FOOTBALL

Will Man City dump Arsenal in the FA Cup?

Published

1 year ago

January 27, 2023

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The FA Cup fourth round match between Arsenal and Manchester City on Friday night could have a major impact on both teams’ Premier League title aspirations.

Although the FA Cup may not be the priority for either team, a win could provide a significant boost.

Recent History

In their last FA Cup match back in 2020, Arsenal topped Man City 2-0. However, City have won all five meetings since, including four in Premier League play and one in the Carabao Cup.

A defeat for City on Friday would see the club eliminated from both domestic cup competitions at the earliest point since the 2014/15 season.

Manchester City’s Performance

In the third round of the competition, Manchester City easily defeated Chelsea. Despite Chelsea being in a transitional period, the 4-0 defeat was still a humiliating result for the Londoners.

Manchester City now face the only team currently above them in the Premier League standings this season; Arsenal. Pep Guardiola’s side trails the Gunners by five points in the English top flight, despite playing a match more.

Therefore, Friday night’s match at the Etihad Stadium will be a crucial test of City’s mettle.

Team News

Manchester City does not return to Premier League action until the first week of February, giving Pep Guardiola the luxury of fielding a full-strength team against Arsenal.

Erling Haaland, who comes off the back of his fourth Premier League hattrick, will be keen to bring his scoring boots to the FA Cup.

Manchester City’s only fresh injury concern is Phil Foden, who missed training with a foot problem. But the England international expects to be available for selection.

Stefan Ortega may continue to start in goal over Ederson, and Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva could also see playing time.

For Arsenal, former Manchester City striker Jesus will not play as he continues to recover from knee surgery. However, he recently revealed that he expects to make his comeback in “four to five weeks”

Leandro Trossard may get his first start for the club following an impressive performance against Manchester United, while Emile Smith Rowe may play on the right wing and Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli could start on the bench.

Reiss Nelson, Mohamed Elneny, and Cedric Soares are injured, and none of them would have been expected to start the match.

Ben White was taken off at half time in the win over Man United, having been run ragged by Rashford, but he should hold his spot.

Arsenal’s Performance

Arsenal had an easier route to the fourth round, defeating lower-league opponents Oxford United in a 3-0 away win.

Mikel Arteta’s side has been flying high this season, amassing 50 points in the league only halfway through the season.

No team has lost the Premier League crown after getting so many points on the board at this point of the season.

A scintillating 3-2 win over arch-rivals Manchester United should take their already high confidence levels to even greater heights.

Arteta’s Decision

The question of whether it would make more sense for Arsenal to sacrifice the FA Cup, a trophy they have won a few times in recent years, for solely focusing on Premier League glory that has evaded them since 2004, has been thrown around a lot lately.

It looks likely that Arsenal might choose to rest some of their key players in the trip to the Etihad.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Ake; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Haaland, Alvarez

Arsenal possible starting lineup:

Turner; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah

Prediction

Manchester City might get the better of their new title rivals in front of their home crowd. None of the teams would be particularly keen to play a rematch amidst an already congested fixture.

So, we expect the tie to be settled on Friday night and the Citizens could get the tickets to the next round with a 3-1 victory.

Kickoff: January 28, Saturday, 1:30 AM Venue: Etihad Stadium

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.