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After a fine start to the new Premier League season, Aston Villa have hit a bit of a brick wall in the last couple of weeks.

Dean Smith’s side have lost back-to-back games to Leeds United and Southampton, with both of those defeats coming at home at Villa Park. On Sunday, they travel to the Emirates to take on an in-form Arsenal, who are coming off the back of an impressive 1-0 win over Manchester United last weekend, and another momentum-boosting 4-1 victory over Molde in the Europa League.

Smith will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they make the trip to north London, and after pulling off a 1-0 win the last time the two sides met at the back end of last season, he will be confident of doing exactly that this time around.

Below is a look at how Villa might line up for the clash against Mikel Arteta’s side.

After enjoying an impressive start to life at Villa Park, things have been a lot more difficult for summer signing Emiliano Martinez, who has watched both Leeds and Southampton put seven goals past him in the past couple of weeks.

That has led to former Premier League goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to raise questions about his performances, who even went so far as to say that “he’s got away with things” when speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast.

Martinez will be hoping for an improved performance against his former side, who he helped win both the FA Cup and Community Shield over the summer.

In front of him, Smith is unlikely to make major changes even despite the wretched defensive display over the past couple of league games, meaning his back-four will remain unchanged.

Central midfield could see the Villa boss however make a big call. John McGinn simply hasn’t been at the races this season, and produced yet another below-par display last time out, and could finally be dropped for someone like Marvelous Nakamba.

Further ahead, Smith confirmed that Bertrand Traore’s injury will keep him out of action for Sunday, with the 44-cap Trezeguet – who impressed as a substitute in the defeat to Southampton – more than ready to come in and make his mark.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, Luiz; Trezeguet, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.

According to 90min, Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham is interesting Premier League sides like Southampton, Everton and West Ham.

What’s the word?

Ntcham has been a cornerstone of the Hoops’ first-team for the past few seasons, racking up 125 appearances for the club. The 2019/2020 campaign saw him add a goal-scoring touch to his game too, finding the back of the net on eight occasions in 38 total games.

But as per 90min, Celtic face a real fight to keep a hold of him, with the report claiming that Ntcham himself is interested in a move south of the border.

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It’s added that Neil Lennon’s side value him around the £20m mark, and that having won everything on offer in Scotland, Ntcham may be tempted by the prospect of a new challenge.

Nick Hammond must resist all offers

Whilst Celtic have enjoyed great success in replacing Ntcham’s fellow Frenchman Moussa Dembele, the midfielder may be a far harder act for Nick Hammond and co to find someone just as good.

Celtic boss Lennon lauded him as “unbelievable”, whilst skipper Scott Brown has been unequivocal in his praise of the 24-year-old. Speaking back in February, he said: “Oli loves it here, he’s enjoying playing, and showing his quality on the park. Everyone appreciates that and he tracks back too, which is what the manager wants. As soon as Oli gets it he’s got that drive to go forward.

“He can go past somebody, he’s got a goal in him, and has the vision to see a pass too. Oli is very confident on the ball and always willing to take it in any situation. That’s what he brings, but he’s also got that drive, he can play wee one-twos.”

Whilst Ntcham has played just 30 minutes of football this season, there’s no questioning that he still has the ability to be a key performer for Lennon’s side. Cashing in on him now would be a major howler from Hammond, and completely undermine their hunt for an incredible tenth title in a row.

Manchester United were quite busy in the ongoing summer transfer window but they are also not showing any signs of stopping any time soon. Of course, the Jadon Sancho saga is bound to last for at least a while longer as the Red Devils look to secure their primary target.

However, even though they usually have the financial power to get the players they want, it still feels like they are not exactly that prolific on the market.

That’s what Gary Neville, a Man United icon himself, thinks. Here’s what he said about their transfer business as of late, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

“Like everyone else they had three months off because of coronavirus, so I don’t think it should be the case they didn’t have the resource or time to get things done. Chelsea got their business done, [Manchester] City have got three or four pieces done. I don’t think timing’s the issue.

“It’s just a thing with United that every time they go for a player in the last four, five, six years it feels they are a little bit desperate. They think they can hang on but they always pay it [the asking price] in the end. That’s sometimes where I think you can take control, give a hard deadline and say ‘we’re moving away from this deal'”

And maybe Neville really does have a point. Other clubs know Man United have the money and because of that, they tend to bump up the prices and the Red Devils always end up paying them.

This might also be true for Sancho as well. Even though they are refusing to meet Borussia Dortmund’s asking price at this moment in time, it does feel inevitable.

And their rivals are already taking advantage of that sloppy approach.

Verdict

Only time will tell if Man United have finally learned their lesson. But can they really get Sancho for a reduced price?

After all, the youngster is already a superstar and they simply don’t come cheap.

Ex-Glasgow Rangers man and cult hero Andy Halliday has urged the Ibrox outfit to sign Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland.

The 24-year-old was in stunning form in the Scottish Championship last term, scoring 24 goals in 26 games as his side earned promotion to the top flight – that was no flash in the pan either, with him having scored 128 times in 253 games across his career. He has been linked with a move to Glasgow, but as of yet there appears to have been no formal approach from the Gers.

Halliday, who left the club on a free transfer following the premature end to the Scottish campaign, believes Steven Gerrard should look to add him to his squad. He told Open Goal:

“I would [take him at Rangers]. He’s done it wherever he’s been and he looks like the type of boy that, if he gets chances, he’s going to score. If you’re at a bigger club you’re going to get more chances.

“He’s just got the knack for scoring goals and that’s something that’s hard to find.”

There could well be a changing of the guard up-front at Ibrox this coming campaign as the future of Alfredo Morelos remains up in the air – Everton are said to be focused on taking him to Goodison Park, whilst it has previously been reported that the Gers expect to lose their star man this summer.

Currently valued at £428,000 by Transfermarkt, it remains to be seen what kind of transfer fee he would demand if the Gers were to make a move, but it would likely be an awful lot less than the £15m the Gers want for Morelos – that would make Shankland a bargain.

Let us know what you think below!

Chelsea could be inching closer to cashing in on midfielder Jorginho after progress in talks with Juventus. 

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Maurizio Sarri is keen to be reunited with the Italian and wants to bring him back to his native country. Even the player himself has reportedly admitted he is ‘looking forward to returning to Italy’ this summer.

The 28-year-old had an inconsistent 2019/20 season, being benched or left out of the squad completely on several occasions. Frank Lampard called upon his services for the final fixtures of the campaign, but ultimately looked to be getting phased out of the team.

Instead, the manager is looking to develop Billy Gilmour and has made Mason Mount an almost untouchable asset to his starting lineup.

Talks have been swirling over Jorginho’s future at Stamford Bridge and it seems now that he is destined to be reunited with former boss Sarri.

Chelsea are reportedly looking for €40million (£36.1m) for the midfielder but the Italian report claims it’s likely the Blues will accept less, due to the fact he is not ‘fundamental’ to the club’s project.

Despite the fact Chelsea initially signed Jorginho for £50m and they will undoubtedly make a loss, any funds received will go towards Lampard’s revamp of his squad.

The Blues have already welcomed Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner through the door. The next big target on the list is Kai Havertz, who looks to be all but a Chelsea player after agreeing terms with Marina Granovskaia.

Lampard is also hoping to secure the signing of Ben Chilwell, who is said to command a hefty price tag rocketing beyond £80m. Leicester are reportedly unwilling to let him leave for cheap, and value him higher than record outgoing Harry Maguire (via Daily Mail).

The sale of Jorginho will help fund a move for the much-desired left-back who could replace Marcos Alonso ahead of next season.

Would you like to see Chelsea keep or sell Jorginho? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Felipe Anderson struggled to make an impact as West Ham United suffered a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in Monday’s Premier League clash at the London Stadium.

According to WhoScored, the attacker had just one shot and completed just two dribbles before being replaced in the 70th minute of the contest.

Operating in a free role behind Michail Antonio, it was a tough night for the Brazilian, who has still not scored a single Premier League goal this season.

Some fans believe that the South American has now had enough of the club.

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Others, though, were less sympathetic to claims that Anderson is struggling to contribute due to the perceived lack of quality surrounding him.

Some of the fans went a step further and blasted Anderson for his contribution against the Gunners, who trailed at the interval before scoring three times in the second period to pick up their first Premier League win since the start of October.

Meanwhile, a number of the club’s supporters have been reacting to a key update surrounding the future of their under-fire head coach.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly missed out on Paris Saint-Germain star Thomas Meunier, according to Nicolo Schira. 

Meunier, who is a close friend of Tottenham stalwart Toby Alderweireld and has 40 caps for Belgium, is out of contract at the Parc des Princes at the end of the season and is one of several players, along with Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva, who are on their way out.

Earlier this week, The Daily Express claimed Spurs have held talks with the Belgian’s representatives to sign him on a free transfer in the summer.

However, the transfer guru reports the defender has snubbed the Lilywhites in favour of a move to Borussia Dortmund.

It seems even a call from Jose Mourinho was not enough to change his mind, as he is set to sign a four-year-contract with Dortmund.

The Belgian right-back will replace Achraf Hakimi, who will return to his parent club Real Madrid.

This will surely be another massive blow for Mourinho, after Japhet Tanganga and Dele Alli were ruled out of the Premier League clash with Manchester United for different reasons.

It is fair to say the Portuguese has faced plenty of adversity in his short stint in charge of the Lilywhites so far. Indeed, Mourinho has been plagued by constant setbacks, as Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko all succumbed to injury.

Moreover, the Spurs boss is well aware he will be severely restricted by a tight budget in the summer, and he will have to rely on signing free agents and sorting out swap deals to improve his squad.

As it stands, Mourinho’s side are currently eighth in the table, four points behind his former club Manchester United, who are now managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Furthermore, the Lilywhites have lost the last two meetings between the teams, which is surely an unwelcome distraction, as they must win on Friday to keep their hopes of a top four finish alive.

To make matters even worse, Meunier has now seemingly snubbed the club, despite Mourinho’s best efforts. He will now have to look elsewhere as the transfer window approaches.

Tottenham fans, do you think this is a major blow for Jose Mourinho? Let us know in the comments below!

Serge Aurier put in an all-action performance for Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night as Jose Mourinho’s side booked their spot in the last-16 stage of the Champions League.

The London club recovered from 2-0 behind to run out 4-2 winners over Olympiacos, which was enough to secure a position in the first knockout round of the European Cup.

Aurier actually provided the assist for Dele Alli to halve the deficit in the closing stages of the first 45 minutes.

And the Ivory Coast international then scored himself to send Mourinho’s team 3-2 ahead, before Harry Kane notched his second in the 77th minute.

According to WhoScored, as well as his goal and assist, Aurier had a pass success rate of 88%, whilst he won two aerial duels during his 90 minutes on the field.

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It has not always happened for the right-back since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain.

However, his performance in the Champions League on Tuesday night made a really good impression on the Spurs supporters.

Here’s what they had to say…

Earlier this month, it was reported that Spurs could listen to offers for Aurier when the January transfer window opens for business.

All eyes will be on Turf Moor at 8:15pm on Tuesday evening with Manchester City aiming to bounce back from dropping yet more points over the weekend away at Burnley, live on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

The Citizens’ challenge to lift the Premier League trophy for a third successive year is fast fading away – they’re now 11 points off leaders Liverpool and three points adrift of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City in second.

But Pep Guardiola isn’t giving up just yet although things don’t get easier for him or his side when they make the short trip north to go up against Sean Dyche’s Clarets.

The Lancashire outfit have defied expectations to enjoy a cracking start to the season and managed to cling onto their strong form in recent weeks, sitting tenth and only two points away from the top five with the halfway mark coming up.

Burnley did fall to defeat at home to Crystal Palace last Saturday afternoon, though will be up to make amends in front of their own fans and buoyed by the challenge of hosting the champions.

Home pair Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Matej Vydra will undergo late fitness tests in a bid to be fit for the match, whilst Charlie Taylor will be missing and Ashley Westwood returns from suspension for Dyche.

For the away side, Oleksandr Zinchenko will likely miss out with key striker Sergio Aguero not in the squad once more due to a thigh problem.

It’s no surprise that Man City have bossed this fixture in recent years with seven victories in the last ten meetings of these two teams in all competitions.

However, Tuesday’s hosts did shock Manuel Pellegrini’s Man City at Turf Moor back in 2015 and you’d be brave to completely discard the possibility of a similar outcome this time around.

Click Here To Watch Burnley vs Man City Live and Free on Amazon Prime

QPR fans have been reliving a fond memory after the club posted a video of a goal from a clash with Middlesbrough back in 2010.

The club is building up to the match-up between the two clubs, and they could certainly do with the goalscorer and assist maker for that goal on Saturday – Hogan Ephraim and Adel Taarabt.

Watch Queens Park Rangers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Supporters have enjoyed the flashback to what some think were better times, with numerous praise of the R’s team back then.

It is easy to see why they think of that team with cherished memories, as QPR won the Championship with 88 points that season, with Taarabt picking up the Football League Player of the Year award after tallying 19 goals.

They ran out 3-0 winners on that day, a return Mark Warburton will certainly be hoping for on Saturday, and considering Boro’s abysmal form it is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Here are some of the fan reactions to the brilliant link-up play between the two former R’s players.