Monthly Archives: May 2021

Man Utd favorites to beat Villarreal in Europa League final?

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Manchester United can end the season with silverware as they take on Villarreal in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is yet to win a trophy as United manager but the Norwegian coach has an excellent opportunity to end the drought in Poland this week.

Man Utd head into the game after finishing second in the Premier League which has booked their place in the Champions League next campaign.

Solskjaer was afforded the luxury of being able to rest several important players on the final day of the season but United still came away with a 2-1 win at Wolves to finish the season in style.

Villarreal on the other hand ended their campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid but they still secured European football after finishing seventh in La Liga.

Unai Emery is a Europa League master having reached the final on five occasions and he’ll be aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time.

Villarreal booked their place in the final with a narrow 2-1 win over Arsenal so they certainly shouldn’t be underestimated.

Betting odds

It will be no surprise to hear that Manchester United are the pre-match favorites with bookmakers such as 22Bet, who’re pricing the Red Devils at 2/5 to lift the trophy. You can check info on the bookie and see all the latest odds before placing your bet.

Villarreal are the underdogs and can be backed at odds of 2/1 to cause a shock in Poland on Wednesday night while the draw after 90 minutes is available at 12/5 if you think it will go to extra time.

We think United will get the job done inside the 90 minutes and 3-1 looks a decent bet at odds of 35/1. Bruno Fernandes to score anytime at odds of 17/10 is also a tempting bet.

Team news

Solskjaer will make plenty of changes to his starting eleven with several players recalled after being rested for the trip to Wolves at the weekend. Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani should all come into the side.

Man Utd will give Harry Maguire every opportunity to prove his fitness as the defender looks to return from an ankle injury that’s hampered him in recent weeks. However, the England international is considered a major doubt.

Anthony Martial will also require a late fitness test as the Frenchman is struggling with a knee problem that’s kept him out for the past two months.

However, there is some good news for United as Fred and Scott McTominay are expected to overcome minor issues to return in midfield.

Villarreal have no fresh injury concerns but they will be without attacker Samuel Chukwueze while Juan Foyth and Vicente Iborra are also set to miss out.

Prediction: Man Utd 3-1 Villarreal

Serie A Best Fantasy XI – Round 38

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Andrea Consigli (7 points): as expected, the final round was filled of goals as it has been the case for most of the season, and just four goalkeepers managed to keep the clean sheet. Wojciech Szczesny technically did not earn one because he did not finish the match, even though he had already subbed off when Juventus conceded, and he picked up an assist thanks to a sweet punt-kick. The nod goes to the Sassuolo mainstay, who parried away every attempt by an undermanned Lazio.

Omar Colley (9 points): Sampdoria easily tamed the low-wattage Parma attack Saturday night without breaking a sweat, and the Gambian powerhouse recorded his second goal of the season by finding himself at the right place at the right time for an easy tap-in on the opposing box.  Continue reading →

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round 38

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Standing’s implications: the much-awaited end of the Champions League race did not disappoint, and Milan and Juventus emerged victorious, while Napoli frittered away a golden opportunity. The Rossoneri earned it with a big-boy performance against Atalanta, the Bianconeri obliterated Bologna, while the Partenopei were held to disappointing a one-one tie at home by Verona. Roma desperately defended their seventh place with a draw versus Spezia, keeping Sassuolo behind even though the Neroverdi handled Lazio.  Continue reading →

Juventus Top Perfomers – Round 38 vs Bologna

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Juventus took care of business without breaking a sweat in the Bologna game and got unexpected help from Verona, sneaking back into the Champions League zone in the final round.

Alvaro Morata (7 points): the coaching staff took the liberty of resting Cristiano Ronaldo despite what was at stake, but the front-line still thrived anyway thanks to the gaping holes in the Felsinei defense and numerous fancy interplays between the attackers. Morata capitalized on the strong offensive output with two opportunistic goals, nudging it home on a great feed by Paulo Dybala and then beating the offside trap and burning the goalie on the second one. La Joya waltzed his way through defenders and was borderline uncontainable, fueling the regrets for the injury that sidelined him for a good chunk of the campaign.  Continue reading →

No Messi, no problem for Barcelona

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The narrative for the final game of the season was already written… wasn’t it?

Well, not quite.

Yes, Eibar have still never beaten Barcelona, but they were good value for at least a point against a disjointed and lacklustre side that already looked as though they were on their summer holidays.

Lionel Messi and Pedri, probably Barca’s two best performers throughout the 2020/21 campaign, were both given the day off, and though the Catalans certainly missed their incisiveness and industry, they never looked in trouble at Ipurua. Continue reading →

Atalanta vs. AC Milan: Serie A Round 38 – Team news, stats and prediction

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The final round of the season is upon us and for Milan, an extremely important encounter with Atalanta awaits at Gewiss Stadium. After getting just one point against Cagliari last time out, the Rossoneri most likely need to win in order to secure Champions League qualification for next season. 

It’s a task that won’t be easy for Stefano Pioli and his men but they are more than capable of getting the job done, as evidenced by the 3-0 win at Juventus. Atalanta have already secured their spot in the top four but will be playing for prize money, as there is about a €5m difference between finishing second and fourth.  Continue reading →

Serie A Probable Lineups – Round 38

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CAGLIARI-GENOA

Cagliari (3-5-2): Cragno; Ceppitelli, Godin, Carboni; Nandez, Marin, Nainggolan, Duncan, Lykogiannis; Pedro, Pavoletti.

Potential lineup changes: Zappa for Lykogiannis, Deiola for Duncan, Simone for Pavoletti.

Likely bench options: Zappa, Pavoletti, Cerri.

Ruled out: Rog (ACL tear), Walukiewicz (back pain), Calabresi (thigh muscle fatigue). Continue reading →

Serie A Predictions – Round 38

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In most matches, one or both teams have nothing to play for, which makes things tougher.

Cagliari-Genoa: the Sardinians have stayed undefeated for seven bouts, where they have defeated Parma, Udinese, Roma, and Benevento and shared the spoils with Napoli, Fiorentina, and Milan. They are surely in better shape than the Liguri, who picked up just three points (against Bologna) in the last four rounds, losing to Lazio, Sassuolo, and Atalanta: 2-1.  Continue reading →

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round 38

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Atalanta: Viktor Kovalenko is out with a thigh injury. Robin Gosens picked up an ankle knock in the Coppa Italia final, but he is good to go, while Hans Hateboer is a late scratch.

Missing: Kovalenko, Hateboer. 

Benevento: Gianluca Caprari and Iago Falque are out with new muscular injuries. Artur Ionita suffered a severe knee sprain, and Fabio Depaoli fractured his collarbone in the last game. Marco Sau (thigh strain), and Gabriele Moncini (ankle surgery) are also out.

Returning: Foulon; Missing: Caprari, Depaoli, Ionita, Sau, Moncini. 

Bologna: Mitchell Dijks and Roberto Soriano are suspended. Mattias Svanberg (shoulder bruise) and Danilo (foot contusion) are iffy. Federico Santander (ACL tear) trained partially with the group during the week. Nicolas Dominguez (MCL sprain) and Aaron Hickey (shoulder surgery) are on the mend.  Continue reading →

From Messi to Salah- The Best 11 Players of the 2020/21 season

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The football season in Europe is almost over with just 1 more week left for the major leagues. There are sure to be some exciting finishes especially in Spain where either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid will be crowned champions.

As for England, congratulations to Manchester City who are the new champions, and in Italy Inter finally ended Juventus’ domination of the league in style.

But which players have shone and proved themselves this season above all others? And did you have any of these stars in your fantasy teams? The formation used is a 4-4-2 one and the leagues used are the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 116pts

Sometimes the points are very close between players but not a chance for Jan Oblak who has again underlined himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Oblak has amassed 116 points and kept 18 clean sheets with only 24 goals conceded. He may just win the Spanish title this weekend too.

Defender: Achraf Hakimi- Inter- 92pts

Usually we see the same players in best teams of the season lists so it is refreshing to see the talent of Inter defender Achraf Hakimi make this list. Hakimi has certainly been one of the driving forces behind Inter’s title charge and was able to help to keep 13 clean sheets. However Hakimi has never been afraid to come forward and his stats are quite stunning- He has scored 7 league goals and also assisted in another 8. He made 23 points more than the next Inter defender.

Defender: Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 90pts

Kieran Trippier has proven himself this season even if Atletico don’t win the league this weekend. He has been solid and superb and really grown as a player in defence. He hasn’t scored any goals but that isn’t his job, although he has set up six of them. But he has been part of a defence that has conceded 13 goals and has 16 clean sheets to his name. In short he has been Atletico’s best defender and few would have seen that coming.

Defender: Ruben Dias- Manchester City 75pts

Ruben Dias has just been named as the footballer’s writer’s defender of the season and really that came as no shock. Dias has been absolutely brilliant and his defending has been key as to why Manchester City were able to win back the title from Liverpool. An absolutely stunning season from Dias.

Defender: John Stones- Manchester City 75pts

John Stones, the revelation who upped his game several levels to keep his place in the Manchester City line up and won a title along the way. Possibly Stones’ best season as a professional player. Helped to keep 13 clean sheets and also scored 4 goals.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 118pts

Mohamed Salah is getting better by every year even when Liverpool dipped and saw their title easily taken away from them, Salah still scored the goals. 22 goals and 4 assists, Salah may just end up as top goalscorer for this season in the Premier League.

Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes- Manchester United 114pts

Bruno Fernandes hasn’t just had a terrific season he has changed Manchester United. If you want to know how and why United finished as runners-up in the league and are in the final of the Europa League look no further than the excellent Fernandes. He has scored 18 goals and assisted in another 12. Worth his weight in gold.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 100pts

Atletico have been brilliant and consistent for the first time in La Liga since 2014 and Marcos Llorente has been outstanding in midfield with his anticipation and his superbly taken and timely tackles. Llorente has scored 12 goals and assisted in another 11.

Midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan- Roma 92pts

For Roma this has been a season of what could have been but Mkhitaryan has had one of his best seasons of his career and has stayed reliable and consistent. He has contributed in an impressive 22 goals scoring 12 along the way.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 130pts

Lionel Messi is one of the greats but did anyone really expect him to have the most points in European Fantasy League this season? At the beginning of the season he wanted to leave Barcelona but he stayed and they won the Copa Del Rey, not the best standard for the club. But Messi is Messi and he kept scoring and creating chances and has netted an amazing 30 goals and assisted in a further 9.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo- Juventus 117pts

The Messi and Ronaldo rivalry lives on despite their ages, they are ranked as the two best strikers in European Fantasy League. Ronaldo will end the Serie A season as top goalscorer and create a record- no other player has finished top of the goalscoring charts in England, Spain and Italy before. No league title for Ronaldo this time but he did win the Coppa Italia and will be raring to go next season. He has scored 29 goals and assisted in another 3.