Preview

Dec

2024

Preview: Amorim aiming for more home success against struggling Everton

Manchester United host Everton at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday in what is Rúben Amorim’s first game at home in England’s top flight. The Toffees are struggling near the bottom of the table, but Amorim’s side have endured a few teething problems in his opening few matches.

By Matt Smith

Defensive fitness concerns

Amorim will be sweating over the fitness of Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans ahead of the game against Everton, with all four central defenders missing from the clash against Bodø/Glimt last time out.

Aside from the defensive fitness problems, United could have a fully fit squad to choose from, leaving Amorim with some selection headaches in attack. Tyrell Malacia, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw have all recently returned from injury.

Missed chances are damaging United

Creating opportunities hasn’t been a major issue for United this season, producing 27 big chances in the Premier League, with only Aston Villa and Liverpool managing more. A problem has been their conversion rate, as the Red Devils have missed the same number of big chances this campaign.

Comparing United to Tottenham, Amorim’s men have created 27 big chances while scoring 13 goals, whereas Spurs have struck 27 times despite creating one fewer big chance. Alejandro Garnacho has been one of the main culprits, but he could have his confidence back after getting on the scoresheet on Thursday night.

No injury boost for the Toffees

Armando Broja and Youssef Chermiti are building up their recovery ahead of this game, and both players featured for the U21s on Friday afternoon. Seamus Coleman has recently returned to training, but Sean Dyche has confirmed that he’s unlikely to be available.

Long-term absentees James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam remain on the treatment table, but Dyche has no fresh injury concerns heading into the trip to Old Trafford.

Long-ball Everton are ineffective

No side in the Premier League has completed more long balls per game than Everton, but their old-school style hasn’t been as effective this season as it was in the previous. The Toffees have created just 13.4 expected goals (xG), the 17^th best in the league.

Dwight McNeil’s drop-off in recent weeks has undoubtedly hampered Everton’s chances of winning games. The English winger has provided six goals and assists combined, but he’s produced just one assist in his last five games. Dyche’s side have remained solid defensively over the last few weeks, but he needs to find a way to be more effective in the final third heading into this game.

Prediction

With Amorim in front of the Old Trafford crowd for the first time in the Premier League, the United supporters are going to be right behind their team on Sunday. They’ve shown some inconsistencies in Amorim’s opening two games, but this is a chance to build some momentum against a struggling side.

We’re predicting a 2-0 win for United at Old Trafford this weekend.

(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.

Dec

2024

Preview: Chelsea meet a Villa side looking to turn their form around

The two Champions League hopefuls meet at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Unai Emery hoping to mastermind Aston Villa’s first win in seven games across all competitions.

By Alex Roberts

It’s been a remarkable drop in form from Villa, their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich earlier in the season will take some forgetting, but the Spaniard is in desperate need of a good run of results to keep the good vibes flowing.

As for Chelsea, a routine 2-0 Europa Conference League win over FC Heidenheim in midweek will give them a boost, as most of Enzo Maresca’s preferred Premier League eleven got a well-earned rest.

A mini drought for Cole Palmer

Chelsea’s talismanic playmaker is going through somewhat of a drought, with no goal contributions in his last four Premier League games, Palmer is prime for another Brighton-esque four-goal performance.

It’s not like he’s been playing poorly, he would have broken his duck against Leicester in the previous round if it wasn’t for Noni Madueke’s late and unintentional goal-line intervention.

Palmer isn’t having to carry this Chelsea side like he did last season. Nicolas Jackson and the aforementioned Madueke have both made vital contributions to their Premier League campaign. Even Moisés Caicedo has chipped in with three goal involvements so far this season.

*Chelsea goal contributions, Premier League 2024/25*

Goals are hard to come by for Aston Villa

For a side that boasts a wealth of attacking options, including clinical striker such as Ollie Watkins and Jhon Durán, Villa have struggled in front of goal recently, scoring just five goals in their seven-game winless streak.

No doubt buoyed by a nomination for the FIFA Best Awards, a goal every other game isn’t bad for Watkins, but just three in Villa’s last ten games may be setting off some alarm bells in Emery’s head.

Maresca’s insistence on playing out from the back means Villa will get chances, it’s just up to them to put them away.

Poor Reece James

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Reece James. Another injury means he will likely be sidelined until the new year, Maresca admitted as much in his pre-match press conference, admitting he “Doesn’t know” when the Chelsea captain will return.

The right-back has missed 51 games for Chelsea thanks to ongoing hamstring issues since the start of last season but has impressed in the limited chances he’s had, winning 100% of his tackles, 69.6% of his duels, and 75% of his aerial duels in 241 Premier League minutes.

With understudy Malo Gusto also a doubt for the Villa game, Maresca will likely have to rely on either Wesley Fofana or Axel Disasi to fill in on Sunday.

Prediction

Both sides are relatively evenly matched as the race for the top four seriously starts heating up. A defeat would likely see Chelsea fall out with just three points separating the two sides in third and eighth.

Form isn’t on Villa’s side, but Chelsea have been poor against the bigger teams. Expecting goals, we’re going with a 2-2 draw.

(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.

Nov

2024

Preview: Man City go to in-form Liverpool in the midst of a crisis

Liverpool have the opportunity to extend their advantage over Manchester City to 11 points on Sunday as they welcome the reigning Premier League champions to Anfield.

By Sam McGuire

A win would cap off an incredible week for the Reds having already seen off Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The season so far

Arne Slot’s side have been almost faultless this term.

The former Feyenoord boss has guided the 2019/20 Premier League champions to 10 wins and a draw in his opening 12 matches in the league while the Reds have a 100% record in cup competitions.

Only Tottenham Hotspur (2.3) are averaging more goals per game than Liverpool (two) in the English top-flight and the Reds have the third-highest Expected Goals total (23.6), so their attacking numbers are fairly sustainable. Defensively, they’re robust. The Merseyside club have kept the most clean sheets (six), have the lowest goals against per game figure (0.7) and have the lowest Expected Goals Against total (10.7).

In a nutshell, their performances are worthy of their position in the Premier League table.

The Reds are bossing it in Europe too having won all five of their Champions League ties this term.

By comparison, it has been a bit of a struggle for Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s men started the season well and put together a 13-match unbeaten run. This included a four-match and five-match winning streak. Erling Haaland was scoring goals for fun too, netting back-to-back hat-tricks in the Premier League as he raced clear in the hunt for a third successive Golden Boot.

But then the goals dried up. As did the wins.

Their last victory arrived in October and they head to Anfield winless in six. Their underlying numbers in the Premier League have tailed off too.

City have the ninth best defensive record with an Expected Goals Against total of 15.9. They’re allowing 1.4 goals against per 90 and have kept just two clean sheets. In attack, they’re still dangerous. Their Expected Goals total of 24.4 is the highest in the Premier League. However, they’re scoring just 1.8 goals per 90. Chances aren’t being converted. Couple that with a struggling defence and it is clear why their title bid has been abruptly halted. For now, at least.

Previous encounters

Liverpool’s record against Manchester City hasn’t been that great over recent years. The Reds have won just three of the previous 12 encounters. However, they have only lost on four occasions. A lot of these matches end in a stalemate.

It is worth noting though that Guardiola’s side have hit their opponents for four goals on three occasions. When they do pick up a win over the Merseyside club, it tends to be an emphatic one.

The Reds have won just one of their last four matches against City at Anfield, so home comforts have counted for very little recently in this particular clash.

Current form

City ended their five match losing streak on Tuesday but it wasn’t a cause of celebration. Guardiola’s side took a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League but had to settle for a point as the Eredivisie side scored three goals in the final 16 minutes to stun the Etihad.

*Momentum chart from City’s draw vs. Feyenoord*

The 3-3 draw now means Man City have conceded 17 goals across their last six matches. They have conceded a minimum of two goals in every single match. Feyenoord hit them for three while both Spurs and Sporting scored four times in big wins over the Citizens.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are flying.

Since their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in September, the Reds have won 14 of their 15 matches. They are currently on a six match winning streak and have beaten the champions of Spain and Germany during this run. Slot’s side are relentless, ruthless and resilient right now.

The Injury situation

Liverpool are still without some key players despite the returns of Harvey Elliott and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both were on the bench for the win over Real Madrid. However, Ibrahima Konaté hobbled off at full-time against the LaLiga champions while Conor Bradley was replaced with what looked like a hamstring issue. Those two could join Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsmikas and Federico Chiesa on the sidelines for this match.

City are having a bit of an injury crisis right now as well.

Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovačić and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri are all ruled out. Guardiola’s options in attack and midfield are both severely limited right now but this was always a possibility when the champions decided to sell Julian Alvárez in the summer without bringing in a replacement.

Prediction

This is usually a tepid affair with both teams showing the other a lot of respect.

Slot might see it as an opportunity though. City are having a crisis of confidence right now and Liverpool could take full advantage of this. With Anfield behind them, a statement win could be on the cards. They did it against Madrid. They can do it against the Citizens this week.

We’re going with a Liverpool win.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Nov

2024

Preview: Barcelona host City rivals in reunion with promoted Espanyol

Barcelona will kick off Saturday’s home match against Las Palmas with a four-point advantage at the top of La Liga, but that lead is more fragile than might be immediately apparent.

By Graham Ruthven

Barcelona need a response

While the Catalans are in control of this season’s title race, recent dropped points to Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo have allowed Real Madrid to close the gap at the top of the table. Anything less than a Barca victory on Saturday would hand the initiative to Los Blancos.

Las Palmas are fighting relegation near the foot of the table, but have already taken points from Real Madrid this season and could pose a threat at Montjuic if they can exploit the space in behind Barcelona’s backline.

However, Los Amarillos haven’t beaten Barcelona in a league match away from home since 1971 and in any competition since 1991. A victory at Montjuic this weekend would be historic!

Key players

While Barcelona’s form has recently tapered off, they have still scored six goals in their last three outings with the Catalans fresh from notching three against Brest in the Champions League.

Robert Lewandowski has been particularly prolific in front of goal, scoring eight times in his last 10 appearances at club level. The Polish striker has been rejuvenated this season and is on course for his best scoring campaign as a Barca player.

*Lewandowski vs. Silva comparison, LaLiga stats only*

The dramatic turnaround in Raphinha’s fortunes continues with the Brazilian currently the joint-second top scorer in LaLiga behind only Lewandowski. Flick’s direct approach is getting the best out of the former Leeds United winger.

Pedri is expected to be Barcelona’s string-puller in the centre of the pitch against Las Palmas with Dani Olmo in contention for a start after returning from injury. Barca are spoiled for choice in the attacking positions.

Fabio Silva has scored three goals in his last five LaLiga appearances and the on-loan Wolves forward could also trouble Barcelona. Sandro Ramírez is in line to face his former club, as is goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen who will have to be in top form.

Team news

Lamine Yamal remains an injury doubt having not featured for Barcelona since the Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade earlier this month. The 17-year-old returned to training this week, but Hansi Flick could resist the urge to drop him straight back into the lineup.

Marc Casado will be unavailable for the La Liga leaders after being sent off in the 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo. The young midfielder will serve a one-match suspension this weekend, meaning Flick will have to find another solution at the base of his midfield.

Ronald Araújo, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ansu Fati and Marc-André ter Stegen will also be sidelined, although Ferran Torres could be back in Barca’s squad.

Diego Martínez is expected to have a fully fit squad to choose from for the visit to Montjuic with Adnan Januzaj the only Las Palmas player believed to be currently carrying a knock.

Prediction

We can’t look beyond a home win for the league leaders, so let’s go with Barcelona 3-1 Las Palmas.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Nov

2024

Preview: Dortmund meet Bayern in Der Klassiker

The stage is set for the 136th edition of Der Klassiker. Which team is coming out on top on Saturday? We’ve got you set with our Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich preview.

By Zach Lowy

Can Bayern’s Stellar Form Continue?

On the 23rd October, Bayern Munich were subjected to a 4-1 defeat at Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. It was the fourth time in five games that the Bavarians had failed to win and the second time in three that they’d conceded 3+ goals. After a perfect start to life under Vincent Kompany, it seemed that the wheels were falling off.

Since then, though, Bayern have won seven straight games, scoring 18 goals and conceding zero. They sit six points clear atop the Bundesliga and are scoring the most goals per game in Europe (3.24), and after edging Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, they are riding high on confidence.

However, they’ll have their hands full on Saturday as they take on a BVB side that have won four of their last five matches, the sole exception being a 3-1 defeat at Mainz which saw them reduced to 10 men in the 27th minute.

Jamie Gittens: The Man With a Plan

The last time that Borussia Dortmund faced Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park, Dayot Upamecano opened the scoring within four minutes while Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. All eyes will be on the reigning European Golden Boot winner as he looks to continue his scintillating form in Dortmund, but he’s not the only English forward who will have a key role to play.

Jamie Gittens kicked off the 2024/25 Bundesliga season by coming off the bench and scoring a brace in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-0 win vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, whilst he repeated that feat in their Champions League opener vs. Club Brugge. He hasn’t looked back since, establishing himself as a key figure in BVB’s attack with 11 goal contributions in 18 matches. Over the past week, he has scored a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win vs. Freiburg and opened the scoring in a 3-0 win vs. Dinamo Zagreb, and with Karim Adeyemi and (likely) Julian Brandt missing out, Nuri Şahin will be counting on him to deliver. After Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham before him, Gittens could very well be the next Englishman to explode onto the scene at Dortmund – and we’re backing the 20-year-old to come up clutch against eternal rivals Bayern.

Goals Galore in Dortmund

It remains to be seen whether or not Borussia Dortmund can pull off back-to-back wins vs. Bayern for the first time since the spring of 2012, but two things are fairly probable: this will be a high-scoring affair, and it will not be a draw. Out of Bayern and BVB’s last 18 matches, only one has ended in a draw. Things are looking up for Dortmund after a league-high six wins out of six, but as for Bayern, they have dropped points just once on the road – a 3-3 draw vs. Eintracht back in October.

Both teams will be missing key figures in midfield like Aleksandar Pavlović and Emre Can, and it could result in less controlled possession and more frantic attacking play. Nine of the last 10 meetings between these two sides have featured over 3.5 goals, whilst 13 of BVB’s last 15 fixtures have served up over 2.5 goals. With both of last season’s top two Bundesliga scorers – Kane and Serhou Guirassy – in fine form, all signs point to a high-scoring affair on Saturday.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Nov

2024

Preview: Ranieri’s new Roma side face Postecoglu’s Spurs in the Europa League

Tottenham Hotspur excelled in their 4-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend and as part of their ongoing search for consistency, they take on Roma in the Europa League on Thursday.

By Kaustubh Pandey

Postecoglou vs. Ranieri

Spurs obliterated City on Saturday and could have easily scored more goals. Dejan Kulusevski sparkled, as Ange Postecoglou‘s side executed their plan to perfection, pressing City high up the pitch and playing through their press at will.

In contrast, their Europa League opponents for the week are the crisis team in Serie A this season. We’ve yet to reach the mid-way point and Roma are already on to their third manager of the campaign, with Claudio Ranieri coming out of retirement and returning to the dugout in time to oversee their dull 1-0 loss at Napoli over the weekend.

Ivan Jurić was sacked before the international break and there is now expected to be a stylistic change in how the Giallorossi play, as Jurić’s brand of football revolved around high-pressing and man marking. Ranieri is more pragmatic and it was seen in the defeat to the Partenopei.

Roma look for renewed hope

The Giallorossi have won only once in their last five games in all competitions and frustratingly have dropped points in three of their Europa League games so far – drawing with Union St Gilloise and Athletic Club, and beaten by Swedish side Elfsborg.

They do have a win over Dynamo Kiev on the books but that performance was indicative of the Roman club’s struggle for a new identity this season. It also defines their struggles under the Friedkins, who’s ownership group have been protested against by the club’s supporters every second day.

Perhaps, an identity is what Ranieri can actually add to a side quickly. Jurić could have too, if he was given time but patience ran low and the expectation from the club would be to play a low-block in a back three under Ranieri.

New signing Matías Soulé hasn’t quite settled in yet but it is new striker Artem Dovbyk who appears to be gaining in confidence after a slow start.

Top scorer in LaLiga last season, Dovbyk has four league goals in Serie A so far and his presence upfront attracts defenders, as the Ukrainian thrives on quality link-up with those around him and can be a crucial weapon on the break, especially if Paulo Dybala starts alongside him.

Spurs want attack to thrive

A case can be made of the fact that Spurs could have scored more goals against Galatasaray, but Postecoglou has this incredible insistence on putting his attacking strengths on show, even if it puts the defensive worries on the backseat. It is risky but when it works, it works brilliantly.

They have an unpredictable side to them, but Spurs have scored the most goals per game in the Premier League this season, while also conceding the third lowest number of goals per game.

It clearly shows how entertaining a side they are and considering the raw numbers, they could well turn out to be pretty good at the end of the season.

Having said that, both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero remain out – as they were against City. Rodrigo Bentancur remains suspended and this will lead to Postecoglou having to adapt the line-up for the clash against Roma.

Dybala boost for Roma

Reports in Italy have suggested that Dybala is fit and he could start the game. He has been put in a couple of good performances against Tottenham in the past and Roma will rely on him.

Mats Hummels, who has suffered so far in Rome, could also start and so could Mario Hermoso. Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini are also in contention to start.

As far as Spurs are concerned, Guglielmo Vicario is out for the next few weeks. Fraser Forster will start in goal and Lucas Bergvall is also expected to feature again. And after being benched against City, both Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson are likely to start.

Prediction

This will depend entirely on how well Ranieri has drilled his new side in the few short days he’s been at the club, and whether they can stop Postecoglou’s in-form attackers. But with Spurs riding the wave of that display against City, we can’t see beyond a home win for the London side.

(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.

Nov

2024

Preview: Amorim set for Old Trafford debut in the Europa League

Bodø/Glimt, the reigning Norwegian champions face the Red Devils before a vital weekend back in the Eliteserien that will decide this season’s title race in Norway’s top tier.

By Filip Mishov

Recent form and context

Not only did Ed Sheeran infamously crashed Rúben Amorim‘s post-match interview with Sky Sports, but his Tractor Boys halted the Red Devils’ attempt to extend their winning streak with a brave performance at Portman Road. It is fair to say that the Portuguese’s debut did not go as planned with Ipswich dominating for most part of the match, while Manchester United‘s misfiring attack continues to underperform as they recorded a low xG (0.90), which is one of Amorim’s many tasks to solve.

Now, a home debut awaits Amorim under the Old Trafford lights in the Europa League and the possibility to secure his maiden win at the helm arises in front of the Red Army, which will surely welcome the so-called ‘Smiling One’ with open arms. Bodø/Glimt are coming to the Theatre of Dreams in the first-ever competitive match between Manchester United and a Norwegian club in UEFA’s club competitions, which seems quite astonishing given the club’s recent trips to Norway during their pre-season summer tours.

The Bodø-based club are coming to Manchester on the back of a win (0-2) in the penultimate round in Eliteserien, and ahead of a season-defining clash in Norway’s top-tier on Sunday as the Kjetil Knutsen-led squad host Lillestrøm, while second-placed Brann play third-placed Viking in the final round too. With only a point separating the reigning Norwegian champions from Brann and only three points ahead of Viking, it is fair to say that Glimt may have one eye on the weekend.

Team news

It was not all doom and gloom for Amorim at Portman Road as Luke Shaw made his comeback after spending 280 days on the sidelines, and additionally, Tyrell Malacia made the matchday squad, which is a huge boost for the Red Devils ahead of the hectic Christmas period. However, the wonderkid – Leny Yoro was not part of the squad, despite the Frenchman taking part in full training and the match against Glimt might be the perfect opportunity for him to finally make his debut. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez remain on the sidelines, with the latter the closest to making a comeback in a couple of weeks. As for the Scandinavian visitors, it will be interesting to see whether the coach, Knutsen will rest some of his key players given the club’s title defence is on the line and the fact that Glimt have had a superior start to the Europa League’s campaign than United, sitting in 12th place with a point ahead of the hosts who found themselves in 15th place.

Key Player

Jens Petter Hauge made the step to Europe’s top 5 leagues too soon with his move to AC Milan a few years ago, but the 25-year-old’s talent and ability are undeniable as the playmaking winger continues to impress in the yellow of Glimt. With seven goals and five assists in Norway’s top-tier and a couple of goals and one assists in the Europa League, the Red Devils’ defence must be aware of his threat coming in from the left. Also, given the fact that Amorim favoured Amad Diallo at right wing-back over a natural defender against Ipswich, that might be where Glimt can look to exploit the hosts vulnerabilities.

Prediction

The Red Devils are on an unbeaten five-match run in all competitions under Ruud van Nistelrooy and Amorim, respectively, and the expectation will be that this is a good chance for their new charismatic coach to pick up a maiden win. However, Bodø/Glimt are a quality side, and they have already defeated FC Porto this season, which Manchester United failed to do, and Jens Petter Hauge & co. are especially dangerous on the counter.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Preview: Chelsea face European newcomers Heidenheim

It’s another David vs. Goliath matchup for Chelsea in the European Conference League on Thursday as they travel to Germany to face FC Heidenheim in what is the biggest game in the Bundesliga club’s continental history.

By Alex Roberts

While likely to be less biblical than the 8-0 win over FC Noah in their previous fixture, Enzo Maresca will no doubt feel confident his side can keep their 100% record from their opening three games intact.

They shouldn’t underestimate Heidenheim, however, with the Germans also winning all three of their games so far, beating Scottish side Hearts 2-0 in their most recent game against a British side.

Enzo Maresca’s free-scoring blues

The Premier League side have shown exactly why they’re considered heavy favourites to win the tournament outright come the end of the season, scoring 16 goals and conceding three in three games.

Striker/winger Christopher Nkunku and playmaker João Félix have been on fire, both sitting as joint top goal scorers with four apiece. The Frenchman may be unhappy with his current role at the club, but he’s still doing the business on the pitch.

With Félix playing a starring role in Chelsea’s recent 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester, it’s unlikely he’ll feature in Germany, giving Tyrique George a real chance of starting.

Marvin Pieringer a major doubt

Heidenheim are likely to be without top goal scorer Marvin Pieringer for the game, after the striker picked up an achilles tendon injury on their 5-2 defeat to Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

Everything was peachy for Frank Schmidt’s side in his 539^th game at the club before they were forced to replace the big man up top. Leading 2-0, Heidenheim looked good value for a bit upset.

Unfortunately, without Pieringer, it all fell apart, a fate they will be hoping to avoid as they take on Chelsea.

The rebirth of Mykhaylo Mudryk

The Ukrainian winger has struggled to live up to the £88.5 million price tag that brought him to Chelsea from Shakhtar in 2022, but he has found some solace in the Conference League.

Away from the spotlight, Mudryk has arguably been Chelsea’s best player of the tournament so far, bagging two goals and three assists, he’s only four goal contributions off his total for the entirety of last season.

Starts outside of Chelsea’s cup fixtures are few and far between, however, with the 23-year-old coming on as a substitute in six of his seven Premier League appearances.

Prediction

It’s hard to look beyond Chelsea for this one, but ongoing defensive frailties and Heidenheim’s physicality could cause Maresca’s side some serious headaches. We’re going to go with 2-1 to Chelsea.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Nov

2024

Preview: Liverpool and Real Madrid poised for another meeting in the Champions League

Liverpool are looking to extend their 100% record in the Champions League on Wednesday as they welcome reigning European champions Real Madrid to Anfield.

By Sam McGuire

Arne Slot will be looking to achieve something Jürgen Klopp failed to do while in charge of the Reds, he’ll be looking to defeat the Spanish giants. The German tactician never managed to beat Los Blancos during his time on Merseyside.

The season so far in Europe

Liverpool have been perfect this term. The Reds have played four and won four in Europe. They’re the only team in the Champions League to have a 100% record. Slot has guided his side to victories against AC Milan, Bologna, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. The Reds humbled the Bundesliga champions 4–0 in their last outing to send a message to the rest of Europe.

Only Inter and Atalanta (both on zero) have conceded fewer goals than the Premier League leaders (one) while Barcelona (15) and Borussia Dortmund (13) can better Liverpool’s haul of 10 Champions League goals this term.

They are the top-rated FotMob team with an average rating of 7.34. By comparison, Real Madrid are ranked ninth with a FotMob rating of 7.1.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have struggled in Europe this term, winning two and losing two of their opening four matches. Ahead of the Matchday 5 games on Tuesday evening (the time of writing), they find themselves in 18th position in the new-look Champions League format. Real Madrid have conceded seven goals in their opening four matches and are yet to keep a clean sheet. VfB Stuttgart, Lille, Dortmund and Milan have all found a way past the reigning champions.

Los Blancos have been giving up chances too. Their Expected Goals against total for the season in Europe is 7.2. They’re a threat going forward and rank second for xG this term with 11, but defensively they have been a shambles.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been dominant at both ends of the pitch. They rank third for xG (10.4) and have the third lowest xG Against (2.8). The key difference between the two teams is what is going on in the defensive third.

Previous encounters

The Reds have a horrific record against Real Madrid. Their last win over the LaLiga team arrived in 2009. Since then, there have been eight matches between the two sides and Liverpool’s best result was a 0-0 draw in the second leg of a game. And that was a match they needed to win after losing the first leg 3-1.

Madrid have kept a clean sheet in three of the last four meetings between the two sides.

Across Klopp’s time with Liverpool, the two teams faced off on six occasions. The Spanish team scored 13 goals and conceded just four times. It was a very one-sided match-up.

A win for the Reds here won’t exorcise the demons of 2018, 2021, 2022 or 2023, but it’d be a big statement in the grand scheme of things for Slot and his squad.

Current form

Liverpool eked out a 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points. The Reds have won their last five across all competitions and are unbeaten in 14. During this run, they have won 13 games.

They have been relentless and ruthless this season under the former Feyenoord boss. Even injuries to Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Trent Alexander-Arnold haven’t derailed them.

Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life too having adapted to the new tactics at Anfield. His double against Southampton took his tally to 10 goals and six assists in the Premier League. And he leads the way for assists in the Champions League with four.

Madrid are just four points off the summit in Spain with a game in hand. They bounced back from their 4-0 humbling in El Clásico to pick up maximum points from their last two matches in LaLiga.

Against Leganés, Kylian Mbappé scored his first goal in a month while Jude Bellingham found the back of the net for just the second time this season. Maybe they’ve timed their resurgence to perfection.

The Injury situation

Thibaut Courtois is back for Real Madrid. He started the game against Leganes and kept a clean sheet. However, Vinícius Júnior suffered an injury that will rule him out. He joined the likes of Dani Carvajal, Aurélien Tchouaméni, David Alaba, Éder Militão and Rodrygo in a fairly busy treatment room in the Spanish capital.

Liverpool are possibly without Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker while Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa are both still out. Kostas Tsimikas should be fit enough for a place on the bench having missed the game against Southampton with a knock.

One thing is for sure, this won’t be Liverpool’s best XI versus Real Madrid’s best XI.

Prediction

Liverpool should be able to finally defeat Real Madrid. If they do, they can use it as a springboard for their upcoming game in the Premier League against Manchester City. The Reds are in form and have a healthier looking squad. But you can never write off Los Blancos, especially not in the Champions League.

(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.

Nov

2024

Preview: Sporting host Arsenal in what is their first European game post-Amorim

Sporting host Arsenal at the Estádio José Alvalade as second take on twelfth in the Champions League. This will be Sporting’s first game in the competition without Rúben Amorim in the dugout, and they will be hoping to climb to the top of the table with a victory.

By Matt Smith

These two sides met just last year, with Sporting coming out on top following a penalty shootout in the Europa League Round of 16.

Diomande back in full training

Sporting have received a huge boost as central defender Ousmane Diomande is back in full training after missing their game against Amarante in the cup on Friday night. Zeno Debast and Eduardo Quaresma are doubts for the clash in Portugal, while Nuno Santos and Pedro Gonçalves are long-term absentees.

They can’t stop the Swede

It’s no secret that Viktor Gyökeres has been Sporting’s main threat this season, scoring 24 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions, with five of those coming in the Champions League. One of the deadliest strikers in Europe, Arsenal will have to be at their best to keep him out.

*Gyökeres shot map, from just 11 appearances in the Liga Portugal, 2024/25*

It’s difficult to know how Sporting are going to setup with Amorim recently replaced by João Pereira, but the Portuguese outfit have been creating chances at will in the Champions League. In the competition so far, only Liverpool, Inter, Real Madrid, and Manchester City have created more big chances than Sporting.

Arteta could rotate

Mikel Arteta saw the likes of Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice, and Leandro Trossard all shake off recent injury concerns to make the squad against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at the weekend.

The Gunners are already nine points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Arteta rest some of his key stars in Europe, especially those who have been struggling for fitness of late.

Arsenal struggling to create

Creating chances has been a difficulty for the Gunners in the Champions League this term, producing just 5.1 expected goals (xG), ranking them 22^nd in the competition. Arteta’s men have remained resolute at the back, conceding just 0.3 goals per game, but finding the back of the net has been a problem.

Only Kai Havertz and Saka have struck for the Gunners so far in Europe, with own goals being their joint-top goal scorer. Gabriel Martinelli has been Arsenal’s most creative player in the Champions League this season, producing 0.51 expected assists per 90, but he’s yet to set up a goal for one of his team-mates.

Prediction

It’s difficult to predict how Sporting are going to perform on the continent without Amorim in charge, but considering Arsenal’s defensive record, we’re not expecting many goals. Gyökeres has been almost unstoppable this season, but we’re predicting a narrow 1-0 win for Arsenal with the Gunners keeping the Swedish international quiet in Portugal.

(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.