Chelsea welcome Watford to Stamford Bridge on Saturday in a crucial match at both ends of the table, with Frank Lampard’s side looking to recover from their difficult midweek defeat to West Ham United.
The West London side will be looking over their shoulder as Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers continue their chase for Champions League football, with anything less than a win potentially seeing Chelsea drop out of the top four.
Watford also need a result as they look to build on their one-point gap to the bottom three, with Bournemouth and Aston Villa close behind if they continue to slip up.
The return of football has been difficult for Nigel Pearson’s side and he will hope to cause another upset like their 3-0 win over Liverpool in February.
Form
Chelsea come into the match on a decent run of form despite their 3-2 defeat to West Ham and have won four of their last six league fixtures.
They have also won their last three matches at Stamford Bridge, with top-four rivals Manchester United the last side to get the better of them.
Watford on the other hand have been in wretched form, losing four of their last six Premier League matches and their last two in a row.
Away from home, the story isn’t much better, with the Hornets winless in their last five and on a run of three consecutive defeats.
Team news
Long-term absentees Marco van Ginkel and Fikayo Tomori will be both continue to miss out on Saturday, but otherwise Chelsea have no fresh worries.
Lampard will have been disappointed to concede three times against West Ham, though, and could look to rotate his backline.
Like Chelsea, Watford will be without their long-term injury absentees, with Isaac Success, Gerard Deulofeu and Daryl Janmaat all unlikely to feature again this season.
Andre Gray, Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina have all been disciplined by the club following a breach of lockdown, but it remains to be seen whether this will influence their selection.
How to watch
A huge match at either end of the table, Chelsea vs Watford kicks off at 20:00 UTC at Stamford Bridge.
The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, and if you live stream football you can also do that online.
Coventry City duo Michael Rose and Fankaty Dabo are closing in on a return to full fitness as the newly promoted Championship club return to training.
After a superb 2019/2020 campaign which saw them gain promotion from League One to the Championship, the Sky Blues have returned to training as they look to prepare for a stint in England’s second flight.
Boss Mark Robins has been busy this summer in making two signings already, completing deals for Gustavo Hamer and Julien Dacosta.
Other arrivals are expected with former Aston Villa midfielder Callum O’Hare been linked with a move, having spoken to former teammate Jordan Shipley recently.
Returning to training ahead of the 2020/2021 season on Monday, Robins put his players through their paces at the Ryton-on-Dunsmore training ground.
Two players who did not attend the session, however, were Rose and Dabo, who continued to do recovery work the club’s gymnasium.
The full extent of the injuries suffered by both over the recent break are unknown, but it is understood both are closing in on a return to full fitness.
The Sky Blues have two weeks of training to prepare for their first pre-season friendly which comes against Scottish Premiership side Rangers at Ibrox on July 25.
Rose and Dabo are both key players for Coventry and they will be integral to the club’s Championship stint next term. Indeed, the former made 31 League One appearances last term whilst the latter was involved 32 times (Transfermarkt).
Having them back fit will be a huge boost for the Sky Blues as they embark on a season in the second tier.
How well do you think Coventry City will get on in the Championship? Let us know in the comments section below…
So with the new league season in Scotland getting set to start, Rangers could be heading into their first game without Colombia international Alfredo Morelos.
The striker’s future at Ibrox has been up in the air for these past few weeks and months, and it now appears that he may finally be heading for the exit door.
According to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, the 24-year-old has agreed terms with French side Lille, and that it is now up to the two clubs to negotiate a fee.
And after hearing about the major update on Morelos, Rangers fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.
A couple of supporters expressed their disappointment at seeing Morelos potentially leaving, with one fan questioning whether they could even bring in a genuine replacement for him.
One fan meanwhile didn’t seem too bothered at all by the prospect of Morelos going, even suggesting that he “cost” Rangers the title.
So the reaction to Morelos potentially leaving this summer seems to have brought a very mixed reaction.
Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…
But what is clear though, is that Gers fans seem to have full confidence in Ross Wilson working his magic in the transfer market and securing good money for the striker, and then going on to replace him with quality as well.
The timing of the deal is incredibly strange though, and you’d have to think Rangers have something lined up.
Manchester United are now prioritising Ajax’s Donny Van de Book ahead of Villa’s Jack Grealish this summer, according to the Mirror.
With the Red Devils already securing their spot in next seasons Champions League, they are looking to strengthen their squad with a new attacking midfielder. Grealish had previously been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer; however, the Villa captain has been deemed as ‘too expensive’, having been valued at over £50m.
Van de Beek has impressed many top clubs around Europe over the past couple of seasons, and he first gained recognition on the big stage – reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League with Ajax.
The versatile midfielder has recently turned 23, and has already made 10 appearances for Netherlands senior national team. The Dutchman made 23 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, scoring eight and assisting six. In the Champions League, he also scored two and assisted one in just five games.
Van de Beek has been on the radar of Manchester United for over a year, and he was expected to complete a move to Real Madrid last summer which fell through. This summer he could follow the footsteps of his former teammate Hakim Ziyech, who departed Ajax for Chelsea last month.
Unless Villa lower their valuation of skipper Jack Grealish, United will surely turn their full attention to the Ajax star as he will be available to purchase for considerably less.
Verdict
If Manchester United can sure the transfer of Donny Van de Beek for under £50m, it will be a great bit of business for the club. The Dutchman will certainly bring a different dimension to their midfield, and will thrive playing alongside Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
Van de Beek would fit United’s system better than Grealish as he is more of an attacking midfielder, whereas Grealish is sometimes preferred out wide.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ season has been quite good overall. But alas, their Europa League run was halted by Sevilla just the other day, putting an end to an excellent run and an excellent campaign as a whole. Still, even with all of that being said, no silverware once again will surely plant a seed of doubt in some of the stars’ minds at Molineux.
One such player is definitely Raul Jimenez and now, he’s been told by ESPN writer Sergio Dipp to leave Wolves for greener pastures where he can achieve much more and more importantly, win titles.
The Mexican football expert believes it’s time for him to move on, especially considering that there is interest from other Premier League titans like Manchester United or even Liverpool. Needless to say, he believes Jimenez would be a much bigger success at Old Trafford or Anfield instead of the Molineux.
Here’s what he wrote for ESPN: “Leave Wolverhampton now, the best thing Raul Jimenez can do is change of scene. The English League has been very good for him, but the team has been too small for him.
He should have a thirst for revenge and a desire to demonstrate at the highest level, because in May he will turn 30 and naturally the window will be closing. So he has to take advantage of the fact that he is coming off the best season of his career”
The coveted striker was signed from Benfica back in 2018 after four years of service under the Portuguese badge and has bagged 44 goals and 18 assists across 99 matches for Wolves ever since.
According to Dipp, now would be the ideal time to leave.
Verdict
There is no denying Jimenez’s quality but he is also slowly but surely heading towards the latter parts of his career and this may indeed be one of his last chances to shine for a top, top team.
Wolves are also an incredibly exciting squad but will they actually claim some silverware for their efforts in the immediate future? It seems there’s a huge decision ahead of Jimenez and only time will tell what happens next.
According to Football Insider, Leeds have opened “preliminary talks” with Valencia over the transfer of Spain international Rodrigo.
What’s the word?
The forward enjoyed an impressive campaign for the La Liga giants last season, scoring seven times and providing a further 11 assists in 34 games across all competitions.
Now, Football Insider claim that “Leeds are making progress with their pursuit ofÂRodrigo, 29, as Valencia are looking to cash in on some of their top stars to raise much-needed funds”.
Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…
The report further adds that the former Bolton striker currently has an asking price of £30m, although the Whites are hopeful of negotiating a lower fee for him this summer.
Champions League quality
Whilst Valencia may have fallen at the hands of this season’s surprise packages in the Champions League, Atalanta, Rodrigo starred in the Spaniard’s qualification from the group stages.
Not only did he set up one of the goals in Valencia’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at home, he was also on hand to fire home the winner against the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
And amid speculation linking the Spaniard with a move to Elland Road, Guillem Balague waxed lyrical about the prospect of Rodrigo playing under Marcelo Bielsa.
If Leeds can snare Rodrigo this summer, they would be getting a proven finisher at the very highest level.
Manchester United have only made one transfer so far this transfer window, and it was a very good one as highly rated Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek joined the club from Ajax.
However there seems to be a growing frustration from a lot of supporters of the club that there have not been more signings, especially when it seems like the news on their pursuit on the possible signing of Jadon Sancho varies from positive to negative on a daily basis.
According to Rob Dawson, who works at ESPN, and tweeted out by utdreport, Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seems to now be in the same boat as supporters of the club. He has been largely accepting of the financial implications that recent events have caused but now he is starting to become annoyed and impatient that deals he thought would happen have not materialised.
With their Premier League season getting underway as they play Crystal Palace at the weekend, all associated with the club will not want any rifts because it could affect the campaign, and hopefully Ed Woodward starts to bring in some more signings to please the manager and the fan base shortly.
Here is what fans said following the news:
Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!
What a great weekend of Premier League football. This game week saw an incredible 39 goals scored across all 10 games, with two 5-2 victories for Tottenham and Everton, both of which kicked off their campaigns against each other in game week 1.
There was some stand out players along the way too – with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son enjoying a very fruitful weekend with 4 assists and a goal and 4 goals respectively, and a hattrick from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, as well as braces from Danny Ings, Neal Maupay, Sadio Mané, Helder Costa, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Wilfried Zaha.
With all that being said, it comes that time again where we take a look at those results and how they compare to my predictions from Premier Picks. If you haven’t signed up already, then be sure to do so here, and create a mini-league to challenge your mates throughout the season ahead of GW3- good luck!
Everton 5-2 West Brom
It was an impressive display from Carlo Ancelotti and his team – with the standout inevitably being Calvert-Lewin, with the 23-year-old scoring a hattrick in the Toffees’ 5-2 victory.
West Brom actually started the game well, with Grady Diangana kicking things off with a cracking striker in the 10th minute and an incredible freekick from Matheus Pereira at the start of the second half to level the game out for the Baggies. It was short-lived, however, with Everton completing the turnaround to win the game.
New boy James Rodriguez also scored his first goal for the club, before being involved in an incident that saw West Brom left-back Kieran Gibbs face a red card – a game that differed greatly from my 3-0 prediction, but at least I got the result correct.
Leeds 4-3 Fulham
Marcelo Bielsa’s side found themselves in their second 4-3 game in just two weeks, however this time they were the victors after their opening day defeat to Liverpool. The Whites were 4-1 up on the hour mark thanks to goals from Helder Costa, Mateusz Klich, and Patrick Bamford, but Fulham had other ideas – with two goals from Bobby Reid and a second for Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Cottagers almost staged an impressive comeback but failed to find that fourth and goal to level the game out.
It was an important win for Leeds, their first Premier League victory for 16 years, and their first three points of the season – this left Fulham bottom of the table, with no points from their first two games. I had predicted a calmer game, with a 2-0 win for Leeds, as I’m sure not many would have gone with a 4-3 victory for either side.
Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace
One of the shock results of this weekend – Roy Hodgson and his side managed an impressive victory against Manchester United on Saturday, the Red Devils’ first game of the season. The Eagles opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a goal from Andros Townsend, with the score staying 1-0 until the 74th minute after some frustrating VAR drama that saw Palace’s retaken penalty slotted home by Wilfried Zaha.
Debutant Donny van de Beek scored his first goal for the club taking them one goal away from a draw, but it was short-lived, with Zaha sealing the three points for the Eagles in the 85th minute with a fantastic finish. This win gave Palace a perfect start to their campaign and saw Ole Gunnar Solsjkaers side with 0 points from their first game – a big difference from my initial 2-1 prediction for United, with only 1% of Premier Picks users predicting them win.
Arsenal 2-1 West Ham
The Mikel Arteta revolution is in full effect after their second win from the same games this weekend, after beating a West Ham side that actually put up quite a fight, keeping the game at 1-1 until the 85th minute thanks to a winning goal from young Gunner Eddie Nketiah.
The Gunners showed real determination to secure the three points, with David Moyes’ side showing a lot more quality in comparison to their opening day loss against Newcastle.
The final result didn’t differ greatly from my prediction of 2-0, with the Hammers making a better showing this week.
Southampton 2-5 Tottenham
What a fantastic game this was, with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son showing Jose Mourinho how important they are to that Tottenham team after the pair contributed to all five of their goals, with four coming from Son and one from Kane, with the Englishman also assisting all for of the Korean’s goals.
With the recent return of Gareth Bale, Spurs’ front three could be one of the best in the league thanks to the aforementioned goalscoring prowess of Kane and Son, as well as Bale’s numbers from his last season at the club.
Southampton forward Danny Ings managed a brace during the game, but it wasn’t enough to form any sort of comeback, with Spurs coming out too strong for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side – a complete contrast from my initial 1-1 prediction, so credit to Tottenham and Mourinho for a great performance.
Newcastle 0-3 Brighton
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Only 6% of Premier Picks users went for a Brighton win, with me being one of them. I had initially predicted the Seagulls to win 2-1, expecting a greater performance from Newcastle after their opening day victory over West Ham – but Graham Potter’s side played some great football and were 2-0 up after just seven minutes thanks to a brace from French striker Neal Maupay, and the game was finished off by Aaron Connolly in the 83rd minute.
It seemed that would be the last of the action during the game, but a ridiculous action from Yves Bissouma resulted in a red card for the Malian, who somehow back-heeled Magpies left-back Jamal Lewis in the face. The results leave both clubs with one win from two.
Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s men made it two wins from two on Sunday after an impressive performance from Senegalese winger Sadio Mané, scoring a brace to give Liverpool a comfortable 2-0 win.
The game was full of impressive performances from the Reds’ individuals, with Fabinho having a strong game at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk, as well as Spanish midfielder Thiago making his debut for the club in the second half, completing 75 passes – the most made by a player during one half of football in the Premier League, setting a new record.
Chelsea looked rather deflated throughout, only completing three shots on target all game and making 34 clearances compared to Liverpool’s three. Overall it was a game dominated by the Reds, making it two wins from two for the defending champions – with my prediction of 2-1 not far off at all.
Leicester 4-2 Burnley
Another high-scoring game this weekend came in the form of Leicester vs Burnley, with the Foxes coming out 4-2 victors at the King Power Stadium, with goals from Harvey Barnes, James Justin, and Dennis Praet, as well as an own goal from Erik Pieters giving Brendan Rodgers’ side the three points.
Burnley initially took the lead in the 10th minute thanks to Chris Wood, but Leicester fought back well to create a 3-1 lead with 20 minutes to go. Jimmy Dunne scored on his debut for the Clarets reducing the deficit to just one in the 73rd, but Belgian midfielder Praet scored a fourth, sealing the win for Leicester.
New boy Timothy Castagne had another strong game for Rodgers’ side, with a goal and an assist from his first two appearances. The final score was way off my 2-0 prediction in favour of Leicester, but nevertheless the result was correct.
Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United
It was a fine start for the Villans to their Premier League campaign, fighting for a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United, who have lost their first two league games of the season. The sole goalscorer came in the surprising form of defender Ezri Konsa, who scored a header from Tyrone Mings’ headed assists after a corner from Matt Targett.
It was a frustrating evening for the Blades, with John Egan being sent off early on for denying a goalscoring opportunity for Villa new boy Ollie Watkins – and then later on seeing a penalty saved by another Villa debutant in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
It will be an evening to forget for Chris Wilder and his side, who face Leeds United at home in game week 3. My prediction of 1-1 wasn’t an awful one, but credit where it is due to Dean Smith and his side for grinding out a victory for their first three points of the season.
Wolves 1-3 Manchester City
Manchester City started their season in style with a 3-1 victory over a Wolves side that had impressed during their first game with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United. Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a penalty in the 20th minute after a silly challenge from Wolves defender Roman Saïss – and thinks continued from there.
Despite a consolation goal for Raul Jimenez, City carried on to win 3-1 after Gabriel Jesus scored his first goal of the season in the 95th minute. Pep Guardiola will be happy with the start his side has made after the club lost to Wolves twice last season – with their next fixture against Leicester, who have two wins from two so far this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo and his side face West Ham at the London Stadium.
Celtic signed promising midfielder David Turnbull in the summer transfer window from fellow Premiership club Motherwell.
It seems like Neil Lennon is slowly bringing him into the first team as the 21-year-old has featured four times for the Hoops this season, making just one start in that time, per Transfermarkt.
The youngster is seemingly viewed as a player for the future, but former Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes that he might get his big chance in the upcoming Old Firm derby.
Alex McLeish’s thoughts on Celtic’s David Turnbull
Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish said: “I really feel that Neil Lennon may unleash Turnbull. He’s another who, in recent weeks, he has upped his game. He looks very, very confident.
“Going into the big Old Firm derby is another step up, but it would be a surprise for me if Rogic starts.”
Tom Rogic also plays in midfield like Turnbull, so McLeish believes that the 21 year-old could come into replace the Australian for the crunch fixture.
Should Turnbull start for Celtic next week?
The youngster seems to be highly-rated following his move, not just by Celtic but also by his country as he has featured for Scotland’s under-21s three times, most recently against Lithuania last month.
Despite his young age, Turnbull has already featured in 41 senior games for Motherwell, per Transfermarkt. He provided a significant attacking threat at Fir Park as he netted 16 goals and provided seven assists. This highlights why Lennon brought him to Parkhead, and despite only playing four times for the Hoops so far, Turnbull has already registered an assist for the Scottish champions.
Meanwhile, Rogic has only played once in the league this season and seems unlikely to start next week. Turnbull isn’t necessarily battling for a place with Rogic, but more with players like Olivier Ntcham and Ryan Christie. With Christie currently having to isolate for 14 days, Turnbull could be given a start and, with his experience at Motherwell and his attacking threat, there is no reason for Lennon to be hesitant to start him.
It will be interesting to see how the Hoops line up, and Turnbull could be something of a trump card, but so is no reason for Lennon not to give him a go in the derby.
Hoops fans, should Turnbull start in the derby? Let us know your views in the comments below!
Newcastle United are in competition with Burnley and Nice in showing an interest in making a move for Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie when the January transfer window opens.
The Magpies were looking to add to their midfield options before the close of the domestic transfer window, but in the end loan moves for Chelsea pair Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley failed to materialise, as per Chronicle Live, and Newcastle could now turn their attention towards Christie in January.
Newcastle facing challenge to secure winter move for Christie
Steve Bruce’s side are facing strong competition for Christie from Ligue 1 club Nice, who have identified the Scotland international as one of their main January targets. The French outfit value the 25-year-old at around £10m, although it is thought that they hope to secure him for less than that amount, as per The Sun.
Newcastle will also go head-to-head with Burnley in the race for Christie’s signature, with the midfielder’s contract with Celtic nearing its expiry. However, The Sun also suggested the Glasgow giants are thought to be reluctant to lose the 25-year-old in the winter transfer window as they aim to secure a 10th consecutive domestic league title.
Christie would bring much-needed quality to Magpies midfield
Newcastle are in need of a playmaker who can provide more of a goal threat and a greater ability to create chances in the final third. Christie would certainly fit that bill, with the Scotland international having already registered two goals and four assists in nine league appearances so far this term, as per Whoscored.
The 25-year-old has also shown his ability to get into good positions in the final third, averaging 3.4 shots per game so far this campaign, as well as showing his quality in possession by recording an 83% passing accuracy rate (via Whoscored).
Those figures suggest he could potentially be a step-up in quality from the Magpies’ current midfield options in terms of attacking output – in Bruce’s squad, only Callum Wilson has averaged more than two shots per game, while just five players have a greater passing success rate than Christie (via Whoscored).
Newcastle fans, would Christie be a good signing for the Magpies? Comment below with your views!