La Liga players to watch ahead of the weekends action

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As we look head into the 22nd round of fixtures for the 2017/18 La Liga campaign, we look at the players that we believe could prove star turns for their sides over the weekend.

Sergio Asenjo

The goalkeeper has kept three clean sheets in seven appearances this season and has played a valuable role in his side’s good form of recent.

Whilst Betis sit 13th in the table, they are good for a goal so the once capped Spanish international may have to be at his brilliant best if he is to add to an impressive record. Continue reading

Why Lucas Moura is the best signing of the January transfer window

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There have been some high profile transfers this January, the kind that had been absent in recent winter windows, the kind that do actually inspire excitement from the fans, rather than the transfers for the sake of it that we appear to see too often.

Big names, big clubs, some big transfer fees too – but one appears to have crept under the radar somewhat. And that is the £25m Tottenham signing Lucas Moura.

The Brazilian has spent the last four years at Paris St. Germain, following his £38m move from Sao Paulo in 2013, a move that saw Moura choose PSG over Manchester Unitd and Inter. He went on to cement himself as a first team regular, with his pacey runs and trickery, and netting 33 goals from attacking midfield. But with recent big money signings Julian Draxler, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, there is competition for places, commercial considerations, and the preference of manager Unai Emery has been to freeze Moura out. Continue reading

Can Alexis Sanchez Carry Manchester United to Champions League Glory?

Manchester United are one of the five Premier League clubs to have advanced through the group stages of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. The Red Devils topped Group A by getting 15 of 18 possible points against the likes of Basel, CSKA Moscow and Benfica.

Jose Mourinho’s men are gearing up for a tough showdown in the knockout stages against Spanish side Sevilla, who finished second in Group E behind United rivals Liverpool. Manchester City are currently listed as the favorites to win the tournament, but did United close the gap with the shock acquisition of Alexis Sanchez?

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If you have already wagered on City to win their first Champions League title, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to hedge your bets by throwing some money down on their intracity rivals. Mourinho has won this tournament before, and this United squad clearly has the talent necessary to get to the top for the first time since 2008. Continue reading

Coutinho’s Liverpool Exit Gives Others a Chance to Step Up

Liverpool opted to cash in on their Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho in the January transfer window to the sum of around £142 million from Barcelona, but they remain in a strong position to move on from the loss of the second most expensive player in football history. Jürgen Klopp has stated it was an easy decision to offload the silky playmaker, since it wouldn’t have made sense to keep an unhappy player on the books at Anfield.

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While the Reds took a long time to recover from the last player who departed to the Catalan capital, there are attacking players on the club’s books who can step up and fill Coutinho’s boots. Continue reading

Ligue 1 Player of the Week – Neymar Jr.

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Our Player of the Week accolade is this week awarded to the endeavours of Paris Saint-Germain’s superstar Neymar Jr, who played a pivotal role in his side’s 4-0 home victory over Montpellier as they bounced back from a surprise 2-1 defeat to Lyon in the previous round of games.

With Montpellier troubling France’s top six side’s across the campaign, there was a degree of trepidation for the hosts as they licked the wounds gained in Lyon.

However, any suggestion of an upset was quickly put to rest as PSG categorically blew away their visitors in an exhilarating performance at the Parc des Princes, with Neymar  front and centre of many of the home side’s best periods of play. Continue reading

Sane Absence Won’t Hinder Man City With Bernardo Silva Waiting In The Wings

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News broke earlier today that Leroy Sane will miss around six or seven weeks of action after suffering ankle ligament damage during Man City’s FA Cup Fourth Round win at Cardiff at the weekend.

While Sane is clearly a gifted and influential player, and despite how obviously unfortunate this news is, the fact is that City will hardly miss a beat without the 22-year-old.

Now, that statement may seem harsh – Sane has a wonderful mix of youth and passion for the sport, and is visibly enjoying life at the Etihad. His contribution so far this season must also not be overlooked – he is an important part of Pep Guardiola’s plans. Continue reading

Monaco vice president confirms Lemar to stay at club ‘until the end of the season’

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The likelihood of any prospective late bids for the in-demand AS Monaco wideman Thomas Lemar have been dealt a serious blow, with the club’s vice president explicitly saying that no deals will be done ahead of the window’s closure.

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Game of the Week – Newport County 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

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With a distinct lack of Premier League football this past weekend thanks to the fourth round of the FA Cup taking place, it is only natural to look at that competition to fill in as this week’s “Game of the Week”.

Continue reading