Premier League
Lukaku starts, Chalobah keeps his place: Predicted Chelsea line-up (3-4-1-2) vs Arsenal
Chelsea travel to the Emirates Stadium for Sunday’s Premier League derby against Arsenal. The Blues made a terrific start to the new league campaign last weekend with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. They should fancy their prospects of securing successive wins as the Gunners could be without eight first-team players for different reasons. Their recent record against their London counterparts is not great, with just one win in five league outings. They will be aiming to make amends tomorrow. Formation: 3-4-1-2 Predicted Line-up: Edouard Mendy has been the Blues’ first-choice goalkeeper in the league since he arrived from Rennes last summer. He is expected to start ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Trevoh Chalobah has made himself difficult to be dropped on the b...
‘Incredibly satisfied’: Pep Guardiola heaps praise on £90,000-a-week star after Norwich City rout
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailed the performance of Gabriel Jesus following the club’s 5-0 win over Norwich City in the Premier League. The Cityzens bounced back from successive defeats with a convincing performance against the Canaries. Jesus was adjudged the man of the match. The Brazilian started from the right-wing instead of his regular centre forward position. He was at the top of his game throughout the 90 minutes. Jesus cross led to the own goal scored by Tim Krul in the seventh minute. He went on to add two more assists for Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling. It was one of his best performances for the club in a long while, and Guardiola was immensely pleased with the forward’s goal contributions. He told Mancity.com: “He’s a player who likes to be in more of a wider th...
Southampton agree deal for 24-year-old Brazilian star, medical planned this weekend – report
Southampton have reached an agreement with Torino to sign centre-back Lyanco, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reports. The Saints recently sanctioned the sale of Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester City, and they have now secured Lyanco as his replacement. They will pay €7.5 million up front for the Brazilian. He is likely to undergo his medical this weekend before signing a four-year deal. Sportslens view: The Saints have focused on quality young players and have already signed Adam Armstrong, Romain Perraud, Tino Livramento and Armando Broja (on loan). Theo Walcott is the only one signed this summer aged above 24. Their policy has continued with the purchase of Lyanco, who played 25 games for Torino last term. The Saints have been known for their quality recruitment over the years with th...
Leeds handed major selection boost, Leicester star recovers from injury
The second round of fixtures in the Premier League features some intriguing matches across the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the games. The action is already underway, with Liverpool defeating Burnley 2-0 at Anfield – Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane got the goals. Manchester City romped to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City – Tim Krul (OG), Jack Grealish, Aymeric Laporte, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez were on the scoresheet. Danny Ings and Anwar El-Ghazi were on target as Aston Villa ran out 2-0 winners at home to Newcastle United. Crystal Palace fought out a goalless draw with Brentford, while Leeds United drew 2-2 with Everton. Title hopefuls Man United and Chelsea are on the road on Sunday as they bid t...
Blow for Tottenham as report claims they can’t afford brilliant 26-year-old
Tottenham cannot afford the asking price for Sporting ace Joao Palhinha this summer according to a report from O Jogo (print edition August 20th, page 12). Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo is clearly keen to bolster his central midfield ranks this summer. And the addition of another defensive midfielder to compete with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg could be crucial to Tottenham’s hopes of achieving success this season. The North London outfit have been heavily linked with a move to sign Palhinha over the past few weeks (Record). There is some bad news on the horizon for Spurs, however. Tottenham target Palhinha in action for Portugal – PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxJPN 0121222836st Tottenham can’t afford Palhinha O Jogo claims that Daniel Levy will not stretch to Sporting’s £35 million valuation of the Po...
Pep Guardiola provides fresh fitness update on five Manchester City stars
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has provided a fitness update on five players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Norwich City. The Cityzens have started their season in a poor fashion with a Community Shield defeat to Leicester City followed by a Premier League loss at Tottenham Hotspur. They had the vast share of possession in both of those matches, but the lack of cutting edge in the final third cost them successive 1-0 defeats. Ahead of Saturday’s afternoon kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola has provided a mixed update regarding the fitness of five players. Kevin De Bruyne was a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad against Spurs despite being initially ruled out with an ankle injury. He played just a 10-minute cameo against Spurs off the bench. He is now deem...
‘Getting fitter and fitter’: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms double Manchester United fitness boost
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided an update on his players ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Southampton. The Red Devils started their league campaign in stunning fashion with a thumping 5-1 win over Leeds United in front of their supporters. They are scheduled to face the Saints in their next encounter. United have had plenty of joy playing against the south coast outfit in recent seasons. The Saints were on the wrong end of an embarrassing 9-0 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this year, and they face another tough test this weekend. Speaking in a press conference today, Solskjaer confirmed that Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane are available but refused to confirm whether they will make the trip. He said: “With regard to team news, that’s a boost as well. Edi...
Pep Guardiola to make five changes, Predicted Manchester City line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Norwich City
Manchester City will be eyeing their first victory of the new season when they entertain Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Cityzens recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to Leicester City in the Community Shield and lost by the same scoreline in the Premier League opener at Tottenham Hotspur. They will be keen to make amends against the Canaries. The English champions could be missing a couple of key players, but they are still fancied to win comfortably. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: Ederson had a mixed performance against Spurs last week, where he needed a goal-line clearance from Ilkay Gundogan. The Brazil international is expected to start between the sticks and will be aiming for a clean sheet this time around. There could be multiple changes to the defenc...
‘Not looking great’: Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Southampton vs Manchester United
BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson has stated his prediction for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary’s. The Saints had a good opening half against Everton in the season opener as debutant Adam Armstrong found the back of the net at Goodison Park. However, they capitulated after the interval. The Toffees ended up comfortable 3-0 victors. On the contrary, United secured a convincing 5-1 triumph over Leeds United at Old Trafford, with Paul Pogba matching a unique record with four assists. The Red Devils did the double over the Saints last season, which included a stunning 9-0 win at home. The Saints finished the game with nine men. Lawrenson does not anticipate a similar scoreline, but he has no doubts that the visitors will come on top with a 2-...
Leeds have great chance to sign ‘unplayable’ attacker for bargain 8-figure fee – opinion
Leeds United could secure themselves a real steal by signing Rangers attacker Ryan Kent for just £20 million this summer. The Whites allegedly want to sign the Gers winger (GiveMeSport). The 24-year-old has a release clause of £20 million inserted into his contract, according to The Athletic. While that seems a lot of money to pay for a player from the Scottish Premiership, it actually would be great value for Leeds. Marcelo Bielsa could do with adding more variety to his attacking options, and the former Liverpool man could be just the man for the job. Ryan Kent celebrates after scoring for Rangers Ryan Kent could be a superb signing for Leeds The lively wide-man has been a key player for Rangers boss Steven Gerrard at Ibrox over the past few years. He racked up 13 goals and 15 assis...
Mikel Arteta provides fresh Arsenal team news plus update on transfer plans
In a press conference ahead of the Chelsea game, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided an update on player availability and the club’s transfer plans. The Gunners recently confirmed that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Runarsson and Willian missed the season opener due to COVID-19. Out of those, Aubameyang and Willian have tested negative, but Arteta acknowledged that he has no idea whether they will be able to train in the lead-up to the derby. He said: “It’s still very uncertain. I cannot give you any answer today because I don’t know if they are going to be able to train in a few hours – if they can compete at the weekend, I don’t know.” Meanwhile, Saka was only a second-half substitute in the curtain-raiser at Brentford. Arteta hinted that he could be fit enough to...
Thomas Tuchel confirms double Chelsea injury boost but Christian Pulisic ruled out
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a fitness update on three players ahead of the Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues were without N’Golo Kante (muscle injury) and Hakim Ziyech (dislocated shoulder) for the season opener against Crystal Palace. It was confirmed that the setbacks were only minor. Ziyech did not require surgery for the shoulder concern. The pair have now returned to training. In his press conference, Tuchel confirmed that the duo will have intense physical sessions tomorrow, but there are positive signs that they could be involved on Sunday. He told football.london: “Hakim and N’Golo both trained yesterday, so we need to have a more physically intense session tomorrow and decide tomorrow. “Right now, it seems very positive that both can be in th...
