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Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham United manager David Moyes has reacted to Jesse Lingard’s absence for the Manchester United clash, with the Scotsman describing it as a ‘big loss’ as the January signing is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Lingard has starred for the Hammers since signing on loan at the London Stadium, scoring four goals and providing one assist in just six Premier League starts (WhoScored), but he will not feature against the Red Devils this evening as the 28-year-old is ineligible for the clash.

Moyes reacts to Lingard absence

Moyes has described it as a ‘big loss’ for West Ham as they aim to mount a late assault for a top four finish, coming as the Irons boss also explained there are some ‘slight doubts’ behind the scenes for a couple of players (West Ham United official website).

“A big loss because he has had a big impact on the team and how we have played,” said Moyes to reporters (via football.london).

“He has been a positive signing for us since coming in in January so it is a loss to us but we have got other people.

“What we wanted was competition for places, sort of around the number 11 and number ten roles, we wanted good competition and Jesse has given us that but we have other people who can do that so hopefully we can go there and who them what we can do.”

Transfer Tavern take

Lingard’s fine start to his Hammers stint has been emphasised recently by former Premier League striker Ian Wright, who told Premier League Productions (via HITC) how ‘devastating’ he can be.

Time will tell who Moyes will have at this disposal for the Old Trafford clash, but who he chooses to replace Lingard in the team will be interesting to see.

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this 19-goal ‘phenomenon’, find out more here.

Many Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to a tweet about Jean-Phillip Mateta following the South London side losing 2-0 on Monday night.

The Frenchman made his debut but it will not be one to remember and journalist for The Athletic Matt Woosnam tweeted: “An underwhelming debut for Jean-Philippe Mateta but a performance that largely wasn’t his fault. The same old problems reared their head last night for #CPFC. It’ll need better service & creativity for Mateta have a chance to thrive.”

From the first minute you could tell it was going to be a hard game in the attacking sense for Palace as they immediately set up in a defensive 4-4-2 shape. This meant that the midfield and attack had no real link up and this was shown by the fact that they only managed three shots on target during the match (SofaScore).

Mateta had been in great form this season for Mainz before his move to Palace (WhoScored). He haf played 17 times in all competitions and picked up ten goals and one assist, with seven of these goals coming in the Bundesliga. He is only 23 so has lots of potential, however, the South London faithful will not see his proper quality in attack if Roy Hodgson remains so defensive tactically.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the tweet:

“Our constant lethargic approach generally to play in the first half since the restart can not just be a coincidence. I think the management is now stale and the players not motivated to play for this management anymore. The training must be extremely dull based on the tactics.”

Credit: @MilesMonty

“Worrying trend no creativity, people will say it’s cause of no wilf, but I think there’s a really lack anyway. Can only pray they get someone in that can rebuild the squad in the summer, dream of Gerrard expect a 1 extension for Roy”

Credit: @GMCRae91

“How can our forwards score when all the other player are on the half way line not allowed to attack . Even when we were 2-0 down no support.”

Credit: @Jameso04

“It’s as if maybe it’s not the strikers themselves that are the problem…”

Credit: @Sitdown_Jim

“If all he’s doing is receiving the ball with his back to goal on the halfway line then there’s no hope.”

Credit: @El_Vim_Fuego

“Hard to impress when there is such a lack of midfield creativity. The hope is that tbe team will accumulate a few more points to stay in the league. Then, set more ambitious goals with a progressive coaching team.”

Credit: @Coxee

In other news, Palace are willing to offer more money for a European midfielder after their first bid was rejected. Have a read who they are after here!

Glasgow Rangers fans have slammed referee John Beaton after comments from Steven Gerrard following the Gers’ 1-0 victory over Livingston on Wednesday.

The Gers picked up another three points as they close in on the Premiership title. However, Gerrard was unable to watch the second-half from the touchline after being sent off at half-time by Beaton. The former Liverpool captain was clearly frustrated after Alfredo Morelos was booked for diving despite contact being made. He confronted the official at the interval, and received two yellow cards within the space of a minute.

After the final whistle, Gerrard was clearly still irritated. In his post-match interview, he said the decision to punish Morelos was ‘bang out of order’. Gerrard claimed he would accept one official making a mistake, but was furious that a referee, assistant referee and fourth official had all got it wrong.

The comments were shared by Clyde Superscoreboard on Twitter, and they attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters.

They took to the social media platform to share their anger.

Let’s see what the fans had to say after the comments from Gerrard

“Hes 100 % correct it was bang out of order”

Credit: @Annie_bear1872

“We should have had three penalties tonight. Booking Alfredo was outrageous”

Credit: @ZuluAlpha_1

“Well said. An absolute shocker from the officials tonight.”

Credit: @beaford_j

“Bang out of order spot on gaffer”

Credit: @ha11y6

“Bang on Beaton could have said yup ok let’s talk in tunnel or dressing room but walked on arrogantly”

Credit: @bobstar1701

“Spot on … he’s called 3 of them out on their incompetence… they should be embarrassed… they’ll probably try and ban him for the Celtic game … but let’s face it SIR Steven Gerrards work is done .. eh? He’s not a sir yet …. aw ok .. Steven Gerrard .”

Credit: @robertk82913999

In other news, Rangers fans slam this journalist’s article.

Like many others around the world, Manchester United experienced something akin to a wild ride during 2020.

The Red Devils didn’t get off to the best of starts and it seemed all hope was lost after they suffered two defeats and one draw in their first three fixtures of the year but they soon bounced back shortly after the arrival of Portuguese magnifico Bruno Fernandes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho his top transfer target in the summer but had to settle for Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellistri, Alex Telles and Donny van de Beek instead, although Ed Woodward should be given credit for signing former Paris-Saint Germain striker Edinson Cavani as a free agent, as it’s safe to say the 33-year-old has turned out to be a total revelation ever since he first set foot inside Old Trafford.

Not to be outdone by all of the new signings, Marcus Rashford was awarded a MBE for his services to vulnerable children across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, and the 23-year-old forward finished the year as the club’s top scorer for the 2020/21 season across all competitions.

United currently sit second in the Premier League, with three points between them and league leaders Liverpool, although they still have a game in-hand over their bitter arch-rivals.

Who knows where United will end up at the end of the season, but there’s one thing for sure, that shouldn’t take anything away from what has been another step in the right direction. How well can you remember United’s 2020? Try your hand and test yourself to the very limit with Football FanCast’s Big Fat Quiz of 2020!

Leicester now reside at the top of the Premier league after their victory over Chelsea on Tuesday. While the race for the title is often nerve wracking, and filled with uncertainties. Many believe that this is Leicester’s year to take the title and repeating the success of the 2015/2016 season. The success of the team again is a real possibility and for that reason we cannot rule out the chance that they could repeat the same victories again this season.

We recommend Rated Betting Sitesfor all the best sporting sites and promotions. Particularly if you are feeling lucky about betting that Leicester would actually take the lead title this year! It is all up to fate, but you definitely could walk away with a nice treat, should fate favour Leicester this year.

Leicester are the top of the league currently, just because they have won more games than anyone else this season, so far. The Foxes actually reached the middle game of the season on Tuesday evening, due to them playing the 19th game and making it their 12th win overall. In addition to this, they have managed to score 35 goals this season too, putting them behind Liverpool’s top goal score of 37.

There is no doubt about it, the quality shown in playing by the team of Leicester is of the best currently out there. Their games speak for themselves, and they really do deserve the tops spots of the table, there is no doubt about that at all. Their wins against Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea, have been superior game quality, and a testament to what kind of team they are within the business at the moment. There is nothing we can do or say, that will take away from that, that is for sure.

There has been a question that has popped up in the midst of all the game time we have witnessed this season: why are Leicester losing to less football positioned teams? Despite them conquering the champions of previous seasons, Leicester still manages to lose against Fulham, West Ham, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. It has proved to be a very recurring theme that cannot be explained for. If Leicester are hoping to really be the big reigning champions of 2020/2021, they will need to squash this character trait for their playing style, and fast. Because one thing is certain, if they wish to progress forward at the top, they cannot afford to lose out on those extra points from lower teams within the league.

Despite the missing presence of Pereira, Ndidi, Perez, Soyuncu and Amartey, Leicester have still managed to use Jamie Vardy heavily for their current success. Rodgers has rested the players without having to sacrifice major points, here and there. They have still managed to attain an abundance of quality play, using a fluidity within the 3-4-2-1 formation strategy. This combination is what allows Rodgers to make the team give rise to the playing style options that they have showcased very recently.

When mentioning the manager, it is clear that many will question the effectiveness of the quality that he brings to the field for the players. However, one thing is certain, he is no stranger to combatting a challenge and making the best out of a scenario that Leicester have faced previously. Rodgers has managed to almost win with Liverpool during 2013/2014, and now with Leicester, he has brought them up considerably during their last four seasons. Other successes to his career include the title win for the Celtic team within Scotland, with two great seasons within Glasgow showcasing his keen eye for attention to details. He’s managed to do a superb job for the King Power Stadium, by keeping the Leicester players consistent overall, especially after they lost key players like Maguire and Chilwell for example.

To conclude, can we say that Leicester have what it takes to take the title again this year, and are they worthy contenders? The answer is, of course, they need to be. They cannot dismiss their chances over small mistakes made earlier. By ploughing forward and maintaining their consistency, they will persevere within the top four positions at least or the top two. The lockdown made them stumble in the pace they possessed naturally, and for that they lost out to the Champions League, due to their defeat to United. One thing we should keep in mind now however, is that the points they total now, actually do line up with their past win during 2015/2016, so this should definitely leave them hopeful of what they can achieve if they persevere with the same discipline.

All we can do now is wait and see what kind of surprises (good ones hopefully), that they manage to bring out of the bag.

Tottenham Hotspur retained the top spot in the Premier League with an impressive victory over their arch-rivals, Arsenal, on Sunday evening.

Jose Mourinho once again has his red-hot goalscoring duo, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, to thank as the pair combined for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

The South Korean needed just 13 minutes to get on the scoresheet as he fired home a scorcher from well outside the penalty area before the 27-year-old marksman rifled one in from close range right on half-time.

In the end, Spurs hung onto a deserved victory despite the Gunners’ second-half dominance but largely, it was all bark and no bite.

Mikel Arteta’s men managed seven attempts at goal to Spurs’ one in the final 45 minutes, and struggled to find a way past a defence that has now kept four successive clean sheets in the division.

However but for all the positivity, Mourinho will surely be unhappy with what he saw from Giovani Lo Celso, a play who has been on the receiving end of some flak in recent weeks.

The ‘Special One’ criticised the Argentinian playmaker last month:

“I feel that when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know, not the Gio that we know that he can be an amazing player. But with the ball of course great criteria and he knows what he’s doing of course, and understands the way we want to play. But we need more intensity to be fitter, to be more intense and to be stronger in the transitions.”

It was only his second start in the Premier League this season on Sunday, which only goes to show the lack of faith Mourinho currently has in him, and that’s also reflected in the fact that Lo Celso is only averaging 44.8 minutes per appearance at the moment.

That certainly feels a bit like Tanguy Ndombele from last season, and the £31.5m-rated star did himself no favours.

Per SofaScore, he won just two of eight duels (25%) and failed to register a single shot, tackle, successful dribble, accurate cross or key pass in his 72 minutes on the pitch.

Lo Celso was also wasteful in possession as he lost the ball 13 times – more than any other Spurs player bar Son – and made just 18 of 29 passes.

Given Mourinho’s comments and the lack of reaction since, it would be a surprise to see the former Betis man start again in the upcoming games, unless of course, Ndombele hasn’t returned from illness.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Mourinho his next John Terry with swoop for £50m monster…

This was the big one for Leeds. In many senses, it was their cup final after being promoted to the Premier League.

When the fixture list was revealed in pre-season, this was the game every Whites supporter looked for – a trip to Old Trafford.

There is a fierce rivalry between these two sides and it was sad that nobody was inside the ground to witness it. However, Leeds fans can probably count themselves fortunate that they were watching from home instead.

This was a reality check for Marcelo Bielsa’s side as they were absolutely battered at Old Trafford, being defeated 6-2.

There was a barrage on Illan Meslier’s goal as he was forced to make eight saves from a total of 25 attempts towards his goal. The Leeds defence was utterly abysmal and it wasn’t helped by Pascal Struijk’s introduction at half-time.

The young Dutchman looked out of his depth and gave away a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Anthony Martial. However, there was a Leeds attacker that was arguably even worse – Raphinha.

The summer signing has been impressive since signing for the Whites – scoring against Everton and amassing 2.6 shots per game – but on this occasion he was woeful.

Raphinha epitomised their abject performance going forward, losing the ball a colossal 36 times – more than anyone on the pitch. He did supply a late goal-scoring opportunity for Jack Harrison but that was as good as it got for the Brazilian who endured a horrible evening in Manchester.

To make matters worse, the forward failed to win any of the nine duels he attempted, while he was unsuccessful with every single dribble he attempted. Furthermore, Raphinha completed only 74% of his passes and provided three accurate crosses from 13 balls into the box.

With Pablo Hernandez waiting in the wings this is a performance that should have the Spaniard standing to attention. After assisting two goals in an eight-minute cameo against Newcastle, his wait for a start could soon be over.

On the big stage, Raphinha’s performance wasn’t good enough and it should have left Bielsa fuming.

AND in other news, Leeds could have their NEW Ben White if Orta sanctions swoop for “huge talent”…

Plenty of Liverpool fans have been voicing their displeasure towards defender Joel Matip after reports suggest he could be ruled out until their clash against Manchester City next weekend.

According to The Times, the Cameroonian centre-back is set to miss the Reds’ Premier League game against West Ham United and their next Champions League clash away to Atalanta next Tuesday.

The report adds that he could be fit enough to face Manchester City the following Sunday, which means that Jurgen Klopp will have Joe Gomez as his only available senior centre-half in the meantime, with youngsters Rhys Williams, Billy Koumetio and Nat Phillips for cover.

Matip has consistently struggled to remain fit – fracturing his collarbone during the 2018/19 campaign and suffering a knee injury last season are two of seven different injuries that he has picked up at Anfield, missing a total of 60 games (TransferMarkt).

Alongside him in the treatment room, Virgil van Dijk has just had surgery for a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and Fabinho limped off clutching his hamstring during Liverpool’s victory over FC Midtjylland.

With this in mind, supporters have run out of patience with Matip and believe that he should be offloaded at the end of the season.

Fans have had enough of Matip

In other news, Jurgen Klopp overlooks 6 foot 2 asset for the second time in the space of a week.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has received a huge boost as Leon Balogun featured in Nigeria’s second fixture with Sierra Leone in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following an injury scare.

Premium Times Nigeria revealed that Balogun limped off the pitch after he sustained an injury whilst away on international duty with Nigeria last week. However, it seems he only suffered a minor knock, as he started the rematch with Sierra Leone in Freetown on Tuesday.

Balogun helped the Super Eagles keep their first clean sheet in their past five games, having played the full 90 minutes, although this wasn’t enough to stop Gernot Rohr’s side from sharing the points with the Leone Stars as they struggled to break down a team who are ranked 88 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings.

The timing couldn’t be any better for Gerrard, as the Ibrox boss may have been overwhelmed by a defensive crisis. He would’ve only had Connor Goldson and Filip Helander available for selection, with Nikola Katic recovering from injury and George Edmundson currently suspended after breaking coronavirus protocols.

Rangers signed Balogun on a one-year-deal with an option for a second in the summer. The Nigeria international originally joined the Ibrox outfit to provide injury cover and competition after Katic was ruled out with a serious knee injury, but has become one of the standout performers in recent months, having started both games against Standard Liege and Lech Poznan in the Europa League, with the Light Blues keeping back-to-back clean sheet.

In fact, it’s worth remembering that the Gers have only conceded once so far this season when he’s been on the pitch.

In seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership, the 32-year-old is averaging 1.1 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game, via SofaScore. By comparison, even Helander is only managing one interception per league game, whilst he is also dribbled past more times than the Nigerian on average. as per SofaScore.

The Rangers manager recently raved about Balogun, calling him a “fantastic” beast who is “very quick,” as quoted by The Herald. He said: “He is an international player, he is very quick, he has got a fantastic profile, a profile that we like in that area, and he has come in and settled in really quickly and put in some real consistent performances.”

High praise indeed from someone who knows a thing or two about playing with top-class defenders like his former England teammates John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

With Balogun on his way back to Ibrox after the international break, the fact that he survived largely unscathed will be welcome news for Gerrard, as the Gers face a difficult run of fixtures in the coming weeks, with home games against Aberdeen and Benfica respectively.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers could’ve signed Ryan Kent’s perfect replacement in Daniel Johnson…

After an exhilarating first weekend of Premier League football, the beautiful game returns to our screens again on Saturday, with plenty of exciting fixtures ready and raring to be played out.

This weekend hosts some great fixtures, with some even better storylines – such as Chelsea vs Liverpool, both of which have had active transfer windows, with the Reds announcing the signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich this week – one of the signings of the summer.

As per last week, today we are going to take a look at the fixtures ahead of us this game week, with clubs looking to continue their impressive starts to the league from last weekend, and others still looking for that first win of the season. So without further ado, here are my predictions for this weekend via the great interactive game Premier Picks – which allows you to predict all of the Premier League games each game week to earn points, earning points for each correct prediction!

Make sure you put your predictions in each week to be in with the chance of winning £500 at the end of the season.

Everton 3-0 West Brom

After a fantastic start to the season with a 1-0 win over Tottenham, the Toffees will be looking to continue their great start against the Baggies at Goodison Park. Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be looking to continue his good form after netting the winner in that opening day victory, against a West Brom side that saw defeat on an opening day with a 3-0 defeat to Leicester.

And I can see the same scoreline playing out in this one. Slaven Bilic and his side had a tough evening against the Foxes, and after Everton’s new-look midfield showed an impressive display in North London, West Brom may have a tough afternoon on their hands.

Leeds 2-0 Fulham

Fulham’s opening game against Arsenal saw the Cottagers suffer a tough 3-0 defeat. Leeds themselves saw their first game also ending in defeat – but look they very strong throughout, putting three goals past last season’s champions Liverpool, but losing 4-3 in the 88th minute to a penalty.

That being said, the Whites have a strong side, and will be favourites over a weaker Fulham side at Elland Road.

Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace

The Eagles got off to a flying start (pardon the pun), with a 1-0 victory of Southampton, thanks to a goal from Wilfried Zaha, giving Palace their first three points of the season.

This will be Manchester United’s first game of this campaign, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking for a strong performance and three points to kick off their season in a positive manner.

I can see them doing so, but only by the skin of their teeth. The club still hasn’t invested in the defence this summer, and this is something that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

The Gunners had a great start to their season with a 3-0 victory over new boys Fulham – which even saw a debut goal for Brazilian defender Gabriel.

The Hammers, on the other hand, had a tough time of it, losing 2-0 to an impressive Newcastle performance, and it will be difficult for David Moyes’ men to bounce back in North London.

After a few failed transfer windows with money wasted, they have struggled to add to the squad with any player of merit this window, and could struggle this season, as they will against Arsenal this weekend.

Southampton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Both sides faced a poor start to their seasons in the opening games, with the Saints losing out to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, and Spurs seeing themselves fall to a 1-0 defeat to a rampant Everton side under Carlo Ancelotti.

Ralph Hassenhuttl and his team will be looking for a quick bounce back this weekend, with the Austrian’s work starting to pay off for the club, and Danny Ings hopefully returning to his goalscoring form from last season.

Tottenham, on the other hand, has made some incredible new additions to their squad since the defeat to the Toffees, with Gareth Bale expected to return this weekend, and bringing fellow Madridista left-back Sergio Reguilon with him. Despite the impact singings, they likely won’t be ready for the game on Sunday – with it ending in a 1-1 draw.

Newcastle United 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion

The Magpies found themselves the 2-0 victors over a poor West Ham side in their opening game of the season, with debut goals for Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendricks, who optimised a strong Newcastle performance to give them their best Premier League start in eight years.

Brighton found themselves losing 3-1 to a strong Chelsea side, but there were positives to be picked up – and with that being said, I actually feel the Seagulls could come out on top during this game, with Newcastle’s form often dipping from time to time, struggling to find momentum.

This will likely lead to slim pickings, but a 2-1 victory at the end of the game for Graham Potter and his side.

Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

There’s been a lot of 2-1 predictions so far, and here’s another one. The Reds narrowly beat new boys Leeds last weekend in a thrilling 4-3 victory, but the defending champions still showed their quality throughout, despite some strange defensive errors from Virgil van Dijk.

Chelsea also started with a victory, but they are simply no match for Jurgen Klopp’s side, even on a bad day – and I see the Reds coming out victors again against the Blues with a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

It will be interesting to see if we will get our first glimpses of Thiago in action for Liverpool this weekend, too.

Leicester City 2-0 Burnley

The Foxes had a great opening to their season, winning 3-0 against a poor West Brom side – with two opening day goals for fox in the box Jamie Vardy, as well as a debut goal for Timothy Castagne.

Burnley, however, will be playing their first game of the season with a similar squad to last term – and will be hoping to improve on their 10th place finish from the last campaign.

Overall I see Leicester being too strong for Sean Dyche’s side, with them coming out with a 2-0 victory at home, and making it six points from six available at the end of the weekend.

Aston Villa 1-1 Sheffield United

Aston Villa will be opening up their 2020/21 campaign this weekend against a Sheffield United side that lost 2-0 to a strong Wolves performance at Bramall Lane – and Dean Smith will be hoping that the Villans get off to a strong start after the singings of Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash and Emiliano Martinez, as well as securing captain Jack Grealish on a new five-year contract.

Sheffield had a strong defensive record last season and will be wanting to right the wrongs of their defeat last week, which will make for a tight game that will end in a 1-1 draw.

Wolves 1-3 Manchester City

Pep Guardiola and his side will be kicking off their season this weekend against Wolves at the Molineux. Man City will be hoping to make their way back to the top of the perch, after losing out on the title last season to an incredible Liverpool side.

New signings such as Ferran Torres and Nathan Aké could make their debuts, and I can’t see Wolves coming out of this game with many positives, despite the Citizens finishing as victors with a 3-1 win.

Well, those are our predictions, now you do yours! You can make your predictions here and set up a mini-league to challenge all of your mates along the way, good luck!