Author: WTX Sports Team

There’s no doubting the highlight of this weekend’s Premier League action with Liverpool hosting Manchester City at Anfield. Pep Guardiola’s side are in the midst of a dismal run and simply cannot afford another setback at what has been a particularly unhappy hunting ground in recent years. Arsenal, meanwhile, appear to be back to their best and will hope to cut the gap at the top to six points but West Ham, themselves, will be buoyed by Monday’s surprise win at Newcastle. As ever, Betfair Ambassador Alan Shearer previews the action for Metro.co.uk… Brighton v Southampton Brighton continued their good…

Manchester United host Everton this weekend as Ruben Amorim chases his first Premier League win. After a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town last Sunday, the new United boss secured his first victory with a thrilling 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in the Europa League. Frailties at the back were a concern again with the Portuguese still tinkering with his system but there were plenty of positives to take for the new boss – particularly the performance of Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane will feel he has done enough to secure his place at the focal point of Amorim’s attack with…

Gabriel Magalhaes remains a doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with West Ham after feeling discomfort late on in midweek, Mikel Arteta confirmed. Gabriel scored Arsenal’s third as they claimed a confidence-boosting 5-1 away win against Sporting Lisbon on the champions League on Tuesday. However, there was late concern for the defender who had to leave the field in the closing stages and was replaced by Jakob Kiwior. After the game, Arteta said the Brazillian had felt some ‘discomfort’ prior to his substitution and the 26-year-old still remains a doubt for the visit to West Ham on the weekend. ‘We…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has sent a classy message to Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City manager said he wanted to ‘harm’ himself. Guardiola was spotted with facial cuts after City threw away a 3-0 lead in the Champions League to Feyenoord on Tuesday night to draw 3-3. ‘Yeah, [it’s from] my finger… with my nail,’ Guardiola said in his post-match press conference. ‘I want to harm myself.’ The City manager, under pressure after six games without a win, faced a backlash and later insisted he did not ‘intend to make light’ of self-harm. Arteta has always remained close with…

  From the boxing ring to the presidential palace, the track to Parliament, the worlds of sports and politics often intersect in mysterious ways. In recent years, a growing number of athletes have tried to swap their kits to suits – and Georgia’s Mikheil Kavelashvili is one of them. The former Manchester City striker is looking to leverage his fame into a successful career in politics. Georgian Dream, the pro-Russian ruling party, on Wednesday picked him as its candidate for the presidential elections due to be held on December 14. Former Man City player Mikheil Kavelashvili will soon be Georgia’s…

‘Mbappe fell flat when needed’ – why Real Madrid are in trouble Three losses in five games and facing an uphill task to qualify for the next phase of the Champions League. That is not a position 15-time European champions Real Madrid expected to be in. Sitting 24th in the table following a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool on Wednesday, the Spanish giants find themselves in big trouble in the tournament in which they have long been heralded masters. In the competition’s new format, the top eight teams automatically reach the last-16 while those in ninth-24th move into a two-legged play-off. The defending…

Championship club Coventry City have announced Chelsea legend Frank Lampard as the club’s new head coach to replace Mark Robins. It is Lampard’s first job since his second stint in charge of Chelsea on a caretaker basis in-between Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino. Lampard’s arrival at Coventry – after the Sky Blues controversially decided to part ways with Robins – marks his fourth permanent managerial role following previous spells in charge of Derby County and Everton. The former Premier League and England midfielder enjoyed a trophy-laden playing career and is regarded as one of the best players of his generation.…

Liverpool host Manchester City on what could be a pivotal day in the Premier League title race this weekend. City’s absolutely wretched form continued midweek as they meekly surrendered a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord who stormed back to claim a point. It did at least end a run of five straight defeats in all competitions but did nothing to ease the tension and concern swirling around the Etihad. After going eight points clear at the top of the Premier League last weekend, Liverpool continued their perfect form in Europe with a 2-0 win over Real Madrid midweek. The…

  Paul Pogba has been urged to turn down a move to a big club following his departure from Juventus and instead sign with Premier League side Fulham. Pogba, 31, is desperate to get his career back on track after his four-year ban for doping offences was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The French World Cup winner will be free to resume training from January 2025 and is eligible to play again in March. But Pogba will not be resuming his career with Juventus, where he returned in the summer of 2022, after both parties agreed…

Rio Ferdinand has picked out Liverpool as the ‘favourites’ for the Premier League title and believes Arne Slot’s side will tighten their grip on top spot with victory over Manchester City this weekend. After taking on the daunting task of replacing the great Jurgen Klopp in the summer, Slot has enjoyed the best start of any manager in Premier League history. The Merseyside giants have failed to win just just two of their opening 12 matches in the English top flight to open up an imperious eight-point lead over champions City at the top of the table. A 2-0 defeat…

Benfica’s Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin refused to shake hands with Monaco’s Russian star Aleksandr Golovin before their Champions League clash on Wednesday night. It is traditional for European teams to shake hands prior to kick-off in Champions League games to show respect, sportsmanship and fair play. But with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine still ongoing, Trubin did not wish to shake hands with midfielder Golovin before the match at the Stade Louis II, which ended in a 3-2 away victory for Portuguese club Benfica. The duo were seen exchanging handshakes with their other respective opponents but Trubin did not stick his…

Bayern Munich have hatched a plan to sign Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong by promising immediate first-team minutes if he completes a transfer. The 18-year-old Chelsea wonderkid has attracted interest from lots of clubs with Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund also plotting moves. Chelsea have no desire to sell Acheampong – but it was reported last month that the Blues have told him he won’t play for the first team or development squad until he signs a new contract at Stamford Bridge. According to new reports, ‘tentative progress’ has been made on the Chelsea side with the Blues ‘really…

Ian Wright says he is sticking with his prediction that Arsenal will win the Premier League title, despite their slump in form during Martin Odegaard’s absence from the side. Odegaard’s frustrating injury layoff coincided with a desperately poor run of results for Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta’s men already dropping points in six matches at this early stage of the campaign. The north London outfit have been fortunate that champions Manchester City have also endured an extraordinarily disappointing start to the season, containing the longest losing streak of Pep Guardiola’s entire managerial career. However, Arne Slot has hardly put a foot…