Preview

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)

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

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)

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

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.

Oct

2024

Preview: Can Fulham’s under-the-radar form continue at Manchester City?

The search for success without Rodri continues for Manchester City as they host Fulham in the Premier League ahead of the international break, with Pep Guardiola knowing he can ill-afford to fall behind in the race at the top of the table.

By Karl Matchett

City are just a point and a place off Liverpool following back-to-back domestic draws, but three draws in five across all competitions perhaps suggests they’re not in peak mode right now.

A midweek jaunt to Slovakia presented no problems for City as they picked up a 4-0 win, with Guardiola able to rotate a few names and rest a few faces ahead of the more pivotal weekend clash.

Fulham will be no pushovers either, judging by their own early season form. The Cottagers have quietly gone about their campaign and are sixth, one defeat from the opening six this year, even if some of the numbers behind their form suggest that might be slightly generous. They are 11th for xG, tenth for big chances, 14th for possession won in the final third. It’s fair to say Marco Silva’s side are maximising their opportunities – with the exception of striker Rodrigo Muniz, who ranks seventh in the league for shots per 90 (4.2) but is yet to find the back of the net.

And Manchester City certainly possess someone who can do that, of course. Erling Haaland is in absurd scoring form, ten to his name in the league from an xG of 6.3. More problematically for the visitors to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, there’s not really evidence to suggest they can keep him at bay.

Fulham have kept just one clean sheet so far, despite restricting opponents to a combined xG of 6.6 this term – the sixth lowest in the Premier League so far. Even so, conceding once a game to the rest of the league can so easily translate to conceding two to Haaland alone.

If Silva’s side show resilience to stop chances being created, the match can become a tense affair of seeing whether City can break down a defence without Rodri providing his powerful and penetrative brand of passing and movement. But allow Haaland in early on – and he already has six goals before the 20-minute mark in matches this term – and trying to keep pace with City can quickly become a slog that few enjoy, over 90 minutes as well as over an entire season.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Oct

2024

Preview: FC Porto vs. Manchester United

After the nadir that was Sunday’s defeat to Tottenham in the Premier League, Manchester United will look to pick themselves up before their trip to Porto and the resumption of Europa League action on Thursday.

By Dan Tracey

The Red Devils arrive in Portugal still under the stewardship of manager Erik ten Hag and although the club’s board have gone on record to say the Dutchman’s future is safe in the short term, the same commitments have not been made past the international break.

The upcoming October pause in action could end up being the perfect time for United to change the current man in charge – that is of course if United’s next two performances against Porto and Aston Villa (at the weekend) are far from perfect.

Then again, if ten Hag can oversee victory in one of the two pre-break fixtures, in either Portugal or the West Midlands, it will buy the former Ajax boss time before the next crisis envelopes the Old Trafford outfit.

The ‘crisis’ in its current form accelerated after losing 3-0 to Tottenham on Sunday but was ignited after an indifferent performance in the opening Europa League matchday of the newly expanded format.

A 1-1 draw at home to FC Twente was far from meeting the expectations that would have been set by manager and supporters alike, and although United dominated metrics such as total shots and possession, they did not dominate the one metric that truly matters the most.

That point against Twente was still a point more than Thursday’s hosts managed from their own opening European exploits of the new season.

Vitor Bruno’s men went up against Bodø/Glimt and even though the Aspmyra Stadion outfit were reduced to 10 men after Isak Maatta’s sending off early in the second half, Porto’s Norwegian opponents were already well on their way to victory.

2-1 down with the numerical advantage on the field of play, soon became 3-1 to Glimt after Jens Petter Hauge’s second of the game and even though Deniz Gul’s injury time goal reduced Porto’s deficit to create a potential grandstand finish, that would be the last goalmouth action.

Now though, the team that currently finds themselves sitting second in the Liga Portugal cannot afford to be second best on Thursday but by the same token, defeat is the last thing that Erik ten Hag and his United cohorts need right now.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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