Page 2 – The Pulse of Football

Aug

2025

Bundesliga 2025/26 season preview: Can anyone topple Bayern?

Will Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich stroll to another Bundesliga title or can any of the chasing pack catch them this season?

By Graham Ruthven

Bayern Munich could have skipped the final two games of last season and still been crowned German champions. Effectively, they could have skipped much more than that such was their dominance at the top of the Bundesliga. Nobody even came close to Vincent Kompany’s team as they finished 13 points clear of the rest.

After Bayer Leverkusen’s sensational title triumph of 2023/24, normal service was resumed. Xabi Alonso’s team couldn’t keep up the pace as Bayern won nine of their opening 11 league fixtures and never looked back. By mid-February, the Bavarians had a nine-point advantage that felt even larger on the pitch.

The champions will start their title defence with a home opener against RB Leipzig on Friday. RB Leipzig should be one of the teams capable of at least testing Bayern Munich, but last season’s lowly seventh place finish suggests they will once again be a long way from the Bavarians this term. Friday’s game could highlight the gulf between the two rivals.

Leverkusen showed what is possible by not only taking on Bayern Munich, but surpassing them two seasons ago. Alonso electrified the Bundesliga by forging a dynamic and exciting side that surged to the Bundesliga title, setting a precedent for others to follow. To date, though, nobody else has followed in their footsteps.

Alonso is gone, taking over at Real Madrid this summer, and so too is Florian Wirtz who joined Liverpool in a Premier League-record transfer. Jeremie Frimpong also made the move to Anfield while Jonathan Tah made the cross-Bundesliga switch to Bayern Munich, further strengthening the German champions.

Erik ten Hag has been hired to build on the foundations left behind by Alonso, but there will almost certainly be a transition period. Who will replace Frimpong’s energy and attacking threat down the right wing? Can summer signing Malik Tillman step up as the direct replacement for Wirtz? Will ten Hag stick with Alonso’s back three or shift to a new set up?

Borussia Dortmund might be best-placed to run Bayern close, at least on the basis of how they finished last season. Under Niko Kovač, the Black and Yellows turned around their season, ultimately finishing fourth and salvaging Champions League qualification when they had previously been closer to mid-table.

Dortmund lost Jamie Gittens over the summer with Mats Hummels also retiring. However, they have brought in Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland to provide some much-needed dynamism in midfield and still boast one of the Bundesliga’s most reliable goalscorers in the shape of Serhou Guirassy. Will Dortmund have the overall consistency, though?

Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed an excellent 2024/25 season, finishing third behind only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. However, The Eagles lost Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January and Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool last month, meaning they must find a way to replace the 30 league goals that have dropped out of their team.

Like so many Bundesliga teams, RB Leipzig have also said goodbye to some of their best players this summer. Benjamin Šeško joined Manchester United while Xavi Simons is widely expected to sign for Chelsea before the end of the summer transfer window. This, of course, is the Red Bull model, but it makes it almost impossible for Leipzig to build anything lasting.

Stuttgart could be competitive after holding on to prize asset Nick Woltemade. The 6ft 6” forward had been strongly linked with a summer switch to Bayern Munich after catching the eye for Germany at the U21 European Championships, but Stuttgart dug their heels in over their valuation of the player. That someone of Woltemade’s quality didn’t join Bayern can only be a good thing for the broader strength of the Bundesliga.

In truth, it’s difficult to envisage any of these rival sides having the quality and squad depth to truly challenge Bayern Munich this season. The Bavarians are entering their second season under Kompany and there’s good reason to believe they will be even stronger having absorbed more of the Belgian’s methods and ideas.

Bayern have also strengthened their attack by signing Luis Díaz from Liverpool with Tah, as already referenced, arriving from Leverkusen to give the Bundesliga champions greater security at the back. They might not be so vulnerable in defensive transition this season. That was one area of weakness they had to address.

The last two teams to get the better of Bayern Munich in a title race were something special. Jürgen Klopp’s Dortmund did it in 2011 and 2012 with Alonso’s Leverkusen replicating the achievement last year. It will likely take something just as memorable for the Bavarians to be toppled this season.

(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.

Aug

2025

FotMob Opinion: The changing landscape for modern goalkeepers

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ederson, Robert Sánchez and André Onana have all become totems for opinions on the role of a goalkeeper in modern football.

By Graham Ruthven

The role of a goalkeeper is the simplest on a football field. Indeed, their purpose is to keep the ball out of the net. This is why they are the only player permitted to use their hands and so the goalkeeper position was not so long ago the easiest to assess. Modern football, however, has changed the parameters. The goal posts have metaphorically been moved.

Goalkeepers are now expected to play with their feet. It’s been this way for the past decade-and-a-half, possibly more. Ederson, Manuel Neuer, David Raya and many others have all reached the top of the sport as ball-playing goalkeepers whose role is to construct attacks just as much as it is to thwart them.

Somewhere along the way, though, something got twisted. Modern football is more confused than ever over the role of the goalkeeper. This has been highlighted by the discourse around many number ones at some of the biggest clubs in Europe this summer. Some want a modern keeper while others are reverting back to a traditional shot-stopper.

Gianluigi Donnarumma is the latest victim of modern football’s changing goalkeeping expectations. Last season, the Italian was instrumental as Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time. His performance against Arsenal in the semi-finals was especially crucial, pulling off a series of reflex saves.

Donnarumma, however, has never been particularly comfortable in possession and so Luis Enrique has effectively replaced the 26-year-old for the start of the 2025/26 campaign, bringing in Lucas Chevalier from Lille as someone who can help PSG build from the back. Donnarumma, despite having a Champions League winners medal around his neck, is free to leave.

*Donnarumma in the Champions League last season*

Manchester City have been most prominently linked with a move for Donnarumma, further complicating the narrative around keepers in the modern game. Pep Guardiola famously favours ball-playing goalkeepers, but with Ederson reportedly considering leaving could City have a more orthodox shot-stopper between the posts this season?

On the red side of the city, Manchester United are going through their own goalkeeping psycho-drama. They replaced David de Gea with André Onana two years ago in the belief that the Cameroonian would strengthen them as a possession-orientated side. Onana had earned a reputation for being one of the best distributors in Europe at Inter Milan.

However, Erik Ten Hag rarely utilised Onana’s ability to play directly into midfield while Ruben Amorim’s confidence in the 29-year-old has surely been shaken by a number of costly mistakes. It’s not out of the question that United could move for a new goalkeeper before the end of the summer transfer window.

*Onana in the Premier League last season*

Chelsea have been linked with alternatives to the error-prone Robert Sánchez despite boasting a stable of no fewer than eight goalkeepers. Meanwhile, Barcelona have replaced Marc-André Ter Stegen over the summer by bringing in Joan Gárcia from Espanyol, the thinking being that Gárcia is quicker off his line than the experienced German.

Across Europe, there is goalkeeping uncertainty that reflects the changing trends at the top of the game. Goalkeepers are under more scrutiny than ever before and their life has never been harder due to the shifting rules that dictate what they can and cannot do on the pitch. The position is going through a change.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) decision to permit goalkeepers to pass the ball to team-mates inside their penalty area from goal kicks led to more teams playing shorter passes from the back. Indeed, the percentage of goal kicks landing in the opposition half dropped to 67.8% from 75% after this change.

Counter to that, longer passes forward are now becoming more common as teams look for ways to vary their approach. Nottingham Forest, for example, played 60% of their goal kicks long last season. Newcastle’s long goal kick percentage stood at 48% as they got opponents turned and opened up space to attack with their physicality.

Every club wants a goalkeeper that can do it all. They want someone who can build out from the back, but also play long into the opposition half. Not at the expense of their shot-stopping ability, though. It’s still important for goalkeepers to be able to make saves and claim crosses, and this is where a course correction may be happening.

Dean Henderson and Matz Sels boasted some of the best Expected Goals Minus Goals Allowed numbers in the Premier League last season, combining to out-perform their underlying numbers by over six goals. Is playing out from the back really worth the number of points that simply having a good shot stopper is worth?

*Most ‘Goals Prevented’ in the Premier League last season*

Chevalier could make PSG even better. Manchester United might be stronger for replacing Onana. Manchester City might be a good fit for Donnarumma despite his relative weakness in possession. Different teams need different goalkeepers, but the discourse around the position shows no sign of abating.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow over 400 leagues and competitions on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Aug

2025

Preview: Inter Miami take on Tigres in Leagues Cup last eight

Inter Miami resume their Leagues Cup campaign on Wednesday night when they face Mexican side Tigres in the quarterfinals.

By James Nalton

This is the last round of the tournament that still guarantees MLS versus Liga MX matchups, and the winner of this tie will face the winner of Toluca and Orlando City.

Messi match fit

Inter Miami defeated LA Galaxy in their most recent outing, after two Lionel Messi-inspired second-half goals gave them a 3-1 win.

He entered the field at halftime alongside Rodrigo De Paul and led his team to victory with a world-class assist for Luis Suárez and an equally impressive goal.

Messi left the pitch immediately as the full-time whistle was blown, though, suggesting some kind of discomfort or unhappiness.

He was only just back in the picture following a hamstring injury picked up in the second Leagues Cup group game against Necaxa, which caused him to miss the final group game against Pumas and the MLS match versus Orlando City.

His hasty exit led many to believe that all was not well, either with the injury or some other issue, but Javier Mascherano has assured fans he will play: “Leo is fine,” Miami’s head coach said on Tuesday. “He has been training with the team, and unless something strange happens, he will be in the squad for the match.”

Cremaschi causes a stir

De Paul looks set to return in midfield for Miami against Tigres, likely in place of Benjamin Cremaschi, who has had a public falling out with Mascherano.

It will be interesting to monitor the involvement of the 20-year-old American attacking midfielder in the coming weeks after he exchanged words with his coach via the media, which is never a good idea.

“I’m frustrated, I want to play,” Cremaschi said last week. “I think the most important thing for me is to be at a very high level, and to get there, I need minutes and experience. I’ve played very little in these recent games, and I don’t think it’s because of my level. I go to the games and I have no idea where I’m going to play.”

Mascherano responded: “I understand he likes to play as a central midfielder. I also liked to play as a central midfielder, but when I went to Barcelona, I had to play as a centre-back because otherwise I had no chance to play.

“The door to my office is always open for anyone who may be mad or doesn’t want to play a certain position to come and tell me. I haven’t heard any complaints face-to-face. This is professional football. I decide where I think each player can give me their best.”

Telasco Segovia and Tadeo Allende could keep their places, with De Paul and Messi coming into the team.

With the increased competition at Inter Miami, Cremaschi might be wise to offer the hard-working versatility and availability this team needs around those star names.

Opposition watch: Tigres UANL

Tigres’ own Argentine attacking midfielder, Ángel Correa, leads the Leagues Cup goalscoring charts with four.

He scored a brace in games against San Diego and Houston Dynamo, and currently has the highest FotMob rating of any player in this year’s Leagues Cup.

Ozziel Herrera, Diego Lainez, and Juan Brunetta all provide an attacking threat, while 39-year-old Frenchman André-Pierre Gignac is the club’s all-time top scorer and still going strong.

*Tigres’ best rated players in the Leagues Cup*

Expect defender Romulo Zwarg to be heavily involved from centre-back. Also able to play in midfield, he keeps things ticking over in possession while being equally able to win the ball back on the defensive side of the game.

It will be a tough test for Inter Miami.

Prediction

Tigres might have too much quality for Inter Miami in a standout quarterfinal matchup that would be worthy of the final itself.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Richarlison leading the line for Thomas Frank’s Spurs

Richarlison has always been a bit of a divisive player.

By Sam McGuire

Eyebrows were initially raised when Everton paid £35million to sign him from Watford in 2018. If add-ons were hit, the fee could’ve potentially risen to £50million. At the time, this was a player with just five Premier League goals to his name.

Richarlison then netted 13 goals in back-to-back league campaigns for the Toffees and it appeared as though he would kick on. However, he then managed just 17 goals across the next two seasons. He was settling into the role of a good Premier League attacker, not a great one.

To the surprise of everyone, Spurs then made their move for him. Signing him for a fee believed to be in the region of £60million in the summer of 2022.

*Richarlison’s season summary since move to England (all comps)*

His debut campaign with Tottenham Hotspur ended with just one league goal. The following season, with Spurs selling Harry Kane, Richarlison was given more opportunities and he did finish with 11 league goals to his name, his highest return since the 2019/20 campaign. He couldn’t build on that though and ended last season with just four strikes to his name in the English top-flight.

The dismissal of Ange Postecoglou coupled with the hiring of Thomas Frank could’ve been bad news for Richarlison’s Tottenham career. A new manager, with fresh ideas, might’ve looked to cash in on the striker. There was interest in him from former club Everton too.

One week into the new season though and thoughts of a Richarlison sale seem ridiculous and far-fetched. The 28-year-old currently has the highest FotMob rating in the Premier League (9.12)!

The Spurs No. 9 was named in the starting XI for the season opener against Burnley just days after leading the line against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. Richarlison was replaced after 71 minutes having netted two goals, one of which was a goal of the season contender.

“For the second goal we had 17 passes and every player in the team touched the ball and then an exceptional finish. I’m a bit disappointed as so early on we’ve had the goal of the season,” joked the Spurs boss.

The one-time Fluminense forward had the most shots of any player in the match against the Premier League new boys (five). He had the highest Expected Goals total (0.78) and the highest Expected Goals on Target total (1.83). The 50-cap Brazil international added real quality to his efforts with his shot placement, as highlighted in the latter two metrics.

Richarlison also ranked first for dribble success rate in the game (100%) and triumphed in five of the eight duels he was involved in.

On current form, he’s an undisputed starter for Frank. It will be hard, perhaps even impossible, for £65million 2024 summer signing Dominic Solanke to get back into the starting XI.

Heading into this campaign, the Brazilian was at the crossroads in his career. If he failed to make an impression under the new boss, he likely would’ve been moved on at the end of the season. However, if he could impress, the centre-forward position was there for the taking. Frank might’ve been the best appointment for Richarlison too.

The Danish manager has an incredible record with the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa. He could be the man to finally get Richarlison to 15 Premier League goals in a single campaign.

The No. 9 started only four Premier League matches last season due to injury problems. He’s already a quarter of the way to that haul and, by the sounds of it, he’s not going to be vacating the starting XI anytime soon.

“He was very good against PSG and today he was exceptional, with his work-rate, driving the team, link-up play, hold-up play, just dominating and then the two finishes,” Frank said.

“So happy on his behalf and again performance department, medical department did a top job to build him. I think a few of you know he was not involved in the first friendly because we had to build him. That will be continuous and something we need to look at throughout the season. It is only the second game of the season, there is a long way to go but very positive with him.”

“Yeah, I think I always liked Richarlison. I always thought he was good when he played for Everton and when he came to Tottenham we know he struggled with some injuries.

“He was unlucky also so we are very aware that we need to build him and protect him because we can’t say we just played two games back-to-back, he did well both and we are out of the woods. That we need to prove over a little bit longer time but the first signs are good.”

If Spurs can keep Richarlison injury free, they have someone who could surprise people. He has missed a total of 58 matches since joining the North London outfit in 2022 but there’s always been a belief that he’s just one lucky season away from scaling his performances to new heights.

Ex-England striker Dion Dublin, speaking on Final Score, was another to praise Richarlison.

“Richarlison has everything he needs to score the goals but he just needs a bit of managing on and off the field. I believe he is one of these players where you have to massage his ego and say ‘You’re great, go and play, you’re playing every week’. Do that and I think you’ll get the rewards.”

If Frank can have similar success with Richarlison as he had with Toney, Wissa and Mbeumo, Spurs might’ve finally replaced Harry Kane.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

FotMob TOTW for the Premier League – Opening Weekend

Each week, we bring you our top rated XI from the Premier League.

By Bill Biss

The Premier League back! And so are our sometimes controversal and purely stat based match ratings!

Each matchday, our algorithm selects a XI in a formation that is designed to produce the best rated overall Team of the Week.

Over the weekend, Richarlison earned our best individual score (9.1), netting twice in Tottenham Hotspurs’ victory over Burnley. The Brazilian is joined by new teammate Mohammed Kudus and there is room for four players from Manchester City following their dominant performance at Wolves on Saturday evening.

You can check the Team of the Week following the completion of each matchday in the app! Simply search for the ‘Premier League’ and from the league profile, swipe across to the TOTW tab.

It’s the same process for all leagues and competitions where we have full data and you can see match ratings in the lineups!

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

Images from IMAGO

Aug

2025

Preview: Xabi Alonso takes charge of first Madrid game in LaLiga

Real Madrid are unbeaten on the opening matchday in LaLiga since 2008/09 and their 16-match record looks likely to stay intact when they take on Osasuna this evening.

By Filip Mishov

New coaches in both dugouts

Xabi Alonso‘s maiden, but curtailed pre-season at the helm of Real Madrid was perceived as far from ideal preparation after the hurtful defeat to PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup and ahead of the new season, although LaLiga’s runners-up comfortably won their friendlies, putting four past Leganés in Spain and four past WSG Tirol in Austria, respectively.

Furthermore, the Madrid’s squad is yet to be finalised with Rodrygo‘s future far from certain and Florentino Pérez always on the lookout for fresh additions.

In the away dugout at the Bernabéu, Alessio Lisci is set to make his debut as Osasuna’s head coach after the Italian replaced Vicente Moreno, who led Los Rojillos to a ninth-place finish in Spain’s top-tier last season. However, the newly-appointed tactician endured a difficult start to life as the Basque club lost three matches, drew twice and won only once during pre-season, which does not spark confidence ahead of the trip to the capital.

Key players

It is hard to look past by Kylian Mbappé as Real Madrid’s main man after the lethal Frenchman took over the iconic no. 10 shirt upon Luka Modric‘s release and amid Vinicius Junior‘s long-term uncertainty. Also, France’s captain scored incredible 44 goals in all competitions last season and claimed the Pichichi Trophy as LaLiga’s top scorer with 31 goals in the league alone. Additionally, the 26-year-old scored an impressive brace, recorded an assist, and earned a match high FotMob rating of 9.4 in the final pre-season test against Tirol a week ago.

Alessio Lisci’s Osasuna squad is in desperate need of creativity in the final third after Bryan Zaragoza left Pamplona at the end of last season, and interestingly, Osasuna tapped up Real Madrid Castilla to find a replacement and have consequently signed Victor Muñoz. The 22-year-old forward was Castilla’s second top scorer last season with 11 goals only behind Gonzalo García (25), and the Spaniard was also part of the squad at the Club World Cup over the summer. With that being said, Raúl’s protegee is expected to play an important role in Osasuna’s first team this season and beyond.

Team news

Los Blancos’ four new signings (Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Franco Mastantuono) are fit and available, although the Argentinean prodigy only joined a few days ago and he might have to wait before making his debut. Antonio Rüdiger is carrying over a suspension from last season, while Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham and Endrick are all injured. Unlike Xabi Alonso, Alessio Lisci has been given a clean bill of health at Osasuna and has a full squad to pick from.

Prediction

Given Osasuna’s last win at the Bernabéu dates back to 2004 and the corresponding game last season finished 4-0 to the hosts, anything other than a winning start for Xabi Alonso & co. would be a big surprise.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Manchester United meet Arsenal in opening round headliner

The summer break is already over, and the 2025/26 season is underway. The English Premier League looks set for a thrilling campaign, for which we should get a nice teaser when Manchester United and Arsenal face off at prime time on Sunday.

By Neel Shelat

Shiny new forwards on both sides

Both Manchester United and Arsenal have spent close to £200 million on transfer fees this summer, making some big moves in the process.

The Red Devils have set about revamping their entire front line, spending north of £60m on each of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and most recently, Benjamin Šeško. While they are all quality forwards, many have questioned United’s allocation of resources at a time of cost-cuts and clear needs in other areas of the squad. So, each of the trio will be under pressure to deliver from the get-go.

Arsenal took a fair while to decide their summer striker signing, eventually landing on Viktor Gyökeres. The Swedish striker has returned to England on the back of an incredible 54-goal season with Sporting, but the big question is how his qualities will translate to the Premier League. Besides him, the Gunners also spent around £50m on Noni Madueke.

Will United’s unchanged midfield hold them back?

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Carlos Baleba, who Brighton value at a nine-digit fee. The Red Devils might just be tempted to break their transfer record on him as his arrival would address a gaping hole in the squad in defensive midfield.

For the moment, though, Manuel Ugarte is expected to partner Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park. The former’s lack of security on the ball and the captain’s risk-taking nature, in addition to other defensive absences, make it quite likely that United will have trouble building out from the back and establishing control in this game.

A need for improved intent from Arsenal

Arsenal are expected to be locked in a three-way title race with Liverpool and Manchester City. Both of their rivals are expected to look quite different from last season after some big changes in the summer, but the Gunners have preserved the core of their squad and only added a couple of additional pieces.

Continuity may well give them an edge, but they will need to seize the initiative to make the most of it. Mikel Arteta’s side were only sixth in the league for expected goals last term, at least partly due to excessively cautious tactics.

Fans will hope that the new forwards and added security in midfield (thanks to the arrival of Martín Zubimendi) embolden the side a bit more.

Arsenal aiming to extend head-to-head unbeaten streak

Although Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United last season, that game went down as a draw in the record books since it was decided on penalties. As a result, the Gunners are (sort of) on a six-game head-to-head unbeaten streak, one away from the fixture record in the Premier League era.

They have also won four and drawn one in the last five league meetings, matching their best run against United in the competition.

*H2H results, last five Premier League meetings*

Prediction

Arsenal are the favourites for good reason, so a relatively comfortable win is pretty likely.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Chelsea meet Palace at the Bridge

The Premier League is back, not that it ever really ends. Excitement and anxiety rise in equal measure as the World Champions host the FA Cup and Community Shield winners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

By Alex Roberts

Palace fans are in dreamland having won two trophies in their previous two competitive games, it’s just a shame things off the pitch have been a little more frustrating, to say the very least.

For Chelsea, a 3-0 win over PSG in the Club World Cup final, and subsequent pre-season wins over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan have given the Stamford Bridge faithful something they haven’t felt sine Todd Boehly an co. took over…hope.

Chelsea’s first Club World Cup casualty

It remains to be seen what kind of effect Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign will have in the playing squad and it’s impossible to say whether Levi Colwill’s ACL injury had anything to do with it but he’s unlikely to feature much, or at all in 2025-26, ruled out before the season even started.

Colwill’s injury comes at the worst possible time, at 22-years-old, he was starting to look the centre-back Chelsea needed, even scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest to secure the club’s top four finish.

Thankfully for Chelsea, their never-ending thirst for new players means they have plenty of options to replace him, with Enzo Maresca confirming that Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana are both fit to play.

A welcome boost…for now

Few would have predicted that Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze would still be Palace players by mid-August, likely including the owners, who have so far splurged just £2 million on a single new signing, Borna Sosa from Ajax. Notably, Palace started the exact same XI in the FA Cup Final and last weekend’s Community Shield win over Liverpool.

The Holmesdale Fanatics won’t be too fussed though, Guéhi and Eze are two of the league’s best players, keeping that at the club, even if it’s just for one more season, would be a huge boost as they seek more silverware.

We will see if they’re still knocking about come September, with Tottenham said to be so close to finalising a move for Eze that the creative mainstay of Palace’s side will not feature in this game, and Liverpool keen on adding Guéhi to their £300 million summer super team.

Cucurella is key

It feels like everything good that Chelsea have done over the past six months, the fluffy haired left-back has been at the centre of it. Maresca has given in a new position, a sort of ‘roaming full-back’ (coined by The Athletic’s JJ Bull).

While doing all the normal things a more traditional full-back would do, defending the flanks, bombing up and down the pitch, he also has the freedom to invert and contribute to attacking build up, often ending up as an extra man in the final third.

If Chelsea want to get their hands on that Premier League title come the end of the season, Cucurella may well be the man that takes them there. For now, Palace have been tasked with a job few have managed, keeping him quiet.

Prediction

Palace under Oliver Glasner have been an entirely different kettle of fish, well organised and compact at the back while the likes of Eze have had the freedom to impact the game further up the field.

Chelsea won’t have it easy, but considering they’ve essentially played all summer, they won’t have the same rust in their joints that Palace might. We think the home side will win this one 2-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: East meets West as Inter Miami host LA Galaxy

Inter Miami welcome LA Galaxy to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night where all eyes will once again be on whether Lionel Messi makes an appearance following an injury he picked up earlier in the month.

By James Nalton

LA Galaxy were the original MLS Galacticos, and their signing of David Beckham back in 2007 included a clause that gave the Englishman the option to buy an MLS franchise further down the line at a heavily discounted expansion fee.

That expansion franchise became Inter Miami, who have taken LA Galaxy’s status as the Galacticos of MLS. It means that even without Messi, there are numerous players to watch out for in this Inter Miami side, but could the Galaxy cause an upset?

Will Messi be back?

Photos from Inter Miami’s training sessions this week indicate that Messi is back on the field. They provided hope that he could be in line for some involvement in this weekend’s game.

The extent of his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in the Leagues Cup match against Necaxa at the start of the month remains unclear, but the images of him back on the pitch indicate he could have some involvement in Saturday night’s game.

Coming back too early from such injuries runs the risk of a reoccurrence, though, and with a hamstring strain, it’s often wise to give an extra week to avoid possible further damage and an even longer layoff as a result.

That said, if Messi himself indicates that he is available, Inter Miami will usually involve him in some way.

No magic in Orlando

The upcoming game against LA Galaxy provides Inter Miami with a chance to redress the balance following a disappointing defeat last weekend.

When Inter Miami lose, they tend to do so heavily, and last week’s 4-1 defeat at fellow Floridians Orlando City was the second time this season they have been on the wrong end of this scoreline, having also lost 4-1 to Minnesota United in May.

They have lost five matches in MLS this season, and as well as those two 4-1 losses, there has been a 3-0 defeat at home to Orlando City and another 3-0 defeat away to FC Cincinnati.

Messi played in both of those games, so he’s not always the answer to their problems, though he did miss the 4-3 loss to FC Dallas in April as well as the most recent of the Orlando games.

There was also the 5-1 aggregate defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which further highlighted the team’s defensive weaknesses.

On Saturday, however, Inter Miami will be eyeing a chance to score plenty of goals of their own and recover that goal difference against a team that are rooted to the bottom of the MLS table and have conceded the most goals in the league.

Opposition watch: LA Galaxy

Last season’s MLS Cup winners have had one of the worst title defences imaginable.

They went 16 games without a win at the start of the season, and have the worst defence in the league, having shipped 52 goals in 25 games.

There was a slight recovery in July when they won two of their four games, drawing one and losing the other, but a 4-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders last weekend doesn’t bode well for the trip to Inter Miami.

Losing striker Dejan Joveljić in the off-season in order to remain under the salary cap didn’t help, and neither did the departures of Gastón Brugman and Mark Delgado. The long-term injury to Riqui Puig has also hit them hard.

Amid all of this, veteran attacking midfielder Marco Reus is actually having a decent season, while Gabriel Pec and Joseph Painstil remain considerable attacking threats from out wide.

They also managed to progress to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup, which at least gives them something to play for now that their MLS season is a write-off.

Prediction

Whether Messi plays or not, Inter Miami should have enough to defeat LA Galaxy convincingly.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Man City start new campaign with Wolves test

Wolves host Manchester City at Molineux in their opening Premier League game of the season, with Rayan Aït-Nouri returning to his former club for the first time since signing for Pep Guardiola’s side during the summer transfer window.

By Matt Smith

Both teams will be desperate to get off to a strong start after getting plenty of business done this summer, with Wolves having to contend with losing Matheus Cunha and Aït-Nouri, while City are hoping to build a squad capable of beating Liverpool to the Premier League title.

When the two sides last met, during the 2024/2025 season, Man City came out on top. Kevin De Bruyne, who left the club in the summer to join Napoli, scored the only goal of the game for the home side.

Team news

Guardiola confirmed to the media on Friday that Joško Gvardiol, Savinho, Mateo Kovačić, and Ederson will all be unavailable for the home side due to injury. Speculation has surrounded the futures of Ederson and Savinho in recent weeks, and they will miss out this weekend.

Vítor Pereira will be without Leon Chiwome, Yerson Mosquera, and Fábio Silva for the game against Manchester City. We could see new signings Jhon Arias, David Møller Wolfe, and Fer López make their debuts.

City have some catching up to do

Man City’s performances last season weren’t too dissimilar to see what we’re so used to seeing from a Guardiola side. The Manchester club enjoyed more possession than any other team in the Premier League, but the difference between them and Liverpool from a creativity standpoint was night and day.

Liverpool created a whopping 83.5 xG compared to City’s 69.2, and being more productive in the final third will be on the agenda for Guardiola. The addition of Rayan Cherki will certainly help with that, and they will be hoping to see Phil Foden have a resurgence of form.

Pereira must sort the leaky defence

Only the three relegated sides conceded more goals than Wolves last season, and it’s an area that Pereira will have no doubt been working on during pre-season. Losing Aït-Nouri and Nelson Semedo from the defence might not help, but it’s a chance for them to start afresh at the back.

Wolves have also lost the creativity and goals of Cunha heading into the new campaign, and they will be hoping the likes of López and Arias can replicate the Brazilian’s contributions.

Cherki to burst on the scene

City fans might be worried about losing the creativity of De Bruyne this season, but Guardiola’s recruitment team acted quickly to replace him. Cherki isn’t an identical player to De Bruyne, but he can certainly bring the creativity they need.

*Cherki’s passing stats, Ligue 1 2024/25*

The French international can also chip in with goals, and at the age of 21, he’s far from the finished product yet. He’ll no doubt be looking to stamp his authority on the Premier League.

Prediction

It’s difficult to see past a Man City win here. We’re going for a 3-0 victory.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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