Pre-Match thread, Leicester City vs Liverpool, 13/02/2021: KO: 12:30
Pre-Match thread, Leicester City vs Liverpool Premier league Venue: King Power Stadium Referee: Anthony Taylor. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn. Fourth official: Lee Mason. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes. Team News
There are minor question marks over the fitness of Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho after both missed Liverpool training earlier this week, while Georginio Wijnaldum was pictured training away from the rest of the squad.
As yet there is no further indication of injuries for any of the trio and so they will all be expected to start on Saturday, although there could be changes elsewhere - including a debut for deadline-day signing Ozan Kabak.
Liverpool have had almost a full week to prepare for this match and so Kabak should now be ready to feature, likely alongside Fabinho at centre-back, to release Jordan Henderson back into midfield.
The six-day break will have been welcomed for a squad Klopp acknowledged was looking weary, although it has not eased his injury issues much with Naby Keita, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all still sidelined.
Leicester have plenty of injury problems themselves too, with in-form full-back James Justin the latest player on the treatment table after suffering a knee injury in the FA Cup win over Brighton.
The full extent of the injury is yet to be confirmed, but Justin is expected to miss this match, leaving Christian Fuchs likely to fill in on the left with Timothy Castagne also among the absentees.
Ayoze Perez was also amongst the walking wounded against Brighton, picking up a shin injury, so he could join Wesley Fofana, Dennis Praet and Wes Morgan on the sidelines.
There was better news in midweek with the return of Wilfred Ndidi, though, while the likes of Kasper Schmeichel, Harvey Barnes, Jonny Evans and James Maddison should come back into the starting XI.
Third hosts fourth in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime when high-flying Leicester City welcome champions Liverpool to the King Power Stadium.
Three points separate the two sides in the table after 23 games, and the visitors arrive at the King Power looking to bounce back from successive league defeats for the first time under Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp had been warning for weeks that Liverpool's main fight this season is for a top-four spot rather than for the title, even before last Sunday's chastening 4-1 defeat at home to Manchester City.
While a couple of costly and uncharacteristic Alisson Becker errors gave the scoreline a slightly skewed look, the facts are increasingly grim for a Liverpool side already a whopping 24 points off the pace they set last season.
The Reds were 19 points clear at the top after 23 games of 2019-20 but now find themselves 10 points adrift of leaders Manchester City having played a game more, not to mention five points behind second-placed Manchester United and three off Saturday's hosts.
Liverpool's superior goal difference over Leicester means that victory this weekend would lift them back up to third, but anything less than that would open the door to Chelsea, who are now just a point behind following their resurgence under Thomas Tuchel, to leapfrog the champions into the top four.
Some may even consider Leicester as slight favourites for this match given that Liverpool have won just two of their last nine league outings, including back-to-back defeats for the first time under Klopp.
Current Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers was in charge the last time Liverpool lost three Premier League games in a row, in November 2014, but in a stark turnaround in form it is at home where most of those recent troubles have come.
Away from Anfield, Liverpool are looking to win three consecutive top-flight games for the first time in a year, winning three and losing one of their last five compared to three defeats and no wins from their last five home league games.
Even so, nine teams have still picked up more points than Liverpool on the road this season, although Leicester's home form has not been overly impressive either, with the Foxes faring much better on their travels.
Leicester have already lost more home games this season than they did throughout the whole of 2019-20, and another defeat on Saturday would see Rodgers suffer six home league defeats in a season for the first time in his managerial career.
Add to that the fact that former Liverpool managers have lost their last 12 Premier League reunions with the Reds stretching back to 2012, and that Leicester have lost 16 of their last 20 top-flight games against the reigning champions, and the omens perhaps look better for Liverpool than their recent form would suggest.
Indeed, the Foxes are currently enduring their worst-ever home losing run against Liverpool in the league - three straight defeats - and could suffer four in a row against a particular opponent for the first time since 2003.
Home and away Liverpool have won six of the last seven Premier League meetings, but Saturday's showdown looks poised to be the most evenly-matched contest between the two sides in some time.
Leicester have suffered a minor slump in recent weeks with only one win in their last four league games, but they have also only lost one of their last 10, while only Man City have won more games over the course of the entire season so far.
A goalless draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend edged the Foxes three points clear of their visitors on Saturday - a position Rodgers would have gleefully accepted had it been offered to him before the start of the season.
Even another Premier League title challenge is not yet out of the question for the 2015-16 champions, although the FA Cup may provide a more likely route to silverware after they secured their place in the quarter-finals with a last-gasp winner against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night.
Competition: Premier League Venue: Emirates Stadium Kickoff: Tuesday 7 July 2020. 20:15 Referee: Chris Kavanagh. Assistants: Daniel Cook, Sian Massey-Ellis. Fourth official: Darren England. Replacement official: Carl Fitch-Jackson. VAR: Stuart Attwell. Assistant VAR: Simon Beck.
Maddison, Chilwell and Perez are doubts. Pereira and Amartey out longer term.
Facts!
Our last 6 league matches (2017 onwards) have gone to the home team.
Leicester just broke a string of poor form since the restart (D-D-L-L) with a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
We have taken 16 points from a possible 18 at home in 2020, with only one draw (Sheffield in January) while Leicester are winless away from home in 2020 (5 matches)
Leading the race for the golden boot this season are Jamie Vardy (21 goals) and Auba (19 goals).
Run-in to end of season reminder
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Sunday 12 July 16:30
Arsenal v Liverpool - Wednesday 15th July 20:15
FA Cup semi final Arsenal v Manchester City - Saturday 18th July 19:45
04/07/20 - Premier League - Leicester City vs Crystal Palace - Match Thread
Leicester City vs Crystal Palace 3pm BST Kick off A Must Win Game! The match is being shown live by Sky Sports and is free to watch on Pick TV. Form Leicester WDDLL Crystal Palace - WWWLL
TEAM NEWS
Leicester midfielder James Maddison is doubtful after aggravating a hip complaint in midweek, but Ayoze Perez, Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho are all under consideration to start. Defenders Ricardo Pereira and Daniel Amartey are long-term absentees. Crystal Palace are boosted by the return of Christian Benteke after a two-match absence because of injury. Martin Kelly has stepped up his fitness but remains on the sidelines alongside James Tomkins and Jeffrey Schlupp.
Gameweek 8 Brighton vs Burnley 0-0 Brighton (Graham Potter) Happy with the performance and limiting the opposition's chances. Had enough chances to score, just did not take them. Danny Welbeck (5.5m FWD) was pleased with him, got in good positions, only had a few training days with the club so will get better in the future. Yves Bissouma (4.5m MID) had a good performance today, recovered the ball well and great defensively. Florin Andone (4.8m FWD) is expected back in the new year. Neal Maupay (6.5m FWD) worked well for the team, gave everything for the game, forming a good partnership with Danny Welbeck today considering it's the first time they’ve played alongside each other. Leandro Trossard (6.0m MID) is expecting back after the international break due to a training injury a few days before the game. Burnley (Sean Dyche) There is a need to create more chances despite the defence improving in the game. A lot of players coming back from injury gaining fitness. Dale Stephens (4.4m MID) had a small injury before the game which left him out, Gudmundsson was close to playing in the game but decided against it. Southampton vs Newcastle 2-0 Southampton (Ralph Hassenhuttl) Liked the way Theo Walcott (5.8m MID) and Che Adams (5.9m FWD) played upfront as a partnership. Che looks like he is getting better and better throughout the season. Newcastle (Steve Bruce) Ryan Fraser (6.0m MID) has a tear in his hamstring which left him out of the squad. Callum Wilson (6.5m FWD) had limited chances, we lost the ball in possession which meant they couldn’t get further up the pitch. Need to get him scanned, hoping his hamstring isn't too bad. Everton vs Man U Everton (Carlo Ancelotti) Was not a good performance defensively, gave them too many easy opportunities. With the ball we did well especially in the second half, not worried about the attack but the defence was concerning. Jordan Pickford (5.0m GK) did well nothing to do with the goals being conceded. Man U (OGS) Happy with how the team reacted despite conceding the first goal. Luke Shaw (4.9m DEF) and Marcus Rashford (9.5m MID) both had injury concerns after the game, Marcus with an hamstring issue which will be assessed. Bruno Fernandes (10.5m MID) had a great performance, lots of desire and a good reaction. Harry Maguire (5.5m DEF) had a good game considering he was against DCL, and didn't allow him to get ahead of him in the air. Crystal Palace vs Leeds 4-1 Crystal Palace (Roy Hodgson) Eze (6.0m MID) responded well to the expectations of him when coming to the club. Leeds (Marcelo Bielsa) Jamie Shackleton (4.8m MID) received a knock in training. Pablo Hernandez (5.8m MID) was not injured but not in the squad, didn't feel he was suitable for this game, ‘I picked the 18 players I thought were suitable for this game.’ Chelsea vs Sheffield United 4-1 Chelsea (Frank Lampard) Thiago Silva (5.5m DEF) has made a huge difference to the defence in recent weeks, has lots of experience at a world level. Hakim Ziyech (8.1m MID) gives us a difference in style coming off his left foot, importance in becoming a high impact player. Sheffield United (Chris Wilder) Aaron Ramsdale (4.8m GK) was at fault for the second goal but he’s a young keeper and the players in front of him aren't playing well, he’s made good saves so we’ll have to stick with him. Oli Burke (4.4m MID) has not featured due to a tactical decision, has done well in his games but the team needs something different at the moment due to loss of possession. West Ham vs Fulham 1-0 West Ham (David Moyes) Fulham (Scott Parker) Angry at Ademola Lookman (5.0m MID) young players make mistakes, his character will make him learn and understand. Mitrovic (5.7m FWD) is the designated penalty taker but he was struggling with a minor injury at the end of the game. West Brom vs Spurs 0-1 West Brom (Slaven Bilic) Disappointed with the result but we were there for the game. Branislav Ivanovic (4.5m DEF) found out he was out of the team on Tuesday and Wednesday so we had time to prepare without certain players. Spurs (Jose Mourinho) Brought on a different striker to give the opposition a different problem to solve which they could not. Looks like Hojbjerg (4.9m MID) will be going on international duty for the final game against Belgium. Leicester vs Wolves 1-0 Leicsters (Brendan Rodgers) Kasper Schmeichel (5.5m GK) has been playing really well, the defenders are getting a lot of the praise but he’s pulling out a lot of key saves. Wesley Fofana (5.0m DEF) is brilliant for a young player, comfortable on the ball. Will have to wait and see Castagne (5.7m DEF) coming back into the team for the Liverpool game after the international break. Puts the penalties his team gets due to getting the ball in the box a lot of the time. Ayoze Perez (6.1m MID) was included today as there is only an 18 player limit, not due to an injury. Wolves (NES) A lot of discussion about the handball rules and the penalty incidents in the game. Man City vs Liverpool 1-1 Man City (Pep Guardiola) Didn't expect Gabriel Jesus (9.3m FWD) to play the full 90 minutes, had a good contribution to the game and great finish. Joao Cancelo (5.4m DEF) has become very consistent in his performances recently. Liverpool (Jurgen Klopp) A lot of discussion on scheduling and the three substitution rules. Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.4m DEF) will be out for the England games and maybe some more players will be out during the break. Arsenal vs Aston Villa 0-3 Arsenal (Mikel Arteta) Performed below our standards, didn't have any passion within the team. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (11.7m MID) has been performing below, the team needs to create more chances for him to compete with the big teams. Thomas Partey (5.0m MID) was a precaution, will have a scan this week to see how bad the injury is, may not go on international break. Aston Villa (Dean Smith) Ross Barkley (6.0m MID) is forming a great partnership with Jack Grealish and must be catching the eye of Gareth Southgate. Ollie Watkins (6.1m FWD) has been performing at his best against the top teams which is a great sign. Has hit the ground running and is showing he can perform at this level.
Premier League Team Review - Episode 1: Leicester City.
Hi, as the title says, I would like to assess every football club in the Premier League, using a mixture of opinion and stat based analysis, as well as the eye test when watching them play, especially focusing on transfers that could/should be made. I begin with Leicester City. (Because when I started they were top of the table). Let's go! GK - Schmeichel, Ward, Jakupovic. Schmeichel is a good goalkeeper, good enough for the top 6, that's to say I wouldn't bat an eye if a top 6 side had him in goal. He is 33 and is making a few more mistakes than he used to though. Not a liability, but I could see him becoming one in 2-3 years. Ward and Jakupovic are not good enough for Leicester City. I think for now they are golden, but a backup with perceived high potential is where I would lean towards. Perhaps an u23 prospect from the academy. Otherwise Leicester should start looking for a rough diamond. Suggestions - Karol Niemczycki (21, Cracovia), Predrag Rajkovic (24, Stade De Reims) and Dominik Greif (23, Slovan Bratislava). RB - Pereira, Castagne, Justin. Absolutely stacked. Nothing else to say really, does Justin become LB full-time? Who knows. No-one is declining, all three are great players and competition in this position will be huge for years to come. RB and CAM are Leicester's biggest assets right now. CB - Soyuncu, Evans, Benkovic, Morgan. (Amartey, Ndidi) Good for now, in need of a refresher though, hold onto Soyuncu and give him a worthy partner who for GODS SAKE is left-footed. Evans is injury prone, Morgan is captain but his playing days are over with the way football is being played. Put a 27 year-old Wes Morgan into that Leicester team and he still wouldn't be able to keep up, so how does he do at 36? Not great. Soyuncu is a great CB, £19m was a bargain. I feel like Leicester should be looking at a starting LCB, my suggestions would be Jordan Torunarigha (23, Hertha Berlin), Moussa Niakhate (24, FSV Mainz 05) and Benoit Badiashile (19, AS Monaco). LB - Thomas, Fuchs. (Justin, Castagne) I see two solutions to this, either play out the season with Castagne/Justin as starting LB as they can both play on both sides, OR sign a new LB, reducing (Most likely) Justin to a backup role. So far he has looked amazing, the only thing I am worried about is James Justin being a confidence player, he's on a high, does he have lows? What happens to him if he does? Those are unknowns with young players that's why it's always a consistency risk. What if one difficult game where he scores an own goal or gives away a penalty completely destroys him? While it is difficult to know, and the system in place is already great, I'm not 100% on it yet. Luke Thomas is a decent backup, but I would still consider a starting LB. Not a must by any means though. My suggestions would be Alejandro Grimaldo (25, Benfica), Jose Gaya (25, Valencia) and Layvin Kurzawa (28, PSG). CDM - Ndidi, Choudhury, Mendy, Amartey I'm not here to talk about changing tactics, so Leicester play with one DM, one pivot. That pivot is ideally Ndidi, who in my eyes is a top 3 DM in the league (Kante, Allan, Fabinho are also in the conversation). Nampalys Mendy is a great backup, and Choudhury is also a good, young player who can be played further up if needed. Amartey sticks out though, I think he needs to be let go, possibly sold (Could maybe get 9-10m for him), or kept around for depth and cups, kind of as a safety net. Despite overcrowding, a very strong position for Leicester. CM - Tielemans, Praet, Silva, James (Choudhury, Maddison, Albrighton) Quite strong, Tielemans has buckets of talent, and Praet is a very direct player, which suits Leicester and the way they like to play. Adrien Silva and Matty James... While okay as backups, I feel like in a similar vein to Amartey, should be sold or kept as depth or for cup games. Marc Albrighton has lost half a yard of pace rather early, just one of those players who declined at 29 not 32. I feel like he has all the qualities to be a great CM for the next 3-4 years though, so that is what I would do, sell Adrien Silva and Matty James (Or keep them around for cup games/depth). I reckon the combined fees could bring in around 15m. I don't know if this aligns with a lot of other people, but I'm very much for supporting the squad with academy players, rather than keeping around players like Adrien Silva for depth. CAM - Maddison, (Tielemans, Iheanacho, Albrighton) Maddison is an amazing player, he can have off games, but most of the time he's quality. I have a plan for Kelechi Iheanacho, turning him away from 9 due to his poor finishing, and turning him into a 10 due to his impressive range of passing (he has also played as a CAM/False 9 for Nigeria before). This is a big strength of Leicester, I have nothing to add or subtract from this position. LW - Barnes, Gray (Perez, Under) I love Harvey Barnes, he has eclipsed Demarai Gray despite being given less time. I see two options here, either trust Demarai Gray to be in and around the squad, OR sign a relatively cheap, but good left-footed left winger, not to compete with Barnes, but to provide a different option, a more crossing option rather than cutting inside. It's going to be difficult to find a LW who is happy being a rotation option, or a super-sub, but I would suggest Theo Bongonda (24, Genk), Yakou Meite (24, Reading) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (19, Rubin Kazan). RW - Perez, Under, Ghezzal (Albrighton) This is a good position, Ayoze Perez hasn't really kicked on, he's not a star of this leicester side by any means. I was very surprised to see Rachid Ghezzal still on the books. I love the addition of Cengiz Under, he will definitely add a new dimension to leicester. I would love it if Under could be made permanent, Ghezzal was let go (I reckon 10-15m price tag) and Albrighton was turned into a CM/CAM. Ghezzal can also be kept for depth if no-one submits a good enough offer. ST - Vardy, Slimani (Iheanacho) I put Iheanacho in brackets because I feel like he is more suited as a CAM/False 9. Slimani is not good enough as a backup. If Jamie Vardy gets injured, Leicester lose a huge asset, and Iheanacho is not good enough in that role to replace him, neither is Islam Slimani. I would sell Slimani (10-12m price tag) or keep for depth/cup games as with all other sales. I would edge Iheanacho towards a deeper role, and promote a young and hungry number 9, either from the academy, or as a transfer. Tactically, I see Leicester playing the same way they have been under Brendan Rodgers, with a twist for if Vardy gets injured, with no Vardy I would play Iheanacho AND that new signing, with Iheanacho making overlapping runs or providing through balls. For a young and hungry number 9 I would suggest Eddie Salcedo (18, Inter), Martin Minchev (19, Sparta Prague) and Lenny Pintor (20, Olympique Lyon). OVERALL: I feel like Leicester currently have the 6th best squad in the Premier League, whether that means they finish 6th that is left to be seen. The small changes I am suggesting cover up for the holes in their squad currently, these improvements could see them challenging for the Champions League spots in my eyes. TL;DR - 5 Signings, 2 future, 3 now. NOW: Left-Footed CB, Starting LB and Left-Footed LW for depth/rotation. 2 future: GK and ST. Am I a fraud or do you agree with me? Should I do the other 19 clubs or give up because I'm useless? Let me know!
It's a Premier League TM Game. Of course it is! (Minus the fans now...)
Watford's Five Game League Form:
L D L #W L
Team News:
Where on Earth do we start? Under normal circumstance I wouldn't be typing this in what would normally be the Summer break, but Covid-19 happened and everything just stopped. After a few months of will it, won't it, can it, should we we've had the decision of yes we will proceed. As such, here we are. Coming into this, Deulofeu will not feature in this extended Season, still recovering from his ACL injury. Otherwise, we are expecting to see a clean bill of health across the whole unit. Just learnt Janmaat and Success will join Deulofeu on the sidelines for the Season. Success tore his achilles. ffs. Deeney has been mooted to start owing to his good fitness level even after his longer break owing to his concerns for his son's health and welfare with Covid-19. Other notable points in the build-up is Hughes coming off in the Brentford game with what appeared to be a knock to his foot (Likely precautionary than anything more sinister) and that Welbeck got minutes over Pereyra in the friendly vs Brentford and picked up an assist courtesy of an outstanding Capoue strike. (Brentford, by the by just picked up a Covid-19 positive player...) Otherwise, with the extra 2 subs expect to see more of our squad being utilised than usual as every team looks to try and shake off the rust. Leicester meanwhile come into this with an extra injury concern or two. The superb Ricardo Pereira picked up a Season ending injury in the form of knee ligament damage, whilst Daniel Amartey also suffered a Season ending injury as well. Ayoze Perez, Ryan Bennett are doubts for the game; should they feature expect them to be from the bench.
Vardy consistently has the measure of us (And most teams to be fair) and is able to out fox our keepers to giving away penalties with his pace and ball control, as well as his general finishing. I suspect Kabasele will be the main CB to track him given he's the only one we have to possess a modicum of pace himself, whilst Cathcart will be marshalling the back line. Honestly, I'm just happy Mariappa won't be starting after a well taken own goal v Brighton. However, Sarr has settled into the side and before the break was one of our leading players going forward with Deeney being Deeney; making a nuisance of himself whilst bringing others into play. Deulofeu's injury opens the door for Welbeck and Pereyra with the former looking more likely to start. 1-1; Vardy opening the scoring with a well taken 1-1 finish whilst Deeney prods home from the 6 yard box.
Please remember not to post any streams in the subreddit lest we anger the Admins
This is the place to moan and discuss about every single thing that happened in games and with your team. If your player didn't start or saw a red card, or you picked the wrong player, captain, or other, this is the place to share all your rants (and your score). With all info about the gameweek - lineups, bonus, and predicted averages, etc. If still undecided about captain, check our poll. Kane is currently leading the poll with 40%, followed by Salah (25%) and Aubameyang (8%). So it's in your hand if you want to follow the masses, or go for that differential! Also like last year we have:
Also, above in the dark tab titled "Leagues," you can find the codes for our official leagues, or check https://redd.it/965e90 if you want play other members' leagues. If you want to check our community team, we present you Kneejerk United! Good Luck!!!
This is the place to moan and discuss about every single thing that happened in games and with your team. If your player didn't start or saw a red card, or you picked the wrong player, captain, or other, this is the place to share all your rants (and your score). With all info about the gameweek - lineups, bonus, and predicted averages, etc. If still undecided about captain, check our poll. Aubameyang is currently leading the poll with 49%, followed by Kane (25%) and Salah (11%). So it's in your hand if you want to follow the masses, or go for that differential! Also like last year we have:
Also, above in the dark tab titled "Leagues," you can find the codes for our official leagues, or check https://redd.it/965e90 if you want play other members' leagues. If you want to check our community team, we present you Kneejerk United! Good Luck!!!
Match Info Competition: Premier League — 37th Matchday Venue: Newcastle Stadium Referee: Andre Marriner Time: Saturday, 19:45 BST / Convert to local time Worldwide TV List Form Guide Newcastle: D — W — W — L — L Liverpool: W — W —W — W —W Possible Line-Up Liverpool (4-3-3):
Ayoze Perez is expected to return after limping off against Brighton
(Florian) Lejeune is absent
Yedlin has a groin problem
Liverpool:
Oxlade Chamberlain is expected to start after making his comeback from injury
Naby Keita is confirmed to be out after suffering an injury during the Barcelona. He will be expected to return next season.
Firmino is expected to return after the muscle tear prevented him from starting in the Champions League loss against Barcelona
Stats
Newcastle United have only lost one of their last seven home Premier League games against Liverpool (0-6 in April 2013), winning four and drawing the other two.
Liverpool have won their last two Premier League games against Newcastle -they haven't won three in a row against them since a run of four between November 2007 and May 2009
Liverpool have lost 10 away Premier League games against Newcastle, only losing more against Man Utd (16), Chelsea (14) and Spurs (12).
Newcastle have won their last four home league matches in the month of May, scoring 13 goals and conceding just once.
Liverpool have won their last seven Premier League matches, scoring 20 goals and conceding five. The Reds are on the longest current unbeaten run in the EPL (15 games, W11, D4)
Newcastle's Ayoze Perez has scored in three consecutive Premier League games, netting five goals in total.
After a run of six EPL games without a goal, Liverpool's Mo Salah has scored four in his last four competitions.
Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson has provided 11 Assists in the Premier League. No defender has ever supplied more in a single campaign in the competition. The Scotsman has provided the most assists of any player not to score themselves in the season.
Referee: Martin Atkinson TV coverage:Sky Sports Newcastle team news: Matt Ritchie, Deandre Yedlin, Dwight Gayle and Florian Lejeune are unlikely to feature. New signings Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin, Andy Carroll and Emil Krafth could make their debuts, as well as loan signing Jetro Willems and youngster Matty Longstaff. Ayoze Perez, Salomon Rondon, Kenedy, Joselu and Mo Diame have left the club. Arsenal team news: Hector Bellerin, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kieran Tierney and Emile Rowe-Smith are ruled out, with Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe, Dani Ceballos, Mohamed Elneny and Rob Holding having doubts. Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe, Dani Ceballos and David Luiz could make their debuts. Denis Suarez, Petr Cech, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck, David Ospina, Laurent Koscienly, Karl Jenkinson and Alex Iwobi have left the club. Past Meetings: 2018/19 Premier LeagueArsenal 2-0 Newcastle Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal (Clark) 2017/18 Premier LeagueNewcastle 2-1 Arsenal (Perez, Ritchie) Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle 2015/16 Premier LeagueArsenal 1-0 Newcastle Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal 2014/15 Premier LeagueNewcastle 1-2 Arsenal (Sissoko) Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle (Perez) 2013/14 Premier LeagueArsenal 3-0 Newcastle Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal 2012/13 Premier LeagueNewcastle 0-1 Arsenal Arsenal 7-3 Newcastle (Ba 2, Marveaux)
With a gameweek longer than David Silva’s custard launcher, the unravelling of this week’s TWAT was one of slow, drawn-out insidiousness. On the pie chart of FPL manager demographics, I’d imagine that US-based mothers are a slither, rather than a wedge. It pleases me, therefore, to report that this week’s TWAT is somewhat of a rare find. Scoring just 28 points and dropping from 8k to 34k, Karen Fox’s RealMom snatches Gameweek 26’s TWAT title. I’d like to speak to the manager. I should start by acknowledging the elephant in the room: yes, her name really is Karen. It had to be. With a team name like RealMom, there was an unmistakable inevitability about the manager behind it being called Karen. But Making America Great Again she ain’t. Let’s look at her transfers. The staunch conservatism that I suspect Karen harbours in everyday life rears its head in her approach to transfers too. She’s yet to take a hit all season, and even refrained from using her first Wildcard earlier in the campaign. Unsurprisingly, given the complexion of her team, the second Wildcard remains holstered too. Her most recent transfer was to get rid of John Lundstram and bring in Diego Rico. There’s a logic to this: a rotation risk out, a guaranteed starter in. But in her haste to do away with Lundstram’s unreliability she has done away with a 6 point advantage that would’ve saved her from TWAThood. The recent expulsion of Danny Ings (for Teemu Pukki) was also drastically costly. And very odd. The problem with these transfers is amplified further by the players Karen has decided to keep in her team. Martin Kelly, Teemu Pukki, Jamie Vardy, Gabriel Jesus and Ayoze Perez all pose fires that may well have been extinguished prior to those posed by Lundstram and Ings. Her failure to prioritise properly is quintessentially TWAT-esque. What Karen lacks in task management, she compensates for in chips. Indeed, Karen has super-sized her side of fries, with the Wildcard, Triple Captain and Free Hit still to play (the bench-boost was deployed in Gameweek 16 to very little fanfare). Though she had only just dipped into the top 10k prior to Gameweek 26, her chips will give her faith that she can recoup some of those lost ranks. All she has to do is eat them. A manager with three underwhelming seasons under her belt, Karen finds herself in uncharted waters. Will she prosper in this new land or be sent back from whence she came? If it’s anything like the way she treats the immigrants in her town, I’m worried for her future prospects. That’s all for this week’s TWAT. Join me again next week where I’ll be looking at Gameweek 27’s TWAT and making more sweeping generalisations about entire nations. Until then, always remember: you may have had a bad Gameweek 26, but at least you’re not a TWAT.
What an insane season we’ve just had. There have been incredibly high highs, as well as horribly low lows, but we’ve made it through a fifth season in the premier league! With a sixth on the way, it is now time for months of mind numbing transfer speculation, and that’s what I’m here to provide to you! As always, please let me know if you want me to include anything new, or if I miss anything. Yours u/shoecat
I’m going to do my best to stick to good sources, but call me out if I post something from a shifty place and I’ll take it down or find it from a better source
May 13th and Prior
Player
Rumour
Source
Youri Tielemans
The Monaco loanee has completed his loan spell in Leicester, but after impressing, Rodgers is in to get him to sign, not without competition from the likes of United and Liverpool
After impressing on loan, the central defender is happy to stay for another season at Celtic, and Rodgers says that if the defender is to go on loan, Celtic would be the prefered destination
We are favourites to sign the Munich legend according to the bookies, but not currently in talks with the Holland man. What an insane world we live in.
United reportedly are in for Madders, and are claiming we set a £60 million price tag on him, but "the Foxes won't put price tags or valuations on players they are not looking to sell." Manchester City are also interested in the young midfielder, and are prepared to make a large bid on him
This is almost non-news but Maguire has clarified after liking a United fan's comment on instagram (that he would be a fan favourite,) that he didn't mean to like the comment
Leicester are set to sign the Arsenal U18 right back, I've seen a couple unofficial tweets that we have signed him but I'll make it official once the club does
The Sampdoria midfielder is not sold on a move to Leicester, saying that a bigger club that competes for trophies would better suit him. Leicester have had an €18 million bid rejected by the club, who value him at €25 million
I’ve decided to not do the Sky Bet odds because they’ve blocked out of country bets, and I am living in America and for the life of me can’t get past their block, so I can’t post these for the moment POSPAC is a legend and offering me weekly skybet updates on odds, so the table is back! All hail POSPAC
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United
Venue: Wembley Stadium Kickoff: 20:00 Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Teams
Spurs
Newcastle
1 Lloris
12 Dubravka
2 Trippier
22 Yedlin
6 Sánchez
6 Lascelles
5 Vertonghen
20 Lejeune
33 Davies
3 Dummett
12 Wanyama
10 Diamé
17 Sissoko
8 Shelvey
23 Eriksen
10 Ritchie
20 Dele
17 Pérez
7 Son
15 Kenedy
10 Kane
9 Gayle
Substitutes
Substitutes
3 Rose
7 Murphy
4 Alderweireld
14 Hayden
11 Lamela
19 Manquillo
13 Vorm
21 Joselu
18 Llorente
23 Merino
21 Foyth
25 Haidara
27 Lucas
26 Darlow
Team News
Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier is suffering from illness and will miss Wednesday's re-arranged game.
Jan Vertonghen is available despite coming off with an ankle problem in the defeat at West Brom but Mousa Dembele, Serge Aurier and Harry Winks are all sidelined by injuries.
Rafa Benitez could rotate his Newcastle side after the 2-1 defeat at Watford.
The Magpies will be without suspended forward Islam Slimani and injured pair Ciaran Clark and Christian Atsu.
Match Facts
Newcastle United have won three consecutive Premier League away matches against Spurs.
Tottenham's last home league win against Newcastle was at White Hart Lane in February 2013, with Gareth Bale scoring twice.
Spurs won 2-0 at St James' Park in August and could secure their first league double over Newcastle since the 2004-05 season.
Tottenham have lost two of their last four Premier League games, having only been beaten once in their previous 18 top-flight fixtures.
Spurs also failed to score for the first time in 24 Premier League matches in Saturday's defeat at West Brom.
They could go consecutive Premier League matches without scoring for the first time since May 2015.
However, Tottenham have won their last 17 Premier League home games against promoted sides since a 2-1 defeat by Norwich City in April 2012.
Harry Kane needs one goal to draw level with sixth-placed George Hunt (138) in Tottenham's all-time leading scorers list.
Newcastle have lost three successive league games for the first time since December.
They have also won just once in their past eight away matches in all competitions.
The Magpies have only won once in 50 Premier League away matches against sides starting the day in the top four (D8, L41).
Newcastle have also lost their last six matches at Wembley Stadium since a 3-1 victory over Manchester City in the 1955 FA Cup final. They last played at Wembley in April 2000, losing 2-1 to Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final.
Ayoze Perez has four goals in his last six Premier League appearances, as many as in his previous 48 top-flight matches.
Match Stats
Spurs
Stat
Newcastle
63%
Possession
37%
11
Shots
14
7
Shots on Target
3
6
Corners
4
10
Fouls
8
4
Offsides
1
2
Yellow cards
3
0
Red cards
0
Match Updates
0': Kick-off! 45': Half-time: Spurs 0 - 0 Newcastle 45': Kick-off! Second half begins 50': Goal! Spurs 1 - 0 Newcastle. Harry Kane right footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Son Heung-Min. Video from jelly_bear 57': Dele Alli is shown the yellow card. 71': Substitution, Newcastle. Jacob Murphy replaces Kenedy. 73': Matt Ritchie is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 76': Substitution, Newcastle. Joselu replaces Dwight Gayle. 77': Substitution, Tottenham. Erik Lamela replaces Son Heung-Min. 80': Mohamed Diamé is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 83': Substitution, Tottenham. Toby Alderweireld replaces Kieran Trippier because of an injury. 88': Substitution, Tottenham. Danny Rose replaces Victor Wanyama. 89': Erik Lamela is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 90'+2': DeAndre Yedlin is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. 90'+5': Full-time: Spurs 1 - 0 Newcastle
Spurs move into third and secure a top 4 finish and Champions League football.
[OC] From £40million to upstaged by a 40-year-old: The Curious Case of Joelinton
I've posted about my writing on here before and how I'm trying to get better at it so lemme know what you guys think, this probably won't be much new information for a lot of Newcastle fans but I worked hard on it and uncovered some pretty interesting stats so lemme know what you guys think
Eyebrows were raised when Newcastle United smashed their transfer record last summer and handed the iconic number nine shirt to a relatively unknown Brazilian described by manager Steve Bruce as ‘having all the attributes a top striker needs.’ But six months later, with just one goal to his name and even being outclassed by a 40-year-old third division journeyman, the pressure is on Joelinton to start scoring and save Newcastle’s season as well as his Premier League career. Much has been made about Newcastle’s struggles in front of goal this season, particularly after their 1-1 draw in the FA Cup to Rochdale where veteran striker Aaron Wilbraham came off the bench to pounce for the League One side, dispossessing Joelinton before providing the impact Steve Bruce’s side could only dream of receiving from their £40million signing. And, arguably the most worrying part of the 23-year-old’s 19th successive game without a goal is that nobody was really all that surprised. Joelinton has often proved an isolated and lonely figure up front since joining from Hoffenheim where he was regularly interchanging with his strike partners, either from out wide in a trio or up front in a duo. His playstyle in Germany saw him drop deep before running at the defence but at Newcastle he has been asked to lead the line, usually with his back to goal whilst holding the ball up for runners, something which has seen his dribbles per game drop from last season and his rate of aerial duels more than doubling – as well as his amount of turnovers. The change in role was largely down to Bruce’s adoption of previous manager Rafa Benitez’s tactics, with the Spaniard’s system bringing out the best in loanee target man Salomon Rondon and it was hoped that Joelinton could adapt his playstyle to replace the 11-goal striker. In fact, Benitez was offered the signing of Joelinton numerous times during the last six months of his tenure but he insisted that the Brazilian was worth closer to £20million instead of the £43million that Hoffenheim were demanding and that surplus could instead be used on other areas of the squad, particularly in the £16.5million permanent signing of the focal point of his attack in Rondon. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley revealed in a rare interview that he was ‘freaked out’ as to why Benitez was reluctant to sanction the club’s record signing – after all, Benitez had been haranguing the club to back him financially so why now would he not want a player who he believed didn’t fit the team and was vastly overpriced instead of his tried and tested first choice? A difficult concept for some to grasp, certainly. Having no faith in Ashley’s vision for the club, Benitez left for Chinese side Dalian Yifang upon the expiry of his contract whilst Bruce arrived at St James’ Park to find a 6’1 Brazilian waiting for him holding the number nine shirt before the ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss could even say ‘why aye man’. Despite managing to break the ice a quip about emulating Joelinton’s blonde-streaked hair through a combination of broken English and an interpreter, Bruce’s uncomfortable first interaction with his new signing was perhaps foreshadowing of the awkwardness Joelinton would face in transitioning from deep-lying support striker to a primary goalscorer. With Rondon joining Benitez in China and Ayoze Perez having signed for Leicester City earlier in the month, Newcastle had lost the source of 23 of their 42 goals last season and the pressure was on the Brazilian to fill the void left by the duo. A tough ask of a player who’s highest goalscoring output was eight goals in 33 games for SK Rapid Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga. And with more bookings than goal contributions in his 23 games for the club this season, it appears Benitez’s concerns had some merit. With just one goal in his 1692 minutes of football, Joelinton’s strike rate ranks amongst the worst in Premier League history. MLS star Jozy Altidore netted twice in 70 games for Sunderland and Hull giving him a goal every 1775 minutes, though Scottish striker Andy Gray’s solitary strike in 2717 minutes across 51 games remains the all-time record low. Of current strikers in the league, only Bournemouth’s £20million signing Dominic Solanke has a worse strike rate than Joelinton, having scored once in his 50 appearances for the Cherries and Liverpool in 1969 minutes. Though writing off Joelinton just a few months into a six-year contract seems premature, particularly given the youngster’s commitment in tough times in a new country, with his partner and two-year-old son having only moved to England just before Christmas. Furthermore, despite the lack of goals, the forward ranks in the top-20 in the league for chances created from open play and it is, ironically, due to poor finishing from Newcastle’s other forwards that Joelinton only has two assists. Football has proven time and time again to be a fickle game and it wasn’t long ago that similar questions were being asked of teammate Miguel Almiron before the Paraguayan netted his maiden goal against Crystal Palace in December at the 27th time of asking. Almiron followed that up with strikes against Rochdale and Wolverhampton Wanderers and finally appears to be showing the ability that convinced Newcastle to break their previous transfer record for him 12 months ago. And there is faith at St James’ Park that history can repeat itself with their new record signing. Bruce has repeatedly leapt to the defence of his striker, urging him to stay mentally strong instead of feeling sorry for himself and learn about the target man role from Toon big man Andy Carroll to channel the spirit of number nines of old such as Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Carroll himself. Though there is admittedly a disappointment from Bruce and the fans about Joelinton’s inability to do the basics and, unsurprisingly, Newcastle have been in the market for another forward this window, with RB Leipzig winger Ademola Lookman looking to complete a loan move to St James’ Park. Optimism remains though, particularly with mercurial winger Allan Saint-Maximin returning from injury soon and the Frenchman’s influence on the team cannot be understated – the Magpies have only collected five points from the ten games he has missed this season while six of their seven wins have come with the Frenchman on the pitch. With both Almiron and Saint-Maximin slowly adapting to English football, there is hope that the pair can offer Joelinton the support he needs both on and off the pitch to create a fluid partnership and prove that the Brazilian is capable of being Newcastle’s number nine for many years to come.
Team News: Leicester hopeful of having Ayoze Perez for Watford trip Daryl Janmaat, Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success will all be absent on Saturday. Jun 19, 12:25 Ayoze Perez has been handed the Leicester City striker spot at Everton. With Jamie Vardy out following an operation on his hernia, Brendan Rodgers had to choose between Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho More News: Latest Player News Latest Player Videos. 01:55 Classic match: Leicester 1-2 Newcastle, 2017/18 31/12/2020 CC AD; 01:01 FPL Gameweek 12 Differentials 10/12/2020 CC AD; 02:04 On this day - 6 June 2014: Perez moves to PL with Newcastle 06/6/2020 CC AD; 00:27 Perez fires Leicester into ePL quarter-finals 07/5/2020 CC AD; More Videos Latest on Leicester City forward Ayoze Perez including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Leicester hope to have striker Ayoze Perez and defender Ryan Bennett available for the trip to Vicarage Road.. Both men have been nursing knocks, but have returned to training in recent days and Ayoze Pérez, 27, aus Spanien Leicester City, seit 2019 Hängende Spitze Marktwert: 20,00 Mio. € * 29.07.1993 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spanien But there was better news for forward Ayoze Perez and centre-back Ryan Bennett, who were previously doubts. City manager Brendan Rodgers gave the latest on the fitness of his squad on Thursday Ayoze Perez of Leicester City celebrates with his team mates after scoring to make it 0-1 during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City at American Express... Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Ayoze Pérez, 27, from Spain Leicester City, since 2019 Second Striker Market value: £18.00m * Jul 29, 1993 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain Leicester City team news v Everton: Ayoze Perez starts with Jamie Vardy out Leicestershire Live 19:21 27-Jan-21. Team News: Everton duo Lucas Digne and Alex Iwobi return for Leicester clash Sports Mole 15:46 26-Jan-21. Brendan Rodgers rules out surprise option as he assesses contenders to stand in for Jamie Vardy Leicestershire Live 07:03 26-Jan-21. Iheanacho To Start, Perez On The Bench | 4-1
Ayoze Perez tries to fight the whole Liverpool team after ...
Lee & Rob react to the news Ayoze Perez has officially left Newcastle United to join Leicester, in the early parts of this video Lee expresses his feelings o... This is a late review on the player but more should you use him rather than unlock him.I have been unlocking all the available player to me to review and in ... Twitter: https://twitter.com/InceptionXxTwitch: http://www.twitch.tv/inceptionxxInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/InceptionFCTikTok: https://t.co/74Me6Don... In part two of Spuverts Craig and Emma discuss the latest rumours surrounding Newcastle's Ayoze Perez. SUBSCRIBE to SPURRED ON: http://bit.ly/SpurredOnTVSub ... Thanks for reading our description, subscribe below for all of our content and ring the bell button to be notified.Got something we should upload let us know... Member Link - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHolsBWphkPPQ6plNJM3JZQ/joinToday we're getting a whole new promo in Team of the Season So Far! The TOTSSF squ... Newcastle United's Spain under-21 international striker Ayoze Pérez scored four goals in an 8-0 win against a Carlisle United XI and this was the pick of the...
