Preview

Sep

2024

Preview: Newcastle United vs. Manchester City

The true impact of Rodri’s knee ligament injury will be clearer after Saturday. Manchester City will travel to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United without the Spanish midfielder who went down in last week’s thrilling draw against Arsenal and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

By Graham Ruthven

City have already proven their ability to cope without Rodri this season. Indeed, the 28-year-old’s start against Arsenal was his first of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign with Mateo Kovačić and Rico Lewis instead used as a deep-lying pairing in wins over Chelsea, Ipswich Town, West Ham, and Brentford.

Last season, though, Manchester City lost three straight games that Rodri missed through injury, highlighting the importance of the Spanish international to the defending Premier League champions. Pep Guardiola will have to find a way to reconstruct his midfield. City’s entire season could depend on it.

While City are unbeaten in their last 28 league matches, Newcastle come into Saturday’s game on the back of a disappointing defeat to Fulham. The Magpies had their mid-week Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon postponed and so have had extra time to prepare for the visit of the Premier League champions.

Harvey Barnes has been in excellent goalscoring form for Newcastle, notching in each of his last three games. Alexander Isak, on the other hand, has scored just one goal in five league matches and needs to improve his productivity in front of goal to come anywhere close to the tally of 21 goals he registered last term.

Erling Haaland is experiencing no such issues in front of goal having scored 10 times in just five league games. The Norwegian striker has reached new heights in the early part of the season and has been aided by the summer addition of Savinho who is doing a lot to stretch opposition defences on the right side and open up space in the attacking third. Newcastle will have to keep things tight at the back.

Kevin de Bruyne is a doubt to feature at St James’ Park after missing last weekend’s match against Arsenal while Nathan Aké and Oscar Bobb are also sidelined through injury. Newcastle, meanwhile, will be without Sven Botman and Callum Wilson, although neither player has featured for them this season anyway.

*Newcastle home and away points breakdown, 2023/24*

St James’ Park is one of the toughest away venues in the Premier League. Only Liverpool, City and Arsenal had a stronger home record than Newcastle last season while Eddie Howe’s team have won both of their matches in front of their own supporters this term. City will have to work hard to leave the North East with three points.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Wolves vs. Liverpool

On Saturday evening, Liverpool travel to Molineux to face Wolves. At a glance, it might not seem like a pivotal game for the Reds in the grand scheme of things but this could shape the season for Arne Slot and his team.

By Sam McGuire

This is the sort of match that should be a routine win for Liverpool, especially when you consider the fact the Reds have an incredible record against their opponents having won eight of their last 10.

Wolves are bottom of the table, they’re winless in their opening five matches and they have just a single point to their name.

Gary O’Neil’s side have conceded 14 goals, the joint-highest in the Premier League. They haven’t been awful defensively, giving up chances worth 7.2 Expected Goals, but they’ve been a victim of poor goalkeeping and unbelievable finishing. Wolves have struggled going forward too, missing seven of their 10 Big Chances.

It is the worst possible combination. Unlucky in defence and poor in attack. This combination is likely why they have the lowest FotMob rating in the Premier League this season with 6.42.

There have been no home comforts for Wolves this term. They have played two at Molineux, lost two and conceded eight goals. Last season wasn’t much better in front of their home fans. They won eight of their 19 games at home and picked up 27 points. It was enough to place them 15th in the home form table.

By comparison, the Reds have won four matches and they’ve conceded just one goal. It should be a formality for the 2019/20 Premier League champions. They have a 100% record away from home in all competitions this term and had the third best away record last season. They travel well.

Liverpool have an xG Conceded total of just 3.9 across their five games and have racked up an impressive four clean sheets. They have the second-highest xG (10.1) and are joint-highest for Big Chances with 21. Defensively, they are resilient. Going forward, they are ruthless.

The star of the show for Liverpool has been Luis Díaz. The forward, who was linked with moves to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during the summer, has five goals to his name in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (10) has found the back of the net with greater regularity.

The Reds are firing and if it clicks for Slot and his players, Wolves could be ravaged on Saturday evening.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Chelsea are enjoying a much better start to the 2024/25 Premier League season than many fans and pundits were predicting.

By Nathan Evans

After signing another fairly hefty list of talent over the summer transfer window, many were looking at the task at hand for new manager Enzo Maresca as one likely to be too complicated, but to his credit, he’s guided his team to a return of ten points from a possible 15.

Last time out London rivals West Ham were the victims, as the Blues easily brushed the Hammers aside in an impressive 3-1 showing on the road. That made it three wins from three away from home for Maresca as he became just the eighth new manager in Premier League history to achieve that feat, and the first since Pep Guardiola with Manchester City in 2016.

As such, Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge in fine spirits and with plenty of confidence after also putting five past League Two Barrow in the Carabao Cup during the week. In Brighton, though, they can expect much stiffer opposition. And that’s despite the fact that the Blues won both their meetings with the South Coast club last season.

If that’s not enough, Chelsea have now also won eight of their last ten Premier League matches in a run dating back to last season, and in Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson they possess two of the competition’s most in-form players. Against the Hammers, the pair combined for yet another goal, making it ten since the start of 2023/24 in which they’ve assisted one another, the most of any duo in England’s top-flight over that period.

Of course, visitiors Brighton will still prove to be very tough to break down, especially as they remain unbeaten themselves across their opening five matchdays of this new season. A 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest was the latest result in that streak and although they would have wanted more from that match, they remain a considerable threat to any side in this division under new manager Fabian Hürzeler.

There’s also history to made for the Seagulls here as they look to remain unbeaten across their opening six matches of a Premier League season for the first time. The player most likely to aid that is Danny Welbeck, who netted his 70^th goal in the top flight last weekend and his first ever from a direct free kick. With three goals across his last four league outings against Chelsea too, the hosts will have to be aware of his presence throughout this matchup.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Barcelona vs. Getafe

Although many Barcelona fans will have been hoping for their side to make a quick start to this latest season in LaLiga, not many will have been expecting them to remain perfect through their opening six matches.

By Nathan Evans

Villarreal were their latest victims over the weekend as the Catalan giants ran out very comfortable 5-1 winners. It was another match in which young star Lamine Yamal stole the headlines and that’s even in spite of the sad news that starting goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a serious injury that will keep him out of action for a lengthy period. This time the acclaim was mostly for Yamal’s exemplary assist, bending a 40-yard pass around the last defender with the outside of his foot to take his tally to three goals and five assists across his six league appearances.

To this point, the 17-year-old has been one of the big winners since Hansi Flick took over the managerial role, but he’s not the only one. The German manager has also worked wonders with Robert Lewandowski, a player who’s race many feared had been run towards the back end of last season, but who is now once again sitting pretty as the Spanish top-flight’s top scorer with six goals from six.

That tally has in turn helped Barca to net a league-leading 22 goals so far, six more than any other side, as they look to reclaim the Spanish top-flight title from fierce rivals Real Madrid.

Next up it’s another Madrid side on the menu for Barcelona, as Getafe make the long trip north-east to face the early pace setters and in truth, they could hardly arrive more ill-prepared for the task at hand.

That’s due to the fact that after their opening six matches this campaign, the visitors remain winless, with a 1-1 home draw against Leganés last time out further heaping the pressure on manager José ‘Pepe’ Bordalás. A return of four draws and two losses has additionally fuelled plenty of relegation talk, especially as that poor early season form has left them with just one win in their last 15 outings in LaLiga.

To say that’s likely to continue here would be an understatement, all things considered, especially as on top of that, Getafe hold a terrible recent head-to-head record against Barcelona. That’s because they’ve taken just one victory from their last 25 meetings with the Catalan giants, across all competitions, and with this exact fixture ending in a 4-0 defeat last season, there seems to be little hope for the away side on this latest visit to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

(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.

Sep

2024

Preview: Manchester United vs. FC Twente

Manchester United kick off their Europa League campaign by hosting FC Twente, whose men’s team have qualified for a continental competition proper for the first time in over a decade.

By Neel Shelat

The Red Devils will have to be wary of the Dutch side’s attacking threat if they are to enjoy a good start to their European campaign.

Ten Hag reunited with his boyhood club

Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has not enjoyed the smoothest of starts to the season, so he will hope that his boyhood club does not add to his miseries. Born and brought up in the Twente region, he started and ended his playing career with the club. Of course, he has continued to follow them closely as a fan and therefore was not too pleased with the draw, saying, “I would have preferred to play against someone else, it’s not nice to have to hurt something you love.”

He will have to put emotions aside for 90 minutes at least, and he will have a lot to think about for the match. Besides coming up with a plan to limit Twente’s threat, the 54-year-old Dutchman will have to make a lot of decisions in his quest to balance squad rotation with consistently high performance levels. The outcome of such an attempt was not perfect on the weekend as Manchester United could only manage a goalless draw against Crystal Palace, so it will be interesting to see what changes he makes.

Twente pack an attacking punch

FC Twente have been one of the Eredivisie’s most consistent overperformers in recent years. Having last won promotion as recently as 2019, they have done quite well to finish in the top five in each of the last three seasons. Add to that their attack-minded style of play – first under Ron Jans and now Joseph Oosting – and it becomes easy to see why they are quite well-liked by neutrals.

The Reds have already built up some nice momentum with back-to-back wins against Heerenveen and Almere City in the last week, contributing to the second-highest aggregate xG tally in the league in the process.

Having already scored seven goals in eight matches this season, attacking midfielder Sem Steijn will likely their most threatening player at Old Trafford. The team’s direct play with the ball and ability to make the most of transitions after turnovers should see them test Manchester United’s defence in various ways.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Deportivo Alaves

A full season has passed since Real Madrid last lost in LaLiga.

By Graham Ruthven

Indeed, Los Blancos are currently on an unbeaten run of 38 league matches yet find themselves chasing early pace-setters Barcelona at the top of the table. Carlo Ancelotti’s team can’t allow their rivals to build any more of an advantage.

Four points is the difference between Barca and Real Madrid after six games. The defending champions could close that gap to just one point by beating Alavés on Tuesday with Barca not playing Getafe until Wednesday. That, coupled with Real Madrid’s performance against Espanyol on Saturday would suggest they are building momentum.

Espanyol took the lead at the Santiago Bernabéu, but Real Madrid’s response to ultimately win 4-1 was emphatic. It was arguably their best all-round performance of the season so far with Kylian Mbappé more involved and dangerous than at any other point of his fledgling Real Madrid career.

Mbappé had 63 touches of the ball against Espanyol which was his highest tally to date as a Real Madrid player. He also had nine shots (six of which were on target) and registered seven key passes. He was an all-round threat. This was the sort of performance Real Madrid envisaged the Frenchman would produce on a regular basis when they signed him.

Alavés will arrive at the Bernabéu in confident mood having won three of their last four league fixtures. Manager Luis García could stick with the lineup that beat Sevilla 2-1 on Friday with right winger Carlos Vicente a player who could pose a threat to the home team – the 25-year-old has scored two goals in his last three games.

Los Blancos have won their last five matches against Alavés, a run that includes a 5-0 thumping in last season’s corresponding fixture. Real Madrid will almost certainly control possession on Tuesday night with Alaves ranking second-last for average possession share among LaLiga’s 20 teams this season.

Jude Bellingham’s return to fitness has given Real Madrid another dimension through the centre of the pitch while Arda Güler has made the most of recent opportunities. Vinícius started on the bench against Espanyol, but could be rotated back into the lineup to face Alavés. Dani Carvajal, however, is an injury doubt for the match. Nonetheless, this is another opportunity for Real Madrid to prove they are finally finding their groove.

(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.

Sep

2024

Preview: Inter vs. Milan

The first big clash of title hopefuls for the 2024/25 Serie A season takes place with the Milan derby on Sunday night, with both Inter and AC having shared similarities, but also wild contrasts, from their midweek buildup.

By Karl Matchett

Shared stadium aside, reigning champions Inter are the ‘home’ team – and it’s hard to argue against absolutely everything being in their favour.

While Inter have started out the year with two wins, two draws and a very credible stalemate at Manchester City in the Champions League, for the Rossoneri it has been rather different. Their only win from four in the top flight came last week against the league’s bottom side, Venezia, and in midweek it was merely ten minutes of optimism before a chastening rest of the match as they were soundly beaten 3-1 by Liverpool after initially taking the lead.

Already there are dissenting voices around the club aimed at new head coach Paulo Fonseca, with some Italian outlets reporting if he doesn’t win the derby he’ll be out of a job. Igor Tudor, Edin Terzic and Thomas Tuchel are among those who have been linked, meaning a quick upturn in fortunes is required for Fonseca’s AC side.

Four league matches isn’t much to take in terms of data, but they are third in the league for possession and shots on target, second for corners and expected goals, first for penalties awarded and touches in the box. All of that points to attacking cohesion and creation of chances – yet at the other end of the pitch it’s a different story.

Six conceded could be dismissed as a false start if the numbers didn’t show they were leaking chances, but their xG conceded stands at 5.0, middle of the league, and the defeat at Parma highlighted an issue: four big chances allowed to a team which had 39% possession. While Parma’s total xG was lower than Milan’s own, much of Fonseca’s side’s chances came from set plays.

They are wide open, were soundly beaten by set pieces against Liverpool too and come into the derby with a fine front four, but massive concerns over the back five and midfield protection – plus goalkeeper Mike Maignan went off injured.

Inter have no such concerns. While not perfectly purring, they’ve created 14 big chances, they’ve conceded three goals. They are third for xG conceded and fourth for xG. There is balance, there is quiet expectation and there is a settled side – and above all else, in Simone Inzaghi, a head coach comfortable in his job.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Sep

2024

Preview: Manchester City vs. Arsenal

It might be too early for a title decider, but Sunday’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal could have a big bearing on the outcome of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

By Graham Ruthven

Having gone head-to-head for the title in each of the last two seasons, the two rivals could produce a memorable spectacle at the Etihad Stadium.

*Final Premier League standings, 2023/24*

However, the absence of Martin Ødegaard through injury could impact the dynamic of the game as it did Arsenal’s goalless draw against Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday. The Gunners don’t have another player who can create like the Norwegian can and so Mikel Arteta might have no choice but to set his team to be more conservative.

Of course, this is something Arsenal did at the Etihad Stadium last season when they held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw. Ultimately, though, that result contributed to Arsenal losing the title race by just two points. An away win over the defending champions would electrify the Gunners’ entire season and grow belief they can go the full distance this time.

City also enter Sunday’s match on the back of a goalless draw in the Champions League, but Pep Guardiola’s team have the highest Expected Goals (xG) per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season (9.3) with Erling Haaland currently on a run of nine goals in his last four league appearances.

Haaland and co. will pose the biggest threat to Arsenal’s defence this season, but if any centre back pairing can handle the Norwegian striker, it’s likely Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. The Gunners have conceded just once in four league games this season and that defensive resolution is largely due to the partnership of Gabriel and Saliba, although David Raya’s outstanding recent form has been a factor too.

Set pieces will be a key battleground on Sunday. No team has scored more Premier League goals from set pieces since the start of last season than Arsenal (22) and so with Ødegaard missing, this could be how the visitors to the Etihad Stadium pose a threat to the Manchester City goal. That is how they claimed three points against Spurs last weekend.

For two teams with so much attacking talent, Sunday’s clash could be a cagey affair. Arsenal will probably set up to limit City, like they did in the same fixture last season, while the importance of the match might also lead to a more cautionary approach from the hosts. Nonetheless, this has the potential to be a defining match in the 2024/24 campaign.

(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.

Sep

2024

Preview: Villarreal vs. Barcelona

The good news for Barcelona? They don’t have to face Monaco for at least another five months. The bad news? They’ve got to travel to one of the hottest teams in Spain and face a Villarreal side that is making an early push for a top-four finish.

By Zach Lowy

After losing 3-0 to Monaco in the 59th edition of the preseason Joan Gamper Trophy, Barcelona began the Hansi Flick era with three consecutive 2-1 victories before obliterating Real Valladolid 7-0 and demolishing Girona 4-1.

With 17 goals, Barcelona boast the best attack in LaLiga (four above second-placed Celta de Vigo) and sit four points clear of Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Villarreal. They have done so amid a mounting injury crisis that has seen key players like Ronald Araújo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi suffer long-term absences, with Dani Olmo becoming the latest victim. Olmo was Barcelona’s sole summer arrival (€55m) apart from the €2.7m capture of Pau Víctor from Girona, and after scoring in each of his first three matches for Barça, he looks set to miss the next month with a hamstring problem.

Like Girona, Barcelona also lost to a French side in the UEFA Champions League, falling to 10 men early on and succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco, and they will be looking to bounce back on Sunday as they travel to a Villarreal side that is the sole unbeaten team outside of LaLiga’s Big Three. Villarreal held Atleti to a 2-2 draw on the opening day before beating Sevilla 2-1 thanks to a 95th-minute winner from Ayoze Pérez and escaping with a 4-3 victory against Celta via Dani Parejo’s 100th-minute goal from the penalty spot.

Despite losing key players like goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen and top scorer Alexander Sørloth, the Yellow Submarine are going full steam ahead under Marcelino, and one of the biggest reasons has been the clutch form of Ayoze Pérez. After making his first appearance for Spain and winning the Euros, Pérez left Real Betis for Villarreal for €4 million, and it hasn’t taken long for him to make an impact at El Madrigal. Having relinquished an early lead at Mallorca, Villarreal were struggling to make the most of their man advantage and looked headed for a draw until the 94th minute, when Yeremy Pino rewarded Pérez’s near post run with a teasing cross. Pérez made no mistake from close range, finding the back of the net for the third time in four matches. If Villarreal are to put an end to Barcelona’s perfect domestic form, expect Pérez to have a big role to play.

(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.

Sep

2024

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol

Although they remain unbeaten after the first five rounds of the 2024/25 season in LaLiga, it’s fair to say that Real Madrid fans would have been hoping for, and probably even expecting, more than the 11 points they’ve amassed so far.

By Nathan Evans

Is that unfair to say? Perhaps, but after adding Kylian Mbappé to their ranks over the summer from PSG, many would have been expecting Carlo Ancelotti’s side to have made the perfect domestic start, especially with their opening list of fixtures.

That’s not been the case though, and with disappointing draws on the road against Las Palmas and Mallorca, this Real team has already been exposed, on occasion. As such, they already sit four points behind fierce rivals Barcelona.

Granted, there are explanations for that, mainly in the fact that star midfield Jude Bellingham has missed most of the action through injury. But even after recording successive 2-0 wins over Real Betis and Real Sociedad in LaLiga over the last week or so, again, the Galaticos struggled for large parts of their eventual 3-1 victory at home to Stuttgart in midweek UEFA Champions League action.

What will likely serve as a welcome additional boost is the arrival of Espanyol for this next league fixture. That’s mostly due to the fact that Real have lost just two of their last 29 league fixtures against the side from Catalonia, winning 23 of those matches in the process, whilst on home soil they’ve not lost to this opposition since all the way back to April 1996.

That said, the visitors arrive here after making their own solid start to the new campaign following promotion from Spain’s second tier last season. An even record of two wins, two losses and one draw to date means that they enter this latest matchday sat safely in midtable and if they can achieve that feat come the end of this term, it will have been a very good showing from Espanyol.

Last time out in the capital at the end of August, Manolo González’s side put together a fantastic and spirited showing to claim an important point against Atlético (0-0) and if they can produce similar here, a three-point haul for Real will be much tougher to acquire than many will be predicting.

Expect the away side to sit deep in their very rigid 4-4-2 shape throughout and counter attack when they get the chance. That’s proved to be a worthy game plan for Espanyol so far and with players like Javi Puado – who hit his second senior hat-trick last time out at the expense of Alavés – finding form recently, they remain relatively well-placed to potentially cause a huge upset in this one.

(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.