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‘He cares’, ‘Excellent’: Some Newcastle United fans praise 27-year-old after Aston Villa draw
A selection of Newcastle United fans heaped praise on Jamaal Lascelles following his stoppage time equaliser against Aston Villa in the Premier League. The Magpies looked on course to register a goalless draw last night before the game became alive in the last five minutes when the Villans broke the deadlock. Ollie Watkins’ header was unfortunately deflected into the back of the net off the post by Ciaran Clark, who had a solid game until then. Martin Dubravka thereafter came up with a couple of crucial saves in stoppage time for the Magpies before Lascelles salvaged a point. Lascelles netted the equaliser with a powerful header from a Jacob Murphy cross with seconds left on the clock. This pleased a number of the club’s faithful and here are few reactions on Twitter. Lascelles! My captain...
Havertz and Mount start, Predicted Chelsea line-up (3-4-2-1) vs Leeds United
Chelsea make the trip to Elland Road for today’s early Premier League kick-off against Leeds United. The Blues are unbeaten since Thomas Tuchel was appointed manager in January, and they have won six of their last nine league games. The run sees them lying fourth in the standings with 50 points, two ahead of West Ham United, who have a game in hand. They beat Leeds 3-1 in the reverse fixture and are aiming to do the league double over them for the first time since 1936/37. Formation: 3-4-2-1 Predicted Line-up: Edouard Mendy has been the preferred choice between the sticks for the Blues, and he has missed just one league game since October. He is a couple of clean sheets behind Manchester City’s Ederson (15) in the pursuit of the Golden Glove award. There could be a solitary change at the h...
West Ham join Newcastle in race to sign 24-year-old striker with 20 goal contributions
West Ham United have joined Newcastle United in the race to sign Slavia Prague striker Jan Kuchta, Football Insider reports. The 24-year-old rejoined the Czech champions from Slovan Liberec last summer and has impressed with 13 goals and seven assists from 25 appearances. His form has grabbed the attention of many Premier League sides including the Magpies and Southampton, but the Hammers are considered as front-runners to sign him. David Moyes’ side were recently keeping tabs on his performance during the 1-1 draw against Rangers in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. Sportslens view: The Hammers have been pretty smart with their signings under Moyes, who has emphasised that he won’t spend just to please people. They have had a good association with Slavia, having brought in t...
Predicted Leeds starting XI vs Chelsea: Bielsa to make two changes; 24-year-old returns
Leeds will face Chelsea in the Premier League clash at Elland Road on Saturday. Ahead of the match, Bielsa delivered some positive injury news in his pre-match press conference. Summer signing Robin Koch has returned to training and it won’t be long before he gets back in the starting line-up. Gaetano Berardi is back amongst matchday squads, while Jamie Shackleton has been cleared to feature. Only Pascal Struijk and Pablo Hernandez are absent from this game. The Whites are going through a poor run of form having managed just one win in their last five games, losing the other four. However, if you observe carefully, the results do not give the proper picture. Leeds were dominant in most of their games but they weren’t just clinical enough. The defence looks pretty settled at the moment, wit...
Defender still sidelined for Manchester City, playmaker out for Fulham
The stakes are high for relegation-threatened Fulham as they entertain Premier League pacesetters Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Saturday. The hosts are chasing their first top-flight home win against this opposition in the 21st century, having lost seven of their 13 encounters this millennium (D6). Fulham’s Premier League status is hanging in the balance, as they currently sit in the drop zone but level on points with 17th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion. Meanwhile, the Cityzens will be looking to extend their winning run against the Cottagers to 11 matches in all competitions and move a step closer towards lifting the Premier League title. Fulham Preview Low scoring has been a common theme in Fulham’s recent Premier League fixtures, as all of the last eight have featured under 2....
Real Madrid trio ruled out of must-win game against Elche
Real Madrid play host to newly-promoted Elche at the Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium in a must-win La Liga showdown on Saturday. Though unbeaten in each of their five top-flight meetings with Elche this millennium (W4, D1), Real could only manage a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in December. The hosts have never lost a home La Liga game against the Alicante minnows, winning 18 of their 21 such meetings while drawing the other three. Real Madrid Preview Zinedine Zidane’s men head into this encounter as overwhelming favourites to claim all three points, having won both of their previous top-flight H2Hs as hosts by an aggregate score of 8-1. If Los Blancos do win here, it may well be a convincing success, as each of their previous seven home league victories yielded a winning margin of over ...
Harry Kane “committed to leaving” Tottenham amid Man City interest
Harry Kane has apparently made his mind up over his future and wants to leave Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, according to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness). Kane made his breakthrough at Tottenham in the 2014/15 season after several loan spells, finishing as runner up in the Golden Boot race and winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Since then, he has developed into one of the world’s very best forwards, scoring 214 goals in all competitions for Spurs, plus 32 for the England national team. Kane celebrates one of his 26 goals this season This season, Kane has been magnificent once again, netting 26 goals in 37 appearances while showcasing his exceptional all-round game with 16 assists. However, the 27-year-old is yet to win a trophy in his career. Many believe that he is...
‘Unbelievable’: Everton man comments on possible Chris Wilder sacking
Carlo Ancelotti has shared his reaction to reports that Chris Wilder will step down from his post as Sheffield United manager. According to reports from BBC Sport, Wilder is set to leave his role on Friday. The Blades are currently bottom of the Premier League and are likely to get relegated with 10 games left to play. After almost five years in charge and taking the club to the Premier League from League One during that time, Wilder’s time at the club appears to be over. This is what Ancelotti has said today about his possible sacking: “When I arrived last season, Sheffield United was above us. They were fighting for Europe, and it was unbelievable for a team that came from the Second Division. “I think the job he has done was fantastic, but today he will be the club of the managers...
‘I regret’: Leeds man delivers verdict on 28-year-old Rangers player
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has showered praise on Rangers striker Kemar Roofe. The former Leeds striker picked up the Scottish Premiership title with the Gers this season, and Bielsa has nothing but good words to say about him. The Argentine boss has claimed that he follows his former players including Roofe, adding he regrets that the striker couldn’t play the last few games through injury. Bielsa said (via Leeds Live): “I follow how each player that has passed through here is doing. I’m very happy that Roofe is able to win the Premier League in Scotland. I regret that he was not able to participate in the last few games due to a muscular problem.” Roofe scored 16 goals in the Championship under Bielsa. He was the club’s first-choice striker under him and was simply superb in t...
PSG “immensely optimistic” of Lionel Messi signing
Paris Saint-Germain are growing increasingly confident of signing Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, according to Brazilian journalist Marcelo Bechler. The Argentine was at the heart of the biggest transfer saga of last summer following his shock transfer request away from the Camp Nou. However, after a long-running feud with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Messi stayed at the Catalan giants. Messi remained at Barcelona after last summer’s saga The election of Joan Laporta as Barcelona’s new president gave hope to the idea that the 33-year-old would stay beyond his current contract, which expires in the summer. The Spaniard promised to make keeping Messi one of his main priorities. However, it seems as if Laporta’s election may not be sufficient to keep the six-time Ballon d’Or winne...
Turning back the clock: The last time Manchester City lost to Fulham
Since Manchester City were taken over by Sheikh Mansour, one of football’s wealthiest owners, we are used to seeing them dominate the domestic scene with some of the world’s best players. Pep Guardiola’s side head to Craven Cottage this weekend as heavy favourites to beat Fulham, but ahead of the game we’re turning back time to April 2009, the last time the Citizens lost a game against the Cottagers. Fresh from defeat away at German side Hamburg in the first leg of their UEFA Cup (now Europa League) quarter-final tie, Mark Hughes’ City side returned to England to take on a resilient Fulham side managed by none other than Roy Hodgson. Towards the end of their first season under the Mansour regime, City’s star man Robinho was left on the bench. The team was plagued with injuries, so they lin...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provides fresh injury update on Manchester United trio
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided an injury update on three midfielders ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with West Ham United. The Red Devils were disappointing in midweek where they played out a 1-1 home draw against AC Milan in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. They will return to Premier League action on Sunday against the Hammers and, ahead of the game, Solskjaer delivered an injury update on three United players. Paul Pogba (thigh), Donny van de Beek (calf) and Juan Mata (knee) have been on the sidelines and Solskjaer has said that neither will return to face the Hammers. However, he was hopeful that at least one of them could be available for selection before the international break towards the end of the month. He told Manutd.com: “No ...
