Preview

Feb

2025

Preview: Barcelona keen to keep the good times rolling against subpar Sevilla

After the two Madrid clubs took centre stage last night, Barcelona will be keen to reinforce their title credentials against an underwhelming Sevilla side.

By Neel Shelat

Barcelona back on song in 2025

After a scintillating start to the season, Barcelona seemed to run out of steam towards the end of 2024. They won just one and lost four of their last seven LaLiga matches of the year, going from a six-point lead at the top of the standings to an equivalent deficit. However, they have looked much better since the turn of the year.

The 5-2 Supercopa win over Real Madrid must have done a world of good to their confidence as they went on to put five past Real Betis, staged a dramatic turnaround to win a nine-goal Champions League thriller against Benfica and scored 12 times in two recent fixtures against Valencia.

While it has not been all smooth sailing for Hansi Flick’s side as they have drawn a couple of games, it is safe to say that they are much closer to their best now than they were two months ago.

Ferran Torres delivering as Barcelona’s fourth forward option

One of the major issues Barcelona had to contend with in the first half of the season was their lack of quality depth beyond the first-choice front three of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. Indeed, it was no coincidence that their downturn in form coincided with their teenage winger’s ankle issues.

Lamine Yamal still looks quite irreplaceable, but the good news for the Blaugrana is that they seem to have a decent backup for the other two as Ferran Torres has shown himself capable of doing a job in the more central positions. He has five goals and an assist in his last seven appearances, including a hat-trick in his second start of the year at Valencia in midweek.

As the stakes get ever higher in the second half of the season, having a rotation option like Torres could prove invaluable for Barcelona to not only get an impact off the bench but also rest their stars in certain games.

García Pimienta’s reunion with his boyhood club

García Pimienta was affiliated with FC Barcelona for well over half his life, starting as a prospect in their youth academy and going on to spend about two decades as a coach. However, he was sacked from the B team post in 2021 in a move that still confounds many, himself included.

The Spanish tactician was soon hired by Las Palmas, with whom he won promotion to LaLiga. His incredibly possession-based style of play attracted a lot of attention and earned him a move to Sevilla this summer, but he has not been able to turn around the fortunes of the consistent underperformers’ so far.

Sevilla’s last league victory over Barcelona was all the way back in 2015, so the likelihood of García Pimienta earning his first points against his boyhood club at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán is quite low.

Prediction

All signs point to a comfortable multi-goal win for 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.

Feb

2025

Preview: Liverpool go to Championship strugglers Plymouth in the FA Cup

Liverpool can build on making the Carabao Cup final during the week by taking another step forward in the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle.

By Graham Ruthven

Is the Quadruple on?

Top of the Premier League. Through to the Champions League last 16 after finishing top of the 32-team league phase. Through to the Carabao Cup final. A win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup this weekend would add to the growing sense Liverpool could win the Quadruple this season.

By every measure, Liverpool are the strongest team in England right now, making them firm favourites to sweep aside their struggling Championship opponents on Sunday afternoon.

On the face of it, this could be a mismatch. Plymouth are currently marooned at the foot of the Championship table and are on their second manager of the season after Miron Muslić replaced Wayne Rooney. Argyle haven’t had their problems to seek.

However, the Devon outfit are fresh from a 2-1 win over West Brom and a very respectable 2-2 draw away to Sunderland which suggest Plymouth are turning a corner under their new manager.

A win over the Premier League table-toppers might be beyond The Pilgrims, but Sunday’s David v Goliath clash could epitomise the ‘Magic of the Cup.’

Key players

Ryan Hardie bagged a brace against West Brom on Saturday and could be in line to start against Liverpool. Mustapha Bundu could drop out of the team to make way for the Scottish striker.

After the departure of star player Morgan Whittaker to Middlesbrough in the transfer window, Plymouth are lacking an attacking dimension. Whittaker’s stunning strike against Brentford put Argyle into the FA Cup fourth round in the first place.

*Plymouth goals + assists, Championship 2024/25*

January signing and former Rangers defender Nikola Katić made his Argyle debut against the Baggies and will likely start in the centre of a back three

Arne Slot is expected to rotate his squad for the trip to Devon this weekend. This would have been likely anyway, but the exerts of Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur make it even more probable.

Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa could all be in line for a start at Home Park. Even still, Liverpool should have the strength in depth to make the fifth round.

*Liverpool goals + assists, Premier League 2024/25*

Team news

Brendan Galloway, Kornél Szűcs and Joe Edwards are all expected to be sidelined through injury for Plymouth as they welcome the eight-times FA Cup winners to Home Park.

Nigerian forward Muhamed Tijani was back on the bench for the draw away to Sunderland after missing a number of months of action with a hamstring injury. He could feature against Liverpool on Sunday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold missed Thursday’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs and could be unavailable for this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round tie. This might hand another first team opportunity to Conor Bradley.

Darwin Núñez started ahead of Diogo Jota in the win over Tottenham on Thursday and so the Portuguese forward could be rotated into the starting lineup.

Prediction

Unless the Magic of the Cup springs a surprise, this should be a routine win for a rotated Liverpool squad: 3-0 to the away side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: FA Cup tie gives Brighton and Chelsea a chance to reset

It’s round one for Brighton and Chelsea on Saturday as the two sides face-off in the FA Cup before meeting again in the Premier League for a rematch nearly a week later.

By Alex Roberts

Both sides defeated lower-league opposition in the Third Round before being drawn against each other, with Chelsea’s second team earning a comfortably 5-0 win over Morecambe, while Brighton left Norwich with a 4-0 victory.

Dark horses don’t seem to be much of a thing anymore, but Brighton have it in them to beat the big boys on their day, and a statement win over Enzo Maresca’s side ahead of their second meeting isn’t hard to imagine, despite their stuttering form.

Christopher Nkunku set for a “bigger role.”

Chelsea saw several players leave in the January transfer window, mostly on loan, but Christopher Nkunku wasn’t one of them. The French forward has had to take a backseat under Enzo Maresca and is reportedly unhappy with his situation.

Speaking in his pre-match presser, Maresca confirmed Nkunku is set for a “bigger role” in the second half of the season. With Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu both injury doubt’s, Nkunku will likely get a chance on Saturday.

He hasn’t scored a goal since the 5-0 win over Morecambe, but that’s simply due to a lack of opportunity. With 13 goals from his 30 games, 13 of which have been starts, only Maresca knows why he hasn’t been given more of a shot.

7-0 is pretty rough

Brighton’s 7-0 Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest in their previous fixture has brought up some uncomfortable questions regarding their young manager Fabian Hürzeler.

The FA Cup tie with Chelsea allows them to step away, reset a little, and take a breath, but should they suffer another heavy defeat, those dissenting voices are going to start getting louder.

Chelsea needed a four-goal Cole Palmer masterclass to get past Brighton the last time these two sides played, the last thing Lewis Dunk and co are going to want to see is that lanky genius running at them right now.

Starting to worry about Roméo Lavia

The young midfielder may be the next star to wander down that ‘wonderkid’ to ‘streets won’t forget’ pipeline after Maresca admitted he “still has a long way to go” in the recovery from his most recent injury setback.

Lavia has made just 13 appearances for Chelsea since joining from Southampton back in the summer of 2023, and while he’s been decent in those games, it’s starting to get pretty hard to justify the price tag.

In a perfect world, and FA Cup game against Brighton would have been the ideal opportunity for Lavia to show what he can do, unfortunately, no one knows when he’ll be back playing consistently.

Chelsea aren’t the only side with a problem between the sticks

Bart Verbruggen struggled big time in the defeat to Forest. Yes, we understand the pros and cons of playing out from the back, but, in fear of sounding too much like Tim Sherwood, sometimes you need to get it out.

Thankfully for the Dutchman, he could put Jota Silva’s goal down to mental and physical fatigue, but four errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season is less than ideal for any party.

Don’t expect it to change, it’s the gameplan now, which is fine, but it can be so frustrating for the fans. If it makes Vergruggen feel any better, only Chelsea’s Robert Sánchez has made more errors in the league this season.

Prediction

Honestly, this one could go either way. Never trust Chelsea to win a game they ‘should’, so we’re going to go with a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes. You can make a judgement on who wins it from there!

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Table-topping Madrid Derby promises drama

Just one point separates Real Madrid from local rivals Atlético going into what could well be a pivotal match in the Spanish title race.

By Neel Shelat

Referee under the spotlight

They say the best kind of game for a referee is one they are invisible in, but unfortunately for César Soto Grado, that will certainly not be the case for him in the Madrid derby. LaLiga’s match officials have been the subject of a fair few controversies in the past, but things have escalated recently.

The developments in the Negreira case over the last year or so have not helped matters, neither has Real Madrid’s aggressive approach to debatable decisions in recent times. Last weekend, for example, the club published an open letter complaining about some of the officiating in their loss to Espanyol.

Amid the back and forth of official statements from Real Madrid, LaLiga and the Spanish federation, Atlético Madrid pitched in with a social media post making light of the situation. However, things will surely get serious when Soto Grado takes charge of his third Madrid derby. He was the one who sent off Vinícius Júnior for violent conduct against Valencia in his last Real Madrid match, so he is quite likely to face a good deal of hostility in the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid’s defence further depleted

Injuries to key defenders have been a big cause of Real Madrid’s inconsistent form and performances this season. Eduardo Camavinga picked up a hamstring injury to join Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão on the treatment table last month, but the situation has gotten much worse in the last week. Antonio Rüdiger went off with a hamstring injury early on in last weekend’s loss to Espanyol and David Alaba was diagnosed with another injury later in the week.

Los Blancos have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight matches and let in as many as 12 goals. They will do very well to keep a shutout tonight with an expected makeshift centre-back pairing of Aurélien Tchouaméni and Raúl Asencio.

Atlético’s attack well-suited to exploit high lines

Unavailable personnel is not the only cause behind Real Madrid’s poor defensive record, as they have also made some very questionable tactical decisions. The nine goals they conceded in their last two matches against Barcelona highlighted the various issues in their high defensive line most clearly, but they are yet to make any major changes.

Atlético Madrid, for their part, will be delighted to come up against such a high line. Diego Simeone’s side have had their struggles against low blocks but really seem to thrive in open games when the likes of Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth can stretch their legs.

Goals almost guaranteed

Besides the attacking star power and defensive absences on both sides (including Robin Le Normand’s suspension), the recent history of this fixture suggests that the scorekeepers will not be left idle. The last goalless Madrid derby was over five years ago, while both sides have scored in their last eight meetings!

Prediction

All things considered, Atlético Madrid could well end up outscoring Real Madrid in what promises to be an extremely eventful and entertaining match.

(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.

Feb

2025

Preview: Man City face third tier Leyton Orient in the FA Cup

Manchester City’s 5-1 loss at Arsenal last weekend has been described as “the end of an empire”, but can Leyton Orient read them the last rites in the FA Cup?

By Ian King

Two sides on different levels

Well, we thought they were back. Prior to last weekend’s chastening loss, Manchester City had been unbeaten in their six previous Premier League matches, scoring 18 goals. The last time they failed to get past the Fourth Round of the FA Cup was ten years ago. The last time Orient got to the Fourth Round was in 2011, when they were beaten 5-0 by Arsenal following a replay.

Orient lost 1-0 at home to Stockport County last week, but prior to that they’d been eleven games unbeaten in League One, a run of nine wins and two draws which lifted them up to sixth place. In the last round of the Cup they beat Championship club Derby County 6-5 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw at Brisbane Road.

A history lesson from the pre-FotMob days

It’s now 49 years since these two clubs last met, with that last meeting ending in a 2-2 draw back in May 1966. They’ve met twelve times in total, with City winning eight of them. Orient’s last win against them came in a Second Division match in August 1964. The two clubs have met twice before in the FA Cup, in 1920 and 1926, with City winning both of those, 4-1 and 6-1 respectively.

Key players

The scale of the Arsenal loss may provoke Pep Guardiola to play a stronger team than he might otherwise have done. Nico O’Reilly could find himself back in the team. He scored his first senior goal from left-back in their 8-0 win against Salford City in the last round.

Another Nico, Nico González, arrived for £50m on transfer deadline day from Porto, but will any of their newest acquisitions get a runout?

Grenada international Omar Beckles will be on for a busy afternoon at the heart of the Orient defence. He’s been there since 2021, after having risen from the non-league game to play for Accrington, Shrewsbury and Crewe.

Team News

Orient are expected to be at full strength. For Manchester City, Stefan Ortega will likely start in goal in place of Ederson, while their defensive shambles at The Emirates last week means that, having missed out on that one, Abdukodir Khusanov could start in the centre of defence. It’s likely to be a very different City team to the one that started last Sunday.

Prediction

Obviously, this should be a walk in the park for Manchester City. The gulf is enormous. Orient’s record transfer fee is the £200,000 they paid Oldham Athletic for Liam Kelly in 2016. According to publicly available information, City have ten players who currently earn that amount of money a week. City should run up a hatful but it’s the FA Cup – and frankly, when am I ever going to get the opportunity to do this again? So I’ll go for an optimistic 1-0 Orient win because we’d all neutrals would love to see that, wouldn’t they?

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Van Nistelrooy takes Leicester to Man United for FA Cup clash

Manchester United host Leicester City on Friday night under the lights in the FA Cup fifth round at Old Trafford. Ruud van Nistelrooy will be returning to his former club as manager, while Rúben Amorim will be looking to start steering his side back in the right direction.

By Matt Smith

The two sides met earlier in the season in the Premier League and EFL Cup. Van Nistelrooy was, coincidentally, in charge of United for both ties as he stepped in as interim before Amorim arrived. United won both meetings between the two teams this term.

Luke Shaw has ‘small issue’

In his press conference before the FA Cup tie, Amorim confirmed that Luke Shaw had a ‘small issue’, adding that United would have to be careful with the English left-back.

Lisandro Martínez is going to be out for an extended period after picking up a nasty knee injury, while Mason Mount and Jonny Evans remain sidelined.

Time for Amad to step up once again

Amad Diallo has been a shining light for United this season, providing 16 goals and assists combined in all competitions. The 22-year-old, however, is going through a tricky run of form, and Amorim will be desperate to see him step up once again.

Amad has failed to provide a goal contribution in his last five games in all competitions, previously finding the back of the net against Southampton in January, a game where he struck three times. If United are going to turn things around and build some momentum, Amad will need to step up once again.

Young stars make Leicester squad

Van Nistelrooy confirmed that academy stars Jeremy Monga and Jake Evans, who are 15 and 16 years old respectively, will be on the bench at Old Trafford on Friday. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the two young talents, especially if they are given minutes against United.

The Leicester boss added that there are two or three players with light injuries, but he didn’t go into detail.

Time to unleash Buonanotte

Facundo Buonanotte signed on loan from Brighton at the beginning of the season and made an impressive impact at Leicester. The Argentinian forward has provided eight goals and assists combined in all competitions, but he’s struggled for minutes of late.

*Leicester City goals + assists, Premier League 2024/25*

The 20-year-old has failed to start in the last four games for the Foxes, playing zero minutes against Everton last time out. Only Jamie Vardy has more goals and assists combined for Leicester this season, so it could be time for Van Nistelrooy to unleash him once again.

Prediction

Leicester have visited Old Trafford twice this season already, conceding eight goals and losing both games. The Foxes are in a tricky run of form, so it’s difficult to see past a United victory in this one, especially with Amorim’s side playing at home.

We’re going for a 3-1 win for the Red Devils on Friday evening.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Valencia face daunting Barca test in the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals

Two of Spanish football’s most historic clubs clash in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, with Carlos Corberán hoping and praying his side can do a little better than the last time they faced Hansi Flick’s Barca.

By Alex Roberts

It’s been less than two weeks since Barcelona beat Valencia 7-1 but, if anything, Valencia were lucky it was only that. They had absolutely no answer to Barca’s ruthless attacking efficiency, although they managed to bounce back with a much-needed win over Celta Vigo in the game after.

Barca, on the other hand, seem to have navigated their way through a real rocky patch of form, winning seven of their last nine games across all competitions, easing any pressure on their German manager.

His head is already in Liverpool

Giorgi Mamardashvili hasn’t exactly set the world alight since his move to Anfield and subsequent loan back to Valencia, he was arguably the worst player on the pitch the last time these two sides met, and that’s saying something.

His LaLiga save percentage is well below what it was last season, 57.5% percent compared to 72.5. Yes, Valencia as a side have been poor, but Mamardashvili isn’t bailing his side out like he used to.

He didn’t have much to do in the win over Celta, but when he was called up, he stood on business, ending his game having made one save, six recoveries, and a decent 36% long ball accuracy rate.

*Mamardashvili’s player radar has taken a hit this season*

Lamine YaMessi

Lamina Yamal is an anomaly and he’s only getting better, breaking Lionel Messi‘s record for most dribbles attempted (21) and completed (11) in a single game in LaLiga for Barcelona in their 1-0 win over Deportivo Alavés.

He was just about the only player that didn’t score in Barca’s 7-1 win over Valencia last month, but he still had a major impact, providng the assist for Frenkie de Jong’s third minute opener.

Barca’s continued reliance in the 17-year-old is fully justified, let’s just hope he avoids the fate of some many La Masia graduates in recent years, we’re looking at you Ansu Fati.

A less than ideal injury

Sitting in the relegation zone, few players have managed to impress for Valencia as much as Javier Guerra has and after going off injured in the win over Celta, he’s a major doubt for the visit from Barca.

He bagged what turned out to be the winner in the 68^th minute before going off 12 minutes later, helping his side reach the dizzying heights of 19^th, just four points from behind Espanyol, who beat Real Madrid 1-0, in 17^th.

There are plenty of league games to go, but a decent Copa de Rey run would give the fans something to celebrate that isn’t just survival. That would be a hell of a lot harder to accomplish if Guerra isn’t on the field.

Ready for round two

Fermín López didn’t feature in the 1-0 win over Deportivo Alavés, instead Barcelona kept him at the training ground in some sort of Dragon Ball Z healing tank, ready to unleash him on Valencia like Goku on Frieza.

Nerdy references aside, López was incredible in the 7-1 win, scoring a brace and providing two assists in what was easily his best performance since breaking into the first team last season. His face will be the last thing Valencia fans want to see on Thursday.

Prediction

It’s hard to imagine it been any worse for Valencia this time around, but we still reckon they’ll get beaten fairly comprehensively. We’re going to go with 4-1 to Barca.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Spurs go to Liverpool looking to protect a one goal advantage

Spurs have a one goal lead from the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, but will that be anything like enough against the Premier League leaders?

By Ian King

Form since the first leg

Spurs managed a workmanlike win at Brentford last weekend on top of an eventual Europa League win against Elfsborg, so they have a little more spring in their step than they did a couple of weeks ago. But that may not be enough to slow the giant, red steamroller that is slowly moving towards them.

Liverpool lost at PSV in their final Champions League match, but they did finish atop the 36-team Megagroup. They’re unbeaten in the Premier League since the 14th September. They’re six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, though that game in hand is against David Moyes’ White-Hot Everton, and anything could happen there.

Anfield is not a happy hunting ground for Spurs

When Spurs won 2-1 at Anfield on the 25th August 1993, it was the first time they’d done so since the 16th March 1912; a month and a day before the Titanic sank. They’ve beaten them three times there since; somewhat dramatically with a late winning goal from Jürgen Klinsmann in an FA Cup quarter-final in 1995, a 3-1 win in the League Cup Fourth Round in 1998, and in the Premier League in 2011. The last player to score a goal for a winning Spurs team at Anfield was Luka Modrić. It’s not a great record.

Key players

Mo Salah feels like an obvious choice for Liverpool, but they need goals and he remains an extremely ready source of them. The issue of his new contract remains one of the biggest question marks hanging over the second half of an otherwise outstanding season for Liverpool. Throughout his career, he’s only scored more against one opposition side – Manchester United – than he has in games against Spurs. Tottenham may need a big performance from their defence. Ben Davies and Archie Gray seem set to have a busy night.

Team News

It was not ideal news for Ange Postecoglou to find that Mickey van de Ven had lasted precisely one half against Elfsborg before twanging something again and is going to be absent for this match, despite having already been rested for the Brentford match, and that Radu Drăgușin is now out for the rest of the season. Liverpool are now back to pretty much full strength, with Joe Gomez now their only absentee.

Prediction

It might be considered typical Spurs fatalism to suggest that the odds are stacked against them, but good omens really are thin on the ground when it comes to away games against Liverpool, whether we’re talking about going 81 years without winning at THIS VERY STADIUM, or anything relating to what’s happened at either club this season. Spurs are 14th in the Premier League and it’s difficult to argue that they don’t warrant that position. They won the first leg 1-0, but that’s an exception rather than the rule for this fixture, both historically and contemporaneously. 4-1 to Liverpool doesn’t sound unrealistic.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Madrid face Leganes in Copa Del Rey quarterfinal

Real Madrid face a critical stretch in their season with Carlo Ancelotti’s team up against Leganés in the last eight of the Copa del Rey.

By Graham Ruthven

Real response required

Few saw Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat to Espanyol coming. Los Blancos had been on a five-match winning streak in all competitions and looked to have built momentum ahead of a trip to Barcelona to face a relegation-threatened opponent.

Against Espanyol, though, all the problems that troubled Madrid in the early part of the season emerged once again. They lacked creativity and failed to break down a low defensive block, leaving too much space for their opponents to counter into on the break.

Not for the first time this season, Carlo Ancelotti is facing criticism for his set-up of the team with many pointing out that the frontline of Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham destabilises the rest of the side.

Leganés, on the other hand, have recently demonstrated their ability to upset the odds, beating Atlético Madrid and taking points off Athletic Club last month.

Under Borja Jiménez, Los Pepineros (the Cucumbers!) have become difficult to break down, conceding just two goals in their last three games, which could make them a tricky opponent for Real Madrid in the same way Espanyol were.

Key players

Goalkeeper Marko Dmitrović has been a standout performer for Leganés this season, recently keeping clean sheets against Atleti and Athletic. However, Real Madrid’s forward line will present the Serbian with his toughest test of the campaign to date.

Juan Cruz could pose the biggest goal threat for the hosts from his position as a left wing back. Out of possession, the 24-year-old is expected to sit back in a back five, but he has the freedom to get forward when there is the opportunity.

Ancelotti could make changes to his team after the defeat to Espanyol with many fans calling for Brahim Díaz to start. The Spanish international gives Real Madrid cohesion and work rate on the right side.

Vinícius and Rodrygo will almost certainly feature at some point, though. If they are firing on cylinders, as they had been before the weekend, Leganés will be blown away.

Team news

Enrique Francesca remains out for Leganes after suffering an ACL injury in November while Seydouba Cisse will also miss Wednesday’s meeting with the Spanish champions after picking up a hamstring strain against Rayo Vallecano last week.

Sergio González was shown a straight red card in the defeat to Rayo, but his suspension only applies to league games and so the centre back will be available.

Antonio Rüdiger’s injury will rule him out of action for the next three weeks. This means the German defender will miss this Copa del Rey quarter-final as well as the Madrid Derby and two Champions League matches against Manchester City. His absence couldn’t have come at a worse time for Los Blancos.

Éder Militão is still sidelined through injury while David Alaba has yet to play a full 90-minute match since his own return from injury last month. This could see Raul Asencio start in central defence against Leganés.

Andriy Lunin is expected to start in goal having started Real Madrid’s last two matches in the Copa del Rey. But Ancelotti has confirmed that Mbappé and Bellingham will be missing due to slight knocks picked up over the weekend.

Prediction

Leganés will look to continue their recent strong run of results against Spain’s biggest sides but should be undone by Madrid’s superior firepower on the day, just. We’re saying 1-0 to Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2025

Preview: Newcastle United vs. Arsenal, can the Magpies defend their lead?

A place in the first Cup final of the season is up for grabs and, improbably, it’s Newcastle United who hold a serious upper hand to get there – but Arsenal couldn’t have had a bigger pre-match boost as they look for a second-leg overhaul here.

By Karl Matchett

Big ask, big reward

The Magpies took a 2-0 win from the Emirates a month ago and Eddie Howe has fans dreaming of, finally, ending the long wait for a significant trophy: the 1955 FA Cup final, still the last time they won a major honour. They have, remember, never won the EFL Cup. This is the opportunity of a generation for them to have a crack at it, and all they need to do…is not concede two against the team who have just put five past Manchester City.

Change in flow at a tricky time?

Newcastle will rightly point to their own in-form forward, Alexander Isak. His goal in the first leg came at a time when he also netted in eight Premier League games in a row – 11 goals in that period – but, since then, he had one shot and failed to score against Bournemouth, netted twice against bottom club Southampton, then had one shot again and didn’t score against Fulham. No run of form can go on without end, but Newcastle will hope the chance creation and clinical edge isn’t drying up at a hugely important time.

Recent form

As for Arsenal, they had 23 shots and didn’t score in that first leg, then had 26 shots, scored once and went out in the FA Cup in their next match. Since then it’s 15 goals in six games and they’ve won five of them. The Gunners don’t just have some winning rhythm again, they have enormously growing confidence, particularly after battering the champions in such emphatic fashion. Newcastle had won nine in a row before the recent loss-win-loss run, but perhaps that pendulum has just swung away from them ahead of this second leg.

Team news

Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson are the squad options missing at St. James’ Park, but Joelinton remains a doubt. Bruno Guimarães is back from a ban and will start. For Arsenal, it’s the same faces as recently who are long-term absentees: Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Ben White. Neto is unavailable to play.

Key player

Obviously, Arsenal need goals to find a way back into the tie. But if they concede, that might be game over. Goalkeeper David Raya is third in the Premier League for clean sheets (eight), fourth for save percentage (72.8%) and top for lowest goals conceded per 90 (0.9). However, he’s also 13th for goals prevented; with -0.1, his value shows he basically concedes as many goals as you’d expect him to from the shots he faces – by number rather than the actual reflex stops we’ve all seen highlights of. The Spaniard has had a good season in terms of occasional sensational impact, but here Arsenal need him to excel.

*Raya’s goalkeeping numbers, Premier League 2024/25*

Prediction

Arsenal to find a route back into the match and pick up a win by two goals…From there, pick your own winner from the ensuing penalty shootout!

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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