Page 99 – The Pulse of Football

Oct

2023

Premier League Matchday Eight Review

The international break is now upon us but the final round of Premier League fixtures left us with a lot to think about heading into the two-week hiatus. Here’s a look at the biggest talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Spurs claim top spot

Tottenham Hotspur didn’t make it easy for themselves at Kenilworth Road. Ange Postecoglou knew a win for his side would lift them into top spot and they were facing a struggling Luton Town team.

Spurs did more than enough to justify their 1-0 win in the end but it was far from straightforward. Yves Bissouma was sent off in the first-half for a second yellow card following a dive. Rob Edwards’ side created and missed two big chances too, but, in truth, they failed to make the most of their man advantage.

Micky Van de Ven was the unlikely match-winner for the away side, scoring not long after the half-time break. With more of a ruthlessness, Spurs could’ve added to their total having created four big chances and finishing the game with an Expected Goals total of 1.96. They won’t mind though, they got the job done and are still one of only two unbeaten teams in the English top-flight.

Is it clicking for Pochettino’s Chelsea?

The Blues have now won two consecutive Premier League games following the 4-1 dismantling of Burnley at Turf Moor. Chelsea fell behind to an early goal scored by Wilson Odobert. It appeared as though the hosts would head into the break with a lead but Ameen Al Dakhil put the ball into his own net in the 42nd minute.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men stepped it up after the break with Cole Palmer converting from the spot in the 50th minute following a foul on Raheem Sterling. The England international then got in on the act himself, scoring in the 65th minute before Jackson Martinez, who started the game on the bench, added a fourth for Chelsea nine minutes later.

Throughout the early season, the Blues had been extremely wasteful but they were the opposite at Turf Moor, scoring four goals from an Expected Goals total of just 1.86. Surprisingly, though, Burnley had more efforts than the visitors (10 to nine) but Pochettino’s players created more big chances (three to one). Back-to-back wins have lifted them up to 11th and they are now just six points off of the top four places.

The Toffees get out of a sticky situation

Heading into their home match against Bournemouth on Saturday, Goodison Park hadn’t been too kind to Everton this term. The Toffees had lost all four of their games in front of a home crowd and these included two potential six-pointers against Luton and Wolves.

A loss would’ve seen them drop back into the relegation zone with the Cherries leapfrogging them.

However, the hosts put in quite the performance to record a 3-0 win over the Cherries. It was an empathic showing from those in blue as they created four big chances and finished with an Expected Goals haul of 2.49. Everton have looked much better since key injured players have returned from injury.

The Toffees were able to name Dwight McNeil, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jack Harrison in their starting XI. The latter scored the second of the game with a stunning effort from a distance that clipped the underside of the bar before crossing the line. Joe Garner and Abdoulaye Doucouré, with his third of the season, also got on the scoresheet.

Their first home league win of the season is now in the bag. Their form at Goodison has kept them in the league recently so this is a big result.

A sting in the tail for the Bees

It appeared as though Manchester United would be losing their third successive home match in a row. Brentford’s Mathias Jensen opened the scoring with 26 minutes on the clock after his tame effort somehow caught André Onana out. The United shot-stopper, once again, didn’t cover himself in much glory.

The Red Devils dominated the game and had 64% of the ball but they didn’t really turn this possession into anything more dangerous, creating just one big chance throughout the match. The chances they did create were worth just 1.43 Expected Goals, so it wasn’t as though Thomas Strakosha was performing heroics between the sticks for Brentford to keep them in the game.

Thomas Frank’s side limited the threat of the hosts for the entire 90 minutes. It was in stoppage time that the home side found a way past the Bees. Scott McTominay came off the bench in the 87th minute and scored two quick goals. In fact, he only managed two passes while on the pitch but was in the right place at the right time to give Erik Ten Hag a vital three points.

Brentford are winless since August and find themselves just three points above the relegation zone.

Another West Ham United smash-and-grab

David Moyes’ side are one of the best in the Premier League at what they do.

West Ham welcomed the in-form Newcastle United to London Stadium. Despite being the hosts, the Hammers didn’t look to impose themselves on the Magpies. Instead, they soaked up pressure and tried to play on the break. They had just 35% of the ball and had a total of five shots during the game. By comparison, Eddie Howe’s men had double the number of attempts, created chances worth 2.01 Expected Goals and finished the game with three big chances to West Ham’s one.

Yet despite controlling the game and creating better chances, Newcastle had to settle for a point after Mohammed Kudus came off the bench to fire an 89th-minute equaliser past Nick Pope from the edge of the penalty area.

Tomáš Souček had given the hosts an early lead before Alexander Isak netted twice in five minutes to turn the game on its head. The Swedish forward now has six goals in the English top-flight this term and he’s quickly closing in on the 10 he managed last term.

The spoils were shared and West Ham remain a point ahead of Newcastle in the Premier League table.

Top of the table clash

Arsenal welcomed Manchester City to the Emirates looking to end their horrendous run of form against the champions. The Gunners had lost 12 straight games against City heading into this game but knew a win would see them jump above Pep Guardiola’s team in the Premier League and into joint-top spot with neighbours Spurs.

Mikel Arteta was without the injured Bukayo Saka while Gabriel Martinelli was only fit enough for the bench. It was by no means a classic with just three efforts being landed on target throughout the 90 minutes.

City missed two big chances but racked up an Expected Goals total of just 0.48 as they struggled to put their usual stamp on things. Mateo Kovačić was lucky not to be sent off in the first-half too.

The pivotal moment came in the 86th minute when Martinelli, who replaced Leandro Trossard at the break, saw his effort clip Nathan Ake before wrong-footing Ederson. It was a big moment of luck but, in all honesty, one that Arsenal probably deserved for their impressive showing against the treble winners.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2023/24 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Arsenal vs. City, Turin Derby, and more

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.

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Arsenal vs. Manchester City

To be fair, there are a few interesting clashes in the Premier League over the weekend but you’ll have to wait until the closing game of the round for the true headliner (for a league specific preview, click here).

Current leaders Manchester City travel to third placed Arsenal for the first competitive meeting between last season’s main protagonists in the title race. City could be overtaken (by Spurs or Liverpool) come kick-off but it’s likely that any winner in this game will then go in to the October international break sat top of the pile. Which would be motivation enough even without the remnants of that battle for the crown in 2022/23.

City won all six of their opening games this season but have since hit a sticky patch – losing to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and at Wolves in the league, before Wednesday’s stabilising win, away to Leipzig in the Champions League. That run has coincided with the absence of the suspended Rodri who will also be missing for the trip to North London. For their part, the Gunners remain unbeaten in the league and following on from last month’s home draw against Tottenham, they’ve won consecutive away games at Brentford and Bournemouth without conceding a goal. In fact, only City have conceded less so far this season (five goals to Arsenal’s six). But coach Mikel Arteta will be looking for a response following Arsenal’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at French club Lens in their midweek Champions League fixture.

Technically, the two sides have faced one another already this season, in the August season opener – the Community Shield. That was a game that ended 1-1 with Arsenal then holding their nerve to win the resulting shoot-out by four goals to one.

🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Torino

Saturday’s Derby della Mole, or Turin Derby, is this weekend’s headline game in Serie A. On paper, yes, this is one of the most one sided rivalries in European football but that’s not the point – there’s always a chance, however slim, that this time it’ll be different!

Since FotMob has been running (circa 2010 onwards), Torino have only beaten Juventus once, way back in 2015. There have been 18 meetings between the two sides since then with Juve winning 14 of those.

So, on paper, pretty much everything favours the Old Lady. And that would include the early season form from the new campaign. Juve currently sit fourth, four points below leaders Inter, and with four wins from their seven games. In contrast, Torino are 10th with two wins and three draws. It would seem that goal scoring is their issue – only Monza and the bottom four have scored less than their six goals, and it’s only those same four sides who have a lower xG than them (5.5), so they haven’t been creating chances either.

But in football there’s always hope!

🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Madrid vs. Osasuna

Real Madrid return to league action on Saturday afternoon following Tuesday’s action-packed 3-2 win at Italian champions Napoli in the Champions League. Jude Bellingham continued his great start to life as a Madridista in that game, scoring his eighth goal since his summer move and assisting another, further enhancing his claim to being the best signing of the last transfer window.

And boss Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping that form continues as they face Osasuna, a side who’ve proven hard to beat in the Spanish capital, in recent seasons. The side from Pamplona have come away from the Bernabéu with draws in each of the last two years and they also pushed Madrid all the way when they last met, in the final of last season’s Copa del Rey. Madrid went on to lift the trophy that day, after a 2-1 victory, but that result didn’t stop Ancelotti from stating in the pre-match press conference that Madrid will have to be at their best to get the three points.

Should Madrid do so, however, they’ll extend their lead to four at the top of LaLiga, with nearest rivals Barcelona not in action until Sunday evening, when they travel to Granada. For their part, Osasuna sit in mid-table having ended a four game winless run with a win at Alavés last time out.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Stuttgart vs. Wolfsburg

A lot of the attention awarded to German football so far this season has, quite rightly, gone to Xabi Alonso and what he’s doing at Bayer Leverkusen, but don’t sleep on Stuttgart! Because there’s another team in form, and by virtue of playing on Saturday, it’s them who could top the table by the time Leverkusen (and yes, also Bayern) take to the field on Sunday.

Stuttgart have won five of their six games, the last four on the bounce, and they can boast the league’s top striker – Serhou Guirassy, who already has 10 goals to his name! In fact, Saturday’s meeting with Wolfsburg gives us a chance to see two strikers who are currently scoring at a rate of more than one a game, with Danish international Jonus Wind having scored seven in six for Wolfsburg.

The Wolves sit seventh in what is, as you’d expect at this point, a tightly compacted table having lost only twice. And they’ve actually conceded less goals than Stuttgart, it’s just that beyond Wind, they’ve not found a consistent route to goal. They’ve scored just nine altogether, to Stuttgart’s 19.

🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Lens vs. Lille

The Derby Days are coming thick and fast in the French top flight at the moment and following on from the likes of Le Classique – PSG vs. Marseille, Monaco vs. Nice, and Rennes vs. Nantes in recent weeks, it’s the turn of Northern rivals Lens and Lille to meet on Sunday.

The Derby de Nord usually guarantees a great atmosphere and if you saw any of Lens’ home win over Arsenal in the Champions League during the week, you’ll know exactly what you in for, should you sit down to watch this encounter. Lille also made headlines midweek, but for the wrong reasons, as they rested a few players, and consequently drew 0-0 at KÍ Klaksvík. The side from the Faroe Islands are making their debut appearance in the group stage of a European competition, namely, the Europa Conference League, and that was therefore their first ever point.

Back in Ligue 1, Lille have had the slightly better start to the new season, and sit seventh on 11 points from seven games. But they have been inconsistent, failing to put together any kind of unbeaten run thus far. For Lens, the hangover of running PSG close in the title race last season appears difficult to shake off – they’ve mustered just two wins and seven points from their seven games. But in contrast, they’ve drawn at Sevilla and beaten Arsenal in the Champions League, with those two league wins coming in between, so confidence may be returning for the boys in ‘blood and gold.’

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

🇧🇷 Brasileirão: Fluminense vs. Botafogo

For this week’s bonus games, we thought we’d bring some focus to a couple of ongoing title races around the world. And in Brazil, that means we need to talk about Botafogo, who, for a club founded 119 years ago, are gunning for what would be their first ever national league championship.

After a fantastic first half of the season, the Rio based club have faltered in recent weeks – something that saw a once very healthy lead in the table cut from the high teens to the seven point advantage they now hold on nearest rivals Red Bull Bragantino. A draw in their last game ended a run of three straight defeats and they’d only lost twice in the 21 games prior to that.

There is still a long way to go until the closing round at the start of December but we’re certainly reaching a critical point in the campaign.

On Sunday, Botafogo face city rivals Fluminense at the iconic Maracanã. The Tricolor sit sixth themselves, and will be keen to stay in contention for a top four finish and an automatic spot in next year’s Copa Libertadores. Speaking of which, Fernando Diniz’s side made history during the week, qualifying for this season’s Libertadores final after a late comeback saw them defeat fellow Brazilian’s Internacional in the second leg of the semi-finals. Flu are one of just a few of the country’s most famous clubs never to win South America’s biggest prize.

🇸🇪 Allsvenskan: Kalmar vs. Malmö

The end of the season is much closer in Sweden, where the Allsvenskan title looks to be a straight fight between Malmö and Elfsborg, with defending champions Häcken waiting in the wings for any serious slip-ups.

Malmö won the league in 2020, and 2021, but slipped to seventh last season, a rare low point in their recent history. They’ve responded to that well and with five games to go, they currently hold a one point advantage on Elfsborg, with Häcken four points further back in third.

This weekend, the games involving the top two are being played simultaneously on Sunday afternoon, with Malmö going to mid-table Kalmar. The last four games between these sides have all ended in 1-0 score lines – three in the favour of the leaders, one for Kalmar.

Keep your eye on this title race – if things remain as tight as they are now, we could have a final day decider on our hands as Malmö host Elfsborg on 12 November.

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.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Oct

2023

Premier League Matchday Eight Preview

Another international break is on the horizon and Premier League clubs are looking to go into it with momentum on their side. There are a number of high-profile games this weekend so we’ve taken a detailed look at the biggest potential talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

A statement showing for Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur are one of only two unbeaten teams in the Premier League following Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Wolves last weekend. Victory in the early Saturday kick-off against Luton Town will lift Ange Postecoglou’s men into top spot, at least for one day, but there’s every chance that three points at Kenilworth Road secures their place at the summit for the international break.

Heung-Min Son will be looking to continue his fine form in front of goal having three goals in his last two appearances. He is now on six for the season and is closing in on the haul of 10 he managed last term.

Luton registered their first win of the season last weekend but this game appears to be a formality for Spurs. The Hatters average just 37% possession and have one of the highest Expected Goals Conceded totals in the English top tier with 12.9, so expect it to be one-way traffic. Rob Edwards’ side played on Tuesday evening and fatigue could factor into this.

The Toffees and the Cherries

This is very much a bottom-of-the-table clash. Everton are yet to pick up a single point at home this season having lost 1-0 to Fulham, Wolves, and Arsenal while Luton shocked the Goodison faithful last weekend with their 2-1 win.

Sean Dyche’s men are just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference having racked up just four points from their seven outings. The Toffees do have something to be encouraged by though, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring in three consecutive matches.

They will be hosting Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, one of only two teams to have failed to register a victory in the Premier League this term. Andoni Iraola’s side have impressed in moments but they’ve not been able to put together a complete performance. Without a complete performance, they haven’t been able to convert these situations into all three points.

A big issue for the Cherries is in the final third. Iraola’s men have averaged just 0.7 goals per 90 – the joint-fewest in the Premier League.

In the grand scheme of things, three points for either side could be a massive boost, even if it doesn’t dramatically change the league table.

What version of Brighton will we get?

A win for Brighton on Sunday afternoon will see them leapfrog Liverpool in the Premier League table. Roberto De Zerbi’s men might fancy their chances too, they have an incredibly underrated record against the Reds over recent seasons. The Seagulls have limited the 2019/20 Premier League champions to just one win across the last seven meetings.

However, Liverpool will be fairly confident coming into this particular match-up as well.

Brighton have not kept a clean sheet this season in any competition. Only three teams have conceded more goals than the Seagulls (14) and they just so happen to make up the bottom three in the Premier League – Burnley (16), Bournemouth (15) and Sheffield United (19).

Bizarrely, though, they are also the highest scorers in the English top-flight with 19.

Liverpool’s 17-match unbeaten run came to a controversial end against Spurs last weekend. The Reds are without the suspended Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota while Cody Gakpo is injured meaning Jürgen Klopp’s attacking options are somewhat limited but he is still able to name Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez in his attack. Expect opportunities at both ends.

Using European momentum

Both Newcastle United and West Ham United had positive results in Europe this week. The Magpies ran riot against Paris Saint-Germain at St James’ Park, hitting the Ligue 1 giants for four in a historic 4-1 win. The Hammers claimed a 2-1 win over Freiburg to extend their unbeaten run in Europe to a remarkable 17 matches.

David Moyes’ men are currently one point ahead of Newcastle in the table, so this game could alter the dynamic of the top end of the English top-flight.

Kieran Tripper has created 22 chances this season already – the most in the Premier League. He has been the difference maker for the Magpies and a key reason as to why Newcastle are averaging 2.6 goals per 90, an average only Brighton (2.7) can better.

The Toon Army have the highest Expected Goals total this season with 15.5 and have created more big chances (21) than any other team.

West Ham have impressed too but they’re a little more reliant on individuals. For example, only Erling Haaland (8) and Son (6) have more goals than Jarrod Bowen (5) while Alphonse Areola is the best-performing goalkeeper in the league this term having prevented 4.1 goals. These difference-makers for the Hammers could be key, once again, on Sunday.

Top of the table clash

Arsenal welcome Manchester City to the Emirates this weekend knowing a win will see them climb above the treble winners. Depending on Tottenham’s result, all three points could see Mikel Arteta’s side top the table.

But they head into this game on the back of a loss in the Champions League. The Gunners took the lead against Lens but fell to a 2-1 defeat in France. To make matters worse, Bukayo Saka was replaced in the first half with an injury. When asked afterwards, Arteta told TV 2 Sport that it “doesn’t look good.”

If he does miss the game, this would be a huge blow for the Gunners. Saka has the most goals (four), the joint-most assists (two) and is the only Arsenal player with an average FotMob rating of over 7.8 (8.25).

City aren’t in the best form either. Pep Guardiola’s side lost to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup and then were defeated by Wolves in the Premier League. They did beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League to get back on track but they don’t look anywhere near their ominous best. It coincides with Rodri’s suspension too and the defensive midfielder is to miss the game at the Emirates. Interestingly, Haaland has just two goals in his last five appearances with Julián Álvarez stepping up.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the Premier League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

Luis Diaz is proving his worth in this Liverpool side

The biggest injustice on a night widely considered to be (so far, at least) the nadir of VAR in English football wasn’t the dismissal of a legitimate goal, or the dismissals of Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota, the dismissal of a penalty on Joe Gomez or the dismissible excuse from PGMOL afterwards.

It was denying Luis Díaz a finish that special.

By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com

Well, that may be an overstatement, but what should have been a galvanising goal in Liverpool’s eventual 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, scored when the Reds were a man down but having yet to concede, became the casualty of “significant human error.”

A long throw from Gomez, hurled up the right flank, touched down by Mohamed Salah, snatching off of Micky van de Ven, the ball was sumptuously threaded through the Dutchman and Cristian Romero into the path of an onrushing Díaz.

Unlike a later chance for Díaz, soon after Cody Gakpo’s equaliser for 1-1 and frustratingly skewed wide, Salah’s pass for his fellow winger wasn’t inch-perfect, but it was close enough. Díaz took two touches, fending off the attentions of Pedro Porro, and, at a wider angle than perhaps hoped, the Colombian took aim with his right foot.

The power on his finish gave goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario no chance as it arrowed into the bottom corner, momentum sending Díaz tumbling before wheeling away – only for referee Simon Hooper’s whistle to blow immediately after.

Hooper, spotting the raised flag of linesman Adrian Holmes, cut the celebrations short to cheers from the Tottenham supporters. The scores stayed at 0-0.

What followed was a debacle. VAR Darren England, somehow under the impression they were checking to uphold a decision to award the goal, informed Hooper “check complete” and the goal was chalked off as offside.

Of course, it wasn’t offside, and PGMOL have since admitted their fault in denying Liverpool a deserved opener in a game which, had they gone 1-0 up, could have ended much differently for them. The events in the VAR booth at Stockley Park were mindbogglingly unprofessional.

“I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything,” England flustered as play went on. “F***.”

Two minutes after Díaz’s beautiful finish was disallowed, Heung-min Son broke the deadlock for the hosts. The momentum had clearly shifted towards Spurs, and though Gakpo levelled before the break, the impact of an unprecedented VAR cockup was telling.

An inquest into England’s oversight – to put it lightly – has resulted in his short-term demotion, and while Jürgen Klopp’s suggestions that “as a football person…the only outcome should be a replay” have fed into the vulturous English press, his priority is “how can we improve the things.”

That, it is hoped, will be resolved not for a sense of justice on Merseyside – the club are, after all, not actively seeking a replay of the fixture, despite Klopp’s stance – but for essential change to the way Premier League football is officiated.

But beyond that, there will remain a lingering feeling that Liverpool supporters were deprived the latest milestone in a remarkable post-injury resurgence from their No. 7.

After his breakthrough half-season in 2021/22, in which he hit the ground running following a £50 million move from Porto with six goals and four assists in 26 games from January to June, Díaz’s first full campaign was a misery. Another bright start ended with a serious knee injury in October and then another in December, restricting him to just 15 starts.

The priority was to recover fully and target a fresh start in 2023/24 – though he headed into the season with question marks over whether he would be first choice on the left flank.

Díaz was one of 16 players to feature in all five games of Liverpool’s pre-season and came away with three goals, but Jota, splitting his time between left winger and centre-forward, netted four and assisted three in those warmup games. Darwin Núñez also fired in four, and Salah scored twice while assisting seven. The smart money appeared to be on Salah, Jota and Núñez forming the starting trio heading into the campaign proper, albeit with depth allowing Klopp to rotate.

But Klopp had other plans, with Díaz now fully fit and starting six of the first seven Premier League games, bringing back-to-back goals in the opening two fixtures against Chelsea and Bournemouth. He, along with Salah on the opposite wing, has been a non-negotiable in attack, with Núñez sharing duties with Gakpo in the central role.

Díaz has done so while adapting his game, too. He has long resembled the ideal replacement for Sadio Mané, but is now playing more like the legendary Liverpool winger, too. His explosiveness remains, but he appears more measured in his play, always willing to drop into pockets to demand possession, and more varied in his movements – such as the diagonal run that led to his outstanding finish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Turning 27 in January, Díaz is nearing the traditional peak age for a winger, but the likes of Mane and Salah have shown that players of that ilk can extend their top-level careers far beyond that. Part of that is becoming more multifunctional – and Díaz, from traditional, specialist winger to a marvellous all-rounder, looks to be doing that.

“The process and progression that I’ve been going through up to the present time is just incredible,” Díaz recently told Liverpool’s eMagazine, Walk On. “I’ve really learned a huge amount of things and I’m feeling that more and more all the time, not just in terms of my football but in my decision-making generally.”

While the headlines and jibes over replaying Tottenham vs. Liverpool go on, Díaz will already have his head down after having been denied a third goal in seven Premier League games.

But though it was ruled out, the manner and confidence of Díaz’s finish shows that he is a force to be reckoned with again.

(Images from IMAGO)

To keep up to date with everything Liverpool, make sure you click follow on the team profile in the FotMob app. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

MLS Matchday 36 Player Power Rankings

The games are coming thick and fast as Major League Soccer approaches the end of its regular season, and playoff places are secured.

There is an unlikely challenger for a post-season spot in the Eastern Conference, while Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami’s hopes of finishing above the playoff line took another blow in his absence.

The Matchday 36 Player Power rankings feature star performances at both ends of the field as there remains plenty to play for, whether that is home advantage in the playoffs or teams pushing to extend their seasons, scrambling to take those final post-season spots.

There is also a new leader at the top of the Golden Boot standings, while the league’s penalty-taking expert nets a rare goal from open play.

By James Nalton, MLS expert

Denis Bouanga 9.7 (Los Angeles FC)

LAFC’s star man returned to the top of the MLS goalscoring standings with a hat-trick in a 5-1 win against Minnesota United.

The visitors from Minnesota took a 1-0 lead early on in the game, but it didn’t last long.

Bouanga started the comeback with an instinctive, early finish when the ball fell to him in the center of the box.

His second was a well-taken left-footed volley from a Diego Palacios cross, and he completed a first-half hat-trick by firing in a right-footed effort at the near post after some great movement to create separation between himself and the defender.

On his day, Bouanga is the most dangerous attacker in the league, and this performance to propel himself to the top of the goalscoring charts gives LAFC hope it can defend its MLS Cup in the upcoming playoffs.

Karol Świderski 9.3 (Charlotte FC)

It was a tale of two penalties for Charlotte who remain within touching distance of a post-season spot.

For the first, Kamil Jóźwiak may have been going for the record number of unnecessary rolls on the turf as he won the penalty, confirmed by a VAR check, allowing his Polish compatriot Świderski to open the scoring.

The second penalty was a more straightforward decision and Świderski stepped up to take responsibility again, putting Charlotte in the driving seat.

The spot-kicks were a reward for a dominant performance in which the home side enjoyed 62% possession. If you have a lot of the ball in and around the area, there is always a chance of winning a penalty.

Świderski rounded off his individual display with a neat assist, stabbed into the box with the outside of his left boot for Brecht Dejaeghere to flick the ball inventively into the net at the near post.

Designated player Świderski was crowned — quite literally, as is the ritual in Charlotte — man of the match.

Gastón Giménez 8.9 (Chicago Fire)

A club-record crowd of 62,124 witnessed a continuation of Chicago Fire’s unlikely push for a playoff place as it put another dent in Inter Miami’s attempt at a post-season Messi miracle.

Many of those in attendance at Soldier Field will have no doubt come to catch a glimpse of Messi, but MLS’s big draw remained out through injury.

Chicagoans in attendance will not have been disappointed, though, as they witnessed a convincing win for the Fire.

Both Maren Haile-Selassie and Xherdan Shaqiri netted braces on the night, so to save picking between them, the player featuring in the Player Power rankings is midfielder Gastón Giménez.

The Paraguayan provided a platform for the Fire’s counter-attacking play, as despite only having 37% possession, the home side ran out 4-1 winners.

No other Fire player had more touches than the 32-year-old who also completed 2/2 dribbles, made 10 defensive actions, 13 recoveries, and had a pass success of 90%.

It was Giménez who set up Shaqiri’s second goal, too, winning the ball in midfield before playing a pass through for his teammate to seal the win.

“It was a very important game for us today,” Shaqiri said after the game.

“It’s beautiful to see Soldier Field full-packed for a soccer game and I hope they’re gonna come more and more because we showed today how good we are.

“The team spirit is here. Every game now is a final.”

Dániel Gazdag 8.7 (Philadelphia Union)

11 of Gazdag’s 14 goals this season have been from the penalty spot.

“We got a lot of penalties this year,” the Hungarian told the Philadelphia Inquirer last week.

“We are working a lot for them and I just try to score all of them, and I’m confident — that’s the most important thing.”

But in this game, Gazdag’s prowess from the spot (he has a 100% penalty-taking record for the Union) was not required.

He found himself in a great position in the Atlanta United box but was facing his own goal rather than the opposition’s as the ball fell in his direction.

The overhead kick was on and executed to perfection to put the Union 1-0 up.

Shortly after, Mikael Uhre made it 2-0 before Gazdag was involved again, setting up Julián Carranza to score just before halftime to make it 3-0.

Though Atlanta scored twice in the second half to make for a more nervous ending than it needed to be for the home side, the Union hung on for the win to give themselves a chance of a home tie in the first round of the playoffs.

Brad Stuver 8.7 (Austin FC)

Austin FC secured a vital win against DC United to remain within a chance of reaching a post-season spot in the Western Conference.

Though the Texas team won by an eye-catching three goals to nil, the man stopping the goals at the other end was a standout player.

Stuver made a total of eight saves and made 56 actions in total during the game, making him one of the home side’s most involved players.

He saved with his feet — an underrated part of a goalkeeper’s skillset — from one Benteke chance despite initially starting to dive in the opposite direction.

There were a few easier collections to come before he saved again from Benteke, this time with hands after being really well positioned at his near post after Austin gave the ball away.

His most outstanding save came from an Erik Hurtado shot in the second half, and shortly after this, Austin went up the other end to score their third.

Stuver remained well-positioned to make other, more routine saves and keep a clean sheet for his side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2023 MLS season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

Premier League Matchday 7 Team of the Week

It was an action-packed weekend in the Premier League and although VAR took front and centre, a number of players managed to catch the eye. Here’s a look at the Team of the Week for matchday seven.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Goalkeeper: José Sá

Wolves picked up a shock victory at home to champions Manchester City, ending the 100% start made by Pep Guardiola’s men in the English top-flight.

Sá was key to that, making a remarkable eight saves in the 2-1 win. The 30-year-old faced shots with an Expected Goals on Target value of 1.42 but conceded just once and that was a a stunning Julián Álvarez free-kick. His performance between the sticks earned him an 8.1 FotMob rating.

Right-Back: Kieran Trippier

Trippier is having a season. The Newcastle United right-back was once again the creative spark for the Magpies as they defeated Burnley 2-0 at St James’ Park. The 33-year-old claimed an assist, created five chances and completed 81% of his passes on the day. He was also fairly solid without the ball too, winning three of his four tackles and nine of his 12 duels as Eddie Howe’s men picked up another clean sheet.

Centre-Back: Cristian Romero

Romero’s showing against Liverpool went a little under the radar due to what happened with VAR but he definitely bounced back from the game last week against Arsenal. The Argentine scored an own goal and gave away a penalty against the Gunners but against the Reds he looked fairly composed and dominant. The 25-year-old completed 95% of the 99 passes he attempted, he won 100% of his tackles, made three interceptions and won 10 of his 13 duels.

Centre-Back: Joachim Andersen

The Crystal Palace centre-back was the match-winner for the Eagles as they picked up all three points against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Andersen scored the only goal of the game with one of his three efforts. He was a little loose in possession, finding a teammate just 65% of the time but he was trying to force passes. He did, however, make 10 clearances while also making six ball recoveries. The former Lyon defender won 100% of his aerial duels and 80% of his ground duels on his way to helping his side keep a clean sheet.

Left-Back: Alfie Doughty

Luton Town picked up their first win of the season on Saturday away to Everton. Doughty was the highest-ranked player of the match with a FotMob rating of 8.4. The 23-year-old had a game to remember. He claimed an assist and created an incredible six chances at Goodison Park. He also won 100% of his tackles, recovered the ball on four occasions, won 100% of his aerial duels and was dribbled past just once. It was an impressive showing by the versatile left-winger.

Midfield: Jarrod Bowen

Another game, another goal for Bowen. The 26-year-old now has five for the season and is just one shy of his tally for the entire 2022/23 Premier League campaign. The West Ham United winger scored the opener and had a total of six shots on the day. He finished with a pass success rate of 91% too while also completing 100% of his dribbles and creating one chance for the Hammers in what was another productive showing.

Midfield: Martin Ødegaard

The Arsenal skipper had a busy day against Bournemouth. He won a penalty, scored a penalty, assisted a goal and created three chances as the Gunners claimed a 3-0 win. Ødegaard finished with an Expected Goals involvement (xG + xA) of 1.17. He was only dispossessed on two occasions while completing 89% of his attempted passes in what was a standout creative showing.

Midfield: Bruno Guimarães

It was another dominant display from the Brazilian midfielder. Guimarães is a key cog in the Newcastle midfield and these sorts of performances are becoming the norm for the 25-year-old. The former Lyon man created five chances for the Magpies and bossed things defensively, winning four of his five tackles and nine of his 13 duels. He also recovered the ball on 12 occasions.

Forward: Bukayo Saka

Saka was again on the scoresheet for Arsenal, opening the scoring in the win over Bournemouth. The England international landed all of his efforts on target, completed 100% of his dribbles, recovered the ball on nine occasions, and involved himself in 11 duels. It was an all-action display from an attacker who is developing at a breakneck speed. He now has six goal involvements in seven starts.

Forward: Miguel Almirón

Almirón opened the scoring for the Magpies with his second goal of the season and he finished the game as the highest-rated Newcastle attacker with a FotMob score of 8.6. The 29-year-old also completed two of his three dribbles and won 88% of his duels to round out a complete performance from the versatile forward. His work rate without the ball makes him an important player in this Howe team and you can understand why he’s a regular for the Toon Army.

Forward: Ollie Watkins

Watkins was the star performer of the week. He ran the show for Aston Villa as they romped to a 6-1 win over Brighton at Villa Park. The 27-year-old scored a hat-trick and claimed an assist in a 9.8 FotMob-rated showing. In total, Watkins had six shots and assisted five efforts as Villa ran riot against the Seagulls. The former Brentford man now has four goals and three assists in the Premier League this term.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the Premier League live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

MLS Matchday 35 Player Power Rankings

FC Cincinnati confirmed its status as the best team in Major League Soccer in 2023, clinching the Supporters’ Shield trophy as the team with the best overall regular season record across both conferences.

Cincinnati has gone from being the worst team in the league for three consecutive seasons on joining MLS in 2019, to one just a year or so later where it was undoubtedly the best.

This has been proven by its Shield win and by its progress to the semi-final of the US Open Cup, where it was only defeated by an inspired Lionel Messi, having given Miami one of its toughest games of that mini Messi-run.

Cincinnati’s position in the league table brings with it Concacaf Champions Cup qualification for 2024 and home advantage in the upcoming playoffs.

Meanwhile, the rest of MLS is still scrambling for post-season positions, with the Western Conference being especially tight in this regard.

Only one team on that side of the league has secured its play-off place, and also its status as the best in the West.

It is to there we travel first for the Matchday 35 Player Power rankings.

By James Nalton, MLS expert

João Klauss 9.1 (St. Louis City)

While Eastern Conference side Cincinnati stormed to the Supporters Shield title, in the West, St. Louis City was doing something just as remarkable.

In its debut season, St. Louis has far exceeded expectations by finishing at the top of the Western Conference.

It was apt that confirmation of this position came complete with goals from the boot of Brazilian forward João Klauss.

It took until the 73rd minute for the deadlock to be broken in the game against Sporting KC. Samuel Adeniran opened the scoring and from there, the floodgates opened, with Jared Stroud adding a second shortly after.

Klauss scored a great volley at the far post from Eduard Löwen’s cross and then an equally impressive second, flicking Stroud’s pass in the air with one touch and volleying home with another.

The game finished 4-1 as Sporting KC scored a late consolation goal.

Klauss’s performances and goalscoring when fit make you wonder if St. Louis could have even challenged Cincinnati for the Supporters’ Shield had its star striker not missed a large chunk of the season through injury, although Samuel Adeniran has impressed too since coming into the side.

It was one of the most memorable debut MLS seasons.

Jonathan Osorio 9.0 (Toronto FC)

The Canadian midfielder turned into a goal poacher as Toronto tried to spoil FC Cincinnati’s party.

There hasn’t been much to shout about for Toronto this season, but it was good to see a club stalwart bag a couple of goals in a high-profile game, even if not high profile because of Toronto itself.

Osorio pounced on a couple of errors from Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano to bring the game to a 2-2 scoreline at one point.

It was a decent performance against the side now confirmed as the best in the league but Toronto, despite the signings of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi, has been disappointing in 2023, and hasn’t been able to turn the signing of star names into results on the field.

The Canadian side was one of the first to be confirmed as having no chance of qualifying for the playoffs, which is a real failure given that 18 of 29 clubs in MLS qualify for the post-season.

It also did nothing in the Canadian Championship, meaning 2023 is added to 2021 and 2022 on the list of recent seasons Toronto will want to forget.

Douglas Costa 9.1 (LA Galaxy)

Every now and again you get a reminder of how good the Brazilian winger could be in MLS.

Costa played a part in all three of LA Galaxy’s goals in a 3-3 draw at home to Portland Timbers.

He assisted the opening goal with a great delivery from a corner for Eriq Zavaleta to head home, before netting the second as the ball bounced to him fortuitously on the edge of the area. There was nothing fortuitous about his instinctive, left-footed finish.

It was, though, just his first goal of the season, which sums up some of the disappointment around the former Bayern and Juventus man since his arrival in MLS.

Costa then assisted a second for Zavaleta in a similar manner to the first, whipping in a free kick onto the head of his teammate to make it 3-2.

LA Galaxy couldn’t hang on to the win, but at least Costa put on the kind of show fans might have expected to see from him more often.

Ryan Gauld 8.9 (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Gauld and Brian White combined once again for Vancouver Whitecaps, though the Canadians from the West Coast will have been disappointed to only have drawn 2-2 with DC United.

Gauld’s assist for White was the sixth time the pair have combined in this manner in 2023, making it the most common assister-to-goalscorer combination in MLS this year.

It was a delicate dinked cross from Gauld to the far post, where White was on hand to leap above the DC defence and head home.

Gauld added another goal to his tally from the penalty spot, meaning the prolific Scot now has 11 goals and 11 assists this season.

Vancouver is part of a group of teams in a tight Western Conference table vying for not only playoff qualification but for home advantage in the best-of-three first round.

The Whitecaps could finish as high as second, but at the same time, no team below St. Louis City has mathematically confirmed a post-season spot yet.

Brandon Vazquez 8.6 and Luciano Acosta 8.5 (FC Cincinnati)

Vazquez hasn’t matched his goalscoring feats of 2022 when he burst onto the scene with 18 goals in 33 appearances, having shown signs of this with three goals at the end of the 2021 season.

But the American has still played an important role in this team’s success, and his two goals in the 3-2 win at Toronto put him close to double figures with eight.

Both goals showed a real striker’s instinct in the box, as he was on hand in the right place at the right time to capitalise on two opportunities.

This season there should be no doubt as to who the MLS MVP is. Luciano Acosta played a part in this Shield-securing win, just as he played a massive part in getting Cincinnati to be in a position to win in the first place.

His assist for Aaron Boupendza demonstrated his class and also showed promise that this partnership could give Cincinnati a real chance in the playoffs.

Head coach Pat Noonan and GM Chris Albright brought their experience gained at Philadelphia Union to create a similar atmosphere and environment for success in Cincinnati to produce this turnaround in the club’s fortunes.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2023 MLS season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Oct

2023

Premier League Matchday Seven Review

It was a weekend of controversy as multiple unbeaten starts to the Premier League campaign came to an end and there were a number of shock results. We’re going to do our best to round up the biggest talking points.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

A rampant Villa make a statement

Heading into this game, Aston Villa’s form had been patchy. Unai Emery’s men had lost to Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League and Everton in the Carabao Cup but sandwiched between those losses was a win away at Stamford Bridge.

Brighton made the trip to Villa Park having lost to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in mid-week. Roberto De Zerbi, once again, made sweeping changes to his starting XI and it really didn’t pay off.

Ollie Watkins scored twice in the opening 21 minutes before Pervis Estupiñán put the ball into the back of his own net five minutes later.

Ansu Fati reduced the deficit just after the half-time break before Watkins claimed his hat-trick. Jacob Ramsey added a fifth before Douglas Luiz scored Villa’s sixth. Watkins also claimed an assist (and a fantasy assist!) to complete a stunning performance. The win saw the hosts leapfrog the visitors in the table courtesy of goal difference.

A false dawn for Everton

The Toffees had won consecutive matches and it appeared their season was finally getting started.

They hosted an unfancied Luton Town team at Goodison Park but found themselves 2-0 down after 31 minutes. The away side scored two goals in the space of seven minutes to stun the home crowd with Tom Lockyer and Clayton Morris getting on the scoresheet.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored just before the break but Everton couldn’t find an equaliser despite having significantly more shots (23 to nine), creating six big chances to three and finishing with an Expected Goals total of 2.9. For context, Luton managed to create chances worth 0.89.

Rob Edwards’ side are now level on points with Everton and are outside of the relegation zone with a game in hand.

The Eagles get their revenge

Earlier in the week, Manchester United put in a dominant showing against Crystal Palace to knock the Eagles out of the Carabao Cup. Erik Ten Hag named a weakened XI for that game and the expectation was this stronger side would be even more dominant.

United did have more of the ball (77%) and more shots (19 to eight) but they lost 1-0 to a stunning Joachim Andersen volley. The centre-back put in a dominant showing at the back too, winning six of his seven duels.

Palace are now above United in the Premier League table. The Red Devils have lost four of their opening seven matches in the English top-flight.

Wolves show their teeth

As mentioned in the Weekend Preview, this should’ve been a formality for Manchester City. They were coming up against a struggling Wolves side and everyone just assumed the champions would extend their 100% start to the season.

Gary O’Neil’s side had other ideas and claimed a shock 2-1 win. Pedro Neto continued his fine form, forcing Ruben Dias into scoring an own goal after a powerful run down the City left.

Julián Álvarez, again, pulled something special out of the bag to get City level but the treble winners could only keep things level for eight minutes before Hee-Chan Hwang put the hosts back in front.

It was a real smash and grab sort of win, with Wolves managing just three shots all game, but they did limit City in a way that few teams have managed this season. Pep Guardiola’s side finished with an Expected Goals total of just 0.87. They’ve now lost two games on the bounce following the defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and their lead at the top of the table is down to a single point.

Madness at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium

Where to start here?

Spurs claimed a late win over Liverpool to extend their unbeaten run and climb up to second in the Premier League table. But they had a helping hand from VAR.

Darren England, the man in charge of VAR for this game, recommended Simon Hooper reexamine Curtis Jones’ challenge on Yves Bissouma. The Liverpool midfielder was initially booked but, after the official watched the incident back, he was shown a straight red card.

Luis Díaz thought he’d given the Reds the lead but the linesman flagged for offside. According to the reports after the game, those in the VAR room thought a goal had been given and checked whether it was correct. This caused confusion and the game was restarted with a free-kick for offside, much to the dismay of fans, pundits and journalists who could see the Liverpool winger was onside.

Heung-Min Son added to his tally of goals against the Reds with the opener before Cody Gakpo levelled things up before the halftime break.

Diogo Jota replaced the injured Dutch attacker but was sent off in the 69th minute following two quick bookings. The first of which was debatable.

Spurs eventually made the numbers count and a 96th minute Pedro Porro cross was fired into his own net by Joel Matip.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from the 2023/24 Premier League season live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Sep

2023

FIVE games to follow this weekend: Spurs vs. Liverpool, Boca vs. River, and more

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.

By Bill Biss

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool

Saturday features a heavy schedule of Premier League action with eight games on the slate. The last of those eight comes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and is, for many, the rightful headliner.

Spurs are unbeaten and sit fourth in the table, two points below Liverpool, who are second, and also unbeaten. Both have 15 goals to their name but Spurs have conceded more goals – two of which came in last weekend’s draw with Arsenal in the North London Derby.

In a bizarre sequence, Liverpool have won their last seven games in all competitions, scoring three goals in each of their last five, with the last four all ending in a 3-1 scoreline. And Liverpool fans needn’t worry too much should Spurs take the lead, Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Leicester City was the fifth time they’ve come back to win from a losing position already this season (although that trend of going behind might be worrying in itself).

And there should be no surprise really, that this fixture was selected for the prize TV game with the last meeting between the two being one of the most exciting games of last season. Back in April, at Anfield, the Reds were three goals up within 15 minutes. Spurs then came back, with Richarlison scoring an equaliser in the third minute of added time at the end of the 90 minutes. Liverpool weren’t done though, and went straight down the other end to make it 4-3 through Diogo Jota.

Here’s hoping for similar drama this weekend.

🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Sociedad vs. Athletic Club

It’s been hard to select just one game to highlight from Spain’s top flight but we’ve gone for the Basque Derby between fourth and sixth as in-form Athletic visit arch-rivals Real Sociedad.

We could equally have gone for Barcelona vs. Sevilla in the Friday night fixture, or the battle between unbeaten Girona and Real Madrid, which as it stands, are the top two in the table. That could change though, should Barça get back to winning ways this evening.

But let’s get back to the Derby in San Sebastian on Saturday night. Athletic Club come in the game unbeaten in six and with four clean sheets to their name – more than anyone else in the division. Their only defeat came against Real Madrid on the opening weekend and while they remain tight at the back, they are also scoring at a rate of 1.9 goals per game.

Despite having amassed two points less over their seven games, Real Sociedad can boast a very similar record – they too have 13 goals to their name, and their only defeat came to Real Madrid. We could be in for a very close contest here, fittingly for a derby that historically, has been finely balanced – Athletic having won 78 games to La Real’s 61, with 50 games drawn.

Real Sociedad do, of course, have the welcome distraction of the Champions League this season, with a trip to Salzburg coming up on Tuesday night.

🇩🇪 Bundesliga: RB Leipzig vs. Bayern München

Saturday sees this season’s second meeting between RB Leipzig and Bayern, with Leipzig having come out on top in the Super Cup, played back in August. 3-0 was the surprise scoreline that day, but that did back up Leipzig’s 3-1 win at the Allianz in May’s last league encounter between the two.

Those back-to-back wins mean that Leipzig are on their best ever run against the 11-time defending champions, and the Red Bull club have started well in the Bundesliga, recovering from a loss at Leverkusen to win their next four matches. In fact, they’ve won six games on the bounce in all competitions.

That includes Wednesday’s game in the DFB Pokal, a competition Bayern were also successful in during the week. The champions rotated their squad to face lower league side Preussen Münster but still came away with a 4-0 win to back up last weekend’s 7-0 thrashing of Bochum. That was a result that took them to the top of the table, above form side Leverkusen, the only team to take points off them so far.

Both sides are in Champions League action on Tuesday – Leipzig host Manchester City on Wednesday, while Bayern go to FC København on Tuesday.

🇮🇹 Serie A: Milan vs. Lazio

We last featured Milan in this column ahead of the demoralising 5-1 defeat to city rivals Inter, but the Rossoneri have bounced back since then, winning both of their Serie A fixtures and drawing with Newcastle United in the Champions League.

And should they beat Lazio at the San Siro on Saturday night, they’ll briefly go above Inter and in to top spot in the league (Inter kick off later the same evening).

Following last season’s finish as runners-up to runaway champions Napoli, Lazio have not started the new campaign in the same fashion, winning just twice so far. One of those did come in midweek though, a solid 2-0 victory at home to Torino. That lifted Maurizio Sarri’s side in to mid-table and perhaps signals a turn in fortunes.

On the same night, Milan were 3-1 victors at Cagliari with goals coming from new boy Noah Okafor, and Englishmen, Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Whatever happens in this one, a draw is an unlikely event – there hasn’t been one in 11 meetings dating back to 2019.

🇫🇷 Ligue 1: Nice vs. Brest

As in Spain, we’ve selected this game between the top two in Ligue 1, at the time of writing. With Stade Brestois’ trip to Nice not coming until Sunday, PSG will have had the chance to leapfrog one, or both of them, and so could Monaco, who play Marseille on Saturday night.

But let’s not diminish the achievements of any side that manages a better points haul than the biggest clubs in the league, at any stage in the season. Brest have lost only once, and dropped points in just one of their other five games to date, beating the likes of Lens, Reims, and Lyon along the way. For their part, Nice are one of only two unbeaten sides in the league (along with draw specialists Rennes). And they’ve managed to win away to PSG and at derby rivals Monaco in their last two games – arguably, the trickiest back-to-back fixtures they’ll face all season.

Which is all good news for 34-year-old Italian coach Francesco Farioli, who is new to his role, and is making waves for himself having only broken in to the game as a goalkeeper coach under Roberto De Zerbi at the end of the 2010s.

Plus two hidden gems from a little deeper in your match feed…

🇦🇷 Copa de la Liga Profesional: Boca Juniors vs. River Plate

As you’ll know if you’ve been following us on social media, this weekend is a bit of a special one in Argentina. The powers that be have scheduled all of the country’s craziest derbies for the same round of games, in fact, every game is a derby of sorts, but they don’t come any bigger than the Superclásico – Boca vs. River.

Perhaps the most passionate derby in the world, the Buenos Aires giants go head-to-head in a Sunday night headline slot, which, thanks to our friends at Fanatiz, you can watch from anywhere in the world. Just follow the link – here.

The timing of the game isn’t great for Boca, with it falling between the two legs of their semi-final against Brazilian side Palmeiras in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s most prestigious tournament (the first leg ended goalless on Thursday evening). In such circumstances, Argentine sides routinely send out rotated line-ups for their domestic games but Boca won’t have that option this time. They’ll need to be at their best to face a River who are unbeaten in their last three games in this Copa and were so dominant in winning the regular league campaign completed back in July.

The atmosphere at Boca’s La Bombonera should be unreal and we highly recommend tuning in if you can.

🇦🇷 Copa de la Liga Profesional: Rosario Central vs. Newell’s Old Boys

Ahead of the big one on Sunday night, Saturday sees the Rosario Derby, a battle that is not as well known, but is arguably even fiercer than Boca vs. River. So much so, even the recent meeting between the reserve sides of the two clubs was postponed just minutes before kick-off when Rosario refused to play, accusing Newell’s of letting fans in to the stadium at a fixture that was supposedly set to be behind closed doors.

And if you’ve seen the video of Newell’s fans giving their side the traditional pre-Derby send off at training on Thursday night, you’ll know they’re a passionate bunch.

Recent matches between the two Rosario teams have favoured Central, with Newell’s winning just two of the last 18 games covered on FotMob, but with both sides coming in to the game out of form and winless in three, this one is in the balance.

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.

Or join us on Twitter, Threads, Facebook and Instagram to discuss all the important football going on this weekend!

Cover Image from IMAGO

Sep

2023

Premier League Matchday Seven Preview

The Carabao Cup took centre stage during mid-week but focus is now entirely back on the Premier League. There are a number of intriguing match-ups this weekend and an upset or two could be on the cards. Here’s your weekend preview.

By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert

Momentum matters

Both Aston Villa and Brighton have had a strange couple of weeks.

Villa lost in the Europa Conference League to Legia Warsaw before beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to climb up to sixth in the table. However, they were then knocked out of the Carabao Cup at home to Everton, losing 2-1.

Brighton suffered defeat against AEK Athens at home in the Europa League before bouncing back in the Premier League to beat Bournemouth to rise to third spot in the English top-flight having taken 15 points from a possible 18. Roberto De Zerbi named a fairly strong XI for their trip to Stamford Bridge in the Carabao Cup but his side lost 1-0.

The Villans now host the Seagulls in the early kick-off on Saturday with both hoping they can get back to winning ways.

De Zerbi’s side are the top scorers in the Premier League with 18 while only the bottom five teams have conceded more goals than Unai Emery’s men (10). Interestingly, though, only five teams have a higher goals tally than Villa. This has the potential to be a game that neutrals will not want to miss.

Into the Wolves den

Manchester City’s winning start to the 2023/24 campaign came to an end this week when they lost 1-0 to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup. They travel to Wolves this weekend looking to keep the only 100% record in the Premier League alive.

The hosts aren’t in great form. They could only manage a draw against Luton Town last weekend and then Ipswich Town knocked them out of the Carabao Cup in mid-week, coming back from 2-0 down to defeat Gary O’Neil’s men 3-2.

On paper, this should be a banker for the champions. Wolves, on average, are conceding two goals per game this season in the English top-flight while underperforming in attack having managed just six goals from an Expected Goals total of eight.

But stranger things have happened. City are still without the suspended Rodri and they have an away trip to RB Leipzig in the Champions League coming up. If ever there’s a moment for Wolves to cause an upset, it might be right now.

The season starts now for Everton

The Toffees had a disappointing start to the campaign but registered their first win of the season last weekend against Brentford. They then followed that up with a victory over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and they have the perfect opportunity to make it three wins on the spin this weekend as they welcome a struggling Luton Town to Goodison Park.

It is quite simple, really. A win lifts them away from a relegation battle. A defeat drags them right back into it. Sean Dyche’s side will be confident of picking up all three points following impressive displays in their last two outings.

The Merseysiders had massively underperformed in attack, creating chances worth 9.5 Expected Goals but scoring just five goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has two in two though and his return to form could see the Toffees turn opportunities into goals. Luton are conceding, on average, over two goals per game this season and Rob Edwards’ side are struggling defensively.

It could be the perfect storm for the hosts.

A big test for Liverpool

The Reds make the trip to London this weekend to take on an in-form Tottenham Hotspur side. It is easily the toughest match of the season so far for Jürgen Klopp’s side as it pits two teams with unbeaten records against one another.

Just two points separate these teams and they’ve both scored 15 goals in their six outings. Liverpool have conceded fewer goals (five to seven) but it has to be said that Spurs have had the tougher fixtures having already faced Arsenal and Manchester United.

The game sees two of the best playmakers this season come face to face in James Maddison and Mohamed Salah. The pair have assisted four goals each in their six appearances. It also sees two in-form strikers facing off. Heung-Min Son has five goals in the Premier League already while Darwin Nunez has three goals and an assist in 221 minutes.

Spurs are due a win over Liverpool. They have just one victory over the Reds in the last 20 meetings and that arrived in 2017. Klopp has masterminded nine wins in the 12 games since.

Monday night mayhem

The final match of matchday seven sees Chelsea travel to near-neighbours Fulham. The Blues got back to winning ways in the Carabao Cup this week, beating Brighton 1-0 to progress. Fulham were also victorious, beating Norwich City 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

It was an important win for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as it ended their winless run. They will now be looking to build on this and while victory at Craven Cottage wouldn’t necessarily be a statement one, it could be vital in the grand scheme of things. The Blues face Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester City, Brighton and Manchester United in what is a nightmare run of fixtures over the coming weeks and they desperately need points of the board and confidence in the bank.

A win here could do wonders for the Blues. Fulham will be looking to extend their unbeaten run against Chelsea to three. All three points at home could see them climb into the top half of the table, too.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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