Preview

Apr

2026

Preview: West Ham and Leeds round off the FA Cup quarterfinals

Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final will be a welcome distraction for two teams fighting to stay in the Premier League for next season.

By Graham Ruthven

Magic of the Cup

West Ham and Leeds United have plenty to worry about in the Premier League right now. Indeed, four points is all that separates them in the table with relegation a fear for both – especially the Hammers who find themselves in the bottom three.

The FA Cup, however, has been something to savour for two struggling teams with a place in the competition’s final four at stake in Sunday’s meeting at the London Stadium.

In making it this far, West Ham have seen off Queens Park Rangers, Burton Albion and Brentford in this season’s FA Cup while Leeds have overcome Derby County, Birmingham City and Norwich City.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have drawn six of their last eight games in 90 minutes in all competitions although the Hammers were underwhelming in their final outing (a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa) before the international break.

Even more impressive is the fact West Ham haven’t lost a game at the London Stadium in the last three months. The Hammers have become a tricky team to beat in front of their own fans.

Leeds, meanwhile, have lost just two of their last nine matches in all competitions with those only defeats coming against Manchester City and Sunderland. It should be noted, however, that they have drawn a blank in their last two games.

As a Premier League encounter, this could be a cagey affair. In the FA Cup, though, the shackles could be thrown off.

Key players

Nobody has scored more goals for the Hammers this season than Jarrod Bowen who is expected to start off the right side for the home side against Leeds on Sunday.

Bowen is the only West Ham player to have created more chances than Mateus Fernandes in the 2025/26 season with the Portuguese midfielder fresh from making his international debut for the Seleção against the USA.

Konstantinos Mavropanos has been rock-solid for the Hammers in recent matches and could be integral to West Ham’s chances of going even further in this season’s FA Cup.

Leeds could do with Dominic Calvert-Lewin rediscovering his scoring touch after the goalless draws against Crystal Palace and Brentford. The England striker has scored 10 league goals this season, but has yet to find the back of the net in the FA Cup.

Anton Stach has created more Big Chances than any other Leeds player this season and will be the creative spark through the middle of the pitch for the away side on Sunday.

Team news

Crysencio Summerville and Jean-Clair Todibo are both injury doubts for West Ham. Todibo missed the defeat to Villa before the international break and was missed as the Hammers suffered a 2-0 loss.

Gabriel Gudmundsson is available again after missing the draw against Brentford through suspension. Daniel Farke has a fully fit squad to choose from for the visit to London to take on West Ham.

Prediction

Both teams could treat this as a free hit, given this isn’t a Premier League six pointer, but the prize of a FA Cup semifinal trip to Wembley, and what that would mean for both sides could counteract that, so we think this could still be a cagy encounter settled by a single goal: West Ham 1-0 Leeds.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Preview: Atlético Madrid and Barcelona start a run of three meetings in 10 days

Atlético Madrid host Barcelona at the Metropolitano on Saturday evening as Diego Simeone’s side look to bounce back following their defeat in their derby match against Real Madrid last time out.

By Matt Smith

Hansi Flick’s men will be looking to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga to seven points, and the Catalan giants are on a strong run of form, winning five games on the bounce.

When the two sides met back in December in the league, Barcelona secured a 3-1 victory on their own turf.

Team news

Atlético are set to be without both Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso, with the duo suspended for the game against Barcelona. Pablo Barrios will also miss out due to injury, while Jan Oblak, Alexander Sørloth, Rodrigo Mendoza, and Marc Pubill are doubts.

Meanwhile, Raphinha will be unavailable for Barcelona after picking up an injury while on international duty with Brazil. He joins Andreas Christensen and Frenkie De Jong on the treatment table.

Goals win games

Barcelona have been far and away the best team in LaLiga and one of the best in Europe when it comes to their attacking production. Flick’s side are creating chances at will, and converting them more than efficiently.

Barcelona’s defence has been leaky at times, but as basic as it sounds, creating as many chances as they do, the struggles at the back rarely matter. The Catalan giants have conceded more goals than Real Madrid and the same as Atlético, but nobody gets close to them when it comes to finding the back of the net.

Atlético’s direct and effective style

Diego Simeone is known for his aggressive and intense style, and he’s a rare profile of manager at the top-level of football at the moment. Many coaches have a large focus on short passing and playing out from the back, but Atlético are enjoying success with a more direct style.

Against Barcelona, who often deploy a high line, we might see some success from Simeone’s men in behind the opposition defence. When the two sides met in the Copa del Rey first-leg back in February, we saw just that, with Atlético securing a 4-0 victory.

Rashford to step up

With Raphinha out injured, there’s a real opportunity for Marcus Rashford to step up to the plate. The English forward has struggled for minutes of late, but he’s proven to be an effective asset in the final third when given an opportunity to impress.

Rashford, who is on loan from Manchester United, might not have been given the chances he would have hoped for in recent months, but he now has the opportunity to prove his worth to Flick and make the left-wing position his own.

Prediction

It’s a difficult game to call with Atlético a tough side on their own turf, so we’re going for a 2-2 draw in this one.

(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.

Apr

2026

Preview: Arsenal head to Southampton for FA Cup quarterfinal

Arsenal continue their quest to end their silverware drought with a trip to play Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

By Ian King

Arsenal have a point to prove following their Carabao Cup final defeat, but Southampton are in blistering form

From a quadruple to a treble, then. Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final ended their hopes of a clean sweep of domestic trophies this season, but with the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup still open to them, they still have a lot to play for.

This weekend provides the Gunners with an opportunity to get themselves back on track with a trip to the south coast to play Championship club Southampton in the last eight of the FA Cup, and under normal circumstances this might be considered a straightforward match for them.

But Southampton are in outstanding form, unbeaten in all competitions since the middle of January (14 games) and having beaten Premier League opposition in the form of Fulham away from home in the last round of the FA Cup.

A slow start to the season left them hovering only just above the relegation places in the Championship by the start of November, but the appointment of Tonda Eckert following the sacking of Will Still has proved transformative, and they’re now in the middle of a race for a play-off place to secure a quick return to the Premier League following their relegation at the end of last season.

These two clubs first met each other in an FA Cup semi-final 99 years ago this year

Arsenal have the historical advantage in this fixture, with Southampton having only won three of the last seventeen meetings between the two teams. But the last time they met each other in the FA Cup, they did record a win, beating the Gunners 1-0 at St Mary’s in the fourth Round in January 2021.

One curious statistic about this game is that, after the two clubs met for the first time in the FA Cup semi-finals 99 years ago this season, they didn’t play each other again at all for another 39 years. Arsenal won that first meeting 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, but then lost the final 1-0 to Cardiff City.

Arsenal’s latest starlet may be given the space to shine in this match

Unbeaten in their last 12 consecutive games in the Championship, Southampton have plenty of in-form players at the moment, but one of their star performers throughout this season has been attacking midfielder Finn Azaz. He’s scored ten goals for them this season and created six assists, and was in action for the Republic of Ireland over the international break, featuring in their agonising play-off defeat to Czechia and their friendly against North Macedonia.

With a Champions League quarter-final to follow for Arsenal against Sporting on Tuesday night, Mikel Arteta may continue to rest some senior players for this match, and this may allow another opportunity for Max Dowman to prove himself.

Dowman scored his first Premier League goal on his last appearance against Everton, but he didn’t get on the pitch in their two matches following that against Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City, so this might be a good opportunity for the 16-year-old to get some more experience in the first team.

Mikel Arteta may choose to rest his best players, with the Champions League and Premier League run-ins to come

One of the bigger questions of the international break turned out to be that of how many Arsenal players might actually be injured at the moment. In total, 23 players were withdrawn from international squads by Premier League clubs for the last international break and almost half of them – 11, in total – were Arsenal players.

With crucial matches in both the Champions League and Premier League coming up, this match is likely to see more players being rested. William Saliba, Gabriel, Eberechi Eze, Martin Ødegaard, Jurrien Timber, Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi and Piero Hincapie were the players withdrawn. It’s entirely plausible that all of these players sit this match out as well.

For Southampton, Leo Scienza has been missing for the last three weeks and is doubtful for this match, but Ross Stewart did return for their last match before the break, a 2-0 win against Oxford United. Welington and Jay Robinson have both also been absentees; they returned to training before the Oxford match and could return for this one, though with Southampton also facing a crucial stage in their league season, they could also both be rested for this one.

Southampton will provide Arsenal with a stiff challenge, but how seriously will either team take this match?

There’s little question that the FA Cup is the junior partner in Arsenal’s pursuit of the treble, and the biggest question facing Mikel Arteta this weekend is how much he can afford to rest players for this leg of it. The Carabao Cup final provided a warning on the risks of dropping established players.

The decision to drop David Raya in favour of Kepa Arrizabalaga may have cost his team that match. On top of that, they only squeezed through the Fifth Round of the FA Cup with a narrow 2-1 win away to Mansfield Town.

And Southampton have been flying in 2026. They’re unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions, with eleven wins and three draws. They also arguably have more important matters at hand than the FA Cup.

They currently occupy the final Championship play-off place, but this is only on goal difference above Wrexham, and the target that will really matter to them for the remainder of this season will be trying to secure a return to the Premier League which looked inconceivable just a few months ago.

Still though, I expect Arsenal to get through this tie. The gulf between the Premier League remains as big as ever, and much as Arsenal have bigger fish to fry over the remainder of this season, the same could also be said for their opponents. I’ll go for a 2-1 Arsenal win which ends up being a little trickier for them than it looks on paper.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Apr

2026

Preview: Real Madrid head to Mallorca

Relegation-threatened Mallorca welcome the in-form Los Blancos as LaLiga returns to action following the international break.

By Filip Mishov

The Pirate ship is in danger of sinking if Martín Demichelis does not inspire a turnaround in form

Martín Demichelis will have enjoyed the two-week March international break, as the new Mallorca coach finally got a chance to work with the squad for an extended period following his recent appointment at the helm. The Argentine was brought in with the ultimate task of securing safety in LaLiga, with the Pirates currently sitting in the relegation zone (18^th place) with only nine matches to go. The former Monterrey coach has endured a mixed start (1W, 1D, 1L) and lost the relegation six-pointer against Elche in the previous round of games. That means the pressure is on ahead of three consecutive home matches coming up at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix this month.

After a turbulent start, Álvaro Arbeloa is beginning to get the best out of Real Madrid‘s star-studded squad with the Whites currently on a five-match winning streak between LaLiga and the Champions League, which includes a double over Manchester City and a Madrid derby victory. Madrid are averaging 2.8 goals per 90 during their impressive run and they could apply pressure on league leaders Barcelona, should they win at Mallorca. Having said that, Real’s record on the island is relatively poor, with only a couple of wins (2W, 1D, 2L) across their past five visits.

Key players

Vedat Muriqi is the second-top scorer in LaLiga this season with 18 goals, with only Kylian Mbappé (23 goals) ahead of the Kosovan striker. The 31-year-old is Mallorca’s highest-rated (7.18) player in the squad too, as the prolific forward is averaging more shots per 90 (3.4) and boasting a larger xG per 90 (0.56) than any other of his teammates. Subsequently, Muriqi’s performances are going to be crucial for their survival hopes between now and the end of the season.

Vinícius Júnior took over the protagonist role in Kylian Mbappé’s recent absence and the in-form Brazilian thrived by displaying Player of the Match performances both against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, respectively, earning a FotMob rating of 9.0 on both occasions. With the Frenchman training normally but still not 100% fit, the winger may continue to be Real Madrid’s main attacking threat going forward and the 25-year-old is only behind his partner in terms of goals scored (11) and goals + assists in LaLiga (16).

Team news

Álvaro Arbeloa is set to be without the starting goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, while Federico Valverde will serve a one-match suspension after getting sent off in the Madrid derby. Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are out injured, but Éder Militao is back in training.

For Mallorca, Pablo Maffeo is doubtful as the Argentine right-back missed the most recent match against Elche, while Lucas Bergström, Marash Kumbulla and Takuma Asano are all sidelined.

Prediction

Even though Real Madrid’s recent record at Mallorca is not great and Álvaro Arbeloa will surely have one eye on the upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern München, I still believe that the second-placed team in LaLiga has more than enough quality to secure three vital points against the Demichelis-led Mallorca.

(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.

Apr

2026

Preview: Port Vale stand in the way of Chelsea and a FA Cup semifinal

A chaotic international break is over, and we can get back to club football. Chelsea will no doubt be hoping for a relatively calm game against this season’s FA Cup fairytale story in Port Vale at Stamford Bridge.

By Alex Roberts

Sitting rock bottom of League One, Jon Brady’s side are certainly punching above their weight reaching the quarter final of the oldest competition in football, but that’s what it’s all about, and long may it continue.

As for Chelsea, things are not looking good in West London. Four defeats in a row, Champions League qualification looking unlikely, and a whole host of disillusioned players. Liam Rosenior has plenty to do.

Not a good week for Chelsea

The international break was rough for the Blues. They didn’t pick up and new injury worries, and a good number of players had time to rest. The players that did head of with their international teams had a LOT to say, though.

Enzo Fernández has now done three separate interviews in which he has flirted with Real Madrid in some kind of way, saying how much he would love to live in the Spanish capital and of his admiration for Toni Kroos.

Then there was Marc Cucurella. He didn’t hold back when speaking about the decision to part ways with Enzo Maresca and the club’s policy of hoarding young players. All is not well at the club, and if the ownership’s short history at the club has proven anything, it’s unlikely to change.

Dutty Waine

Port Vale’s FA Cup run is one of the better stories of the season so far. With 31 points, 14 off safety in League One, relegation is a foregone conclusion at this point, but there is still a sense of joy around the club.

A lot of that is down to striker Ben Waine. Like his club, the New Zealand international has struggled in the league, scoring three goals in 20 games. In the FA Cup, though, he’s come alive, with three in four.

Waine scored the winning goals in Port Vale’s two 1-0 wins over Bristol City and Sunderland, ensuring he will go down in the club’s history for years to come. It’s likely that this will be the end of their FA Cup journey, but sometimes it’s about the memories you make along the way…

Team news

It gets harder to predict what team Chelsea will play as the weeks go by, but we can say with some degree of certainty that Reece James (hamstring), Levi Colwill (ACL), Trevoh Chalobah (ankle), and Filip Jörgensen (groin) won’t feature.

Jamie Gittens (hamstring) and Benoît Badiashile (illness) are both major doubts too.

On to Port Vale, they’ll be without Ben Heneghan, George Byres and Jayden Stockley due to injury. Onel Hernández, who played 26 times for Norwich in the 2019/20 Premier League season, could be handed his first start.

Prediction

Now, Chelsea SHOULD and probably will win this one, even if they had a hard time in the last round against Wrexham. We are fairly confident they’ll concede, though, so we’re going with 3-1 to the home 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.

Apr

2026

Preview: Manchester City meet Liverpool in headline FA Cup quarter-final

Recently crowned EFL Cup champions Manchester City will have to overcome Liverpool to keep their hopes of winning a second domestic cup title this season alive.

By Neel Shelat

Manchester City’s impressive FA Cup record

Manchester City have made it to the final of the FA Cup in each of the last three seasons. They defeated Manchester United in 2022 before losing to the Red Devils the following year, and of course, falling short against Crystal Palace last time around. Should they manage to make it to the big stage again, they’ll become the first team in the competition’s history to appear in four consecutive finals. In fact, they have already created history by becoming the first team to reach seven consecutive semi-finals, and could extend that streak further.

Pep Guardiola’s side will surely give it everything to try and make that happen, as this is the only major title entirely within their own reach for the remainder of the season. They were eliminated from the Champions League before the international break, while consecutive draws in the Premier League have seen them slip nine points away from Arsenal.

Liverpool misfiring in March

Liverpool certainly had a month to forget in March as they failed to win the majority of their six matches. Their results included losses to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion, and a draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the league, as well as a first leg loss against Galatasaray in the Champions League. While they showed signs of serious quality in their wins, consistency remained an issue for Arne Slot’s side.

The Reds will definitely need to find their top gear now as they have some huge matches coming up thick and fast. This quarter-final will be followed by their Champions League last eight tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain, while the Merseyside derby is scheduled right after the second leg.

Team news

Manchester City are expected to be without three centre-backs as Joško Gvardiol, Rúben Dias and John Stones are all out injured.

Liverpool have a much longer injury list, including quite a few absentees in the defensive department. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is most notable among them, while Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo remain unavailable due to long-term injuries.

Alexander Isak is unlikely to feature despite returning to training, but the big news is that Slot expects Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa to be available for this match.

Key players

This is going to be the first match for Liverpool after the announcement of Salah’s upcoming departure, so he’ll certainly be one to keep an eye on even if he only features in a limited capacity. In a similar vein, Bernardo Silva is expected to leave Manchester City at the end of his contract, though this hasn’t been made official yet.

Strikers Erling Haaland and Hugo Ekitike always have the potential to make a telling contribution for either side, but they’ll be looking for goals from elsewhere too. Nico O’Reilly is one to watch for City after his EFL Cup final heroics, while Dominik Szoboszlai is always capable of the spectacular for Liverpool.

*Recent H2H results, including City’s two wins this season*

Prediction

Manchester City could edge out a close win as Liverpool might have half an eye on the Champions League.

(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.

Mar

2026

Preview: Argentina close international break with Zambia friendly

If a narrow win over minnows Mauritania didn’t get the Buenos Aires crowd in party mode, a potential final farewell to Lionel Messi might do as Argentina face Zambia in their latest friendly.

By Karl Matchett

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will win an incredible 198th international cap if he starts, as expected, and given the expectations around him potentially ending his Albiceleste career (again) after the summer World Cup, at which time he’ll be 39, this could be his final outing on home soil.

A title to retain

Though Messi came off the bench against Mauritania, it’s important for Lionel Scaloni and the team to develop ways of playing – and winning well, ideally – without their iconic No. 10. He will naturally be a go-to at the finals in the summer, but it may be he doesn’t play every match or see out every 90 minutes, in trying to spare him to impact later on in defence of their title.

It means others need to step up more than they’ve managed to thus far in terms of end product; only Julián Alvarez (13) has more than seven goals in the squad, with Nico Paz, Thiago Almada and Giuliano Simeone perhaps among those who could earn themselves a regular starting place if they can prove they can be a supply line.

*To watch the upcoming friendlies in the United States, click here*

Defence first?

If the attack is not completely clicking into gear, it’s vital that Argentina can hold strong at the other end then – and so there is optimism around a new-look partnership of Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi at the back. Senesi’s Bournemouth contract is up this summer and with clubs like Barcelona and Atlético Madrid reportedly keen on him, establishing himself as a starter ahead of the World Cup – and performing well during it – will only raise his profile and earning potential further. He ranks above 98% of European centre-backs for defensive contributions over the past year and is top 5% in the Premier League this term.

Low-key opponents

Opponents Zambia won the Afcon in 2014 but have been on a downward trajectory since – they haven’t actually won an Afcon game since the semi-finals of that year, given they drew the final and won on penalties. Only seven of the current squad ply their trade outside of Zambia.

Recent internationals

Argentina have won six of their last eight though their last notable win was arguably June last year, in Chile. Zambia have won one of their last 13 matches over the past year.

Team news

Messi is set to start but Gonzalo Montiel withdrew from the squad injured and Joaquín Panichelli is out of the World Cup after rupturing his ACL again in training before the weekend.

Key Player

If Simeone gets the nod down the right, he can be a force and a threat if tuned in – though still needs to add more control and poise to his final decision. Still, he’s top 1.5% of LaLiga attackers for expected assists, top 5% for big chances created and top 8% for successful dribbles.

Prediction

Another win for Argentina as the home crowd give a pre-tournament send-off…but not a result to strike fear into potential summer rivals: Argentina 3-0 Zambia.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

To watch the upcoming Argentina games in the United States, check out the coverage provided by BeINSports – here.

Mar

2026

Preview: England regulars set to return for Japan test

This is it, the last chance for those players on England’s peripheries to make a serious impression on Thomas Tuchel ahead of the summer’s World Cup. Japan make the trip to Wembley hoping to throw a spanner in the works.

By Alex Roberts

Veteran Japan winger Junya Ito scored in the 84^th minute to see his side narrowly beat Scotland on Saturday. They’re now on a run of four wins and one draw over their last five games, including a 3-2 win over Brazil, so they can beat the big boys.

Ben White made his long-awaited England return in their 1-1 draw with Uruguay, and oh boy, did he create some headlines. The Arsenal man was booed by the fans, scored the opener, and then conceded a penalty which Federico Valverde converted. All in all, it was a poor performance from the Three Lions. They need to step it up.

England’s very own Valverde

That’s how Tuchel described James Garner following his England debut in the Uruguay game. The similarities are there, they’ve both had to play as full backs for their club, but the Real Madrid ace is certainly more established.

Garner earned his chance to represent England with some incredible performances for Everton so far this season, and he didn’t look out of place. The midfielder created four chances, had a pass accuracy rate of 93%, and made 10 passes into the final third.

Central midfield is starting to look pretty stacked for England. Declan Rice is a guaranteed starter, but Garner has now placed himself alongside Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, and Kobbie Mainoo in Tuchel’s reckoning. This is a good problem to have.

A potential dark horse?

Every World Cup has one. Last time out everyone expected it to be Türkiye, but they fell well short of expectations. Japan have some incredibly talented players at their disposal, and manager Hajime Moriyasu has made them hard to beat.

Japan haven’t conceded a goal since their 3-2 win over Brazil back in October, beating Ghana 2-0, Bolivia 3-0, and most recently Scotland 1-0. Playing a back three, Moriyasu’s boys have prioritised defensive solidity.

That doesn’t mean Japan don’t have more creative players though. Premier League fans will be well aware of Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, arguably one of the best dribblers around today. Japan have everything needed to be a serious threat this summer, a win or even a draw here would be a real statement.

Team news

Noni Madueke picked up and injury in the draw with Uruguay, while Arsenal appear to have recalled Rice and Bukayo Saka for ‘medical assessments.’ We’re sure that has nothing to do with the Premier League title race.

Adam Wharton, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Aaron Ramsdale and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have all returned to their respective clubs too, but it’s not all bad news.

Dean Henderson, Nico O’Reilly, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi, Dan Burn, Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane have all joined up with the squad after watching the game on Friday from the stands.

Either way, Tuchel has plenty of options.

Japan don’t really have anything to worry about in terms of squad selection. The only issue is Takehiro Tomiyasu had expected to join up with the squad for this game, but he has since been forced to withdraw and remain with Ajax due to injury.

Prediction

There are quite a few England players that need to take this game by the scruff of the neck. Japan aren’t an easy opposition, but we’re going with a 2-0 win for Tuchel’s side.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Mar

2026

Preview: Argentina set for friendly clash against Mauritania

The reigning World Cup champions, Argentina, take another step along their preparations before attempting to defend their crown this summer as they face Mauritania in a friendly in Buenos Aires.

By Karl Matchett

Argentina are also playing Zambia during this international break in what’s effectively now a farewell to the public before trying to make it back-to-back successes on the global stage.

Spectacle and superstar

There won’t be much surprise if the lead-up to the game – and maybe the first half at least – is all about the usual Lionel Messi sideshow. At 38 years of age he’s still sharp and relentless in the final third; in MLS he may be but he can still top the lot, ranking ahead of 99% of similar forwards for goals and chances created and all 100% of them for touches and shots.

Still, the idea is to maximise what you get from Messi while maintaining balance elsewhere, which makes the likes of Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada so vital with movement and workrate off the ball.

Plan in action

A little over a decade ago, Mauritania were in the bottom handful of national teams on the entire planet, by Fifa rankings anyway. Ground has been made in that regard, and they’ve been to three Afcon tournaments in the past seven years, but didn’t qualify for 2025’s edition and have never been to a World Cup.

It doesn’t seem like a testing opponent on first glance for Argentina, but they do face another (much stronger) African side in their World Cup group – Algeria – and also a World Cup finals debutant, in Jordan, so perhaps a defensive-minded opponent will provide some practice for what lies ahead. In reality, this is maybe the best alternative on offer at short notice, given Messi and co were supposed to be facing Spain in the Finalissima this weekend.

Recent matches

Three not-high-profile opponents have been Argentina’s choices since the qualifiers ended in a 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, with Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Angola all duly dispatched. Mauritania haven’t won any of their last six and have just one victory since the end of 2024.

Team news

Lionel Scaloni had a full squad in training at the start of the week and it’s expected the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Alvarez will all start, though Rodrigo De Paul could miss out with a knock.

Mauritania will look to Romania-based captain Aly Abeid for defensive organisation while Rangers winger Djeidi Gassama is hoping for an international debut.

Key Player

Enzo Fernández has been in the headlines over a potential summer move; at his best he is a scheming danger in the final third but he has been hot and cold this term. Over the past year he ranks in the top 5% of all attacking midfielders in Europe for getting on the ball; he should have plenty of that in this game so it’s all about whether he can find the telling ball to the front men.

Prediction

A routine win for the South American side but the key will be keeping up the tempo if they want to rack up the scoreline: Argentina 3-0 Mauritania.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

To watch the upcoming Argentina games in the United States, check out the coverage provided by BeINSports – here.

Mar

2026

Preview: England face Uruguay in Wembley friendly

Thomas Tuchel’s selection process for the upcoming World Cup continues with a Friday night fixture against international football’s perennial overachievers, Uruguay.

By Ian King

Thomas Tuchel has to continue his England filtration process over this international break weekend

A surplus of talent is no bad thing for an international coach, but that’s where Thomas Tuchel finds himself ahead of England’s two international friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.

Tuchel has taken the unusual step of naming a 35-player squad for these two matches with players arriving at different times, depending on the number of minutes they have played for their clubs this season. and it’s his job to now start filtering through those players to select his final 26-player squad. And recent form is good. Since losing 3-1 at home to Senegal in June, they’ve won six in a row and have kept six clean sheets.

Uruguay qualified for this summer’s finals in fourth place in the CONMEBOL megagroup, in which Argentina were the runaway winners, with only one point separating the next five nations. Their last run out, however, ended in a fairly dismal 5-1 defeat to the USA in a friendly back in November.

England have never beaten Uruguay in a competitive match

It is something of an anomaly that England have never beaten Uruguay in a competitive match, and this poor record extends to friendlies, as well. The Three Lions have only beaten Uruguay once at all since 1969, and that came twenty years ago. Their last meeting, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, also ended in a 2-1 Uruguay win.

This is a game for those fighting for a place in Tuchel’s summer squad

With 35 players and staggered arrivals, there will be two very different England teams playing their two upcoming friendly matches and attention will naturally turn to those who are trying to push their way into the squad or the starting eleven.

One player who will be travelling but will be trying to secure a starting place is Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace. Wharton made his England debut almost two years ago against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it took until September last year for him to return to the team; he’s now made three appearances for the national team. Wharton’s had a decent season for Crystal Palace and will be hoping to start in this fixture in order to make his case to start in the summer.

There will, of course, be familiar faces in the Uruguay team and one of them will be that of Darwin Núñez, who left Liverpool for Saudi Arabia last summer. Núñez has scored six goals in 14 appearances for Al Hilal this season, and his record for his national team is decent, with 13 goals in 36 appearances for La Celeste. He may have been a little too erratic for Liverpool, but he’s been a mainstay of his national team’s attack for a long time.

Team news

Dean Henderson, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka will be joining up with the squad in time for the Japan match, so none of these players will feature in this match. Jarell Quansah and Eberechi Eze have both withdrawn from the squad with injury, with Ben White and Harvey Barnes stepping in to replace them.

Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde are among the more familiar names who may start for Uruguay, along with Manuel Ugarte, who’s been struggling for game time with Manchester United this season. Perhaps the biggest cheer of the evening will be reserved for the Uruguay head coach and former Leeds United icon Marcelo Bielsa, who’s returning to England for the first time since leaving Elland Road in 2022. Expect a larger than usual contingent of Leeds fans in the Wembley crowd for this match.

Prediction

Of course, with these upcoming matches being friendly fixtures, there is more at play for Thomas Tuchel over the next four days than the actual results of the matches. Tuchel finds himself in a privileged position, with a plethora of talent to choose from. Sooner this than not having enough, we might reasonably presume.

Expectations for England this summer are high. Ranked fourth in the current FIFA rankings, there will be considerable disappointment should they not make it as far as the semi-finals, and this is arguably a reflection on the decision to hire Tuchel with the very specific aim of going as far as possible in this tournament. Knives will be quickly drawn, should performances fall short.

Uruguay are not to be taken lightly. They qualified for these finals by a comfortable margin and are ranked 17th in the world themselves, and this is a nation defined by the outsized success that its national football team has had, going right the way back to the first World Cup in 1930. That a country of 3.5 million people should have produced a team that has won this tournament twice and remains a regular qualifier for its finals remains one of the World Cup’s more curious and enduring anomalies.

But with so many players with something to prove and a squad that is so strong that the head coach can divide it between two matches, England should have enough about them to take a positive result from this match, so I’ll go for a narrow 2-1 home win, with the big question of the weekend really being whether Tuchel finishes it with a much clearer idea of what his final summer squad will look like.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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