Luka Jovic can still make a difference for Real Madrid

His signing was one of Real Madrid’s biggest in the summer. Indeed, Luka Jovic arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu to much fanfare. After all, the Serbian striker had just enjoyed an exceptional season with Eintracht Frankfurt, leading the Bundesliga club to the latter rounds of the Europa League. Los Blancos needed a striker and Jovic appeared to fit the bill.

However, the 22-year-old has struggled to find a place at his new club. Jovic has scored just once for Real Madrid this season with game time at a premium. With Karim Benzema enjoying the season of his life, the Serbian has been distinctly second choice. Even when he has been given the chance, Jovic has toiled.

And yet there’s still a sense that he could make a difference for Real Madrid in the second half of the season. The fixtures are now coming thick and fast for Los Blancos, with the La Liga title race hotting up, the Copa del Rey getting into full swing and the Champions League set to return for the last 16 stage in February. Zinedine Zidane will almost certainly need to rotate his squad.

There have been signs of improvement of late. Jovic started a crucial La Liga match against Sevilla two weeks ago with Benzema out injured. While the Serbian failed to find the back of the net, he played an important in a 2-1 home win. There is increasingly a feeling that Jovic can play as a part of Real Madrid’s attacking line even if he remains unconvincing in scoring goals for himself.

Zidane is standing by his summer signing. Speculation swirled over January that Jovic could leave on loan, but is still at Real Madrid. I’d like him to score, but he’ll get there if he keeps working,” the French boss said after the mid-week Copa del Rey win over Real Zaragoza. “He’s young, he’s just arrived and the good thing is that he’s in a team where there are a lot of big players and he has to adapt. The delicate moment will be good for him – when he finally scores, everything will change.”

Real Madrid are building momentum, with Los Blancos holding a three-point lead at the top of La Liga at this moment. Players like Fede Valverde and Ferland Mendy are offering something to Zidane he didn’t have last season. It’s now up to Jovic to prove that he can do the same thing up front.

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Serie A’s Top Three Breakout Stars

Over the years, Serie A has acted as a home to some of the world’s best up and coming players. Whether it’s established talents like Matthijs de Ligt and Gigio Donnarumma or relatively new ones like Lautaro Martinez, Italy has proven to be a great platform for young players to earn their stripes. This season has been no different and a number of players have made the most of their opportunities and have taken their games to the next level.

Here are the Serie A’s three breakout stars from the 2019-2020 season.

Dejan Kulusevski – Parma: On loan from Atalanta, Kulusevski made the most of his temporary spell at Parma and was undoubtedly one of this season’s breakout stars. The Swedish international is capable of playing on the wing or centrally and has established himself as an elite creator with Parma. Playing in a counter-attacking system, Kulusevski’s pace, and spatial awareness have set him apart from the rest. His five goals and seven assists on the season indicate he’s been able to add end-product to his game, something his new employers, Juventus, will be hoping for. It will be interesting to see where Sarri sees the Atalanta youth product in his setup. Is it in the front three or in the midfield?

Whether he’s breaking the lines with an incisive pass or taking on his marker with speed, Kulusevski is one of the league’s trickiest customers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Juventus dropped nearly 45 million euros for the 19-year-old. If he’s able to maintain his current form, there’s no reason why the Parma man won’t be able to make the transition to the big stage.

Jeremie Boga – Sassuolo: After countless loan spells, Boga made the move to Sassuolo from Chelsea and got the consistency he so desperately craved. With the neroverdi, Boga has been afforded freedom in the final third and often drifts centrally from a left-wing position. Much like Kulusevski, the former Chelsea youth product thrives in a free-roam role and has done so in De Zerbi’s free-flowing system. Many clubs are actively looking for a winger who can beat his man and Boga fits the bill perfectly.

Currently, Boga is averaging the most successful dribbles per game (4.3) in the league and represents a constant menace in the final third. While end-product was previously a concern, it seems Boga has put his finishing woes behind him, having scored five goals already on the season. If you needed any more proof of this, take a look at his curler against Torino from 25 yards out or his chip over Gianluigi Buffon. With many clubs after him, it’s time Boga seriously considers his future and continues his progression into an elite attacking midfielder.

Gaetano Castrovilli – Fiorentina: Moving away from the final third, Fiorentina’s Gaetano Castrovilli is one to watch and is arguably the biggest talent on this list. A natural mezz’ala by trade, Castrovilli combines an impressive range of passing with an uncanny ability to beat his man. Much like Boga, Castrovilli thrives with the ball at his feet and successfully completes 3.2 dribbles per game. In many ways, Castrovilli’s play is eerily reminiscent to that of a young Marchisio, albeit one that’s more comfortable taking on his man. Moving forward, he will need to add more end-product to his game, but his three goals and two assists on the season are a good start.

With a number of Italy’s clubs lining up for the young man, it seems Castrovilli’s days with Fiorentina are numbered. Simply put, Castrovilli has a lot to ponder going into the summer.

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Milan sign Saelemaekers after cull

Milan have parted ways with three meaningful pieces of their recent past: the oft-maligned but generally productive Suso has moved to Sevilla on 18-month season-long loan with conditioned obligation to buy, Krzysztof Piatek was sold to Hertha Berlin and Ricardo Rodriguez transferred to PSV. Despite some prolonged underwhelming stretches, the Spaniard winger has been able to tally at least six goals and seven assists in each of the last three years and served as a massive reference point. He has struggled this year and recently fell out of favour due to a tactical switch, with Samu Castillejo taking over on the right wing. He will be bought out by Sevilla for €20M if they qualify to Champions League. Continue reading

Juventus sell Can to Dortmund and loan Pjaca to Anderlecht

Emre Can’s time in Turin is over as Juventus agreed to sell him to Borussia Dortmund, 18 months after signing him for free from Liverpool. The formula for the transfer is a €1M season-long loan with a €25M conditioned obligation to buy. Despite a slow adaptation and a thyroid issue, he notched 29 appearances in 2018/2019, scoring four times. He was severely hurt by the coaching chance, since he gave his best performances as centre-back in a three-man defence, and he never recovered mentally from being excluded from the Champions League list in January and then went on to play just nine times, starting just twice and logging a total of 279 ineffective minutes, expressing frustration publicly in a couple of occasions.

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Lazio-SPAL: Team news, stats, and prediction

Following 11 straight wins in Serie A, Lazio shared the spoils in the Derby Della Capitale this past weekend but will be looking to return to winning ways against SPAL. Earlier in the season, SPAL beat the biancocelesti comfortably. Will Inzaghi’s men fare better in match-day 22?

Against Roma, Lazio looked off the pace and quite frankly, were fortunate to avoid defeat. Had it not been for an uncharacteristic error from Pau Lopez, Inzaghi’s men were heading for their first loss in sixteen Serie A clashes. Prior to their draw with their fierce rivals, Lazio lost to Napoli in the Coppa Italia, indicating a down-turn in form may be on the cards for the capital-based outfit.

Despite this, Lazio are going into this one with all their starters while the same cannot be said about SPAL. Without further ado, let’s look at the latest team news.

TEAM NEWS

Much like it was the case against Roma, Lazio are expected to be a full strength against SPAL. However, one question mark remains in their starting eleven. Currently, Joaquin Correa’s condition is being monitored and may not feature from the start. Towering forward Felipe Caicedo would step in to replace the Argentine striker.

Beyond that, Inzaghi is expected to name an unchanged lineup with Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flanking Lucas Leiva in the midfield. As usual, Acerbi will be joined by Radu and Luiz Felipe in defence. Marusic, Cataldi and Lukaku all miss out through injury.

SPAL will mirror Lazio’s 3-5-2 setup, but will have to make do without talisman and newly-acquired Napoli man Andrea Petagna, who’s suspended. Floccari is expected to take his place alongside Di Francesco. Mohamed Fares will miss out once more due to injury while former Lazio midfielder Alessandro Murgia is expected to feature from the start against his former employers.

In addition to Petagna, Mattia Valoti is suspended and will miss this clash. Marco D’Alessandro is also expected to miss this game through injury.

Probable XI’s:

Lazio (3-5-2): Strakosha; Felipe Luiz, Acerbi, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto, Lulic; Caicedo, Immobile.

SPAL (3-5-2): Berisha; Tomovic, Vicari, Bonifazi; Strefezza, Dabo, Missiroli, Murgia, Reca; Floccari, Di Francesco.

STATS

- Lazio have scored three goals in their last seven of eight home games.

- Lazio have won their last six Serie A home games.

- In their last six clashes against each other, Lazio have won 3, SPAL have emerged victorious twice and they’ve shared the spoils once.

PREDICTION

With Lazio chasing Juventus and Inter closely, I don’t expect them to drop points against SPAL, especially considering their impressive home record and run of form as of late. While SPAL proved they can get the better of the biancocelesti earlier in the season, Andrea Petagna is a big absence and will likely prove to be the difference in this one. Given Lazio’s firepower and SPAL’s injuries and suspensions to key players, this game is only going to finish one way. With a Lazio win, that is.

Lazio-SPAL: 3-1

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PREVIEW: Juventus-Fiorentina – The Old Lady Looks To Bounce Back

Having crashed out of the Coppa Italia in midweek at the hands of Inter, Fiorentina’s difficult run of fixtures continues on Sunday as they travel to Turin to take on Juventus. Fans of La Viola would love nothing more than to add to Maurizio Sarri’s problems, the Bianconeri having lost away at Napoli last weekend.

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Fantasy LaLiga picks for this weekend’s action – Madrid derby takes centre stage

This weekend sees another full list of LaLiga clashes as Madrid prepares for the derby when Real host Atleti on Saturday afternoon.

It’s time to look ahead to the upcoming games as you decide on what changes, if any, to make in fantasy LaLiga.

Have a read and see if any tips stick out which might suit your fantasy LaLiga team this weekend.

Goalkeeper – Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao) – 5.5 million

Unai Simon is the third-highest scoring goalkeeper in fantasy LaLiga so far this season but far cheaper than Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak. Simon is on 55 points.

Defender – Yuri (Athletic Bilbao) – 3.0 million

The highest-scoring defender is another incredible bargain at just 3.0 million. Yuri is another Athletic Bilbao player.

Defender – Yeray (Athletic Bilbao) – 2.0 million

A good cheap defender and another Athletic Bilbao bargain! Yeray is a great choice for many fantasy LaLiga managers.

Defender – Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) – 7.0 million

Daniel Carvajal is enjoying some consistency at right-back this season for Real Madrid and is one of Los Blancos’ cheaper options.

Defender – Diego Carlos (Sevilla) – 6.0 million

Sevilla’s Brazilian centre-half is enjoying a strong season so far with Sevilla.

Midfielder – Daniel Parejo (Valencia) – 8.5 million

Parejo, the Spanish playmaker, having another fine season at the Mestalla.

Midfielder – Ruben Garcia (Osasuna) – 4.5 million

Five goals and one assist from Osasuna’s midfield makes Ruben Garcia one of the surprise packages of the LaLiga campaign so far.

Midfielder – Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal) – 5.5 million

Veteran midfielder Santi Cazorla only returned from long-term injury last season. He has been in great form for Villarreal.

Midfielder – Martin Odegaard (Real Sociedad) – 5.0 million

The 20-year-old Norwegian star who is still owned by Real Madrid has a huge future in the game. Martin Odegaard has performed brilliantly this season.

Forward – Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 20.0 million

Lionel Messi won his sixth Ballon d’Or last week. The Argentine wizard missed the first few weeks of Barcelona’s season. Messi looked to be coming back to his best with two goals in the Copa del Rey during the week.

Forward – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 10.0 million

Karim Benzema is ensuring no-one forgets about him in Zinedine Zidane’s new-ish Real Madrid squad.

Team in full (4-4-2): Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao); Yuri (Athletic Bilbao), Yeray (Athletic Bilbao), Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid), Diego Carlos (Sevilla); Daniel Parejo (Valencia), Ruben Garcia (Osasuna), Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal), Martin Odegaard (Real Sociedad); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Total cost: 77.0 million

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Serie A Probable Lineups – Round 22

Bologna-Brescia

Bologna: 4-2-3-1 Skorupski; Mbaye, Danilo, Bani, Denswil; Poli, Schouten; Orsolini, Soriano, Sansone; Palacio.

Potential lineup changes: Dominguez for Poli, Barrow for Sansone.

Probable: Denswil (hamstring).

Ruled Out: Medel (hamstring), Dijks (foot), Krejci (knee).

Suspended: Tomiyasu.

 

Brescia: 4-3-1-2 Joronen; Sabelli, Cistana, Chancellor, Mateju; Bisoli, Tonali, Dessena; Romulo; Aye, Torregrossa. Continue reading

Lazio have turned defence from weakness to strength – so what has changed?

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Nobody saw it coming, but perhaps that’s why they should have.

The Rome Derby has a well-earned reputation for upsetting the odds and ignoring the form book, and the fixture provided more evidence of why last weekend.

Lazio went into the game on a club record 11-game winning run, while their injury-ravaged rivals had started the new year with three defeats in five games.

But the Giallorossi dominated from start to finish, bossing possession, creating chances and coming away from a 1-1 draw wondering how they had failed to claim three points.

Fingers were understandably pointed at the Roma attack for a lack of cutting edge, as they relied on an error from Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha to find the net at all, before Pau Lopez replied with an even worse howler of his own. Continue reading

Douglas Costa opens up in interview

Douglas Costa spoke on Thursday night to DAZN Brazil: “Everybody asks me to come back to Gremio, but I am too expensive, they would not been able to match my current salary, I do not want to bankrupt them, I will return when it will be feasible. I am very fond of them and I would like to finish my career here, but I have a lot more to do in Europe.”

“In Turin, sometimes it is cold, sometimes it hot, it is dark outside early but it does not snow a lot. I am very comfortable in Italy, it is similar to Brazil, the food is good and the language is not that hard. It is a perfect situation, I can walk wherever I want, the training camp is nearby and the club treats me very well. The life was different in Germany, the fans were more serene there, while they are more passionate in Italy. There is a lot more pressure.” Continue reading