FotMob TOTW – Round 33
Haaland and De Bruyne, the stars of City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal, rate highest. But there’s room for players from five other sides, including Rúben Neves, who also clocked up a 9 rating in Wolves’ win over Palace.
Who stood out for you? Let us know in the replies.
In this weekend preview we summarise the best five games to follow on your match feed. And make a couple of suggestions for matches that you may otherwise miss.
This tip is probably twofold, as the outcome of this season’s Serie A title race actually depends on two results over the weekend. First, runaway league leaders Napoli need to beat regional rivals Salernitana at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday afternoon. Then, if Lazio fail to win in Sunday’s early game at Inter, you can expect the party to end all parties to kick-off back in Naples!
There were unbelievable scenes when the team arrived back at the airport after beating Juventus last weekend (see above) but that will be small-fry compared to the day when a first Scudetto since 1990 is finally confirmed.
For the fifth time this season, and the second time this month, Scotland’s two biggest clubs meet each other again. This time, we’re on neutral territory as Hampden Park plays host to this Scottish Cup semi-final tie on Sunday. Celtic have undoubtably had the upper-hand against their old enemies this season, winning three of the four Glasgow Derbies, with the other being a 2-2 draw in which they equalised in the 88th minute. With third tier Falkirk and second tier Inverness playing in the other semi-final though, there is every chance that the winners of this game will go on to lift the cup. As if either needed extra motivation.
Dutch giants Ajax and PSV Eindhoven have played each other even more recently – going toe-to-toe in the league just last weekend (pictured).
On Sunday, they face off again in what will be the 105th final of the KNVB Cup, the major cup competition in the Netherlands. In fact, it’s also a repeat of last year’s final, which was won by PSV. With Feyenoord odds on to win the Eredivisie, this is the only opportunity for either side to lift silverware this season.
The big sides just keep falling by the wayside in the Coupe de France this season, leaving us with a final that features defending champions Nantes against Toulouse, the sides placed 16th and 12th in Ligue 1 respectively.
PSG were undone by Marseille back in the Round of 16 before L’OM were themselves upset by Ligue 2 giant-killers Annecy. Toulouse finally ended their run in the semi-finals while Nantes have beaten Lens and Lyon to get back to the final. Last season, they were 1-0 winners over Nice, ending a 20-year wait for a trophy.
Galatasaray, with a star studded squad that includes the likes of Mauro Icardi, Juan Mata, Nicolo Zaniolo, Dries Martens and Fernando Muslera currently lead the Süper Lig by six points. With seven rounds to play, they meet city rivals Beşiktaş on Sunday, who themselves sit third and a further two points down on second placed Fenerbahçe. The three Istanbul rivals have dominated the league this season and bar a showdown with Fener on the penultimate weekend, this game is the stiffest test that Galatasaray will face in the run-in.
It’s early days in the new Brasileirão season, the main national league in Brazil, but this weekend will see two of the league’s biggest sides face off in a São Paulo. Defending champions Palmeiras have enjoyed superiority over their city rivals in the past few years – even winning South America’s biggest prize, the Copa Libertadores back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. And they’ve started the season slightly better – winning one and drawing the other in the opening two rounds while Corinthians have won one, lost one.
Both sides will have been relieved to scrap through their respective cup matches in the week – Corinthians needing penalties to beat third tier Remo, and Palmerias only drawing the second leg of their tie at Serie B club Tombense to go through 5-3 on aggregate.
In a quirk of the footballing calendar, we’ll finally see the first leg of the 2022 AFC Champions League Final take place in Riyadh on Saturday. Defending 2021 Champions, and record winners, Al Hilal are the Saudi hosts for the clash with J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds. This is a repeat of the 2017 Final – won by Urawa, and the 2019 Final – won by Al Hilal, so perhaps consider this the decider! And know that both clubs have some great pedigree in this competition and have already conquered their respective regions to get this far – the competition being split in to East and West Zones until we reach this final stage.
If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.
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Cover Image from IMAGO
Ahead of the weekend action in Spain’s top flight here’s a recap of a bizarre set of results in the round of games played midweek.
By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert
Barcelona remain 11 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga after both teams lost in midweek, but the Catalans can no longer make it into three figures following their 2-1 defeat away to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
Xavi’s side had only conceded nine times in the league all season, but Álvaro García made it 10 and Fran García 11 as Rayo went 2-0 up at Vallecas and held on despite a late Robert Lewandowski effort to condemn the Blaugrana to just their third loss in the competition in 2022-23. And it means the record points total – the 100 set by José Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011-12 and Tito Vilanova’s Barça the following season – is now out of reach.
“If we look on the positive side, the distance is the same,” Xavi said after the match. “But we didn’t play a good game. We weren’t comfortable. They were aggressive, intense, and they didn’t let us play.”
Despite the loss, Barça need only 11 points from their final seven fixtures to be confirmed as champions. Xavi’s side have had a blip, though, picking up just five points from their last four games. “We are not in a negative dynamic,” he said. “But nothing is done. LaLiga is not over.”
Since winning promotion, Rayo have taken 10 out of 12 points off Barcelona in their four meetings over the past two campaigns. “Very happy to beat Barça,” coach Ander Iraola said. “But above all, for the 43 points that ensure there will be another Rayo-Barça next season.”
Girona striker Taty Castellanos had been in tears after missing an easy chance against Barcelona earlier in April and even deleted his social media accounts due to the abuse he received, but the Argentine had an unforgettable night against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Castellanos scored all four of Girona’s goals in an amazing 4-2 win for the Catalans at Montilivi and is only the fifth player in history to net a ‘poker’ against Real Madrid.
Vinícius Júnior scored for Madrid with Los Blancos 2-0 down and Lucas Vázquez grabbed a late goal to avoid a three-goal defeat for the visitors, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side were well beaten on the night.
“It was a hard night,” the Italian said. “To lose like that. On a defensive level, it was a very bad game. That was the key. Today the team didn’t play and we tried to pick it with individuals. But it was a bad level in all respects. The team was nervous.”
“We knew what we wanted to do, we were brave,” Girona coach Michel said. “Today it all came together. The players deserve a win like this.” The Catalans should be safe now with 41 points, two behind Rayo, in 10th place.
Atlético Madrid beat Mallorca 3-1 at the Metropolitano on the night of their 120th anniversary and the Rojiblancos are now just two points behind city rivals Real with seven games left to play.
Wearing a special blue-and-white commemorative shirt, Atlético went behind to a Matija Nastasić header following a corner early on, but goals from Rodrigo de Paul, Álvaro Morata and Yannick Carrasco secured a comfortable win for Diego Simeone’s side. The Spain striker’s effort was a fine header, while the Belgian ran half the pitch in a breakaway attack following a great pass from Antoine Griezmann. The team’s upturn in form since January, interrupted briefly by a narrow defeat against Barça at the weekend, continues.
“I’m proud of the way we have turned things around since the World Cup,” Simeone said. And on the atmosphere at the stadium on a special night for Atleti, he said: “It was wonderful. To feel this club, you have to understand it.”
When Valencia went behind early on at home to Real Valladolid following a comical error by Mouctar Diakhaby, their fans must have feared the worst. But the defender later equalised with a header that goalkeeper Jordi Masip thought was going wide and in added time, 19-year-old academy player Javi Guerra won it at Mestalla with a superb solo goal.
“Mestalla’s magic pushed us and the end was tremendous,” coach Rubén Baraja said afterwards. It was Valencia’s second win in a row and sees the club move out of the relegation zone, two points clear of 18th-placed Getafe. The Madrid side, beaten 2-1 at home by Almería and back in danger after two straight defeats, have since parted company with coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
Meanwhile, Sevilla are up to 11th after an excellent 1-0 win at Athletic Club on Thursday. Lucas Ocampos’ penalty in added time sealed the victory, a first ever for their coach José Luis Mendilibar at San Mames in 13 attempts. The Basque has led Sevilla to five wins and two draws since taking over from Jorge Sampaoli and with 41 points now, the Andalusians are staying up.
And there is barely a break as the next round of matches starts this Friday with Osasuna in eighth at home to fourth-placed Real Sociedad. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are in action on Saturday: Los Blancos at home to Almería and Barcelona against Real Betis at Camp Nou. Atlético are away to Valladolid on Sunday.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 LaLiga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
There’s still everything to play for in the Premier League. There’s still a title race, there’s a scramble for the top four and a minimum of six teams find themselves currently in the relegation battle.
This round of midweek fixtures threw up more questions than answers. With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at some of the biggest talking points.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Aston Villa recorded a 1-0 win over Fulham and in doing so became the first team in Premier League history to score in their first 20 games under a new head coach.
Unai Emery has masterminded Villa’s rise up the ranks. They’re now sixth in the table, level on points with Spurs and unbeaten in 10, having won eight matches.
Tyrone Mings nodded the winner in what was a fairly one-sided match. The hosts had 14 shots to Fulham’s one and racked up an xG of 1.02 to the away team’s 0.10.
The pressure was on Manchester City heading into the match against Arsenal. They weren’t the league leaders but they had momentum on their side. A win would see the title race swing in their favour. A loss would put Pep Guardiola’s men in a difficult situation.
It could’ve been a banana skin fixture but the reigning champions put on a clinic at the Etihad.
Erling Haaland recorded the highest FotMob rating, with a 9.4, having assisted two goals before adding the fourth in stoppage time.
Kevin De Bruyne rivalled the City No.9 with his display as he netted twice while also assisting John Stones.
For the fourth successive match, Arsenal conceded a minimum of two goals. Mikel Arteta’s men are winless in four after an April to forget. They are still top of the league, leading the way by two points but City have two games in hand.
Frank Lampard didn’t have a honeymoon period following his return to Chelsea.
He was supposed to lift the mood after replacing Graham Potter but the Blues haven’t been able to hit their stride after bringing back the former Everton boss.
The 2-0 defeat to Brentford means Chelsea have loss five successive matches since Lampard’s appointment as interim manager. Three of those have come in the Premier League, with Wolves and Brighton joining the Bees as victors in April.
Chelsea dominated the ball at Stamford Bridge but, once again, showed very little in attack.
In what was one of the shock results of the season, Nottingham Forest defeated Brighton to increase the likelihood of them staying up.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side will feel frustrated not to have taken anything from the game. They responded well to the FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United, creating four big chances and amassing an xG haul of 2.34, while dominating the ball with 75% possession.
The comeback win for Forest lifted them out of the relegation zone. They rallied well after Brennan Johnson missed an early penalty and Brighton took the lead in the 38th minute.
Liverpool travelled to London for a tricky match against West Ham United.
Though the hosts took an early lead, Jürgen Klopp’s men responded well and eventually claimed a 2-1 win. For the second successive match, both Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold assisted a goal.
The right-back, playing in his new inverted full-back role, now has five assists in his last four, with the Reds making a late push for a Champions League place.
Newcastle United are now two points clear in third spot after a 4-1 away win at Everton boosted their chances of playing Champions League football next season while simultaneously casting doubt over the Toffees’ Premier League future.
Callum Wilson, once again leading the line for Eddie Howe’s men, netted twice in an eye-catching display. He was given a FotMob rating of 8.7 while Joelinton found himself on the scoresheet yet again.
The Magpies dominated the game, creating three big chances to zero, with their chances worth 2.44 xG to Everton’s 0.66. It was a one-sided second half display by the visitors, just days after they blew Spurs away in the first half.
Tottenham made the bold decision to part ways with interim manager Cristian Stellini after the 6-1 loss to Newcastle United.
Ryan Mason was tasked with managing the team and at one stage it looked like another disappointing home defeat was on the cards after United took a 2-0 lead in the first half.
However, the hosts responded well after the break with goals from Pedro Porro and Heung-Min Son. Mason reverted back to the 3-4-3 shape after the 4-3-3 disaster against Newcastle.
Spurs created chances worth 1.89 xG in the second half, showing resilience and fight under new manager Mason in what was a fairly even game, with the home team creating four big chances to the away side’s three.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
It’s been a season of shocks, from Union Berlin topping the table back in September to Hertha Berlin’s freefall to the very depths of the league since March.
However, it was April that proved to be the most eye-opening month so far in what has been a crazy Bundesliga season. Just when you thought they wouldn’t, Bayern München went full FC Hollywood and now Dortmund sit poised to deliver the dream.
By Chris Williams, our Bundesliga expert
Indeed – it was the question of the day, the month, and maybe even the year. Thursday 23 March seemed to be like any other day until Bayern decided to pull the trigger on Julian Nagelsmann’s time as head coach.
Just as we were all settling down for bed, Fabrizio Romano tweeted that the Bavarians were considering parting ways with their then-current coach, in favour of Thomas Tuchel.
It came out of nowhere really, granted there were a few questions about the team’s performance under the 35-year-old, but surely they wouldn’t sack him just before a crucial game against Dortmund, and an even bigger matchup against Manchester City on the horizon, would they?
The answer was yes, less than 24 hours later the unpopular skier come skateboarder was out on his ear and Tuchel was at the helm. If that wasn’t crazy enough what followed was jaw-dropping.
Under the ex-Dortmund, PSG and Chelsea boss, Bayern tore their nearest rivals apart. The Schwarzgelben were the most in-form team in Europe prior to their trip to Munich, unbeaten in 10 they’d amassed 28 points from a possible 30, but inside the Allianz Arena they leaked three goals in 10 minutes, eventually restoring some pride but they left having been pumped 4-2.
A perfect start for Tuchel, but it was also the perfect end – days later they were dumped out of the Pokal at home by Freiburg with almost the last kick of the game, then Pep Guardiola did to Bayern what he’d done to plenty of other sides when in the München dugout, he oversaw a total demolition.
Within 10 days Bayern had gone from treble dreams to scraping for a Bundesliga title, and still, the pain wasn’t over. Four points from a possible nine gave the advantage back to Dortmund and as we approach the final five matchdays it is now theirs to lose, Bayern are not in control of their own destiny.
Dortmund have sniffed the aroma of Meisterschale glory a couple of times over the last few seasons, but just as the sweet smell of victory drew closer they invariably punched themselves in the face, breaking their nose in the process.
Dropped points at VfB Stuttgart, whilst leading by two goals and with a man advantage, brought the memories of yesteryear flooding back, but with Bayern adopting the persona of traffic policemen and handing out three points to their opposition at will, Dortmund found themselves with a chance to go top and by a point.
This time there would be no mistake, a prolific and professional display against Eintracht Frankfurt resulted in a 4-0 win and with it four players in the Fotmob Matchday 29 team of the week.
Donyell Malen’s performance saw the Dutch international pick up a 9.0 rating, thanks predominantly to two goals from four shots, all finding the target and giving Eintracht’s Kevin Trapp something to do all afternoon.
It was the second week in a row the 24-year-old had made the Matchday’s top 11 and he looks to have found a spot of form at the most crucial time.
Yes, you did read that correctly. Leverkusen have been superb of late, completely transformed by Xabi Alonso, the Werkself were bottom on Matchday Two and 17th on Matchday Eight when Gerardo Seoane was sacked.
Now, with four weeks and five games to play the team from Germany’s industrial heartland are sixth, and look real contenders to sneak into the all-important fourth spot taking the final Champions League place on offer in the Bundesliga.
They are also Europa League semi-finalists, 180 minutes against AS Roma stands between them and the final in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna.
Losing just once in their last 10 league outings, Alonso’s side are playing some of the best football in Germany. Five straight victories saw them climb five places, with wins against Bayern – and most recently Leipzig – highlighting their impressive transformation under the Spanish tactician.
Florian Wirtz’s return from a cruciate ligament tear bolstered Leverkusen’s ability to control and dictate matches, but the 19-year-old missed their fixture versus Leipzig with an illness, Alonso and co. will be hoping the German international isn’t missing for much longer.
With nine goals and eight assists, Moussa Diaby tops the Leverkusen stats for most goal involvements. The Frenchman has been an integral cog in the Bayer wheel of late and a player his head coach has looked towards both domestically and on their European adventures.
This month I’ll end with a question, is this the best Bundesliga season we’ve seen in a while? Some food for thought as we await the final five games in what is shaping up to be an epic title fight, and I don’t ask this purely because Bayern are stumbling.
At the opposite end of the table, Hertha Berlin currently sits bottom, but the Big City club are not cut adrift. Previous seasons have seen a whipping boy, a team so bad they have been effectively relegated in January.
Just two years ago Schalke 04 ended the campaign on 16 points, 15 behind their nearest rivals. Before that Greuther Fürth finished 10 points worse off than 17th-placed Arminia Bielefeld, and in season 2019/20 the gap from Paderborn 07 to Fortuna Düsseldorf was also 10 points, this time it’s all a little different.
As we approach May, seven points is the slim difference between Hertha at the foot of the table and TSG Hoffenheim in 14th, a normally regarded safeish position. Such is the tightness of the Bundesliga currently that should results fall their way Hertha could still mathematically finish as high as 10th, and Borussia Mönchengladbach who currently reside in 10th could finish as high as fifth or as low as 18th.
For the first time in a long while we have 18 strong teams, and the permutations for who finishes in the European placings and who gets relegated are wild to say the least.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Bundesliga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Our regular Serie A expert takes us through three top talking points from the weekend round in Italy’s top flight.
By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert
Often forgotten about, Atalanta’s game against Roma on Monday was a reminder to the rest of the league that they can still make a serious push for a top four finish. Atalanta managed to beat the side from the capital 3-1 in Bergamo, which was a win against a direct competitor for a Champions League spot.
It’s quite incredible that Atalanta are even here to begin with, given the issues they’ve had up front. Their two leading goal scorers from the last few seasons, Duván Zapata and Luis Muriel, have only managed a combined two goals in 43 matches. This has meant that they’ve had to earn results via other sources. Fortunately for La Dea, it’s come in the form of two summer arrivals from last year. The Ademola Lookman / Rasmus Højlund pairing has combined for 20 goals this season and demonstrated once again just how astute Atalanta’s scouting department is. This is a club that has had to consistently replenish its roster after losing key players in the transfer market. The one constant has been their manager Gianpiero Gasperini, who has now become the longest serving active manager in the league since taking over in 2016. Atalanta can also look above them in the table and see that all the other teams in contention for that fourth spot are also juggling European competitions. Milan and Inter in the Champions League and Juventus and Roma in the Europa League. Atalanta have only the league to focus on, so being four points shy of fourth spot suggests that goal is attainable.
I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Atalanta’s co-owner Steve Pagliuca (also part owner of the Boston Celtics) for CBS; where he made clear his team’s intentions stating they are absolutely gunning for a top four spot. Atalanta suddenly has very important financial backers who also have a shrewd understanding of the marketing it takes to spread awareness about the club’s recent success. While Atalanta has historically been a yo-yo team bouncing between Serie A and Serie B, the last seven years has changed their reputation to a side that is always in the mix for a European spot. Hearing Pagliuca’s bullish comments about his side’s future should definitely be enough for their fans to feel confident that this team is one on the rise.
Rafael Leão is back to looking like the best player in the league. His brace over the weekend, against Lecce, means that he’s eclipsed his 11 goal tally from last season by hitting a career best 12 goals at this stage, with seven games to play. Leão’s inconsistent season seems to be in the past now, as the winger was the primary reason why Milan were able to beat Napoli in the Champions League quarterfinals and in their most recent domestic meeting. It’s not just the statistics with Leão, but the way he’s achieving them. It feels like every single game now has a world class coast-to-coast run from Leão, where he goes 70 yards on his own to either set up a goal or score himself. What’s amazing about his style is that he’s running by players effortlessly and with a smile on his face. When Leão’s in this form, the game looks like it comes so easily to him. In the three matches against Napoli – the team that’s dominated Serie A and made all the headlines this season – it was Leão that looked like the best player on the pitch.
The smartest decision Pioli made this calendar year was scrapping the 3-5-2 formation that he temporarily used to get Milan out of their defensive funk, in favour of his usual 4-2-3-1. Surprisingly, Leão was candid about his struggles in the 3-5-2 formation, complaining that his more central position meant he didn’t feel like he could turn and run into space as easily. As soon as he was utilised in his more natural left-wing position, Leão showed off his MVP form from last season and more. If Milan have any chance in the Champions League, it’ll have to come through his individual play. The simple inclusion of the Portuguese international in the starting lineup may make opposition managers second-guess their defensive approach.
Milan don’t have anyone else with his characteristics. A defence that plays a high line against the Rossoneri also has to deal with the counter-attacking threat that Leão offers. A team’s right-back will also have to play more conservatively knowing that he has a world class winger to contend with.
With Milan still fighting for a top four spot in the league and a chance to make their first Champions League final since 2007, Leão going back to his stellar form from last season couldn’t have come at a better time.
It was only a month ago that Hellas Verona looked destined to get relegated back into Serie B after a lacklustre season which has seen different managers come and go. Their campaign looked doomed from the start. In the summer, the club lost their three top goal scorers from last season in the transfer market – Giovanni Simeone went to Napoli after a personal best goal scoring season, Gianluca Caprari left for Monza, and dynamic midfielder Antonín Barák took his talents to Tuscany to link up with Fiorentina. Without this trio, Verona found themselves in the difficult position of having to replace double digit goals with a meagre budget.
The strikers they did sign have been abysmal. The hulking Bosnian Milan Đurić has only scored once in 21 matches since coming over from Salernitana. Thomas Henry joined from Venezia after his nine-goal campaign with the relegated club, but so far has only found the back of the net twice in 16 matches. The other strikers have somehow fared even worse – Kevin Lasagna, known more for his name than his football, has a paltry one goal in 26 matches for Verona. These types of returns are normally synonymous with a team destined for the second division, but in recent weeks, Verona’s fortunes have seemingly changed. The club has picked up seven points in their last three games, including an impressive scoreless draw away at against league leaders Napoli.
More importantly, their most talented player has finally found his stride. Simone Verdi is coming off a brace in a 2-1 win against red-hot Bologna. Verdi is a strange player. Not long ago, Napoli signed him from Bologna for €25m after the winger managed to score 10 times that season. Verdi has always had bags of talent, but has never been able to consistently express it. Perhaps his most unique skill is that he doesn’t know which is his favoured foot. He has taken free kicks and corner kicks with both his right and left foot. This ability means he is very difficult to mark for a defender, given that he doesn’t have a particular tendency.
However, even though Verdi has also been a very streaky, confidence based winger, he is now finding his form at the most important time of the season. The club are only one point from safety and look like the only side from the bottom three that has a good chance of saving themselves down the stretch.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Serie A season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
Ahead of the midweek round of action in Spain’s top flight here’s a recap of the weekend games and an overview of how things stand.
By Ben Hayward, LaLiga expert
Barcelona took another big step towards the title by beating Atlético Madrid 1-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday as Ferran Torres’ slick finish from the edge of the area at the end of the first half proved enough to secure all three points for Xavi’s side and take them 11 points clear of rivals Real Madrid with just eight rounds of the competition remaining.
Antoine Griezmann almost gave Atético the perfect start as he hit the woodwork with a lobbed effort in the very first minute, but Barcelona had more chances and ultimately deserved to win the game, although there were a few nervy moments at the end after the ball hit Sergio Busquets on the arm in the area.
Atlético are the only side in LaLiga without a penalty in the competition this season and they did not get one here either. That looked like the right call, though, as Busquets’ arm was raised because he was jumping and he could do little to get out of the way of the ball as it was headed against him by José Giménez from point-blank range.
“It’s a really important win,” Xavi said after the game. “It was key for our objective, which is to win LaLiga. We have beaten a great team. They had chances, but we dominated and we could have scored a second goal, which would have given us calm.”
Asked if Barcelona feel like champions yet, Xavi said: “In the dressing room, they don’t feel like champions and if they did, we would tell them that we still aren’t. Nothing is done yet. We are focused and excited.”
Barça welcomed back Pedri and Frenkie de Jong from injury, but there was no appearance for 15-year-old Lamine Yamal, who was called up to the list for Sunday’s game but will have to wait for another opportunity to become the club’s youngest-ever player in an official game.
Atlético remain in third place and Diego Simeone said: “I’ll stick with the positives. We played a great match. We weren’t sharp enough in front of goal.” And on Barcelona this season, he added: “Being effective in both areas gives you a chance to be champions.”
Real Madrid had given themselves hope of closing some of the gap on Saturday as they beat Celta Vigo 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu to reduce Barcelona’s lead at the top to eight points ahead of the Catalans’ clash with Atlético on Sunday.
Goals from Marco Asensio and Éder Militão either side of half-time sealed a routine win for Los Blancos in front of their own fans, but they look unlikely to retain their title as Barça stretched their lead back to 11 the following day.
“I liked the team,” Carlo Ancelotti said. “I liked the attitude of the team. That allowed some of the players to shine, like Asensio and [Eduardo] Camavinga.”
The Frenchman, who played at left-back again, earned applause from the fans and acclaim from his coach. “He has extraordinary quality in all facets,” Ancelotti said. “He’s improving. He can play anywhere. In central midfield, at centre-back… he always does well.”
Asensio, meanwhile, is into double figures in a season for the fourth time as a Madrid player and needs just one more to match his best mark of 12, which came last term.
With eight games left in LaLiga, two legs of a Champions League semi-final against Manchester City and a Copa del Rey final versus Osasuna ahead in the coming weeks, Ancelotti is likely to rotate his squad as much as he can.
But the Italian is not giving up on LaLiga. “Looking at the quality of the two teams, there is not an 11 points difference,” he said. “Small details have determined that distance, which we want to reduce in the next few games.”
Valencia beat bottom club Elche 2-0 away from home in a vital victory which has boosted their hopes of staying in LaLiga. Rubén Baraja’s side remain in 18th place, but are now level on points with Almería above them.
That was after Almería lost 2-1 at home to Athletic Club and the Bilbao outfit are very much in the race for Europe following a decent run of results in recent weeks. Ernesto Valverde’s side are now just a point behind sixth-placed Villarreal (beaten 2-1 at Sevilla) and two adrift of Real Betis (3-2 losers at Osasuna) in fifth.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad’s 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano saw them open up a four-point gap in fourth place over Betis. Sevilla are eight points clear of the drop zone in 12th after their win over Villarreal, but Espanyol remain in trouble in 19th place following a goalless draw at home to Cádiz.
Real Madrid travel to Catalonia on Tuesday to face Girona, while Barcelona are in the capital to play Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. Also on Tuesday, fourth-placed Real Sociedad visit the team below them in the table: Real Betis. Atlético are at home to a resurgent Real Mallorca on Wednesday. Valencia meet Real Valladolid in another crunch clash for both teams on Thursday, while Athletic host Sevilla at San Mames that same night.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 LaLiga season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
It has been a regular occurrence over recent weeks but this round of fixtures could prove to be pivotal in the grand scheme of things. Title challengers dropped points while top four hopefuls made a statement with not only their results but also their performances.
With that in mind, a look at the biggest talking points.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
For the third successive week, Arsenal dropped points. Though this one might feel a little different. Having thrown away 2-0 leads in consecutive weeks, the Gunners came from 3-1 down this time around to salvage a point against bottom of the table Southampton.
Martin Odegaard scored in the 88th minute before Bukayo Shaka levelled things up in the final minute of normal time. The England international was the standout performer on the day, creating five chances and finishing with a FotMob rating of 9.0.
Arsenal now travel to the Etihad needing to take maximum points to wrestle back control of their destiny.
Diogo Jota failed to score for over a year but now have four goals and an assist in his last two appearances for Liverpool.
He netted twice in the 6-1 win over Leeds United during the mid-week and added another two in the 3-2 in over Nottingham Forest. He was the difference-maker at Anfield on Saturday, finishing the match with four shots – the joint highest – and an Expected Goals haul of 1.51 – the most of anyone in the match. He also found a teammate 93% of the time, an impressive tally for a player often criticised for his looseness in possession.
Liverpool aren’t favourites for a place in the top four but if Jota keeps scoring, their late rise up the table could go under the radar.
Leicester City fell behind to an early Matheus Cunha goal but rallied to complete a turnaround that ensured they picked up a well deserved three points. Dean Smith’s charges amassed an xG of 2.43 and are now out of the relegation zone on goal difference.
Everton replaced them in the bottom three and with momentum on Leicester’s side, they could beat the drop. It would be a remarkable turnaround for a team that looked dead and buried a couple of weeks ago after parting ways with Brendan Rodgers.
Few would’ve envisaged such a result. Newcastle lost 3-0 to Villa last weekend while Spurs fell to a last minute defeat to Bournemouth. Both sets of supporters would’ve expected a reaction in their pursuit of a top four finish but only one team delivered.
Newcastle United found themselves 5-0 up after 21 minutes with both Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak netting early doubles. A shell-shocked Spurs had no reply until after the break when Harry Kane netted his 24th of the season.
Callum Wilson added a sixth for the Magpies. In all honesty, it was completely deserved. Eddie Howe’s men finished with an xG of 3.85 and created seven big chances to one.
Newcastle now find themselves in third spot in the Premier League, six points clear of Spurs with a game in hand. It would take a remarkable collapse from here for the Magpies not to be playing Champions League football next season.
West Ham powered past Bournemouth to lift themselves up to 13th in the Premier League table. David Moyes’ men are now six points clear of the drop and though they aren’t mathematically secure, this win makes it much more likely that they’ll be in the English top flight next term.
They leapfrogged the Cherries with this emphatic away victory. The game was much closer than the score line suggests though with the hosts finishing with an xG of 1.52 while the Hammers carved out chances worth 2.43.
The difference maker was Declan Rice. He finished with a pass success rate of 88% having created two chances and having one shot. He recovered the ball on 12 occasions, won five of his nine ground duels and won 50% of his tackles on his way to a 8.6 FotMob rating.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.
The best matches to follow this weekend
🏴🏆 Wembley Stadium plays host to both of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-finals and first up there’s the meeting between the sides currently sat second in the Premier League (Manchester City) and second in the EFL Championship (Sheffield United).
You can never downplay the importance of a semi-final on such as a massive stage for both the players, and the fans, but this game does come at an awkward moment for the two sides. City have that all-important title showdown against Arsenal coming in the league next Wednesday night and the Blades need just one more win to secure promotion back to the top flight – something that could be confirmed against West Brom in a game also taking place on April 26.
As we have an official partnership with Sheffield United, we’ll declare our support here, and wish good luck to Paul Heckingbottom and his side!
🏴 Back in the day-to-day melodrama of the Premier League itself, there are five games taking place. These include Liverpool‘s clash with Bournemouth, at Anfield. The hosts will be looking for some continuity after the 6-1 thrashing of Leeds while it’s a nervous time for Forest having been sucked back in to the relegation zone after a run of no wins in ten.
In-form Aston Villa visit out of form Brentford in one of the afternoon kick-offs, a game that will give us a great opportunity to compare two strikers who are competing for a regular place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. Ivan Toney has scored more goals this season but with the Bees now winless in five, it’s Ollie Watkins who is coming good at the tail end of the campaign – he has 11 goals and two assists in his last 12 appearances.
🏆 It’s also semi-final time in the Women’s Champions League. On Saturday, Chelsea clash with Barcelona in the first leg of their tie, a repeat of the 2021 final, won convincingly by Barça. Domestically, Chelsea have two games in hand but sit second, four points behind Manchester United as they look to retain the WSL title. And in Liga F, Barcelona remain dominant having won all 25 of their games with an average of 4.2 goals scored per game. They’ve racked up 105 goals in total having conceded just five.
🇩🇪 There are six rounds left to play in the Bundesliga and with just two points between leaders Bayern Munich and chasers Borussia Dortmund any slip-ups now could prove very costly. Traditionally, it is Dortmund who seem to struggle at such crunch times – see Der Klassiker won by Bayern earlier this month as a prime example. But that game was one of just two that Bayern have won in their last seven in all competitions and they have been prone to more that the occasional stumble this season.
Bayern have an afternoon kick-off at eighth placed Mainz to contend with this weekend, while Dortmund will no doubt be watching on ahead of their evening kick-off, at home, to seventh placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
🇪🇸 Meanwhile, in LaLiga, Real Madrid will get back to league action following their successful dismantling of Chelsea in the Champions League during midweek. With the other two sides in the top three playing each other on Sunday, a win in their game against inconsistent Celta Vigo would move Madrid within eight points of Barcelona, with eight to play.
🏴🏆 The second FA Cup semi-final comes on Sunday and pits Premier League high-flyers Brighton against Manchester United, the twelve-time winners of England’s oldest Cup competition.
United will come into the game after a shockingly poor performance in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final away at Sevilla, on Thursday. In a tie where they had led 2-0 before scoring two own goals at the end of the first leg, a combination of defensive errors led them to lose 3-0 on the night.
Erik ten Hag will need to get his side back up for the fight against a Roberto De Zerbi team that have proved so successful against England’s big six this season. The Seagulls beat Chelsea just last weekend and have claimed wins over United in their previous two meetings – the most recent being at Old Trafford back in August. The two meet again in the league at the start of May.
🇪🇸 As mentioned, Sunday’s big headline game in LaLiga will see leaders Barcelona take on third placed Atlético Madrid. Depending on Madrid’s result on Saturday, Atlético will know whether they have a chance to overhaul their rivals while for Barça, a win would maintain their relatively comfortable cushion at the top.
Xavi won’t want his side to feel that comfort though, not after back-to-back goalless draws in the league plus the capitulation against Madrid in the second leg of their Copa Del Rey tie before that. Barça therefore come in to this game on their stickiest run of the season while Atlético have been resurgent since the start of 2023, winning their last six straight league games, and going 13 unbeaten since these two last met back in January. That game ended in a 1-0 away win for Barcelona thanks to a goal from Ousmane Dembélé.
🏴 In the Premier League, there are crucial games set to impact both ends of the table. At the right end, it’s fourth against fifth as Newcastle United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to St. James Park. Last time out, the Magpies lost by three clear goals for the first time this season, a result (against Aston Villa) that finally saw some damage to their claim of being the best defensive unit in the division. In the same round of games, Spurs went down to a 95th minute winner at home to Bournemouth. So, we should see two teams who want to see some kind of positive response to that as both look to continue their fight for Champions League qualification.
At the other end, Bournemouth will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they go up against West Ham United. The two sides sit 13th and 14th in the table, six and four points clear of the relegation zone respectively. The Hammers are unbeaten in four games themselves having beaten Fulham, drawn with leaders Arsenal, and beaten Gent over two legs to progress to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
🇮🇹 It’s been a busy week for the top Italian teams – Milan and Inter triumphed in the Champions League to set up a mouthwatering Derby della Madonnina in the semi-finals, Fiorentina made it to the final four of the Conference League, and both Roma and Juventus did the same in the Europa League. On top of that, Juventus’ 15-point deduction was overturned and they were shot straight back up to third in the Serie A table. That means that, as it stands, both Milan and Inter are not in the qualification places for next season’s Champions League!
And it tees us up for an action-packed Sunday where the one side who did not progress in Europe during the week – leaders Napoli – now face Juventus. The Partenopei are 14 points clear with eight rounds to play but won’t want to delay their coronation for too long and will no doubt be looking to burst Juve’s bubble at the end of a successful week for the Old Lady.
The Milan sides, bumped down in the table, are also in action – Inter go to Empoli while Milan have home advantage for their game against Lecce.
🏆 Back in the Women’s Champions League, Sunday takes us to Germany for the second semi-final where Fraun-Bundesliga leaders Wolfsburg take on Arsenal, the UK’s only previous winners of the competition. You have to go back to 2007 for that though and it’s the German side who have more pedigree in the competition – reaching five finals since Arsenal’s win, coming out on top in two of those in 2013 and 2014.
More recent history also suggests that Wolfsburg start this tie as favourites – they beat the Gunners over two legs in last season’s quarter-finals.
🇳🇱 Feyenoord appear to be closing in on the league title in the Netherlands, boasting an eight point lead in the Eredivisie table with five games to play. A win, against Utrecht, on Sunday would all but seal it. But that does depend on another of the day’s results as fellow giants PSV and Ajax go head-to-head. The rivals sit second and third, locked on 62 points to Feyenoord’s 70. Should there be a winner in that game, we could yet see another twist in the tale of what’s been an exciting title race.
If you want to follow any of the games mentioned above, click on the relevant link and tap the bell icon to receive all the key match updates.
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Cover Image from IMAGO
Arsenal are still in complete control of their destiny this season. You might be forgiven for thinking otherwise having seen the reaction to their two consecutive draws but the Gunners just have to match Manchester City’s results for the remainder of the campaign to clinch the title.
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Granted, it shouldn’t be as close as it is now. Arsenal have taken 2-0 leads in their last two outings but in both matches, they failed to convert these good starts into maximum points.
In truth, both games followed a similar pattern. Mikel Arteta’s men started well and had complete control up until they didn’t. A goal against the run of play seemed to knock the confidence of the Premier League leaders and they weren’t able to properly recover.
At Anfield, Liverpool dominated the second half, racking up an Expected Goals total of 2.88 after the break in a game they created eight big chances. West Ham didn’t dictate proceedings in the second half but the match was a lot more even than Arsenal would’ve liked, with both teams creating three big chances.
It may sound odd to say this given Arteta’s side had won seven successive Premier League matches ahead of their trip to Merseyside, but these sorts of results have been on the cards.
Ahead of the World Cup, we did a feature on this Arsenal side looking at whether this push for the title was sustainable. At the time, everything pointed towards this team being different to its predecessors. There weren’t any signs that this group would fall off towards the end of the campaign.
They had the joint-best defensive record in the league, conceding just 0.78 goals per game, while they were keeping pace with Manchester City in attack, averaging 2.35 goals per game. In their opening 14 matches, the Gunners had dropped points in just two matches and were running at a rate of 2.64 points per game – enough for a 100-point season.
Only one team in Premier League history has hit 100 points so it would’ve been safe to assume Arsenal would slow down at some stage and they have. They’re now averaging 2.38 points per game – enough for a 90-point campaign. It would still make them one of the most dominant teams ever in the English top flight.
Post-World Cup, the Gunners haven’t been quite as dominant.
Their goals-per-game average has remained fairly similar but they are now conceding more goals. They still have the third-best defensive record in the Premier League behind Newcastle United and Manchester City.
But their goals-against average has risen from 0.78 to one per game. What is particularly interesting though is that in 14 games prior to the World Cup break, Arsenal conceded two or more goals in just three matches. So, in 21% of their games, the Gunners conceded two or more.
In the 17 games following the World Cup, Arteta’s side have conceded two or more in seven games. When converted into a percentage this is a staggering 41%.
So while the belief is that William Saliba’s absence is the reason for dropped points recently, this drop-off in defensive resilience started with him in the team. The Frenchman has been one of the best defenders in the league this season but the stats speak for themselves. Even with him in the starting XI, the Gunners have started to concede more goals. They got away with it at the start of the year but this is now catching up with them.
Simply put, the more goals conceded, the more pressure is on the forwards.
Instead of needing to score two goals to win a game, they’re needing to score three or four to claim maximum points. Eventually, it is a bit too much.
Arsenal dug deep in games against Manchester United, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, scoring in stoppage time to complete three comeback victories over a nine-game span. This sort of thing just wasn’t sustainable long-term. Eventually, the attack wouldn’t be able to get the team out of trouble.
The Gunners have kept just five clean sheets in 15 outings since the turn of the year. Prior to that, they had kept seven in 16. It might not seem like much of a difference when written like that but in terms of percentages, Arsenal kept a clean sheet in 43% of their games prior to the turn of the year, they have kept a clean sheet in 33% of their Premier League games in 2023.
If Arsenal are to see this season out and claim the title, they are going to have to go into safety mode and stop the opposition from scoring. Do that and they will have more than enough quality to score the goals needed to win these games.
(Images from IMAGO)
You can follow every match from the 2022/23 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.