego Rico may be a surprise name but the full-back has been rating solidly at an average of ⭐️6.82.
Recap: It’s been a tough return to the top flight for Dean Smith’s Villa side and away from their unexpected and ultimately unsuccessful run to the Carabao Cup Final, their league form has been a little bleak.
Best Performer on FotMob: Jack Grealish has proved himself this season – at least in terms of his on-pitch achievements. His rating of ⭐️7.44 and the fact that he leads the way in terms of goals and assists at the club really sets him out as a leader.
Key Fixture: Another side set to endure a tough run-in, tomorrow’s first game against Sheffield United could set the tone. It’s their game-in-hand and with only 2 points separating them from safety – they could move as high as 16th with a win.
Main Objective: Survival is paramount to the ambitions and financial security of the club.
Recap: It’s been a chastising campaign for the side who were promoted as Champions from the EFL at the end of 2018/19. They re-start 6 points from safety so could still escape an instant relegation, but it will need everything they can muster – particularly at home.
Best Performer on FotMob: Emiliano Buendía was a relative unknown at the start of the season but 7 assists and a string of impressive performances have marked out the Argentine for a great future in English football. He’s averaging ⭐️6.97 according to our stats.
