Preview

Oct

2024

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

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

By Karl Matchett

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: FC Porto vs. Manchester United

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

By Dan Tracey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Liverpool vs. Bologna

Liverpool’s start to the season has been almost flawless. Arne Slot has guided his side to seven wins from eight matches.

By Sam McGuire

The Reds sit top of the Premier League table and kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win against Milan away at San Siro.

The only hiccup for Slot and his players arrived against Nottingham Forest, at Anfield, when the visitors stunned the hosts and claimed a shock 1-0 win. The Reds are back at Anfield this week as they take on Bologna in the Champions League.

Last season, Bologna shocked the masses to claim a fifth place finish in Serie A. They finished just seven points behind second placed AC Milan and just three points off of third placed Juventus.

However, they lost a number of key personnel in the summer. Riccardo Calafiori moved to Arsenal while Joshua Zirkzee was signed by Manchester United and manager Thiago Motta was headhunted by Juventus.

They did spend some money in the transfer window to bring in a number of new faces, but their start to the campaign has been a little underwhelming. Bologna are currently 13th in the Italian top-flight and have won just one match. On the flip side to that, they’ve only lost one game all season too and that was against the league leaders Napoli. They’re difficult to beat but they’ve lacked the quality to turn positive performances into all three points.

Vincenzo Italiano’s side kicked off their Champions League campaign with a draw against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Italian side managed to limit their visitors to a Non-Penalty Expected Goals haul of just 0.08.

The same cannot be said for their defensive performances in Serie A. Bologna have an Expected Goals Conceded per 90 average of 1.36. Worryingly for them, Napoli and Atalanta are the only top teams they have come up against so far this season. The fact they’ve been as leaky as they have been while facing mid-table teams at best is not a good sign.

Italiano will no doubt be obsessing over this ahead of the game at Anfield. Bologna aren’t the best defensively and they’re coming up against one of the best attacking sides in Europe. The Reds are averaging two goals per game and have the second highest Expected Goals haul in the Premier League.

This should be a routine win for Liverpool. If they’re focused and professional, it will be. If, however, they take it for granted, another Anfield upset could be on the cards.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Lille vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid turn their attention to the Champions League following a bad-tempered 1-1 draw away to Atleti which was punctuated by crowd trouble, a stoppage-time equaliser, and a red card for the home team.

By Ian King

With Barcelona surprisingly losing to Osasuna, this was an opportunity not taken to further close the gap at the top of the table. As things stand, it remains at three points.

Their opponents Lille have had something of a mixed start to their Ligue 1 season, after having qualified for this year’s Champions League as a result of finishing fourth last time around. They’re currently in 5th place in the table with three wins and two defeats from their first six matches. One of these losses, at home to PSG, was no great surprise, but the other was. Their 1-0 loss at newly promoted Saint-Etienne was the home side’s only win of the season so far.

But none of this is to say that Lille don’t have some cause for optimism going into this game, even though they will start it as underdogs. They’ve won seven and drawn one of their last eight home European matches, the sort of record that will instil a degree of confidence in a team no matter who the opposition happens to be.

Both teams have injuries. For Real, Thibaut Courtois was injured against Atleti, while David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Brahim Díaz will also be absent. For Lille, Angel Gomes is suspended, while Ngal’ayel Mukau, Hákon Arnar Haraldsson. Samuel Umtiti, Nabil Bentaleb and Ismaily are all missing.

Of course, playing at home against Real Madrid is the ultimate challenge that any club can face in 2024. Real are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season. They’ve already won the European Super Cup by comfortably beating Atalanta in August, and they breezed past Stuttgart in their opening fixture of the new ‘Swiss model’ Champions League.

For Lille, however, this is their sixth game of the tournament already. In the Third Qualifying Round they beat Fenerbahçe over two legs and in the Play-Off Round they did the same to Slavia Prague. They kicked off their group stage with a 2-0 defeat in Lisbon against Sporting CP. They’ve come a long way already just to get to this stage of the competition, and at home to Real Madrid will be their best chance of causing an upset, no matter how daunting it may look.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Slovan Bratislava vs. Man City

English champions Manchester City will visit Slovakia for the first time ever to take on the country’s most successful club.

By Neel Shelat

Slovan looking to recover from Celtic thrashing

Slovan Bratislava’s very participation in the UEFA Champions League proper is an achievement worth celebrating. This is just their second appearance in the competition after the 1992/93 season, meaning this also is the first time they have entered a group/league stage. In fact, they are the only team in the tournament whose campaign started in the very first qualifying round, and they are the first Slovakian team to make it in 14 years.

Slovan have dominated the domestic scene of late, winning the league in each of the last six seasons. They are quite a fun team to watch under Vladimír Weiss, with a dynamic attack led by 23-year-old striker David Strelec who impressed for the national team at the Euros. The supporting cast includes Vladimír Weiss (the head coach’s son with the same name), Armenian winger Tigran Barseghyan and former Sydney FC forward Robert Mak.

Their defence, however, is not tested too much domestically but has proven to be an issue on the continental stage. They could only keep two clean sheets in eight matches in the qualifying rounds, and were thrashed 5-1 by Celtic a couple of weeks ago.

*Key stats from Slovan’s defeat at Celtic*

Unless Slovan are at their very sharpest out of possession against Manchester City, the scoreline could get ugly quite quickly.

Manchester City still searching for a Rodri replacement

Manchester City’s 2024/25 campaign took an unexpected turn early on after Rodri’s season-ending injury. All of a sudden, they have at least a slight weakness in the defenisve midfield position.

Mateo Kovačić has played that role a few times this term including against Newcastle United this weekend, but he has some limitations. He is not the strongest in duels, cannot stop counterattacks as well as the Spanish international did and he also does not offer much in the final third against low blocks.

City will almost certainly sign a defenisve midfielder in January, but they will have to find a temporary solution in the meantime. Mateus Nunes could be a part of that, as could some of the centre-backs such as John Stones and Manuel Akanji. Pep Guardiola’s team selections will have to go a through a bit of trial and error before settling on something, and this match will provide the perfect opportunity for some experimentation.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Oct

2024

Preview: Barcelona vs. Young Boys

The Champions League returns and Barcelona are one of the few big sides who have something to prove and a victory being something of a necessity against Young Boys, after a first-gameweek defeat to Monaco leaves them pointless so far – but with plenty of time left to secure themselves a play-off berth at the very least.

By Karl Matchett

It’s an undeniable fact of the new format that, even as early as it is in the league phase, it appears the big clubs will find it even easier to progress: with an estimated ten points from eight games enough to secure a play-off berth, league-stage exits would take more than a handful of shock results for a club as big as Barcelona to fail to make it through past January.

Even so, after such a good start domestically in LaLiga, Hansi Flick will be wanting Barca to show their quality on the European stage too – not least of all because of the increased financial rewards which can come as a result of winning games there. Their defeat in Monaco came as a result of defensive mistakes and an early red card for Eric García; with the defender suspended and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen sidelined for the season, plenty of changes will be enforced from that first outing. Indeed, the German boss has almost a full XI unavailable including the likes of Dani Olmo, Gavi and Ronald Araújo – and as their weekend defeat at Osasuna showed, that might be starting to make a telling difference.

Barcelona’s starting side there contained six players aged 22 and under, while of the 12 named subs, just two were over 21. There’s little scope for refreshing the team, which might have Young Boys thinking they’ve a chance of an upset.

Following the Swiss side’s 3-0 thrashing by Aston Villa, though, it would be a huge upset indeed if they were to take a point, particularly as even in the Swiss Super League they’ve been dismal – one win in eight, they sit 11th in the 12-team division.

The encounter really will be about how long they can hold out against constant Barcelona pressure and possession, and for Flick then, once the breakthrough comes it must be about managing minutes, offering experience and simply getting the job done. Much tougher tests lie ahead – Bayern Munich next European gameweek – and while points are a must, so too is protecting the players he has left.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Arsenal vs. PSG

The Dembélé-less Parisians travel to London to interrupt Arteta’s masters of the ‘dark arts.’

By Filip Mishov

Surprisingly enough, last season’s Premier League runners-up and the Ligue 1’s champions do not boast a rich history of meeting one another in European competition, but whether one takes a look at the past or the present, it does not matter, as everything is related to the term – undefeated. Both Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are undefeated since the start of the season, in all competitions, and additionally, their two previous meetings in the Champions League’s group stage back in 2016. Those games finished 1-1 in Paris and 2-2 in London.

Another point they share is the fact that they both have a Spanish coach at the helm, who favours a possession-based as well as attacking style of play and it is not a surprise that only a couple of teams have scored more goals (12) than the Gunners in the England’s top-tier, while the Parisians possess the top-scoring squad in France with 20 goals already scored this season.

The less experienced Arteta may have a few wonderkids like Bukayo Saka and the up-and-coming, Ethan Nwaneri in his squad, but the former Champions League winner with Barcelona from 2014/15 – Luis Enrique enjoys the presence of the string pulling young midfielder – João Neves, who Mikel would surely love to coach, as the Portuguese has exceeded everyone’s expectations and quickly became an irreplaceable cog in PSG’s starting XI.

The 20-year-old has already racked up five assists in just six Ligue 1’s appearances, which is impressive to say the least, especially given that the product of Benfica’s academy is playing in a deep-lying role, but the more experienced Thomas Partey and Declan Rice will provide Neves’ most difficult test yet at the Emirates Stadium. However, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha are back to help their compatriot after missing the last match through illness and injury, respectively, and Gianluigi Donnarumma was part of the travelling squad despite being out with injury since mid-September. But PSG will be without one of their key players in Ousmane Dembélé, who has been omitted from the roster by the Spanish coach due to disciplinary reasons following the Parisians’ win against Rennes on Friday. The main dilemma for Enrique will be who to replace the tricky winger in attack and whether Randal Kolo Muani warrants a place in the starting XI or will Marco Asensio be given the chance to lead the line as a false nine, perhaps leaving Gonçalo Ramos on the sidelines.

*Built with the lineup builder found at FotMob.com – give it a go yourself!*

As for Arsenal, the former PSG’s loanee from his playing days – Arteta does not expect anyone back from the absentees (Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mikel Merino, Martin Ødegaard) to return, but hopes to have Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori available after the former missed the last couple of matches through a knee injury. The Spaniard hailed his squad’s strong mentality shown in recent weeks, but pointed out that PSG will provide an exceptional test for his players ahead of the match.

With Arsenal snatching a point against Atalanta in Bergamo thanks to David Raya‘s heroics in the opening round, the Gunners will be eager to display an improved performance in front of their own fans, while one can’t help but wonder whether Luis Enrique will regret his decision to leave Dembélé at home for such a difficult match in London.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid

How much difference can two days make? If the white half of Madrid are celebrating on Sunday evening, Diego Simeone will doubtless tell you it’s an enormous amount, and he might have every reason to be annoyed.

By Karl Matchett

When Atlético are hosting Real, every inch and every moment matters, so LaLiga scheduling Carlo Ancelotti’s team to play Tuesday night and then Los Rojiblancos not until late on Thursday does feel somewhat skewed towards the visitors.

And yet, one or two situations might also favour Atleti. The absence of Kylian Mbappé, of course, will be one of them. The other – minor as it seems – might be the manner of midweek wins: Atlético will be boosted by a 90th-minute victory at Celta Vigo, while Real almost let a three-goal lead slip late on and lost their star striker in the process.

Following something of a summer revamp, much is still the same for Simeone’s side; the hope is that it’ll be the same, but better. So far they have the best defence, the most clean sheets, the third-lowest xG conceded (5.9) across their seven matches. Interestingly, Real Madrid are one of the sides improving on them in that regard (5.1), though they’ve conceded more in total.

But differences remain between the teams going forward. While they’ve both won possession precisely 114 times in midfield, Atleti’s 2.4 times per match average of winning the ball in the final third is one of the lowest in the division. For Real (4.6), it’s one of the highest. Atlético also have only 56% of the touches in the opposition penalty area that Real Madrid make – at 283 theirs is comfortably the highest in LaLiga – and unsurprisingly it’s Ancelotti’s side who are making, and taking, the best chances more often.

All the same, Mbappé’s absence – 7.0 xG this season in LaLiga, six goals and assists, 5.8 shots per 90 minutes – is a big one for Real to bear, regardless of the qualities remaining in the side. The Frenchman had found form, the team had found a way to serve him chances. Any alteration to that disrupts rhythm.

Atlético’s own star in attack, Antoine Griezmann, is in similarly strong form, but in truth Simeone rarely turns to an individual in a game like this: if Atlético want the points it’ll be about moments, about anybody at all on the team finding a way to find the net, just as Julián Álvarez did in the last minute in midweek. That, and a sixth clean sheet in seven league games, of course.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Man United vs. Spurs

Sunday sees Manchester United open their Old Trafford doors to Tottenham Hotspur and as things stand the two upcoming opponents have a number of similarities.

By Dan Tracey

Both ‘languishing’ in midtable at the start of the campaign due to league inconsistencies, both also competing in the Europa League in midweek.

However, the similarities stop there in terms of continental football and whereas United were toiling to a draw at home to FC Twente on Wednesday, a Spurs side that played with 10 men for the majority of the game eased past Qarabağ.

The ideal European start for Ange Postecoglou’s men and with Thursday’s 3-0 home win, it also means a third successive win in all competitions – a trio of victories that are all connected by a common denominator.

A denominator that comes in the shape of Brennan Johnson and although the Welsh international’s level of performance has been criticised by portions of his North London fanbase, a goal in each of those wins has gone a long way to silencing his in-house critics.

While the criticism connected to Manchester United in the past week has only increased and after being held by Crystal Palace last Saturday at Selhurst Park, there was an expectation that Wednesday night would offer a return to winning ways.

Then again, expectation in football can have a habit of not being met and although Christian Eriksen would put the Red Devils ahead before the break, former Rangers forward Sam Lammers would restore parity after it.

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A share of the points in the newly expanded Europa League format and although there are seven more opportunities in which to get the necessary points for automatic progress, there is a feeling of two points dropped after Wednesday’s showing.

Which brings us neatly to the weekend and because of where both hosts and visitors find themselves after Saturday’s set of Premier League results, neither outfit can afford to drop further points.

Postecoglou’s charges start the day in 10th while ten Hag’s United sit one place worse off, and thus, will be starting this encounter while sitting in the bottom half of the table and if either outfit are still there after their sixth skirmish of the season is completed, it is those in charge who will feel the pressure.

The easiest way to alleviate that is to pick up a maximum in Manchester but with both United and Spurs very capable of taking one step forward and two steps back rather quickly, they may have to settle for a point each instead.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Sep

2024

Preview: Osasuna vs. Barcelona

Can Barça continue their fairytale league start of the season or will Los Rojillos finally end their winning run?

By Filip Mishov

It is fair to say that Barcelona are one of the clubs playing the most entertaining football at the start of the season alongside Bayern München, with whom they are the only sides with a perfect league record in the top five leagues. Hansi Flick‘s squad has noted seven wins on the bounce in LaLiga and the energetic pressing machinery has already earned a four-point lead ahead of their arch-rivals from Madrid at the top of the standings, but another challenge is upon them, when they visit Osasuna’s El Sadar in Pamplona on Saturday. Unlike Blaugrana, Los Rojillos’ hot and cold form leaves them mid-table, but Vicente Moreno‘s squad is still undefeated at El Sadar this season with three wins and one draw on their account. However, if history is anything to go by, Osasuna’s home record will be severely tested as Barça are unbeaten in Pamplona since 2012 and they have secured five wins and three draws over that period.

The out-of-this-world wonderkid, Yamal and the free-scoring, Lewandowski may be stealing the headlines for their impressive start of the season, but the rejuvenated Raphinha deserves the same praise for his performances, to say the least. The pacey Brazilian did not always see an eye to eye with Xavi’s decisions last season and the 27-year-old could have easily left Barça over the summer, but Flick helped Raphinha restore his confidence, and the German coach is reaping the rewards now, who even gave the captain’s armband to the winger following the injury of Marc-André ter Stegen. Additionally, Jules Koundé and Raphinha are the only players that have played each and every minute in all competitions for Barcelona this season, becoming undisputed in Flick’s starting XI.

Blaugrana’s fruitful attack is flourishing at the moment with 23 goals scored (the most in LaLiga), but their issues lay at the other side of the pitch as the captain, Ter Stegen joined Marc Bernal on the sidelines as a long-term absentee after the goalkeeper ruptured the patella tendon in his knee and both of them are expected to miss the rest of the season. The vice-captain – Araujo, Christensen, de Jong, Gavi, López and Olmo are still absent and are not expected to return until after the international break at the earliest, which should spring Flick into making changes and for Pedri to return to the starting XI ahead of the match vs. Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. On the other side, Osasuna are desperately waiting for Bayern München’s loanee, Bryan Zaragoza to rediscover his magic and for last season’s top scorer – Ante Budimir to recapture his goalscoring instinct as the Basque-based club is struggling for goals and no player has scored more than a single goal for Los Rojillos this season.

With Barça eager to continue their perfect start in LaLiga and Osasuna’s undefeated home record on the line, an interesting clash awaits us in Pamplona on Saturday as Yamal & co. are striving for more victories, while El Sadar’s fortress will fiercely battle to remain unconquered.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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