FOOTBALL

EPL Preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Published

2 years ago

October 8, 2022

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Arsenal retained their place at the top of the Premier League table last week with a remarkable North London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Now, they are about to face another fearsome opponent at home. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will drop by the Emirates Stadium for a Sunday evening Premier League showdown.

Arsenal had an excellent summer transfer window that saw players like Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko joining an already promising mix of players.

Mikel Arteta’s youthful and energetic squad had shown glimpses of an exciting future last season.

The inclusion of Premier League-proven talents added the level of experience Arsenal needed to complement their young talents. So, expectations were very high among Arsenal fans for the new season.

But the fantastic start Arsenal have had to their 22/23 campaign has defied all expectations. Barring the defeat to Man United at Old Trafford, Arsenal have won all of their matches to top the standings ahead of Pep Guardiola’s Man City.

These are still early days to talk about the team’s title credentials, but Arsenal have been the most balanced and consistent team in the division so far.

Their dominant 3-1 win over Antonio Conte’s Spurs, who had not lost a single game this season before their trip to the Emirates, proved how far they have come since Arteta first took charge in 2020.

Thomas Partey, Gabriel Jesus and Granit Xhaka hit the target as Arsenal brushed aside their North London rivals in front of a roaring sea of red and white in the stands.

The performance was so convincing that the prospect of Arsenal challenging Man City for the Premier League crown does not seem as far off as it had seemed a few months ago.

Liverpool struggling

In recent seasons, Liverpool appeared as the only plausible title contender other than the Citizens in the PL title race.

Jurgen Klopp’s side agonisingly missed two Premier League trophies despite putting more than 90 points on the board on both occasions. So, the mighty Reds would be a fearsome team to play for any side in the Premier League.

However, Liverpool have been a shadow of themselves this season.

They will travel to North London as the ninth-placed team in the league. In their last Premier League outing, they conceded three goals at home to Brighton to settle for a 3-3 draw.

Brighton went two goals up after seventeen minutes as Leandro Trossard struck twice to give the visitors an early two-goal cushion. Roberto Firmino scored a brace before Adam Webstar scored an own goal to hand Liverpook the lead. But, Trossard made the scores level in the 83rd minute and completed his hat-trick.

Team news

Jurgen Klopp had many injury setbacks this seasons, but he will take a relatively fit squad at the Emirates on Sunday.

Former Arsenal man Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Arthur and Curtis Jones will not be a part of the matchday squad.

Andrew Robertson will miss out too. But he will have the first choice midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, and Fabinho fit for the match.

Oleksandr Zinchenko did not feature in Arsenal’s midweek Europa League fixture, but the Ukraine international will be ready for the Liverpool game.

The Gunners don’t have any fresh injury problems ahead of the clash. Emile Smith-Rowe and Mohamed Elneny are out with long-term problems.

Despite their recent struggles, Liverpool remain a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

But, Arsenal have been so good in recent weeks, that we believe they can inflict more misery on their Sunday evening visitors.

We are expecting a 2-1 win for Arsenal.

FOOTBALL

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

Published

2 months 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

2 months 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.”

FOOTBALL

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

Published

2 months 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.