FOOTBALL

EPL Predictions: Man City vs West Ham

Published

2 years ago

August 7, 2022

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Manchester City will take on West Ham United in their first Premier League game of the season today.

The Hammers are never easy to beat and their wily manager Moyes will be hoping to surprise the reigning champions.

West Ham Team analysis

West Ham have been really smart in the transfer market.

They have brought in Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo who can take on the goal-scoring responsibilities and reduce the load on Michail Antonio.

Another key player will be Maxwell Cornetwho has come from from Burnley.

However, new signing Nayef Aguerd will miss the start of the season due to injury.

In fact, Moyes will be concerned about the fitness levels of his squad.

Angelo Ogbonna is also continuing his rehab after missing most of last season with an ACL injury and is not yet fit enough to return.

Moyes is set to continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation he used last season.

Lukasz Fabianski will continue in goal while Alphonse Areola will be his deputy.

Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma will form the central defensive partnership.

Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell will be the two full-backs.

Cresswell will also be in charge of set pieces.

West Ham have one of the best midfield partnerships in Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.

Their physicality and ball-winning abilities will be crucial in containing the attack-minded Man City midfield.

Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals, and Jarrod Bowen will feature just ahead of the midfield duo and complement the West Ham attack.

The West Ham attack could be spearheaded by Michail Antonio.

Likely Starting Line up (4-2-3-1):

Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Dawson, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio

City will be hoping to give a debut from the start to Erling Haaland, and Julian Alvarez may be hoping to get a start himself after his goal in the Community Shield game against Liverpool.

Man City Team analysis

City are without Aymeric Laporte for the game, who is recovering from a knee surgery.

Laporte is not expected to return until September.

There are no other significant injuries in the team.

New signings Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips can all make their Premier League debuts for Manchester City.

Alvarez and Phillips will start from the bench.

Manchester City look set to turn out in Guardiola’s customary 4-3-3 formation.

Nathan Ake looks set to partner Ruben Dias at the heart of the Manchester City defence, as John Stones is lacking match fitness.

Joao Cancelo played the highest number of minutes of any Manchester City player across all competitions last season and will be the left-back.

Kyle Walker will be the right-back.

Rodri should start in the holding midfield position, Bernardo Silva will don the right central midfield role, whereas Kevin De Bruyne is expected to start in the attacking midfield position.

In the final third, Guardiola will have to decide whether to pick Phil Foden or Jack Grealish from the start. The former Aston Villa man started against Liverpool last time out but was largely underwhelming, while Foden provided the spark off the bench.

Riyad Mahrez enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2021/22, chipping in with 24 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

The Algerian winger is likely to feature in the final third, with star signing Haaland and Phil Foden

Likely Starting Line Up (4-3-3):

Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden

Who will win

Haaland could score on his EPL debut and Man City will win 2-0.

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WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2024

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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.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

1 month ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

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.”

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PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

1 month ago

March 2, 2024

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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 – 3^rd 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.