The Pulse of Football

Apr

2025

Preview: Manchester City face Van Nistelrooy’s out-of-form Foxes

Manchester City can boost their chances of Champions League qualification by beating Leicester City on Wednesday evening.

By Graham Ruthven

Salvaging the season

This season hasn’t been what Manchester City wanted it to be, but Pep Guardiola’s team are at least trying to salvage something after making the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

City’s comeback win away to Bournemouth showed there is still life left in the Etihad Stadium outfit and victory over Leicester City on Wednesday night would boost their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester could hardly be in any worse form than they are right now. The Foxes have lost their last six league games in-a-row and have failed to score a single goal over the course of that run.

If Leicester can play on the counter-attack and use their speed in the final third, they could cause Manchester City issues. Guardiola’s high line will give the visitors something to target. Otherwise, City will likely stroll to three points.

Key players

Omar Marmoush will almost certainly lead the line for Manchester City after the injury suffered by Erling Haaland in the FA Cup victory over Bournemouth. The Egyptian is most effective as a second striker, but Guardiola doesn’t have many other options in the number nine position.

Nico O’Reilly made a strong case to start against Leicester after changing the game against the Cherries off the bench. The teenager could start at left back with Matheus Nunes potentially at risk of losing his spot.

With Leicester expected to sit deep and play on the break, it will be on City to find ways to break them down. This will place a creative onus on Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden. Jérémy Doku and Savinho could provide dynamism and directness on the wings.

*Leicester City have the second worst goalscoring record in the division*

Jamie Vardy is past his peak, but the 38-year-old will still be Leicester’s most potent threat, particularly if Leicester are able to play through the Manchester City press at speed.

Mads Hermansen will face a busy evening at the Etihad Stadium, as will the defensive line of Conor Coady, Wout Faes and Luke Thomas in front of him. Leicester will bend, but can they stop themselves from breaking?

Team news

While Manchester City have yet to reveal the true extent of Haaland’s knee injury, he will miss the home fixture against Leicester. The fear for City is that this will be the start of a prolonged absence for the Norwegian striker.

Rodri is still sidelined, although there has been some speculation that the Spanish midfielder could return from injury before the end of the season. Nonetheless, Wednesday’s match will come too soon for him.

Abdul Fatawu is a long-term absentee for Leicester, with Ricardo Pereira another player who has recently missed matches through injury. The full back will be assessed before the trip to the Etihad Stadium.

Odsonne Édouard hasn’t featured much for the Foxes lately while Harry Souttar is still sidelined through with an injury.

Prediction

While Leicester might not snap their current string of defeats, we do think the Foxes have got a good chance of at least ending their barren run in front of goal. But with Man City’s creative players beginning to find their stride again, City will find a way to break down the visitors to the Etihad: Man City 3-1 Leicester.

(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.

Apr

2025

Preview: Atletico and Barcelona set for round two of their Copa semifinal

The Copa del Rey first leg between Barcelona and Atletico was one of the games of the season, ending 4-4 at the Estadi de Montjuïc thanks to a late equaliser from Alexander Sørloth. Its winner take all and a place in the final up for grabs in the second leg on Wednesday.

By Alex Roberts

Hansi Flick’s side will be hoping their legs aren’t too tired just yet as their hectic few weeks continue, while Atlético, with just one win in their last five games across all competitions, need to put their recent hiccup behind them.

*Shot map and xG for that epic first leg*

Barca left to sweat over Raphinha

Speaking of tired legs, Raphinha asked not to feature in Barca’s 4-1 La Liga win over Girona just a few days ago, saying he wasn’t feeling 100% fit having flown in from Brazil around 72 hours earlier.

You can’t blame him really, that’s a hell of a trip, especially when you just got battered 4-1 by Argentina. It didn’t matter, whoever Flick plays up front they can’t seem to stop scoring, going three points clear of Real Madrid thanks to the win over Girona.

Flick refused to say whether the red-hot winger would feature against Atlético, though he will doubtless want him to. With 27 goals and 18 assists in his 42 games across all competitions, he’s gone from unwanted to a genuine Ballon d’Or candidate.

Antoine Griezmann is a certified LaLiga legend

The Frenchman broke one of Lionel Messi’s many LaLiga records in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Espanyol, becoming the Spanish top flight’s most capped foreign player with an almost ridiculous 521 appearances.

Of course, not all of those came for Atlético, he featured for Real Sociedad and Barcelona too, but his best days have come in those famous red and white stripes, in fact, he scored in the first-leg.

He’s out of contract at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether his story in Spain will continue, especially with several MLS side reportedly circling. The Copa del Rey may be his last chance to win another trophy with Atlético, he just needs to get past Barcelona first.

Robert Lewandowski simply doesn’t age

There aren’t many 36-year-olds who could do what Lewandowski is doing at the moment. A brace in the 4-1 win over Girona marked his 35^th and 36^th goals in 42 appearances and sent him three clear of Kylian Mbappé, who is a whole decade his junior, in the race for the golden boot.

At a time when Barcelona have had transfer flop after transfer flop, bringing the legendary Polish forward in from Bayern Munich may just be their best piece of business of the past five years.

He’s got another year on his contract at Camp Nou, and he doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Top quality forwards are hard to come by nowadays; Barca are lucky to have a man like Lewandowski on their books.

*Lewandowski’s shot map in LaLiga, 2024/25*

Julián Alvarez loves the Copa del Rey

The Argentinian has been kinda hit and miss in the league for Atlético this season, but in cup competitions he’s flourished, two-touch penalty (depending on who you ask) in the defeat to rivals Real Madrid aside.

Alvarez is the top scorer in this season’s Copa del Rey, bagging five goals in his six appearances. He also has the most goal contributions as a whole, providing two assists on top of his goals.

He’s not quite the main man at the Metropolitano, but he’s not far off. Dragging Atlético to their first piece of silverware since 2020-21 will go a long way to silencing some of the doubters.

Prediction

Don’t expect to see another 4-4 in this one. Atlético have been poor, but Barca’s priorities lie elsewhere. We’re going to go with a 2-1 win for Diego Simeone’s side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2025

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, Copa Del Rey semifinal, second leg

Heading into April, it’s do-or-die time for clubs as they look to sign off the season with silverware. For Real Sociedad, Tuesday night is a huge opportunity. For Real Madrid, it’s step two of a possible quadruple this season.

By Karl Matchett

Carlo Ancelotti’s balancing act

With the Uefa Super Cup already in the bag, Real Madrid lost out on a chance to make it two trophies from two with the Spanish Supercopa over the winter. However, they are in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, the quarter-finals of the Champions League and in the top two of LaLiga, it can still be a massive and historic season for Los Blancos if they keep momentum and stay fortunate with fitness.

With so many games still to play it hasn’t been a surprise to see Carlo Ancelotti shuffle his pack a little – Vinícius Júnior, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo were all used off the bench at the weekend. Following this match though it’s Valencia and Arsenal coming up so chances to rest or rotate further might become more sparse – but in the cup there’s no margin for error.

*A reminder of how we stand after the first leg of this semifinal*

All or nothing for La Real

While Madrid are chasing everything, Real Sociedad have let their season drift and this is last-chance saloon for it to be a worthwhile one – or to play in Europe next term. A six-match winless streak was at least ended at the weekend but La Real are out of the Europa League and lost the first leg of this tie 1-0 at home a month ago. Sat in tenth in the league, they must go all-in to cause a huge shock here or else their campaign effectively ends in early April.

Recent form

Five wins in a row for Madrid, and one “home team” defeat since 5 November – but even that was actually a neutral venue used to host the Supercup final against Barcelona. The only teams La Real have beaten away from home in 2025 are Ponferradina in the cup and Midtjylland in Europe. This will be tough.

Team news

Three long-term injuries and two doubts for Real Madrid. Dani Ceballos probably won’t play anyway, but Thibaut Courtois could in theory be pushed if he’s deemed close enough, given it’s a semi-final. However since Andrii Lunin has played in the Copa so far it would be a surprise to see any risks taken in goal.

For La Real, Brais Méndez, Nayef Aguerd, Sheraldo Becker and Arsen Zakharyan are all out, with Jon Pacheco the other doubt in the squad.

Key player

Real Madrid don’t have to go all guns blazing here and can bide their time, which means Antonio Rüdiger keeping the ship steady will be priority number one at the back while the attackers await their moment to pounce. The German doesn’t necessarily win a whole lot of his duels (2.8 per 90 on the ground and only 57% of his aerials) so he may need an improvement on the night there, but it’s really his recovery running and organisation of others where Los Blancos benefit most.

Prediction

Home advantage and a first-leg lead skews the tie hugely in Real Madrid’s favour and Los Blancos are unlikely to let this moment slip. Real Madrid 2-1 Real Sociedad (3-1 agg).

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2025

Preview: Forest looking to complete a double over Amorim’s Man United

High-flying Nottingham Forest away may be the biggest test yet of whether there’s any substance to Manchester United’s recent upswing.

By Ian King

Pre-and-post International Break form

Both Nottingham Forest and Manchester United go into their meeting at The City Ground in decent form. United are four games unbeaten in the Premier League and through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, while Forest have taken seven points from their nine and got through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1991 at Brighton last weekend.

H2H History

In January 1990, Alex Ferguson famously went to The City Ground in the FA Cup needing a win to stay in his job. He got it, and the rest of that story writes itself. Things aren’t quite that bad for Ruben Amorim. Not yet.

More recently, Forest have won two of their last three against Manchester United and beat them 3-2 at Old Trafford last September. But United did win on their last trip to The City Ground, in the FA Cup Fifth Round last February, and it is also worth remembering that prior to these last three games United had won the last eleven in a row, a record stretching back to 1995/96.

Key players

What an evening it would be for Anthony Elanga to show United what they gave away. They sold him to Forest for £15m in the summer of 2023. Since then, Elanga has made 65 Premier League appearances for Forest, scoring ten goals, and managed a hat-trick of assists in Forest’s recent 7-0 demolition of Brighton.

Whichever way you cut it, Manchester United continue to be heavily dependent on their captain, Bruno Fernandes. His hat-trick against Real Sociedad in the Europa League made it five goals in his last three games in all competitions, while he has three goals and three assists in his last five Premier League matches.

Team News

Manchester United’s early FA Cup elimination gave them a break, and Amorim can welcome back Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Altay Bayındır and Tom Heaton. Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu has now served his suspension, but Lisandro Martínez, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Ayden Heaven and Jonny Evans will all be absent.

Nuno Espírito Santo has a couple of significant doubts. Chris Wood ran into problems with his hip while on international duty with New Zealand, and is a major doubt for this fixture. And there was a fresh worry on Saturday, when Morgan Gibbs-White collided with a goalpost at Brighton. He’ll be in need of assessment before starting.

Prediction

This match does feel like something of a summit. Forest are where United may feel they should be, and with both teams in decent form this does have the vibe of a pretender to the throne staking their claim. But we should believe the evidence of our own eyes. Forest are A Good Football Team, and winning this fixture would be confirmation of what we already know. I’ll go 3-2, though in the full knowledge that anything could happen tonight.

(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.

Apr

2025

Preview: Arsenal get back to action against Marco Silva’s Fulham

Arsenal host Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday as Mikel Arteta’s side desperately attempt to cling onto their title hopes.

By Matt Smith

Marco Silva’s men will be looking to overcome the disappointment of being eliminated from the FA Cup at the weekend as they continue to fight for the European places in the league.

The Cottagers have picked up some impressive results over Arsenal in the last few seasons, and are unbeaten in their last three meetings. The last time the two sides met, they couldn’t be separated as goals from Raúl Jiménez and William Saliba saw the game end 1-1 earlier in the season.

Team News

Arsenal have received a major boost heading into the game with Mikel Arteta confirming that Bukayo Saka will be available for selection once again. The England international is yet to feature in 2025 after undergoing surgery. In more disappointing news, Riccardo Calafiori will be unavailable after picking up an injury on international duty.

Fulham aren’t expected to have any fresh fitness woes, with Silva confirming that there is ‘nothing serious’ except a few knocks and some tiredness from the Crystal Palace clash.

Defence over attack

Arsenal have been one of the most impressive sides in the Premier League this season when it comes to their defensive performances, conceding just 0.8 goals per game, fewer than any side in the league. Going forward is where the issues lay, and losing Saka for a large portion of the campaign undoubtedly hampered their impact in the final third.

The Gunners have created 45.7 expected goals this season, ranking them seventh in the division. If they are hoping to win the Premier League, they’re going to have to show more of a threat in the final third.

Fulham a tight-knit unit under Silva

Similar to Arsenal, the Cottagers are a difficult side to penetrate and have conceded just 33.4 expected goals this season, only bettered by the Gunners and Liverpool. The addition of Joachim Andersen at the back has helped their cause, meaning they’ve conceded just 1.3 goals per game on average.

The defeat at home to Crystal Palace in such a crucial FA Cup tie might have knocked some of the wind out of the sails of Fulham, but they’ll need to bounce back quickly if they want to stand a chance of winning the incredibly tight race for Europe.

The return of Saka could be key

Despite Saka missing the whole of 2025 so far, the England international still leads the way for goals and assists combined for Arsenal. Saka has also created the most big chances (19), has the highest expected assists tally (5.6) and averages a higher match rating than any other player in the squad (7.76).

Arteta simply doesn’t have another player who can replicate what Saka produces. There’s an argument to suggest he could be rested with a Champions League clash against Real Madrid coming up, but even a 30-minute cameo against Fulham could make all the difference for Arsenal.

Prediction

Winning the Premier League title is still mathematically possible, so we’re not expecting the Gunners to slip up. We’re going for a 2-0 Arsenal win.

(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.

Apr

2025

Premier League Preview, Midweek Matchday 30

The Premier League is finally back. And for the first time since the weekend of March 8th, we have a full round of fixtures in the English top-flight. Oddly enough, following the international break, matchday 30 is being played across mid-week. Still, though, good news that football is back, isn’t it?

By Sam McGuire

The random fixture generator has been awfully kind to us too. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the upcoming games to keep an eye on this week.

Cut the gap at the top

Arsenal have the opportunity to cut Liverpool’s lead at the top to single digits when they welcome Fulham to the Emirates on Tuesday evening.

The Gunners play a day ahead of the Reds and though it is still a big ask to really put pressure on Arne Slot’s side with just nine games remaining, Arsenal have to just keep on doing all they can to prolong this title race.

Heading into the international break, this was probably viewed by rivals fans as a game in which Mikel Arteta’s side could drop points. Fulham have been deceptively good this season. They’re just three points off of fifth-placed Manchester City and four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. A few positive results on the bounce could lift them into the Champions League places.

Away from home this term, Marco Silva’s side have lost just four of their 14 games. They have the eighth best record in the Premier League on their travels.

The narrative has completely shifted following their 3-0 humbling at home to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-final over the weekend.

Fulham had more of the ball and more shots but Palace were more of a threat, finishing with a higher Expected Goals haul and more big chances.

A reaction is needed but will they be able to get up for this game after such disappointment? Can Arsenal take full advantage of this? Two big questions and we’ll know the answer to both by the end of tomorrow evening.

Can Newcastle now focus on the Premier League?

The last time Newcastle United played a football match as a team, they ended a 70-year trophy drought. The Magpies defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final.

Their season could now go one of two ways.

They could use this victory at Wembley as a platform for the rest of their campaign. Champions League football is within their grasp, they’re just two points off of the pace right now and could have momentum on their side having been freed from the shackles of needing to deliver a trophy.

Alternatively, the Carabao Cup success could derail their 2024/25 season. They’ve won a piece of silverware, there’s an emotional toll to that, as well as a physical one, and to get up for the remainder of the campaign might be too much of an ask. Champions League football is still up for grabs, and if they claim European football it boosts their chances of keeping the in-demand Alexander Isak, but sometimes there’s a hangover to success.

They’re up against an inconsistent Brentford on Wednesday. The Bees have won three of their last five, and this includes a victory over the impressive Bournemouth in their last outing, but they don’t travel too well. Surprisingly, though, they’re just six points behind their hosts.

The Newcastle performance this week could well give us a glimpse of things to come for the rest of the season.

The Merseyside derby

Liverpool’s lead at the top could be down to just nine points before a ball is kicked at Anfield. The Reds have lost two on the bounce. They were defeated in the Carabao Cup final and knocked out of the Champions League, at Anfield, in a penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Their last good performance probably arrived in February when the Reds swept Newcastle aside in a confident and competent showing. Since then, Slot’s side have looked sluggish. They eked out a 1-0 win in Paris and had to overturn a 1-0 half-time deficit against Southampton to claim a 3-1 victory.

A good showing and result against Everton is needed. It will settle nerves. It could even extend their lead at the summit to 15 points depending on results elsewhere. If it does, they have one hand on the Premier League title. That is how monumental this game is in the grand scheme of things.

Everton are unbeaten in six but have won just one of those matches. The Toffees have drawn their last four outings, and their last three have all finished 1-1. They’re difficult to beat and they’re now more of a threat going forward under David Moyes.

Having claimed a last minute equaliser against the Reds at Goodison Park, they’ll be determined to further dent Liverpool’s title charge at Anfield. Taking more points off the champions elect could be huge.

*The famous last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park*

Can Chelsea stay in control of their fate?

At the time of writing, Chelsea are in possession of the final Champions League position. The Blues have been the best of a bad bunch recently. But with how tight things are at the top of the table, they could finish matchday 30 in as low as seventh. For that to occur, there would have to be a massive swing in goal difference but you never know what you’re going to get in the Premier League, do you?

Enzo Maresca’s side are up against Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.

On paper, there should only be one winner. Chelsea are pushing for European football, Spurs are struggling in the lower half of the table. Ange Postecoglou’s side are rooted in 14th position in the Premier League without a win in the Premier League since February.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2025

FPL tips from the reigning champ: GW30, a midweek round

Get ahead of the Group Chat thanks to our new regular column from FPL expert Jonas Sand Låbakk.

By Graham Ruthven, in conversation with Jonas Sand Låbakk

Introducing our expert

Jonas is a 21 year old student who, like FotMob, hails from Norway. He was Fantasy Premier League champion for the 2023/24 season, finishing ahead of 11 million other managers. So who better to provide expert advice?

Read his expert advice every week.

*Don’t forget the FPL deadline for this round – make your transfers and get your team sorted before 18:15 BST on Tuesday 01st April*

The Eye Test vs. The Stats

Ismaïla Sarr (5.6m) has really come into his own for Crystal Palace recently.

Indeed, the winger has scored three times in his last two Premier League appearances and also found the back of the net as the Eagles beat Fulham 3-0 on Saturday to make the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

With his lighting quick speed and ability to create something out of nothing, Sarr is a constant threat to opposition teams.

The Senegal international’s stats make for good reading too. Sarr is averaging 0.6 Expected Goal Involvements (xGI) per 90 minutes in the Premier League and registered 1.81 xGI (1.35 xG and 0.46 xA) against Ipswich Town in GW28. This is impressive for a player who is priced at just 5.6 million.

Crystal Palace face Southampton away from home in GW30. This could be a fruitful fixture for the Eagles in terms of attacking returns.

No Premier League team has conceded more xG (69.6) than Southampton this season with the Saints currently rooted to the bottom of the table.

On top of this, Palace have a double gameweek coming up in GW32 and another one likely in GW33 due to the club’s involvement in the FA Cup final four.

*Palace’s next five fixtures, as things stand*

Omar Marmoush (7.3m) has made a fast start to life as a Manchester City player.

The Egyptian has registered four goals and one assist in the Premier League since making the January move from Eintracht Frankfurt to the Etihad Stadium. He already looks worth the €70m fee City paid for him.

Marmoush has given Manchester City the energy and attacking electricity they have lacked since Julian Alvarez left and with Erling Haaland suffering an injury against Bournemouth in the FA Cup, it’s likely he will start up front in GW30.

*Marmoush player traits – comparison made against strikers in top five leagues*

Statistically, Marmoush is averaging just 0.39 xGI per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, the Egyptian will likely have more opportunities to find the net as a centre forward.

City face Leicester City at home in GW30. The Foxes have conceded the second-most goals in the Premier League this season and so this could be a match for Marmoush to add to his tally.

The 2024/25 champions will also have a double gameweek at some point later in the season due to their run in the FA Cup. Marmoush is an attacking asset who should be on your radar.

Long shot

Only 1.9% of FPL managers own Tino Livramento (4.5m), hinting at the battle he has had with Lewis Hall for game time on the left side of Newcastle’s defence.

However, with Hall sidelined until the end of the season, Livramento is now a nailed on starter for the Magpies with Newcastle about to embark on a favourable run-in, starting with games against Brentford and Leicester. This will be followed by a double gameweek in GW32.

*Livramento defensive numbers, Premier League 2024/25*

It would make sense to load up on three Newcastle assets for the remainder of the season.

Alexander Isak can’t stop scoring and will be in most FPL teams. Anthony Gordon will also be a popular pick once he returns from suspension while Dan Burn and Livramento could be attractive defensive options.

Upcoming games to follow

After a long break from FPL action due to the international break and FA Cup weekend, there will be plenty to keep an eye on in GW30.

Bournemouth’s home match against Ipswich Town could be a fruitful one for Justin Kluivert (6.3m), Antoine Semenyo (5.7m), Evanilson (5.7m) and Milos Kerkez (5.2m), all of whom could deliver returns against the struggling Tractor Boys.

Manchester City are at home to Leicester City. The aforementioned Marmoush could be a good option while Joško Gvardiol (6.0m) and Phil Foden (9.2m) could also deliver.

Finally, Crystal Palace’s clash with Southampton deserves some attention from a FPL point of view.

The Eagles have many options worth highlighting, with Sarr, Jean-Philipe Mateta (7.5m), Eberechi Eze (6.7m) and Daniel Munoz (5.1m) chief among them.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Did you know that you can track live Fantasy points with FotMob? Simply select any Premier League game, swipe to the Lineup tab, and press the big ‘Fantasy’ button! Download the free app here.

Mar

2025

Preview: Bournemouth and Man City round off the FA Cup quarterfinals

Bournemouth host Manchester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup at the Vitality Stadium as the Cherries go in search of their first major trophy.

By Matt Smith

Andoni Iraola’s side have in fact never reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, but they come up against serial trophy winners Manchester City, who are looking to find a silver lining in what has been a disappointing season.

Bournemouth actually got the better of Pep Guardiola’s men the last time the two sides met, securing a 2-1 victory in their first meeting of the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign. Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson struck for the home side that day, with Joško Gvardiol netting a late consolation.

Team news

Iraola will be without two of his star performers for this one, with Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen both suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the competition. It’s a crucial blow for the Cherries, but Iraola has confirmed that Marcos Senesi is edging closer to full fitness and could replace Huijsen.

City should have no fresh injury concerns heading into this game. Rodri, John Stones, Nathan Aké, and Manuel Akanji remain on the treatment table, but Oscar Bobb has recently returned to action for the U21s.

Bournemouth dropping off after impressive start

Bournemouth enjoyed a sensational start to the Premier League season, which saw them in contention for a European place. However, in recent weeks, the Cherries have dropped off drastically, failing to win (in 90 minutes) in their previous five matches.

Iraola’s side have been one of the most impressive sides going forward in the competition so far. Only Manchester City (12.9) have created more expected goals in the FA Cup this campaign than Bournemouth (8.9) Justin Kluivert has created eight chances for his team-mates in the competition, but he’s only provided one assist.

City scoring at will in the FA Cup

Although Guardiola’s side have struggled in the Premier League and Europe, they’ve been finding the back of the net with ease in the competition. The Citizens have scored 4.3 goals per match this campaign, more than any other side.

City have also created a whopping 26 big chances, double the number of Wolves who have created the second-most in the competition. The attacking quality of City needs no introduction, and on their day, the majority of sides in Europe will struggle to contend them.

Doku the danger man

Jérémy Doku hasn’t featured too heavily in the FA Cup so far, but with City only competing for one trophy, we could see Guardiola go full strength and start the winger. In the Premier League this season, Doku has produced 6.82 successful dribbles per game, comfortably more than any other player.

*Doku’s possession stats, Premier League 2024/25*

Due to injuries, Bournemouth are likely to line up with Lewis Cook at right-back. Although he’s performed impressively in that position, he’s naturally a midfielder, so that could be an interesting match-up at the Vitality Stadium.

Prediction

Although City have struggled this season, the thought of Guardiola’s side going without a trophy feels unfathomable. We’re going for a 1-1 draw, with City advancing in extra-time.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2025

Preview: Top of the table Barcelona face Girona

Barcelona players barely had any time to recover from a grueling international break, earning an impressive 3-0 win over Osasuna on Thursday night – just 72 hours after jumping off the plane. It’s something they’ll have to get used to; Hansi Flick’s side face Girona as their manic schedule continues.

By Alex Roberts

Without a win in their last five games and sitting down in 13^th, it’s fair to say Girona have failed to build on last season’s Champions League qualification. Losing Artem Dovbyk and Savinho has essentially made their attack impotent.

Top of LaLiga, Barcelona have no such issues, actually, they can’t stop scoring. In the league alone they’ve bagged 78 goals. It’s getting a bit out of hand to be quite honest.

*Barca average 2.8 goals per game in LaLiga*

Real Madrid thought THEY had scheduling issues

Earlier in the season, Carlo Ancelotti bullishly said his side would refuse to play if they didn’t have at least 72 hours rest. Barcelona would be so lucky. The Catalonians have a massive EIGHT games (including this one) over the next three weeks.

Flick wasn’t quite so entitled about the situation, but he was clearly furious about their hectic next few weeks in his presser ahead of the win over Osasuna, saying: “I don’t want to speak about my reaction, I think it is not good.”

He of course went on to speak about it, in some depth, but he has every right to be annoyed. The Osasuna game was ‘indefinitely’ postponed because of the unfortunate and untimely death of beloved club doctor Carles Miñarro Garcia. The powers that be should have been more sympathetic.

A stand out in a struggling side

Girona have been poor this season, but Yangel Herrera has not. The Venezuelan is the heart beat of Michel’s squad, sitting in the pocket between the defence and his fellow central midfielders.

Herrera’s four goals and three assists can only be bettered by veteran striker Cristhian Stuani, who has eight goal contributions for Girona this season. That’s not bad for defensive midfielder whose main job is to start attacks rather than finish them.

Barcelona’s midfield is arguably the best in the world at the moment, at the very least it’s the most balanced, even with Dani Olmo set to miss the next couple of weeks. Herrera will have his work cut out, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t up to the challenge.

Maybe Barca shouldn’t sell Frenkie de Jong after all

The Dutchman has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou since he walked through the door. It’s not entirely his fault, the club’s ongoing financial issues have forced them to try to sell one of their prized assets.

De Jong has refused to leave, however, and over the past few weeks, he’s shown exactly why Flick and Co should do absolutely everything they can to keep him around. Much like Herrera for Girona, he is the base from which everything builds.

With a 94.1% pass accuracy and a 66.7% long ball accuracy, he’s one of the best ball players in the world, never mind LaLiga. Barcelona have had plenty of transfer flops over the past decade or so, De Jong isn’t one of them.

*LaLiga as it stands before Sunday’s games*

Prediction

Barcelona score loads of goals and Girona don’t, it’s as simple as that really. We’re going to go with a comprehensive 4-0 win for the league leaders, to restore Barca’s three point advantage over Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Mar

2025

Preview: Real Madrid looking for routine win as Leganés visit the Bernabeu

Think about Real Madrid and it’s usually, glitz, glamour, trophies and transfers. But the truth of arriving at those big-ticket moments is about doing the job during the more mundane, run-of-the-mill matches like this: a home match against a relegation struggler where the expectation is of nothing more than a forgettable, routine victory.

By Karl Matchett

The cucumber growers are not a banana skin

It’s Leganés who come to town on this occasion, with both they and Los Blancos just a single position and a handful of points in the table shy of their seasonal objectives – but there any similarities end. Real Madrid are second in LaLiga, chasing down Barcelona who have a three-point lead with ten games to go. For Leganés, it’s relegation they seek to avoid, but they lie 18th, the final drop-spot, in a congested battle to avoid falling to La Segunda.

Los pepineros don’t have a great track record of spoiling the party against Madrid; they’ve never won a game against them from nine LaLiga meetings and results this term were 0-3 in league play and 2-3 in the Copa, both games at the Butarque rather than the Bernabéu and the latter featuring a heavily-rotated Real side.

Recent form

More recently, Real have won seven of their last eight and haven’t lost a fixture played at the Santiago Bernabéu since November. They have LaLiga’s best home record too this year, four points more than Barcelona after the same games, or the same points as Atlético after playing two at home fewer. For Leganés, it’s six defeats from the last eight and one away win in LaLiga all season – though, to be fair, that did come against Barcelona of all teams. It’s reasonable to expect that if they survive it will be based on home form – five wins from 14 so far – not trips to the title challengers, yet even a surprise draw would go a long way to helping considering the four teams 15th to 18th are separated by just one point.

Team news

The usual suspects are unavailable for the long haul for Real, including Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, and the shorter-term doubts such as Thibaut Courtois and Ferland Mendy are unlikely to be risked either given the Copa semifinal coming up in midweek. Leganés have their own long-term issues with left-backs Borna Barišić and Enric Franquesa both sidelined but are otherwise at full capacity.

Key player

Ultimately these types of matches tend to be settled by greater final-third quality, even if performance levels aren’t in top gear. But sometimes that means someone needs to be the spark to turn a stroll into a success and Federico Valverde is frequently that someone for Real Madrid. He’s won more duels than 98% of similar LaLiga players, won the ball back in the final third more than 84% and has had more shots on target than any other central midfielder. A true team dynamo from deep.

*Valverde’s defensive numbers, LaLiga 2024/25*

Prediction

Bringing it back to the top then: an ultimately forgettable result in the context of the season with a routine Real Madrid win, 3-0.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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