Preview

Aug

2024

Preview: West Ham United vs. Manchester City

After their impressive showing at Crystal Palace last weekend, West Ham are not only off the mark for the season but they have also earned their first win under new manager Julen Lopetegui. Goals from Tomáš Souček and Jarrod Bowen proving to be the difference in their 2-0 away win.

By Dan Tracey

The Hammers are making the journey back across the capital buoyed by their showing on the road and on the evidence of their first 180 minutes of this new Premier League campaign, there is no doubt that the transformation in playing style has been a rather quick one.

Just edged out by Aston Villa at the London Stadium on the opening weekend, there were still plenty of positives to take from the Hammers’ performance that evening and even more to take from their win at Selhurst Park.

One main take away is that instead of revolution under Lopetegui, it is more a sense of evolution instead. In time, the likes of Niclas Füllkrug and Crysencio Summerville will be given more opportunities but for now, they are very handy options to have off the bench.

Of course, this evolution of the West Ham side is still largely a work in progress and there is no doubt that the East London outfit will be put to work when they welcome Manchester City through their doors on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s men make the journey south having made it two wins from two at the start of the season and after cruising past Chelsea in their opener, they subsequently crushed Ipswich last weekend.

However, that crushing did not come about before taking a dent themselves and with Sammie Szmodics scoring early on for the Tractor Boys, there was delirium for those in attendance in the away end.

That delirium would eventually turn to disaster for Kieran McKenna’s men and with the Manchester City bear well and truly poked after conceding in the seventh minute of the game, that bear then swiped its paws at last season’s Championship runners-up.

Just nine minutes later, City had turned the game on its head and turned a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. Such is the power of their attack; Ipswich could not catch their breath and they were all but done when Erling Haaland completed his hat-trick after the break.

With the nature of this season’s title race already being shaped into a scenario where every encounter is a must win. Pep Guardiola knows this is another hurdle that must be cleared. At the same time, Julen Lopetegui would love to claim a major scalp so early in his West Ham tenure.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Arsenal vs. Brighton

In the third set of Premier League fixtures, Arsenal are preparing to host Brighton at the Emirates Stadium, with both teams looking to continue their perfect start to the 2024/2025 season.

By Matt Smith

The Gunners kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Wolves as Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka both found the back of the net without reply. Havertz and Saka produced trademark finishes to secure the victory, with the former heading in from a cross and the latter cutting inside from the right to fire home.

Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey struck in Arsenal’s next fixture as they beat Aston Villa 2-0, and they will now face Brighton who have enjoyed an impressive start to the season under their new manager.

Saka has been a standout star for the north London outfit since the season got under way as the England international continues to shine in the Premier League. Producing a goal and two assists, the young winger will be looking to add to his goalscoring and creative tally this weekend.

Arteta’s side were well-known for their defensive prowess last term, conceding fewer goals than any other team in the Premier League, and it’s been a similar story this season with two clean sheets on the bounce.

Brighton took a huge risk in the summer, appointing 31-year-old manager Fabian Hürzeler, who is comfortably the youngest head coach in England’s top flight. It’s been a dream start for the Seagulls this campaign under his tutelage, beating Everton and Manchester United so far, scoring five goals in the process.

Despite Brighton enjoying an exciting summer transfer window, it’s been experienced striker Danny Welbeck who has stolen the show in front of goal, scoring twice and providing a singular assist.

Yankuba Minteh has flourished since being plunged into the Premier League after his move from Newcastle. The pace of Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma caused plenty of problems for both Manchester United and Everton and Hürzeler will be hoping they can do some damage once again when they face Arsenal.

Last term, Arsenal were victorious on both occasions when the two sides met, scoring five goals without reply. The Seagulls will be a different task for the Gunners under the guidance of Hürzeler, so it’s set to be an interesting match-up between two teams hoping to end the weekend at the top of the Premier League table.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Inter vs. Atalanta

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta have often existed on the peripheries of the Scudetto talk but on Friday, they will have a chance to show if they can challenge for the title when they take on Inter.

By Kaustubh Pandey

La Dea had started their Serie A campaign in sublime fashion. Despite not having Teun Koopmeiners, Gianluca Scamacca, Nicolo Zaniolo, Sead Kolašinac and Ademola Lookman around for the game against Lecce, they picked up a 4-0 win.

That came amidst talk of a crisis in Bergamo but the new signings – Matteo Retegui and Marco Brescianini fired on their debuts.

The game against Torino saw them pick up a defeat against a new-look Paolo Vanoli Il Toro side, but the performance was still decent.

On another day, they would have won the game. They created many more chances than Torino and Mario Pašalić also missed a key penalty in stoppage time.

It was a reminder that despite the defeat and despite prominent players missing, they are still very much a force.

Koopmeiners has now left for Juventus, but Lazar Samardžić made his debut at the weekend and Zaniolo also came off the bench. La Dea have made a raft of new signings to improve their squad too, with Raoul Bellanova, Juan Cuadrado, Odilon Kossounou and Rui Patrício all arriving.

All of this suggests that there is reason for Inter to be fairly cautious of their opponents on Friday.

Simone Inzaghi’s side got back to winning ways against Lecce after being held to a 2-2 draw by Genoa in the first game.

In the 2-0 win last weekend, Inter weren’t exactly at their best but managed to get vital three points. It almost seems as if multiple Nerazzurri players are dealing with a post-EURO 2024 hangover.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Las Palmas vs. Real Madrid

Defending LaLiga champions Real Madrid have already dropped points this season, so they will be keen to avoid a repeat of that when they face a Las Palmas side that gave them a couple of tough tests last season.

By Neel Shelat

Las Palmas seeking to build post-García Pimienta

Although they ended up finishing in 16th place, Las Palmas were among the most exciting newly-promoted teams not just in Spain but all over Europe last season. García Pimienta’s eye-catching style of play entertained fans and neutrals alike, leading the Canary Islanders to maintain the second-highest possession average in La Liga.

The 50-year-old tactician left for Sevilla in the summer, so Las Palmas had to look for a successor. Luis Carrión was the man chosen for the job, with his most recent achievement being leading Real Oviedo to the Segunda División promotion play-off final last term. His side are yet to register a win this season having drawn with Sevilla and lost to Leganés in their first two fixtures, and that record is unlikely to change this week.

Real Madrid yet to fully click

Real Madrid made arguably the biggest signing of the summer by bringing in Kylian Mbappé, but some analysts have wondered how well he might fit into their side. With Carlo Ancelotti in charge, though, they can be confident of finding the right formula sooner rather than later.

For now, though, it seems Los Blancos are yet to fully click. The draw with Mallorca in their LaLiga opener underscored that fact, and even their 3-0 win over Real Valladolid was not all smooth sailing as they only registered one shot from inside the box in the first half. The good news for them is that they have more than enough individual quality in their side to power past most opponents even on their off days, so they will hope to get the better of Las Palmas by hook or crook.

Jude Bellingham will not be available for this match as he still recovers from a minor injury, so a combination of Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Endrick and Arda Güler will be tasked with doling out the attacking damage. The first three will surely start, but Ancelotti will have to decide between rewarding the young Brazilian striker for his goal last weekend or sticking with the Turkish playmaker.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from top flight game from Spain live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Aug

2024

Preview: Servette vs. Chelsea

Whisper it, but a single Premier League win appears to have lifted a veil of bemusement and despondency at Stamford Bridge and replaced it with the far more standard start-of-season optimism and, yes, even over-expectancy.

By Karl Matchett

The incredible about-turn from fans and pundits alike has sprouted from a 6-2 walloping of a dismal Wolves last weekend – with neither team able to defend in the first half, Enzo Maresca’s side went out and won the attack in the second. It’s not a ploy which is perhaps the true representation of what this manager wants, not given his preference for control and possession in deeper areas last year at Leicester, but it might just be the gameplan he – and the club – needs right now.

Let’s face it: given the fees spent and the faces brought in, few clubs can compete with Chelsea when it comes to attacking depth and strength in reserves, given some of the players they are still trying to offload.

But a Conference League play-off second leg will be about those they want to keep. The hard work was done a week ago, building up a low-key but effective 2-0 win over Servette, and now they know that if they cannot defend that lead in Switzerland, they can at least blitz their opponents to add to it.

The early weeks still look like a combination of the boss managing minutes and learning about his group, but some subtle signs are arising – not least of all, those who play midweek might not be in the XI come the league encounter at the weekend. But with Noni Madueke’s goal frenzy, Cole Palmer’s ongoing productivity and big impacts off the bench from João Félix and Pedro Neto, a starting front four might be beginning to emerge. Nicolas Jackson still has a lot to say in that regard – and they need five or six performing to that level consistently – but Mykhailo Mudryk might well have dropped three places in the pecking order from a single start.

And yet, issues remain behind the offensive talent. It’s not just a question of individual performances, but of partnerships. Robert Sánchez looks far from established as No.1, especially at a club with seven or eight goalkeepers. Defensive errors remain on show. And the midfield combination play just isn’t there yet, on or off the ball, at home or away.

Which makes a less-than-testing opponent an ideal next proving ground. With rotations or with consistency in his lineup, Maresca should get the chance to demand greater cohesion – and a third win on the bounce to further improve the mood.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2024

Preview: Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona

The third matchday of the 2024/25 LaLiga season is already underway. But the first headline fixture sees Barcelona visit Rayo Vallecano, aiming to preserve the only remaining 100% record in the league.

By Neel Shelat

Do Barcelona Want Control or Chaos?

Traditionally, Barcelona have always been a team that seek to dominate possession and control matches. Even during a tough campaign such as 2023/24, they had by far the highest possession average in LaLiga – at nearly 65%. The trouble, however, was that they could not quite control matches as their midfield proved porous and allowed opponents to counter them.

That was among the main issues that plagued Xavi and ultimately led to his departure, so it was one of the big question marks Hansi Flick had to address after taking over. He wasn’t given too much more to work with – on the contrary, Barcelona lost two noteworthy midfielders in the transfer window as both İlkay Gündoğan and Oriol Romeu left. Besides poor squad building, Barça have already faced lots of injury issues this season, forcing Flick to turn to 17-year-old Marc Bernal to hold down defensive midfield in his first matches.

Crucially, though, he has allowed his side to pile forward by way of attack without predominantly focusing on controlling possession and preventing counterattacking chances from being conceded. That has led to them conceding in both games so far, but they have managed to create a great deal of chances worth about five xG altogether. It would seem that this is the best way forward for the Blaugrana, at least for now.

*Both Villarreal and Celta Vigo have played a game more than Barcelona

Rayo Promise Grit With A Creative Spark

Barcelona have faced a couple of sturdy defences so far – against Valencia and Athletic Club – and that trend should continue against Rayo Vallecano. They have conceded just one goal across their two matches, defeating Real Sociedad in the opener and grinding out a goalless draw against Getafe.

Besides organising a solid defensive block, Rayo will hope to pose a significant attacking threat in this match. Iñigo Pérez’s side can pose a direct threat as striker Sergio Camello is a great runner in behind, but they also have some ball-to-feet magicians in their squad. New signing James Rodríguez certainly has to be considered among them but he will not feature in this match, so Isi Palazón could well be the player to watch.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from top flight game from Spain live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Aug

2024

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Real Valladolid

The Kylian Mbappé era in LaLiga started with a somewhat underwhelming draw away to Mallorca for Madrid on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season.

By Graham Ruthven

Indeed, the Spanish and European champions could have suffered defeat in their first game of the campaign and will therefore be expecting a more assertive performance against Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday.

Ferland Mendy will be unavailable for Real Madrid’s home opener after the Frenchman was shown red against Mallorca, giving Carlo Ancelotti a selection headache on the left side of his defence.

Eduardo Camavinga played at left back on occasion last season, but he too will be unavailable for the match against Valladolid after suffering a knee injury last week. David Alaba, another left back option, is also injured. Fran García could subsequently start.

Real Valladolid started their 2024/25 campaign with a 1-0 home win over Espanyol which saw summer signing Raúl Moro score the game’s only goal in the first half.

However, Moro’s goal came from Real Valladolid’s only shot on target which suggests they may struggle to create opportunities against the defending champions on their own patch this weekend.

Paulo Pezzolano is known for being an attack-minded manager, but will almost certainly have to adopt a more pragmatic approach at the Bernabéu otherwise his team could be picked off. Valladolid are expected to line up in a relatively rigid 4-5-1 formation.

Madrid are currently on an unbeaten run in LaLiga that stretches back 33 games. On top of this, they have won eight of their last nine home matches against Valladolid in all competitions and haven’t conceded to the Pucela in their last five meetings.

Nonetheless, Ancelotti’s side have yet to find top gear in the early stages of this season with Mbappé still being integrated into the forward line. The Frenchman touched the ball 44 times against Mallorca and was somewhat isolated.

Ancelotti is having to balance the attacking talents of Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo with Jude Bellingham now being pushed deeper into midfield (although he is now injured according to the latest reports) to give Real Madrid some sort of structure.

If Valladolid can gain a foothold in the centre of the pitch, like Mallorca did on opening weekend, they could pose a threat in the capital. Otherwise, it’s probable that they will be smothered by the sheer weight of Real Madrid’s attacking talent.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Wolves vs. Chelsea

Sunday afternoon sees Wolves open their Molineux doors to Chelsea and with both teams succumbing to defeat in the opening weekend of this new Premier League season, each will be looking to earn their first points of the campaign.

By Dan Tracey

Defeat for Wolves at title hopefuls Arsenal on Saturday. Defeat for Chelsea at home to defending champions Manchester City a day later. The reverse for Gary O’Neil’s men was nothing more than a training exercise for the Gunners, the same could be said for the Cityzens at Stamford Bridge.

For the West Midlands outfit, they can at least tick off their trip to the red half of North London early on and defeat at the Emirates is unlikely to define the next nine months. For the West London outfit, their loss to Manchester City shows how far the chasm between these two big six members has become.

Among a backdrop of player unrest – something that was always likely with a senior squad bursting at the seems with more than 40 professionals listed, Enzo Maresca’s debut as a Premier League manager was overshadowed by Raheem Sterling’s statement an hour before kick-off.

The England international highlighting his displeasure at being cast adrift and with the way that Chelsea are buying players this summer, the 29-year-old may not be the last superstar to be persona non grata within their Cobham training facility.

However, there were reasons for Chelsea fans to be cheerful on Thursday night, as the Blues got the better of Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier. A 2-0 lead to take to Switzerland should be comfortable enough, in fairness it should have been three.

Whether Marc Guiu’s miss has a bearing on the tie’s outcome remains to be seen but with the Spaniard missing a chance with an xG of 0.94, he may have to go to the back of the forward queue on Sunday.

This game will possibly see Pedro Neto go up against his former club after his summer switch and although the Portuguese star did not feature the last time these two teams met at Molineux, Wolves still managed to win 2-1 last Christmas Eve.

Back then, it was Wolves who took advantage of a Chelsea side that were still very much a work in progress under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. Now they will look to take advantage against a team that is a work in progress under new boss Enzo Maresca.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Liverpool vs. Brentford

Anfield was a fortress for Liverpool during the Jürgen Klopp era.

By Sam McGuire

The German lost just 12 of his 167 league games at Anfield in charge of the Reds and six of those occurred during that forgettable 2020/21 campaign when Liverpool were without senior centre-backs and no fans were allowed in stadiums.

Arne Slot will be hoping for a similarly formidable record on home soil. He takes charge of his first Premier League match at Anfield this weekend as Liverpool play host to Brentford on Sunday.

The Reds kicked off their 2024/25 campaign with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town last weekend. After a difficult first half, a half in which chances were few and far between, Liverpool found their groove after the break. They carved out six big chances and had shots with an Expected Goals total of 2.56. By comparison, the Tractor Boys ran out of steam and could muster just three efforts after the break, with an Expected Goals total of just 0.15.

Mohamed Salah added to his opening-day tally. He now leads the way with a league record nine goals on scored on Matchday One in the Premier League. He also assisted the opener for Diogo Jota while Trent Alexander-Arnold looked back to his sensational best at Portman Road.

The signs were positive for Slot and his players. They’ll be favourites heading into this game against the Bees. But Thomas Frank’s side have the potential to cause an upset.

Yoane Wissa, in the starting XI in place of Ivan Toney, was the match-winner and the difference-maker for Brentford against Crystal Palace. He assisted the opener and found the back of the net late on to give the hosts all three points last Sunday. His showing against the Eagles earned him a FotMob rating of 8.7. He won five of his six ground duels and 100% of his aerial duels. He’s a real handful and Liverpool will be wary of this, especially after what happened against Ipswich.

Slot was forced to replace Jarell Quansah at the break after the young centre-back struggled to deal with the physicality of Liam Delap. Ibrahima Konate was brought on and helped the Reds control proceedings after the break. Who gets the nod alongside Virgil van Dijk this weekend will be interesting. Does Quansah get a second chance or will Ibrahima Konaté be brought in to deal with Wissa?

Interestingly, the Brentford forward enjoys playing against the Reds. He has two goals against Liverpool. The 27-year-old only has more scored more goals in the Premier League against West Ham.

The Bees will play to Wissa’s and their collective strengths and they’ll believe they can cause an upset at Anfield.

(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.

Aug

2024

Preview: Wolfsburg vs. Bayern Munich

For the first time since 2012, Bayern Munich spent their summer smarting after failing to win Germany’s biggest prize, the Bundesliga title.

By Nathan Evans

Xavi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen side were the culprits as manager Thomas Tuchel failed to deliver the Bavarian club’s objectives and as a result, he’s since been relieved of his duties by the board. To a lot of people’s surprise, it was Burnley’s Vincent Kompany who was poached by the former German title holders for the vacant spot in the dugout, even despite the fact that he led the English side to Premier League relegation in 2023/24.

Now the challenge for him is much bigger, to turn around the fortunes of one of Europe’s biggest and most recognisable teams, and that starts with an opening day clash against Wolfsburg.

The optics could hardly look any better for him to grab a victory in this one when you take a glance at his new side’s prior results against the Wolves. Of the teams that Bayern have faced more than 10 times in the Bundesliga, their points-per-game average is higher against this opposition than versus any other side (2.52), whilst the Bavarians are also unbeaten in 18 Bundesliga games against the Wolves since a 4-1 defeat all the way back in January 2015

But this time around, things could be different given Bayern’s lacklustre 2023/24 campaign.

Overall, there’s still plenty of issues to still negotiate for Kompany, even in spite of Bayern’s near perfect pre-season campaign and accompanying 4-0 success in last weekend’s DFB-Pokal First Round outing. Picking his first Bundesliga starting XI is amongst them, with the depth of quality at the Allianz Arena meaning that a number of players are unlikely to be happy with any pending decisions. That includes midfielder Leon Goretzka in particular who remains on the fringes of the playing squad, with the club seemingly happy to let him leave over the next few weeks but with the player himself desperate to fight for his spot this campaign.

Wolfsburg aren’t immune to similar problems themselves; especially as key central defender Maxence Lacroix reportedly remains locked in negotiations to leave the German club for Premier League side Crystal Palace this transfer window. On the whole, their recruitment has also fallen well short in the supporters’ collective opinion, with just five players joining the Wolves, three of whom are aged 20 or under and lack vital first team experience across their careers to date. After finishing in a very disappointing 12^th spot last season, it’ll be on manager Ralph Hassenhuttl to improve their standing in the Bundesliga but with Bayern having a point to prove this season, the hosts could struggle to make an impact in this curtain raising fixture.

(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.