Preview

Feb

2026

Preview: Barcelona playing catch up against relegation threatened Levante

Back to back defeats and a lack of options to rotate have left Hansi Flick complaining about Barcelona running out of steam this week; home to struggling Levante though has to be nothing but a win to get the title tilt back on track.

By Karl Matchett

Defensive deficiencies

While Flick might hope to outscore most teams Barca come up against, the last two defeats have revealed a more immediate problem: they have been continually exposed at the back, with six conceded across those matches and a combined xG allowed of 5.23 suggesting it was far from undeserved. That included a massive nine big chances being conceded – with Girona, not Atlético Madrid in the 4-0 cup loss, racking up five of them – despite just 29% possession.

Eric García for one might find himself in line to be “rested” if Ronald Araújo’s fitness can hold up. He scored an own goal and was sent-off against Atleti, then was booked and hooked last weekend in the league clash.

Title talk

It’s just one of two again in Spain this year in terms of a title, even though we’re only in February. Barcelona start the weekend two points behind Real Madrid but ten ahead of Villarreal – given they’ve both won the same number of games it’s looking like defences will decide the title, so if you underperform in any given game, keep a clean sheet and make sure you don’t lose it. Madrid are inches ahead in that regard so far.

The end is nigh

Levante’s season really crumbled across autumn and the start of winter, as they lost five straight games in LaLiga. A new year burst of form saw them defeated only once in six outings to make up a little ground towards safety, but since then it has been back to the bad – three defeats in a row leave them seven points from safety. Barring a bit of a miracle run, the team with the worst defensive record in Spain’s top flight are going to make a swift exit after just one season back among the elite.

Recent form

Barcelona had won six in a row prior to those recent losses to Atlético and Girona, while at home in LaLiga this term it’s 11 wins from 11 games and just five goals conceded. Levante have actually won more points away (11) than at home (7) but it would still be a major shock for them to get a result.

Team news

Marcus Rashford should be back for Barca, but Pedri is probably set to miss out. Gavi and Andreas Christensen remain sidelined.

For Levante, Kervin Arriaga is suspended and Pablo Martínez will sit the match out with a leg issue. The visitors are awaiting a verdict on Unai Elgezabal’s fitness.

Key man

Lamine Yamal is second in LaLiga for combined goals and assists this season (18), third for shots per 90 (4.6) and top for chances created (58). However, he’s Barcelona creative key because he’s top by miles when it comes to big chances created – 21, compared to next-best 11 for Luis Milla and Arda Güler.

Prediction

It might not be pretty but a win is a win, and Barcelona should manage it this time out: Barcelona 2-0 Levante.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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

Feb

2026

Preview: Real Madrid aiming to stretch LaLiga advantage as they face Osasuna

Real Madrid benefitted from a shock slip up from Barcelona in the last round of games to remain at the summit of LaLiga.

By Ross Kilvington

Having defeated Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday evening in what was an impressive display by Álvaro Arbeloa’s men, Barcelona suffered a surprise defeat to Girona on Monday.

As such, Los Blancos have the opportunity to extend their advantage to five points when they travel to face Osasuna on Saturday.

Álvaro Arbeloa is turning into a shrewd appointment for Real Madrid

When the Spaniard was announced as Xabi Alonso’s replacement earlier this year, there were plenty of doubters.

Losing 3-2 to second tier side Albacete in the Copa del Rey was hardly the finest of debuts, but things have only gotten better since then.

In LaLiga, the club have won five consecutive matches to overhaul Barcelona at the top of the table.

During those games, Real have scored 12 goals and conceded only twice in the process. In midweek, Arbeloa led his side to revenge against Benfica, winning the first leg of their knockout playoff clash 1-0 in the Champions League.

Three weeks prior, the Portuguese giants claimed a 4-2 victory which condemned Real to the playoffs, but Arbeloa adapted ahead of the rematch.

More importantly, however, is Vinícius Júnior’s return to form under the interim coach. He scored just seven goals under Alonso, but he has already registered eight goal contributions in just eight games for Arbeloa.

He scored the winner against Benfica on Wednesday and another game-winning performance wouldn’t go amiss this weekend.

Osasuna are on a good run of form

Real wont have it all their own way in Pamplona, especially considering the solid run of form Osasuna are currently on.

Although they occupy tenth place in the table, the club have won three of their previous five league matches, drawing the other two.

Striker Ante Budimir has been excellent of late. The Croatian has scored five goals across Osasuna’s last five matches, including a brace in the 3-2 win over Real Oviedo.

Overall, he has scored 11 goals in LaLiga this season, which ranks him fourth on the list of top scorers this campaign. He could pose a big threat to Real this weekend.

Team news

For this match, the home side will be without Iker Benito due to a cruciate ligament injury and Flavien Boyomo, who is struggling with an ankle issue.

Arbeloa wont be able to call on a trio of players, as Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Éder Militão (tendon injury) and Rodrygo (hamstring) remain absent for Real.

Prediction

Real Madrid won this fixture 1-0 at the start of the season and they will be expecting another victory over Osasuna this weekend.

While the home side are unbeaten in five matches, it will take a near perfect display for them to grab all three points at the Estadio El Sadar.

Following a solid victory over Benfica in midweek, Arbeloa’s men head into this game high on confidence.

As such, Real will extend their lead at the top of the league table with a comfortable victory.

(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: Manchester City host Newcastle United with a big chance to close the gap to the top

Manchester City’s title race fate is now in their own hands after Arsenal’s shock midweek draw with bottom-club Wolves. They’ll have the chance to move within two points of the Gunners when they host Newcastle on Saturday night.

By Neel Shelat

Newcastle’s struggles at the Etihad Stadium

Newcastle United have been quite competitive against Manchester City since their change in ownership, as they’ve come away with results in each of the last four seasons — including a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture. However, those have all been on home turf, as the Magpies are continuing to endure a torrid run in Manchester.

City have won the last 12 meetings between these sides at the Etihad Stadium, with the number going up to 16 if we only focus on the league. In fact, they have only been defeated once at home by Newcastle United in the Premier League — all the way back in 2000.

Clean sheets hard to come by for the visitors

Newcastle United are 10th going into the weekend with a perfectly balanced record of 10 wins, six draws and 10 defeats in the league, as well as a neutral goal difference thanks to 37 goals scored and conceded.

The Magpies’ attack has looked pretty good in recent weeks as their big win over Qarabağ took them to 14 scored in the last five matches across all competitions, though the 5,000-mile round trip won’t have helped them in preparation for this match. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that they have not kept a clean sheet in all eight matches over the last month.

*Premier League clean sheets this season*

Team news

Joško Gvardiol and Mateo Kovačić are two certain absentees for Manchester City, while Savinho’s return is unlikely in this match. Jérémy Doku and Max Alleyne are both listed as doubtful, with the former recovering from a calf injury he picked up against Galatasaray.

John Stones made his first start in close to three months in the FA Cup tie against Salford City last weekend. Erling Haaland sat that game out, but should be good to go for this one.

Newcastle United suffered a big setback after their last league match as they learned that captain and top-scorer Bruno Guimarães will be out until April. He joins Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schär, Lewis Miley and Emil Krafth on the injury list, while Yoane Wissa is unlikely to feature as well.

Key players

After enduring quite a dry patch by his standard around the turn of the year, Haaland scored in consecutive games for the first time since December with goals against Liverpool and Fulham. Antoine Semenyo has also hit the ground running for Manchester City and already has two excellent performances against Newcastle under his belt after their recent meeting in the Carabao Cup semifinals.

Rúben Dias will have to be on his A game as Anthony Gordon is the player to watch for the visitors after his four-goal haul in midweek. Newcastle will also need big shifts from Sandro Tonali and Sven Botman if they are to keep a lid on City’s attack.

Prediction

Manchester City will be quite confident going into this game after their 5-1 aggregate win in the EFL Cup semi-final, so they should be backed for a multi-goal win.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Chelsea take on Scott Parker’s Burnley

Liam Rosenior’s fairly kind run of fixtures in the Premier League comes to an abrupt end after they host Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. With a top four finish still well and truly in the balance, this feels like a must win.

By Alex Roberts

It’s the time of the season when the struggling teams love to pull out some surprise results. West Ham we’re unlucky to draw against Man United, while Wolves threw a spanner in the works with a 2-2 draw at Arsenal. Burnley will be hoping to keep up appearances here.

Chelsea continue to be a team of two-halves. Their 2-2 draw with Leeds just about sums up their season so far, playing well and looking comfortable in the first, just to go and throw it all away in the second. At least Rosenior’s side were able to put it behind them with a 4-0 FA Cup win over Hull City.

Andrey Santos’ time to shine

One of the biggest narratives to come out of Rosenior’s time at the club so far is how Santos has played a much more prominent role. The Brazilian starred for him at Strasbourg, and they’re clearly building on that relationship here.

Santos has started eight of the 11 games Rosenior has been in the dugout so far and hasn’t looked out of place playing with more senior stars. Under Enzo Maresca, he played a little further forward, it’s clear that Rosenior sees him as a deeper midfielder.

Still, arguably Santos’ best performance in a Chelsea shirt came under Maresca, in the reverse fixture against Burnley. With Moisés Caicedo a little out of sorts in recent weeks, this could be a perfect opportunity for Santos to once again lay down a marker.

Not giving up just yet

With 18 points from their 26 games, few would be surprised to see the Burnley players down tools. Their 3-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace last time out proves otherwise, however, and perhaps a miracle is on.

Jaidon Anthony has been Burnley’s standout performer so far this season, leading the team in goals (six), goal involvements (seven), and chances created (24) in the Premier League. Scott Parker needs him to keep it up at the very least.

There is still plenty of Premier League football to be played between now and the end of the season, for Burnley, it’s 12 games. It’s been one of the weirdest we’ve seen in sometime, we have no doubt there will be plenty of twists and turns still to come.

Team news

Cole Palmer is expected to return to the side after Rosenior admitted to managing his minutes and not playing him against Hull, but the big news is that Marc Cucurella is out with a hamstring injury.

The lesser spotted Roméo Lavia is back on contention and could get a few minutes. Given his constant injury issues, though, it’s incredibly unlikely that he starts.

Chelsea will also be without Levi Colwill (ACL), Jamie Gittens (hamstring), Dário Essugo (thigh), and Filip Jörgensen (knock).

As for Burnley, they’ve got plenty of injury issues too. Axel Tuanzebe (Achilles Tendon), Connor Roberts (strain), Jordan Beyer (knee), Josh Cullen (ACL), Mike Tresor (ankle), and Zeki Amdouni (ACL) are all out.

Prediction

If the past round of fixtures have proven anything, it’s that the sides in the relegation zone aren’t done just yet. So, we’re going with a 1-1 draw in West London.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Bottom meets top in midweek Premier League clash

The Premier League’s basement side Wolves face top of the table Arsenal on Wednesday evening, with the home side searching for just their second win of the season.

By Matt Smith

The Gunners will be hoping to extend their lead at the top, looking to bounce back after dropping points last time out.

Rob Edwards’ side almost pulled off one of their most impressive results of the season when these two sides met back in December, but a 94th minute own goal from Yerson Mosquera secured a 2-1 victory for Arsenal.

Team News

Edwards was fairly cautious when discussing team news ahead of this game, confirming that there are a few players who are ‘feeling it’ after the Grimsby clash in the FA Cup. Toti Gomes and Hwang Hee-chan remain sidelined, but we could see further changes from Wolves.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that both Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White will likely be fit enough to face the Wanderers. The Arsenal boss has also revealed that Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz will miss out.

It’s looking bleak for the Wanderers

Wolves have started to pick up some results over the last few months, but it’s not looking like enough for them to complete the great escape. Wolves currently sit 18 points adrift of safety with 12 games remaining, and relegation is now looking like a formality.

The Midlands outfit secured a 1-0 victory over Grimsby Town in the FA Cup, so there’s a small chance they can rescue something from their dismal season with a cup run. It’s not over until it’s over, and Wolves do have a chance of making the title race a little more interesting this week.

Arsenal averaging fewer points that 2023/24

One concern for Arsenal could be that they are currently averaging fewer points than the 2023/2024 season, when they missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by two points. Pep Guardiola’s side are hot on their tail, with the gap closed to just four points.

Arsenal and Man City go head-to-head in April, which could be crucial in the race for the title. The Gunners have been known to throw things away at the final hurdle, but as it stands, they are in the driving seat.

Eze’s time to shine

Last time out, in the FA Cup, Eberechi Eze was given a rare start, and with Martin Ødegaard out injured, we could see him given another chance after his recent performance. The England international achieved the highest FotMob rating in the game, providing two assists.

Eze has been knocking on the door for more regular starts, and his display against Wigan could bring him into Mikel Arteta’s thinking. With the Gunners facing their north London rivals Tottenham at the weekend, Eze might be the one to watch as Arteta is forced to manage his squad.

Prediction

It doesn’t get more predictable than the league leaders beating 20th. We’re going for a 2-0 victory to Arsenal.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Benfica and Real Madrid set for Champions League rematch

José Mourinho faces his former club just weeks after Benfica shocked Real Madrid in the most dramatic circumstances possible.

By Graham Ruthven

All over again

Anatoliy Trubin’s stoppage time header to send Benfica through to the knockout rounds of this season’s Champions League, and dump Real Madrid into the playoff round, will live long in the memory.

It was in the script that the two teams would meet each other again in the round of 32 and so it proved with José Mourinho once again set to face his former club.

Real Madrid enter Tuesday’s match in Lisbon on the back of arguably their best performance of the season so far. Indeed, Álvaro Arbeloa’s team were in top form as they put Real Sociedad to the sword in a comprehensive 4-1 win.

On the whole, though, Los Blancos have struggled for consistency recently and were exposed by Benfica’s directness and willingness to get bodies forward in last month’s spectacular encounter.

Benfica have won three of their last four meetings against Real Madrid and have yet to suffer defeat in Liga Portugal since Mourinho took over in September.

This promises to be the most compelling fixture of the entire round. Have Real Madrid learned lessons from what happened last month or will Benfica play the tape again to secure another famous win?

Key players

Benfica’s front four of Gianluca Prestianni, Andreas Schjelderup, Georgiy Sudakov and Vangelis Pavlidis caused mayhem against Real Madrid when the two sides clashed last month.

Indeed, the Lisbon outfit created no fewer than eight Big Chances, many of which came from their willingness to get forward quickly and flood the Real Madrid penalty area with bodies.

Pavlidis has scored an incredible 20 goals in 22 league appearances for Benfica this season. The Greek striker is a dangerous penalty box presence and will test the Real Madrid backline.

Nicolás Otamendi and Antonio Silva boast plenty experience between them in central defence while Trubin will surely be called upon at some point, although probably not to score the winning goal again.

Real Madrid have the attackers to blow away any opponent on their day, chief among them Kylian Mbappé who has scored an incredible 13 goals in just seven Champions League outings this season.

Vinícius Júnior is expected to start, potentially as one of two split strikers alongside Mbappé. Trent Alexander Arnold will also feature after an excellent performance against Real Sociedad.

The England international right back’s passing range gives Real Madrid a different dimension and could be key to Arbeloa’s team having more control of the ball against Benfica.

Team news

Fredrik Aursnes is set to miss out through injury, dealing Benfica a blow. Samuel Soares and Richard Ríos are also injury doubts for the home team.

Jude Bellingham is still sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning he will miss Tuesday’s match for Real Madrid who will also be missing Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo through suspension.

Mbappé didn’t feature against Real Sociedad on Saturday, but is reportedly in the frame to start against Benfica. Éder Militão is a long-term absentee.

Prediction

The January meeting between these two aside, too many draws have been a feature of Benfica’s season. At least when it comes to their domestic league, where despite being unbeaten, they are not in the title race. Here, we expect another score draw, meaning this tie will be decided back at the Bernabéu next week: Benfica 2-2 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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Barca face fellow Catalans Girona in bid to take back top spot

Barcelona face a trip to Girona on Monday evening as they look to return to the top of the LaLiga table.

By Ross Kilvington

Real Madrid moved to the summit after an impressive 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday evening, putting the pressure back on Barcelona.

Earlier this season, Hansi Flick’s side won the reverse fixture 2-1, although they had to rely on a 93^rd minute goal by Ronald Araújo to seal all three points.

Barcelona will want to put midweek humiliation behind them

In recent weeks, everything has appeared rosy for Barcelona. The club have emerged as favourites for the league title, while finishing fifth in the Champions League group stage.

Enter Atlético Madrid. In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final in midweek, Diego Simeone’s men dominated Barcelona at the Metropolitano.

A clinical first half display which featured goals from Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman, Julián Alvarez and an own goal from Eric García saw the home side lead 4-0 at the break.

No further goals were scored and Barcelona have a mountain to climb if they wish to defend the trophy they won last season.

The away side can find solace in their superb league form, however, winning their previous three matches, scoring nine and conceding just one goal.

Lamine Yamal has been on fire across those games, scoring in each one and it looks as though he is peaking at precisely the right time.

With 15 goals and 13 assists across all competitions this season, the teenager could be pivotal over the next few months.

Can Girona spring a surprise?

Girona currently occupy 15^th place in the league table, just two points above the relegation zone, but they will be looking to take advantage of a shellshocked Barcelona.

The away side could start with a hangover from their midweek defeat in the Copa del Rey, something which Girona could take full advantage of.

Girona haven’t defeated Barcelona since December 2023 and this was only their second ever victory over them.

Their hopes will be pinned on striker Vladyslav Vanat, who has scored eight goals for Girona this season.

They will have to improve on their home form to stand any chance of getting a result, having won just three of their 11 league games in Girona.

Team news

Barcelona loanee Marc-André ter Stegen, Portu, Juan Carlos, Donny van de Beek, Àlex Moreno and Ricard Artero are all absent for Girona this evening.

Azzedine Ounahi faces a late fitness test to see whether he will be ready to feature.

For Barcelona, Andreas Christensen, Gavi and Pedri are unavailable. Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford and Raphinha are major doubts, which means Flick will have some rejigging to do ahead of this match.

Prediction

The 4-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid was certainly a shock, but this clash against Girona represents the ideal chance for Barcelona to bounce back to winning ways.

Girona will make it tricky, but the away side have so much firepower within their ranks: Girona 1-3 Barcelona.

(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 host League One Wigan in the FA Cup

The FA Cup fourth round gives Arsenal the chance to take their mind off the pressure of the Premier League title race.

By Graham Ruthven

A welcome distraction

There’s no denying Arsenal have bigger things to worry about right now than the FA Cup. Indeed, this season’s Premier League title race is giving Mikel Arteta and his players enough to think about.

This is certainly true after Thursday’s 1-1 draw away to Brentford. What might have been a nine-point lead for the Gunners only a week ago has now been whittled down to a four-point advantage. The title race is far from over.

FA Cup fourth round weekend could be a welcome distraction for a team that might benefit from a favourable tie against a struggling League One opponent to loosen them up.

Wigan Athletic arrive at the Emirates Stadium on the back of four straight defeats. They sacked manager Ryan Lowe only a few days ago, placing Glenn Whelan and Graham Barrow in interim charge for this weekend’s match.

It’s difficult to envisage anything other than a comfortable home win on Sunday, but the fabled magic of the cup can never be fully discounted.

Key players

Arteta is almost certain to rotate his squad for this match after a testing run of games in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup.

Gabriel Jesus could be in line to start as Arsenal’s centre forward having been on the bench for three of the Gunners’ last four matches. Gabriel Martinelli is another Brazilian who could possibly come into the starting lineup.

*Martinelli scored a hattrick in the last round*

Myles Lewis-Skelly is another fringe player who could receive significant minutes to boost his chances of earning a place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Kepa Arrizabalaga started Arsenal’s FA Cup third round win over Portsmouth and is a solid bet to start this match in the next round, especially after playing in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

Callum Wright is Wigan’s top scorer this season and is expected to start in a position behind the Latics’ centre forward. Christian Saydee is likely to be that centre forward even with his record of just two goals in 27 league games.

Realistically, Sam Tickle will need to be in top form to keep Arsenal at bay. Considering the 23-year-old goalkeeper has conceded eight goals in his last two outings, that will be easier said than done.

Team news

Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino will miss the match against Wigan, leaving Arteta short of options in attacking midfield. Otherwise, Max Dowman is the only other senior squad member currently unavailable for the Premier League leaders.

Martin Ødegaard, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka have all recently carried knocks, but featured against Brentford on Thursday. Arteta will be able to use the trio in the FA Cup fourth round.

While Wigan’s league form is cause for concern, Whelan and Barrow have a fully fit and available squad to choose from for the trip to North London this weekend.

Prediction

The gulf in class should be pretty evident, even accounting for some heavy rotation in the home team’s line-up at the Emirates: Arsenal 3-0 Wigan.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Real Madrid meet Matarazzo’s in form Real Sociedad

Perhaps LaLiga’s two most in-form clubs meet at Estadio Bernabéu on Saturday

By Filip Mishov

Los Blancos keen to put pressure on and leapfrog Barça at the top the table

Real Madrid’s flawless form in LaLiga continues to put pressure on the leaders, Barcelona, as Kylian Mbappé & co. came off victorious from the tricky trip to Mestalla to extend their seven-match winning streak, which stretches back to December last year. Furthermore, the Whites have conceded just 18 goals, or the joint-least in Spain’s top tier, with no goalkeeper keeping more clean sheets (11) than Thibaut Courtois, and also, only the reigning champions, Barça (63), have scored more goals (49) this campaign.

With the in-form Real Sociedad coming to Estadio Bernabéu next, a difficult challenge awaits Álvaro Arbeloa‘s squad to strengthen the third-best home record in the league.

La Real are riding high on a wave of confidence, as the Basque club is on a seven-match (4W, 3D) unbeaten run in LaLiga and on an incredible 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions as well, which includes a draw against Atletico Madrid, a surprising win over Barcelona and, most recently, a victory in the Basque derby. To put it into context, since Pellegrino Matarazzo took over the helm back at the start of this calendar year, Real Sociedad have climbed up to 8th place in the standings and are on the verge of reaching the Copa del Rey final.

However, the White and Blues’ recent record at the Bernabéu is relatively poor, as Real Sociedad’s last win in Madrid dates back to 2020, but they have recorded three defeats and three draws since then, which is ultimately better than most!

Key Players

The free-firing Frenchman up front might be stealing the headlines, but Álvaro Carreras deserves plaudits for his impressive performances this season too, as the uncapped Spaniard opened the scoring at Valencia last weekend, earning him a FotMob rating of 8.5 and thus, the Player of the Match award. Also, the attacking-minded left-back is ranking high (over 95% in each category) in goals scored (2), successful passes (1.114), touches (1.687) and recoveries (119) among the other full-backs in the league, which makes him the highest-rated (7.51) defender in LaLiga.

Regardless of who is at the helm in San Sebastián, Mikel Oyarzabal is the undisputed protagonist and the Spanish international is La Real’s top scorer (9 goals) and joint-top assist maker (3) in LaLiga, while the versatile forward is also leading the ranks in terms of chances created (30) and possession won (0.9) in the final 3rd per 90, making him the best and most important player in the squad.

Team news

With Trent Alexander-Arnold coming off the bench against Valencia, Éder Militao, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo remain the only absentees in Arbeloa’s squad, with Vinícius Júnior also set to return to the starting XI after serving a one-match suspension.

For Real Sociedad, Brais Méndez will serve his second match of his two-match suspension in Madrid, while Luka Sucic, Arsen Zakharyan, Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea are injured.

Prediction

Even though Real Madrid’s performances are not really eye-catching, securing wins and collecting points is all that matters in a title race, and with Real Sociedad playing a midweek Basque derby in the Copa del Rey and Álvaro Arbeloa enjoying a full week to prepare for the match, I expect the hosts to celebrate a narrow victory in Madrid.

(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.

Feb

2026

Preview: Man City meet neighbours Salford for FA Cup rematch

There are some worrying warning signs for League Two Salford City, ahead their short journey of their FA Cup Fourth Round trip to Manchester City.

By Ian King

Manchester City are cranking back into gear, while Salford have wobbled in League Two

Manchester City may be slipping back into gear. Three wins in their last four matches have reignited the Premier League title race, with the gap between themselves and Arsenal at the top of the table now cut to four points, while they’ve already booked a place at Wembley in the Carabao Cup and they remain in the Champions League, although they don’t find out who they play in the Round of Death play-off until the 27th February.

Salford City are having a wobble at the top of League Two ahead of their 5-mile journey south to the Etihad. A 1-0 defeat at Accrington Stanley last weekend bumped them down from third to sixth in the table; it was their second defeat in three League games, following a run which had seen them go unbeaten since the 22nd November.

They’ve already won three ties to get this far, having already beaten League One promotion-chasing Lincoln City on penalties in the First Round, another League One side, Leyton Orient, 4-0 in the Second Round, and Swindon Town in the Third.

There are few good omens ahead of this match for Salford City

Two key numbers stand out when considering this tie. Firstly, these two sides have only ever met once before, but this just happened to be in the Third Round of this competition last season, with Manchester City winning 8-0. And secondly, Manchester City have only played one game in this year’s FA Cup, but that was a 10-1 win against League One Exeter City. Neither of these offer a great deal of reason to be optimistic, from a Salford perspective.

This match could be an opportunity for Rayan Cherki to continue his recent goalscoring run

Manchester City’s starting XI for this match is difficult to predict, but we can probably expect an appearance from winger Rayan Cherki, at some point. Cherki has scored a couple relatively recently, against Spurs in the Premier League and Galatasaray in the Champions League. This match could be an opportunity for him to get some more on the board.

It’ll likely have to be all eyes on the Salford City goalkeeper Matty Young, for this match. 19-year-old Young joined Salford on a season-long loan in July 2024 from Sunderland, made 27 appearances for them last season, and has made the starting spot his own this season. He was also the goalkeeper on Salford’s visit here in January last year, so he’ll be hoping for an improvement on that particular night.

Expect sweeping changes from Manchester City

From a Manchester City perspective, it’s best to compare the team which started against Manchester City compared to the team that started their last Premier League match against Fulham, to get an idea of what we might expect, this time around:

Their team vs Exeter – Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Alleyne, Ake, Rodri, Reijnders, McAidoo, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland.

Their team vs Fulham – Donnarumma, Nunes, Ruben Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Haaland, Foden.

Only three of those who started against Exeter, started against Fulham (Rodri, Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland), and we can expect their team to look more like the former than the latter, although Haaland went off at half-time against Fulham with a “niggle”, and can’t be considered to have any greater than a 50-50 chance of featuring in this match at all. John Stones could return from injury.

Salford also have some injury issues. Winger Kelly Nmai has been out since December and will miss the rest of the season, while midfielder Ossama Ashley is out until at least the end of the month, while Ben Woodburn, Dan Chesters, and Josh Austerfield are also on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

There’s nothing to suggest that Salford won’t be on the receiving end of another shellacking

FA Cup shocks of this nature have come around before. In 2015, for example, Bradford City won 4-2 at Chelsea in this round of the competition, while in 2019, Newport County beat Leicester City.

But it’s rare, and the gulf is massive. Salford City’s annual wage budget is an estimated £180,000 less than Manchester City’s weekly wage budget, and there’s little to suggest that there’s going to be a surprise on this occasion.

Manchester City have made a habit of obliterating small fry who stand to get in their way, and Salford themselves were on the receiving end of this as recently as last season. And we’ve already had one truly generational shock this season, with Macclesfield knocking out Crystal Palace. Salford haven’t even been in great form themselves, over the last couple of weeks.

There are the scenes we all want to see, and the scenes that we are vastly more likely to see. Manchester City are starting to build a head of steam again and struggling to overcome a team three divisions below them would hardly be the winning mentality they need to lock into right now, if they’re to chip away at Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League.

They didn’t take Exeter lightly in the last round, and they may not take Salford lightly either. So where does this end up? 6-1? 8-0 (again)? 10-1 (again)? I’ll go for 7-1 to Manchester City. If there’s a sprinkling of cup magic to be found anywhere this weekend, it’s highly unlikely to be here.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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