Preview

Aug

2025

Preview: Graham Potter leads West Ham against former club Chelsea

There’s more optimism on one side than the other in the early knockings of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, but London derbies can skew all and reset hopes. Any chance for the Hammers?

By Karl Matchett

Firepower vs. intent

Neither West Ham United nor Chelsea managed to score in their opening match of the season, though at least the Blues managed to keep a clean sheet thanks to a lesser-remembered rule and a VAR shout in their favour. West Ham were battered by newcomers Sunderland.

*Graham Potter’s coaching history expressed as win percentages and points per game*

While a one-off result in isolation should never be considered too much of a problem, the worry for Hammers fans will be the issues in evidence which are holdovers from last season. After a pre-season and a transfer window under Graham Potter, they would have hoped for better. An xG of less than 0.6 against a newly promoted team isn’t ideal and conceding two big chances against them is also notable – given that the Black Cats didn’t actually score either one. It could have been worse.

Which means, an increased focus on getting the ball forward and creating chances at the other end has to be the focus. Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen together should guarantee vision, movement and technical quality, but neither one registered a key pass last time out. Potter’s side needs to be more proactive as they kick off at home.

Rotation considerations

There aren’t many more-stocked squads in the top flight than Chelsea’s – as you’d expect, given the level of spending. But for all Enzo Maresca’s recent wailing at needing another centre-back, it’s further forward where he needs to find the right blend – winning matches by outscoring teams might have to be the way forward for a while.

So when does the centre-forward debate ignite? How many chances for last week’s trio behind the No. 9 – Cole Palmer, Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto – to gel, to have cohesion, to be a go-to combination?

Youngsters, expensive signings and new arrivals all want to earn those spots, with more still to come it appears. Maresca needs those in the side to make their mark rather than juggling potential starlets until something sticks.

Recent form

One game in there’s not much to take for the Hammers – fans would have been hoping for continuity after ending 24/25 winning two of the last three. Chelsea of course won the Club World Cup only a few weeks back, but 0-0 at home to Crystal Palace was a sluggish start.

Team news

Crysencio Summerville is back in training but won’t play after missing preseason. Otherwise West Ham are fine. Chelsea are missing Levi Colwill, Roméo Lavia and Benoît Badiashile but Nicolas Jackson is back from suspension – presumably he won’t feature regardless?

Key player

If we’re looking for early season stardust it’s about time Palmer remembered why he’s so highly-rated: his last Premier League goal in open play was in mid-January. In seven months since he has one penalty and three assists – that’s not enough a player of his quality.

Prediction

West Ham to struggle in front of goal again and leave the fans wondering when the season really starts: West Ham 0-1 Chelsea.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Inter Miami take on Tigres in Leagues Cup last eight

Inter Miami resume their Leagues Cup campaign on Wednesday night when they face Mexican side Tigres in the quarterfinals.

By James Nalton

This is the last round of the tournament that still guarantees MLS versus Liga MX matchups, and the winner of this tie will face the winner of Toluca and Orlando City.

Messi match fit

Inter Miami defeated LA Galaxy in their most recent outing, after two Lionel Messi-inspired second-half goals gave them a 3-1 win.

He entered the field at halftime alongside Rodrigo De Paul and led his team to victory with a world-class assist for Luis Suárez and an equally impressive goal.

Messi left the pitch immediately as the full-time whistle was blown, though, suggesting some kind of discomfort or unhappiness.

He was only just back in the picture following a hamstring injury picked up in the second Leagues Cup group game against Necaxa, which caused him to miss the final group game against Pumas and the MLS match versus Orlando City.

His hasty exit led many to believe that all was not well, either with the injury or some other issue, but Javier Mascherano has assured fans he will play: “Leo is fine,” Miami’s head coach said on Tuesday. “He has been training with the team, and unless something strange happens, he will be in the squad for the match.”

Cremaschi causes a stir

De Paul looks set to return in midfield for Miami against Tigres, likely in place of Benjamin Cremaschi, who has had a public falling out with Mascherano.

It will be interesting to monitor the involvement of the 20-year-old American attacking midfielder in the coming weeks after he exchanged words with his coach via the media, which is never a good idea.

“I’m frustrated, I want to play,” Cremaschi said last week. “I think the most important thing for me is to be at a very high level, and to get there, I need minutes and experience. I’ve played very little in these recent games, and I don’t think it’s because of my level. I go to the games and I have no idea where I’m going to play.”

Mascherano responded: “I understand he likes to play as a central midfielder. I also liked to play as a central midfielder, but when I went to Barcelona, I had to play as a centre-back because otherwise I had no chance to play.

“The door to my office is always open for anyone who may be mad or doesn’t want to play a certain position to come and tell me. I haven’t heard any complaints face-to-face. This is professional football. I decide where I think each player can give me their best.”

Telasco Segovia and Tadeo Allende could keep their places, with De Paul and Messi coming into the team.

With the increased competition at Inter Miami, Cremaschi might be wise to offer the hard-working versatility and availability this team needs around those star names.

Opposition watch: Tigres UANL

Tigres’ own Argentine attacking midfielder, Ángel Correa, leads the Leagues Cup goalscoring charts with four.

He scored a brace in games against San Diego and Houston Dynamo, and currently has the highest FotMob rating of any player in this year’s Leagues Cup.

Ozziel Herrera, Diego Lainez, and Juan Brunetta all provide an attacking threat, while 39-year-old Frenchman André-Pierre Gignac is the club’s all-time top scorer and still going strong.

*Tigres’ best rated players in the Leagues Cup*

Expect defender Romulo Zwarg to be heavily involved from centre-back. Also able to play in midfield, he keeps things ticking over in possession while being equally able to win the ball back on the defensive side of the game.

It will be a tough test for Inter Miami.

Prediction

Tigres might have too much quality for Inter Miami in a standout quarterfinal matchup that would be worthy of the final itself.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Inter Miami game live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Aug

2025

Preview: Xabi Alonso takes charge of first Madrid game in LaLiga

Real Madrid are unbeaten on the opening matchday in LaLiga since 2008/09 and their 16-match record looks likely to stay intact when they take on Osasuna this evening.

By Filip Mishov

New coaches in both dugouts

Xabi Alonso‘s maiden, but curtailed pre-season at the helm of Real Madrid was perceived as far from ideal preparation after the hurtful defeat to PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup and ahead of the new season, although LaLiga’s runners-up comfortably won their friendlies, putting four past Leganés in Spain and four past WSG Tirol in Austria, respectively.

Furthermore, the Madrid’s squad is yet to be finalised with Rodrygo‘s future far from certain and Florentino Pérez always on the lookout for fresh additions.

In the away dugout at the Bernabéu, Alessio Lisci is set to make his debut as Osasuna’s head coach after the Italian replaced Vicente Moreno, who led Los Rojillos to a ninth-place finish in Spain’s top-tier last season. However, the newly-appointed tactician endured a difficult start to life as the Basque club lost three matches, drew twice and won only once during pre-season, which does not spark confidence ahead of the trip to the capital.

Key players

It is hard to look past by Kylian Mbappé as Real Madrid’s main man after the lethal Frenchman took over the iconic no. 10 shirt upon Luka Modric‘s release and amid Vinicius Junior‘s long-term uncertainty. Also, France’s captain scored incredible 44 goals in all competitions last season and claimed the Pichichi Trophy as LaLiga’s top scorer with 31 goals in the league alone. Additionally, the 26-year-old scored an impressive brace, recorded an assist, and earned a match high FotMob rating of 9.4 in the final pre-season test against Tirol a week ago.

Alessio Lisci’s Osasuna squad is in desperate need of creativity in the final third after Bryan Zaragoza left Pamplona at the end of last season, and interestingly, Osasuna tapped up Real Madrid Castilla to find a replacement and have consequently signed Victor Muñoz. The 22-year-old forward was Castilla’s second top scorer last season with 11 goals only behind Gonzalo García (25), and the Spaniard was also part of the squad at the Club World Cup over the summer. With that being said, Raúl’s protegee is expected to play an important role in Osasuna’s first team this season and beyond.

Team news

Los Blancos’ four new signings (Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Franco Mastantuono) are fit and available, although the Argentinean prodigy only joined a few days ago and he might have to wait before making his debut. Antonio Rüdiger is carrying over a suspension from last season, while Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham and Endrick are all injured. Unlike Xabi Alonso, Alessio Lisci has been given a clean bill of health at Osasuna and has a full squad to pick from.

Prediction

Given Osasuna’s last win at the Bernabéu dates back to 2004 and the corresponding game last season finished 4-0 to the hosts, anything other than a winning start for Xabi Alonso & co. would be a big surprise.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Manchester United meet Arsenal in opening round headliner

The summer break is already over, and the 2025/26 season is underway. The English Premier League looks set for a thrilling campaign, for which we should get a nice teaser when Manchester United and Arsenal face off at prime time on Sunday.

By Neel Shelat

Shiny new forwards on both sides

Both Manchester United and Arsenal have spent close to £200 million on transfer fees this summer, making some big moves in the process.

The Red Devils have set about revamping their entire front line, spending north of £60m on each of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and most recently, Benjamin Šeško. While they are all quality forwards, many have questioned United’s allocation of resources at a time of cost-cuts and clear needs in other areas of the squad. So, each of the trio will be under pressure to deliver from the get-go.

Arsenal took a fair while to decide their summer striker signing, eventually landing on Viktor Gyökeres. The Swedish striker has returned to England on the back of an incredible 54-goal season with Sporting, but the big question is how his qualities will translate to the Premier League. Besides him, the Gunners also spent around £50m on Noni Madueke.

Will United’s unchanged midfield hold them back?

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Carlos Baleba, who Brighton value at a nine-digit fee. The Red Devils might just be tempted to break their transfer record on him as his arrival would address a gaping hole in the squad in defensive midfield.

For the moment, though, Manuel Ugarte is expected to partner Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park. The former’s lack of security on the ball and the captain’s risk-taking nature, in addition to other defensive absences, make it quite likely that United will have trouble building out from the back and establishing control in this game.

A need for improved intent from Arsenal

Arsenal are expected to be locked in a three-way title race with Liverpool and Manchester City. Both of their rivals are expected to look quite different from last season after some big changes in the summer, but the Gunners have preserved the core of their squad and only added a couple of additional pieces.

Continuity may well give them an edge, but they will need to seize the initiative to make the most of it. Mikel Arteta’s side were only sixth in the league for expected goals last term, at least partly due to excessively cautious tactics.

Fans will hope that the new forwards and added security in midfield (thanks to the arrival of Martín Zubimendi) embolden the side a bit more.

Arsenal aiming to extend head-to-head unbeaten streak

Although Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United last season, that game went down as a draw in the record books since it was decided on penalties. As a result, the Gunners are (sort of) on a six-game head-to-head unbeaten streak, one away from the fixture record in the Premier League era.

They have also won four and drawn one in the last five league meetings, matching their best run against United in the competition.

*H2H results, last five Premier League meetings*

Prediction

Arsenal are the favourites for good reason, so a relatively comfortable win is pretty likely.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Chelsea meet Palace at the Bridge

The Premier League is back, not that it ever really ends. Excitement and anxiety rise in equal measure as the World Champions host the FA Cup and Community Shield winners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

By Alex Roberts

Palace fans are in dreamland having won two trophies in their previous two competitive games, it’s just a shame things off the pitch have been a little more frustrating, to say the very least.

For Chelsea, a 3-0 win over PSG in the Club World Cup final, and subsequent pre-season wins over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan have given the Stamford Bridge faithful something they haven’t felt sine Todd Boehly an co. took over…hope.

Chelsea’s first Club World Cup casualty

It remains to be seen what kind of effect Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign will have in the playing squad and it’s impossible to say whether Levi Colwill’s ACL injury had anything to do with it but he’s unlikely to feature much, or at all in 2025-26, ruled out before the season even started.

Colwill’s injury comes at the worst possible time, at 22-years-old, he was starting to look the centre-back Chelsea needed, even scoring the winner against Nottingham Forest to secure the club’s top four finish.

Thankfully for Chelsea, their never-ending thirst for new players means they have plenty of options to replace him, with Enzo Maresca confirming that Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana are both fit to play.

A welcome boost…for now

Few would have predicted that Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze would still be Palace players by mid-August, likely including the owners, who have so far splurged just £2 million on a single new signing, Borna Sosa from Ajax. Notably, Palace started the exact same XI in the FA Cup Final and last weekend’s Community Shield win over Liverpool.

The Holmesdale Fanatics won’t be too fussed though, Guéhi and Eze are two of the league’s best players, keeping that at the club, even if it’s just for one more season, would be a huge boost as they seek more silverware.

We will see if they’re still knocking about come September, with Tottenham said to be so close to finalising a move for Eze that the creative mainstay of Palace’s side will not feature in this game, and Liverpool keen on adding Guéhi to their £300 million summer super team.

Cucurella is key

It feels like everything good that Chelsea have done over the past six months, the fluffy haired left-back has been at the centre of it. Maresca has given in a new position, a sort of ‘roaming full-back’ (coined by The Athletic’s JJ Bull).

While doing all the normal things a more traditional full-back would do, defending the flanks, bombing up and down the pitch, he also has the freedom to invert and contribute to attacking build up, often ending up as an extra man in the final third.

If Chelsea want to get their hands on that Premier League title come the end of the season, Cucurella may well be the man that takes them there. For now, Palace have been tasked with a job few have managed, keeping him quiet.

Prediction

Palace under Oliver Glasner have been an entirely different kettle of fish, well organised and compact at the back while the likes of Eze have had the freedom to impact the game further up the field.

Chelsea won’t have it easy, but considering they’ve essentially played all summer, they won’t have the same rust in their joints that Palace might. We think the home side will win this one 2-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: East meets West as Inter Miami host LA Galaxy

Inter Miami welcome LA Galaxy to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night where all eyes will once again be on whether Lionel Messi makes an appearance following an injury he picked up earlier in the month.

By James Nalton

LA Galaxy were the original MLS Galacticos, and their signing of David Beckham back in 2007 included a clause that gave the Englishman the option to buy an MLS franchise further down the line at a heavily discounted expansion fee.

That expansion franchise became Inter Miami, who have taken LA Galaxy’s status as the Galacticos of MLS. It means that even without Messi, there are numerous players to watch out for in this Inter Miami side, but could the Galaxy cause an upset?

Will Messi be back?

Photos from Inter Miami’s training sessions this week indicate that Messi is back on the field. They provided hope that he could be in line for some involvement in this weekend’s game.

The extent of his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in the Leagues Cup match against Necaxa at the start of the month remains unclear, but the images of him back on the pitch indicate he could have some involvement in Saturday night’s game.

Coming back too early from such injuries runs the risk of a reoccurrence, though, and with a hamstring strain, it’s often wise to give an extra week to avoid possible further damage and an even longer layoff as a result.

That said, if Messi himself indicates that he is available, Inter Miami will usually involve him in some way.

No magic in Orlando

The upcoming game against LA Galaxy provides Inter Miami with a chance to redress the balance following a disappointing defeat last weekend.

When Inter Miami lose, they tend to do so heavily, and last week’s 4-1 defeat at fellow Floridians Orlando City was the second time this season they have been on the wrong end of this scoreline, having also lost 4-1 to Minnesota United in May.

They have lost five matches in MLS this season, and as well as those two 4-1 losses, there has been a 3-0 defeat at home to Orlando City and another 3-0 defeat away to FC Cincinnati.

Messi played in both of those games, so he’s not always the answer to their problems, though he did miss the 4-3 loss to FC Dallas in April as well as the most recent of the Orlando games.

There was also the 5-1 aggregate defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps in the Concacaf Champions Cup, which further highlighted the team’s defensive weaknesses.

On Saturday, however, Inter Miami will be eyeing a chance to score plenty of goals of their own and recover that goal difference against a team that are rooted to the bottom of the MLS table and have conceded the most goals in the league.

Opposition watch: LA Galaxy

Last season’s MLS Cup winners have had one of the worst title defences imaginable.

They went 16 games without a win at the start of the season, and have the worst defence in the league, having shipped 52 goals in 25 games.

There was a slight recovery in July when they won two of their four games, drawing one and losing the other, but a 4-0 defeat to Seattle Sounders last weekend doesn’t bode well for the trip to Inter Miami.

Losing striker Dejan Joveljić in the off-season in order to remain under the salary cap didn’t help, and neither did the departures of Gastón Brugman and Mark Delgado. The long-term injury to Riqui Puig has also hit them hard.

Amid all of this, veteran attacking midfielder Marco Reus is actually having a decent season, while Gabriel Pec and Joseph Painstil remain considerable attacking threats from out wide.

They also managed to progress to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup, which at least gives them something to play for now that their MLS season is a write-off.

Prediction

Whether Messi plays or not, Inter Miami should have enough to defeat LA Galaxy convincingly.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Inter Miami game live this season with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Aug

2025

Preview: Man City start new campaign with Wolves test

Wolves host Manchester City at Molineux in their opening Premier League game of the season, with Rayan Aït-Nouri returning to his former club for the first time since signing for Pep Guardiola’s side during the summer transfer window.

By Matt Smith

Both teams will be desperate to get off to a strong start after getting plenty of business done this summer, with Wolves having to contend with losing Matheus Cunha and Aït-Nouri, while City are hoping to build a squad capable of beating Liverpool to the Premier League title.

When the two sides last met, during the 2024/2025 season, Man City came out on top. Kevin De Bruyne, who left the club in the summer to join Napoli, scored the only goal of the game for the home side.

Team news

Guardiola confirmed to the media on Friday that Joško Gvardiol, Savinho, Mateo Kovačić, and Ederson will all be unavailable for the home side due to injury. Speculation has surrounded the futures of Ederson and Savinho in recent weeks, and they will miss out this weekend.

Vítor Pereira will be without Leon Chiwome, Yerson Mosquera, and Fábio Silva for the game against Manchester City. We could see new signings Jhon Arias, David Møller Wolfe, and Fer López make their debuts.

City have some catching up to do

Man City’s performances last season weren’t too dissimilar to see what we’re so used to seeing from a Guardiola side. The Manchester club enjoyed more possession than any other team in the Premier League, but the difference between them and Liverpool from a creativity standpoint was night and day.

Liverpool created a whopping 83.5 xG compared to City’s 69.2, and being more productive in the final third will be on the agenda for Guardiola. The addition of Rayan Cherki will certainly help with that, and they will be hoping to see Phil Foden have a resurgence of form.

Pereira must sort the leaky defence

Only the three relegated sides conceded more goals than Wolves last season, and it’s an area that Pereira will have no doubt been working on during pre-season. Losing Aït-Nouri and Nelson Semedo from the defence might not help, but it’s a chance for them to start afresh at the back.

Wolves have also lost the creativity and goals of Cunha heading into the new campaign, and they will be hoping the likes of López and Arias can replicate the Brazilian’s contributions.

Cherki to burst on the scene

City fans might be worried about losing the creativity of De Bruyne this season, but Guardiola’s recruitment team acted quickly to replace him. Cherki isn’t an identical player to De Bruyne, but he can certainly bring the creativity they need.

*Cherki’s passing stats, Ligue 1 2024/25*

The French international can also chip in with goals, and at the age of 21, he’s far from the finished product yet. He’ll no doubt be looking to stamp his authority on the Premier League.

Prediction

It’s difficult to see past a Man City win here. We’re going for a 3-0 victory.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: Barcelona visit Mallorca on opening weekend

Barcelona start their league title defence with a potentially tricky away match against Mallorca on Saturday.

By Graham Ruthven

On the road

There’s no place like home, not that Barcelona will get to experience any home comforts for a while. The Spanish champions will start the defence of their LaLiga title with a run of three away games starting with Saturday’s trip to Mallorca.

Barca won’t return to the renovated Camp Nou until September, meaning Hansi Flick’s side face a challenging start to the 2025/26 campaign, not least because Mallorca could be awkward opponents.

The Balearic islanders finished a respectable 10th in the table last season, just four points off European qualification. Mallorca, however, have struggled against Barcelona in recent times. Indeed, they haven’t beaten the Catalans since 2009.

At their best, Barca are a force of nature. Their attack is arguably the strongest in European football right now, scoring 102 goals in 38 league games last term.

However, Flick’s insistence on an exceptionally high defensive line means opponents frequently have opportunities of their own against the Catalans. This is where Mallorca will fancy their chances in front of their own fans.

Key players

Vedat Muriqi can be a handful on his day. The Kosovan striker will lead the line for Mallorca this weekend and could challenge Barcelona’s backline through his physicality and aerial threat.

Sergi Darder and Takuma Asano are expected to feature in the final third with Pablo Torre also in line to make his league debut for Mallorca against his former side. Manu Morlanes and Omar Mascarell will be up against it in central midfield.

Lamine Yamal might well be the best player in the world at the age of 18. The teenager is a phenomenon and is Barcelona’s most consistent attacking and creative threat in the final third.

*Yamal player traits comparison against similar players in top five leagues*

Marcus Rashford could make his debut in LaLiga after a positive pre-season and the resolution of his registration issue. The on-loan Manchester United winger is looking to revive his career at Barcelona and could be in line for a start on Saturday.

Raphinha’s driving runs and sharp shooting made him one of the best attackers in Europe last season and the Brazilian will once again be a danger in both open space and tight areas.

Pedri and Frenkie de Jong could start as a double pivot with Fermín López slightly ahead of the pair while goalkeeper Joan García is also expected to make his competitive bow for Barcelona after joining from Espanyol in the summer.

Team news

Samú Costa is Mallorca’s only injury concern ahead of the season opener against Barcelona. The Portuguese midfielder could still make the squad and will face a late fitness test.

Marc-André Ter Stegen is sidelined with a long-term injury while Robert Lewandowski is a doubt. Ferran Torres could subsequently start as Barca’s first-choice centre forward on Saturday.

Iñigo Martínez’s surprise move to Al-Nassr has opened up a starting spot in Barcelona’s backline something we discussed – here – during the week. Flick has favoured Ronald Araújo alongside Pau Cubarsí, but not having a left-footer in defence could affect the Catalans’ balance.

Prediction

While a clean sheet can never be guaranteed with Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, you can always expect to see the Catalans create and, most likely, take their chances. We can see Barca taking three points back to the mainland: Mallorca 1-3 Barcelona.

(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

2025

Preview: Liverpool start title defence against the Cherries

The Premier League champions kick off the 2025/26 campaign with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth on Friday evening

By Sam McGuire

Big summer, big expectations

The Reds head into the season as title favourites for the first time in a long time. Arne Slot’s side coasted to title success last term, finishing 10 points clear despite failing to win a game in May.

Liverpool made just one signing last summer with Federico Chiesa joining from Juventus late on in the window. The Dutch tactician wanted to see what he had at his disposal and has no doubt worked closely with Richard Hughes, the club’s Sporting Director, to address what he considered to be weaknesses.

The result? The champions have spent over £200million to bring Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to Anfield. More signings are imminent, too, if reports are to be believed.

There’s now an expectation that the Reds retain their title. The fact there could be five new faces in the starting XI won’t be taken into account or considered an acceptable reason if Liverpool fail to challenge for top spot.

How will this group of players handle that pressure?

Defensive worries

Liverpool have looked far from assured during their pre-season friendlies. The champions conceded two goals in games against Milan, Athletic Club and Crystal Palace. The Reds lost the Non-Penalty xG battle against the Eagles on Sunday at Wembley.

The new system leaves them a little exposed. What hasn’t helped matters for Slot is that the team has looked lightweight in that area of the pitch. No replacement has been signed following Jarell Quansah’s sale to Bayer Leverkusen while Joe Gomez was injured early on in the summer.

It has meant the Reds have been using random players there to fill in with Kostas Tsimikas, Andrew Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch and Trey Nyoni all getting minutes at centre-back. In truth, it is the perfect storm for the opposition. Liverpool are trying to strike a balance with their new style while being woefully short at the back, and teams are taking advantage.

All change for Bournemouth

The Cherries have been raided this summer. Kepa’s loan spell from Chelsea was not turned into a permanent deal, Dean Huijsen moved to Real Madrid, Milos Kerkez joined Liverpool and Illia Zabarnyi was snapped up by European champions Paris Saint-Germain. That means four of Andoni Iraola’s first choice back five from last term have departed.

So far, just two new faces have arrived. Djordje Petrovic signed from Chelsea and Adrien Truffert moved from Rennes. Iraola told the media that two centre-backs are needed but it is doubtful they’ll be in situ before the trip to Merseyside: “We are trying to sign centre-backs after we lost Dean [Huijsen] and Zabarnyi. I can’t talk about players that are not ours. We need two new centre-backs. It will be impossible to replace the ones that have left but the best centre-backs we can find, the club is working on it”.

History favours Liverpool

Bournemouth have won just two of their previous 20 clashes with Liverpool. The last draw between the two teams was during the 2016/17 campaign when the Cherries salvaged a point late on at Anfield.

In the 13 games since then, the Reds have claimed 12 wins, scoring 42 goals in the process.

This match-up is about as one-sided as they come. But, losing streaks do have to come to an end at some point.

Score prediction

We’re going to go with a 3-1 win for Liverpool. The Reds haven’t been too robust defensively but have the firepower to blitz Bournemouth at Anfield. Their final third quality should be enough to guarantee all three points in what could be a tricky opening fixture.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Aug

2025

Preview: PSG take on Spurs in the UEFA Super Cup

PSG ended up not becoming the Champions of the World during the summer, but they can collect a pre-season consolation against Spurs in the UEFA Super Cup in Udine.

By Ian King

Post-summer recap

PSG arrive in Italy for the UEFA Super Cup still licking their wounds following their World Club Cup final defeat to Chelsea. But their form against English clubs in last year’s Champions League was something else; they beat Premier League opposition in the group stage and every knockout round of last year’s tournament before their thumping win against Inter in the final. Spurs won just one of their last 12 in the Premier League last season and finished 17th. Winning the Europa League was insufficient to keep Ange Postecoglou in his job.

History favours the Champions League winners

Somewhat surprisingly, these two have never met in a competitive match before. Spurs beat the Parisians 4-2 in a friendly match back in 2017 thanks to goals from Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, and Harry Kane, none of whom have now been with the club for several years.

The Champions League winners have won the last six successive Super Cups, so the historical omens aren’t great for Spurs.

Key Players

All Spurs eyes will be on the new new arrivals, Mohammed Kudus and João Palhinha, who arrived over the summer from West Ham United and Bayern Munich respectively. Perhaps the biggest key player for them will be new head coach Thomas Frank, for whom this is a first competitive game in charge of the team.

PSG aren’t the star-studded galacticos of several years ago, and that served them just fine last season. Fabián Ruiz scored two in the first half of their 4-0 shellacking of Real Madrid in the World Club Cup semi-final, and the Spanish international is always a danger, while it’ll be a competitive debut in goal for their new goalkeeper, Lucas Chevalier.

Team News

Chevalier’s arrival in Paris from Lille is the big summer news from PSG, because it does mean the almost certain departure of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who’s probably played his last game for the club. Other than that PSG will look very much the same as they did at the end of last season. Spurs will be missing James Maddison, who’ll probably be out for the season, while Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Drăgușin are both still injured too and Destiny Udogie is a doubt.

*Lucas Chevalier’s Ligue 1 save map at Lille last season*

Prediction

The ease with which Chelsea brushed PSG aside in the World Club Cup final is the one small glimmer of light that Spurs have ahead of a match from which it’s difficult to see them taking anything.

They may have more transfer business to carry out before the end of August, but there’s little to suggest they’ll be much improved upon last season beyond, “Well, they can’t do any worse”.

PSG proved what we could all see in the Champions League final, that they were the best team in Europe throughout 2024-25 by a distance. They should be comfortable winners here, and a 4-0 win doesn’t seem out of the question.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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