FOOTBALL
EP Predictions: Man United vs Arsenal
Arsenal and Manchester United are about to lock horns in perhaps the most crucial game of their season, with a place in the Champions League at stake.
Arsenal stopped their losing streak at three matches with a fantastic 4-2 away win at Chelsea.
Manchester United could not channel the positives of their Norwich victory into the Liverpool game and suffered a dismal 4-0 defeat.
Losing Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney to injuries had appeared to be the defining point of Arsenal’s league campaign.
They allowed Tottenham Hotspur to come from behind and go ahead in the Champions League race with three consecutive defeats.
Arsenal hit top form
Having lost to Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Southampton, not many people had put their money on an Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge.
But Arsenal breathed life into their dying hopes of making it to the Champions League with a remarkable London derby victory.
Eddie NKetiah struck twice against his former club, Smith Rowe continued his fine goalscoring form, and Bukayo Saka put his Euro 2020 demons to bed with a well-taken late penalty to secure a 4-2 win for the Gunners.
Now, Arsenal will look to build on the momentum they gained at Stamford Bridge and add three more points to their name.
A win on Saturday afternoon will take them ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham, who play later that day against Brentford.
Undoubtedly, it will put more pressure on Spurs ahead of the game, further boosting the cause of their North London rivals.
In an ideal situation, Arteta would have loved to get Partey and Tierney back for such an important game.
But, both players have been ruled out for the rest of the season. The Arsenal boss will be delighted to welcome back Takehiro Tomiyasu at right-back, though.
The Japan international had missed two months of action because of a calf injury.
Man United look down and out
Manchester United’s muddled Premier League journey took another embarrassing turn at Anfield.
Liverpool cruised to an effortless 4-0 midweek victory over the Red Devils, highlighting the drastic disparity in quality between the two sides.
After the match, Man United boss Ralf Rangnick confessed that his team need a squad overhaul to reach the levels of their arch-rivals.
The prospects of getting top four appear to be bleak for United at the moment.
On paper, they are still in the race, trailing fourth-placed Spurs and fifth-placed Arsenal by three points.
But, they have played a match less and have superior goal differences than the Mancunians.
Manchester United players might want to draw inspiration from their 3-2 win over Arsenal in the reverse fixture.
But, they now face the challenge of ending a three-match winless run at the Emirates.
They will also be wary of their terrible away form, which saw them return empty-handed from each of their last three road trips.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be back after taking some time off to mourn the death of his newly born son.
Manchester United already had a depleted midfield before the Liverpool game, and Paul Pogba’s injury did them no favour.
Rangnick will be somewhat relieved to get back Scott McTominay. The return of Raphael Varane is another good news for the away side.
Our Prediction
Cristiano Ronaldo has a penchant for scoring against Arsenal, and the 37-year-old might find the back of the net on Saturday.
But Manchester United’s error-prone defence is likely to struggle against a youthful Arsenal attack that comes fresh off putting four goals past Chelsea.
We think the match will end 3-1 in favour of Arsenal.
FOOTBALL
WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football
Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.
Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.
Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –
🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.
With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee
England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.
In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.
Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.
Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC
— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024
“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.
“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
FOOTBALL
PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby
Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.
While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.
Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.
MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details
Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24
Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date and Time – 3rd March 2024, 21:00 IST
Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star
MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head
Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.
MCFC vs MUFC – Likely XI
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Akanji, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez, Haaland, Foden
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Casemiro, Manioo, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Garnacho
MCFC vs MUFC – Fantasy XI
Grand League Team
Goal Keeper – E Moraes
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, H Maguire
Mid Fielders – Kevin De Bruyne, B Fernandes, R Hernandez, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland (VC), J Alvarez, M Rashford (C)
Head-to-Head Team
Goal Keeper – S Ortega
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, R Varane
Mid Fielders – K De Bruyne (C), B Fernandes (VC), B Silva, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland, J Alvarez, M Rashford
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