The Pulse of Football

Nov

2025

Preview: Barcelona look to get back on track vs. Elche

Barcelona will be hoping to turn their form back around after a rocky spell over the last few weeks as they host Elche at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

By Matt Smith

Hansi Flick’s side enjoyed a strong start to the season, but two defeats in their previous three games have seen them fall slightly behind in the title race. Elche will be looking to rock the boat even further, as they face the defending champions for the first time in over two years. The two sides last met during the 2022/2023 season, where Barcelona did the double over Elche.

Team news

Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo could both return to the squad this weekend after their recent injury troubles. Barcelona will, however, be without Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Pedri for this one.

Elche could have a fully fit squad for this one, which is a huge boost considering the task at hand, facing the champions away from home.

Barcelona looking shaky at the back

Barcelona are certainly having no issues going forward, especially after their 6-1 victory against Olympiacos in the Champions League last week, but Flick’s side are starting to leak goals at the other end. They’re averaging 1.2 goals conceded per game so far this season in LaLiga.

Barcelona have also conceded a whopping 14.6 xG, with only eight sides conceding more in the league this term. The Catalan giants are heavily relying on outscoring the opposition, and Flick needs to find a way to tighten them up at the back.

Elche’s low block causing problems

Averaging just 2.9 possessions won in the final third per game this season, Elche have been sitting back and trying to hit teams on the counter-attack, and it’s worked well for them so far. They’ve conceded just one goal per game this season, with only Deportivo Alavés, Villarreal, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid managing fewer.

Elche were promoted from LaLiga 2 last season, and it’s been an impressive start to life back in the top tier. They currently sit in eighth position in LaLiga, and they’ve only lost twice, with their defensive style making them difficult to beat this term.

Lamine Yamal flourishing despite injury

Lamine Yamal is currently carrying an injury, but he’s playing through the pain and remains one of Barcelona’s key players. The Spanish youngster has provided eight goals and assists combined in as many games, and boasts the highest average FotMob rating in the Barca squad. He’ll be the player Elche will be worrying about ahead of this one.

For an 18-year-old player to be such an important cog in a side is almost unheard of, but it’s testament to his development that he’s become one of the best players in the world. Flick will be desperately hoping his injury doesn’t cause him a long-term issue, and he’s expected to be involved this weekend.

Prediction

Despite Barcelona having a small blip in recent weeks, many will still be expecting them to secure three points against Elche. We’re going for a 3-1 win for Flick’s side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Preview: High-flying Cherries head to Man City

Pep Guardiola’s inconsistent, eighth placed Man City host Andoni Iraola’s high-flying, second placed Bournemouth at the Etihad on Saturday. That Premier League, eh?

By Alex Roberts

City found out what happens when Erling Haaland doesn’t turn up in their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the previous round of fixtures. Without the big Norwegian scoring, they truly looked impotent.

As for Bournemouth, everything they touch is turning to gold, even Marcus Tavernier is scoring directly from corners, and Eli Junior Kroupi looks like a Kylian Mbappé regen, bagging three goals in two league games.

No Haaland, big problem?

It’s starting to feel like ‘get the ball to Haaland’ is Guardiola’s only plan at the moment, though in his defence, it’s not necessarily a bad one. Remarkably, no other Man City player has scored more than a single Premier League goal so far this season.

Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres had Haaland’s number at Villa Park, with the striker having 17 touches, the fewest of any outfield player. He did have a 100% pass success rate, however, but there were only seven of them.

Thankfully for Guardiola and City, Haaland is arguably the best at putting the ball in the back of the net in the world, you could probably count on one hand how many times he’s gone without a goal across two games. It’s not sustainable though, and if they want to be winning the big trophies again, they’ll need other players to start chipping in.

He was rested for the League Cup win over Swansea over in midweek after appearing to be in some discomfort due to a nasty collision with the post at Villa Park, but he will doubtless be doing everything he can to be back for this one.

Milos Kerkez has been long forgotten

Bournemouth’s defensive rebuild needs to go down in the history books. After losing Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, and Kerkez, many had written them off, but if anything, they’re better than they were last season.

Perhaps the best of the replacement signings has been Adrien Truffert. The French wing-back has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, already creating six chances, having nine successful dribbles, and ten successful crosses.

If Kerkez is worth the £40 million Liverpool spent on him, Truffet may be worth double that. He never stops, not only is he an attacking threat, but his defensive numbers also illustrate just how good his is all over the left flank. Truffet has made 44 recoveries, eight interceptions, and won 45 duels.

We look forward to seeing who Bournemouth replace him with next summer…

Team news

The only player that Guardiola will DEFINETLY be without is Rodri. The Ballon d’Or winner is out with a muscle injury, although he is back in training. Mateo Kovačić and his fantastic new hair could come in and take his place, although Nico González has done a fine job.

As we mentioned, Haaland is hit or miss, but if he is available, he’ll start and probably score.

Iraola has an almost clean bill of health, with Enes Ünal still recovering from his ACL injury and Evanilson doubtful due to a calf issue.

Prediction

We predict another frustrating outing for Guardiola’s lads here; 2-1 to Bournemouth.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Inter Miami head to Nashville for Game 2

Inter Miami will hope to advance to the next round of the MLS playoffs as they go into a second meeting with Nashville SC in the round-one, best-of-three series.

By James Nalton

Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-1 win in game one, and has since made some rare appearances in the media ahead of the second game, raising a couple of key issues ahead of his team’s push to win the MLS Cup.

Familiar foes

This match will be Inter Miami’s eighth meeting with Nashville in the last two years.

The pair met last season in the Concacaf Champions Cup last 16, where Inter Miami won 5-3 on aggregate across the two legs.

Since then, they have played each other five times in MLS competition, including last week’s first round game, with Inter Miami winning on each occasion.

It will be the 18th meeting overall between the two teams, who joined the league as expansion franchises at the same time, in 2020.

The only teams Inter Miami have faced as often in their history are Atlanta United (19 times) and Orlando City (18).

If there is to be a 19th game between the pair, Nashville will need to win this match to force a game-three decider next week.

Messi says Miami needs the trophy

Messi will be hoping a decider is not necessary, and that Inter Miami’s path to the MLS Cup final is as smooth as possible.

The Argentine doesn’t often make media appearances, but did two short interviews this week, one with NBC and another with Fabrizio Romano, to promote the MLS playoffs.

Speaking to Romano, Messi was fairly candid about the team’s defensive problems and admitted that they need the MLS Cup for this season to be a success.

“I think the team had a moment where it knew how to compete at a high level, but it’s also true that we were very inconsistent, especially defensively, where we conceded a lot of goals,” Messi said.

“That’s something where we’re still lacking, if we really want to compete and be champions of MLS.

“I think it was a positive year, although we didn’t win any competitions, we still have the opportunity to do the best by winning MLS [Cup].”

Opposition watch: Nashville SC

Nashville were unable to get much going in game one, with Hany Mukhtar’s late, late strike serving merely as a consolation goal.

Returning home to Geodis Park for this second game, BJ Callaghan’s side will be hoping they can show more in attack against a Miami defence that even Messi admitted is a weak point.

In the final game of the regular season, Nashville created plenty of good opportunities against Inter Miami, racking up an xG of 2.98 and six big chances.

In Mukhtar and Sam Surridge, the team from Tennessee certainly have the attacking weapons to cause trouble for Miami and their inconsistent defence.

Prediction

This one could end all square with home advantage paying off in a penalty shootout for Nashville to take it to a game-three decider 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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Real Madrid head to Levante in midweek round

Real Madrid host Valencia at the Bernabéu this weekend as Xabi Alonso’s side hope to record a fourth straight win in LaLiga, going up against Carlos Corberán’s men, who are struggling near the foot of the table.

By Matt Smith

Valencia pulled off a shock 2-1 victory over Madrid when the two sides last met back in April, with Hugo Duro scoring a late winner to give his side the three points. Before that, Madrid had won the previous six meetings on their own turf in LaLiga.

Team news

Dani Carvajal is set for an extended spell on the treatment table after undergoing a knee operation, while Antonio Rüdiger is also out. David Alaba is a doubt for this one, but Trent Alexander-Arnold could return to action. Andriy Lunin will miss out after a recent sending off.

Mouctar Diakhaby, Largie Ramazani and Dimitri Foulquier will all miss out for Valencia, while Lucas Beltrán and Filip Ugrinic will undergo late fitness tests.

Real Madrid almost unstoppable

A small blip against Madrid rivals Atlético threatened to derail Alonso’s side’s season, but they bounced back with three wins on the bounce in LaLiga. They’ve won nine games out of 10 so far this season, sitting top of the table with a five-point cushion.

Madrid have been impressive at both ends this season, conceding just one goal per game while averaging 2.2 goals themselves. Barcelona are certainly on their tail in terms of attacking numbers, but Madrid have shown a ruthlessness in getting points on the board.

Valencia in trouble this season

Valencia have struggled immensely this season after Carlos Corberán started to turn things around last term. They sit in the relegation zone heading into the weekend’s fixtures, winning just twice in their opening 10 LaLiga matches.

A defeat could see them go bottom of the table if Girona and Real Oviedo both secure three points, and it doesn’t get much more difficult than facing Madrid away from home at the moment. On their travels, Valencia are yet to pick up a victory, drawing two and losing three games so far this campaign.

Mbappé in the form of his life

Kylian Mbappé has a point to prove this season, and has already racked up 17 goals in 16 games in all competitions. In LaLiga this campaign, only Mallorca have managed to prevent him from scoring, with the French attacker finding the back of the net at least once in every other game.

Mbappé has produced 13 goals and assists combined in LaLiga this term, four more than any other player. Madrid won’t have been happy with their 2024/2025 campaign, but with the help of Mbappé, they look a different animal this season.

Prediction

It would be silly not to predict a Real Madrid victory in this game, and that’s exactly what we’re going with. Valencia have struggled on the road and Madrid are on fire, so we’re going for a 3-0 home win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Preview: Under pressure Reds welcome Villa to Anfield

With the clubs level on points in the table, the stakes are high ahead of Saturday’s clash on Merseyside.

By Filip Mishov

Slot’s comments raise eyebrows and fuel Emery’s confidence

Liverpool’s sixth defeat over their past seven matches across all competitions resulted in EFL Cup elimination with the Eagles flying high at Anfield and into the quarter-finals, prompting the under-fire Arne Slot to publicly question the squad’s depth after spending over €480 million during the summer transfer window. With matches against Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City coming ahead of November’s international break, the champions’ crisis could unravel further if the Reds’ form does not improve quickly.

With the Villans free of midweek EFL Cup action following last month’s exit, Unai Emery enjoyed a full week to prepare his in-form squad for the visit to Anfield, which is an unfavourable ground for the Midlands club to go to, with their last win in Merseyside dating back to 2014. However, Aston Villa are on an impressive four-match winning streak and are undefeated in the Premier League since August, sparking confidence ahead of Saturday’s clash. Furthermore, the Lions’ aggressive defence ended Erling Haaland‘s 12-match scoring streak for club and country at Villa Park and kept City’s fruitful attack at bay last weekend, perfect preparation for facing Mohamed Salah this weekend, who scored in each of their previous two visits.

Key players

Cody Gakpo is the champions’ most dangerous and reliable attacker this season, and the Netherlands forward is the squad’s leading scorer (3), assist maker (2) and chance creator (19) in the Premier League, earning him an average FotMob rating of 7.52. The Dutchman’s performances have been a shining light in Liverpool’s underperforming forward line, and impressively, the 26-year-old’s output could have been even higher, if he was not the player who has hit the woodwork the most time (3) this campaign.

Matty Cash signed a new contract to extend his stay in Birmingham until 2029 at the least, following his Player of the Match performance against Manchester City, with the Polish right-back scoring a stunning winner and helping Emiliano Martínez record a clean sheet by keeping, both Savinho and Jérémy Doku quiet. The energetic defender is one of Villa’s top performers this season and the 28-year-old’s impressive attacking output (2 goals) makes him the squad’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League.

Team news

With Arne Slot deciding to field a heavily-rotated side against Crystal Palace during midweek, most of the first-team players were given a rest and are expected to return, with Ryan Gravenberch closing in on a return as well, while Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak are almost certain to join Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines.

Emiliano Buendia recorded an assist for Villa’s winning goal against the Cityzens before coming off with a foot injury and the Argentine left Villa Park on crutches, which puts him out of contention, just like Harvey Elliott who is ineligible to face his parent club, and Youri Tielemans, who is also sidelined.

Prediction

The Reds’ form is going from bad to worse, but the champions are unbeaten against the Villans since 2020 across all competitions, and despite the visitors’ current winning streak, Anfield has been an unconquerable fortress for them, so perhaps a draw is the most realistic outcome.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Preview: Spurs and Chelsea meet in London Derby

Bitter London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea meet in this weekend’s headline Premier League fixture, with three points and six places between them.

By Neel Shelat

Chelsea eyeing a fifth consecutive win over Spurs

Chelsea are the more successful team in the history of this fixture with a record of 79 wins, 42 draws and 53 losses overall. The Blues have taken all three points in the majority of their Premier League meetings, winning 37 of 66. They certainly are enjoying a good spell at the moment, having done the double over their rivals in each of the last two seasons.

The Blues’ last five-match winning streak in the league over Spurs came right after the turn of the millennium, and was capped off with a sixth victory thanks to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s hat-trick in March 2002.

Red cards continue to plague the Blues

Chelsea will naturally hope to see one of their forwards step up big time in this game, but all signs seem to suggest that is pretty unlikely. None of their attackers have more than two league goals this season, Cole Palmer is set to remain unavailable due to his groin injury, and to top it all off, lead striker Liam Delap is suspended after getting sent off in the dramatic midweek EFL Cup tie against Wolves.

That was the fifth time in just the last nine matches that Enzo Maresca’s side have gone down to 10 players. The Italian coach will have an important job to do to ensure that his youthful squad keep their heads in this heated fixture.

Tottenham almost missing an entire XI

Tottenham Hotspur certainly won’t share any sympathy for their opponents’ absences given the length of their own injury list. Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be back for this match, but an entire line-up’s worth of outfielders are unavailable. The defensive department is the worst hit as Cristian Romero, Radu Drăgușin, Kota Takai, Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies are all on the treatment table. Archie Gray could join Yves Bissouma in the injured XI’s midfield, while chief creators James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are there to support lead striker Dominic Solanke.

Set-pieces set to be key

Capital clubs are leading the way in the Premier League’s dead-ball revolution. Leaders Arsenal also top the charts in terms of goals scored from set-pieces with nine in as many games. Chelsea are right behind them with eight (three of which came thanks to the charitable West Ham defence), while Spurs round out the podium with five. The last time Thomas Frank’s side scored a game-state-altering open play goal was almost a month ago against Leeds United.

At the other end of the pitch, Tottenham have been quite solid in all respects. They have conceded just once from dead-ball situations in the league this term, while Chelsea have let in four. The Blues’ xG conceded tally in this regard is even higher at 6.10, which is the worst in the division. Spurs will surely look to take advantage of this potential mismatch.

Prediction

Both sides have just two wins in their last six league games and have generally struggled for cohesion in their attacking performances, so a cagey and feisty battle is to be expected. Multiple goals going in would be a pleasant surprise.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Man United test their unbeaten run at Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are a mess and Manchester United are finding their feet. Can the Red Devils continue their upward swing at The City Ground?

By Ian King

United are spreading their wings, but Forest remain a mess

October, it’s fair to say, was a good month for Manchester United. Three wins out of three, including a win at Anfield, have lifted them to the dizzy heights of sixth place in the table heading in to the weekend, the first time they’ve been this high since April 2024 (They did beat Fulham 1-0 on the first Friday night of the 2024-25 season to go top, but we’re not counting that since no-one else had played a single game at that point).

Nottingham Forest remain a mess. They’re on their third manager of the season. They’ve lost their last four Premier League matches in a row and remain without a league win since beating Brentford on the opening weekend of the season. The optimism of August has drifted away down the River Trent and it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that, yes indeed, they are one of the worst three teams in the Premier League right now.

Forest’s 2024-25 double over United already feels like a long time ago

Forest were one of six clubs to complete a league double over Manchester United last season, with a win at Old Trafford in December and at The City Ground on April Fool’s Day. Prior to that, however, United had won twelve of their last thirteen games against them going back to 1995. Last season’s performances really were the outliers, in terms of previous meetings between these two teams.

Forest are in a goalscoring crisis, and their best hope of resolving that is injured

There aren’t too many blights on Manchester United’s horizon at the moment, but the arrival of Benjamin Šeško hasn’t quite worked out exactly as they might have hoped just yet. He’s only managed two League goals in nine Premier League appearances for them – although four of these did come from the bench – and if they can get him firing the way that Bryan Mbuemo has, the final piece of Ruben Amorim’s intended United team could be into place.

*United’s top scorers in the Premier League*

Nottingham Forest haven’t scored a single goal in their last four league matches and have only scored two since their opening day win against Brentford. Furthermore, none of their strikers have scored since Chris Wood did so in first half stoppage-time in that match, and he’s doubtful for this match.

Igor Jesus made his first start for them at Bournemouth last weekend, but was hoicked off at half-time. He was replaced by Taiwo Awoniyi to little effect. Awoniyi has only started one game for Forest too, in their previous game against Chelsea. He was also hoicked off at half-time. It’s time for Morgan Gibbs-White to step up to the plate. Forest went to great lengths to keep him at the club during the summer, and he did put in an excellent shift in their recent win against Porto in the Europa League. They need more of that from him, and as a matter of urgency.

United may welcome Maguire back, but Wood still out for Forest

It had been hoped that Lisandro Martínez might be fit for Manchester United again by this time, but he’s still not ready. There’s better news on the Harry Maguire front. A knock kept him out of their 4-2 win against Brighton, but there’s a good chance he’ll return for this one.

Forest also have two doubts for this match. Chris Wood remains doubtful after picking up an injury during the last international break, while Oleksandr Zinchenko was subbed off against Porto with a hip injury and hasn’t returned since. He’s also likely to miss out on this match. Ola Aina and Dilane Bakwa are longer-term absentees.

Sean Dyche should get Forest looking more coherent, but Manchester United should be too strong for them

If nothing else, Manchester United have picked up a little of that all-important Big Club Arrogance again in recent weeks, with their win against Brighton last week – the sort of match that would have seen them have a major case of the collywobbles last season – being a case in point. It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary state of affairs or not.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are a mess. Having somehow found themselves on their third (completely different type of) manager of the season before the end of October, they’re a team stuffed with talented yet underperforming players and apparently in thrall to the mood swings of their volatile owner. It’s now down to Sean Dyche to pick up these fallen pieces and make something coherent out of them.

Forest should improve. Dyche should get them a little more organised than the shambolic look of Ange Postecoglou’s teams. But it’s still a bit soon to be seeing huge changes, and Manchester United are starting to look like a Proper Football Team again, so getting much from this match may be beyond him. A 3-0 United win, and steam to be emerging from Evangelos Marinakis’ ears again by the full-time whistle. Don’t do it, Evangelos. You can’t have a different manager for every match.

(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.

Oct

2025

Preview: Arsenal look to continue winning streak against Burnley

Burnley host Arsenal at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon as they bid to end the Gunners’ impressive eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions

By Ross Kilvington

Arsenal’s set piece success has them flying

So far this season, Arsenal have scored 11 goals via set pieces. Such is their effectiveness from a dead-ball situation under Mikel Arteta, a total of 85 Premier League goals have been scored since start of the 2020/21 campaign via this route.

With such physicality in their squad, players such as Gabriel have reaped the rewards and Jamie Carragher has even dubbed the defender “the most influential player in the league”.

They might not play the most aesthetically pleasing football, but Arsenal are winning games and that is all that matters.

Defensively, the club have conceded just three goals this season across all competitions. Keep this sort of form up, and Arteta will be celebrating Arsenal’s first title since 2004.

Burnley had adapted well to the Premier League

Following a Championship winning season in 2022/23, Burnley struggled in the top flight, winning just 24 points as they went straight back down.

It was a case of Déjà vu for the club as they sealed yet another promotion last term. This time round, however, Scott Parker has them playing football which could see the Turf Moor side remain in the Premier League.

With ten points from nine matches, Burnley occupy 16^th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Parker’s men head into the clash with the leaders having won two league games in a row. Pulling off a shock result this weekend might be beyond them, yet Burnley will make things tough for the away side, that much is certain.

Team news

Parker will be missing three players for this vital clash at Turf Moor on Saturday. Jordan Byer and Connor Roberts will be absent until the beginning of January at the earliest.

For Zeki Amdouni, however, it will be a major surprise if he returns before the start of April due to having surgery on an ACL injury.

Arsenal will still be without captain Martin Ødegaard, who sustained a keen injury against West Ham United earlier this month.

Elsewhere, Noni Madueke is out, while Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba doubts for the Burnley clash.

Both will be tested on Friday ahead of the match to see if they are fit to play.

Prediction

It is hard to see anything but an Arsenal win on Saturday, especially given their growing confidence amid Liverpool’s struggles.

With a four-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table, a victory at Turf Moor could see them stretch this lead to seven points if other results go their way.

As proven several times this season, Parker’s charges wont make things easy for the Gunners, but Arteta and his side should have more than enough to continue their winning streak.

We at FotMob predict a vital 2-0 win for the away side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Lionel Messi is staying but Inter Miami need to build a new team around him

Lionel Messi’s new contract will keep him at Inter Miami until 2028, but it’s not clear how the South Floridian outfit will shape up around the Argentine.

By Graham Ruthven

Sat in the middle of a construction site, the video that accompanied the announcement of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami contract extension made clear how the Argentine icon fits into the next part of the club’s grand project. By tying Messi down until 2028, Inter Miami can now count on the greatest of all-time to open their new stadium.

Freedom Park will open next year as Major League Soccer’s latest soccer-specific stadium. The 25,000-capacity venue near Miami International Airport has been a long time in coming. Inter Miami has played at a temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale since their entry into MLS five years ago. Messi deserves a more befitting footballing home.

Inter Miami will soon embark on another construction project. While Messi is sticking around, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets will retire when the Herons’ run in this season’s play-offs comes to an end. Meanwhile, Luis Suárez is fading physically, leaving Inter Miami with a lot of work ahead of them before 2026.

*Lionel Messi with the 2025 MLS Golden Boot*

If Messi is staying in South Florida for another three years, Inter Miami will have to build another team around him. This is a club that has pushed the boundaries of what is possible in MLS and so it’s reasonable to presume there will be plans in place to give Messi a new and improved support system.

Neymar has previously been linked. The Brazilian is at Santos, but only a short-term deal that will reportedly end at the end of the year. The Chicago Fire tried to lure Neymar earlier this year, but the 33-year-old would surely favour a reunion with his former Barcelona teammate in Miami.

Kevin De Bruyne was mentioned as a potential target before the Belgian midfielder opted to join Napoli instead. It’s possible Inter Miami could reignite that interest at a future point, but De Bruyne is under contract in Serie A until 2026 by which time he’ll be 35 and firmly into the twilight of his career.

Rodrigo De Paul’s loan deal will become permanent before the 2026 season. The Argentinean international has given Inter Miami some much-needed mobility in the centre of the pitch since arriving from Atlético Madrid in the summer and could push the Herons to focus on strengthening other areas of their squad.

Defensively, Inter Miami have long been vulnerable. This was exposed by Atlanta United in Round One of the MLS play-offs last year and will be a weakness that could once again cost Messi and co. from going the distance in the post-season this year. Inter Miami lack a dominant defensive presence at the back.

Goalkeeper has also been a problem position. Oscar Ustari became Inter Miami’s first-choice between the posts for 2025, but has made a number of blunders and has contributed to a general nervousness in defence. If Inter Miami can upgrade on the 39-year-old for 2026, they should.

*Inter Miami only have the 19th best goals conceded per game record in MLS this season*

The pulling power of Messi allowed Inter Miami to assemble the strongest squad in MLS history. They were able to attract a number of the Argentine’s former Barcelona and international teammates like Suárez who isn’t even on a Designated Contract. Getting the band back together was a powerful idea.

What comes next will be trickier. Inter Miami surely have a desire to get younger. They have brought in talented youngsters like Telasco Segovia, Diego Gómez (now at Brighton) and Federico Redondo (now at Elche), but the Herons’ key performers are almost exclusively the wrong side of 30. That has been evident in some of their lethargic performances this year.

There is more than one way to build a championship-winning team in MLS. Atlanta United set a new precedent a decade ago by spending big on South Americans who otherwise would have gone straight to Europe. Could Inter Miami do something similar? Could they possibly even lure young talent from Europe to play with Messi before he retires?

Many hoped MLS would loosen the purse strings following Messi’s arrival two years ago, allowing clubs more freedom to spend as they please. At the very least, it was predicted in some quarters that the league would get rid of some of the red tape around roster construction. This, however, hasn’t happened.

“For starters, every team should have the opportunity to bring in players and sign whoever each team wants – without limitations or rules for players to bring them in,” said Messi in a recent interview, alluding to the spending restrictions that still prevent MLS clubs from going all out in the transfer market.

Nonetheless, Inter Miami have a variety of potential routes ahead of them and three more years to walk them with Messi still in their team when it was previously possible that this would be his final season in South Florida. It’s less clear who else will be in that team.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2025

Bayern wonderkid Lennart Karl has arrived

Lennart Karl is wearing Jamal Musiala’s number and is following in his footsteps as Bayern Munich’s next great talent.

By Graham Ruthven

It takes a lot to catch the eye at Bayern Munich. This is a team that has started the 2025/26 season by winning 13 out of 13 matches in all competitions. Harry Kane is breaking Bundesliga records with his goalscoring while Luis Díaz and Michael Olise continue to deliver. It is a 17-year-old wonderkid, however, who has dominated most recent discussion.

If you didn’t know Lennart Karl’s name a week ago, you do now, especially if you have any interest in German football. While the teenager made his Bayern debut at the Club World Cup, it’s only in the last seven days that he has truly announced himself, scoring in back-to-back games against Club Brugge and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Both goals were sensational. Against Club Brugge, Karl dropped a shoulder to lose a couple of defenders before driving forward to the edge of the box and firing into the back of the net from 18 yards out. A few days later against Gladbach, the 17-year-old did something similar, finding the top corner with a curling left-footed strike.

*xG shot map for Karl’s goal vs. Gladbach*

These two goals were an introduction that illustrate exactly what Karl offers. He is a diminutive playmaker with the ability to beat opponents on the dribble, get in between the lines and pose a threat in and around the penalty box. There will be many more moments like the ones Karl produced against Brugge and Gladbach.

Standing at just 5′ 6″, Karl’s low centre of gravity makes it almost impossible to knock him off the ball. The teenager can change direction quickly and is comfortable with both feet. He can absorb possession in tight spaces and make something of it, twisting and turning to find space.

Of course, it’s not unheard of for a player so young to have such a high level of technical ability. Karl joined the Bayern Munich academy at the age of 12 and has had the most sophisticated footballing education. It’s easy to see the hard work of his coaches in the way he plays.

However, it’s not so common to see a teenager with Karl’s sharpness in decision making. He has the sort of composure one would expect of a player who has multiple seasons at the elite level under their belt. Karl looks at home among some of the best players in the world and at the highest level of the German and European game.

“As a young player, you don’t have pressure. I want Lennart to feel that too,” said Vincent Kompany when asked about Karl’s development in the first team. “He has to enjoy what he’s doing. If he makes mistakes, we’ll discuss it. Hopefully, at some point, the pressure will be on his shoulders. But for now he should enjoy these moments without any pressure.”

It’s too early for Karl to be considered a starter for Bayern Munich. The Bavarians boast arguably the strongest forward line in European football right now with Kane, Díaz and Olise combining for 30 goals in all competitions this season. And this is with Jamal Musiala still to return from injury in the new year.

Karl could also improve his off-the-ball work which will be expected if the attacking midfielder is to become a key figure in Kompany’s team moving forward. He must learn to apply himself in the counter-press and also add positional discipline to his game. These things should come with maturity and physical development.

Nonetheless, not since the emergence of Musiala has Bayern Munich produced such an exciting young talent. Comparisons between the pair are unavoidable, especially because Karl has taken Musiala’s former shirt number. The two players operate in the same position and play the game in a similar way.

Musiala tends to drift to the left while Karl is more comfortable shaded to the right. It’s not impossible that the pair could operate in the same team in the future. They embody Bayern Munich’s future, and increasingly their present, with Karl making an impact in his last two appearances.

This season could be a special one for Bayern Munich. The Bavarians are so far clear at the top of the Bundesliga table that they might as well hand out the trophy now while commanding victories over Chelsea, Pafos, and Club Brugge have made an early statement on Bayern’s chances of winning the Champions League.

Last season, Kompany built a foundation through his possession-heavy approach that Bayern Munich are now building on. Not only is their frontline firing on all cylinders, the midfield and defence appears better balanced than it did last term. The emergence of Karl, however, could be the true significance of this season. He is a Bayern superstar in the making.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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