The Pulse of Football

Sep

2025

Preview: Inter Miami set for Seattle Sounders rematch

Inter Miami face Seattle Sounders on Tuesday night in a rematch of last month’s incident-filled Leagues Cup final.

By James Nalton

Though this is only a regular season game, both sides will have points to prove following that final, which Seattle won 3-0, while there are also places to be secured in the league table ahead of the playoffs.

Leagues Cup revenge

The two sides meet again just over two weeks after the dramatic Leagues Cup final they contested at the end of August.

Inter Miami with Lionel Messi et al on board are expected to win trophies, but Seattle put a spanner in the works with a brilliant display in the final to deny Miami silverware.

More drama came in the melee after the game and led to a six-game ban for Luis Suárez after he spat in the face of Seattle’s head of player security, Gene Ramirez.

There was also a three-game ban for Sergio Busquets and a two-game ban for Tomas Aviles, while Seattle staff member Steven Lenhart was suspended for five games.

Those suspensions only apply to the Leagues Cup, but Suárez’s actions also resulted in a three-game ban in MLS.

Tensions will still be high following that fiery final.

Miami will be looking for revenge, while the Sounders will be looking to confirm their superiority.

Miami’s defence continues to leak goals

When Inter Miami lose an MLS match, they do so convincingly.

Each of the six defeats for Javier Mascherano’s side in the league so far this season have seen them concede three goals or more.

The most recent of these came at the weekend against Charlotte FC whose forward Idan Toklomati continued his impressive goalscoring form with a hat-trick against last season’s Supporters’ Shield winners.

Inter Miami have let in four goals on three occasions in MLS in 2025, in defeats to FC Dallas, Minnesota United, and Orlando City, while conceding three in losses to Charlotte, FC Cincinnati, and Orlando again.

Defence has been an issue all season, as it also was in the Leagues Cup final against Tuesday night’s opposition.

Opposition watch: Seattle Sounders

The Sounders have top scorer Danny Musovski back for this latest meeting with Inter Miami after he was suspended for the Leagues Cup final.

Musovski is third in MLS for goals per 90 minutes with 0.89, behind Miami’s Lionel Messi (1.01) and Milan Iloski of Philadelphia Union (1.21).

He scored his 14th goal of the season in a 2-2 draw with LA Galaxy at the weekend, and is only four goals away from breaking the Sounders’ record for most goals scored in an MLS season, currently jointly held by Obafemi Martins and Raúl Ruidíaz on 17.

Seattle will also be able to call on the services of Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnak, who both made their returns from injury in the draw against LA Galaxy.

Prediction

With those players available, Seattle are in a stronger position than they were the last time these two met, so they should fancy their chances of another win despite this game being away in Fort Lauderdale.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2025

Russell Martin and the Rangers revolt

Rangers are suffering their worst start to a season for 47 years and Russell Martin is at the centre of a full-scale supporter revolt.

By Graham Ruthven

If Russell Martin was in any doubt about the sentiment of the Rangers support towards him, he now knows. The chorus of boos at full time of Saturday’s home defeat to Hearts was deafening. It would have been even louder had the stadium not been half-empty. Many fans left before the end. Plenty made their minds up on Martin a long time ago.

Rangers’ start to the 2025/26 season has been historically bad. Five games into the campaign, Martin’s team is still waiting for their first Scottish Premiership win, making this Rangers’ worst start to a league season for 47 years. On top of this, the Govan outfit were humbled in Champions League qualifying, losing 9-1 on aggregate to Club Brugge.

This was meant to be the start of a new era for Rangers. The club welcomed the San Francisco 49ers as new owners over the summer with Martin hired to overhaul the playing style of a team that had finished behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership in 13 of the last 14 seasons.

Kevin Thelwell arrived as Rangers’ new sporting director after three years in a similar role at Everton. Former Bolton Wanderers right back Gretar Steinsson also joined as the link between Ibrox and the 49ers ownership group and Rangers embarked on a summer transfer window that ultimately saw the club spend £25m on new players.

Thelwell and Steinsson oversaw the appointment of Martin, a manager few Rangers fans wanted in the first place. They saw someone who had struggled to make any sort of impression on the Premier League as Southampton manager and a personality who might struggle to handle the pressure north of the border.

In Martin, though, Rangers’ decision-makers saw a coach with a definable style of play who would instil some much-needed principles within the new-look squad. Instead, they only succeeded in bringing someone in who has muddied the ideological waters beyond all comprehension.

The idea was that Martin would reshape Rangers as a modern, proactive and possession-orientated side. In recent times, the Govan outfit enjoyed success in Europe, but struggled to translate this into consistent domestic form. Rangers’ squad and approach wasn’t built to break down the sort of low defensive blocks they commonly face in Scotland.

Martin was meant to change this. The theory of his appointment might have made some sense, but the reality has been a cold splash of water to the face for everyone at the club. Rangers in their current form aren’t modern, nor are they proactive. They are, however, 10th in a 12th place division.

“I don’t think many of them wanted me here in the first place,” said Martin with an air of resignation after the chastening experience of Sunday’s home loss to Hearts. “We have a lot of new guys in there. We have a lot of players trying to feel their way in an environment that’s really difficult to feel their way into. Really, really difficult.

“So we just have to make sure they’re alright as human beings first and improve their performance. But there’s anxiety at the moment. The players are not the same team we see in training on Thursday and Friday when they go out and play in this environment right now. And that’s not a criticism of anyone, but we have to just keep working.”

Rangers have scored just three goals in five league games. They have drawn a blank in their last three outings in all competitions and haven’t found the back of the net since August. While Rangers have brought in the likes of Bojan Miovski, Thelo Aasgaard and Djeidi Gassama, there’s no coherent attacking plan.

Defensively, things are just as messy. Martin wants his backline to play on the halfway line, but Rangers simply don’t have the personnel to operate this way. John Souttar is the best embodiment of this issue. For Scotland, Souttar is a defensive rock, but he is generally positioned 10 yards deeper. For Rangers, he is a liability.

Nobody knows how the 49ers will react to the troubles of Martin and his team. Under previous regimes, the 39-year-old might have been sacked by now. As Leeds United owners, though, the 49ers stood by Daniel Farke after a difficult start and were rewarded for this faith when the German coach led the club to the Premier League last season.

It’s increasingly difficult, however, to imagine how Martin can possibly follow Farke’s precedent and turn things around. He claims Rangers’ current situation is “not the end of the world,” but the end of his time at the club feels close. Whether that will actually fix anything is less certain.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2025

Preview: Spurs make Champions League return against Villarreal

Tottenham’s first Champions League campaign in three years starts with a tricky-looking home tie against Villarreal.

By Ian King

Early season form

In comparison with last season’s slow motion car crash, Spurs have started their 2025/26 Premier League season in reasonably fine fettle. Three convincing wins – all of which featured a clean sheet – out of four leave them third in the table behind Liverpool and Arsenal, and looking like a team that might even be capable of doing something this season.

Villarreal started excellently in LaLiga, with two wins against Real Oviedo and Girona, but have slowed since then, with a draw against Celta de Vigo and a 2-0 defeat away to Atlético Madrid last weekend. They’re currently fifth in the table, which is exactly where they ended last season.

History

These two clubs have never met before in European competition, even though they’ve both been mainstays of European football for many years. The only time they have met previously came at the end of July 2010, when Villareal won 4-1 in a friendly match at White Hart Lane, a match in which Giuseppe Rossi scored a hat-trick for the visitors.

Key Players

There is one player in the Villareal team who Spurs fans will be keeping an extra eye on. Manor Solomon is a Spurs player, but he signed a season-long loan with Villareal on transfer deadline day and is eligible to play against his former club. If he’s got a point to prove to his employers, this particular evening would be both an excellent and the worst possible time to do so.

Spurs’ improved performances this season have largely been about more cohesive team performances than any particular individual player standing out. Their startling piece of deadline day excitement was bringing in Xavi Simons from PSG.

He made an encouraging start with his performance in their demolition of West Ham at the weekend, but you do get the feeling that he’s been signed with this competition in mind; his performance on Saturday indicated that there could be a lot to look forward to from him this season.

Team News

Yves Bissouma, Kota Takai, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Drăgușin and v will all be missing for Spurs, while Mathys Tel didn’t make the Champions League squad because the club somehow overlooked having enough ‘homegrown’ players. There are, as ever, injury concerns hanging over Dominic Solanke. He could be on the bench for this one, but it’s doubtful that he’ll start.

Willy Kambwala, Logan Costa and Pau Cabanes are all confirmed Villa real absentees, while it remains doubtful that Gerard Moreno will start for them on account of a hamstring injury.

Prediction

With only one goal conceded in their first three Premier League matches of the season, the defining characteristic of 2025-26 Spurs is that Thomas Frank has got them playing like a coherent football team again. Much as everybody at Spurs loved Ange Postecoglou, what we’ve all seen so far this season has been a substantial improvement on his team.

Villarreal are old pros of the European club game and, like Spurs, have a Europa League title to their name, having won it in 2021. But their start to the season has been slightly patchier than their hosts’, and this match will provide a lot of insight into how the progress being made under Frank is going.

Spurs are in marginally better form, so I’m going for a narrow 2-1 win, but if they get it wrong, well, at least the seven games they have left afterwards gives them a chance to set themselves back on course again. They should have enough about them to get through this one, though it could be tight.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2025

Preview: Real Madrid up against Marseille in Champions League opener

Xabi Alonso will take charge of his first Champions League match as Real Madrid manager against another former European champion, Marseille.

By Graham Ruthven

European focus

The Champions League always matters to Real Madrid. This is a club that defines itself by the number of times it has been crowned European champions over the course of its history – 15 times, for reference.

While Xabi Alonso has been hired to overhaul Barcelona as LaLiga’s dominant force at this moment in time, he must also handle the pressure that will fall on him to deliver a successful Champions League run.

Alonso is still going through a process of working out the strengths and weaknesses of the squad he inherited from Carlo Ancelotti. Indeed, Real Madrid have used a variety of different formations and approaches this season.

Roberto De Zerbi has gone through his own process to make Marseille competitive again at the top level of continental football, although the Ligue 1 outfit have endured a volatile start to the 2025/26 campaign.

De Zerbi has clashed with some of his own players. There was a dressing room bust-up between Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe that resulted in the pair leaving the Stade Velodrome. There is a familiar sense of tension around Marseille.

Even still, this is a team with proven threats and experienced heads. Real Madrid can’t take anything for granted against a former European champion.

Key players

In Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid boast two of the game’s most potent attackers right now. The pair are devastatingly effective at attacking open space with speed, meaning Marseille might have no choice but to drop their defensive line deeper.

*For more graphics like this, check out @fotmobapp on Instagram*

Arda Güler continues to grow in influence for Real Madrid as a number 10 with the freedom to drift. Behind the young Turkish international, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Fede Valverde are expected to anchor the midfield.

At the back, Alonso faces a decision over whether to start Trent Alexander-Arnold or Dani Carvajal on the right side. Dean Huijsen, however, will start in central defence despite his red card against Real Sociedad on Saturday.

In Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mason Greenwood and Tim Weah, Marseille possess a number of potential difference-makers in the final third. The visitors must provide them with service.

This role will fall on Angel Gomes and Bilal Nadir in the midfield unit with Benjamin Pavard set to be an important part of the way Marseille get out from the back under pressure.

Team news

Jude Bellingham remains sidelined through injury with Eduardo Camavinga another midfielder currently unavailable for Real Madrid. Alonso is lighter for options in the middle than he would surely like to be.

Central defender Antonio Rüdiger will also miss Tuesday’s clash with Marseille while Ferland Mendy and Endrick are similarly stuck in the treatment room until further notice.

Amine Gouiri is an injury doubt for Marseille, but De Zerbi otherwise has a fully fit and available squad to choose from for the visit to the Santiago Bernabéu.

Prediction

Madrid should kick off the League Phase with a comfortable home win: Real Madrid 3-1 Marseille.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the 2025/26 Champions League with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2025

Preview: Arsenal visit Athletic Club in Champions League opener

Two teams with just one defeat apiece meet as the Uefa Champions League kicks off early on Tuesday afternoon – but Athletic Club’s perception of home advantage may have been eroded in important fashion by their defeat at the weekend.

By Karl Matchett

A more tactical Champions League campaign?

Last year was…experimental, perhaps. The first season in an expanded league phase, with everybody not playing everybody else led to both opportunities and also concerns. Did your domestic rival have easier away days? Did they travel less? What about that cut-off to automatically go through – valuable or not? Two extra matches sounds a burden but Liverpool topped the whole group and yet were eventually drawn to play eventual winners PSG right off the bat.

It means we might see a more refined approach from the top managers this time in Uefa’s premiere competition, targeting enough points to get a top-eight finish, but with less concern about whether they are second or seventh – even with home advantage for the second legs in the knockouts at stake.

*The preseason result from when these two met over the summer, even practising their penalties!*

For Arsenal, then, away to Athletic looks their second-toughest away day after a trip to Inter Milan – yet given they face Bayern Munich at home, maybe it takes precedence as a journey of points-earning potential. After Athletic lost only twice at home in LaLiga all last season that might have seemed ambitious – but they were beaten at the weekend by Alavés on home soil, so the Gunners need fear nothing.

Rotation shows Arteta’s plan

Declan Rice might as well be written in as the first name on the teamsheet now. There’s only one reason to not start Arsenal’s most athletic midfielder in a league match and that’s if he’s pivotal to the midweek plan.

Last year Mikel Arteta was criticised for not rotating enough, perhaps; if the aforementioned 16-points barrier for a top-eight finish is the target, then picking and choosing when the stars align for a strong Arsenal team is the manager’s new juggling act. The squad looks deeper this year after another few hundred million were thrown at the transfer market – he has to make it work.

Recent form

Both teams have three wins and one defeat in league play so far, though Arsenal conceding only once makes their points haul look far more solid and impressive.

Team news

The Gunners seem to have half of their squad made up of former Basque-region players these days, with Kepa revisiting his former club as the sub keeper and ex-Real Sociedad stars Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino almost certain starters. Another, Martin Ødegaard, will probably miss out injured.

William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz are also missing, as are Athletic’s Iñigo Lekue, Beñat Prados and star Spain forward Nico Williams.

Key player

Arsenal are tough opponents but Athletic’s other home games include Sporting and PSG – they can’t just bide their time for points. Unai Simón will be kept busy and needs a good game for the hosts. His 67% save ratio puts him 15th in LaLiga at this point and his goals prevented rate is currently negative 0.7 (17th). Improvements required.

Prediction

Arsenal won the pre-season meeting between the two and will do so again here. Athletic 1-2 Arsenal.

(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.

Sep

2025

Preview: Barcelona host Valencia for unique LaLiga contest

Barcelona and Valencia go head-to-head at the 6,000 capacity Estadio Johan Cruyff on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side look to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Rayo Vallecano. Carlos Corberán’s men will be hoping to climb into the European places.

By Matt Smith

Barcelona got the better of Valencia on three occasions last season, beating them twice in the league and once in the Copa del Rey, including a 7-1 drubbing in LaLiga back in January. Barcelona also won big in the cup, and 2-1 away from home in the league.

Team news

Barcelona will be without a host of players heading into this game, with Lamine Yamal, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and Frenkie de Jong all out injured. Flick has a lack of options in the middle of the park, so we could see Marc Casadó alongside Pedri.

Corberán should have an injury-free side for this game, barring any last-minute problems.

Barcelona need to tighten up at the back

Barcelona have so far conceded an average of one goal a game this season, but they’ve perhaps been quite fortunate not to have conceded more. Flick’s side have given up 4.2 expected goals in LaLiga, and they conceded a host of chances against Rayo last time out.

Going forward, Barcelona have looked fairly threatening, as expected, but Flick won’t be fully satisfied with how they’ve started the campaign. Against Rayo, they created just 1.83 expected goals, with a large portion of that coming from Lamine Yamal’s penalty. With the Champions League returning next week, they’ll have plenty more distractions to deal with, starting with a game against Newcastle United.

Valencia defensively resolute so far

Only Real Madrid have conceded fewer goals than Valencia so far in LaLiga this season. Corberán’s side have conceded just twice, while scoring on average 1.3 goals per match.

Valencia will need to show more in the final third and have struggled to test the opposition goalkeeper at times. Coberán’s men have managed just 2.3 shots on target, with no side in the league managing fewer this season.

Rashford or Raphinha to step up?

With Yamal ruled out of this one following injury while on Spain duty during the international break, it may be time for Raphinha, last season’s other main source of goal contributions to continue his positive start to the season. The Brazilian was, however, involved in a 1-0 defeat played at high altitude away in Bolivia in the early hours of Wednesday morning, so any involvement against Valencia may come from the bench.

Could Marcus Rashford be in line for a return to the starting XI? The Englishman was on target in the Three Lions’ big win against Serbia but has failed to find the net in three league appearances for Barca, although he has only played 94 minutes so far.

Prediction

It’s always difficult to predict against a Barcelona win, whoever they are playing, and this should be a victory for Flick’s side in this game. We’re going for a comfortable 3-1 home win at what is essentially Barca’s training complex.

(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.

Sep

2025

Preview: The Manchester Derby

A bottom-half battle? Not what would be expected when these two meet, but there is serious scope for improvement for both Manchester clubs meaning it’s pressure on, even at this stage of the season.

By Karl Matchett

Goalkeepers the talk of the town

Technically Man United headed into the weekend in ninth – not that they will be celebrating it – but they were certainly mired in the bottom half last season. Man City sat in unfamiliar territory in 13th across the international break, and even if places mean nothing so early on, two defeats in three games certainly does for a team with title aspirations (for what it’s worth – they start today 11th and 16th respectively). Given their ongoing away day form, it might be more accurate to describe Pep Guardiola’s team as having title pretentions, for now at least.

But back at the Etihad for this fixture, three points will be the only requirement. The manager has one big question mark to answer even before the game kicks off though: who plays in goal?

Will it be the new £27m signing, or the new £26m one? Young Trafford to face United, or a Champions League winner debuting in the derby? Englishman James Trafford hasn’t done too much wrong, one error aside, but if it’s hard to imagine he’d have signed knowing he’d be second choice, it’s far more difficult to imagine Italy’s long-term No. 1 to leave PSG for a bench spot in Manchester. Gigi Donnarumma has the reputation and the mentality to go straight in – but as André Onana’s plight has shown, even Champions League finalists aren’t immune to struggling if they start poorly in goal. As for United, Onana himself has gone but Altay Bayındır will still be between the sticks, Senne Lammens billed as one for the future rather than an immediate replacement.

A difference of magnitude

Goalkeepers are only half the story of course – at the other end of the pitch, big-name strikers have expectations on them. Erling Haaland warmed up for this by plundering five (and a rare FotMob 10 rating!) against Moldova. Benjamin Šeško continued his unwanted run of clean sheets by not scoring twice for Slovenia across the international break. It remains to be seen if he’s called on from the start by Ruben Amorim but he could definitely do with scoring his first of the season if fears of another Zirkzee/Højlund/Weghorst/Ighalo are to be quelled. While that quartet were signed at different values for different reasons, they hit 35 goals between them. In 160 games.

Recent form

Only three games in but City have won one, lost two; United have a win, a draw and a defeat – and lost to Grimsby in the Carabao Cup.

Team news

Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki are out, with Phil Foden a doubt for City. Joško Gvardiol and Savinho need checks too. United are missing Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot, Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha.

Key player

Oscar Bobb has made a promising start, averaging nearly 2.5 successful dribbles and more than six touches in the box per 90 this term. If his end product improves he could be a great joker in the pack – and United’s defence loves leaving space for runners in the channel.

*Oscar Bobb’s early season possession stats*

Prediction

We’re going for a home win and with some ease: Man City 2-0 Man United.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2025

Preview: Burnley entertain Arne Slot’s Liverpool

Liverpool travel to Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon as they look to extend their 100% record in the English top-flight this season and go back to the top of the table.

By Sam McGuire

The story so far

The Premier League champions haven’t been at their best so far this season but they’ve managed to eke out wins over Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Arsenal. The Reds were the top scorers in the league after three match days and have just added Alexander Isak to their ranks following a summer long pursuit.

Isak isn’t going to start against Burnley on Sunday having not had much of a pre-season, but he could give the Reds a much needed boost off of the bench. In the three games prior to the international break, Federico Chiesa has finished the game as the centre-forward with Hugo Ekitike replaced. It’s been far from ideal.

Burnley, meanwhile, have three points from their three matches back in the top tier. They claimed a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Turf Moor and pushed Manchester United all the way at Old Trafford in the game before the international break, losing 3-2.

This game is essentially a free hit for the Clarets. Few expect them to do anything against the champions so picking up a point here would be a bonus.

Recent form

The Reds are three from three in the Premier League. They’ve scored eight goals and conceded four. Despite it not clicking just yet for a much changed Liverpool team, they’ve still been dangerous. And their class has shown in the final third with a series of ruthless displays.

Burnley, on the other hand, have struggled, as many expected. They were dismantled by Spurs on opening day, losing 3-0. And despite putting in a good showing against Manchester United, they gave up chances with an Expected Goals total of 3.63 at Old Trafford. They have the worst defence in the Premier League with an xG Against total of 6.7. If these defensive showings continue, it could be a disaster against the Reds.

Key Players

For Liverpool, the key player is going to be Ekitike. The recently capped France international scored in three successive games for the Reds before blanking against Arsenal. He’s going to start for Arne Slot’s side though with Isak not fully match fit. It makes him invaluable to the champions right now.

He’s been an integral part of their new-look attack and he’s going to fancy his chances against a leaky Burnley defence too.

For the hosts, the difference-maker could well be Jaidon Anthony. The versatile attacker has two goals and an assist in his three appearances this term. He’s also the highest rated FotMob player for the Clarets with an average rating of 7.28.

Team News

Burnley are expected to be without Axel Tuanzebe, Connor Roberts and Jordan Beyer while Zeki Amdouni will definitely miss the clash with the champions. Liverpool should be without Jeremie Frimpong after a hamstring injury while Stefan Bajčetić won’t be available for the trip to Turf Moor.

Other than that, Slot has a full squad available to him. A big selection headache for the Dutchman will be what he does at right-back. Conor Bradley is back fit but Dominik Szoboszlai has been in unbelievable form for the Reds.

Prediction

We’re going to go with a 3-1 win for the visitors. The Reds just have too much quality not to take maximum points off a team tipped by many to be relegated. This should be a formality if they have hopes of retaining the title.

(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.

Sep

2025

Preview: Inter Miami head to Charlotte

Inter Miami return to MLS action this weekend following an eventful outing in the mid-season Leagues Cup tournament.

By James Nalton

Javier Mascherano’s side will be looking for a late push to retain their Supporters’ Shield title, beginning with Saturday night’s game against Charlotte FC.

Miami lost 3-0 to Seattle in the Leagues Cup final, and the game was marred by a post-match scuffle in which Inter Miami’s Luis Suárez spat in the face of Seattle’s head of team security, Gene Ramirez.

Sergio Busquets threw a punch in the melee, while Tomas Aviles was also heavily involved.

Luis Suárez suspended

Part of the fallout from that Leagues Cup incident means Suárez will be missing for this game against Charlotte, having picked up a three-match MLS suspension.

Though the Uruguayan had already been handed a six-match ban in the Leagues Cup itself, which will kick in at next year’s tournament, the incident also warranted a ban in the league.

As a result, he will miss three MLS matches, though many thought it should have been more. He will be back in plenty of time for an end-of-season push and the playoffs.

Busquets and Aviles both escaped further punishment in MLS, but were handed two and three-match bans, respectively, for the 2026 Leagues Cup.

A late Shield defence

Inter Miami have been far from the standard they set in 2024, but still have a chance of retaining their Supporters’ Shield title, which they won with an MLS record haul of 74 points in the previous regular season.

If they win all their remaining games, they would reach 73 points, but in 2025, they have not looked like a team that can go on such a run.

Nevertheless, they will still be eyeing the top of the table, and have four games in hand on Philadelphia Union, who currently occupy pole position, 11 points ahead of Miami.

There is still a small chance they can retain their title, and Mascherano, Messi, and eventually Suiárez, will be treating every game until the end of the playoffs like a final, starting with Charlotte on Saturday night.

Opposition watch: Charlotte FC

The North Carolina club, coached by Dean Smith, are unbeaten in their last nine games and have won their last eight.

They come into this game at home not fearing Inter Miami, but seeing a chance to get one over on them and continue their own push to the top of the table.

A hamstring injury has kept star player Pep Biel out of recent matches, but the attacking midfielder, who is second in the MLS assists charts, has been back in training this week and could feature.

Idan Toklomati has stepped up in Biel’s absence. The 21-year-old now leads the team for goals per 90 and xG, having scored seven in his last 11 MLS games.

If he continues this form with the return of the creative Biel, then Charlotte could be one of the most dangerous attacking teams in the league.

Former Premier League players Wilfried Zaha and Ashley Westwood are the only Charlotte players other than Biel to have an average FotMob rating over seven.

In goal, they have Kristijan Kahlina, who is one of the best shot-stoppers in MLS. The 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year will need to be in good form against Lionel Messi.

Prediction

Inter Miami now has plenty to play for, but Charlotte have been in good form lately and could claim a memorable win in front of 35,000 fans at home, especially if they can get Biel back on the pitch.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2025

Preview: The Bees meet the Blues in West London

The first international break of the season is out of the way, and the Premier League is back. Chelsea make the short trip to Brentford for their fourth consecutive ‘London’ derby, hoping to get a result at a ground they’ve had little success at in the past.

By Alex Roberts

It’s been hard to get a read on Brentford in the early stages of the season. A 3-1 opening game defeat to Nottingham Forest was quickly forgotten then they beat Aston Villa 1-0 in their next fixture. In turn, that result was brushed to the side when they lost 2-1 to newly promoted Sunderland last time out.

Enzo Maresca and Co can thank VAR for at least one decision in their 2-0 win over Fulham, but what goes around comes around, and they’ll doubtless be hoping that doesn’t happen so soon.

Move over Arsenal, there’s a new Set Piece FC in town

Last season, Chelsea very rarely refused to take a short corner, in 2025-26, they can’t get enough of pumping the ball into the box from a set piece. Four of their seven goals so far this campaign have come from corners, a Premier League high.

João Pedro bagged their first, nodding in from close range to score the equaliser against West Ham. Moisés Caicedo got their second in the same game with a big assist from a flappy Mads Hermansen in the Hammers’ goal.

Trevoh Chalobah got in on the act shortly after with Pedro scoring his second set piece goal in the next game against Fulham. Chelsea paid Brentford a reported £1 million for set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva last year and he’s really starting to earn his keep.

Who needs Yoane Wissa?

The now Newcastle striker was on strike all summer to force through his move to Eddie Howe’s side, ironic, eh? He formed part of the league’s most prolific duo last season, alongside Bryan Mbeumo, but that’s all a thing of the past.

Big Igor Thiago is the present and future of Brentford’s attacking ambitions. Standing 6’3”, the Brazilian is an absolute handful, just ask the Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Sunderland centre-backs who’ve faced him this season.

He doesn’t need much of a chance to put the ball in the back of the net. Thiago has had the fewest number of touches of any outfield player in two of his three Premier League games so far. He’s persistent with a lil nasty streak too, winning 20 ground duels, 14 aerials, and committing nine fouls.

Team news

The injuries are starting to pile up at Stamford Bridge. Liam Delap is out for at least eight weeks after picking up a hamstring early in the win over Fulham, while new signing Dário Essugo had to go under the knife due to a thigh problem.

There hasn’t been much indication other than a cryptic Instagram post that Cole Palmer could return for this one, given his importance to the side, don’t expect Chelsea to take any risks with his fitness. Levi Colwill, Roméo Lavia, and Benoît Badiashile are also out.

As for Brentford, their only injured first-team regular is defensive midfielder Vitaly Janelt, who remains a doubt.

Prediction

The last game between the two in April was one of the dullest 0-0 draws in the history of dull 0-0 draws. We don’t expect this one to be much better, although there should be goals, so we’re going safe with 1-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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