Page 41 – The Pulse of Football

Jan

2026

Luis Suarez, Sporting’s Gyokeres replacement with the eye for goal and a familiar name

On May 2, 1935, Luis Suárez was born in A Coruña, Spain. Suárez became one of the finest players of his generation, winning the 1960 Ballon d’Or and leading Spain to the 1964 Euros before retiring in 1973. 14 years later, Luis Suárez was born in Salto, Uruguay, and established himself as one of the greatest strikers in football history, winning two European Shoes and becoming Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer. Fast-forward to today, and there’s a new Luis Suárez who’s carving out a footprint in the European game: Luis Javier Suárez Charris.

By Zach Lowy

Born on December 2, 1997, in Santa Marta, Colombia, Suárez moved to Granada’s B team in 2016 before being signed by Watford. Rather than play for Watford, Suárez bounced around on loan from Real Valladolid B to Gimnàstic to Real Zaragoza, where he finished as the team’s top scorer with 19 goals, until moving to Granada in 2020. However, he was unable to justify his £10 million price tag and was shipped out to Marseille after two seasons, lasting just a couple of months before heading back to Spain, this time with Almería.

*Suárez’s player traits comparison, against strikers in similar leagues*

After gradually adjusting to life in Andalusía, Suárez took his game to the next level following Almería’s relegation, racking up 31 goals and 8 assists in 43 appearances and winning the 2024/25 Segunda División Golden Boot award. It’s why, after selling Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal, Sporting had no doubts about who his replacement should be, signing Suárez on a five-year contract and paying €25 million, including add-ons, for the Colombian centre forward.

At first, Sportinguistas were far from convinced. Replacing the back-to-back Bola da Prata winner with a player who, in addition to being six months older than Gyökeres, had only proven himself in Spain’s second tier? But with the passing of time, Suárez has silenced the critics and proven to be a savvy investment. After bagging a brace vs. Arouca and a brace of assists vs. Nacional, Suárez headed off to South America and became the first player to score four goals in a single CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier since the Uruguayan Luis Suárez back in 2011, before converting in four of his next five matches. Suárez has hit his stride in recent weeks, racking up 13 goal contributions in his last nine in all competitions for Sporting, who sit seven points behind Liga Portugal leaders FC Porto.

*Suárez’s goal-laden last two season’s summarised*

Whilst Suárez will likely never equal the same scoring heroics that Gyökeres provided during his two seasons in Lisbon, he is proving to be an upgrade in terms of his ability to link up play, dribble out of pressure, and break the lines. Whereas Sporting’s attacking gameplan previously gravitated around Gyökeres, a physically imposing battering ram, Suárez is proving to be a far more technically refined cog in the system. He’s someone who can drop deep, attract opponents’ attention, and filter passes in for his attacking teammates to take advantage, but who can also step up and deliver the goods when needed.

Suárez’s growing confidence has meant that his persistent ability to get into dangerous areas is starting to pay off on the score sheet. We saw this last week against Paris Saint-Germain, when he was the first to react to a ricochet and fired in the opener. When Khvicha Kvaratshkelia equalized, Suárez was there at the right place and the right time to react to Lucas Chevalier’s parry, heading home to snatch a 2-1 victory against the European champions. It was more of the same at the weekend, when, despite being tightly marked by four yellow shirts, he deftly pivoted towards his right and smashed in the opener vs. Arouca. And just when Sporting looked headed for a stalemate, Suárez rose to the occasion and timed his run to perfection before obliging Geny Catamo’s cross with a bullet header to secure a 2-1 win at the final second.

“In terms of a fit for Rui Borges’ system, Suárez is better than Gyökeres,” argued Sporting fan Sam Fonseca. “He’s better at linking up play, especially with Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincão, and Geovany Quenda. He’s deceptively strong with his back to goal and very good on the ball. He’s got amazing link-up play and footballing IQ in terms of being in the right spaces and finding players in the right position, and he’s got an engine on him that allows him to run and press for 90% of the game. He’s been good, as is his goal tally, but he should be scoring more. He’s clinical with his first chance, but after that, he really struggles to convert. André Moreira (Moreirense), Patrick Sequeira (Casa Pia), and Gabriel Batista (Santa Clara) have had their best games against us, because Suárez will score once, but then hit three or four at the goalkeeper. If Suárez had Gyökeres’ clinical finishing ability, we might be undefeated.”

All things considered, it has been an impressive start to life in Portugal for Suárez, who, with 24 goals and 6 assists in 31 appearances, is on track for the best goal-scoring season of his entire career. It’s why he’s challenging Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis for the league’s Golden Boot award, and it’s why he looks set to start for Los Cafeteros over Jhon Durán, Rafael Santos Borré, and Jhon Córdoba in this summer’s FIFA World Cup. But if there is one thing that he should improve upon, it’s his scoring efficiency in big-game scenarios: he failed to score in either of his meetings vs. Benfica, as well as his outings against Juventus, Marseille, Porto, and Bayern Munich.

*Sporting are one of eight sides tied on 13 points heading in to the final UCL matchday*

Sporting currently sit 10th in the UEFA Champions League table, and while they are guaranteed to advance past the league phase, they need to beat Athletic Club (in addition to some good fortune) if they are to finish as one of the eight seeded teams and advance directly to the Round of 16. Athletic, in contrast, sit 23rd and are hanging on for dear life to the final knockout spots.

He may not have a fancy nickname like ‘El Pistolero’ or ‘El Arquitecto,’ he may not have a Ballon d’Or or a European Golden Shoe, he may not have a Copa América or European Championship in his trophy cabinet, but right now, Luis Javier Suárez is living up to his billing.

Having blanked in his previous three encounters with the Basque giants (with former clubs), can Suárez continue his red-hot goal-scoring heroics and fire Sporting to victory against Athletic Club on Wednesday?

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: Spurs head to Frankfurt for final league phase decider

It’s the last week of the Champions League Megagroup, and Spurs are fortunate to be going into it with a fixture against a team in even worse form than they have been.

By Ian King

The Champions League has offered light relief for Spurs in 2025-26, but this hasn’t been the case for Eintracht Frankfurt

With a point rescued in the 90th-minute from their trip to Burnley at the weekend, Spurs head into their final Champions League group match with nothing having been resolved concerning their misfiring Premier League season so far. Cristian Romero’s extremely late equaliser may have kept Thomas Frank in his job for a while, but the fact remains that his team are now just eight points above the relegation places and continuing to sink.

But the Champions League has been a different matter for them so far this season. They’re in fifth place in the group going into their final round of fixtures, and their trip to play Eintracht Frankfurt sees them take on a team in arguably even worse form than they are. Eintracht have won one of their last eight in the Bundesliga, and their form in Europe is no better. They’re in 33rd place in the group and have already been eliminated from this year’s competition with a game to spare, with just a win and a draw from their seven matches to show for it.

These two sides last meeting in Europe was a highly significant one

These two sides met in the quarter-finals of the Europa League last April, with the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and a superb defensive performance in the second leg resulting in a 1-0 win for Spurs, marking a significant step en route to winning the competition, which resulted in them being in this season’s Champions League in the first place. Frankfurt’s first leg goal was scored by Hugo Ekitike, who they have very much missed this season following his summer sale to Liverpool.

*The sides have met twice in recent seasons*

Wilson Odobert has another chance to prove his value to Thomas Frank

One player who has shown up for Spurs’ last couple of matches has been Wilson Odobert. With excellent performances against both his former club Burnley, in which he provided the assist for the equalising goal, and Borussia Dortmund, the winger is expected to start in this match and has an opportunity to build on his last couple of showings for them.

Eintracht Frankfurt haven’t had too much to smile about themselves recently either, but one potential danger for Spurs to take into account is attacking midfielder Can Uzun. The 20-year-old Turkish international has put in a couple decent performances over the course of January, scoring against both Qarabağ in their last Champions League match and in a 3-3 draw against Borussia Dortmund. With top scorer Jonathan Berkhardt having been sidelined since the end of November, he currently represents one of their bigger attacking threats.

No new injuries for Spurs, and Eintracht Frankfurt have absentees of their own

One of the small bright spots from Spurs’ trip to Burnley was that at least they didn’t pick up any fresh injuries; Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero were both withdrawn, but Thomas Frank has already played down their chances of missing this match. Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Richarlison James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha and Dejan Kulusevski remain out of action.

Pape Sarr was taken to hospital after falling ill during the AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco, and although Thomas Frank said before the Burnley match that, “he’s ready to train tomorrow and ready for selection on Saturday”, he didn’t make the first team or the bench. He should be back in contention for this match.

Eintracht Frankfurt have injuries of their own, as well. The aforementioned Jonathan Berkhardt is still injured, but their more important absentee is Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga, who signed on loan for them from Nottingham Forest earlier in January, scored in successive Bundesliga matches against Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim, and then promptly got injured and is now expected to be out until the middle of February. A longer-term absentee for them is Michy Batshuayi, who’s broken his ankle and won’t be back until April.

Spurs need to turn their form around to avoid slipping into a relegation fight for which they seem particularly ill-equipped

In some respects, Spurs fans may feel that drawing against Burnley was the worst of all possible worlds. Defeat may have ended Frank’s spell as head coach and offered a little clarity over the future, while a win would have at least given some indication that their unravelling season might be pulling itself back together again. But as things stand, drawing this match felt like a shrug of the shoulders, an extension of the feeling of stasis that has settled over the club over the last couple of seasons.

Progress to the next stage of the competition isn’t quite assured for them. A win would put them through, but a failure to do so would likely see them fall out of the top eight and have to play off for a place in the last 16. There are plenty of teams just below them in the table who’d be happy to replace them in that top eight, and as we’ve seen repeatedly throughout this season in the Premier League, Spurs are plenty capable of stuttering.

But that said, the win against Borussia Dortmund – and, in a broader sense, the performances of all five English entrants in the Champions League this season – have demonstrated that the financial gulf between the Premier League and the rest makes a difference. And on top of that, Eintracht Frankfurt are already out of the competition and, having conceded three goals in each of their last three games, have been struggling in the league themselves. I’ll go for a narrow 2-1 win for Spurs to get them marching on into the next round, though whether this will placate an increasingly incandescent fan base remains an extremely open question indeed.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: Arsenal out to preserve perfect UCL record against bottom-club Kairat

Perhaps the least consequential of the final round of league phase fixtures in the UEFA Champions League sees the two clubs at either end of the table face off.

By Neel Shelat

Both teams’ fates fully sealed

While the small matters of pride and — especially in Kairat’s case — result-based prize money will leave the two sides with something to fight over, they have nothing to play for in terms of the next rounds.

Arsenal’s perfect record of seven wins in as many games means they already have a guaranteed spot in the top two, earning them direct passage to the Round of 16 as well as the higher seed in all two-legged knockout ties that they play. Kairat, on the other hand, are dead last with just one point and a goal difference of -14, so this is sure to be the last match of their debut campaign on Europe’s biggest stage.

A chance for Arsenal to rest and rotate

While Arsenal’s Champions League campaign has been immaculate, fans are growing increasingly concerned over their domestic form; last weekend’s loss to Manchester United has left the Gunners with just two points from their last three Premier League matches.

Fatigue and fixture congestion are always big concerns in this part of the season, so this match represents a great opportunity for Mikel Arteta’s side to get an advantage over almost everyone else. While others will have to field strong teams in must-win fixtures, Arsenal can afford to rest all their stars if they so desire.

Team news

Declan Rice and Mikel Merino handily picked up yellow card suspensions at the end of Arsenal’s last Champions League match, meaning they will have to sit this one out and return for the knockouts. The low-stakes nature of the game means that Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori will likely not be risked given their injury concerns, while Max Dowman remains out with an ankle issue.

Teenage striker Azamat Tuyakbayev is the only confirmed absentee for Kairat. Fellow youngsters Olzhas Baybek and Dastan Satpaev did not feature last week, so they have been listed as doubtful for this game.

Key players

Having been benched for the last two matches, Viktor Gyökeres will hope to get a good run out in this one. While a strong performance here wouldn’t be decisive in terms of cementing a starting spot, he certainly should be keen to boost his confidence with some goals.

Something similar could be said of Gabriel Martinelli, who hasn’t registered a single goal involvement against top-flight opposition since the 11th of December. He only has one Premier League goal this season, but has fared much better on the continental stage.

Goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov was the hero when Kairat kept Celtic goalless across two legs and won a penalty shoot-out to seal their spot in the league phase. His shot-stopping will surely get another thorough test at the Emirates Stadium. Experienced forward Valeri Gromyko will likely play a key part in the visitors’ attacking hopes, while Chelsea-bound teenage sensation Dastan Satpaev will surely be keen to impress in his first outing on English soil if he is fit enough to feature.

Prediction

Arsenal’s huge advantage in quality should be reflected in the scoreline regardless of rotation.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: Real Madrid travel to Jose Mourinho’s Benfica

José Mourinho faces his former team as Real Madrid continue to build momentum under new manager Álvaro Arbeloa.

By Graham Ruthven

Unhappy reunion

When Xabi Alonso left as Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho was one of the first names mentioned as a possible successor. Quick to shut down speculation, though, The Special One quipped he had no interest in joining a “soap opera.”

Mourinho, however, has his own soap opera at Benfica. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the club’s training ground last week to protest against the Lisbon side’s recent poor results.

*Benfica are unbeaten in the Liga Portugal*

While Benfica have yet to lose a league match with Mourinho at the helm, they find themselves seven points off top spot and are facing an early exit from the Champions League.

Only a win against Real Madrid on Wednesday will give Benfica any chance of making the knockout rounds. Even then, they would require other results to go their way.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, are already assured of their place in the knockout rounds and can all but secure a spot in the last 16 with a draw in Lisbon.

Successive wins over Levante, Monaco and Villarreal have eased some of the pressure on Los Blancos who certainly appear happier under Álvaro Arbeloa. How long that truce lasts, however, is another matter.

Key players

Vangelis Pavlidis is enjoying the best individual season of his career. Despite missing a penalty against Juventus last week, the Greek striker has scored 26 goals in all competitions for Benfica this season.

Pavlidis is leading Benfica in numerous statistics this season – Expected Goals and shots per 90 as well as Big Chances missed. The 27-year-old is Benfica’s focal point in every sense.

Amar Dedić has created four Big Chances for Benfica this season and will be an outlet down the right side while Fredrik Aursnes could be a driving force for the home side through central midfield.

Realistically, though, Benfica will require defensive figures like Nicolás Otamendi and goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to be in top form to stand any chance against Real Madrid’s forward line.

Nobody has scored more goals in this season’s Champions League than Kylian Mbappé (11) while Vinícius Júnior is showing signs of his best form under Arbeloa.

Jude Bellingham is another player who appears revitalised since the managerial change. The England international completed 10 passes into the final third against Monaco and will be a key figure against Benfica too.

Dean Huijsen made more interceptions than any other player in last week’s Champions League outing and is an important part of an otherwise depleted Real Madrid backline.

Team news

Real Madrid’s injury list remains a long one with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy all sidelined. Aurélien Tchouaméni, however, will be fresh after missing Saturday’s win over Villarreal through suspension.

Benfica will also be missing a large number of players for the visit of Los Blancos. Indeed, Dodi Lukébakio, Richard Rios, Bruma and Alexander Bah are all injured at the moment.

Prediction

Benfica’s unhappy European campaign will likely come to an abrupt end here, with Arbeloa’s side coming away victorious following their reunion with Mourinho: Benfica 1-2 Real Madrid.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: Man City face Galatasaray with top eight finish on the line

Pep Guardiola has issued a rallying cry, asking for the fans to get behind his team ahead of their must-win clash against the Turkish champions.

By Filip Mishov

The first-ever match between City and Gala has a lot at stake

Manchester City went some way to heal the wounds of back-to-back defeats with a clean-sheet win against Wolves on what was Marc Guéhi‘s debut over the weekend, closing the gap on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, and ahead of their final fixture in the Champions League‘s league phase against Galatasaray.

Guardiola‘s squad sit eleventh in the league phase megatable, with the same number of points (13) as the sixth-placed Paris Saint-Germain (+10), but with a poorer goal difference (+4), and the Cityzens are most likely to feature in the additional knockout phase playoff round, just as they did last season, unless we witness a high-margin of victory on Wednesday.

*City are one of a number of teams vying for a top-eight finish*

Galatasaray, the reigning Süper Lig champions are managing a crisis of their own, as Okan Buruk‘s squad have won only twice over their past five matches across all competitions. During that run, they’ve lost to their eternal rivals, Fenerbahçe, in the Turkish Super Cup and in the league, seen their lead at the top of the standings reduced to three points.

Gala’s place in the Champions League playoff places is all but secured (they sit 17th), but they will want to improve on what is a terrible record when playing on English soil. They’ve won just once in 11 visits to England but current manager Okan Burak was in charge for that win, which did come in Manchester, albeit against United, at Old Trafford back in 2023.

Key players

Two former City fan favourites do now ply their trade in Istanbul, with Ilkay Gündogan and Leroy Sané vying for minutes on their return to the Etihad. Sané had perhaps been Galatasaray’s best player this season, with the electric winger currently boasting the second-highest average FotMob rating in the Turkish top tier (7.71). The now-30-year-old leads the ranks in terms of big chances created (10) and among his teammates, only Baris Alper Yilmaz, with 12, boasts more goals contributions than the nine Sané has recorded in the league.

Erling Haaland is on an unrecognisable five-match goal drought across all competitions and the Norwegian striker. Omar Marmoush was given the nod ahead of the Premier League’s top scorer against Wolves, and bagged himself the opening goal in that win. However, given the importance of the upcoming clash, the 25-year-old is expected to be recalled, and hopefully score in order to ease the pressure building on him before an incredibly difficult run of league fixtures.

Team news

Marc Guéhi and Antoine Semenyo are unavailable to feature in the Champions League until the knockout phase, adding to City’s injury woes with Rúben Dias, John Stones and Joško Gvardiol all sidelined.

Rodri is serving a one-match suspension for getting sent off in the previous round, while Nico González, Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb and Savinho are all injured as well.

Wilfried Singo is the only notable absentee within Okan Buruk’s squad and Gala’s new signing, Yaser Asprilla, is another player who can’t be registered for the Champions League until the next stage.

Prediction

The Cityzens might have won against Wolves, but they were not at their fluent best and recorded a low xG (0.86). With their defensive troubles, I fancy the dangerous Victor Osimhen or one of Gala’s other starts to to score at the Etihad, but the hosts might secure a narrow victory due to their superior all round attacking quality.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Bryan Mbeumo thriving in free role under Michael Carrick

Manchester United revamped their forward line during the summer transfer window. The Red Devils spent close to £200million to bring in Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Šeško, and Matheus Cunha.

By Sam McGuire

In a way, the arrival of Mbeumo went a little under the radar. Cunha was styled as the long-awaited successor to Eric Cantona. There was a swagger about his game, an arrogance, and an edge. Sometimes he crossed the line but his brilliance meant he was worth the risk. Šeško was initially courted by some big clubs, with Liverpool and Arsenal reportedly keen before last season’s top two looked elsewhere. The 22-year-old was then handpicked by Newcastle United as the man to replace Alexander Isak. However, he was swayed by the Red Devils to force through a move to Old Trafford.

At the time, it was viewed as a huge coup. Šeško has all of the traits needed to be a dominant centre-forward for the next decade. And everyone loves signing a wonderkid.

Because of this, Mbeumo’s arrival was overshadowed. Ruben Amorim didn’t necessarily help this either by taking advantage of the France born Cameroon international’s versatility. He deployed the 26-year-old in a variety of positions. He was utilised as a right-sided attacking midfielder, a left-sided attacking midfielder and a second striker. He was moved about to do a job, likely because he was talented enough to do that.

*Mbeumo’s player traits comparison – skewed by playing in variety of positions?*

Despite being the almost forgotten third man, he’s been Man United’s best signing.

He’s the team’s top scorer in the Premier League with eight while only skipper Bruno Fernandes (15) has more goal involvements than the former Brentford man (nine). He has the third highest FotMob rating amongst the Man United squad (7.28), behind talisman Fernandes (7.95) and Amad Diallo (7.46).

He’s not just scoring goals. He’s scoring big goals. Mbeumo has netted at Anfield against Liverpool, he opened the scoring in the Manchester derby win recently and he equalised at the Emirates as the Red Devils, under interim boss Michael Carrick, stunned the league leaders in a 3-2 win.

*Mbeumo’s shooting numbers in the Premier League this season*

Mbeumo has been a revelation under the one-time England midfielder following his appointment. Carrick made it two wins from two with the win over Arsenal, adding to the 2-0 victory over City last week. In both games, Mbeumo has found the back of the net. In both games, the £65million attacker has claimed a FotMob rating of at least 7.5. That’s some achievement when you consider he’s been up against arguably the best two teams in England.

Carrick deserves credit for naming Mbeumo as his centre-forward. The United boss had a tactic in mind. He wanted his side to break with pace, naming Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu either side of his No. 19. And, on the break, being fed by Fernandes, United have looked scary. Mbeumo has been frightening defenders.

*Manchester United starting XI vs. Arsenal*

When asked why he went with Mbeumo, Carrick gave a fairly straightforward answer: “It is a variety in terms of strengths. I gave him a free-role to drift.”

And Micah Richard, on The Rest is Football podcast, singled out Mbeumo for special praise following the derby win..

“The players are playing out of position [under Amorim], playing at two No. 10s, Diallo in a No. 10, like Mbeumo in a No. 10. Why? They did the most damage from [the] wide position. I know Mbeumo’s playing up front now, but he’s got the freedom to go where he wants. But Man United, lads, have been absolutely outstanding. On the ball and off the ball, the rotations.”

Against City, Mbeumo posted a season-high Expected Goals total of 0.8 from his three shots. He wasn’t quite as dangerous against Arsenal, with two shots and an xG of 0.15, but the leaders looked worried whenever he picked the ball up in the final third. His directness was an issue. And his goal was well taken.

*Mbeumo shot map vs. Arsenal, with goal highlighted*

United deserve credit for what they’ve done with Mbeumo. While at Brentford, he was a goalscorer but not really a goal threat. He finished last season with a Non-Penalty xG per 90 average of 0.2 from his 2.24 shots. Penalties skewed his numbers a little, boosting his xG per 90 to 0.32.

Added to his Expected Assists average of 0.24, his numbers for Brentford looked healthy at a casual glance.

Since the move to United, he’s managed to increase his goal threat, significantly so, too. Across his 1,544 minutes, he has a Non-Penalty xG of 0.38 (almost double his threat) despite having just 0.5 more shots per 90, all while keeping his creative numbers fairly high (0.2 xA).

In truth, Mbeumo wasn’t worth £65million in the summer. At the time, it was an overpayment. Now, though, he’s worth every single penny and United are going to feel as though they managed to get one over Brentford.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Jan

2026

Preview: Barcelona host Oviedo in top vs. bottom clash

LaLiga’s best and worst attacks meet at Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon.

By Filip Mishov

Barça average 2.7 goals per match in LaLiga, while Real Oviedo have scored only 11 goals in total

Barcelona put the painful defeat to Real Sociedad behind them with a midweek Champions League win in Prague, a result that keeps them in contention for a top eight finish ahead of the final league phase round of games next week.

But before the visit of FC København, Hansi Flick‘s squad welcome bottom side Real Oviedo aiming to restore some confidence and get back to winning way in Spain’s top tier. The leaders are obviously big favourites but that being said, this is a fixture that might give Flick the opportunity to rest some of his key players.

Real Oviedo‘s return to LaLiga for the first time since 2000/01 has not gone to plan. They’ve already changed manager twice and are currently on a 14-game winless run across all competitions that stretches all the way back to September last year, when the already departed José Salomon Rondon scored the winner at Estadio de Mestalla, securing their only second victory of the season. As well as being the league’s lowest scorers, only two sides have conceded more goals than the 31 they’ve let in.

Key players

Federico Vinas is driving Los Azules’ bid for safety, as the Uruguayan striker became the first player to score in back-to-back away matches in an Oviedo’s shirt since Julio Dely Valdes back in 2000, and the 27-year-old is their top scorer, albeit with only three goals. Additionally, the on-loan forward is the second-best chance creator (15) behind Santiago Colombatto (16) and one of the leading dribblers (2.0 per 90) in the squad, earning him an average FotMob rating of 6.89 in LaLiga, which could be higher if it was not for his ill discipline – he’s already been sent off three times this season!

Raphinha continues to deliver the goods under Hansi Flick with the in-form Brazilian being Blaugrana’s second highest rated player (7.90), third-best goalscorer (7) as well as big chance creator (6) in LaLiga despite starting in only half of their league games due to his injury troubles. However, with Pedri and Ferran Torres both ruled out through injury for the next few weeks, the importance of the captain will only grow stronger.

Team news

Pedri suffered a hamstring injury in Prague, ruling him out for a month and the Spanish midfield maestro joins Gavi, Ferran Torres and also Andreas Christensen on the sidelines, while Dro Fernandez continues to be omitted from the squad amid uncertainty about his future and links with PSG.

Eric Bailly has missed the past couple of matches for Oviedo due to a thigh injury and the former Manchester United centre-back remains doubtful for the trip to Barcelona. Ovie Ejaria is ruled out as well, while the rest of their teammates are fit for selection.

Prediction

A Barca win feels inevitable given their quality and the form of their opposition, although a high scoring game might not be on the cards should Hansi Flick decide to rest some of his stars ahead of that vital match coming up in the Champions League.

(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.

Jan

2026

Preview: Arsenal and Manchester renew hostilities

Manchester United travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on champions-elect Arsenal, seeking to build on a spectacular start to Michael Carrick’s spell as their interim head coach.

By Ian King

Can Manchester United’s Carrick bounce throw a spanner into the works of Arsenal’s title charge?

Was that really all it took? Just the application of a formation that wasn’t 3-4-3 and the application of some “vibes”? Old Trafford was transformed last weekend as Manchester United stormed to a very comfortable win in a surprisingly one-sided derby win against City.

Seasoned Manchester United observers will be fully aware that hope that comes to nothing has been an important part of this club’s plot arc over the last decade or so but, now just a point off a Champions League place and with Liverpool continuing to stutter, this was a win that could end up being their most important of the season.

This, then, is a good time for them to be travelling to North London to play Arsenal, who had a hiccup of their own last weekend with a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on a weekend when none of the top five could manage a win. Still, they bounced back with a comfortable 3-1 win against Inter in midweek and it remains the case that Mikel Arteta’s team have only lost once in any competition since the end of August.

The form guide quite clearly favours Arsenal, though United gave it a good go earlier this season

There’s no questioning the fact that the form book in this fixture quite clearly favours Arsenal. Manchester United have only won one of their last seven meetings, while they’ve lost five of them. When they met on the opening weekend of the season, Arsenal won 1-0 at Old Trafford, although the caveat to that is that United played pretty well on that occasion and were a little unfortunate not to come away from it with at least a point.

Viktor Gyökeres was on target in Milan, and now’s the time for him to ignite his Arsenal career

One minor blot on the Arsenal landscape is that they’ve failed to score in either of their last two Premier League matches. As such – and should he start, which is not guaranteed – now might be a good time for Viktor Gyökeres to really ignite his Arsenal career following a crucial late goal in Milan during the week. He is Arsenal’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League with five alongside Leandro Trossard, but then again, their goals have been coming from all over the team so far this season.

One piece of news to emerge from Old Trafford this week is that Casemiro will be leaving the club at the end of this season. He’s been an excellent performer for Manchester United in recent weeks, and his considerable experience could be crucial, if United are to build on their excellent result last weekend.

It’s quiet on the injuries front for both Arsenal and Manchester United

Both sides will be close to full strength for this match. Max Dowman, Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié will all be absent for Arsenal, while Joshua Zirkzee and Maathijs de Ligt are both absent for Manchester United.

The position regarding Nouassir Mazraoui is somewhat more uncertain. He’s now back from AFCON, having lost that remarkable final last weekend for Morocco. But he was given a little extra time off in the week and may make their squad for this one, though it’s far from certain.

It would be surprising to see too many changes from Michael Carrick following that sensational team performance at Old Trafford last weekend, but with four trophies still to play for and a squad with real depth, Mikel Arteta may make changes for the team that won in the Champions League in midweek.

One of their bigger question marks for Arsenal hangs over Gabriel Jesus, who’s been largely restricted to cameo appearances since his return from injury but made a case for a more regular starting spot with a brace in midweek. He started at the San Siro, but may find himself back on the bench this weekend.

Manchester United were outstanding against an out-of-sorts City, but Arsenal are a different proposition

This weekend’s fixture is perhaps the ultimate litmus test for whether last weekend’s derby win was yet another flash in the pan for Manchester United, or whether Michael Carrick has instantly unlocked something that could power them back towards the Champions League.

In a way, this is almost perfect timing for this fixture for Carrick. Few will be expecting them to take much from this match, but their tails are up and, having played in the early fixture last weekend and without a midweek game, they’ve had much more rest than their hosts.

But Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League at the moment. When your biggest current problem is that you failed to extend your lead at the top of the table to nine points, you know that, in the broad scheme of things, everything’s going well.

Both Manchester City and Aston Villa will have completed their matches by the time they kick off at The Emirates, and should they both fail to win – something which can’t entirely be ruled out, considering what happened at the top of the table last weekend – Arsenal’s lead could even be double-digit by the end of Sunday afternoon.

With the home side having conceded just 14 goals in 22 Premier League matches this season, it’s difficult to see how United can take anything from this match without being very tight at the back. And this match has a lengthy history of being somewhat feisty. Both teams seem likely to want to get up in each others’ faces, so this could well be a slightly bad-tempered affair.

If United can disrupt Arsenal enough, they could take something from this match, but that works both ways and one win, no matter how excellent, is too little to go on to be able to predict an even better result for Michael Carrick’s team this time around. 1-0 to the Arsenal, and that’s just the way they like it.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jan

2026

Preview: Liam Rosenior takes Chelsea to the Palace

It’s been over a month since Crystal Palace last won a game of football, including a devastating FA Cup defeat to non-league side Macclesfield. Could Oliver Glasner’s side finally end their ten-game winless streak against Chelsea on Sunday?

By Alex Roberts

Liam Rosenior’s side were fortunate to get away with a 2-0 win over Brentford in their Previous Premier League game and were even less inspiring in midweek when the faced Pafos in the Champions League. At this point though, it’s the points that matter.

As for Palace, a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland last time out was the catalyst of yet another manager running his mouth in the post-match press conference. Glasner is not happy at the club, and he’s not the only one…

It’s all kicking off at Selhurst Park

Literally and figuratively. There is an ongoing trend of managers seemingly sacking themselves with explosive interviews about how unhappy they are with the board and their power being undermined. Glasner followed the same path as Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca but has avoided their fate… for now.

It now looks like Glasner will remain at the club until the end of the season, when his contract expires, but his team will look vastly different to the one that started it. Not only has captain Marc Guéhi joined Man City, Jean-Philippe Mateta is pushing for a move too.

This season feels like a massive, missed opportunity for Palace. Fresh off the back of an FA Cup win and their first ever European campaign, Glasner is right, it was time to push on, but that just didn’t happen. Still, a win over Chelsea would put some smiles on some faces.

What’s going on with Cole Palmer?

The body language experts were out in force after Cole Palmer’s penalty to make it 2-0 against Brentford. His lack of a celebration has fed into speculation that he is unhappy at the club, with reports now coming out that he wants to return to Manchester.

Of course, it’s more likely that the talismanic playmaker is frustrated by his ongoing injury issues as the side he usually runs continues to look lackluster in front of goal. Although if Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League, that could change.

Rosenior initially said that Palmer should be totally fine for the game against Palace after missing out in the win over Pafos with a thigh injury but has now reneged on that and Palmer is out. With the World Cup set to start in roughly six months, all of this fuss couldn’t have come at a worse time for everyone involved.

Team news

Other than Palmer, Chelsea will be without Tosin Adarabioyo, who Rosenior confirmed will miss weeks due to the hamstring injury he sustained in the win over Brentford, with second choice goalkeeper Filip Jörgensen also out with an unknown issue.

Then we have the usual suspects. We’re starting to think we dreamt Roméo Lavia up in some sort of fever dream with the potentially non-existent midfielder still out with a thigh injury, while Levi Colwill is still recovering from his ACL tear.

On to Palace, Daniel Muñoz has been a huge miss over the past couple of months, and while he is close to returning from his knee injury, this game will likely be too soon.

Eddie Nketiah is also a doubt with Cheick Doucouré still out with the knee injury that has seen him miss over a year. The midfielder is close to a comeback, however. Daichi Kamada’s hamstring injury rules him out until late February.

Prediction

We’re really not predicting an all-timer here. Chelsea have struggled against back three sides all season, and Palace are one of the best, despite their ongoing issues. So, we’ll go with a 1-1 draw.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jan

2026

Preview: Madrid take on third placed Villarreal with one target in mind

Two of LaLiga’s top three are set to face off in this weekend’s headline fixture, which sees Real Madrid visit Villarreal.

By Neel Shelat

Goals galore in recent meetings

Villarreal have consistently been one of the most entertaining teams in LaLiga in recent seasons. They have been among the league’s top three scorers for three straight campaigns, and have not dropped out of the top five since 2019/20. Unsurprisingly, then, they have partaken in a few goal-fests against a Real Madrid side that hasn’t always been the most defensively solid.

33 goals have been scored in these teams’ last seven meetings, the most dramatic of which was an eight-goal draw in May 2024. Their styles of play, strengths and weaknesses haven’t changed a great deal since then, so another high-scoring affair may well be in the offing.

Real Madrid’s opportunity to build pressure on Barcelona

Although Real Madrid changed coaches very recently, they remain firmly in the title race. In fact, they are now just a point off the top following Barcelona’s loss to Real Sociedad last weekend.

Los Blancos have a favourable run of fixtures coming up after this one; their next match against a team in the current top six is about two months away when they host a Madrid derby. So, winning this match will be crucial for Álvaro Arbeloa’s side as they seek to keep the pressure on the defending champions.

Team news

Both sides are depleted in the defensive department for this match.

Real Madrid have been plagued with injury issues at the back all season, and they will have to continue contending with them for the time being. A full back four of Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy are currently on the treatment table. Worse yet, defensive midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni is also out through a yellow card suspension.

Villarreal have been without centre-back Willy Kambwala all season due to an ACL injury, while Santiago Mouriño will miss this game through suspension. The hosts will also have to make do without a midfielder in Santi Comesaña, who saw red in last weekend’s match against Real Betis.

Rodrygo has not featured in Real Madrid’s last few matches after the Super Cup, and although he has now returned to training, his participation in this fixture remains doubtful.

Team News

Despite contending with some niggles around the turn of the year, Kylian Mbappé’s incredible form has not slowed down at all. With support from a seemingly rejuvenated Vinícius Júnior, he could well add to his season’s tally of 33 goals.

Villarreal’s top three scorers combined have fewer league goals than Mbappé this season, but that is not to diminish their threat. Alberto Moleiro is a silky operator as he likes to drift inside from the left wing, while Georgian striker Georges Mikautadze offers clever movement ahead of him. This duo will likely cause problems for a weakened Real Madrid back line.

Prediction

An entertaining match is to be expected, so both sides should be backed to score. In the end, Real Madrid might just have the individual quality to come away with all three points.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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