Preview

Oct

2024

Preview: Germany vs. Netherlands, two of Europe’s oldest rivals meet in Munich

One of international football’s more enduring grudge matches turns another chapter on Monday evening when Germany face the Netherlands in the Nations League.

By Ian King

The match will also mark the passing of a Dutch football legend; Johan Neeskens, the midfielder who starred in their team in the World Cup final in both 1974 and 1978, died earlier last week at 73 years of age.

The two sides met just a month ago at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam and played out an entertaining if inconclusive 2-2 draw. With three games now played Germany lead the group following Friday’s Deniz Undav-inspired win in Bosnia, while the Netherlands sit second after securing a late draw against Hungary following the sending off of captain Virgil van Dijk.

Germany remain in something of a state of flux. Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller all retired following their quarter-final Euros loss to Spain in the summer. These four players had 451 caps between them, and that’s a lot of experience to lose. The upside to this is that it’s the sort of environment in which head coach Julian Nagelsmann has thrived before.

Furthermore, injuries to further key players including Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Niclas Füllkrug, leave their squad looking a little threadbare. The upshot of all of this is that 21 year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz is their fifth most-experienced current player, and he has just 25 caps. Of their entire midfield and attack, only Wirtz, Serge Gnabry, Robert Andrich and Pascal Groß have more than ten, and only two have more than twenty.

A combination of van Dijk’s suspension for this match, and the enforced absence of Manchester City defender Nathan Aké, who was carried off with a hamstring injury during the corresponding match last month, will be the main pre-match concern in the Dutch camp. Memphis Depay is left out of the squad by Ronald Koeman again, following his transfer to the Brazilian club Corinthians last month. Frenkie de Jong is, as ever, still recovering from his latest injury and will not be risked for the national team just yet.

Although it won’t be the first match for either side since his passing, the memory of Johann Neeskens will hang heavy over the evening. Half a century ago this year, he was in the Netherlands team that took West Germany all the way in the 1974 World Cup final. This rivalry will surely be set aside to commemorate the passing of such an important and influential player. It is to be hoped that the players can come up with an appropriate tribute to him on the pitch, as well.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: England look to bounce back in Helsinki

After Thursday’s shock defeat to Greece at Wembley, it’s fair to say that the honeymoon period has ended for Lee Carsley, and although a first loss as interim England manager does not end his tenure, it may cast doubts on whether the former-Everton midfielder earns the role on a permanent basis.

By Dan Tracey

Carsley‘s tactical gamble was certainly a bold decision ahead of Thursday’s encounter, and with the question of who should play as England’s No. 10 being a hot topic over the summer, Carsley’s answer was to crowbar all of the potential candidates into the starting eleven against Greece.

It was a gamble that spectacularly backfired at Wembley and something that is unlikely to be repeated on Sunday when the Three Lions move on to Helsinki to face Finland – a team that that has already beaten by England in this current Nations League cycle.

That was the night where Harry Kane celebrated his 100^th international cap by scoring a second-half brace and after not being risked on Thursday, the Bayern Munich talisman will be itching to help his country return to winning ways.

Especially as only top spot in this four team mini-league secures automatic promotion to League A and following defeat in midweek, England find themselves three points off the pace now set by the 2004 European Champions.

A scenario that suggests that nothing less than a win will do in Finland and especially against a side that is yet to open their current Nations League account.

Things did look promising against Ireland on Thursday when Joel Pohjanpalo put Markku Kanerva’s men ahead in the first half. However Liam Scales would restore parity after the break and Robbie Brady would secure Ireland’s first win under new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson with just seconds of the game remaining.

A poor finish by the Finnish but with England’s lions currently wounded, Sunday’s hosts will now look to cause further anguish and it will be interesting to see if manager Kanerva unlocks the shackles that were on display at Wembley last month.

*Key stats, England vs. Finland, Sep 2024 (England represented by the lighter blue)*

Before Kane found his shooting boots after the interval, Finland’s resolve was rather robust in the first 45 minutes and if they can create the same levels of early frustration with a home support behind them, it may offer further impetus to attack their superstar opponents.

There’s no doubt that England will go into the game as favourites, but they had the same status against Greece a few days prior and if they fail to end the week on the high, the FA may have to re-think their plans as they continue the search for Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Lee Carsley looks to continue his 100% start as England take on Greece

Lee Carsley will be aiming to make it three wins from three games as interim boss of England, boosting his own credentials to perhaps take the job on full time.

By Karl Matchett

In truth, Nations League results perhaps won’t be the barometer by which the FA decide who their permanent successor to Gareth Southgate is, but certainly Carsley can’t be doing his chances any harm if he clocks up further wins and clean sheets.

A first squad which saw several surprise names called up has been replicated this time around, so chances for the likes of Rico Lewis, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke could again be on the table after strong starts to their respective domestic campaigns. While another big talking point is the return of striker Dominic Solanke to the fold, seven years after his sole cap to-date, it will likely be the familiar faces who determine England’s fate against the Greeks – themselves top of Group B2 with six points as well, but a superior goal difference to the Three Lions.

Despite scoring one fewer, the numbers from fixtures against Ireland and Finland back England in this case: seven big chances, 4.3 xG across two games and 8.5 shots on target per game are top across the board in Nations League B groups…as might be expected, given they were relegated from the top tier in the previous edition.

The same questions remain for Carsley as would have been in place for anyone else after Euro 2024, with a couple of games never likely to yield the sole possible answers: where should Trent Alexander-Arnold play? What is the best midfield combination possible? And how many of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer should get in the starting lineup?

Quite aside from where they’ve performed this year, Carsley’s suggestion that at least two of that quartet can play from left-back is likely to be one experiment which is left aside, for now at least.

While there’s familiarity with some of the names in the Greek squad from playing in the Premier League, the truth is that there are too few elite-end performers in the Hellenic side to pose serious questions to England’s finest across 90 minutes. But in some respects, the best way to ensure focus and performance levels is to play those not assured of their place, thereby potentially levelling the quality level somewhat – and letting the Nations League remain a learning curve for squad and interim boss alike.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Man United face Sunday showdown at Villa Park

Following last weekend’s debacle against Tottenham Hotspur and their comedy of errors on Porto on Thursday night, Manchester United travel to the West Midlands for another testing match, this time away to in-form Aston Villa.

By Ian King

Manager Erik Ten Hag was clinging on to his job by his fingernails following United’s 3-0 home reversal last Sunday and their scrambled draw in Portugal. Those nails are looking increasingly shredded.

There are few more challenging places that he could be visiting this weekend than Villa Park. Aston Villa have only been beaten once in six Premier League games so far this season, and that was at home against Arsenal in August. They’ve also kick-started their return to the Champions League after an absence of 42 years with two wins, 3-0 in Bern against Young Boys, and 1-0 against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, a match won by a late goal scored by this season’s wunderkind Jhón Duran, who’s also scored four goals in their six Premier League matches so far.

If there is a glimmer of light for United fans to focus upon, it’s probably Villa’s defensive record. Their two Champions League clean sheets are the only ones they’ve kept all season. They’ve conceded in each of their League matches so far, as well as in a 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup. Last weekend at Ipswich, a second half Liam Delap goal cost them two points which would have put them second in the table and level on points with leaders Liverpool. Instead, they go into this weekend in fifth.

The head-to-head form book favours United. Since Villa’s return to the Premier League in 2019, they’ve only beaten them twice, and United have won each of the last four meetings between the two clubs. But Villa will surely arrive for this game riding the crest of a wave following their Bayern win, so how on earth does the United manager turn around a team whose performances last week were as bad as anything they’ve managed previously under him?

But Aston Villa will arrive at this match fresh off the back of their best European result in more than 40 years, while Manchester United will arrive their usual bag of melodramatic nerves. The Manchester United manager may need a win to keep his job, but needing one isn’t enough on its own, and Thursday night offered little consolation to fans.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Barcelona look to put last weekend behind them as they travel to Alaves

Life under Hansi Flick continues to go from strength to strength for Barcelona after an emphatic 5-0 victory over BSC Young Boys in midweek UEFA Champions League action made it seven wins from their opening ten competitive outings to start their 2024-25 season.

By Nathan Evans

That latest result also did a lot to limit the damage from a 4-2 defeat to Osasuna the weekend prior, a loss that ended Barca’s winning start in the league on matchday seven, though they still sit top of the pile and three points ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid (Madrid can close that gap when they play Saturday evening).

The German manager will be absolutely desperate to go again in the league as a result of that setback and as they travel to face Alavés in the Basque Country, history will be on their side.

There’s plenty of reasons to suggest that anyway, not least the fact that Barca are unbeaten across their last seven league visits to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz. With six of those coming as wins, the mood will be buoyant in the away changing room and that’s before you mention the fact that the Catalan giants have additionally lost just two of their last 21 league clashes with Alavés home and away.

What’s crucial to mention is that much of Barcelona’s success so far this campaign has been due to their rich vein of goalscoring, netting 25 times across their seven league fixtures combined, the most of any side across Europe’s top five leagues to this point. That return also represents the club’s best start in terms of goalscoring in LaLiga since 2016/17, a fantastic feat given the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suárez, and Neymar who formed the basis of that team.

But whatever that team could do, this new Barca side will look to replicate, headlined by 17-year-old Lamine Yamal who seemingly continues his stunning form each matchday. Through eight appearances in LaLiga in 2024/25, he’s returned four goals and five assists and given that opponents Alavés have conceded 12 goals across their first eight games, it’d take a brave person to bet against him adding to that tally even more here.

In fairness, maybe the Basque hosts will give their opposition a much tougher go of it this time around, owing to their return of ten points to date which is representative of their best Spanish top-flight start to a campaign for a number of years. But as they’ve lost three of their last four league outings, Luis García’s outfit could find it very tough to cause any kind of upset this weekend.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Chelsea look to extend their winning run against resilient Forest

Chelsea will host Nottingham Forest on Sunday at Stamford Bridge as they look to continue their impressive start, against a side who have shown they are difficult to beat this season.

By Matt Smith

Enzo Maresca has somewhat transformed this Chelsea team so far and helped them become an attacking force in the Premier League. The Blues are currently averaging 2.5 goals per game, more than any other side in the division.

Chelsea find themselves sitting in fourth place in the table, just two points off Liverpool in first. Maresca’s men are unbeaten in their last five fixtures after losing on the opening day to Manchester City.

Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer’s productivity in the final third has been a key factor in their early success this campaign. The Chelsea duo have provided a combined 17 goals and assists between them, with Maresca’s possession-based style helping them create plenty of opportunities.

The improved form of Moises Caicedo, who initially struggled to adapt at Stamford Bridge when signing from Brighton, has helped from a defensive and ball progression perspective. Winning 7.7 duels per 90 minutes and keeping them ticking over in the middle of the park, the Ecuadorian international has been a revelation under Maresca.

*Caicedo defensive stats per 90, Premier League 2024/25*

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have also enjoyed a strong start to the campaign after battling near the bottom of the Premier League table last season. Forest currently sit in tenth position and have only lost once so far this term.

Conceding just 0.8 goals per game, with only Liverpool managing less, Forest have become a defensive force and have made themselves incredibly difficult to beat. The defensive partnership of Murillo and Nikola Milenković has been one the best in the division, making 10 clearances per 90 between them.

Only Manchester City and Liverpool have conceded fewer expected goals in the league this season. Although Nuno will be hoping to see more from his team in an attacking sense, Forest have shown vast improvement defensively and are setting up to sit deep and hit teams in transition.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Spurs take their five game winning run to Brighton

Five consecutive games for Tottenham in all competitions, five goals for Brennan Johnson and although the Welsh international recently deactivated his social media accounts in rather acrimonious circumstances, it may just prove to be the best thing he could have done for himself.

By Dan Tracey

Blocking out the digital noise, simply focusing on what matters on the field of play and with those five goals in five games also making sure of a quintet of successive wins for the North London outfit, there are reasons to be cheerful if you are a Spurs fan at the moment.

Especially after the way Spurs bulldozed past Manchester United last Sunday and although you can only beat what is put in front of you, Ange Postecoglou’s side did that, and arguably should have done it by a greater margin.

Considering Spurs’ previous form at Old Trafford, perhaps that’s a little greedy, but regardless of that, the three points that shot them up the table should be considered the most important takeaway.

This Sunday, Tottenham are on their Premier League travels for the second weekend in a row and this time it is Brighton who play the role of hosts – a Brighton side still tormented by the mauling dished out to them by Cole Palmer last weekend.

The England international scored four goals in the first 45 minutes of the Seagulls’ trip to Stamford Bridge and were it not for the woodwork or the assistant referee’s flag, Palmer’s personal goal haul could have been even greater.

That 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Blues was Brighton’s first league defeat under new boss Fabian Hürzeler and with his high-line tactics being pulled in every possible direction by Chelsea, those same high-line tactics will be placed under scrutiny back at the Amex.

The visit of Spurs will be a test of Hürzeler’s tactical ideals and how he wants his Brighton team to play. Does he stay true to his principles or does he alter them after one poor showing in the Premier League?

Tactical inflexibility is often used as a stick to beat managers with – a stick that counterpart Ange Postecoglou has felt only recently, but after sticking to his guns, it seems as if his methods are now starting to pay dividends.

Whether that continues on the South Coast remains to be seen but with both teams preferring to squeeze the space that their opponents can operate in, this could be one of the most interesting tactical clashes of the season so far.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Arsenal face Southampton and former goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates

Arsenal and Southampton are targeting very different things this season. While the Gunners are looking to make the final step in their development to become Premier League champions, the Saints are merely aiming to stay in the division.

By Graham Ruthven

Saturday’s match at the Emirates Stadium will provide a stark contrast between the two teams.

Mikel Arteta’s side come into the game on the back of an impressive 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League which saw Arsenal hold the French giants at arm’s length. Indeed, PSG accumulated an Expected Goals (xG) of just 0.4 on Wednesday as the Gunners once again flexed their defensive muscle.

Russell Martin will set up Southampton to control possession at the Emirates Stadium. Only Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton are averaging a higher share of possession in the Premier League this season than the Saints who have attempted to replicate the approach that won them promotion from the Championship in the top flight.

The Gunners might be quite content for Southampton to have possession if it means they have more open space to attack into. PSG had 65% of possession on Tuesday, but it was Arsenal who posed the greater attacking threat and the likes of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka will once again be dangerous this weekend.

While Arsenal left it late to claim three points against Leicester City last weekend, the numbers suggest a winning goal was always likely to materialise. Indeed, Arsenal had 4.6 in xG, 35 shots in total and nine Big Chances against the Foxes and it’s possible Southampton could face the same sort of attacking firepower.

Martin Ødegaard is still sidelined through injury with Jurrien Timber and Ben White carrying knocks. After an injury scare against Leicester, Riccardo Calafiori shone against PSG and is expected to keep his place at left back. Further forward, Leandro Trossard has forced his way into the attacking lineup.

Southampton will be without Jack Stephens for the trip to North London after the defender was sent off against Manchester United last weekend, but will otherwise have a close-to-full squad to pick from. Even with everyone available, though, Southampton lack cutting edge having scored fewer goals (three) than any other team in the Premier League.

Aaron Ramsdale will return to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since leaving Arsenal in the summer transfer window and the goalkeeper could be in for a difficult afternoon. The Gunners have scored two or more goals in 19 of their last 24 league games and are on a run of three straight wins in all competitions. There’s a good chance that streak will continue against Southampton.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Arne Slot tests his record breaking start at winless Palace

When Oliver Glasner took charge of Crystal Palace on 19 February 2024, they were 16th in the Premier League table, five points above the drop, and had won just twice in the previous three months. As for Liverpool, they occupied the top spot, sitting one point above Manchester City and two above Arsenal.

By Zach Lowy

It didn’t take long for Glasner to breathe new life into a prosaic Palace side and reverse their fortunes: they claimed 24 points from their next 13 matches en route to a 10th-place finish, scoring 29 goals and conceding 14, and equaled their highest-ever Premier League points tally (49). After bouncing around from Patrick Vieira to Roy Hodgson in recent years, it seemed Palace had finally found the manager to guide them to the next level and challenge for European football.

In contrast, Liverpool wilted under the pressure of delivering a quadruple in Jürgen Klopp’s farewell season, finishing a distant third after dropping points in five of their last eight matches. Arne Slot was entrusted with replacing Klopp, and so far, he’s done a flawless job. Apart from a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest after the international break, Liverpool have not only won each of their eight matches under Slot, but scored 2+ goals in each game.

Liverpool managed to eke out an ugly 2-1 victory at Wolves last weekend – their sole win without a margin of victory of at least two goals – before beating Bologna 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League. The Reds climbed to first place after City’s recent 1-1 draw to Newcastle and boast a one-point advantage over City and Arsenal as well as a two-point lead ahead of Chelsea and Aston Villa, and the odds are in their favor as they look to continue their winning streak at Crystal Palace.

Whilst Liverpool have enjoyed a complete 180 in their form, Palace have also produced a volte-face. They have struggled to recover from losing two key figures in Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen and occupy the relegation zone after taking three points from their first six matches. Glasner is quickly going from hero to zero at Selhurst Park, and the pressure is mounting on him to arrest their slide and avoid an early dismissal. However, masterminding another win against Liverpool may just be too tall of a task for the Austrian to handle.

The last time Liverpool visited Palace, the hosts took the lead before falling to 10 men – Mohamed Salah equalized immediately whilst Harvey Elliott completed the comeback in the 90th minute. Salah has registered 11 goal contributions in his first nine matches – two coming on Wednesday vs. Bologna – and there’s reason to believe he can exploit Palace’s leaky defense and lead Liverpool to yet another victory.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Second meets third as Madrid face Villarreal in LaLiga

Will the Yellow Submarine sink the reigning champions into a crisis ahead of the international break?

By Filip Mishov

The European giants’ 36-match undefeated run in all competitions ended at Lille in midweek, but Los Blancos are still one of the only two unbeaten clubs in LaLiga alongside their city rivals – Atlético, and Carlo Ancelotti‘s squad has not experienced defeat in Spain’s top-tier since September 2023. With that being said, it is fair to say that Real Madrid have not been displaying the most scintillating football this season, unlike their arch-rivals from Barcelona, behind whom they trail by three points in the standings.

Another tricky challenge is on the horizon for Madrid’s superstar attacking trident – Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappé, who are still finding their feet as they have not yet fully clicked together. The Frenchman missed the local derby against Los Rojiblancos due to a hamstring injury last week, but came off the bench at Stade Pierre-Mauroy and now, Mbappé is expected to return to the starting XI.

Villarreal are coming at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on the back of a couple of wins in LaLiga and the Marcelino Garcia-led squad boasts an impressive record against Madrid as of late, with two hard-earned wins, one of which was in the corresponding fixture last year, one draw, and only two defeats over their last five meetings in league and cup. Not many teams could brag about such a record and goals are almost guaranteed as their matches average a little over five (5.2) goals per game over that period, with their most recent meeting a high-scoring 4-4 draw at Estadio de la Cerámica last season.

Real Madrid possess the second-best defence in LaLiga this season with only six goals conceded, but that was before Thibaut Courtois suffered an injury to the abductor in his left leg and the Belgian goalkeeper will miss this match, with Andriy Lunin taking his place. The Whites’ defence will be severely tested by Villarreal’s frontline and especially by Ayoze Pérez, who is the second-best to Robert Lewandowski, with six goals scored in LaLiga (the Pole has seven). But the Spanish international can boast a superior goals per 90 ratio (1.31), when compared to Lewandowski (0.97).

The former Newcastle and Leicester forward left Real Betis over the summer to join Villarreal and the 31-year-old started the season on the front foot, leading the Yellow Submarine to third place in the standings at the moment, with only one point separating them from Los Blancos ahead of Saturday’s clash.

Although the in-form forward missed his team’s win against Las Palmas last week due to muscle discomfort, Marcelino hopes to welcome him back for their trip to Madrid, especially with Gerard Moreno currently out.

Furthermore, Villareal’s attack is on par with Real Madrid as they both have scored 17 league goals so far with only Barça having more (25) and even if Pérez misses out, they still have the league’s leading assist maker best assist maker in Álex Baena (5).

With so much at stake and the possibility of Villarreal leapfrogging Madrid in the table, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad will need to display a much-improved performance if they are to get back to winning ways, with Pérez & co. ready to pounce and make the most of any given opportunity at the Bernabéu.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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