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Leicester City’s Premier League title defence may not be going according to plan (in truth, they were always unlikely to come close to the highs of 2015/16), but their Champions League adventure has started in perfect fashion. The Foxes are currently top of Group G with six points from their opening two games, in which they’ve scored four and kept two clean sheets.

Having dispatched of Club Brugge and Porto, FC Copenhagen are up next. And with the Danes second in their pool, they will be no pushovers. So, who will Leicester have to keep a close eye on? Well, here are THREE danger men…

Andreas Cornelius

English fans may remember Cornelius from a less than fruitful spell at Cardiff City, but the nine-cap Denmark international is not a player Ranieri’s men can afford to overlook. The 23-year-old has netted four times in Danish Superliga action already this season and got on the scoresheet in the Champions League. To put it simply, he’s Copenhagen’s main attacking threat.

Standing at 6ft. 4”, he will provide an aerial threat that Robert Huth and West Morgan will have to stand up to, but his lack of pace across the ground may favour the Foxes pair.

Kasper Kusk

Deployed from the right flank, Kusk has looked lively for Copenhagen during their opening two games of Group G. The 24-year-old can deliver the sort of crosses Cornelius thrives on, so Leicester will have to be wary of cutting off the supply line early – a job for Christian Fuchs.

Thomas Delaney

As Copenhagen’s main central midfielder and club captain, Delaney will almost certainly be looked to by the Scandinavians for inspiration. Good on the ball and energetic, his influence will be key for the Danes, who will look to outnumber Leicester’s two-man engine room and get a foothold on the ball. Oh, and as the video above shows, he’s a real threat if given the space and time to shoot.

There is certainly no love lost between Jose Mourinho and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as we saw the pair tussle numerous times during the former’s spell in charge of Chelsea.

He may now be at the Manchester United helm, but Mourinho still likes to throw small jibes at his counterpart, whom he faces on the Old Trafford touchline in this afternoon’s kickoff.

I am sure we all remember the duo almost coming to blows during a fixture between Arsenal and Chelsea two seasons ago. Well, in truth, there was just some pushing and shoving before the fourth official intervened.

There could be a calmer exchange between the pair today, but Mourinho has already stoked the fire by telling reporters that he last won the Premier League title ‘18 months ago, not 18 years ago’.

Okay, it has been 12 years since the Gunners last lifted the league crown, but I think it is clear that it was a thinly-veiled dig at Wenger.

Mourinho also claimed that he does not have as much respect from the media as Wenger, who recently celebrated 20 years in charge of his North London club….

“I think we are speaking about six or seven Premier League titles [between us.] I have three, I think. Mr Wenger has three or four – I don’t know.

“Does that mean we should be respected even in periods where our results are not the best? I think Mr Wenger has that respect from all of you. I don’t think I have especially because my last Premier League title was 18 months ago. It was not 18 years ago.

“So I don’t think I get respect but it’s not because of that that is peak better or not so good. I just follow my way because I want to win my ninth  championship and my fourth Premier league.”

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The news may not be as bad as initially feared for Liverpool fans, but Philippe Coutinho will miss the entirety of December and the first couple of weeks of January with his ankle ligament injury set to put him out of action for around six weeks.

When the Brazilian crumpled to the Anfield turf after a 50/50 challenge with Sunderland’s Didier N’Dong – whom we hasten to add did nothing wrong – the diagnosis on social media was a bone break or fracture that may effectively ruin his season.

Instead, his absence is measured in weeks rather than months, but there is now a real problem for Jurgen Klopp, whose side has been largely built around the creative ex-Inter Milan man. Indeed, with Sadio Mane set for a New Year exit to represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, the German will be short of options in the early weeks of 2017, and that’s without factoring in another potential injury problem or a suspension.

It makes sense, then, to chase a new signing. The German himself has alluded to drafting in a fresh set of legs and has previously talked up the need for a winger, so we at FootballFanCast have pooled together FIVE potential January transfer window options for ‘the Normal One’…

Felipe Anderson

Brazilian stars make up two-thirds of Liverpool’s main attacking triumvirate – Coutinho and Roberto Firmino – and they could complete the set with a move for Lazio’s Felipe Anderson. We hasten to add there have been no concrete links with the flying wide-man, but he offers the sort of pace Mane provides and with 19 goals over the course of the past two-and-a-third Serie A seasons, he clearly has the potency Klopp wants from his attacking players.

The stats (via Squawka) show that no player in Serie A has attempted more take-ons-per-game than the Brazilian, whose 43 (58% of which have been successful) put him ahead of AC Milan’s Giacomo Bonaventura, who has made the same amount but played one more game. This shows that Anderson is not afraid to drive at defenders, making him a direct threat and a player who can both fill in for and offer a different option to Coutinho.

He’s also made 34 tackles – a mighty tally for an attacking player – illustrating that he likes to press from the front.

Christian Pulisic

Once again linked with the Reds in the wake of Coutinho’s injury, the 18-year-old America international is clearly a player Klopp wants. A late summer bid was reportedly submitted by the Merseysiders and rejected by Dortmund, but the Premier League high-flyers are unlikely to be deterred by this minor set-back.

Indeed, Liverpool have the cash to chase the teenager after making a profit during the last transfer window, and it’s hard to see any club, even one as big as Dortmund, turning down £25m – £30m for an albeit talented, largely unproven young player. Signing Pulisic would be a gamble, but he really does have raw talent.

Max Meyer

Aligned with the Reds of late, Meyer of Schalke is becoming one of Germany’s finest talents. The fleet-footed ‘No.10’ offers the sort of pace and work-rate that are synonymous with the nation’s top attacking midfield talents, and at the age of 21, has plenty of years ahead of him to further develop.

With Schalke huffing and puffing in midtable in the Bundesliga, a move away from the Gelsenkirchen club this winter may somewhat appeal to Meyer. But Liverpool should expect to be quoted north of £35m for the starlet.

Ante Coric

Already being talked about as one of Croatia’s best talents since Luka Modric broke through, Coric was linked with Liverpool during the summer and is a player they’ve been keeping their eye on since. The pint-sized attacking midfielder has netted three goals for Dinamo Zagreb in league action this term, but with the normally dominant side – they’ve won the league title each season since 2005/06 – sitting second in Prva HNL, he might be tempted to jump ship this winter.

Paul-Georges Ntep

Pacey and powerful, Ntep seems to be a player tailor-made for Klopp’s high-tempo system. There remain doubts about his positional awareness and ability to function in an ‘elite’ league – he’s spent his entire career in France – but the Rennes man has the tools to become an effective Premier League winger-forward.

The France international has bagged five goals in ten Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, whilst averaging an impressive 1.9 key passes and 2.3 successful dribbles per match – ranking 12th and 10th throughout the division respectively.

Aston Villa will look to pull off a shock in the third round of the FA Cup when they face in-form Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Spurs moved up to third in the Premier League table and to within seven points of leaders Chelsea after ending the Blues’ 13-match winning run with a 2-0 home success, meaning they have won five on the bounce themselves.

With Dele Alli netting six goals in his last three games and the likes of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane in good form too, Villa face a tough task to get a win in the capital this weekend.

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Midlands outfit as they look to secure an instant return to the top flight, and their 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City on Monday has left Steve Bruce’s men seven points from the play-off positions.

Here are THREE reasons why Villa can cause an upset against Spurs on Sunday…

Pochettino could rest stars

After beating leaders Chelsea 2-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday night, Tottenham moved to within seven points of the Blues at the top and with a Championship side to come at home in the cup this weekend, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino could choose to rest some of his key players such as Dele Alli and Harry Kane.

While the replacements that come into the side would obviously be of great quality and eager to make an impression, it would certainly be an advantage for Villa if those in-form stars were absent.

Spurs could lose focus

While Mauricio Pochettino and the Tottenham supporters will want to win trophies, Wednesday’s brilliant win over Premier League leaders Chelsea could prove to be more of a distraction ahead of the FA Cup, which is now probably their last priority behind the league and the Europa League.

After winning five matches in a row – and ending the Blues’ brilliant 13-match run of triumphs – complacency could also become an issue and it is something that Steve Bruce’s men must take advantage of if it does.

They’ve got Steve Bruce

That’s right. Aston Villa have a boss that has great experience of managing in the Premier League and know-how when it comes to winning matches against top-flight sides in Bruce, and they will hope that’ll allow them to cause an upset against Spurs.

He will need to start by working with his defence to keep out a Tottenham side that is on fire at the current time.

West Brom have exceeded expectations so far this season as they currently sit comfortably in the top half of the Premier League table

A lot of credit must go to manager Tony Pulis, who has created a side that are playing unlike those he has often created in the past.

With the Midlands club being taken over by new Chinese owners last summer, the former Stoke gaffer was one of the heavy favourites to win (or indeed lose) the sack race this campaign, but right now all seems well at The Hawthorns.

At the start of the season the obvious target would have been staying away from the relegation zone but now this is a side that will be realistically looking at a top half finish. In order to do so, the club could do with a couple of new faces to keep their top ten hopes kicking, though.

With that in mind let’s look at THREE players who could be moving to West Brom this month…

Jeffrey Schlupp

One of Tony Pulis’ top targets in this transfer window is a player he was unsuccessful in landing back in the summer: Jeffrey Schlupp of Leicester. West Brom came back with repeated bids in the close season only to see them turned down, but now it seems as if the champions have had a change of heart in regards to keeping hold of the Ghanaian.

A number of clubs are believed to be in the running for the signature of the 24-year-old, but after missing out once already you get the feeling that Pulis is not prepared to let him slip by again. Schlupp’s versatility saw him earn 24 appearances last season on the way to a Premier League winner’s medal, but this season his role at the club has been diluted – only four league outings.

Robert Snodgrass

If West Brom are beaten to the signature of Schlupp then they would do well to divert their attention to Robert Snodgrass of fellow Premier League club Hull.

Last month Snodgrass turned down the offer of a new deal from the club only to see Hull then activate a one-year extension without his agreement, therefore if the Tigers do end up selling the 29-year-old then his value will have increased.

His current employers have already turned down a bid of £3m from West Ham earlier in the month but you would have to imagine that will not be the last offer placed for the services of the Scottish international during the next few weeks.

Hull would obviously loathe to lose one the few players that has truly impressed in the first half of the season, but with the current plight that the club are in, then swapping a relegation battle for the safety of the top half of the table will certainly seem like an attractive proposition for the former Norwich man.

Fabian Delph

Staying in the Premier League, there is another player that has been on West Brom’s radar as of late and it could mean a return to the Midlands for one of Manchester City’s fringe players. That’s because the Baggies have been tracking Fabian Delph with a view to a loan move for the rest of the season.

The England international has failed to make a mark at the Etihad Stadium since moving there in the summer of 2015 with his time at the club plagued by injuries. When Delph moved from Aston Villa the competition for first-team places was always going to be difficult, but the fact that he has rarely been available has seen him fall way down the pecking order

Brought to the club by Manuel Pellegrini, he only managed 17 Premier League appearances last season, finding the net on two occasions – a debut season that failed to live up to expectations – and life under Pep Guardiola has fared no better with just two substitute outings to his name this campaign.

The 27-year-old is in danger of becoming a forgotten man, so a short-term move would be of use to the former Aston Villa ace.

Wayne Rooney’s record-breaking moment for Manchester United may have been a little premature, according to a club historian.

Tony Park, who is a season-ticket holder at Old Trafford, made the sensational claims on talkSPORT2.

He states that United have failed to recognise two goals that Sir Bobby Charlton scored in his final game for the club.

If included in the tally, Rooney would need to net one more to break it and become the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer.

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The 31-year-old England captain scored his 250th goal for United via a free kick in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Stoke City.

Charlton held the record on 249, but Park insists that the numbers are wrong.

“There is still a question mark. For some reason, the club have ignored Bobby Charlton’s two goals in the Anglo-Italian Cup in his last ever game for United.

“In 1972-73 they entered the Anglo-Italian Cup and Bobby played his last game in Verona, where we won 4-1 and he scored two goals. That would take his total to 251.”

Rooney could still add to his tally before the season comes to an end, meaning that he would definitely overtake Charlton.

The forward has been a fine servant to the North-West outfit over the past 13 years, but he has struggled for first-team action this season.

Under manager Jose Mourinho, Rooney has started just eight Premier League games.

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Manchester United endured a slow start to the Premier League campaign but Jose Mourinho’s side are now flying, going 15 matches unbeaten and clawing their way back into the race for Champions League football next season.Yesterday’s victory over Leicester City sees United move just two points behind the top-four and 2017 in particular has been spectacular so far for the Red Devils, as they’ve proven to be tricky customers to deal with.

Conceding just two goals in their five Premier League matches this year, with one coming against Stoke City and one coming against Liverpool, the Red Devils boast the league’s most resilient defence since the turn of the year- keeping three clean sheets.

That impressive record has helped Manchester United shine but they could certainly do with their attack hitting a purple patch of form, as they’ve drawn three of their five matches this month- which has ensured they remain sixth, for now.

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Southampton remain confident of signing free-agent Martin Caceres despite Barcelona’s emerging interest, The Daily Echo reports.

What’s the word?

Southampton are on the verge of signing free-agent Martin Caceres and are confident of a deal for the Uruguayan defender going through, despite the recent emerging interest of Spanish giants Barcelona.

Barcelona have started looking at avenues for a signing at right-back following a devastating injury to Aleix Vidal, which has left the player sidelined for the remainder of the season, leaving them with only Sergi Roberto as a capable option.

Whilst Roberto has impressed at stages this season, the young Spaniard was one of many underperformin players in Barcelona’s remarkable 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening, which has left the Catalan giants on the brink of a Round of 16 exit from the Champions League.

Caceres would be joining a world-class squad at Barcelona but it seems the Spanish side’s interest in the 29-year-old has come too late, as a deal with Southampton is set to go through.

Where does Southampton’s deal stand?

Southampton are hopeful that Martin Caceres will join them on a squad trip to Spain, scheduled to take place before the trip to Wembley for the League Cup final last month, but have seen a deal delayed by personal incidents in the Uruguayan’s life.

Caceres has travelled back to Uruguay following the shock death of his brother, which he heard of whilst in Italy- as he waited on the continent for a work permit to go through that would allow him to complete his move to the Saints.

Claude Puel’s side are confident that a deal for Caceres is watertight and expected a deal to be confirmed this week. However, given the extenuating circumstances, they are understandably allowing time for the veteran defender to grieve the loss of his sibling.

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Borussia Dortmund aces Ousmane Dembele and Christian Pulisic have revealed they rejected advances from Liverpool last year, the pair told FourFourTwo.

What’s the word?

Two of the finest teenage talents within world football, Liverpool fans will be left wondering what might have been after Borussia Dortmund pairing Christian Pulisic and Ousmane Dembele revealed they both turned down Jurgen Klopp’s side last summer.

Pulisic, an American international widely regarded to be one of the best young midfielders in the world, and Dembele, who signed for the German giants from Stade Rennes last summer, were both offered the chance to move to Anfield in 2016 but stated there’s no way they’d swap Germany for England.

The pair have become a crucial part of Thomas Tuchel’s set-up at the Signal Iduna Park this season and Liverpool’s most recent approach to Pulisic came as recent as the January transfer window.

What was said?

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Dembele revealed he met Klopp in Paris whilst Pulisic stated he never even considered the approach.

Dembele: “I saw Klopp in Paris but I told him I had made up my mind to sign for Dortmund.”

Pulisic: “I have respect for Klopp and I know him – he was very welcoming to me here – but I was never really thinking about going to Liverpool. Dortmund have given me everything. If I work very hard here I will play and I love this club.”

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Sheffield Wednesday defender Jack Hunt has urged his teammates to bounce back after dropping points in midweek.The Owls were restricted to a 1-1 draw by Burton Albion after failing to hold on to their early lead at Hillsborough on Tuesday night.Ross Wallace opened the scoring for Carlos Carvalhal’s side inside the first quarter of an hour of the match, but Jackson Irvine responded with a goal of his own eight minutes later.The Owls had an opportunity to strengthen their position in the playoff places, but it was not to be as they were forced to share a point.The club were fortunate that fellow playoff challengers Leeds United and Reading also dropped points on the night, with third-placed Huddersfield the only one in the pack to claim victory.Hunt has taken some time to analyse the game and now his attention has turned to Saturday’s clash away to Aston Villa.

The Owls currently reside sixth in the table and are relatively comfortable given that seventh-placed Fulham are five points adrift.

Just six points separate third from sixth, but the top two – Newcastle United and Brighton – are favourites to secure automatic promotion given that they have a six-point advantage over the closest challengers.

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