The Pulse of Football

Nov

2025

Preview: Arsenal visit fourth placed Sunderland

Few would have had Sunderland hosting Arsenal as a top-four clash at the start of the season, but the Black Cats’ excellent start has them about halfway to safety only 10 games into the campaign.

By Karl Matchett

Tricky road starts now

Régis Le Bris and his team might be preaching about either surviving or thriving behind closed doors, but it’s really only the latter which matters in reality. Two years running, the promoted teams have gone straight back down again but at least one of the trio to come up last year looks capable of bucking that trend. Even with an excellent spine put together – goalkeeper Robin Roefs looks a steal, Omar Alderete has performed well in defence and Granit Xhaka has brought nous and quality on the ball in the centre – there will be an acknowledgement around the club that the early fixture list was kind. Now starts a much bigger test of their top-flight credentials, but Sunderland face it with all the confidence built up over the past three months: Arsenal today, then the other members of the top five – Bournemouth, Liverpool and Man City – within the next four weeks or so. How many points they take in this run, before several stars depart for the AFCON, might be very telling.

*Sunderland’s best rated players this season, led by former-Arsenal and Xhaka*

Back line puts Gunners in all-timer territory

Quite aside from the fact Arsenal are simply a very good team, there’s a key reason they win so many matches. No, not the set pieces – well, yes, that too – but their defensive resolve. José Mourinho’s 04/05 vintage Chelsea conceded 15 goals in a single season, an average of 0.4 per game and the long-standing Premier League record in that regard. Arsenal have currently seen just three in ten get past them – a 0.3 average and, extrapolated over the season it would be just 11 or 12 conceded all year. That same Chelsea team conceded nine away from home; Arsenal have let in only two thus far. Still, you need a title to go with the numbers, which means the emphasis for Mikel Arteta’s men remains on winning, not just not conceding or losing.

Recent form

Sunderland have lost just one of their last eight matches, a superb run pushing them into fourth place. Following a home draw with Everton last time out, they’ve won two of the last three. Arsenal give that some perspective though: ten straight wins in all competitions after an easy Champions League win in midweek.

Team news

Habib Diarra is out and the aforementioned Alderete needs to be assessed following concussion.

For Arsenal, the attacking absences continue to grow with Viktor Gyökeres now sidelined too, in addition to Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Ødegaard.

Key player

With Gyökeres missing, if this isn’t to be a battle between two of the league’s most impressive goalkeepers this term then someone must step up at a key moment. Declan Rice often takes that mantle for the Gunners and with two goals and two assists he’s joint-most productive for Arsenal in the league. He’s above 94% of midfielders for xA per 90 this term and 75% for xG per 90.

*Declan Rice’s passing stats per 90, Premier League 2025/26*

Prediction

A narrow but again solid away win, probably involving a corner: Sunderland 0-2 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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Inter Miami vs. Nashville, the decider

Inter Miami continue their quest for the MLS Cup, but have been taken to a game-three decider by Nashville SC in the first round.

By James Nalton

Having suffered a shock exit at this stage of the playoffs last year, losing a game-three against Atlanta United, they would not have wanted to be in this situation once again in 2025.

After failing to win any of the other competitions they entered this season, everything is on the line for Javier Mascherano’s side as they return to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night.

MLS 2025 Award winners

All of MLS’s individual award winners, bar the MVP, are now known.

Lionel Messi’s presence as the only Inter Miami player to feature anywhere in these shows how reliant they have been on the Argentine star in 2025.

MLS releases the voting results for the top three for each award, and there were no Inter Miami names among them, while Messi was their lone representative in the league’s best XI.

The full list of award winners so far is below:

Defender of the Year – Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Goalkeeper of the Year – Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United)

Coach of the Year – Bradley Carnell (Philadelphia Union)

Young Player of the Year – Alex Freeman (Orlando City)

Newcomer of the Year – Anders Dreyer (San Diego)

Comeback Player of the Year – Nick Hagglund (Cincinnati)

Messi has already claimed the Golden Boot award as the league’s top scorer with 29 goals, and should be a shoo-in for the MVP award, but these results show that Inter Miami’s continued participation in the playoffs will depend heavily on how well Messi performs.

Luis Suárez suspended

It might come as no surprise that Luis Suárez has once again found himself suspended for violent conduct.

On this occasion, he aimed a studs-up kick at Andy Nájar during the 2-1 defeat at Nashville’s Geodis Park last weekend, and didn’t miss.

The incident was not picked up on by the referee or the VAR at the time, but MLS has retrospectively fined Suárez and banned him for one game.

Inter Miami released a strongly worded statement, commenting that: “Inter Miami CF accepts and respects the decision made by the MLS Disciplinary Committee.

“At the same time, the club wishes to express its concern about the precedent set by re-refereeing a play that had already been judged by the match officials and VAR, and its confidence that the same standard will be applied in the future to all on-field situations, in any match and involving any team.”

Opposition watch: Nashville SC

This will be the final edition of Nashville SC watch in 2025, which has become a regular column in Inter Miami coverage thanks to the frequency with which the two teams have met.

It will be the 19th matchup between Nashville and Inter Miami, as the team from Tennessee join Atlanta United as the opponents to have faced Inter Miami the most since they arrived in MLS in 2020.

Nashville created several good chances in game two of this playoff series as they ran out 2-1 winners, only conceding when Lionel Messi scored in the 90th minute.

Striker Sam Surridge had every reason to expect inclusion in the 2025 MLS best XI, having scored 25 goals this season, but didn’t feature — something that may motivate him and his teammates to prove a point this weekend.

Prediction

Inter Miami should get the job done at home, but Nashville will be encouraged by the favourites’ shock defeat to Atlanta at this stage last season.

(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: Spurs looking to continue good run against Manchester United

It’s a repeat of the Europa League final at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday lunchtime as Spurs take on Manchester United, and hopefully it’ll be a better game than that was.

By Ian King

Neither Spurs nor Manchester United are the finished article yet

If there’s one thing that can be said for both Spurs and Manchester United ahead of this match, it’s that both teams are more serious than they were at the end of last season. Neither are the finished article yet. Spurs have done pretty well in terms of results, but have stood accused of flattering to deceive in terms of performances. Manchester United started as weakly as they ended last season but have improved in recent weeks, as though Ruben Amorim’s plan is starting to come together. But it remains the case that neither team are entirely predictable yet.

Spurs set a record against Manchester United in 2024-25

Spurs set an unwelcome record for Manchester United last season in becoming the first team ever to beat them four times in one season; both matches in the League, in the Carabao Cup and in the Europa League final. But their good record against United doesn’t end there. It’s been eight games since United last won this fixture, and that takes us back to October 2022.

Manchester United’s route to success in this game will start with stopping Spurs’ pace

The talk of The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week has, of course, been Micky van de Ven, whose “Run, Forrest, run!” goal against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League was reminiscent of Son Heung-min’s Puskas Award-winning goal against Burnley in December 2019. Van de Ven is an unusual player, injury-prone yet capable of being a cheat code three or four times a season, and he can hurt Manchester United both defensively and when he turns up in attacking positions.

As a Thomas Frank team, Spurs break quickly, so Manchester United’s central defence will need to be on top of their game. As such, United could need to be on their toes and that should mean a busy Saturday lunchtime for Matthijs de Ligt, who’s been accused of being “too slow” in the past but can put in a decent sprint when the mood takes him.

Will this match be time for the grand return of Lisandro Martínez?

Spurs still have an injury list the length of a chimpanzee’s arm, featuring James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Kota Takai and Lucas Bergvall, who will all be absent. There’s better news on the Mohammed Kudus front, though. He missed the Copenhagen match after picking up a knock, but should return for this one.

Manchester United’s attention with regard to injury and suspension is focused entirely on one player. Lisandro Martínez hasn’t kicked a ball in anger for them since February, but is due to return imminently, though whether Ruben Amorim decides to give him an extra couple of weeks for fine-tuning over the forthcoming international break remains open to question.

Spurs & Manchester United are improved upon last season, but both remain mildly unpredictable

If the 2025 Europa League final was a demonstration of where these two teams were at that moment in time, so will this match be a test of the progress that both have made since then. Spurs were dismal against Chelsea last weekend, as evinced by the enthusiastic booing they received at the final whistle.

But while FC Copenhagen were hardly the most testing of opponents during the week, a 4-0 home win in the Champions League has quelled much of the steam that was starting to emerge from the ears of Spurs fans following last weekend’s debacle against Chelsea.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are much improved in attacking positions this season. But, as may have been guessed from them spending a ton of money on attacking options during the summer while completely ignoring their defence, they still have a soft underbelly that can be attacked, as Nottingham Forest demonstrated with their two goals in five minutes last weekend.

Spurs and Manchester United have both made progress since the end of last season. They’ve both moved from “predictably bad” to “decent yet slightly unpredictable”, and going into this match in 6th and 8th places in the Premier League respectively is more like where both may realistically expect to end this season.

But on this occasion, the pace that Spurs have in attacking positions is a clear threat to the Manchester United central defence, and that may prove to be the tipping point between the two on this occasion. I’ll go for Spurs to win 2-1, but as remains the case with these two teams, it could really go either way.

(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

Can Luciano Spalletti vision get The Old Lady singing again?

Former Italy and Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti has taken over at Juventus with the Turin club in need of a new direction.

By Graham Ruthven

Luciano Spalletti is already getting his sleeves rolled up as Juventus manager, although not literally. Were the 66-year-old to do that, Bianconeri supporters would see the giant Napoli tattoo their new boss has on his forearm. It’s a link to a rival many fans wish wasn’t there, but it’s also a reminder of why Spalletti has been hired in the first place.

Juve need a new direction. It’s been that way for a while, going back to when Maxi Allegri departed at the end of the 2023/24 season. That season wasn’t an outright disaster. The Old Lady finished third, their highest finish for four seasons, and lifted the Coppa Italia. Stylistically and tactically, though, Allegri-ball had run its course.

Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor both failed to transition Juventus into a new era and so Spalletti has taken over to do something his predecessors couldn’t. Winning won’t be enough. The Turin club also wants to play a modern, dynamic brand of football in line with what many of their rivals have been playing for years.

Spalletti’s most recent job was short-lived. He lasted less than two years as Italy manager, leaving his position in June as the Azzurri’s World Cup qualification chances hang in the balance. International football wasn’t a good fit for a coach who needs time on the training pitch to get the most out of his players.

At club level, though, Spalletti’s last job couldn’t have been any more successful. He guided Napoli to their first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona playing a style of football that lit up Serie A. This is the sort of success Juventus want Spalletti to replicate in his new surroundings.

The early signs have been positive. Spalletti’s tenure as Juve boss started with a 2-1 away win over Cremonese. A 1-1 draw at home to Sporting in the Champions League was less positive, but the new manager is already moulding The Old Lady in his own image. Some of his tactical tweaks have been fascinating.

One of those tweaks has been the use of Teun Koopmeiners as a centre back. Spalletti quickly identified a lack of progression out of defence as a fundamental issue and has deployed Koopmeiners, a midfielder by trade, as a solution on the left side of the back three.

“I feel much better in this position, because I am not a forward who plays with his back to goal, where I played in other games,” said Koopmeiners. “I told the club that too, and I told Spalletti. I had already played this role many years ago in Holland and it is where I feel comfortable. I am a player who wants the ball, to pass to my teammates, to push everyone else forward, and I can do that with a midfielder and another defender near me.”

Spalletti has continued to use wing backs, as Allegri, Motta and Tudor all did before him, but has done more to push those players into the centre of the pitch to create overloads. Against Cremonese, Weston McKennie was positioned as one of the dual number 10s. A few days later against Sporting, he was a right wing back, but he occupied a similar area of the pitch in both games.

This has a lot to do with Spalleti’s view of the game. “Systems no longer exist in football, it’s all about the spaces left by the opposition. You must be quick to spot them,” said the experienced coach during his title-winning time at Napoli and the principles of relationism over positional play are already there in Juve’s set-up.

Whether this will work for Juventus and the group of players Spalletti has inherited remains to be seen. At Napoli, he had difference-makers capable of exploiting the spaces left by the opposition Spalletti references. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen are match-winners. Do Juve have players of that ilk?

Kenan Yıldız could be one such figure. The Turkish international was one of the few Juventus players who took a step forward under Tudor. Yıldız was moved into a more central role where could impact games more directly and quickly became The Old Lady’s creator-in-chief and primary goal threat.

Up front, Spalleti has options, none of them outstanding, though. Certainly nobody at Osimhen’s level. Dušan Vlahović has started both of Spalletti’s matches in charge so far, and scored against Sporting. However, the Serbian remains clunky in possession and erratic in front of goal. Jonathan David and Loïs Openda are alternatives.

As Italy’s biggest and most successful club, Juventus want to return to the top as quickly as possible. It’s been five years since The Old Lady last won the Scudetto. Three other teams have won it in that time and one of them was guided by Spalletti. He is already putting in the groundwork for his next triumph.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Maxi Allegri is working his magic with Milan once again

Massimiliano Allegri’s arrival in Milan during the summer of 2010 proved to be a seismic move for one of the most successful clubs in Italy.

By Ross Kilvington

By the end of the 2010/11 season, Milan had claimed their first Scudetto since 2004, before Allegri led the team to the Supercoppa early the following season.

Since then, the Rossoneri have won just three trophies – a single Serie A crown alongside two Supercoppa titles – which for a club the size of Milan, is proof of just how far the mighty have fallen.

Last season, an eighth place finish was the club’s worst since finishing tenth in 2014/15 and a change was needed ahead of the current campaign.

Step forward Allegri. After two successful stints with Juventus, the 58-year-old returned to the San Siro.

Early indications suggests he is brewing something special once again in Milan.

AC Milan are in the mix for another Serie A title

Prior to the clash against Roma last weekend, Milan had won five and drawn three of their first nine league games.

The only defeat came against Cremonese on the opening weekend of the campaign, but Milan have gone from strength to strength since.

A 2-1 win over Napoli is the obvious highlight, yet the clash against Roma proved Allegri and his men are right in the mix for a first Scudetto since 2022.

With only five goals conceded after nine games, the capital side boasted the best defensive record in the top flight. In contrast, their attacking output was the worst out of any team in the top half of the table.

As such, this intriguing tie would give further indication of whether both teams had the stomach for a title fight.

In the end, the game was settled by a single piece of magic from defender Strahinja Pavlović, who covered nearly the whole length of the field to get on the end of a wonderful assist by Rafael Leão to score the only goal.

Goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved Paulo Dybala’s penalty with just ten minutes to go. This could certainly turn out to be a vital one come the end of the season.

After ten matches, the Rossoneri occupy third in the table, a solitary point behind leaders Napoli.

The feel-good factor has returned to the San Siro. Maintain this sort of form over the coming months and Allegri could be well on his way to leading Milan to only a second Serie A title since 2011.

His summer signings have certainly played their part, including one veteran who is enjoying an Indian summer of his own…

Luka Modrić is rolling back the years at AC Milan

It was a busy summer in Milan for the new manager. Out went the likes of Malick Thiaw, Tijjani Reijnders, Theo Hernández and Noah Okafor, who made a combined 151 appearances between them.

Despite losing a plethora of experience, Allegri was undaunted. In came Christopher Nkunku, Koni De Winter, Adrien Rabiot and Pervis Estupiñán among several others.

Luka Modrić was the standout arrival, however and has demonstrated that age is simply a number.

The Croatian midfielder ranks in the top 6% for chances created per 90 in Serie A this season when compared to other midfielders (2.26), while also ranking in the top 6% for touches per 90 (83.21) and the top 8% for interceptions per 90 (1.54), underlining his class when both defending and going forwards.

Against Roma, Modrić completed seven passes into the final third, while recording six ball recoveries. After a season with Real Madrid which many felt would be his last at the highest level, Allegri is managing to eek every ounce of magic out of the 40-year-old maestro.

While the veteran is pulling the strings for a Milan side, having players such as Leão and Christian Pulisic in front of him had his made his job easier to showcase his creative talents.

AC Milan’s attacking stars are spearheading title charge

While Nkunku and Santiago Giménez have just one goal each this season, it is the outputs of both Leão and Pulisic which could fire Milan to Serie A glory.

Indeed, the American began the campaign in superb fashion. Helped by having Modrić generating chance after chance, Pulisic scored four goals and grabbed two assists across his first five league matches.

Despite missing the last four Serie A games due to a hamstring injury, the 27-year-old still ranks first in the league for shots on target per 90 (1.9) and second for goals per 90 (1.11) this term.

*Milan’s top rated players in Serie A this season*

In his absence, Leão has been the focal point of this Milan side. Since returning from injury against Napoli in September, the winger has notched three goals and an assist.

He has been deployed in a more central position, but Leão is embracing this change.

The Portuguese star ranks in the top 7% for shots on target per 90 when compared to his peers (1.75), along with ranking in the top 14% for fouls won per 90 (2.99), proving how much of a menace he truly is when in full flight.

Allegri stated that Leão “has extraordinary qualities” following a pre-season friendly against Liverpool. If he continues this rich vein of form, Milan will be in a great place over the coming months.

Having led Milan to trophies before, Allegri clearly understands that success is the bedrock of this great club. He took a risk returning in the summer. So far, it appears to be paying off.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

FotMob Interview: Erin Cuthbert on Arsenal vs. Chelsea, the biggest rivalry in the WSL

True rivalries are relatively young in women’s football. More often than not they are inherited from their male counterparts, forced onto the women’s game as a marketing ploy without the necessary history to back them up.

By Girls On The Ball

Nothing could be further from the case, however, when it comes to the derbies between Arsenal and Chelsea. When these two meet, fireworks tend to follow. The Jonas Eidevall knee-drop, the Emma Hayes shove and the infamous “sockgate” (when Arsenal turned up at Stamford Bridge) are amongst the most recent incidents in a battle that has intrigued over the years.

Saturday’s game at the Emirates will be no different and the stakes could not be higher. For while this derby is the epitome of a true rivalry for what it brings on the pitch, Chelsea undoubtedly have the bragging rights. In 21 meetings, the current champions have come out on top 12 times and one must go back to December 2023 for Arsenal’s last win in the league. In addition, Sonia Bompastor’s side are currently unbeaten at the top of the Barclays WSL and know that Arsenal must win to keep their title hopes alive.

At the heart of it once more will be the effervescent Erin Cuthbert whose experience of this rivalry goes well into the double figures.

“It’s no surprise that I love these types of games,” she says with a smile. “I love the atmosphere. I love rivalry in football and I think that should never go away. I think Chelsea-Arsenal is huge, especially in the women’s game, and it’s something that players relish. But the other part of me, the more rational part, is telling me it is just another three points. You can’t overthink it. Don’t make it bigger than what it is.”

“[My favourite] was the FA Cup Final at Wembley in the December [2021],” she remembers. “I played right-back and I think it was me against Caitlin Foord on the wing. I had such fun. It was bodies on the line. I think me and Millie [Bright] slide-tackled each other at one point to get the ball out of play.”

The no-nonsense, straight-talking Scot is a core member of Bompastor’s team. Now in her ninth season at the club, she has transitioned from a youngster to one of the more experienced players and from a forward into one of the best central midfielders in the league.

“Did I think a young girl from Scotland would survive eight/nine years at such a big club playing pretty consistently? Probably not,” she reflects. “But I’ve grown with that role. I’m a player who loves the competition. That’s what I enjoy most in training – how much everybody wants to win; how much it matters when you lose a small-sided game. I lost today and I was off in a terrible mood for half an hour before I recovered and said well done to my teammates. It’s because it matters and if it matters every day, then it’s going to matter on a weekend.”

The 27-year-old has been key to Chelsea’s impressive start once again. An energetic, box-to-box midfielder, she has played an integral role alongside Keira Walsh, a partnership that has been developing ever since the latter joined the club in January.

“We are building a connection,” she says. “I think we’re two very different central midfielders but we do complement each other. She’s trying to give me a bit of the calm and I’m trying to give her a bit of the intensity.”

Cuthbert’s desire to be front-footed and involved in the attack has been on show. She sits third highest in expected assists (1.9), chances created (13) and key passes (13) this season.

“Over the last couple of games, I’ve maybe seen myself in higher areas, trying to be more involved in attacks and linking the midfield to the front line,” she says. “It’s always about balance as a central midfielder.”

She will have to be at her balancing best once again against Arsenal on Saturday. For despite the Gunners’ inconsistent start to the season, Cuthbert is well aware of the multiple threats Renée Slegers’ team can present.

“They still have quality all over the pitch,” she states. “I’ve watched a lot of their games this season. I think [Alessia] Russo is in good form. Obviously, Mariona [Caldentey] can unlock a defence at the snap of a finger.”

“I think they’re going to be a really aggressive team at home”, she continues. “We’re going to have to be ready for a bit of an onslaught early on and be switched on because a team like Arsenal can punish you. I think we have given up too many chances this season and they punish you for those chances so we need to be really structured with a calm head.”

“Most of all, it will be trying to give my experiences of playing at the Emirates because it is a really tough place to go,” she continues. “You can’t hear each other speak. You can’t give information or tactics or communicate. A lot of it has got to come off feeling which is very different and maybe what we’re not used to.”

Chelsea are a different outfit with Cuthbert in the team. On Saturday, they will once again need her energy, fight and desire if they are to overcome their arch-rivals; someone who absolutely lives for these games. For as the Scot says, “We love a wee scrap but that’s the nature of football. If you don’t love that then why are you playing?”

(Cover image from IMAGO, with additional imagers from Girls on the Ball)

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Nov

2025

O’Neill is back and aiming to steady the ship at Celtic

Martin O’Neill is unexpectedly back at Celtic and is holding things together as the Glasgow club implodes around him.

By Graham Ruthven

Brendan Rodgers’ departure as Celtic manager and the manner of it was so shocking that Martin O’Neill’s return to the club after two decades away was treated as a mere footnote. The morning of his interim appointment, the Irishman had been on national radio tipping Hearts for the Scottish title. Nobody expected him to be Celtic manager again, least of all him.

At first, O’Neill’s return appeared lazy, maybe even reckless. Now 73, the former Aston Villa and Leicester City manager hadn’t worked in football for six years. His last stint at Nottingham Forest lasted just five months. Before that, O’Neill’s previous tenure at a club was at Sunderland over a decade ago. He is, in many ways, yesterday’s man.

And yet yesterday’s man is doing an admirable job of pointing Celtic in the direction of a brighter future. O’Neill has won the first two matches of his second stint in charge, guiding the Hoops to the Scottish League Cup final with a 3-1 win over Rangers in the Old Firm Derby on Sunday.

Celtic needed extra time to see off their fiercest rivals who played much of the match down a man after Thelo Aasgaard’s red card, but there was enough in the performance to suggest O’Neill has made a meaningful difference. The obituaries of Celtic’s 2025/26 campaign may have been written too hastily.

It’s not just O’Neill who has made an impact, though. His two assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham have been hired to lead training on a day-to-day basis and their influence is already obvious in the way Celtic are now approaching matches. The intensity is back in their game.

Maloney’s influence was especially noticeable against Rangers on Sunday. Indeed, the former playmaker was down on the touchline for much of the match, offering guidance and encouragement. When the game went to extra time, it was Maloney rather than O’Neill who led the team talk.

As a figurehead, O’Neill has the shoulders and personality to face the notoriously harsh Scottish media and handle the pressure that comes with being Celtic manager. He’s done it all before, after all. In Maloney and Fotheringham, though, he has two accomplished coaches behind him to prepare the team on the pitch. The balance in the dugout is good.

*O’Neill during his previous spell as Celtic boss*

Celtic still have problems. Their squad is lighter than it has been in a long time after a disastrous summer transfer window that saw the Scottish champions get weaker, not stronger. This is particularly true of the attack where Celtic are lacking genuine top-end talent.

Johnny Kenny has shown the sort of level few saw in him before O’Neill’s arrival, scoring three goals in the two games Celtic have played under the legendary Irishman. Callum Osmand is another previously under-utilised forward who O’Neill has turned to. The teenage Welshman scored his first Celtic goal against Rangers.

In terms of proven attacking quality, though, Celtic are thin on the ground. Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn, Matt O’Riley and Adam Idah were all sold by the club over the last year or so and the Scottish champions have been slow to reinvest that money, spending just £10m in the summer window on new additions.

Hearts are setting the pace at the top of the Scottish Premiership table. The Tony Bloom-owned outfit have adopted a data-driven recruitment model and have unearthed a number of stars capable of deciding a match, as a couple of them did in Hearts’ win over Celtic in Rodgers’ last game.

This time last year, Aberdeen were enjoying a similarly fast start, but quickly faded. This time, Hearts’ challenge feels more substantial. Derek McInnes’ rotated his team for Saturday’s game against Dundee and still oversaw a comfortable 4-0 victory. The Jam Tarts will surely strengthen again in January.

Whether O’Neill will still be in charge of Celtic by then is unknown. “Well, secretly, you would love to,” the 73-year-old said when asked if he would like to lead the Hoops out in next month’s Scottish League Cup final. “Look, we’re in the results business and all of these things can change.

“I was actually at Midtjylland’s game against Nottingham Forest, where they were just too strong for them, really, and that was at the City Ground. And then we’ve got the Kilmarnock game on Sunday. So, honestly, these games, it’s all about results and that will determine whether the board might think about taking their time. If we’d got beaten today, I might not even have seen Thursday.”

Nobody could have predicted the way this season would go for Celtic. O’Neill likely thought his management days were behind him. Now that he’s back in the dugout, though, the Hoops might wish to keep him there until another way forward emerges. O’Neill’s return might have been a footnote in the Rodgers debacle, but it could be a headline in the success of Celtic’s season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2025

Why Europe’s elite all want Joaquin Panichelli

It’s been roughly five months since the 23-year-old joined BlueCo’s Strasbourg from LaLiga’s Deportivo Alavés, via a season-long loan in the Spanish second flight with CD Mirandés. Now, he’s got some of Europe’s biggest clubs all in a tizzy.

By Alex Roberts

All of this is in stark contrast to Panichelli’s time back in his native land of Argentina. Following a short trial with Boca Juniors, the club were left unimpressed, and let him go, with arch-rivals River Plate picking the striker up and giving him a second chance in Buenos Aires.

Panichelli never made a first-team appearance for River Plate, although he was named in the squad on several occasions. His most notable contribution came with the reserves, where he decided to step in as a goalkeeper when the number one was sent off and his side were out of substitutions. Turns out he’s not too bad at that either, keeping a clean sheet.

When January 2023 rolled around, Alavés took a chance on a striker that had no first-team or even international youth caps under his belt, offering Panichelli a three-and-a-half-year contract. So, he packed his bags and flew across the Atlantic to pursue a dream.

During his first season, 2022/23, he made just four appearances for Alavés, then in LaLiga 2, scoring zero goals. He got more experience in 2023/24, but an ACL injury in a 1-1 draw with Las Palmas ended his campaign, and the club’s faith in him.

The striker, who had no first team goals or assists to his name, was shipped off on loan to CD Mirandés, out of sight and out of mind. Perhaps he needs that fire under his belly, because he went on to have a stormer of a season.

Panichelli chipped in with 21 goals and eight assists in his 44 games across all competitions, as Mirandés narrowly missed out on promotion, losing out to Santi Cazorla’s Real Oviedo in the play-off final. Now they’re without him, the club are in serious danger of getting relegated just 12 games into the season.

Strasbourg swooped, and the rest, as they say, is history. Under Liam Rosenior, Panichelli is showing signs of a top striker; an impressive finisher, he’s got nine Ligue 1 goals from 17 shots on target in his ten games, overperforming his xG by just 0.57, so it’s not like his form is a fluke.

*Panichelli’s shot map in Ligue 1 this season*

It’s not just goals he’s contributing; his defensive output makes him a manager’s dream. Panichelli presses constantly, having won the ball in the final third 12 times, winning nine tackles, and 29 recoveries, the most among his Strasbourg teammates.

He also has what every good striker needs, a nasty streak. Ligue 1 defenders have found out the hard way just how much of a handful Panichelli is, with the Argentinian striker committing 18 fouls, receiving just one booking, however.

The recent 3-3 draw with PSG was probably Panichelli’s best game in a Strasbourg shirt. Lining up against Luis Enrique’s Champions League winning superstars, he didn’t look out of place at all, scoring a brace as Strasbourg went 3-1 up before throwing it all away.

*Panichelli’s player traits comparison – vs. strikers in top five leagues*

Speaking to L’Équipe after the game, Rosenior was in awe: “The header is one of the best that I have seen live,” he said in reference to his first goal where he outjumped Ilia Zabarnyi and thundered his header past Lucas Chevalier.

“The performance was one of the best centre-forward performances I have seen live, and it doesn’t surprise me, because he maximises himself in training every day. He works so hard.

“He has an unbelievable mentality, and he has brought a winning mentality to this group. His goals, the way he took them, was incredible, but he led the line incredibly today, and I was very proud of him.”

Panichelli does love a header. Three of his nine Ligue 1 goals have come off his noggin, standing at a healthy 6’2”, it hard for players that can cross a ball like Diego Moreira and Guéla Doué to miss him.

All of this rolled into one big striker shaped package is what’s keeping Chelsea-bound club captain Emanuel Emegha out of the squad. Funnily enough, Panichelli has also been linked with a move to West London so it may not be for the last time.

Strasbourg fans nearly burned their beautiful city to the ground when Emegha announced he was joining the Premier League side next summer, frustrated with being a ‘feeder club’, so it’s unlikely the same move for Panichelli would go down too well, regardless of what happens on the pitch.

Then there’s Barcelona. In search of a successor to the great Robert Lewandowski, reports out of Spain have linked Hansi Flick’s side with a move for Panichelli as a cheaper alternative to the likes of Harry Kane and Julián Alvarez.

Panichelli, of course, has experience playing in LaLiga, albeit not much. Under Flick, Barcelona could stick a scarecrow up front and he’d still get three goals a season, so he wouldn’t have to worry too much.

*Panichelli’s defensive numbers in Ligue 1 showcase his work rate*

Finally, AC Milan are said to be interested following the disappointment of Santiago Giménez. The Mexican was prolific at Feyenoord but has been unable to translate his fine form to the Serie A, and now Max Allegri is on the lookout for a replacement.

He certainly has the physicality to be a big hit in a league that is infamously more defensive. All those giant centre backs won’t intimidate him one bit but playing for a manager as conservative as Allegri would isolate him and probably hinder more than help.

Strikers like Panichelli are hard to come by in the modern era, if we were to compare him to anyone, it would be Edinson Cavani. Tall, deceptively fast and a lethal finisher. It’s clear that he won’t be at Strasbourg for much longer, unfortunately for them.

One of the continent’s big boys will snap him up, probably at the end of the season, it’s not up to him to prove them right for doing so.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Nov

2025

Preview: Haaland’s former club Dortmund visit Manchester City

It’s second in the Premier League against third in the Bundesliga, as Manchester City welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad in the Champions League on Wednesday.

By Ian King

Manchester City have found their gear-shift, but how one-dimensional is it?

A win against Bournemouth on Saturday put Manchester City second in the Premier League, albeit six points behind Arsenal. They’ve won four of their last five in the England’s top flight, but that nagging question remains; are they over-reliant on Erling Haaland’s goals now, and what happens to their form, should anything happen to him?

Borussia Dortmund have only been beaten once in their nine Bundesliga matches so far, but still sit third, behind Bayern Munich – who were, of course, the only team to beat them so far – and second-placed RB Leipzig.

Both teams have taken seven points from their first three matches of the Megagroup league phase, with Dortmund having scored four goals in each of their first three games and Manchester City having scored two in each of theirs.

City have only lost one in six against Dortmund

There have been six previous meetings between these two sides, all in the Champions League, with three wins for Manchester City, two draws, and just the one win for Dortmund. Neither side has beaten the other by more than a single goal, and all three of City’s wins were by a 2-1 scoreline. The last time they met came in December 2022, when they played out a goalless draw at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League is in sharp contrast to their Bundesliga record

The last time that Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund in October 2022, City won 2-1 and Erling Haaland, who’d made his move to Manchester the previous summer, scored a goal against his former team which was later voted UEFA’s Goal of the Tournament. But in the return match, Haaland was subbed out at half-time and the match ended in a goalless draw. He’s scored 13 of their 20 league goals so far this season, and their second-highest goalscorer is Own Goals, on two.

Dortmund’s main goal threat comes from Serhou Guirassy, who scored the winning goals in their last two Bundesliga triumphs, against Augsburg and 1.FC Köln. Curiously, Dortmund’s goal frenzy in the Champions League has been in contrast to their start to their domestic season. They scored three in each of their first two league matches, but have failed to do so since. They’ve only scored three more goals in their nine league matches than they have in their three Champions League matches so far.

Rumours of Mateo Kovačić’s return from injury turned out to have been greatly exaggerated

It’s all clear on the injuries front for Manchester City, with one significant exception. Mateo Kovačić has only played 45 minutes for City so far this season following an achilles tendon injury during the summer. He was subbed on for the closing minutes of their recent win against Everton, following that up with 33 minutes against Villarreal in this competition. But Pep Guardiola has now confirmed that his injury has flared up again and he’ll be out until the latter stages of the season.

Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle should both return for Dortmund after missing their 1-0 win at Augsburg on Friday night. Schlotterbeck had a cold, while Süle had an issue with one of his toes, but head coach Niko Kovač should be able to welcome him back for this match.

Dortmund know what threat awaits them, but whether they can do anything about it is another question

There seems to be a viewpoint that Arsenal have already won the Premier League, but whether that turns out to be true or not, Manchester City have a potential issue in chasing them. With 17 goals in 13 games in all competitions, Erling Haaland has become their most important player this season by such a distance that it’s reasonable to ask what might happen should they lose him.

Against his former club, the expectation that he’ll turn up will be greater than ever. Good job he never seems that bothered by nerves or self-doubt, then. But City’s recent 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa demonstrated that he can be kept at bay, and if Dortmund can find a way of keeping him quiet, they have a chance.

But the harsh reality of Dortmund’s position going into this match is that precious few other teams have found a way of keeping him quiet, so the home win feels more likely on this occasion. I’ll go for the teams to reverse their goalscoring tallies in this tournament so far, City to win 4-2, and yet more superlatives to be thrown in the direction of Norway’s favourite son.

(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.

Nov

2025

Preview: Barcelona go to Club Brugge in the Champions League

One of the competition favourites should take another step towards the last 16 this week with Barcelona aiming to make it three wins from four when they head to Belgian side Club Brugge on Wednesday.

By Karl Matchett

Cruising mode

One of the big talking points around this still-new Champions League format last term was that it allowed some of the bigger teams to essentially get the job done in half the matches: if they weren’t too fussed about final position and only top eight mattered to avoid the playoffs, then five wins was always expected to be about enough. Barcelona managed six and finished second, scoring 28 times along the way – more than anyone else in the league phase. While they’ve not been quite so free-scoring yet, they look well on track for at least that five-win initial benchmark and, with Slavia Prague and FC København still to come, if they win this one they are already all-but-there – despite that defeat to PSG.

Hansi Flick and his squad might want to win the competition, but you don’t do that in the first half of the season. As PSG showed last year, all you need to do at this stage is make sure you remain in the competition. As such, the manager might be tempted to tweak a little, but a strong lineup here goes a long way to ensuring you can rotate more frequently later on – as well as skip those two extra encounters.

Playing for the playoffs

Club Brugge might have looked a little stronger in previous seasons, but they can’t be discounted entirely at home. After all, they thumped Monaco 4-1 and that was after humiliating Rangers in the qualifiers 9-1 on aggregate. But even so, years of selling their stars might be taking a toll. Last season they finished 24th, nicking the final playoff spot with 11 points but a better goal difference than Dinamo Zagreb. It looks a stretch to achieve that again this term – unless they pull off a massive shock in a game like this.

Form

Brugge have won their last five domestically, but chopping up that streak are two defeats in Europe following their opening round win over Monaco. Three wins and three defeats in the last six for the visitors, but they won their only Champions League away game so far at Newcastle.

Team news

The hosts will be without a host of players to make things worse. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is out, while so too are left-back Bjorn Meijer, holding midfielder Raphael Onyedika and the versatile Ludovit Reis.

Hans Vanaken has to pull the strings for counter-attacks, with Christos Tzolis Brugges’ best outlet to trouble the visitors.

Barcelona are missing even more players, particularly in attack with Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo all out. Joan García is missing in goal, with both Pedri and Gavi missing from midfield.

Key player

It’s a toss up between Fermín López and Marcus Rashford but we’ll opt for the latter – he has four assists and two goals from 2.3 xG in LaLiga, but also four goals and one assist in three matches in Europe. If he can keep producing those numbers the Catalan side will take the points.

Prediction

It might not be such a steamrollering, but if Bayern can beat Brugge by four then it’s likely Barcelona can get the job done too: Club Brugge 1-3 Barcelona.

(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.