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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is still contending with a wrath of injuries as his side welcome Newcastle United to Elland Road this afternoon.

The Yorkshiremen will be looking for back-to-back victories, having seen off West Ham last weekend, though there were worrying signs as the Argentine could only name one first-team player on his nine-man bench.

During that game, Junior Firpo and Adam Forshaw hobbled off in the first half, so that’s another two players he will be without heading into this encounter.

It will be interesting to see what sort of lineup he’s able to name, here’s what we are predicting head of kickoff…

There could be three changes from the side which won 3-2 a week ago.

Between the sticks, Illan Meslier is likely to remain but there will be alterations to the backline in front of him. Without Firpo, Bielsa has a decision to make and we could well see youngster Leo Hjelde handed a start after the 18-year-old gem looked so assured against the Hammers in both matches.

He’ll join Pascal Struijk, Diego Llorente – who is available after suspension – and Luke Ayling in a back four.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Bielsa is still without Kalvin Phillips and now Forshaw, too, so Robin Koch is most likely to be deployed as the defensive midfielder, with Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas joining him.

The Northern Irishman played right-back last week, so he moves back to his natural engine room role, with likely skipper Ayling going back out wide.

After his game-winning hat-trick, Jack Harrison will remain on the left flank with current top goalscorer Raphinha on the right, but with Patrick Bamford still injured, there is a worry up top.

Young striker Joe Gelhardt could return after Phil Hay confirmed his availability. He will surely get the nod over Daniel James and Tyler Roberts. The Welshman is therefore axed from the line-up after some poor recent performances.

AND in other news, Bielsa could land his own Conor Gallagher in Leeds swoop for “silky” 15-cap sensation…

Aston Villa are reportedly in the hunt to sign Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij this summer with manager Steven Gerrard keen to improve his defensive options.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, Villa are keeping tabs on the Dutch defender with Gerrard looking to sign an A-list centre-back this summer.

The report also states that the defender was valued at around £40m in January with the 30-year-old’s current deal at the San Siro expiring in 2023.

The West Midland club’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also reportedly interested in bringing de Vrij to England this summer with manager Antonio Conte in charge when Inter won the Serie A title last season, with the Dutchman a key contributor to their success.

In fact, the Italian coach once exclaimed that the defender was “like Bonucci.”

Aston Villa must swoop for de Vrij

Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt despite having just over a year left on his contract, de Vrij certainly won’t come cheap for whoever lands the defender’s signature.

However, it’s no secret that Aston Villa have ambitious plans for the upcoming transfer window, particularly after being able to lure a player of Philippe Coutinho’s pedigree to Villa Park in January, albeit on loan.

The Villans are on course for their first top-half finish in the top-flight for 11 years which will lay decent foundations for Gerrard after the Englishman’s first season in charge of the West Midlands side, having joined from Rangers in November.

Naturally, the next step will be to consolidate that place and push for European qualification. The signing of de Vrij would undoubtedly be a serious statement of intent.

The 30-year-old defender has spent almost eight years in Italy having joined Lazio from Feyenoord in 2014, where he was dubbed a “monster” by teammate Mauricio, before making the move to Inter Milan in 2018 on a free transfer.

Although, this isn’t the first time a Premier League club has been linked with a swoop for the 55-cap Netherlands international.

As well as his impressive international experience, de Vrij boasts impressive experience at club level too, winning the Scudetto last season whilst racking up 46 appearances in European competition as well as 347 in top-flight league football across the Eredivisie and Serie A.

Compared to Aston Villa’s current centre-backs, the 30-year-old is a major step up in quality and calibre.

Although Tyrone Mings has established himself as a regular in England manager Gareth Southgate’s squads, the 29-year-old has only found regular game time in the Premier League whilst being at Villa during the past three seasons.

As for the likes of Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kourtney Hause, none are current internationals whilst Chambers’ experience of playing in Europe and winning the FA Cup and Community Shield is as experienced as any of Villa’s current defenders get.

Moreover, according to SofaScore, De Vrij wins the majority of both his aerial and ground duels, has a 92% pass completion rate, only loses the ball 4.8 times per match whilst having 62.5 touches on average per Serie A game, also making at least one tackle and interception per game.

Contrastingly, Aston Villa’s best defender statistically, Tyrone Mings, averages 58.5 touches per league game whilst completing 80% of his passes, losing possession 10.4 times per game on average.

The Englishman does manage to make at least one interception per game but is currently averaging 0.6 tackles.

It’s clearly evident that the signing of de Vrij would seriously improve Gerrard’s squad, the main issue will be convincing the Dutchman to swap the San Siro for Villa Park.

In other news: Imagine him & Coutinho: Gerrard must now unleash Villa maestro who “can do anything”

With a loan deal for Philippe Coutinho now agreed, Aston Villa now have the opportunity to focus on signing other players who Steven Gerrard feels would improve his squad.

One player to whom the club could turn their attention and realistically get through the door before the end of the month is Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

In a recent article from The Athletic by James Pearce, it was claimed that the 24-year-old “is attracting plenty of interest from both Premier League and Serie A clubs”.

The report also claimed that the Merseysiders have already rejected a bid of £7m from an unnamed top-flight club for him, with Liverpool having set their asking price set at £15m.

Additionally, the report named Villa as one of the Premier League sides who are in the market for a centre-back this month, so there’s every possibility that the Midlands club could launch a move for Phillips in the coming weeks if they feel he could improve their squad.

Taking into account how Villa have said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe after his loan spell at Villa Park was cut short this week, there certainly is room for a new centre-back such as Phillips, who is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, to come in and try and secure a place in Gerrard’s team.

Also, with a recent poll ran by Football FanCast revealing that 67% of Villa fans think Tyrone Mings is a liability for the team after his performance in their recent 3-1 defeat against Chelsea – when he was at fault for Romelu Lukaku’s goal – this could pave the way for Gerrard to sign Phillips this month and create a solid centre-back partnership alongside Ezri Konsa, potentially fixing the issue of their leaky defence, with 30 goals conceded in 19 league games.

With just four appearances under his belt for Liverpool across all competitions so far this season, a potential move to Villa could be very appealing for Phillips, who has been labelled as a “monster” on the pitch by Jurgen Klopp. If he would be guaranteed regular game-time under Gerrard’s guidance, it would benefit Liverpool at the same time by reaping what they see as a suitable transfer fee for him.

With Villa also being linked with a move for fellow Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez, Phillips could be a much easier deal to secure given the Merseyside club’s reported willingness to sell him this month.

In other news – “What they’re looking at..”: Journalist drops Villa transfer claim, fans will be buzzing

اتُهم لاعب مانشستر يونايتد ماسون جرينوود بمحاولة الاغتصاب والانخراط في سلوك قصري والاعتداء والإيذاء الجسدي.

واعتقل المهاجم في يناير الماضي، بعد مزاعم ضده بالاعتداء ظهرت في الصور ومقاطع الفيديو المنشورة على الإنترنت.

واعتقل مرة أخرى يوم السبت بزعم انتهاكه الكفالة، وقال المدعون إن جميع التهم تتعلق بالمشتكية نفسها، ومن المقرر أن يحضر جرينوود أمام محكمة الصلح في مانشستر وسالفورد يوم الإثنين المقبل.

اللاعب البالغ من العمر 21 عامًا، والذي ظهر مرة واحدة مع منتخب إنجلترا، لم يلعب أو يتدرب مع مانشستر يونايتد منذ اعتقاله.

كما أنهت شركة Nike صفقة رعايتها معه وقامت Electronic Arts بإزالته من الفرق النشطة في لعبة فيفا 22.

قالت جانيت بوتر، من دائرة النيابة العامة في الشمال الغربي، إنها سمحت لشرطة مانشستر الكبرى بتوجيه الاتهام إلى جرينوود بمحاولة اغتصاب، والانخراط في سلوك تحكمي وقسري، واعتداء يسبب أذى جسديًا فعليًا.

يُقال إن الاغتصاب المزعوم وقع في 22 أكتوبر 2021، بينما يُقال إن الاعتداء المزعوم وقع في ديسمبر الماضي.

تتعلق تهمة التحكم والسلوك القسري بفترة زمنية منذ نوفمبر 2018، وقالت بوتر إن التهم وجهت بعد أن استعرض مدعون متخصصون في قضايا الاغتصاب ملف أدلة من الشرطة.

وأضافت: “إن النيابة العامة تذكر جميع المعنيين بأن الإجراءات الجنائية ضد المتهم نشطة وأن له الحق في محاكمة عادلة”، حسبما نشرت شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية.

واختتمت: “من المهم للغاية ألا يكون هناك إبلاغ أو تعليق أو مشاركة معلومات عبر الإنترنت يمكن أن تضر بهذه الإجراءات بأي شكل من الأشكال”.

Loads of Everton fans have been left raging over a claim that has emerged from Andy Jacobs.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the sports radio pundit claimed that the Goodison Park faithful were ‘pathetic’ against Chelsea, and ‘should have lost 5-0 or 6-0’.

He also went on to claim that they are ‘going down’, and are ‘one of the worst teams’ that he has ever seen.

This is despite the Merseyside club getting a respectable 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, despite missing the likes of Seamus Coleman, Lucas Digne, Allan, Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Chelsea were very wasteful with their chances, having 23 shots on goal in total, but as for shouts of relegation, the Toffees are currently eight points clear of the drop zone.

Thus, it is no surprise at all to see so many Blues supporters outraged by his comments.

Everton fans on Jacobs claim

These EFC fans raged as the claim made by Jacobs was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to say that it was ‘childish’:

“HAHAHA! Nothing to do with the fact the kids we played were hungrier and wanted it more than Chelsea? Give credit where credit is due and praise the lads who played for their fight and hunger!”

Credit: @DeanJHD

“Taxi for (checks Google) Jacobs”

Credit: @kevjbee

“And they call us bitter.”

Credit: @Bonesy68

“Andy Jacobs you’re the pathetic one I think you’ll find! We only had 3/4 out of strongest XI playing, 2 lads made PL debuts, Chelsea had a full international side out. You just concentrate on your ‘Big 6’ narrative with your talkSPORT chums…”

Credit: @ToffeesInLondon

“Oh my days I’ve never seen such a childish response to a result in my life, this man is employed to talk about football, a middle aged man throwing his toys out the pram because his team couldn’t hack it against some teenagers.”

Credit: @bobmarl03974950

“Absolute clown.”

Credit: @Matt_S_1982

In other news, find out what transfer news has Evertonians fuming here!

Following on from Celtic’s 3-2 win over Real Betis in the Europa League, the Bhoys are back in action this afternoon with a Scottish Premiership clash against Motherwell at Parkhead. 

On the Chalkboard

In terms of which players Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou could pick to be in his starting XI on this occasion, one figure that featured in the win over Betis that should not be in the team on this occasion is Adam Montgomery.

Despite starting the game in midweek against the Spanish side, Montgomery failed to prove himself to Postecoglou before being replaced by Mikey Johnston.

During his time on the pitch, Montgomery didn’t have much of an attacking impact on the team by failing to have even one clear shot at goal or complete any of the two dribbles he attempted.

Things weren’t much better for the 19-year-old in a defensive sense either by losing nine duels, surrendering possession of the ball on 15 occasions (once every 3.2 touches) giving three fouls away and getting dribbled past twice.

This display ultimately earned Montgomery, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £3.5k-per-week according to Salary Sport, an overall underwhelming match rating of 6.3/10, making him one of Celtic’s lowest-rated players on the day according to SofaScore, showing how much he flopped on this occasion.

One dubbed “tremendous” by Postecoglou, his display on the night was sadly anything but.

Even though Montgomery has predominantly played in the left-back position for the 16 appearances he’s made for the Bhoys so far this term, it’s a shame that he couldn’t do more in an attacking sense against Betis when given the chance to play a bit further forward up the pitch to fully show off his talents to the manager.

Taking this into account, it should be in Celtic’s best interest if Postecoglou doesn’t start Montgomery today against Motherwell, who have the chance of cutting the gap between them and their opposition this afternoon to seven points if they manage to secure a win.

Labelled as a “very talented young player” in the past by Postecoglou, Montgomery’s poor performance against Betis should be no cause for concern given his age. However, if he keeps delivering underwhelming performances when called upon, there could be some questions raised over his ability moving forward.

In other news: “No estimated return date”: Devlin drops big Celtic injury update, Ange will be fuming

MatériaMais Notícias

No dia em que milhões de estudantes participaram do primeiro dia de provas do Enem (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio), quem mereceu nota 10 foi o Dérbi realizado na Arena em Itaquera. Emocionante do começo ao fim, o clássico na tarde deste domingo terminou com vitória por 3 a 2 do Corinthians sobre o Palmeiras, pela 32ª rodada do Brasileirão.

Com o resultado, o Timão aumentou para seis pontos a vantagem para o vice-líder, que agora é o Santos. Já o Verdão caiu para quarto lugar na tabela, com oitos pontos a menos que o rival – mesmos 54 do Grêmio. A seis rodadas para o fim do campeonato, o Corinthians faz as contas para o título. O Palmeiras, por sua vez, provavelmente terá de se contentar com uma vaga no G4.

O Dérbi começou elétrico. O Verdão, surpreendentemente, marcou em cima e pressionou o adversário em seu campo de defesa nos minutos iniciais. Mas a melhor chance foi do Corinthians, com Rodriguinho, que aproveitou falha na saída de bola alviverde, bateu no canto e viu Fernando Prass fazer linda defesa. Nota 10 para o goleiro!

O Palmeiras, mesmo com seus jogadores ofensivos desatentos durante a prova, conseguia ameaçar o rival. Mas novamente o Timão respondeu, e desta vez foi fatal. Após passe de Arana, Rodriguinho bateu cruzado e a bola chegou a Romero, que, em impedimento, completou com o gol vazio e abriu o placar. Nota 11 para o paraguaio, em homenagem a seu número na camisa. Já o árbitro Anderson Daronco, influenciado pelo seu assistente, não merece nota tão baixa porque o lance era difícil.

Não deu nem tempo de o Palmeiras absorver o gol que logo tomou outro. Clayson cobrou escanteio, Edu Dracena não conseguiu afastar, e Balbuena aproveitou e mandou de cabeça. Dois gols em dois minutos, e pareceria que o Corinthians iria golear…

Mas Dérbi não costuma ser fácil. O Palmeiras não se abateu e descontou ainda antes do intervalo, também após cobrança de escanteio. Dudu cobrou, e o gigante Mina ganhou dos corintianos pelo alto e mandou de cabeça.

E quem disse que o Corinthians se abateu? De novo, o Timão respondeu rapidamente. Mais precisamente em dois minutos, até Jô invadir a área e ser derrubado por Edu Dracena. Pênalti marcado, em outro lance difícil para a arbitragem. Na cobrança, o próprio Jô bateu e marcou.

No segundo tempo, o Palmeiras voltou com Róger Guedes no lugar de Keno, mas parecia que não teria forças para buscar ao menos o empate. O Timão soube controlar o jogo nos primeiros minutos da etapa final, mas o Verdão “achou” um gol. E novamente após cobrança de escanteio. Guerra cobrou, Pablo desviou para trás e Moisés fez uma pintura. Gol digno de nota 10.

O Dérbi ficou ainda mais emocionante na reta final. O Palmeiras, sem muita organização, tentou buscar o empate, mas teve Deyverson expulso nos acréscimos e viu o Corinthians segurar a vitória.

No ano do centenário do Dérbi, o Corinthians tem 100% de aproveitamento, com três vitórias nos três duelos. Aprovado com louvor!

FICHA TÉCNICA
CORINTHIANS 3 X 2 PALMEIRAS

Local: Arena Corinthians, em São Paulo (SP)
Data: 5/11/2017 – 17h
Árbitro: Anderson Daronco (RS)
Assistentes: Rafael da Silva Alves (RS) e Elio Nepomuceno Público e renda:
Cartões amarelos: Fagner, Gabriel, Maycon, Jadson e Romero (COR); Edu Dracena, Egídio, Bruno Henrique, Tchê Tchê e Dudu (PAL)
Cartão vermelho: Deyverso, aos 48’/2ºT (PAL)
Gols: Romero, aos 27’/1ºT (1-0); Balbuena, aos 29’/1ºT (2-0), Mina, aos 34’/1ºT (2-1); Jô, aos 37’/1ºT (3-1); Moisés, aos 22’/2ºT (3-2)

CORINTHIANS: Cássio, Fagner, Balbuena, Pablo e Guilherme Arana; Gabriel (Maycon, aos 21’/2ºT), Camacho (Fellipe Bastos, aos 36’/2ºT), Clayson (Jadson, aos 39’/2ºT), Rodriguinho e Romero; Jô. Técnico: Fábio Carille

PALMEIRAS: Fernando Prass, Mayke, Mina, Edu Dracena e Egídio; Bruno Henrique (Guerra, aos 21’/2ºT), Tchê Tchê (Deyverson, aos 39’/2ºT) e Moisés; Keno (Roger Guedes, intervalo), Dudu e Borja. Técnico: Alberto Valentim

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We are about one third into the Premier League season, with the hectic December schedule fast approaching, and the situation regarding favourites for the title and relegation seems more clear than just a few weeks ago.

Of course, there are still many matches to be played, but the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool have not only accumulated the points but also shown displays that indicate they have what it takes to win the trophy.

Only one club can do so in the end, but the title contenders are now quite clear, with one team that was speculated as one of the title favourites in the early season now barely being talked about when spots in European competitions are concerned. That team, of course, is Manchester United.

After a solid start to the season that saw the Red Devils win four of their five opening games, things started turning around for the worse for the Manchester outfit. While the recent win against Tottenham brought some hope that United may be bouncing back, the abysmal performance against Watford exposed all the weaknesses of United’s back line, and in turn got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally sacked.

As things stand, the major PA betting sites are not ranking Manchester United among the title contenders and it would be a true upset if they were to turn the season around and close the gap that already stands at 12 points just 12 weeks into the season.

What Went Wrong for United?

Pinpointing the exact cause of Man United’s fall this season is quite difficult, as a number of factors were at play to put one of the most decorated teams in the whole world on the back heel.

Ronaldo’s arrival was greatly celebrated in Manchester back in early season, and his goals in the opening games made it seem like he would be a massive contribution to the team. Yet, something changed at United since he arrived and the lack of team cohesion is never a good thing in a league as competitive as the EPL.

Hailed by all as a true legend of a club both before his arrival and after his departure, Solskjaer was not blamed by the players, but the media put the majority of the blame on his shoulders as he was the one who should make sure that things work well both on and off the pitch.

Finally, brash behaviour of the likes of Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire to earn red cards in matches where such a thing was not necessary simply show the lack of team spirit and desire to succeed as a collective.

Can United Still Turn it Around?

From a sports betting point of view, Manchester United have all bust lost hopes of winning the title, with bookies not even looking at them as one of the real title contenders.

For the fans, of course, the hope is always there that whoever comes after Solskjaer will do miracles and change the team from the ground up to catch up with the title contenders and at least win a spot in the Champions League next year.

All of that, however, could be just wishful thinking as the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Wolves will all be trying to win those spots and with the exception of the Spurs have all shown a true desire to fight for it to their dying breath.

Perhaps the best United fans can hope for is that the new manager will put things in their place and prepare the team to fight from day one next year and perhaps manage to go a few rounds in the Champions League to save face in an otherwise poor season for the Red Devils.

Rumoured Liverpool transfer target Gavi looks set to commit his long-term future to Barcelona, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Gavi linked with Reds move

The 17-year-old has burst onto the scene and looks like the next great player to have emerged from Barca’s ranks, making his Spain debut already and winning three caps.

Liverpool were linked with a move for Gavi last month in what was an exciting rumour, considering the potential that the midfielder appears to have.

With Blaugrana legend Xavi taking charge at the Nou Camp, however, the situation surrounding the teenager’s future now looks more clear.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: Romano shuts down transfer

According to Romano on Twitter, a long-term contract offer is on the table for Gavi, with the player himself wanting to stay put at Barcelona. The journalist posted:

“Barcelona are prepared to enter in the final stages of Gavi’s new contract negotiation. The long-term proposal [salary increasing from year to year] will be on the table soon… and Gavi wants to stay.

“Xavi also approved Barça board plan to keep Gavi for the next years.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-11/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Always unlikely

While the idea of Gavi trading Barca for Liverpool was an exciting one, there was always a feeling that he would end up remaining at the club where he has come through the ranks.

At 17, it would have been a shock if the Spaniard had upped sticks and moved on so soon. However, should the Catalan giants continue to struggle as they have been this season, his mindset could change eventually.

Football legend Lionel Messi has hailed Gavi as ‘very good’, which speaks volumes about the teenager’s potential, and it will be intriguing to see if the Reds keep an eye on his progress.

In other news, Liverpool are believed to be lining up a move for one player in January. Find out who it is here.

Everton saw out a 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in their latest Premier League game at Goodison Park at the weekend, placing them in 11th place in the league table with 15 points alongside Crystal Palace and Leicester City who also have 15 points on the board heading into the latest international break.

With a two week interval before the Toffees take on Manchester City away from home in their next league fixture, it seems as though Everton could be welcoming back one of their key players just in time to take on Pep Guardiola’s side, which we feel will leave a lot of fans buzzing.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the draw against Antonio Conte’s side, Everton manager Rafa Benitez revealed he is “optimistic” that defender Yerry Mina will be able to return to training in the next few days.

The Spaniard suggested that he is “very close” to a return to action after missing their last three Premier League matches because of a hamstring problem.

Not only will it be good to have Mina back available for selection against City, but it seems as though his return will be coming at the best time. Mason Holgate will be banned for the game against the Manchester club after he was red-carded in the late stages of the match against Tottenham so a replacement will evidently be required.

Since joining the Merseyside club from Barcelona back in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £28.5m, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, has made 83 appearances for the Toffees across all competitions, chipping in with six goals in the process.

In the six Premier League games he’s played in for Everton so far this season, Mina has managed to rack up an average of four clearances per game, 1.5 interceptions per game and one tackle per game, highlighting just how much of a defensive unit he can be for the Toffees.

This also says to us that Mina could well be a vital figure for Everton when their match against City comes around. They have managed to score 22 goals so far this season in the league and have made more passes than any other top-flight team with 7095 made across 11 games.

With this in mind, if the defender does manage to get back to training in the next few days and use his time to fully recover and prepare himself for the City game, his presence will give Everton a great chance of securing a positive result against the reigning league champions. That’s something that will undoubtedly leave supporters delighted.

In other news: Forget Holgate: £90k-p/w Everton dud with fewer touches than Pickford let Rafa down – opinion