Best Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker:
Two sides who have shocked many with their start to the New Year, Crystal Palace will welcome a new-look Everton to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Crystal Palace
Starting with the hosts, while a torrid end to last year s interrupted campaign might have started to worry many around Selhurst Park, few across the Premier League expected Crystal Palace s recent improvements. Along with marking their return to action with a 1-0 win against Southampton in South London a fortnight ago, Roy Hodgson s men certainly laid down a clinical marker on their travels last weekend. Largely outplaying Manchester United at Old Trafford, the former England boss landed a deserved 3-1 romp away at the former champions and they re one of just five tea…
Verdict: Total goals under 2.5 and both teams to score No
Best odds: 12/5
Bookmaker:
Heading into their last Bundesliga match of December, Borussia Dortmund, yet to secure a win this month, seek to conclude 2023 with a triumph against the struggling Mainz 05 on Tuesday at the Signal Iduna Park.
As they approach the end of the calendar year, Dortmund find themselves trailing behind the top four in the German top flight, while Mainz continue to grapple within the relegation zone.
Borussia Dortmund
After a stretch of merely one victory in eight matches, Borussia Dortmund eagerly anticipates the upcoming winter break, despite their noteworthy performances in the Champions League this season.
Under Edin Terzic s guidance, the team triumphed …
Gabriel Jesus vowed Arsenal will fight until the end in pursuit of the Premier League title after handing the initiative to Manchester City with their 3-3 draw against Southampton.
Arsenal failed to win for a third game running in Friday s enthralling contest at Emirates Stadium, but they did at least salvage a point in a game they trailed 2-1 after 87 minutes.
The Gunners travel to City on Wednesday with a five-point lead on their rivals, though they have played two games more and therefore realistically have to win in Manchester.
Rather than rue two points dropped at home to the division s bottom side, Jesus is remaining upbeat ahead of the huge trip to the Etihad Stadium.
We don t want to come here and talk negative because we are very positive. What …
Aliou Cisse concedes Senegal will be without their best player heading into the World Cup but insists his squad are ready for the challenge .
The African champions suffered the crushing news that star man Sadio Mane would miss the tournament after having to undergo surgery on a fibula injury sustained in Bayern Munich s 6-1 thrashing of Werder Bremen 12 days ago.
Mane s importance to Senegal is highlighted by the fact he has been involved in 12 of the last 25 goals scored by Cisse’s team in the finals of either the World Cup or Africa Cup of Nations.
And his absence has forced a tactical re-think ahead of Monday s opener against the Netherlands at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha.
Cisse said: Obviously it s a great shame for Sadio and the team, but we hav…
Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus consigned makeshift Manchester United to another defeat as West Ham snatched a 2-0 victory at the London Stadium.
England hopeful Bowen scored his 12th goal of the season and Ghana winger Kudus his seventh in 12 appearances as United were sent spinning to a 20th loss of 2023, their worst tally in 34 years.
For 72 minutes two poor teams were cancelling each other out in a dreadful spectacle until Bowen broke the deadlock.
And six minutes later Kudus added a second which, while flattering West Ham, condemned United to a 13th defeat in their last 26 matches.
With Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane all absent, United boss Erik Ten Hag was forced to draft 19-year-old Willy Kambwala in at centre-…
Fulham hit five goals for the second time in a week as they thrashed West Ham at Craven Cottage to move into the top half of the Premier League.
The floodgates have certainly opened for the Whites in recent weeks, with David Moyes’ men the latest side to be put to the sword as five different scorers struck in a fine 5-0 home win – just four days after Fulham beat Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline.
Raul Jimenez opened the scoring to take his personal tally to four in five games having previously not scored a Premier League goal since March 2022, when he was a Wolves player.
Willian and Tosin Adarabioyo goals then had the hosts coasting at the break before a fine effort from substitute Harry Wilson and late effort from Carlos Vinicius added the gloss.
…
Joe Willock has claimed a piece of Premier League history by scoring for a sixth consecutive Newcastle United appearance.
The on-loan Arsenal midfielder headed Steve Bruce s men into a 1-0 lead on the stroke of half-time against relegated Sheffield United on Wednesday.
At 21 years and 272 days, Willock is the youngest player to score in six straight games in the competition.
He also puts himself in illustrious company as far as Newcastle are concerned. The only two other players to have netted for six appearances in a row for the Magpies are Alan Shearer in 1996 and Papiss Cisse in 2012.
Willock will have the opportunity to make it a magnificent seven when Newcastle travel to Fulham on the final day of the season.
21y 272d Joe Willock has now sco…
Rafael Benitez says he would like to go back to the Premier League in the future but insists there is no chance of an imminent return.
The Spaniard left Newcastle United following the expiry of his contract at the end of June before joining Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang – a move Magpies managing director, Lee Charnley, said was motivated by money.
Everton and Arsenal are in the market for new managers after recently sacking Marco Silva and Unai Emery respectively, while West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini is under intense pressure.
Benitez says he remains open to a return to the English top flight but has no intention of leaving China just yet.
Obviously in the future I would like to come back to the Premier League, but at the moment I must be v…
Marc Cucurella says Chelsea need stability if they want to find success, comparing it to Spain s Euro 2024 triumph.
Enzo Maresca became the Blues seventh permanent manager in the last eight years in July, taking over from Mauricio Pochettino, who only spent one season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea began the season with a defeat to Manchester City before getting their first Premier League victory under the Italian in a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves.
While they followed that up with a draw, Maresca has already started to stamp his mark on the squad, with a blend of his new signings and the youngsters brought in by previous managers.
And Cucurella believes that keeping him for the long term will allow Chelsea to find a necessary rhythm so they can start to target si…
Gareth Southgate s decision to stay on as England manager has been welcomed by Gary Neville, who believes the Three Lions can win a tournament under his watch.
Southgate said he would take time to consider his future after England s 2-1 defeat against France in the World Cup quarter-finals last week.
That loss represented the latest in a series of near misses for Southgate s Three Lions, who squandered early leads in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020.
However, Sunday brought confirmation Southgate would remain in post until at least the end of Euro 2024 – his contract expires soon after that tournament – and Neville is pleased with the decision.
I think it s the right decision, former England right-back Neville told Sky Sports…