A draw is unlikely to cut if for either Chelsea or Nottingham Forest as the race to qualify for the Champions League goes down to the last day. Compared to their fellow hopefuls, this is the biggest game of the weekend.
Forest have been in the driving seat for most of the season but have fallen off considerably with just one win in their last five Premier League games while Chelsea’s only defeat in the same number of league games came away at Newcastle.
Chelsea don’t like to leave home
Earlier in the season Enzo Maresca was adamant his side weren’t ready to compete for the title, his players seemed to take notice. Chelsea have just one away win in 2025, the late 2-1 victory over Fulham a few weeks ago.
It’s advantage Forest. Their fans have been incredible all season, playing in front of those who have either never seen or waited for a while to see European football return to the City Ground will be a huge boost.
Away Defeats to Ipswich, Man City, Brighton, Aston Villa, and Arsenal over the past couple of months give the fans little to hope for going into Chelsea’s biggest game of the season so far. There has to be a significant mindset shift for the West Londoners to bag a place in Europe’s elite competition.
Two big lads at the back
Murillo and Nikola Milenković have been arguably the best defensive duo in the Premier League this season. They’re a throwback to simpler times, think Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister with less bacon butties and pints of bitter.
Broad shouldered and calm under pressure, they’ve conceded the fifth fewest goals this season with 45, two more than Chelsea, with just one error leading to a goal between the two of them.
Chelsea will be without a recognised number nine for this one after Nicolas Jackson picked up a straight red card in the defeat to Newcastle. Whoever the Blues play up top, they will have two literal man mountains to climb before even trying to score.
Well, possibly two. Murillo is an injury doubt following an ankle knock suffered last weekend.
An unexpected goal scorer
Marc Cucurella has turned his Chelsea career around. His first season at the club was chaos with a head band, now he’s refined his game, and has become an unexpected weapon in Maresca’s attacking arsenal.
His goal in the 1-0 win over United was straight from the training ground. Reece James’ turn and cross met his head perfectly. Without Cucurella, Chelsea would be nowhere near the Champions League spots.
The Spaniard is now Chelsea’s top league goal scorer in 2025 with a massive four goals, which says a lot about their struggling forwards. This one is going to be tense, perhaps the winner will once again come from an unexpected / kinda expected source.
Morgan Gibbs-White farewell tour?
Gibbs-White has always been a baller but now the big boys are starting to take notice. Man City are reportedly keen on bringing the England international further north as their Kevin de Bruyne replacement. Big shoes to fill but it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
With seven goals and eight assists in his 33 Premier League games, three of which have come in his last two games, only Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood have more goal contributions than Gibbs-White this season. He’s hitting form at the right time.
Forest goal contributions, Premier League 2024/25
He’s never put up numbers like De Bruyne, but then again, he’s never played for a side like City. Leaving Forest after qualifying for the Champions League would likely go down a little better than leaving if they miss out. Either way, any potential deal won’t come cheap.
Prediction
Chelsea’s away form is the elephant in the room here. They’re a little more solid at the back but without a focal point up front, we’re going to go with a 1-0 win for Nottingham Forest.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The final matchday of the 2024/25 Premier League sees the focus firmly on the race for the Champions League places. Just three points separate Manchester City in third and Nottingham Forest in seventh.
With the top five claiming a place in the Champions League next term, two from City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Forest are going to miss out. Everything else is already confirmed. We know Liverpool are the champions while Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City will all be playing Championship football next season.
So, here’s what to look out for this weekend.
A must-win for Aston Villa
Right then, for Aston Villa to finish in one of the Champions League places, a few things need to happen.
However, if Chelsea lose to Forest, Villa need to win to claim a Champions League place if Newcastle avoid defeat at St James’ Park.
It is a bit complicated so the easiest thing to do for Villa would be to take the game to a lacklustre Manchester United team and pick up maximum points. Even that might not be enough if other teams get positive results, but it gives them the best chance of finishing in the top five.
For the Red Devils, there’s not much at stake. They can finish as low as 17th or as high as 14th. They’ll just want to get this season over and done with, so don’t expect them to put up much of a fight against an in-form Villa.
The Magpies look for maximum points
It’s been a strange week for the Magpies.
Heading into there last game against Arsenal, there was a chance for Eddie Howe’s team to leapfrog the Gunners into second position with a win. Despite playing well at the Emirates, they fell to a 1-0 loss. That defeat, coupled with Man City’s midweek win over Bournemouth, means they find themselves in fourth position, level on points with Chelsea in fifth and Aston Villa in sixth.
If they fail to beat Everton and both Chelsea and Villa win, Newcastle miss out on a top five finish.
A win, however, guarantees them Champions League football, regardless of what happens elsewhere. A draw would make it complicated. The best way to approach this fixture against David Moyes’ side would be to see it as a final. It is a must-win clash.
A draw for Nottingham Forest guarantees they miss out on a Champions League place. A draw for Chelsea might be enough for a top five placing if Aston Villa lose. A win for Forest, however, sees them leapfrog Enzo Maresca’s men. Depending on results elsewhere, they could also leapfrog Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Honestly, I can’t ever recall a season that has so much at stake heading into the final match of the season. Forest could gatecrash the Champions League. They could also finish as low as seventh. Chelsea, meanwhile, could finish sixth or even as high as third.
So much at stake. So much to play for.
Can Manchester City get the job done?
Following their 3-1 win over Bournemouth, Manchester City are in complete control of their destiny. They’re third in the Premier League, two points clear of Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa and three ahead of Nottingham Forest.
There’s an outside chance they could jump into second place, too, though that would require a heavy loss for Arsenal coupled with a huge win for City over Fulham. But, then, there’s also a chance Pep Guardiola’s side finish in sixth position. A loss for the former champions, coupled with wins for Chelsea, Newcastle and Villa would see City miss out on Champions League football.
It sounds unlikely but City have frozen during big moments this term. People expected them to win the FA Cup last weekend and they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. There are no guarantees in football and the Citizens haven’t travelled well this term, winning just seven of their 18 matches on the road.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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The last dance for Carlo Ancelotti: Real Madrid’s legendary Italian boss will bow out at the Santiago Bernabéu with a home match against Real Sociedad, and for Los Blancos it has to be the real end of an era.
Real don’t have a whole heap of time before the new-structured Club World Cup starts, but there will be change beforehand nonetheless: Xabi Alonso will be confirmed as the new head coach in due course and his initial job will be to use the players already there to try and end the season (or is it start the next?) with at least one piece of silverware.
Madrid’s initialClub World Cup fixtures
But make no mistake, he’ll also be eyeing up the squad with a view to seeing who he wants to keep, who he wants to build around…and who has no place in his ideal rebuild, be it for tactical or technical reasons. Alonso has habitually been a back three coach so far, a system Real Madrid have used infrequently at best across the last decade. It will require a recoding of the squad makeup, and a few big decisions over the best fits in attack too. The likes of Arda Güler and Endrick might have wanted more game time than they’ve gotten this term; if so, this fixture may be one to show why they should get it under Alonso. The points are irrelevant, the league position won’t change, but Real Madrid are at a crossroads all the same and Ancelotti’s goodbye might also be one for a handful of players – we just don’t know yet which ones.
Another reset
If it’s a sorrowful goodbye in Madrid, in Sociedad it’s another. After five years in a row finishing sixth or better, and fairly consistently at least challenging for Champions League places, this season will be an undoubted disappointment for La Real. The Basque outfit can only finish tenth at best; a bottom-half finish feels more likely, given indifferent end-of-season form and the fact they’ve won five of 18 away games this term. Imanol Alguacil is another coach leaving this summer after more than six years of remarkable consistency and Copa del Rey success, but it feels the right time for a refresh. Sergio Francisco is moving up from the B team to the seniors for next term – and, of course, he took over the second outfit after the departure of a certain Xabi Alonso.
Recent form
Since losing the effective title decider at Barcelona, Real Madrid have won twice. They have three home wins in a row. Real Sociedad hadn’t won in six before victory last time out and have one away league victory since early December.
Debate will go on over if Kylian Mbappé’s debut season is a success or not but the French striker has 29 goals in 33 starts. The Pichichi is his, but a 30-goal campaign would be a statement of its own – nobody has done that in LaLiga since Lionel Messi in 2021.
LaLiga top scorers
Prediction
A few goals to end the campaign with: Real Madrid 3-1 Real Sociedad.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Jonas is a 21 year old student who, like FotMob, hails from Norway. He was Fantasy Premier League champion for the 2023/24 season, finishing ahead of 11 million other managers. So who better to provide expert advice?
Read his expert advice every week.
*Don’t forget the FPL deadline for this round – make your transfers and get your team sorted before 2.30pm BST on Sunday 25 May*
The Eye Test vs. The Stats
With this weekend being the final gameweek of the season, there’s no need to make future plans for your FPL team. It all comes down to Sunday’s matches.
Many teams have nothing to play for which could make assessing assets difficult. Others, however, are still competing for European football. There is plenty on the line heading into the final weekend.
There is just one point between Newcastle United in fourth place and Nottingham Forest in seventh. There are, however, assets in teams that have nothing to play still worth monitoring heading into GW38.
Justin Kluivert (5.9m) has enjoyed an excellent season for Bournemouth, but the Dutchman has recently suffered a dip in form.
Kluivert’s minutes have been unpredictable, perhaps meaning he should have been included in my ‘long shot’ category, but the fact Bournemouth finish their season with a home fixture against Leicester City is hard to ignore.
Kluivert shot map, Premier League 2024/25
Leicester have conceded the third-most Expected Goals (71.6) this season. While the Foxes are unbeaten in their last three, Bournemouth will fancy their chances of hurting the visitors to the Vitality Stadium.
With 0.54 Expected Goal Involvements (xGI) per 90 minutes, plus the fact Kluivert takes penalties for the Cherries, Kluivert could be a good pick-up for GW38 even if he hasn’t shown much in the last two gameweeks. A big score this weekend wouldn’t be surprising.
In many ways, Jarrod Bowen (7.9m) has been the opposite of Kluivert this season.
The West Ham winger has flown under the radar and hasn’t been all that popular with FPL managers. However, Bowen has been in excellent form, registering four goals and two assists in his last five games. He has proven himself as a consistent points scorer.
Jarrod Bowen’s last five games
Bowen is a nailed starter for West Ham and should play 90 minutes against Ipswich Town this weekend. He has recently played as one half of a front two with Mohamed Kudus and his 0.47 xGI per 90 minutes means he shouldn’t be ignored as an option for your FPL team.
Long shot
Evanilson (5.8m) has shown himself to be a solid replacement for Dominic Solanke at Bournemouth this season, notching 10 goals and five assists in 26 assists for the Cherries.
As mentioned earlier, Bournemouth have a favourable fixture at home to Leicester City to end the season and so that makes Evanilson even more attractive as an option from an FPL point of view. The Brazilian could be set for a big haul.
Evanilson shooting stats, Premier League 2024/25
Not only have Leicester conceded the third-most xG in the league, they have conceded the third-most goals (78). As a strong attacking side, this could be a good match-up for Bournemouth with Evanilson a potential differential – he is owned by just 4.6% of FPL managers.
The Bournemouth centre forward is all but nailed on to start against Leicester and should be good for at least 80 minutes of play on Sunday.
Upcoming games to follow
The final gameweek of the season has a history of being a goal-fest and there’s good reason to believe this season’s final gameweek will be no different. Here are the most exciting fixtures from an FPL perspective.
Bournemouth face Leicester City at home with this the standout fixture for FPL value. The Cherries will have opportunities to find the back of the net. Kluivert, Evanilson and Antoine Semenyo (5.7m) should all be on your radar.
Liverpool clinched the title a few weeks ago and haven’t won a league match since then.
However, Arne Slot’s team will want to finish their season strongly while Crystal Palace have nothing to play for at Anfield this weekend after winning the FA Cup last weekend.
With both teams in relaxed mood, there could be goals on Merseyside this weekend, making attacking assets like Mohamed Salah (13.6m), Luis Díaz (7.5m) and Eberechi Eze (7.0m) sensible to target.
The Gunners have struggled for consistent form recently, but a match against the worst team in the league to finish the season could see them end on a high note.
Bukayo Saka (10.3m) has the potential to deliver a big score with defensive assets like David Raya (5.5m) and Ben White (6.1m) potentially good value for a clean sheet.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Like Icarus, RB Leipzig and Salzburg have lost their wings. The German side failed to qualify for European competition, while the Austrian’s look set for their worst ever league finish since the energy drink conglomerate took over. Even Jürgen Klopp is going to struggle fixing this.
After missing out on the Austrian Bundesliga title last season, the first time in ten years, Salzburg hired a man Klopp is very familiar with, Pepijn Lijnders, his former Liverpool assistant manager.
Leipzig, on the other hand, already had one of the hottest young managers at the helm. Marco Rose is regarded as one of the best minds in German football, he had guided Leipzig to the Champions League for three consecutive seasons before 2024/25.
Neither would make it to the end of the campaign. Lijnders was the first to go, sacked after six months in charge with a record of 13 wins, seven draws, and nine defeats under his belt. His Liverpool connections couldn’t save him, no matter how much he tried.
Young, dynamic central midfielder Bobby Clark joined from his former club in a deal reported to be around £10 million, while Stefan Bajčetić was given a chance to impress on loan with the Austrians.
The table in Austria, with one game to play
After a transfer window that was pretty typical of the RB Salzburg we’ve come to know, buying young players with a high ceiling to sell on for a profit, expectations were high as they sought to forget the previous season.
Lijnders’ tactical naivety was evident almost immediately. He had grown too used to the players he had at Liverpool, without the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, his Salzburg players couldn’t play the way he wanted.
The link between defence, midfield, and attack were almost non-existent and as a result their defensive set-up left them wide open on the transition, allowing the opposition to outnumber them and score. Put simply, they looked like 11 random players that had never seen each other never mind met.
Back in East Germany, Rose started the domestic season well, winning six, and drawing two games before suffering their first Bundesliga defeat of the season to Borussia Dortmund at the start of November.
On the continent, it was an entirely different story. Champions League defeats to Atlético Madrid, Juventus, and Liverpool in their first three games left them with little no hope of qualifying from the new look league phase.
The aforementioned defeat to Dortmund is when everything started to unravel for Rose and his lads. Four losses and one draw in their next five across all competitions saw heads drop and faith in the boss diminish.
By the time 2025 rolled around, Klopp was named Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer. It didn’t go down particularly well with a lot of German football fans; in their eyes one of their great figureheads had sold out and become a corporate shill. At least he didn’t have to sack his old mate Lijnders, that was done and dusted before he arrived.
Thomas Letsch was the man tasked with picking up the pieces as Salzburg, and talk about a baptism of fire, they travelled to Real Madrid in the Champions League, losing 5-1. Red Bull could have done him a favour and let him miss that one.
Atlético came to Salzburg for his second game and their final European game. The Austrians had nothing to play for other than pride but that was enough of a motivator. At least for Letsch it was a 4-1 loss rather than 5-1.
While Letsch’s time under the Red Bull yolk was just beginning, the writing on the wall was starting to appear for Rose. Xavi Simons, one of the most exciting young prospects in European football made his loan move permanent in January but results didn’t change.
Finally, on March 30th, following a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach, Rose was given his marching orders by Klopp and co. His two-and-a-half-year stint at the club was over and Zsolt Löw took over on an interim basis.
Since then, the season has been a write off. Leipzig will be without any form of European football next season having finished in seventh, just one point off Mainz who qualified for the Conference League.
The final Bundesliga table in Germany
Barring a collapse of an enormous magnitude, Sturm Graz will be crowned Austrian champions for the second consecutive season as they sit at the summit of the Championship group with 39 points. Austria Wien and Wolfsberger could, technically, still catch them but both sit three points back, and require a combination of results before we start to look at various head to head results in the event of teams finishing level on points.
Salzburg still have something to play for, however. Currently in fourth with 35 points, they can still finish as high as second and qualify for next season’s Champions League. Failure to beat arch rivals Rapid Wien on Saturday in another edition of arguably Austria’s biggest game would see them fall to their worst league finish since the takeover.
Red Bull will undoubtedly throw a lot more money at their footballing project this summer. Salzburg don’t currently have an Erling Haaland or Sadio Mané, the type of young star they could pin their hope on.
Leipzig do, but top goal scorer Benjamin Šeško looks destined for the Premier League with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool circling, while Simons is reportedly pushing for a move just six months after joining.
For the first time since either of these clubs became what they are, the trajectory isn’t upwards. They flew too close to the sun and the wax holding Red Bull’s wings together has started to melt.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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On Saturday, Reims will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France Final. If they win, they will secure their first top-level trophy since the 1966 Trophée des Champions, earn €1,238,000 in prize money, and qualify for next season’s UEFA Europa League.
However, even if they beat Ligue 1’s perennial champions and end their long-anticipated trophy drought, the 2024/25 season could end in calamity for Les Rouges et Blancs.
Founded in 1931, Reims’ halcyon days came in the middle of the 20th century when they won six Ligue 1 titles between 1949 and 1962 and reached the European Cup (now Champions League) Final in 1956 and 1959. They would spend three decades hovering between France’s second and third divisions before ascending to the top-flight in 2012, only to be relegated in 2016. Reims returned in 2018 and finished eighth and fifth in Ligue 1, thus qualifying for Europe for the first time in 58 years, where they would fall to Hungarian side Fehérvár at the first time of asking.
They regressed to 14th and 12th before enjoying a renaissance under Will Still, who avoided defeat in his first 17 matches en route to an 11th-place finish in 2022/23. Still departed his post on May 2, 2024, with Samba Diawara taking the reins for the final weeks and guiding them to ninth in the table.
Expectations were high for new manager Luka Elsner, who had steered Le Havre to promotion and staved off relegation in Ligue 1 during his two years in Normandy. Initially, it seemed the Slovenian was an astute replacement, with Reims winning four of their first seven matches and holding PSG and Marseille to stalemates. Reims proceeded to lose three in a row before beating Le Havre 3-0 on November 10. Little did they know it, but Reims would have to wait another 139 days before their next Ligue 1 victory, by which time Elsner had already been replaced by Diawara, this time on a permanent basis.
Reims are one of many French clubs that were left in the lurch by a botched TV deal with Mediapro, who agreed to pay Ligue 1 clubs €3.25 billion over four seasons, only to renege on their payments after a couple of months in 2020. As a result, Reims have been forced to sell their best players each window and start from scratch. For a while, they seemed to be doing just fine; when they sold top scorer Boulaye Dia to Villarreal, they replaced him with youth product Hugo Ekitiké, before selling Ekitiké to PSG for top dollar and seamlessly replacing him with Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun.
However, it seems that Reims’ oasis of readymade replacements has dried up, with the club struggling to find adequate surrogates for essential starters like Azor Matusiwa (sold to Rennes in January 2024 for €15.50m), Amir Richardson (sold to Fiorentina in August 2024 for €9m) and Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi (sold to Wolves in January 2025 for a combined €38m).
“Reims suffers from financial issues and constantly sells its best players in order to survive,” stated Reims supporter @Rheims_. “The blame is shared between the directors of Stade de Reims and the directors of the Ligue de Football Professionnelle, who failed to manage the COVID-19 financial crisis and the TV rights fiasco. Reims would have done better to drastically reduce salaries, bonuses, and agent commissions than continue to live beyond its means. Relegation to Ligue 2 could be financially catastrophic: we could follow the same fate as Bordeaux. You can’t stay in the second division when you’re losing so much money each year.”
Having operated in a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 under Elsner, Reims have shifted towards an ultra-defensive 5-4-1 formation under Diawara, who, despite boasting a decade of experience as an assistant, has only coached 21 matches in his career (all with Reims). They’ve managed to shore things up defensively thanks in large part to the shot-stopping heroics of Yehvann Diouf, who sits atop Ligue 1 for Goals Prevented (15.9), but they haven’t been able to find the attacking potency to win games – only Angers (32) and Montpellier (23) have scored fewer goals than Reims (33).
And after losing their last three matches, Reims finished 16th and were forced into the dreaded Ligue 1 promotion/relegation playoff vs. Metz, the team who finished third in Ligue 2. They looked headed for a fourth straight defeat after conceding to Matthieu Udol before the break, only to equalise afterwards as Cédric Kipre headed home from a free kick to secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg on Wednesday.
“Reims have usually been able to buy talented players, but over the last two seasons, they have failed to recruit the players that would enable them to play at the top of the table,” added @Rheims_. “We were destined to finish between 10th and 14th place, and although we started the season well, we lost confidence after some poor results. Then, the sales of Agbadou, our best defensive player and a real team leader, and Munetsi did nothing to help the situation. We lost the little experience we had in the squad, and the replacements are finding it hard to perform at their level. Despite all this, the club never expected to finish in 16th place. There was a certain amount of arrogance on everyone’s part because we thought we’d achieve our objectives, which ended up being a huge mistake.”
Similarly to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Reims’ horrific domestic form has paled in comparison to their cup form, knocking out fourth-tier side Cannes in the semifinals and reaching their first cup final since 1977. Having held PSG to a stalemate in four of their last five meetings, they might pose a threat to Les Parisiens at the Stade de France, but it’s undeniable that most of their focus will remain on the second leg in Reims. Diawara admitted as much, stating, “It’s the nightmare scenario…for me, the final takes second place [to the playoff].” Diouf echoed his manager’s thoughts, arguing, “Clearly, it will be difficult to focus on the final. I wasn’t thinking about it until safety was assured. I’m not going to say that I don’t want to play it, but it will leave a slightly bitter taste.”
Reims find themselves at risk of following in the footsteps of Wigan Athletic, who won the FA Cup and were relegated from the Premier League in 2013; they haven’t returned ever since and just finished 15th in League One. Due to the scope of their financial issues, a similar fate could befall Reims should they lose to Metz on Thursday.
And as such, Diawara and his players face a head-scratching conundrum. Should they put in 100% effort into beating PSG, who are eyeing a record-extending 16th Coupe de France title? Should they leave everything on the pitch and pour their sweat and blood throughout 90 or potentially 120+ minutes? Should they capture their moment and etch their names into the history books? Or should they let it slip and put all their eggs into one basket: that of avoiding a costly relegation to Ligue 2?
Stay tuned for what promises to be a heart-palpitating week for Stade de Reims and its fanbase.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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There is nowhere more deafening than Wembley Stadium. No, I’m not talking about 90,000 screaming supporters, fireworks and flypasts. Nor do I mean AC/DC’s two gigs last July or the screams of adulation for Taylor Swift across her EIGHT nights in August. If you’re off to the home of English football this weekend, then think back to your school days and learning about how the Egyptians would remove the brains of soon-to-be-mummified Pharaohs.
On our greatest stage, all the colour, passion, tension and celebration will inevitably be blurred out by, and I’ve Shazammed it from the FA Cup final so you don’t have to, James Hype’s drum and bass track ‘Don’t Wake Me Up’, on the most intrusive and ear-shattering PA system in the universe.
Perhaps the Wembley DJ is unaware that the greatest advert for our game needs no soundtrack but for that of its fans. And for the Championship playoff final, we have two historic clubs from Britain’s industrial heartlands, ready to turn the volume up to 11 for a place in the Premier League.
Sheffield United with a point to prove
Chris Wilder says his players have shut out any negativity they may have faced after failing to seal automatic promotion. And across what was the longest press conference I have ever attended, he got it all off his chest in the space of 57 minutes on Tuesday.
He’s seen them lose at this stage from the stands at both the Millenium Stadium and Wembley but now the fan-turned player, turned two-time Blades boss can break the playoff curse and take them up, at what would be the club’s tenth time of asking in the EFL’s most brutal of knock-out competitions.
Gus Hamer
Combative and productive, Gus Hamer continues to be the Blades’ cutting edge. With nine goals and seven assists, his battle in the middle with Dan Neil and Jobe Bellingham will certainly be tasty. The Dutchman was one of few positives from their previous Premier League campaign, having arrived from Coventry in August 2023.
Those nine goals come from an xG of just 5.8 and include an audacious lob against Preston North End and two superb free kicks from distance. His goal against his old employers was one of the strikes of the season.
Gus Hamer shot map, Championship 2024/25
Michael ‘Chill’ Cooper
When asked to describe himself as a goalkeeper in a word, Michael Cooper replied ‘chill’ to a reporter’s question on Tuesday. Signed from Plymouth Argyle in the summer, I think he’ll soon be mentioned in conversations about an England call up if he plays in the Premier League glare.
But none of that seems to phase the 25-year-old. 21 clean sheets is outstanding but his goal prevented figure of 5.7 means that he essentially should have conceded 39 goals rather than just 33 this season. It’s been down to brilliant shot stopping, excellent positioning, his confidence, and a consistency in high claims that puts his teammates at ease.
Callum O’Hare
An ACL rupture at Brammall Lane whilst playing for Coventry City ruled Callum O’Hare out of their shoot-out defeat to Luton two seasons ago but this will be the 27-year-old’s third trip to Wembley in as many years. Last year’s ludicrous FA Cup semi-final saw him miss from 12 yards in their defeat on penalties to Manchester United. The way that the game has evolved means being a ‘finisher’ from the bench may be vital on what can be an energy-sapping day. His goals as a substitute in both semi-finals against Bristol City show he can be just that.
Kieffer Moore
The human-battering ram that is Kieffer Moore will be giving Dan Ballard a run for his money on Saturday. Both are combative and towering aerial threats. If Moore starts, then it will be an excellent sub-plot. The Welshman was instrumental in their playoff semi-final success over Bristol City.
Winning a penalty for the opener in the first leg, the 6’5” striker bagged in the second leg and across their 6-0 aggregate win, we saw all the traits that make him either an excellent Plan A or off-the-bench Plan B. I expect him to see him getting on the end of Harrison Burrows’ crosses from the left flank.
Sheffield United fan’s view
“I would have preferred to avoid Sunderland”, Sam Parry from The Pinch tells me. “They were the better team in both the games we played them, which were in the first part of the season. Wilson Isidor had the number of our centre-halves but they’ve only been ahead for a total of eight minutes across their last five matches. It’s a tricky one, I really don’t know what their level is.
Although they’re dangerous on the counter, I don’t really buy that they’re a physical team and if they go and try and play this robust defence then I’m pretty convinced that suits us. We’re a big side with big physical players who relish a battle, so I’m quite hopeful. But right now, the nerves are jangling!”
Sunderland’s steely starlets
Régis Le Bris is quiet in tone, but his team have been doing the talking for him. They’re solid defensively and have pace to attack up front, particularly in transition. With a PhD in sport physiology to his name, his reputation working with young players brought him from France to coach Sunderland and he’s been getting the best out of a squad full of potential, having switched their style up to be a solid, counter-attacking unit.
Jobe Bellingham
Signed from Birmingham City while his brother Jude was joining Real Madrid, comparisons with his sibling feel lazy and the 19-year-old deliberately plays with ‘Jobe’ and not ‘Bellingham’ on his back. However, their similarities are uncanny.
His stretching lunge for a red card against QPR back in November might sugget Jobe is still finding his feet but he can score the odd spectacular goal, is strong in the tackle, and uses his fast feet and strength to get him out of trouble to beat his man. His chance creation is one of the best in the division and his continued grounding in the Championship has given two full campaigns at senior level full of improvement.
Dan Neil
Approaching 200 games at just 23 years old, Dan Neil is already a seasoned pro thanks to the last four campaigns of hard graft in the middle for Sunderland.
One of the stats that really jumps out are his 251 recoveries this season. And, at a time where systems can be so structured, his ability to beat a man before starting an attack has been a brilliant asset for the Mackems’ attack. The man from South Shields will be living the dream of every Sunderland fan on Saturday and unlike being an unused sub in their COVID-era EFL Trophy success 2021 at an empty Wembley, he’ll be right in the thick of it this time around.
Dan Neil’s defensive numbers from midfield, Championship 2024/25
Enzo Le Fée
The pocket-rocket wide man has been hampered with a hamstring injury but has shaken that off to show us what he’s about. Having worked with Le Bris at Lorient, the 25-year-old joined on an audacious loan move from AS Roma in January.
Tellingly, the 5’7” Frenchman set up goals in both semi-finals. His inch-perfect pass set Wilson Isidor on his way for Sunderland’s opener at Coventry and it was Le Fée’s right-footed in-swinging corner that Dan Ballard got on the end of for those dramatic 120th minute scenes at the Stadium of Light last week.
Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda
With devastating turns of pace, I hope Regis Le Bris continues with starting two up-top in what is something of a much-missed throwback these days. At 20, Mayenda showed his poacher’s instinct by reading a wayward pass before rounding the goalkeeper to give them a crucial 88th minute lead at Coventry. That was the Spanish U21 international’s eighth of the season and all bar one have come inside the box. He’s a fearless finisher who may just make the difference.
As I said last week, Isidor is Djibril Cisse reborn. I haven’t seen a more instinctual player as hellbent on hitting the ball as hard as possible since his French compatriot. It’s led to the spectacular, with two missed penalties against Burnley and a ghost goal against Derby County but he can be cute, as he was with his flicked finish in their Boxing Day draw at Blackburn Rovers. Worryingly though, his goal against Coventry was his first in 13 matches.
Sunderland fan’s view
The Roker Report’s Michael Dunne is flying over from Ireland for the final. “I think it really is a 50:50 game. It could be just one moment, or one decision that goes our way because the two league games between us were both tight affairs. But, if we get our best players playing in Bellingham, Neil and Mayenda, I think we have a good chance, especially if like the Coventry game, we can try and nullify their attackers.
But to be honest, we have exceeded expectations. Most fans are just looking forward to the day. There’s more pressure on Sheffield United than us, so we’re going in just hoping for the best.”
So, what other tunes will you hear at this weekend? Tiesto’s ‘The Business’ will do the rounds pre-match, as will DJ Fresh’s 2010 hit ‘Goldust.’ Thankfully the scourge of Sweet Caroline has been consigned to history but before kick-off we’ll hear Sunderland belting out Elvis Pressley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ and Sheffield United with their ‘Greasy Chip Butty’ to the tune of John Denver’s ‘Annie’s Song’. As for which one of those club anthems will be playing out after the final whistle, that’s anyone’s guess.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Manchester City know what an elite level midfield anchor looks like. Or at least they used to before Rodri suffered a season-ending injury in September, preventing the Ballon d’Or winner from featuring in Saturday’s FA Cup final. In Adam Wharton, though, there was still a standout number six on the pitch.
Wharton was key to Crystal Palace’s history victory. While the 21-year-old didn’t get much opportunity to showcase his ability on the ball due to the Eagles’ game plan, he was crucial to his team’s strategy out of possession. Indeed, Wharton was prolific in breaking up Manchester City attacks time and time again.
City couldn’t get past Wharton. The 21-year-old wasn’t dribbled past once. Only Chris Richards made more blocks than Wharton who also registered four ball recoveries and won five duels. Crystal Palace needed someone to offer protection in front of their back four and Wharton was that figure for them.
It’s not just what Wharton can do against the ball that makes him such an exciting prospect, it’s what he can do on it. Crystal Palace didn’t have many prolonged periods of possession in the FA Cup final, but Wharton was still important as a valve in the centre of the pitch. More than once his passing started a counter-attack.
One wonders what Thomas Tuchel made of Wharton’s performance against Manchester City. The former Chelsea manager is moulding England ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the Crystal Palace midfielder is surely in his thoughts. Tuchel must find a place for Wharton in the Three Lions’ central unit.
Gareth Southgate struggled to find the right midfield balance over the course of his England tenure. This culminated in a messy Euro 2024 campaign which saw Southgate use several options including Conor Gallagher, Kobbie Mainoo and even Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice. The Alexander-Arnold experiment in particular was a failure.
England’s lack of midfield balance is a historic problem that goes back generations. Famously, Sven-Goran Eriksson failed to mesh Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard as a duo when someone like Michael Carrick might have given England’s so-called ‘golden generation’ a stronger framework as a team.
Tuchel has inherited one of the strongest and deepest pools of players anywhere in international football. England have top-quality options all over the pitch. At Euro 2024, Southgate struggled for left backs. It was a problem position. Since then, Myles Lewis-Skelly has emerged as one of the best young left backs in the world. Lewis Hall has also enjoyed a breakout season.
In midfield, England similarly boast some of the best central operators in the game right now. Jude Bellingham is a proven difference maker, but his profile makes him a challenge to fit into a midfield unit. For Real Madrid, the 21-year-old has the freedom to get forward as a de facto number nine. For England, though, Harry Kane restricts his movement.
Rice continues to improve, but he is now more of a number eight than the number six many saw him at when he first established himself as an England starter. Then there’s Mainoo, who also played in a more advanced position for his club this season. There is a clear need for an anchor at the base of the midfield.
Wharton’s passing stats per 90, Premier League 2024/25
“He receives well, he’s very composed, he plays forward,” said Southgate when explaining the strengths of Wharton after overlooking the Crystal Palace midfielder at Euro 2024 when the England manager favoured over options. “That sounds simple but it’s not a simple thing to do. He plays a lot of one-touch football, he sees a picture when the ball arrives to him.”
For England, Wharton will be expected to do more with possession than he currently has to for Crystal Palace. The Three Lions will dominate the ball in certain matches at the 2026 World Cup, particularly in the group stage and the early rounds. However, Wharton’s key passing and ability to play through the lines suggests he would adapt easily.
Wharton’s biggest impact for England could be in the sort of games the Three Lions have fallen short in of late. Against Spain in the Euro 2024 final, for example, England lacked the guile to play through the likes of Gavi and Pedri in the centre of the pitch. They were suffocated by the pressure applied by the tournament’s eventual winners.
It was a similar story in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup when England were outplayed by an opposition midfield that included Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić and Marcelo Brozović. This is where the integration of Wharton could change the landscape for his country just as it has for his club.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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Ange Postecoglou has been remarkably pragmatic in guiding Tottenham Hotspur to the Europa League final. Will ‘Ange-ball’ return against Manchester United in Bilbao?
Wednesday won’t be the first chance Tottenham Hotspur have had to make history this season, but it could be the first time they want to be remembered for something in the record books. After suffering their worst-ever Premier League campaign, the North London club can end their 17-year wait for a trophy by winning the Europa League.
Victory over Manchester United in Bilbao might not be enough to save Ange Postecoglou whose position as Spurs manager has been loudly questioned recently. Nonetheless, the Australian can do something none of his predecessors – Antonio Conte, José Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino etc. – were able to.
This would be proclaimed as a triumph for ‘Ange-ball,’ except Tottenham haven’t really played much of Postecoglou’s trademark high-risk, high-intensity style during their run to the Europa League final. In fact, the Australian has been uncharacteristically pragmatic in the way he has set up his team.
Away to Bodø/Glimt in the semi-final, Spurs had just 31% of possession. They largely sat back and invited pressure before hitting out on the counter attack. Against an opponent widely seen as underdogs, Postecoglou was willing to take a reactive approach and play to the circumstances after a first leg win.
13 teams have averaged more possession than Spurs in the Europa League
It was a similar story away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-final. Again, Spurs had the minority share of possession and were content to absorb opposition pressure. The situation was different in that Tottenham Hotspur needed to win after drawing the first leg at home, but this didn’t stop Postecoglou from ditching ‘Ange-ball.’
Many Spurs supporters have been pleased to see their manager take a more pragmatic approach. They had been calling for this as Postecoglou’s team buckled under the weight of their own ambition. Tottenham didn’t have the players to play ‘Ange-ball’ in its purest form, even more so when injuries decimated their squad earlier in the season.
Previously, Postecoglou stuck with his trademark style of play because he believed it would benefit Tottenham in the long-term. He wanted to establish a framework to build around for seasons to come. While he recognised Spurs’ squad weaknesses, the Australian insisted this was best for the club’s future.
Yet while Postecoglou argues he is still standing by his principles, anyone who has watched Tottenham in their run to the Europa League has seen something different. Spurs have shown a different side to their game. It’s a side that could give them an advantage over Manchester United on Wednesday night.
“I could be going: ‘Let’s just win a trophy this season and everything will be fine,’” said Postecoglou when asked how winning the Europa League would change his future. “But if we win a trophy, finish 10th and five games into next year I get sacked – not that it’s about me – but then the club has to change direction again. So have you really done anything? I don’t think so. It’s not going to be one simple thing that opens the floodgates.”
The route to the final
Not for the first time this season, injuries could force Postecoglou’s hand against Manchester United. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison will both miss the final, robbing Tottenham of creativity through the midfield. This could thrust Wilson Odobert into the starting lineup as a very different kind of attacking threat.
Odobert is someone who is most effective attacking open space. Of the players available for Spurs against Manchester United, only Djed Spence, Mathys Tel and Son Heung-min are averaging more dribbles per 90 minutes than the Frenchman who is mobile enough to drift across the forward line. He gives Tottenham fluidity.
He doesn’t, however, offer much in possession, particularly against a low defensive block. Spurs’ best chance of creating the opportunities needed to win the Europa League final could involve recycling the approach that worked against Bodø/Glimt and Eintracht Frankfurt. They could play on the counter attack again.
Spurs’ goals for and goals against averages in the Europa League
The bizarre paradox of Tottenham Hotspur’s current situation is that at the end of their worst-ever Premier League season they could still make themselves legends by winning a trophy. Champions League qualification would also give Spurs a platform to build on that many believe they don’t truly deserve. Nonetheless, this is the opportunity in front of them.
Postecoglou himself has become a paradox. Renowned for not pulling any punches with his tactical approach, the Australian has in fact compromised his long-term vision in order to achieve results in the immediate term. That still might not be enough to earn Postecoglou another season in charge and it would ironic if a pragmatic set-up ended up delivering his defining moment.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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There were some big performances in must-win games for a number of teams. Arsenal, for example, guaranteed second place in the Premier League with a hard-fought win over Newcastle United. Everton picked up three points in their final ever game at Goodison Park, while Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have all taken it to the final game in their quest for a Champions League finish.
Raya was the player of the match in Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United. Declan Rice was the match-winner but the shot-stopper was the main man for the Gunners at the Emirates, making five saves having faced efforts with an Expected Goals on Target total of 1.94. Without his exploits between the sticks, Mikel Arteta’s side lose that game having struggled to contain a Newcastle team chasing a second placed finish.
The Aston Villa full-back put in a solid showing in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park. Cash completed 87% of his passes and 100% of his attempted dribbles. He won 50% of his tackles, made two clearances and recovered the ball on seven occasions. The 27-year-old also won 87% of his ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels, playing his part in Unai Emery’s side keeping a clean sheet.
Konsa scored for Villa in their win over Spurs. He was also outrageously proficient in possession, completing 98% of the passes he attempted, misplacing just two passes throughout the entire game. He also created a chance for the Villans, won half of his tackles and made five ball recoveries. The 27-year-old won four of the six duels he was involved in, capping off a fine showing on his way to a FotMob rating of 8.7.
Milenković had the fewest number of touches of any player to play 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win over West Ham, registering just 37 touches. The powerhouse centre-back scored what turned out to be the winner. He attempted four tackles, made seven clearances and won 60% of his duels as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side kept their Champions League hopes alive.
The Spain full-back scored the winner against Manchester United as Chelsea clung onto the final Champions League place. The 26-year-old also completed 70% of his attempted passes, won 100% of his tackles, made three interceptions and was dribbled past just once. Cucurella also won five of his eight ground duels and two of his four aerial duels as Enzo Maresca’s side managed to repel the Europa League finalists. His showing earned him a FotMob rating of 8.5.
It may have been Kevin De Bruyne’s final game for Manchester City at the Etihad but it was his teammate, Bernardo Silva, who stole the show for Pep Guardiola’s side. The versatile Portuguese attacker scored in a 3-1 win over Bournemouth. He created one chance, won 80% of his duels and was fouled three times, the most of any player in this match. He kept things ticking over, completing 90% of his passes, scored a decisive goal and was robust without the ball. It was a Silva showing in a nutshell.
Elliott was given the opportunity to impress for the Premier League champions and he did just that. Liverpool lost 3-2 to Brighton but the versatile attacker scored the opener and assisted Dominik Szoboszlai for the second. He created four chances at the Amex, completed 88% of his passes and attempted two dribbles on his way to an 8.6 rating.
Gruda was a menace for Brighton as they claimed a 3-2 win over champions Liverpool on Monday night. The German playmaker carved out the most chances in the game (five), claimed an assist, had a total of four shots, completed 75% of his attempted dribbles and won 80% of his ground duels. With the ball, dangerous, without it, dominant. He certainly caught the eye for the Seagulls.
Ndiaye was the difference-maker and match-winner for Everton in their final game at Goodison Park. The former Sheffield United attacker scored twice in the victory over Southampton. The 25-year-old completed 94% of his passes, 100% of his dribbles, and won 80% of his ground duels in what was a memorable performance in a historic game for the Toffees.
Oliver Glasner changed things up following Crystal Palace’s FA Cup triumph on Saturday. The Eagles rested a few players and Esse was given the nod in the XI ahead of Eberechi Eze. The 20-year-old impressed. He claimed an assist in the 4-2 win over Wolves in a game he carved out two chances and won the most duels (11). He also won four of his six tackles in what was a dominant showing out of possession by the attacking midfielder.
Nketiah was another to benefit from Glasner looking to rotate his team. The former Arsenal man started ahead of Jean-Philippe Mateta and responded with two goals in the victory against Wolves. Remarkably, he had just two shots during the game. The 25-year-old finished with a 100% pass success rate, attempted eight dribbles and won 100% of his tackles. It was a really positive showing from the centre-forward.
(Images from IMAGO)
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