Tag Futebol

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

QPR travel to the KCOM Stadium this Saturday to take on Hull, where a win for the Londoners could potentially put them level on points with the Championship’s current leaders West Brom.

Mark Warburton’s side have enjoyed a decent start to the campaign, sitting comfortably in 9th place – just three points off the summit.

Grant McCann’s Hull contrastingly find themselves 16th, just five points off the relegation zone.

Despite the difference in the pair’s start to the season, one potential QPR weak link must keep an eye out for a player who is arguably one of the Tigers’ most dangerous.

Who is it?

Kamil Grosicki.

The 72-cap Poland international has been in fine form for Hull so far this season.

Grosicki has scored four goals and has also grabbed an assist in 11 Championship appearances this term, earning a nomination for the September Player of the Month award for his efforts.

The forward averages 3.2 shots per game and also registers two key passes per game, proving that he is an efficient operator in the final third.

The 31-year-old tends to line up on the left flank, as he has done 11 times already this season, where he will come up against a player who has not been at his best in 2019/20 so far and will need to bring his A-game.

Todd Kane must be focused

Todd Kane – who has made eight appearances this season at right-back for QPR – should be the man directly up against Grosicki, and he really needs to improve on his form.

The 26-year-old was woeful in a recent 2-0 loss to West Brom, losing possession 25 times while also having his showing against the Baggies ridiculed by Gareth Dixon of R’s podcast Ranger Things.

“His performance against West Brom was one of the worst I’ve seen from a full-back”

On that day, he struggled against a tricky player in Grady Diangana, so he must bring a better level of performance with him to the KCOM Stadium or else QPR may get burned by Grosicki’s brilliance.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Liverpool’s Mo Salah may overcome a knock he picked up against Leicester to be fit in time for the visit to Manchester United, with two weeks off thanks to the international break.

What’s the latest?

Teammate Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports, as reported by The Express, that the Egyptian’s injury isn’t a major concern, even though it led to him being substituted in the 92nd minute against Leicester.

Despite his absence, the Reds managed to find a way to breakdown the Foxes in the remaining minutes to maintain their 100% league record, but Jurgen Klopp and the squad will no doubt be hoping that Salah is available moving forward.

Re-live the moment Sadio Mane robbed Leicester City of a point at Anfield through the eyes of the Foxes fans in the video below…

Van Dijk said: “I think he should be not too bad. The good thing he has plenty of time to recover.

“He’ll probably get time to recover as well. So I’m not concerned that he’s not going to be ready for United away.”

Blessing in disguise

Salah missing for any period of time would be a big blow to Liverpool.

Although the recent return of the previously injured Divock Origi is a bonus for the Reds, his goalscoring record does not compare to the 27-year-old and Klopp will need his best players available if he is to continue the current winning streak.

Manchester United may be in poor form with only nine points from eight league games but they often raise their game against the Anfield outfit and have only lost to them at Old Trafford five times in 23 matches since the start of the Millennium.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Last year was an example of how the Red Devils could frustrate Liverpool, earning a 0-0 draw which derailed their title efforts – and that was with Salah in the side.

As van Dijk says, a two-week period of rest should do the 27-year-old the world of good and his injury could prove to be a silver lining, as it avoids him travelling to Botswana to play for Egypt, thus preventing the build-up of fatigue.

That could allow him to come back fit and firing, and an in-form Salah is a danger to any Premier League side.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

And just as Barcelona feared, Ousmane Dembele has been officially charged with a two-game ban after insulting and arguing with the referee, Mateu Lahoz, in the clash against Sevilla last weekend. But not all is grim for the Catalans, however, since they still have their 16-year-old talisman who could get his big El Clasico debut at the end of the month.

On the chalkboard

Even though Barcelona have confirmed that they will indeed appeal both red cards handed out by Lahoz last Sunday – Ronald Araujo was also sent off – at the moment it seems that Dembele is sure to miss the clash against Real Madrid.

Blaugrana will travel to Eibar first after the international break and then, at the end of the month, will host Los Blancos at the Camp Nou for this season’s first El Clasico.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And as things stand, Dembele’s two-game suspension would see him miss the big game in Catalonia.

But even if that happens, Fati will be there to embrace that opportunity with both hands.

History in the making

By this point, everyone knows who Barcelona’s 16-year-old prodigy is and how he has shattered multiple long-standing records in the first couple of outings he has had with the Catalan giants.

But making his El Clasico debut and potentially marking it with an excellent performance would surely be the cherry on the cake.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

And the stars seem to be fully aligned for Fati to actually participate in the clash, at the very least.

Recently, he wasn’t called up for Spain’s U17 squad, which means he will be available for Ernesto Valverde to pick if he so chooses.

But with Dembele potentially out of the picture due to that aforementioned suspension, Fati getting that call seems more than just likely and we’ve seen already that the coach is not afraid to throw the youngster into the fire when necessary.

He has, thus far, made five La Liga appearances, scoring twice and providing one assist.

And Fati himself seems ready to take on another challenge.

These are exciting times for both the teenager and Barca’s fans.

يواجه برشلونة نظيره ريال سوسيداد اليوم الأحد ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني في الجولة 28.

ولدى الثنائي ليونيل ميسي وفرينكي دي يونج أربع بطاقات صفراء في الدوري، لذا إذا حصلا على بطاقة صفراء واحدة أخرى اليوم فسيتغيبان عن مباراة بلد الوليد ويلعبان مباراة الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد.

تعرف على معلق مباراة برشلونة وريال سوسيداد اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

وفي حالة لم يتم إنذارهما اليوم سيلعبان المباراة القادمة أمام بلد الوليد وهما مهددان بالغياب عن الكلاسيكو.

وتقام مباراة الكلاسيكو بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة على ملعب “ألفريدو دي ستيفانو” ضمن مباريات الجولة 30 لليجا، يوم السبت الموافق 10 أبريل المقبل، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

كشفت الصحافة الإسبانية عن صفقتين مهمتين دخلتا على رادار نادي برشلونة بكل قوة بعد فوز جوان لابورتا، بالانتخابات الرئاسية يوم أمس الأحد، باكتساح لمنافسيه فيكتور فونت وتوني فريشيا.

ولكن بحسب صحيفتي “آس” و”ماركا” الإسبانيتين لم ينتظر لابورتا كثيرًا حتى يبدأ تنفيذ خططه لتدعيم برشلونة بأفضل شكل ممكن في الميركاتو الصيفي المقبل رغم المشاكل المالية التي يعاني منها العملاق الكتالوني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. صحيفة إنجليزية: عودة لابورتا لرئاسة برشلونة ستؤثر على مستقبل محمد صلاح في ليفربول

وبحسب صحيفة “ماركا”، يفكر لابورتا في ضم مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر سيتي، سيرجيو أجويرو، الذي ينتهي عقده بنهاية الموسم الحالي وبالتالي لن يكلف خزائن برشلونة أي أموال سوى راتبه.

التعاقد مع أجويرو سيدعم هجوم برشلونة بلاعب مميز، ولكن لابورتا أيضًا ينظر للمستقبل ومفاوضاته مع ميسي من أجل تجديد عقده، وتواجد مهاجم مانشستر سيتي داخل برشلونة قد يقرب البرغوث من التجديد لأن الثنائي تربطهما علاقة صداقة قوية للغاية.

بينما أفادت صحيفة “آس” أن لابورتا بدأ التحرك من أجل ضم ظهير أيسر نادي بايرن ميونخ، ديفيد ألابا، وسيعقد اجتماعًا مع وكيليه (صديقه) بيني زهافي وفالي رمضاني لمناقشة إمكانية انتقال النمساوي إلى “كامب نو” خاصة أن اللاعب أعلن قبل أسابيع رحيله في يونيو المقبل بعد نهاية عقده مع العملاق البافاري.

[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to state that they want Jason Lokilo to be handed a chance in the first-team, after the youngster recorded an exquisite assist for the Under-23 side.The Belgium-born DR Congo Under-20 international helped the Eagles record a 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra Under-23s by setting up Kian Flanagan for the game’s only goal, with a delightful drag-back and flick to put his teammate through on goal.

Lokilo, 20, has already made his first-team debut for the Eagles in a League Cup game against Ipswich back when Frank de Boer was in charge, so he is clearly on the radar of Palace’s upper hierarchy.

Having watched his excellent assist, some Palace fans on Twitter want the diminutive attacking midfielder to be handed another chance to prove himself in the first-team.

Two supporters below want him to be given an opportunity on Tuesday night against Colchester in the Carabao Cup, whilst others want him to play some part against Manchester United on Saturday after watching a drab 1-0 loss to Sheffield United last time out.

One other fan has echoed the age-old adage of: “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

Let’s see what some of the Palace fans have been saying…

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يؤمن مدرب فريق مانشستر سيتي بيب جوارديولا أن أي فقدان للنقاط سيكون اختبارًا حقيقيًا لقدرة لاعبيه.

وحقق مانشستر سيتي الفوز في 16 مباراة متتالية في مختلف المسابقات.

ويلتقي السكاي بلو مساء الغد مع إيفرتون في مباراة مؤجلة من الجولة السادسة العشر، من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي.

وقال جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للنادي: “أنت لا تحصل على الكمال أبدًا”.

وأضاف: “ما فعلناه بالفوز في 16 مباراة على التوالي هو نتيجة استعدادنا بأفضل ما يمكن للمباراة القادمة”.

وواصل: “قبل شهرين، لم يكن في تفكير أي شخص في عالم كرة القدم بشأن الفوز بالدوري الإنجليزي، لا يزال من الممكن حدوث الكثير من الأشياء”.

وتابع: “كل ما في رأسي الآن هو مواجهة إيفرتون، سنقوم بإهدار النقاط بكل تأكيد، هذه هي اللحظة التي أتوقع فيها رد فعل منا جميعًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا يكشف حالة دي بروين وجوندوجان وأجويرو قبل مواجهة إيفرتون

ومن جهة أخرى، أكد جوارديولا أنه سيواصل تناوب لاعبي فريقه خلال الأسابيع والأشهر المقبلة لأنه يعتقد أن لديه مجموعة من اللاعبين الذين يستحقون جميعًا المشاركة.

واستكمل: “أحاول إشراك جميع اللاعبين، أقوم بتناوب الجميع، إنها الفرصة الوحيدة لدينا للفوز بجميع البطولات، نحن بحاجة إلى الجميع”.

واختتم: “في هاتين المباراتين، ضد إيفرتون وآرسنال، سأحاول اللعب بأكبر عدد ممكن من اللاعبين، ليس من أجل مواجهة بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ، ولكن لأنني أحب كل لاعبي فريقي”.

ويلتقي مانشستر سيتي مع آرسنال يوم الأحد القادم في الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الدوري، قبل ملاقاة مونشنجلادباخ في ذهاب دور الـ32 من دوري أبطال أوروبا يوم الأربعاء من الأسبوع نفسه.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Reports from Football Insider on Thursday stated that Marcelo Bielsa is at loggerheads with the higher-ups at Leeds United due to the timing of the club’s pre-season tour in Australia.

Of course, travelling to the other side of the world less than a month before your season gets started isn’t ideal, but the Argentine has known about this for months now, so he needs to just get on with it.

We’ve all known that Leeds were heading down under since November last year, and Bielsa seemed quite happy with the arrangement back then.

“I am pleased that we have been given the opportunity to take the team over to Australia to help us prepare for the 2019/20 season,” the Argentine said.

It’s understandable that any football manager wouldn’t be happy with his squad travelling such a distance so close to the start of the season, but in this case, Bielsa has no grounds to be kicking off with people in charge at the club.

Causing a stir achieves nothing, Leeds will be going to Australia no matter what, and the reported problems have seemingly reached the press which could cause further strain on the relationship between Bielsa and club officials.

The 63-year-old would have been better off just biting his tongue and getting on with it while making it clear that he doesn’t want the same situation to arise next season.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Managers can sometimes get lost with what’s happening on the pitch, but the directors know what’s best for commercial gains and a tour of Australia could bring in a wealth of new supporters which could provide the club with a financial boost.

With Leeds’ apparent struggles with FFP compliance, this tour could be vital in terms of extra income, and while it may cause problems with fatigue, Bielsa’s complaints won’t change anything.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Sebastian Haller wants to complete a move to West Ham United from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer, per ClaretandHugh.

What’s the word?

The Irons have targeted the French striker as they bid to bring in striking reinforcements in this transfer window.

West Ham have lost Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez in this transfer window, leaving them with Javier Hernandez and Jordan Hugill as their out-and-out forward options.

The Hammers, the report states, are deep in talks with the Bundesliga outfit as they look to bring in their first forward signing of the summer; Frankfurt are keen to recoup £42m for the forward.

And Haller is said to be keen to make the move to the Premier League before the window closes, with just over a fortnight left to complete deals for English clubs.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Stumbled into a phenomenal signing

Haller is perhaps the best striker West Ham can sign this summer.

The forward is a gifted goalscorer and netted 20 in all competitions last season.

And yet, he wasn’t even the Hammers’ first-choice signing in this transfer window.

Football FanCast sources understand that manager Manuel Pellegrini actually told Director of Football Mario Husillos to complete a deal for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez at the beginning of the transfer window.

That deal fell through, however, as he joined Valencia instead.

And the Hammers have been forced into a rethink, which has led to the identification of Haller as a target.

They may have just stumbled onto a pot of gold.

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According to The Mirror, Liverpool are considering a move for Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in this summer’s transfer window.

Alisson Becker is the undisputed number one at Anfield having enjoyed a brilliant 2018-19 campaign between the sticks.

There remains uncertainty surrounding the future of Liverpool’s number two Simon Mignolet, though, which could force the Reds into the market for another stopper.

According to The Mirror, Liverpool are weighing up a move for McCarthy, who made 25 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season.

The 29-year-old still has three years left to run on his contract at St Mary’s but would surely find it difficult to turn down a switch to Anfield if a bid arrived.

“It reminds me of a bus seat!” – Watch a damning verdict on Chelsea’s new kit in the video below…

The Liverpool fans have been on social media discussing whether their club should move for the England international this summer.

And a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: