Tag Futebol

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his Manchester United side are nearly back to full strength while opponents West Bromwich Albion will be without Grady Diangana for their visit to the Hawthorns.

Only Paul Pogba is missing from the original 25-man squad named by the Norwegian boss for their Premier League games – which means that Eric Bailly could be in contention for a start.

Bailly returned to first-team training last week after missing the past few games with a knock and could be back as Solskjaer’s side to try and close the gap on rivals Manchester City.

Solskjaer is expected to make changes for the trip to the Hawthorns, and with that in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up for today’s action.

United’s No.1 goalkeeper David de Gea should be given the gloves, though don’t rule out Dean Henderson retaining his place in goal after keeping a clean sheet in the midweek win over West Ham.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is virtually undroppable in the right-back position, but the same can’t be said for Alex Telles, who could be forced to make way for Luke Shaw, the 25-year-old who is understood to be in contention for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Bailly is the only other change at the back, coming in for Victor Lindelof to slot into place alongside club captain Harry Maguire.

As we mentioned earlier, Pogba misses out due to injury, so we’re backing Scott McTominay to come in for the Frenchman to resume his partnership with Fred in the midfield, having scored against West Ham in the FA Cup. Solskjaer most likely will recall Bruno Fernandes with Donny van de Beek dropping to the bench.

Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have been in fine form out wide and should start, while this could be another chance for Edinson Cavani to stake his claim and start in place of Anthony Martial.

AND in other news, Manchester United’s gamble on Jadon Sancho could pay off as Ed Woodward prepares £50m bid.

Glasgow Rangers have had a terrific start to the season under Steven Gerrard so far, as they sit top of the Scottish Premiership with a 16-point lead over their arch-rivals Celtic at Christmas.

However, their form has somewhat tailed off in recent weeks, as they have conceded This could be considered a bit disappointing after the promise they have shown since the start of the season.

But don’t let that spoil your Christmas dinner! Alfredo Morelos’ future may be in doubt, but with a healthy lead at the top of the table, Rangers fans will be hoping the board can bring in fresh talent to help them maintain their newfound momentum after victories over St Johnstone and Motherwell.

Rangers have been linked to a few famous faces as of late, arguably none more so than Jack Wilshere in recent months, but Ross Wilson is yet to back up any of the recent rumours with concrete interest.

Ibrox bosses will want to make any adjustments they can to give Gerrard a cutting edge in preparation for what will be a huge six months for the board and his future at the club.

While fans wait to see what goodies the transfer window will bring, we have created a quiz focusing on Rangers’ top 10 most expensive signings in a hark back to days gone by. Who will be able to steal the bragging rights? We bet you can’t get 10/10…

Leeds are one of several Premier League clubs to be linked with Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite recently but the Whites would be making a big mistake if they signed him.

It was reported in November by Spanish news publication Sport (via Sport Witness) that Leeds, along with West Ham and West Brom, are interested in signing the Danish international in the January transfer window.

However, it was reported earlier in December by ESPN that the striker is determined to stay at Barcelona to prove himself, which may come as a relief to some Leeds fans.

The Danish international was far from impressive in his last spell in England with Middlesbrough, where he will have worked with current Leeds director of football Victor Orta during his time with the Teesside club.

Braithwaite would make 40 appearances for ‘Boro, in which he contributed nine goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Whilst this isn’t the worst record, he was openly criticised by Tony Pulis for his attitude during his time at Middlesbrough, with the current Sheffield Wednesday boss saying:

“The biggest disappointment for me is he’s the highest-paid player I’ve ever worked with in the Championship.

“As a matter of fact, the last club I worked at, which was a Premier League club, he’d be in the top five earners at the club without a question of a doubt.

“Steve Gibson bent over backwards, backwards, to give that lad everything he wanted to bring him to this club.

“To show the disrespect he’s shown to this club by saying he’s not coming back, to Steve Gibson, who’s made him a multi-millionaire, let’s make no bones about it, the wages and what he’s earning are astonishing.

“For him to show Steve Gibson that disrespect, and the supporters and his fellow players, it’s just amazing.

“I’ve dealt with players all my life, some can make your hair curl – not mine. But for him to come out and say that, it just puts him up there as such an ungrateful person.

“For a person who said twice he didn’t want to go, he wanted to stay and help the club get promoted, then within 36 hours when he knew the club from Spain was in for him, then he wanted to go.” (per Gazette Live)

Although his form since leaving Middlesbrough has been fairly impressive, with his efforts with Leganes earning him a move to Barcelona earlier this year, Leeds would do well to avoid a character such as Braithwaite in their squad.

The 29-year-old has scored three goals for Barcelona so far this season but truthfully, most strikers in the world would manage those sorts of numbers when supported by the likes of Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, to name just a few.

[freshpress-quiz id=“562145″]

Therefore, when you consider the impressive form of Patrick Bamford so far this season, and Braithwaite’s previous form in England, it could definitely be argued that Leeds would be making a mistake if they signed the £6.75 million rated forward in January and it should be a relief that he is keen to stay with the Catalan side.

And, in other news… Leeds may already have the heir to Phillips’ throne in teenage prodigy wanted by PSG

Glasgow Rangers clinched all three points in a crunch Old Firm clash with Celtic to extend their lead in the Scottish Premiership title race.

An off the pace Rangers still managed to get the job done after Celtic skipper Callum McGregor’s own goal settled the contest.

The home side can consider themselves fortunate for a string of excellent saves from veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor to keep them in the game in the first half.

However, they still spent most of the contest at an empty Ibrox Stadium on the back foot. Steven Gerrard can count himself lucky the game was played behind closed doors, that’s for sure.

This was largely thanks to McGregor, who kept the scoreline goalless and pulled off quite a remarkable save shortly before the half-time break.

But Gerrard may have been left to face some awkward questions had the game gone in the other direction, as his decision to start Alfredo Morelos nearly horrendously backfired on the Ibrox boss.

Morelos, who reportedly earns around £33,000-per-week, offered very little upfront going forwards against Celtic, as he failed to match his usual boisterous energy with any meaningful passage of play on the ball.

Admittedly, the Colombian striker was the centre of attention after a ridiculous challenge from Nir Bitton, who was subsequently sent off after some debate, but that remained his only real moment of note – he has still never scored against Celtic, and it never really looked like he was going to break the curse, either.

It seems crazy to say for someone who only just recently broke Ally McCoist’s European goals record but Morelos urgently needs to improve his ability to score from inside the box, as his powers as a potent finisher have somewhat waned as of late. He couldn’t stop himself from getting embroiled in a bit of fisticuffs in the second half after Shane Duffy chopped down Ryan Kent to sum up his frustrations.

He’s scored just eight goals and supplied four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions, which simply isn’t good enough for a player of his standards.

As per SofaScore, he was given a miserable rating of 6.5/10 – the joint-lowest out of all of his teammates – as he lost possession 13 times, committed two fouls, and couldn’t complete a single dribble from two attempts. He also failed to win any of his aerial duels from four attempts, which is two fewer than Kemar Roofe, who was also far from his very best.

Gerrard will have no doubt wanted to see more from Morelos, which is why it’s a bit surprising he stayed on the pitch for as long as he did.

AND in other news, Forget McGregor: Rangers beast spared Gerrard’s blushes against Celtic…

For Neil Lennon, Celtic simply have to win on Sunday afternoon.

They are in dire straits at the moment, something we’ve not been able to say about the Hoops many times over the last decade.

Their 2-2 draw with Hibernian in the SPFL last weekend meant they went 11 points behind Rangers, before they were knocked out of the Europa League just a matter of days later.

For the second game in a row against Sparta Prague, Celtic tragically conceded four goals as their list of defensive woes grew larger and larger.

Therefore, a match against Ross County in the League Cup this weekend should be a good distraction.

They have won just three of their 15 league outings this term so it should be a more straightforward affair for the Bhoys. But how could they line-up? Here’s what we’re predicting.

For the clash with Ross County, we’re tipping Lennon to make as many as five changes to his XI.

We’ll start with the change in goal. Scott Bain was poor on Thursday night, being dubbed hopeless by Chris Sutton as he made two errors that led to a goal. As such, we think that Lennon may turn towards Greek stopper Vasilis Barkas.

Hatem Elhamed keeps his place at right-back but there are two other changes with Diego Laxalt and Christopher Jullien having their spots taken by Shane Duffy and Greg Taylor.

The former has been on the bench in recent weeks but this feels like a good time to reintroduce him to the side.

The biggest change we hope Lennon makes is in midfield. Scott Brown was at fault for one goal against Sparta Prague and had the fewest touches of any Celtic player. The Scot looks past his best and we think Tom Rogic will take his place with Oliver Ntcham dropping slightly further back.

Finally, we’re tipping Patryk Klimala to start ahead of both Odsonne Edouard and Albian Ajeti.

The Frenchman featured in midweek while the latter has now failed to score in his last eight outings so it’s time for Celtic to try something new.

Meanwhile, check out how Celtic can evoke memories of 2001…

Carlo Ancelotti has been dealt a nightmare by James Rodriguez, after the Everton midfielder endured “by far” the “worst match” of his international career as Colombia were humiliated 6-1 by Ecuador on Tuesday night.

Rodriguez featured for the full 90 minutes at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado to earn his 80th senior cap, but again failed to impress after lacking his usual magic in Friday’s defeat at home to Uruguay.

Yet his performance against Uruguay paled into insignificance compared to his efforts against Ecuador, with Colombian outlet El Tiempo describing the 29-year-old’s display as “by far” the poorest he has ever produced on the international stage, leading to questions over what the former Real Madrid maestro actually brought to the side.

“He had already come from not weighing in the match against Uruguay, but this may be his worst match with the Colombian National Team by far,” they claim. “He only appeared to collect the penalty that meant the partial 4-1.

“What is James’ problem? He does not adapt to the system, he does not weigh, he does not feel.”

El Tiempo thought so poorly of Rodriguez’s performance that he was only awarded a three out of 10 rating, despite ending a 12-game goal drought with his side’s late first-half penalty that offered Colombia hope of a second-half comeback.

Ancelotti would have been hopeful of seeing an individual comeback from Rodriguez after his torrid performance against Uruguay, with the £90,000-per-week midfielder entering the international break on the wrong foot after asking to be substituted in defeat to Manchester United.

“He was OK, he was tired,” the Italian said following the 3-1 loss, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “This week he did 80-minutes and he asked me to change it because he was tired but no physical problem.”

Rodriguez has been struggling for form in recent weeks following the testicular injury sustained in contact with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk during October’s Merseyside Derby, which ruled the two-time Champions League winner out of Everton’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle after passing a late fitness test to face Southampton.

He returned to the starting line-up against Manchester United, but again failed to register a goal or an assist to extend his run without scoring to three Premier League appearances and two without creating a goal, having struck thrice and assisted thrice in his first five outings.

Rodriguez finally scored again for Colombia in their brutal drubbing by Ecuador when he converted the 45th-minute penalty, while registering three key balls without creating a big chance, misplacing five of his seven crosses, eight of his 29 total passes and only attempting one dribble, per SofaScore.

While the talented 29-year-old beat his marker with his only dribble of the game, Rodriguez further lost four of his six ground duels and did not contend any aerial battles, lost possession 16 times, committed one foul and was dribbled past twice without offering any tackles, interceptions or clearances.

Ancelotti’s major concern will be to what extent playing 180-minutes in four days will have on Rodriguez, given his state when leaving Everton for international duty in south America, but also the level he was able to bring to the field once again.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti appears set for disappointment with a “great striker” overlooking Everton’s interest.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com o auxílio do Centro de Inteligência em Mercado, o Flamengo tentou novamente neste mês uma consulta com o meia Luis Montes, de 29 anos, atualmente no León, do México. Assim como no meio do ano passado, entretanto, a diretoria rubro-negra achou elevado o valor para que a negociação fosse adiante, apesar de ainda não tê-lo descartado. O site Transfermarkt avalia o atleta em três milhões de euros (aproximadamente R$ 12,2 milhões).

Mesmo ainda sem o resultado da eleição presidencial para o triênio 2016-2018 – que está acontecendo nesta segunda-feira, na Gávea -, a diretoria do Flamengo está no mercado de transferência para deixar adiantados os nomes que interessam para a próxima temporada. Poucos, porém, estão em estágio avançado, a exemplo do zagueiro Juan e do lateral-esquerdo Chiquinho, mas concretizações dependem de quem vencer o pleito.

O elenco do Flamengo já está de férias, ainda também sem saber quais jogadores integrarão a barca, não mais se reapresentando no Ninho do Urubu no início de janeiro para a pré-temporada. Único nome confirmado fora é do lateral-esquerdo Pablo Armero, que não terá seu contrato renovado. Das renovações adiantadas, o Rubro-Negro tem nomes como o do volante Márcio Araújo e do atacante Emerson Sheik.

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Next on the agenda for Tottenham Hotspur appears to be a new striker, but Jose Mourinho has been dealt a bitter blow this week…

What’s the word?

According to Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard, Spurs’ transfer plans are being held up by a struggle to offload unwanted right-back Serge Aurier.

It’s thought that funds made through his sale would allow Mourinho to bolster his attacking department with a new forward but neither AC Milan or Bayer Leverkusen are willing to splash the cash on the Ivorian.

He goes on to claim that their attention has now turned to AFC Bournemouth striker Joshua King after being offered the relegated star.

Manchester United failed with a £20m bid for the 28-year-old during the January transfer window.

Versatile foil

A move for King makes a ton of sense for a multitude of reasons.

The Norway international reached double figures for goal involvements once again, even despite the Cherries being relegated to the Championship and prior to this campaign, he bagged at least eight goals in each of the previous three seasons – a best of 16 in 2016/17.

Having come through the system at United, King qualifies as a homegrown talent, which is another benefit to Mourinho.

It’s also no surprise to see the Portuguese boss being a big fan after the 28-year-old gave his Red Devils the runaround in 2017 – not only did King net from the spot, but he also recorded three dribbles, won nine duels and made 7 clearances all whilst playing as a number ten, via SofaScore.

That versatility could prove crucial throughout the season with Spurs having to qualify for the Europa League early doors. He can play out wide or through the middle, so not only will he be a backup to Harry Kane but also a potential partner and extra cover for the likes of Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn.

Eddie Howe believes King is “unique” and has also hailed him as a “complete package” in the past due to him being “outstanding physically, technically and mentally.”

Daniel Levy should do everything in his power to secure Spurs the prolific goalscorer this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs target a must for Mourinho after HUGE transfer update…

According to Express, Arsenal have started the talks with Kia Joorabchian, Philippe Coutinho’s agent, in hopes of potentially sealing that deal in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Barcelona man is now once again on the market after spending a season on loan at Bayern Munich.

Of course, he will first aim to finish the Champions League campaign with the Bavarian giants and will then start thinking about a potential transfer away from the Catalans.

However, there are other teams also willing to sink their teeth into this deal and the Gunners just might face stern competition from the Premier League as the likes of Tottenham Hotspur were also previously linked, albeit to the major dissatisfaction of their fans.

Express also explain that Arsenal are not exactly sitting on heaps of money and Barcelona currently value their flopped playmaker at around £73m, which would, as it seems, be out of reach for the London team. But, in that case, Arsenal could potentially offer some of their own players in an attempt to lower the asking price.

Matteo Guendouzi, for instance, is a name that often pops out in those conversations. Mundo Deportivo, however, claim the Catalans are not interested in anything like that, preferring a loan with a big fee if a permanent transfer can’t be negotiated.

One positive for Arsenal would be the fact Joorabchian mentioned Coutinho is open to a return to the Premier League, as per Express’ report, and this could indeed throw a lifeline to the Gunners.

Verdict

Even though he’s had a couple of rough spells ever since his big-money transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona, Coutinho is still quite an impactful player on his day. Landing him could seriously boost Mikel Arteta’s squad.

However, as is the case with most big-name players on today’s market, the Brazilian would come with a hefty price tag above his head. But the report mentions the Catalans would be open for a loan deal as well and maybe this is an avenue the Gunners could potentially explore.

Arteta has slowly but surely been improving the team and maybe they already have what it takes to attract Coutinho back to the Premier League.

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Nuno Santo wants additions this summer but their latest reported move could be a sign of things to come…

What’s the word?

According to Birmingham Live, Wolves’ interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha is thought to be genuine – and some will know him well from their clash with SC Braga in the Europa League earlier this season, where he has been on loan for two years.

It comes two weeks after Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness) claimed the 25-year-old has already chosen his destination with that thought to be the Midlands side.

They also suggest that just €10m (£9m) will be enough for Sporting to consider a sale.

Neves successor?

Nuno Santo’s midfield is a pretty competitive minefield with the usual choices being a combination of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker whilst Morgan Gibbs-White, Bruno Jordao and Romain Saiss are other options in the role.

Therefore, adding another man in the middle could mean that another is edged towards the exit door – or at the very least, more competition.

Palhinha is in a very similar mould to Neves, who regularly is courted with interest from the big dogs whenever the transfer window swings around – A Bola have claimed that the Sporting midfielder would only come in if his national compatriot leaves this summer.

The Portuguese League Cup winner is quite the tough-tackling enforcer having averaged 2.8 tackles, 2.2 fouls and 3.2 long balls per game, via WhoScored, both domestically and in the UEL.

At 6 foot 3, he’s also an imposing figure who can provide a threat at either end of the pitch, as seen by him winning an average of 3.4 aerial duels per appearance.

No player in Wolves’ squad has managed more tackles per game than the Lisbon colossus.

Whilst the only thing he’s lacking that Neves has is that thunderbolt strike and slight attacking edge but given the Portuguese powerhouse is available at such a cheap price, he’d be a most welcome addition at Molineux.

AND in other news, Star told to leave club amidst Liverpool and Man United interest…