Page 38 – The Pulse of Football

Mar

2026

Preview: Arsenal head to Brighton in the midweek round

Arsenal continue their pursuit of a first League championship in 22 years with a trip to Sussex by the Sea to play Brighton & Hove Albion.

By Ian King

The pressure is still on Arsenal, but Brighton could yet still snatch a European place come the end of this season

And still we are where we are, at the top of the Premier League. Arsenal remain five points clear of Manchester City, having played a game more, and with City playing on the same evening the fever pitch could be hitting new heights in the away end at The Amex on Wednesday night.

*The top four heading into the midweek round*

Arsenal’s performance against Chelsea was enough to edge them a win, albeit against indisciplined opponents. They’re continuing to do enough, but with the Gunners still to travel to The Etihad this season, the ultimate destination of this year’s Premier League title remains in the hands of both of the top two.

Two consecutive wins have steadied the Brighton ship following a run of just one win in 13 League games which stretched all the way back to the start of December. The pressure on Fabian Hürzeler has eased a little and, in 11th place in the table and six points off seventh, they could yet snatch a Europa Conference League place, should they be able to continue their recent upturn in form.

Arsenal are one of the clubs that Brighton haven’t quite been able to crack, in recent years

These two sides have already met twice this season, with Arsenal having beaten Brighton 2-0 in the Carabao Cup at the end of October and 2-1 in the Premier League two months later. Brighton’s record against Arsenal isn’t very good, with just one win in their last eight meetings. Their last win against them at the Amex came in June 2020, with a 2-1 win at the end of the Covid-elongated season.

Eberechi Eze’s Arsenal goalscoring has so far seemed determined by The Narrative

Eberechi Eze has scored six Premier League goals so far this season, but five of them have come against Tottenham Hotspur. Other than that, his only League goal for his club came against his former club Crystal Palace at the end of October, and that’s not much of a return for a £70 million attacking midfielder. Getting on the scoresheet against his former club’s bitter rivals would at least be on point for a player whose goalscoring this season seems to have rather been determined by The Narrative.

A return to goalscoring ways for Danny Welbeck, meanwhile, has calmed Brighton down a bit over the last couple of weeks. He scored in each of their wins against Brentford and Nottingham Forest, and Arsenal are, of course, one of his previous clubs, while it also remains the case that there are some who are still making a case for him to be included in the England squad for the summer’s World Cup, despite being 35 years of age.

Both sides have late fitness tests ahead of the match, but it’s doubtful that most of those undergoing them will be available

Arsenal could be sweating on the availability of three key players back for this match, with Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice and Kai Havertz all facing late fitness tests. Rice limped off during their win against Chelsea, and although it’s not believed that his injury is serious, he’s considered doubtful for this match, as is Havertz. Mikel Merino and Ben White are longer-term absentees.

Brighton have a fitness test of their own with Yasin Asari, who’s been out for a month with a shoulder injury. He is, like Rice and Havertz, doubtful to return for this particular match. Stefanos Tzimzas and Adam Webster are both out until later in the year.

The top two will likely both drop points throughout the closing stages of this season, and this could be one of those nights

With four pieces of silverware still to play for, the games will be coming thick and fast for Arsenal until the end of the season, but while they benefitted from a red card and an eccentric opposing goalkeeper’s performance against Chelsea, the fact remains that they are still grinding out the results.

But one of the Premier League’s defining features this season has been that feeling that anybody can beat anybody else, and there’s a little added spice to this fixture with the fact that Manchester City will be kicking off at more or less the same time, sixty-odd miles away from The Amex against West Ham United.

Brighton still have something to play for this season, and while their record against Arsenal hasn’t been great in recent years, they’re capable. After all, they did beat Manchester City themselves at this very venue at the end of August.

There’s been little to suggest both of the title-chasers won’t drop points throughout the closing stages of this season, this might be one of those games when that happens to Arsenal. I’m going for a 1-1 draw, and for the away end at The Amex to be left sweating on the latest updates from The London Stadium.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Newcastle look to end Michael Carrick’s honeymoon start with United

The Red Devils are aiming to complete a league double over Newcastle after winning the reverse fixture in what was one of Ruben Amorim’s last games in charge.

By Filip Mishov

Newcastle need a turnaround in form heading in to the business end of the season

Newcastle’s dreadful league form continued over the weekend, as Eddie Howe‘s squad slumped to a third consecutive home defeat at St. James’ Park and suffered a fifth loss across the last six Premier League matchdays.

Despite still being in the FA Cup and through to the Champions League round of 16 as well, Newcastle are sit 13th in England’s top flight and closer to the relegation zone than the top five as we head in to the midweek round. The pressure is mounting and their next five matches could define their season.

Manchester United continue to thrive under Michael Carrick and the Bruno Fernandes-inspired comeback win against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford lifted the Red Devils up to third place in the league for the first time since the 2022/23 season. The English coach has equalled the joint-best start by any manager in Premier League history, winning 23 points from nine matches across his two spells as interim coach.

The former midfielder has instilled belief and confidence in the dressing room, with United already earning seven points from losing positions under his leadership. However, the next challenge for the boyhood Newcastle supporter is to leave Tyneside with three points, a venue where United have won just twice in the past decade.

Key players

Sandro Tonali has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks and it is no surprise that the energetic Italian international caught their attention with his recent performances. The 25-year-old is an ever present in the starting XI, and the robust midfielder stepped up in Bruno Guimarães‘ absence by earning a couple of FotMob’s Player of the Match displays and adding three goals and one assist over his past five matches, averaging a rating of 7.68.

Bruno Fernandes is definitely enjoying a season for the history books, producing impressive numbers week in, week out. The United captain recently recorded his 100^th assist in a red shirt, joining an elite company featuring only Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney as players with both +100 goals and assists for the club. Fernandes is also the first player across Europe’s top five leagues to reach over 80 chances created this season and remains FotMob’s highest-rated player in the Premier League (7.98).

Team news

Eddie Howe remains without several key players as Fabian Schär, Valentino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Lewis Miley and Bruno Guimarães are injured, while Nick Woltemade might miss out through illness.

*Potential Man United XI, made with the FotMob lineup builder*

Both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were subbed off due to “not feeling well” over the weekend and Michael Carrick hopes to welcome them back, while Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, Patrick Dorgu and Mason Mount are still unavailable.

Prediction

With Newcastle struggling at St. James’ Park of late and United flying at the moment, I would pick the latter as narrow favourites, although a draw is the most realistic outcome given their recent record on Tyneside and the questionable availability of three of their four starting defenders.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Aston Villa meet Chelsea with both searching for form

Aston Villa host Chelsea at Villa Park in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, with both sides going into the game in disappointing form.

By Matt Smith

Unai Emery’s men have won just once in their previous five games in the league, seeing them slip down to fourth, while Chelsea have failed to win in their last three matches.

When the two sides went head-to-head earlier in the season at Stamford Bridge, Villa secured an impressive 2-1 victory on the road thanks to a second-half Ollie Watkins brace. Enzo Maresca left the club just a few days later, and they’ll now be heading to the Midlands under Liam Rosenior.

Team news

Villa’s midfield injury crisis will continue on Wednesday, with Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remaining on the treatment table. Emery has also confirmed that the game will come too soon for captain John McGinn, leaving them short of options in the middle of the park.

Harvey Elliott and Andrés García are also out.

Meanwhile, Pedro Neto will be unavailable for Chelsea after his red card against Arsenal last time out. Wesley Fofana will return from suspension, but Rosenior has confirmed that Estêvão remains out.

The Chelsea boss has also suggested that Marc Cucurella should be fit enough to play, but Jamie Gittens and Levi Colwill remain out injured.

Chance creation not a problem for Chelsea

With Chelsea sitting in sixth place, there’s no doubt Rosenior will be disappointed with the lack of progress they’ve made since he joined the club. The Blues still have many issues, but creating chances is certainly not one of them.

No side have created more expected goals (xG) than Chelsea in the Premier League this season, but it’s defensively where they’ve had their issues. Chelsea have conceded 38.5 xG, more than the likes of Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle.

Villa struggling in the final third

There’s been plenty of talk surrounding the disappointing form of Watkins, but Emery’s side have been struggling to create chances for him all season. The Midlands club rank 13th in the Premier League for xG created, scoring just 38 goals this campaign.

There’s no doubt the form of Watkins has to improve, but Emery needs to find a way to get the best out of him and get his side creating more opportunities.

Can’t keep Rogers quiet for long

It’s been a disappointing few weeks for Morgan Rogers, but it’s difficult to keep him quiet for too long. The English forward has been Villa’s most productive player this season, providing 13 goals and assists combined, and he’ll be relishing the opportunity to bounce back against Chelsea.

It’s an incredibly important year for Rogers as we head towards the World Cup, and he’ll need to get back on track ahead of the final few months of the Premier League season.

Prediction

It’s a difficult one to call with both sides struggling of late. We’re going for a 2-2 draw.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Jens Berthel Askou: Motherwell’s Danish manager working miracles at Fir Park

Motherwell might not win the title this season, but The Steelmen might be the best footballing side in the Scottish Premiership right now.

By Graham Ruthven

Scottish football has waited decades for a season like this one. In a country dominated by two teams, four teams are being talked about as title challengers. Leaders Hearts have been the defining story of the Scottish Premiership so far, and rightly so. Motherwell, however, deserve a spotlight of their own.

Jens Berthel Askou’s team probably won’t win the title. 10 points might be too much ground to make up even if Motherwell hold a game in-hand over two of the three teams above them. That the title question is even being asked of them, though, shows how far they have come under their Danish manager.

*Motherwell – the fourth horse in a two-team title race*

Nobody in Scotland had heard of Berthel Askou when he was appointed at Fir Park last summer. The former defender arrived at Motherwell having been assistant manager at Sparta Prague and FC København, but quickly imposed himself on a team that hadn’t finished in the top half for four seasons.

Only Celtic are averaging a higher possession share per match in the Scottish Premiership this season than Motherwell. This level of control helps The Steelmen construct attacking opportunities in a repeatable way, but also protects the defence – Motherwell boast the second-lowest Expected Goals Conceded in the division.

Berthel Askou wants his side to play with the ball and has imposed an ideology that has made Motherwell the most dynamic, modern team in the country. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, the Dane has done this with one of the smallest budgets of any Scottish Premiership manager.

Tawanda Maswanhise has been a revelation. The Zimbabwean is the Scottish Premiership’s top scorer with 16 goals in 25 games after netting only six times for Motherwell last season. Maswanhise’s willingness to get in behind gives The Steelman a valuable element of unpredictability, offsetting their possession-heavy approach.

Elliot Watt and Elijah Just, both signed for nothing last summer, have also thrived at Fir Park this season, but Berthel Askou’s biggest success has been in drawing more quality out of the players he inherited as Motherwell manager. The Dane has lifted standards across the board at the club.

Stephen O’Donnell and Paul McGinn are two notable examples of this. While respected as experienced performers at Scottish Premiership level, nobody expected the pair to reach the sort of standard Berthel Askou has taken them to this season. O’Donnell in particular has caught the eye. The 33-year-old’s playing like prime Cafu.

It is the unfortunate reality of modern football that Berthel Askou won’t be at Motherwell for long. Celtic fans are openly discussing the possibility of the Dane taking over from Martin O’Neill at the end of the season. Clubs in Europe’s Big Five leagues are surely monitoring his progress as well.

Everything about Berthel Askou is impressive. He speaks with authority without ever raising his voice. Communication has been a key part of his success. Players and fans hang on his every calm and composed word. Even as outsiders have started talking about Motherwell as potential title challengers, the Dane has kept his cool.

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about us being in a title race now,” he said. “In terms of being in a race, racing with other clubs, there needs to be some conditions that are more or less the same. And we just compete in a totally different league, even though we’re in the same football league.

“There are some circumstances that the other teams above us have in their hands that we don’t have, and that’s why it’s irrelevant for us to discuss that question or to approach it internally or externally. What’s important is that we’re developing and we’re growing as a club, and that we are aware of where we need to grow as a club.”

Motherwell have lost just once in their last 20 league games, and that was away to Rangers when the Ibrox side were fortunate to nick a narrow 1-0 victory. The novelty of seeing an underdog like Motherwell out-play one of Scotland’s Big Two on their own patch still hasn’t worn off even as The Steelmen have made a habit of it.

If Motherwell are to have any realistic hope of winning the Scottish title for the first time since 1932, three points away to Celtic on 14th March will be required. A win against table-toppers Hearts in the final round of fixtures before ‘The Split’ would also be a huge boost to their cause.

Ultimately, this might prove beyond Berthal Askou and his players, but Motherwell’s story still deserves to be told in a season that could be remembered for Hearts’ heroics. At the very least, this could be the start of a managerial career destined for the top. What Berthal Askou has done isn’t normal.

(Images from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Scottish Premiership on FotMob – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Mar

2026

Preview: Can City keep the heat on Arsenal as Forest visit the Etihad?

Manchester City can pile more pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race by beating Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

By Graham Ruthven

Title momentum

Champions know how to win ugly and that’s what Manchester City have done in some of their recent matches, including Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Leeds United.

Pep Guardiola’s side have won their last six games in all competitions, peaking at the right time of the season to put pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. A City win on Tuesday would narrow the gap to two points again.

Nottingham Forest have plenty to play for too. Vítor Pereira is still searching for his first league win since taking over from Sean Dyche with the bottom three getting closer and closer.

City have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six home matches against Forest in all competitions and are well-placed to continue that streak on Tuesday.

*The top of the table prior to Tuesday’s games*

The stakes at both ends of the Premier League table are higher now than at any other stage of the season. City need three points to stay on Arsenal’s tail while Forest are scrapping for survival.

Key players

Erling Haaland is a doubt to face Forest after winning the win over Leeds with a minor injury. The Norwegian has scored 22 times in 27 league appearances this season and was missed by City even as they won at Elland Road.

Antoine Semenyo delivered the decisive moment against Leeds and is a good bet to start on Tuesday. The Ghanaian has scored four goals in seven games since joining from Bournemouth.

At the back, Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi have shown signs of a developing partnership, giving Manchester City the sort of solid foundation they lacked earlier in the season.

Morgan Gibbs-White scored his seventh league goal of the campaign in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and will be a threat in between the lines against City. Callum Hudson-Odoi could also be a danger.

*The bottom of the table, prior to Tuesday’s games*

Elliot Anderson is averaging more accurate passes per 90 than any other Nottingham Forest player this season. Pereira needs the England international in top form at the Etihad Stadium.

On their day, Nikola Milenković and Murillo are among the strongest centre back partnerships in the Premier League, but Forest have kept just one clean sheet in five games, and that was against bottom-side Wolves.

Team news

Haaland remains a doubt after missing the win over Leeds United, meaning Omar Marmoush could once again start as Manchester City’s centre forward against Forest.

Nico O’Reilly will also face a late fitness test before the match. Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol, however, are definitely sidelined through injury having missed a large portion of the season so far.

Chris Wood, Nicolò Savona and John Victor are unavailable for Nottingham Forest while goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is a doubt after starting Pereira’s one win as manager away to Fenerbahçe.

Prediction

Nothing about the Premier League at this point in the season is predictable, except that is, the likelihood of a Pep Guardiola side pulling off result after result. We expect City to maintain the pressure on leaders Arsenal: Man City 2-0 Nottingham Forest.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Barcelona praying for a miracle against Atlético Madrid

“If any team are capable of a comeback, it’ll be us.” So said Raphinha this week, but it’s probably worth Barcelona remembering that most notable comebacks in recent years have been against Barca – and Atlético Madrid hold a massive lead.

By Karl Matchett

Attack vs. Defence?

If the Brazilian’s prediction is to come true, then Hansi Flick’s side will have to come out all guns blazing, keep Atleti pegged back and score reasonably early on. Whoever wins this tie will be favourites to triumph in the Copa del Rey final itself – Athletic Club and Real Sociedad are in the other semi – but overcoming a 4-0 first-leg deficit is a mammoth challenge for a club whose bigger focus will still be on a LaLiga title and an open road to the semi-finals in the Champions League.

Even so, assuming the Camp Nou side go all out, the evidence isn’t wildly in their favour that they’ll achieve the mission. They’ve only kept six clean sheets this side of the new year from 15 matches in all competitions – and four of those came against either bottom-three or lower-league teams. Atleti have kept more clean sheets in LaLiga and allowed a lower xG tally this season (28.9 – 33.4), as well as actually conceding three fewer goals.

Atlético’s forwards might not feast in the same way Barca’s do, but they still have the third highest shots on target per 90 rate in LaLiga and have scored at above their xG rate too. Keeping los rojiblancos at bay so soon after shipping four against them might well be beyond Barcelona, meaning they’d need at least five goals themselves. Six against Valencia and Olympiacos, five against Real Betis and Athletic: those are the only games they’ve managed it this term.

Flick’s century, Simeone’s 15 years

Last time out Barcelona were rampant, giving Flick a win in his 100th fixture in charge of the club. He’s clearly got the team on the right path overall, even if there remain elements of the squad overused or understocked for a real assault on Europe.

Meanwhile, Diego Simeone is at this stage basically synonymous with Atlético – yet we’re just a couple of weeks down the line from a wild suggestion that the club’s new director of football might want him to depart. It seems improbable mid-season and even if the Copa isn’t the biggest prize, Simeone will surely want to add a trophy to his club collection – it’s 13 years since he won this one.

Recent form

A defeat and two wins since the first leg for the hosts; Atleti have had a defeat, a draw and then three straight wins.

Team news

Eric García is suspended and Frenkie de Jong is out injured, along with Gavi. Robert Lewandowski also misses out after a fracture.

Atlético will be without Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso.

Key player

He’s talking up the team, he needs to produce himself. Raphinha’s last year sees him above 95% of European midfielders for chance creation, 98% for goals and 99% for shots – but he hasn’t scored or assisted in the last four.

Prediction

They’ll give it a go…and fall short. Atlético are just too frustrating to play against when they want to be: Barcelona 3-1 Atlético 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.

Mar

2026

Preview: Wolves meet Liverpool for game one of league and cup double header

Wolves host Liverpool twice this week. On Tuesday evening, the two sides face off in the Premier League.

By Sam McGuire

The story so far

Perhaps surprisingly given the narrative, Liverpool are third in the form table right now with 12 points from a possible 15. Only Manchester United and Manchester City (13 points each) have more across this period.

The Reds are the Premier League’s set-piece kings in 2026, scoring eight times from dead-ball situations since the turn of the year. It’s been quite the turnaround since the dismissal of set piece coach Aaron Briggs at the end of December. In the 5-2 win against West Ham United last time out, the reigning Premier League champions scored three from set pieces in the first half alone.

*The top of the table heading in to the midweek round*

The victory over the Hammers lifted them into fifth position, just three points behind third-placed Manchester United. Despite the issues this term, losing nine of 12 at one stage of the campaign, Liverpool could still claim a top three finish this term.

Wolves are anchored to the foot of the table but their form has picked up recently. They drew with Nottingham Forest and fought back from 2-0 down against Arsenal to claim a 2-2 draw. Last time out, they beat Aston Villa 2-0 and head into this game against Liverpool quietly confident that they might be able to cause yet another upset.

In recent outings, the Reds have lost the possession battle against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and West Ham. In fact, the Hammers won the xG battle at Anfield. Wolves aren’t as potent, they’re also at the bottom of the table for goals and rank 18th for xG, but they are now scoring and they’ll worry their visitors.

Key Players

With Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz out injured and Mohamed Salah going through a difficult period, the focus will be on Hugo Ekitike. The Frenchman opened the scoring against West Ham on Saturday and added two assists in the 5-2 win. He’s now on 11 goals and four assists across a little shy of 1,700 minutes. Stop him and you likely stop this current iteration of Liverpool.

For the hosts, the main focus will be on Liverpool transfer target Mateus Mané. With just two goals and one assist this season, he’s hardly an output machine, but he’s a genuine threat and has the potential to cause the away side a lot of issues. Performing against the Reds allows him to put himself in the shop window too.

Team News

The big news for the hosts is the return of Hwang Hee-chan from a calf strain he sustained against Chelsea in February, while Ladislav Krejčí is available after serving a suspension.

Liverpool are without Wirtz due to a back issue, while Isak, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are all missing. Jeremie Frimpong’s recent return to the squad provides a boost, giving Arne Slot another option at right-back.

Prediction

We’re going to go with a narrow, ugly 2-1 win for Liverpool ahead of their clash in the FA Cup on Friday evening.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

The MLS Wrap: Messi League Soccer is back!

The 2025 MLS Most Valuable Player was back in the goals on Sunday night, and back leading the way as the outstanding performer of Matchday 2.

By James Nalton

Inter Miami underwhelmed on the opening weekend of the new season, though they did face what will likely be the toughest fixture in the league this year: a trip to Los Angeles FC. They won’t be the first team to go there and lose by multiple goals.

Their second game of the new campaign offered a chance to get back on track, but it wasn’t exactly a gimme as they travelled up the Florida peninsula to face Orlando City, a place they had yet to taste victory.

As Orlando took a two-goal lead in the first half, it looked like Miami’s poor record there and their stuttering start to the season would continue.

Then Lionel Messi happened, but not before a wonderful strike from halftime substitute Mateo Silvetti gave the No. 10 the platform from which to complete the comeback.

Messi scored twice from outside the area, including a 90th-minute free-kick for good measure, getting his eye in for the rest of the season, as he’ll be the favourite to be named MLS MVP once again.

…with support from Telasco Segovia

This is where the top performer of the week, per the FotMob ratings, might normally get a mention, but we’ve already spoken about Messi, so, instead, it offers a chance to talk about the second-highest rated player of the week, Messi’s teammate, Telasco Segovia.

The 22-year-old Venezuelan has been an important part of Messi’s supporting cast since joining the club last season.

His role has naturally increased in 2026 following the retirement of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and Luis Suárez’s legs being another year older.

The replacements for those players don’t necessarily come in the shape of positionally like-for-like successors, but in difference-makers across the pitch who can contribute alongside Messi.

Segovia showed he could step up to be one such player, providing assists for Silvetti and Messi before adding a goal of his own, which gave Miami the lead.

Repeat performance from Red Bull wonderkids

When praising young players who’ve impressed in one particular game, the worry is that it can be some time until they follow that up and back up the hype.

The nature of the pathway from a youth academy to first-team, senior football means inconsistency can be expected, as lessons are learned and players find their feet.

This was not the case for the New York Red Bulls contingent, who made the league sit up and take note on opening day and followed that up with another influential performance this weekend against New England Revolution.

This was epitomised by the game’s only goal as 17-year-old Matthew Dos Santos crossed to 16-year-old Adri Mehmeti, who headed on for 17-year-old Julian Hall to finish at the far post.

Hall was named the league’s Player of the Matchday last weekend, and though this week’s accolade is likely to go to Messi, the young Red Bulls continued to impress.

The excitement around these players will surely see more fans flock to the Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, as they show that MLS is as much about developing players as it is offering a home to headline-grabbing older stars.

Nectarios Triantis: good at football

As mentioned earlier, there is no like-for-like replacement for Sergio Busquets, not for Inter Miami, not for anyone, but you do wonder if David Beckham’s lot considered Triantis as the Spaniard’s successor in South Florida.

Instead, Minnesota United moved for the Aussie-born Greek international central operator in August, signing him from Sunderland following his spell on loan at Hibernian. The Loons seem to have a player on their hands.

Though no one is really like Busquets, Triantis’ height and comfort on the ball, especially in tight situations in midfield, bear brief resemblance.

He’s also able to use his physique to power out of situations, making him worth a watch, and he was part of a 1-0 win for Minnesota against Cincinnati this weekend.

Matt Wells vs. Phil Neville

Colorado Rapids new head coach won one of MLS’s battles of the English head coaches, defeating Neville’s Portland Timbers this weekend.

It was a convincing performance from Wells’ side in their home opener, as the former Spurs assistant joins Neville and Dean Smith as the league’s English head coaching contingent.

Müller speaks and scores twice in Canada clash

Thomas Müller is a thinker on the pitch and off it.

He scored twice in Vancouver Whitecaps’ 3-0 win against fellow Canadians Toronto at the weekend, and has also had some interesting things to say about football’s place in the sporting landscape up there in the west of Canada, specifically.

Speaking to German outlet Kicker, translated by Derek Rae on Bluesky, Müller said:

“You must separate two different things. Football here still has no big significance in the life of the general population. It’s not spoken about in the office on a Monday morning, but the football bubble is not in fact so small.

“In the stadia, there’s a euphoric atmosphere. The people are interested in the game, but the rest of the population doesn’t know the football bubble at all, they have other topics and other sports.

“They grew up with ice hockey, basketball, and [gridiron]. The ranking of football is perhaps comparable to handball in Germany. Due to the topography in Canada, there are significantly fewer football pitches than ice hockey rinks. However, in the playoffs, our stadium was packed with 50,000 spectators.”

Müller’s compatriot Timo Werner also made an impact this weekend, getting an assist for San Jose Earthquakes after coming off the bench for his debut in their 2-0 win against Atlanta United.

LA Galaxy’s five-minute treble

Goals from Lucas Sanabria in the 8th minute and João Klauss in the 11th and 13th minutes left Charlotte stunned on Saturday night.

The linkup for the second goal, between Gabriel Pec and fellow Brazilian Klauss, was very encouraging for the Galaxy, who are looking to return to the form that won them the MLS Cup in 2024.

This 3-0 win was a sign they might be able to do so.

(Cover Image from IMAGO)

You can follow every match from MLS with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including player ratings. Download the free app here.

Mar

2026

Preview: Real Madrid in LaLiga action against Getafe

Real Madrid welcome Getafe to the Bernabéu on Monday evening as they look to close the gap to league leaders Barcelona.

By Ross Kilvington

Real Madrid are looking to build momentum

Los Blancos may have lost to Osasuna last time out in LaLiga, but momentum has been building in recent weeks.

The 2-1 win over Benfica in midweek ensured progress into the last 16 of the Champions League, while a victory against Getafe would move them to within a point of leaders Barcelona.

Barcelona remain favourites for the title, but the narrative could still be flipped, meaning every game is now a must win for Álvaro Arbeloa’s men.

Key to any success Madrid have had in recent weeks has been due to the attacking output of both Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.

Indeed, the duo have scored nine and seven goals respectively since Arbeloa took over as interim coach, enjoying plenty of freedom in the process.

The Brazilian in particular has been impressive. He scored yet again in midweek against Benfica and looks primed to play a vital role in the title run in.

Arbeloa will also be buoyed by the fact several first-team stars are nearing a return from injury. Rodrygo could add something extra in the final third when he recovers from a hamstring issue, while Jude Bellingham looks set to be back in action sooner rather than later for Madrid.

With the club fighting on both European and domestic fronts over the next couple of weeks, having a full strength squad to call on will be imperative for success.

Getafe looking for first win over Real Madrid since 2022

January 2022 was the last time Getafe defeated Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants going on to win the eight subsequent meetings between the two.

Could Getafe find solace in the fact Osasuna sealed a 2-1 victory against Los Blancos last weekend?

They have lost just one of their last five LaLiga matches and a win over Madrid would see them edge closer to the top half of the table.

Top scorer Borja Mayoral could miss the match due to injury, so the away side will have to count on Mauro Arambarri (5) and Juanmi (5) as their main goal threats.

Team news

Despite things on the injury front looking more promising for Madrid compared to a few weeks ago, the likes of Éder Militão, Bellingham, Dani Ceballos, Dean Huijsen, Mbappé, and Raul Asensio are ruled out of this match.

For Getafe, Davinchi and Abu Kamara will both be absent for the clash on Monday evening.

Elsewhere, Djené is suspended and Abdel Abqar faces a late fitness check ahead of the game to see whether he is fit or not.

Prediction

Madrid will be keen to follow up their 2-1 triumph over Benfica with another victory.

The desire to avoid losing ground in the title race should be enough incentive for Arbeloa and his men and they will seal all three points in comfortable fashion.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Feb

2026

Preview: Arsenal and Chelsea set for third clash of 2026

Liam Rosenior will face Arsenal for the third time since becoming Chelsea manager on Sunday. His side put up decent fights in the previous two, but the Premier League leaders proved too strong. Could third time be the charm?

By Alex Roberts

Remember that Gennaro Gattuso meme, “sometimes maybe good…”? Well, that sums Chelsea up at the moment. They’ve dropped an incredible 19 points from leading positions in the league, 17 of which have been at home, so far this season. If they held on to those leads, Chelsea could be above Arsenal.

Talk of Mikel Arteta’s lads bottling the title race it have simmered down following their comfortable 4-1 win over a dismal Tottenham side in the North London derby. Still, that narrative will shift once again if they were to drop points here.

*The standings prior to Saturday’s games*

Discipline continues to be an issue

There is only so many times ‘inexperience’ can be used as an excuse for Chelsea. Yes, they have the youngest squad in the Premier League, but that doesn’t make six red cards any less unacceptable.

Wesley Fofana was the latest player to throw his teammates under the bus. 1-0 up against likely to be relegated Burnley, once the Frenchman picked up his second yellow, the game completely shifted, and Chelsea dropped even more points.

A lot can be said about the squad that has been built by the ownership over the past few years, especially when Chelsea’s pre-tax loss this financial year is the WORST in English football history. They simply won’t be winning any major trophies if they don’t sort their discipline.

The REAL Viktor Gyökeres

It’s taken a little while, but we’re starting to see the Gyökeres we all expected when he joined from Sporting last summer. The tenacity, instinctive finishing, it’s all coming to the forefront just when Arsenal need it.

His performance against Spurs was the best we’ve seen from him since arriving at the Emirates. Scoring twice from an xG of 0.32, having 41 touches, and making five defensive contributions, it was almost perfect.

Now, he’s level on Premier League goals with Liverpool’s Hugo Ekiteke, who has largely been considered a successful signing by pundits and journalists alike. Whether people are ready to have the conversation or not, Gyökeres has been a good buy for Arsenal.

Team news

Bukayo Saka went off injured late in Arsenal’s win over Spurs but came back out to celebrate with his teammates after the final whistle. He should be good to face Chelsea, if not, we’ll probably see Noni Madueke face off against his former club.

Arteta doesn’t have too many injuries to stress about. Kai Havertz (muscle) is a doubt, Ben White (knock), Max Dowman (ankle), and Mikel Merino (foot) are all out.

As for Chelsea, Fofana will see out his one-game suspension here, perhaps he just didn’t fancy it. Levi Colwill (ACL), Filip Jorgensen (knock), Marc Cucurella (hamstring), Dário Essugo (muscle), and Jamie Gittens (muscle) will be on the sideline.

Prediction

We’re going to go a little deeper than usual with this one, because almost every Chelsea game seems to play out the same way. So, we think they’ll take the lead in the first half, and then Arsenal will rally and win 3-1.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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