Preview

Jan

2025

Preview: Spurs take on Swedish side Elfsborg in the Europa

There’s been an element of “Stop, stop, he’s already dead” to media coverage of Spurs of late, but can they confound their critics against Sweden’s seventh-best team in the Europa League?

By Ian King

Form…the dreaded question

Still the torment continues for Spurs. Another home match against mediocre opposition. Another half-time lead. Another full-time defeat. Another round of soul-searching. Daniel Levy has said that Spurs are sticking with Ange Postecoglou, but for how much longer can the club bear this strain? They’re eight points above the relegation places at the moment and seem unable to beat anyone.

IK Elfsborg have no league form. Because they’re a Swedish club, they play a summer league in the Allsvenskan, so their domestic season doesn’t start until the end of March. Last season they finished 7th, with European qualification having been determined by them having been runners-up to Malmö back in 2023.

But they’ve been in this competition since the First Qualifying Round on the 11th July, and with nine wins in it so far, they’ve won more games in this year’s Europa League than Spurs have in this year’s Premier League. They’re in 20th place in the 36-team mega-group and they’ve already beaten Roma, Nice and Qarabağ in the group stages.

History

These two clubs have never met before, and Elfsborg have never faced English opposition in Europe before. Spurs have only played one Swedish team in Europe themselves, and under pretty ignominious circumstances; a 2-1 ‘home’ defeat to Östers IF in a 1995 Intertoto Cup match played at the now defunct Goldstone Ground in Brighton.

Key players

Mikey Moore is clearly a player to watch, but he hasn’t quite yet shown his full potential in the Spurs first team and may be hoping to give people something to remember should he start.

For Elfsborg, keep an eye on Niklas Hult, who’s 34 and has played in France, Germany and Greece, as well as having made eight appearances for the Sweden national team.

Team News

James Maddison missed the weekend’s match against his former club with injury, and Dominic Solanke will also be absent. Otherwise, the current Spurs injury news remains “more or less all of them”. With their domestic season having ended more than two months ago, Elfsborg are expected to be at full strength, though they did lose their top goalscorer Michael Baidoo to Plymouth Argyle earlier this month.

Prediction

Spurs’ win in Hoffenheim last week was a sign that their season isn’t quite over and they only need a win against modest opposition to get automatic qualification to the next round without a pesky playoff match in between. They should win this comfortably, but then again Everton and Leicester were both modest opposition and we all know what happened there.

But Elfsborg had an average domestic league season in 2024 and their progress through the group stage has been somewhat stop-start. They should go through regardless of the result on Thursday, and even a patched-up Spurs side should be good enough to ease through 2-0 against them… shouldn’t they?

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Europa League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings, and a new super-intuitive knockout stage bracket. Download the free app here.

Jan

2025

Preview: Man United need something from their trip to Romanian giants FCSB

Bucharest isn’t as cold as it usually is this year, shout out global warming, so Man United have no real excuses as they travel to Romania in search of at least a point from their final Europa League league phase game against FCSB on Thursday.

By Alex Roberts

It took a late Bruno Fernandes goal to secure an edgy 2-1 win over Scottish side Rangers in United’s previous fixture, a side who beat FCSB 4-0 earlier in the campaign. Sitting four places below United in eighth, it’s fair to say they’re punching above their weight.

A draw would likely see Rúben Amorim’s side avoid a potentially tricky two-legged play-off fixture, but a win would guarantee it. The last thing the Premier League side need right now is another spanner thrown in the works.

They have a history

For many, the name FCSB won’t ring any bells, but Steaua Bucharest should. The 1985-86 European Cup winners are, arguably, Romania’s biggest club, and the only side in the proud nation’s history to win a major European trophy.

They changed their name to FCSB back in 2017 after being sued by the Romanian army, who believed they were the rightful owners of the name, badge, colours, and trophies the club had won.

Led by Ilias Charalampous, they’ve earned some impressive results in Europe this season, notably beating FC Midtjylland, LASK, RFS, and Qarabağ ahead of their game against the Premier League giants.

A potential solution to one of many problems

Amorim has struggled at United, his side simply doesn’t have the necessary balance required for his 3-4-3 system, and one of the most obvious areas in need of improvement in central midfield.

Modern day Ebenezer Scrooge, Sir Jim Ratcliffe appears reluctant to put his hands in his overflowing pockets, instead preferring to increase ticket prices and inflict further misery on the hard-working people of Manchester.

The manager has scoured the youth ranks in hope of finding someone to help fill their midfield gap, and he’s found Toby Collyer. The youngster was fantasic in his full debut against Rangers, winning ¾ ground duels, making eight recoveries, and having a 94% pass accuracy rate. Perhaps the kids are alright after all.

The return of a familiar, and terrifying face

Former Tottenham centre-back Vlad Chiricheș could be in line to make his first appearance against Man United for the first time since leaving Spurs for Napoli back in 2015.

Back at his boyhood club, the big 35-year-old centre-back may not be playing for much longer, and will no doubt want one of the biggest scalps in European football under his belt before that day finally comes.

He had a fairly good record against them while in North London, winning one, and drawing two of his three games against the 20-time Champions. Now, he’s in a weaker side, but according to Amorim, this is the worst United team in history. Who knows what might happen.

Bereft of confidence

Rasmus Højlund is straight up not having a good time at United this season, but he has found some solace in the Europa league. Five of his seven goals this season have come against European opposition.

Goalless in his last 11 appearances across all competitions, the Danish forward is in dire need of a one, with many of the Old Trafford failthful losing faith in the youngster they originally thought was ready to compete with Erling Haaland.

Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t been any better, and much like Højlund, is unlikely to find top form any time soon. Progress in the Europa League, and qualification for the Champions League would be crucial if United want to improve their forward line.

Prediction

Like many of United’s games this season, we reckon this is going to be a lot closer than it should be. FCSB will take the lead, then United will score three goals in the last 20 minutes, and thus guarantee themselves that guaranteed last 16 berth.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Jan

2025

Preview: Real Madrid can finally afford to rest against Brest

Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign has not been the smoothest so far, but they are safely through to the knockouts ahead of the final round of league phase matches. In a busy period of fixtures for home side, they could well look to rotate against Stade Brestois.

By Neel Shelat

Both sides bound for playoff round

Brest and Real Madrid will start the day in 13th and 16th place respectively, with enough points to be sure of a place within the top 24 at worst. However, both also have an outside shot at breaking into the top eight.

Even if Brest pull off an unlikely victory, they will need a few other results to go their way if they are to make up the five positions they need in the 36-team table. They should not be too bothered about where they finish because merely qualifying for the knockouts in their debut UEFA Champions League campaign has to be considered a resounding success. Furthermore, with sides like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battling to just sneak into the top 24, a higher table position will not necessarily guarantee a favourable knockout draw.

Real Madrid will need to win big and hope that at least four other results go precisely their way if they are to skip the playoff round, so they will most likely have to prepare for a couple more games in mid-February.

Brest’s left back injury crisis

A lot has been made of the long-term injuries that a couple of Real Madrid’s key defenders are currently recovering from, but Brest are in an even worse position. They will be without four defenders and a more defensive-minded midfielder for this game.

Young left back Bradley Locko is the biggest miss, although he has been out with an Achilles tendon injury since the start of the season. French duo Jonas Martin and Julien Le Cardinal have accompanied him on the treatment table for the last couple of months, but the recent injuries to left backs Massadio Haïdara and Jordan Amavi have dealt the biggest blows to the squad.

Les Pirates have been forced to alternate between teenage defender Luck Zogbe and experienced winger Mathias Pereria-Lage on the left of their back four in recent matches, so it certainly is a potential weakness in their side.

A chance for Real Madrid’s backups to impress

Besides Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão, Real Madrid will be without the suspended Vinícius Júnior and injured Eduardo Camavinga for this match. Given the unlikelihood of a top-eight finish regardless of their result, Los Blancos might be best advised to rest some of their stars for this match.

Jude Bellingham, for one, certainly deserves a rest having started every single one of his side’s league and Champions League matches since September. The likes of Arda Güler, Endrick and Brahim Díaz will be raring to go if given a start, especially with the knowledge that they can get at the left side of Brest’s defence.

Prediction

Anything is possible in a relatively low-stakes encounter, but as ever, Real Madrid’s quality certainly makes them strong favourites.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Champions League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings, and a new super-intuitive knockout stage bracket. Download the free app here.

Jan

2025

Preview: Qualification is on the line for Man City and Club Brugge

Pep Guardiola and co may not be In Bruges but they do play them in the Champions League on Wednesday, knowing they may not see the knock-out rounds of Europe’s elite competition for the first time since the Spaniard coach joined the club.

By Alex Roberts

City’s 4-2 capitulation against PSG in their previous fixture was somewhat offset by a 3-1 Premier League win over Chelsea over the weekend but the cracks were still visible, and they’ll have to work hard to get the better of Club Brugge.

The Belgian club currently sit 20th, five places above City in the new-look league phase table, and have claimed a Premier League scalp already, beating Aston Villa 1-0 back in early November 2024.

A rocky start for Abdukodir Khusanov

The Uzbek centre-back wasn’t at his best on his debut. A clear miscommunication between himself and Ederson allowed for Chelsea to open the scoring after just three minutes through Noni Madueke.

Khusanov allowed the ball to bounce while under immense pressure from Nicolas Jackson, heading it back to his ‘keeper but it was too light, and the striker latched on to it before laying it off to Madueke.

Guardiola admitted it was a baptism of fire for the 20-year-old having hooked him off in the 54^th minute, but a relatively low-pressure game against Club Brugge might be the perfect opportunity to ease him in a little.

Struggled in the Prem, thriving in Belgium

When Norwich signed Greek winger Christos Tzolis from PAOK in 2021, they thought they were picking up one of Europe’s hottest prospects, and for good reason, he was tearing it up back in his home country.

Unfortunately for everyone involved it didn’t work out, and he was eventually sold to Fortuna Dusseldorf, where he scored 24 goals and provided eight assists in his 37 games across all competitions.

Now at Club Brugge, and still only 22-years-old, he’s continued his fine form, bagging 19 goal contributions in his 33 games so far. Tzolis’ confidence is brimming, City should be wary.

An unexpected Kyle Walker replacement

Kyle Walker is gone, joining AC Milan on loan for the rest of the season, having spent seven-and-a-half years at City, winning 19 trophies in the process and establishing himself as arguably the best right-back in Premier League history. With apologies to Gary Neville.

Although he hadn’t exactly set the world alight for City this season, he will be missed, and Guardiola needs to work out how to fill his void. Matheus Nunes has stepped up for their last three games and done a pretty good job.

Against Chelsea he was one of their stand-out performers, providing the assist for Joško Gvardiol’s equaliser, winning 100% of his tackles, and making eight defensive actions. He may not be there forever, but he’s doing well in the meantime.

Hans Vanaken rolling back the years

In footballing terms, if you’re 32, you’re essentially on life support. OK, that might be a little harsh, but in a world where 17-year-old’s can become one of the best in the world – we’re looking at you Lamine Yamal – Vanaken is an elder statesman.

He earned the player of the match award in their 0-0 draw with Juventus, a side who beat Man City 2-0 earlier in the season, in Brugge’s previous Champions League game.

It was a fairly dull contest, but the attacking midfielder shined, creating one chance, having 2/3 successful dribbles, and made seven passes into the final third. Considering City aren’t the best defensively at the moment, he’s another they need to keep an eye on.

Prediction

However shocking it would be to see City get knocked out of the Champions League so soon, it really is unlikely to happen. Against Club Brugge, at the Etihad, we’re going to go with a 4-0 win for the home side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Jan

2025

Preview: Barcelona face an Atalanta side hunting for points

Champions League top spot is just about still up for grabs for Barcelona after their wild comeback win at Benfica last time out, but for Hansi Flick the bigger picture is about a return to form in the new year as he chases major titles.

By Karl Matchett

Bounceback for Barca

After a fine first third of the new campaign, Barca were looking strong at the top of LaLiga, flying well enough in Europe and picking up notable results along the way – such as the demolishing of Real Madrid. Fast forward to mid-November and the wheels started to come off, though. A nine-game run in all competitions yielded three wins and, in the relentless nature of elite domestic competition, that’s enough to see you fall off the pace these days.

Post-Christmas, though, Flick’s side have won the Supercopa, won another Clásico, rediscovered their scoring touch and plundered 12 goals in their last two games, including smashing seven past Valencia.

Flick doesn’t need his side to finish top of the initial Champions League phase to show how they’ll be a danger in the knockouts, and the boss has noted winning LaLiga remains the priority. But he also won’t want to give up momentum again and that means possible trouble for Atalanta, who themselves need a result to guarantee a top-eight finish.

The Serie A side are seventh, one point above the dotted line – but 14 points probably won’t be enough to see them avoid the playoffs. It’ll take an almighty effort for them to win this game…but with three wins from three on the road, they do actually have the best away record in the Champions League this term (along with Liverpool.)

Recent form

After going from late September to late December with just a single defeat to Real Madrid against them, Atalanta then recently went five without a win. That unhelpful spell has been ended by two straight victories, but Barcelona is a different test to Sturm Graz and Como. They may well see a draw as a great result on the night but a disappointing outcome overall, if the likes of Aston Villa and Feyenoord or Lille find a win of their own.

Barcelona have won six and drawn one of their last seven in all competitions, scoring an amazing 29 goals in that time. They have hit five or more in four of their last five games.

Team news

Dani Olmo has joined the treatment table which already had Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Iñigo Martínez on it. Ademola Lookman – star of last season’s Europa League triumph, Odilon Koussounou and Gianluca Scamacca are all missing in action for the visitors.

Key player

Not to put too much expectation on Barcelona scoring a hatful more if they rotate their team too much, but Atalanta’s back line needs to be on point. Berat Djimsiti has been their main man: the do-everything defender tops their stats for tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks per 90 this season.

Prediction

Barcelona to wrap up their campaign with another high-scoring game – which will probably see Atalanta just miss out on the top eight: Barcelona 3-2 Atalanta.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Jan

2025

Preview: Arsenal travel to Girona looking to secure direct path to the R16

Girona will host Arsenal in the Champions League at the Estadi Motilivi in a game that means very little to one side and plenty to the other. The Spanish outfit have already succumbed to an early exit, while the Gunners could secure their place in the next round.

By Matt Smith

This will be the first time the two sides have met in their history, with it being the first season Girona have ever competed in the Champions League. The Gunners are currently sitting in third place in the table and need just one point to ensure their place in the final 16.

Tottenham loanee will miss out

Girona coach Michel will be without tricky attacker Bryan Gil for the clash with Arsenal after the Tottenham loanee picked up his third yellow card of the competition, meaning he will serve a one-game ban.

Paulo Gazzaniga and Daley Blind both suffered injuries against Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga last time out, so they might not be available for this one.

Girona’s lack of pressing won’t suit Arsenal

Arsenal have struggled at times this season against sides who sit deep and look to absorb the pressure. Girona have set up just like that in their debut Champions League appearance, rarely pressing high up the pitch and allowing opposition teams to play.

*Girona sit 36/36 in terms of possession won in the final third*

In fact, no side in the competition has won possession in the final third than Girona, doing so just 2.4 times per game. In possession, Girona will look to keep the ball, but without it, they could frustrate an Arsenal side who will be desperate to secure the three points.

Arteta will be sweating on Ødegaard readiness

Martin Ødegaard missed Arsenal’s trip to Wolves last time out, alongside Mikel Merino. The duo had been involved in recent weeks, but were unexpectedly absent from their previous match in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta will be hoping they’ve shaken off their troubles and will be available to face Girona.

Long-term absentees Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka will all be unavailable for the Gunners as they continue their recovery from injury.

Havertz flying high in Europe

Despite some inconsistent form in the Premier League, Kai Havertz has been prolific in front of goal in the Champions League. The German international has scored four times overall, finding the back of the net in three consecutive games.

With Jesus out injured at the moment, there is plenty of pressure on the shoulders of Havertz. The Gunners are yet to sign a new centre-forward in the January transfer window, so it’s an opportunity for the former Bayer Leverkusen man to prove that he’s the man to lead the line for Arteta for the rest of the campaign.

Prediction

Arsenal should have too much quality for Girona. Arteta’s side are playing for qualification, while it’s a meaningless game for Girona due to the Spanish side already being eliminated.

We’re going for a 2-0 victory to the Premier League giants.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Jan

2025

Preview: Liverpool visit PSV looking to complete unbeaten League Phase

PSV and Liverpool have already secured their place in the Champions League knockout rounds, but both teams are aiming to finish their league phase on a high note.

By Graham Ruthven

Mission accomplished

On a night that promises chaos across 18 simultaneous matches to conclude the league phase of this season’s Champions League, this game doesn’t have so much riding on it.

Liverpool arrive in Eindhoven at the top of the 32-team table having won seven out of seven so far while PSV have already secured their place in the knockout rounds. For both teams, the hard work has already been done.

Nonetheless, Wednesday’s encounter at the Philips Stadium promises to be an entertaining one between two sides that like to attack – both teams are the current top scorers in their respective domestic leagues.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool are widely considered the strongest team in English, and European, football right now, but the former Feyenoord boss has won just one of his previous seven matches against PSV.

Of course, this will have little bearing now that Slot is at the helm of a different team, but Liverpool will have to improve on a stodgy performance in their last Champions League outing against Lille.

While a top eight finish might be beyond PSV, a positive result in their final league phase fixture could see them secure a seeded position for the first round of the knockouts.

Key players

Ricardo Pepi is PSV’s top scorer this season and increased his tally to 11 goals by finding the back of the net in the weekend win over NAC Breda.

However, Pepi is likely to start on the bench with Luuk de Jong favoured as Peter Bosz’s first-choice number nine. Johan Bakayoko and Noa Lang will also provide goal threat from the wide areas.

*PSV’s top goalscorers, Eredivisie 2024/25*

Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman will have their work cut out to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm in central midfield. Indeed, the Reds are expected to field a formidable midfield unit including Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Darwin Núñez is in line for another start at the head of Liverpool’s forward line even though the Uruguayan striker has only scored once in seven Champions League appearances this season.

Naturally, Mohamed Salah will be Liverpool’s biggest goal threat having registered 23 strikes in all competitions this season. Cody Gakpo is also in good goal-scoring form and is fresh from bagging a brace against Ipswich Town.

Team news

After seeing red against Crvena Zvedza, the wonderfully named Ryan Flamingo will miss Wednesday’s match through suspension while Sergino Dest remains a long-term absentee through injury. This leaves PSV short of options at right back.

Malik Tillman similarly would have missed the match against Liverpool through suspension, but the USA international is currently injured anyway. Adam Nagolo is also a doubt for the Eredivisie table-toppers.

Curtis Jones could be sidelined after being forced off against Lille last week with Diogo Jota and Joe Gomez still not ready to return to action. Otherwise, Slot has a full squad to choose from.

Prediction

As the current league leaders, and top scorers in the Netherlands, PSV should get on the scoresheet, but they might not be the side to halt Liverpool’s perfect record in the Champions League this season: PSV 1-3 Liverpool.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

Jan

2025

Preview: Barcelona face improving Valencia at Montjuic

Barcelona will be hoping to put an end to a drop-off in league form as they host Valencia in LaLiga.

By Matt Smith

The away side have seen an improvement on results under new manager Carlos Corberan, and he’s preparing to face Barcelona for the first time in his managerial career.

Valencia have struggled in recent years on their travels to Barcelona, failing to pick up three points since 2016 in LaLiga. When the two sides met earlier in the season, Barca secured the victory with a 2-1 win thanks to a brace from Robert Lewandowski.

Dani Olmo could miss out

Dani Olmo wasn’t named in the squad to face Benfica in the Champions League earlier this week, so it will be interesting to see if he recovers in time to make this one.

Barcelona confirmed last week that Olmo would miss the trip to Portugal due to picking up a ‘right soleus strain’. Iñigo Martínez, Marc Bernal, and Marc-André ter Stegen remain out.

Barcelona need to shake off disappointing form

Although Barcelona have been in impressive form in all competitions, Hansi Flick’s side have struggled in LaLiga of late. Sitting 18^th in the form table, Barcelona will need to start picking up results in the league if they want to mount a serious charge for the title.

Raphinha has undoubtedly been one of Barcelona’s key stars over the last few weeks and has been at the heart of everything. The Brazilian forward has provided six goals and assists combined in his last four games in all competitions, including a 9.4-rated performance against Real Madrid.

Barcelona’s home form has been a bit of a worry this season, already losing three games from eight on their own turf.

Corberan has injury doubts

Thierry Correia will be unavailable for Valencia ahead of their trip to Barcelona, while Mouctar Diakhaby, Rafa Mir, and Umar Sadiq are doubtful.

Dimitri Foulquier was also unable to complete training this week, so it will be interesting to see whether he makes the squad.

Turning a corner under Corberan

Valencia are starting to steer in the right direction after Corberan was appointed just a few weeks ago. Starting with an unfortunate 2-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid, Valencia have since been unbeaten and are slowly battling to climb out of the relegation zone.

Last time out, Valencia secured an impressive 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in LaLiga, with a game plan that Corberan will likely have to replicate. Valencia had just 35% possession, but they produced 1.64 expected goals from just seven shots.

Barcelona are likely to dominate the ball against Corberan’s side, so hitting them on the counter-attack and creating chances when they do have possession will be pivotal.

Prediction

Corberan has certainly tightened Valencia up defensively, so we’re not expecting too many goals in this one. Barcelona have been finding the net regularly of late, but Valencia will be sitting deep and absorbing the pressure. We’re going for a 2-0 victory for Barcelona, who could have too much quality for the away side.

(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.

Jan

2025

Preview: Fulham welcome Manchester United to the Cottage

At risk of being the worst version of Manchester United ever, a last-minute winner did move them closer to Europa League last-16 qualification in midweek – are things suddenly looking up for Rúben Amorim and his inconsistent crew?

By Karl Matchett

From midweek smiles to weekend reality checks

Probably it’s a bit early to be drawing such optimistic conclusions. While incremental improvements and stoppage time celebrations are all positive and lead to an uplift in morale, the brutal truth is United head to Fulham, hardly one of the Premier League’s superpowers, three places lower than them in the table and a full seven points adrift.

Amorim may spin it as one defeat in United’s last five, but in the top flight it’s still one win in six – and that came against the bottom club. Add in the fact that United have managed two wins in ten on the road this term and this isn’t likely to be an away day they relish in West London. Amorim still hasn’t worked out his strongest team, and while that’s fine considering the time he’s had at the club, a bigger issue is how vulnerable they look on the road. Only Bruno Fernandes has averaged two shots or more in away games this term and the team as a whole only has six open play goals away too.

Recent form

Fulham are the draw specialists recently. Four straight draws on home soil mean they’ve only lost two of 11 at Craven Cottage, but have also drawn nine of 22 in total – only Brighton have drawn more. Factoring in FA Cup as well as league, it’s just one defeat in 11 for the Cottagers, four of them wins – and they’ve played each of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in that period.

Go back to the opening day of the campaign, mind, and it was Man United who emerged triumphant as these two sides met – a late Joshua Zirkzee goal enough to earn Erik ten Hag three points. He didn’t get too many more thereafter.

Team news

Fulham are missing right-back Kenny Tete and squad winger Reiss Nelson, but are otherwise at full strength. Amorim is without Luke Shaw and Mason Mount as usual, while centre-backs Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are sidelined too. Everyone else is available, with some suggesting Altay Bayındır may have shown enough in Europe to get a chance in goal domestically.

Key player

Fulham make more accurate crosses per game than any other team in the league (6.2) and have been awarded the third-highest number of penalties (four). Add those two attacking traits together and what you get is a rejuvenated Raúl Jiménez, with eight goals this term from an xG of 8.1. He’s averaging 3.5 shots per 90, plus has created five big chances and has won 40 aerial duels – more than 85 per cent of strikers in the league. The Mexican finally looks like he’s back to near his old effective self and Fulham are reaping the rewards.

*Jiménez shooting stats, Premier League 2024/25*

Prediction

More away day misery for United and Amorim. Fulham 2 United 1.

(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.

Jan

2025

Preview: Leicester look to break seven game losing streak at Spurs

Spurs managed to get past Bundesliga crisis club Hoffenheim; can they continue this run against a similarly out-of-sorts Leicester City?

By Ian King

One dismal run must end

A narrow-ish win against a pretty dismal-looking Hoffenheim in the Europa League and that win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup notwithstanding, Spurs’ recent form has been dismal, with the small consolation from their trip Everton being that they at least kept the score respectable after having gone in at half-time three down. It’s now one win in ten in the League.

Leicester City’s new manager bounce following the appointment of Ruud Van Nistelrooy at the start of December fell quickly back to earth; one win and one draw on the way down, followed by seven consecutive defeats during which they’ve scored two goals and conceded eighteen. It doesn’t say much for the two teams above them that a win against Spurs could lift them out of the bottom three.

History

Spurs and Leicester have played each other twice in cup finals with Spurs winning both, 2-0 win in the 1961 FA Cup final and 1-0 in the 1999 League Cup final. More recently, this fixture has often brought goals. Over the last decade Spurs have won 6-2, 6-1 and 5-4, while Leicester won 4-1 at The King Power Stadium in 2023. They drew 1-1 on the opening weekend of this season, with a Jamie Vardy goal cancelling out Pedro Porro’s opener for Spurs.

Familiar faces

James Maddison has spent seven out of 23 on the bench for Spurs this season, but his early goal in Germany on Thursday could mean that he is given a more central role against his former club. For Leicester, a lack of goals has been as severe as the weak defending, but they have two former Spurs players, Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp, among their available midfielders.

Team News

Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma have all joined the Spurs injury list–now 14 in total–over the last couple of weeks. But it’s not quite all bad news. Antonín Kinský is available again after missing Hoffenheim and Richarlison came through the trip without incident.

Woyo Coulibaly should make his debut for Leicester following his transfer from Parma, while at the other end of the scale Jamie Vardy is now in 10th season with them, a period during which he has now scored 180 League goals.

Prediction

Their Europa League win in Germany was an improvement, but Spurs still looked brittle, particularly throughout the first fifteen minutes of the second half, and when pegged back to 2-1 it felt as though a very familiar script was playing out yet again. But they managed to hold on this time, and that’s something to carry back into a Premier League campaign that has fallen spectacularly off the rails in recent weeks. Leicester have been pretty bad these last couple of months, a badness arguably masked a little by Southampton’s even-worseness, and beating a running on vapours, out-of-sorts Spurs by 3-2 sounds in line with this fixture’s goal-laden history.

(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.