Two of Scotland’s unbeaten sides go head-to-head this afternoon as defending champions Celtic welcome their arch-rivals to Parkhead for the lunchtime kickoff.
Usually one of the most anticipated games of the season, the Old Firm derby will be played without supporters in attendance, though the clash is nicely poised as Rangers come to town sitting top of the table.
Hoops boss Neil Lennon has been left with plenty of decisions to make following a detrimental international break as many of his key men will miss this match.
So here’s the line-up we’re predicting for the 421st Old Firm battle…
Celtic could be forced to make as many as four changes with both Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie – two names usually first on the team sheet – ruled out for COVID-related reasons.
The same goes for Hatem Abd Elhamed and Nir Bitton whilst James Forrest is a doubt due to injury.
It means we’re likely to see a back three of Kristoffer Ajer, Shane Duffy and Christopher Jullien who’ll sit in front of Vasilis Barkas for the first time in over a month.
Diego Laxalt may have to wait for his debut – it would be a mighty risk for Lennon to throw him into a game of this calibre straight away, so Greg Taylor keeps his place. As does Jeremie Frimpong on the other flank.
Hoops skipper Scott Brown should return to the starting XI after being rested last time out in their 5-0 drubbing of St Johnstone. He could well replace Olivier Ntcham, which means David Turnbull survives as Christie’s replacement alongside fellow Scotland international Callum McGregor.
Without Edouard, Lennon has a big call to make – Moi Elyounoussi or Leigh Griffiths? We think the 49-year-old could opt for the latter as he’s an out-and-out striker.
He will surely pair the returning Albian Ajeti in the attack.
AND in other news, Celtic chief Peter Lawwell must make £40k-p/w monster his TOP priority in 2021…
In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.
Darren Huckerby had been part of some famous squads during his playing career, making a solitary appearance in Newcastle’s 1995/96 Premier League campaign when they pushed for the title under Kevin Keegan and playing for the Leeds side that went on to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.
However, he tended not to stay for long in one place – less than three years at Coventry, 18 months at Leeds and roughly two-and-a-half years at Manchester City (with a loan spell at Nottingham Forest thrown in, too). Norwich knew they were signing a nomadic player when they initially took him on loan in September 2003 before later making the deal permanent, with TransferMarkt quoting the fee at £1.13m.
Having scored 20 goals in taking Manchester City into the Premier League two seasons previously, Huckerby had previous in that regard and repeated the trick for the Canaries, his 14 league goals in 2003/04 ending their nine-year exile from the top flight and earning him second place in the club’s Player of the Season awards.
Despite netting several goals in the Premier League the following season, he was unable to spare them from an immediate return to the Championship. However, he later revealed that, around that time, he had phone calls which presented opportunities for him to join Liverpool and Celtic, but he instead opted to remain at Carrow Road.
He was twice named the club’s Player of the Season, in 2004/05 and 2006/07, coming second in the intervening year, as well as being inducted into the Norwich City Hall of Fame in March 2006. Huckerby’s goal contribution might not have scaled the heights of his first season in Norfolk but his figures during the 2006/07 campaign, in which he tallied 13 goals and 16 assists, deserve huge commendation.
Unfortunately, injuries restricted his involvement in the 2007/08 season, which would prove to be his last one for Norwich. He nonetheless managed five goals and seven assists while also getting a chance to bid farewell to the Canaries faithful at a ‘Greatest Ever’ event at the end of that campaign. However, many supporters felt that this was an inadequate send-off for the player, who was ruthlessly released by Glenn Roeder during a very brief meeting (as per BBC).
Until arriving at Carrow Road, Huckerby had never truly settled down at any one club. That changed after a tremendous five-year spell at Norwich in which he scored 48 goals in 203 appearances and became a fans’ favourite, as well as being deemed worthy of Hall of Fame inclusion by the Canaries.
This weekend, he will see his former club play their final Premier League game for the foreseeable future as they make the trip to another one of his old staging posts, Manchester City. With Norwich only scoring 26 goals in the league all season, how they could have done with a peak Huckerby this term to have given them a stronger chance of beating the drop.
Norwich fans, what are your favourite memories of Huckerby at Carrow Road? Let us know in the comments section below!
Tottenham Hotspur defender Serge Aurier appears increasingly likely to leave north London this summer, according to reports.
Spurs are reportedly ready to get rid of the right-back as AC Milan and AS Monaco are considering signing the 60-cap Ivory Coast international.
Corriere dello Sport claim, as relayed by @HotspurRelated, that AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli ‘dreams’ of signing the Tottenham defender in the summer. The Italian publication added that Aurier remains one of the ‘main objectives’ for the Rossoneri as they seek to shore up their defence before the start of next season.
Milan have been monitoring the 27-year-old for some time, with Corriere dello Sport claiming that they have kept close tabs on the Ivory Coast captain since last year. However, the Serie A giants must sell Davide Calabria or Andrea Conti before they can buy the ex-Paris Saint-Germain ace, while Jose Mourinho needs to find a right-back replacement sooner rather than later.
Apparently Aurier has already agreed to move to the San Siro as he wants to leave north London, despite becoming Mourinho’s main man on the right flank. The Lilywhites will not stand his way if he wants to leave, as he is reluctant to sign a new deal.
While personal terms will not be a problem, Daniel Levy is demanding that Milan pay €20m (£18m), but the Serie A side believe that the Ivorian wants to join them and that the two clubs can sort out a deal.
As far as the Spurs chairman is concerned, Levy is keen to recoup close to the price he paid to PSG for him three years ago. It remains to be seen if he will get what he wants in the summer as Spurs and Milan remain far apart in their valuation of Aurier.
It seems as though this is the start of hard negotiations but Milan do not have the luxury of looking at other options in that position. They could end up being forced to give into Levy’s demands.
Tottenham fans, should Levy sell Aurier this summer or hold firm for another while? Let us know your views in the comments below!
Leeds United could go up as champions should a ball not be kicked again this season after the EFL delivered a fresh proposal to its member clubs.
The board announced that it would use an unweighted points-per-game system to decide the final standings in the Championship but only if they look to follow the decisions from League One and League Two.
It will need at least 51% of teams to agree to such a decision and as a result, both the Whites and their nearest challengers West Bromwich Albion will gain promotion to the Premier League.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay delivered his thoughts on the matter to Twitter and plenty of supporters have flocked to his tweet with some reaction.
Hay claims the news is ‘obviously very good’ for the west Yorkshire outfit but they would still ultimately need the top-flight to agree to relegation this campaign.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently sit top of the league with a seven-point advantage to the playoff zone.
A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?
Some supporters believe they’ll be going up whilst others understandably have their doubts, even going as far as claiming that the EFL would try and screw them over. Leeds received a 15-point deduction back in 2007/08 and that clearly has left a lasting effect on the Whites faithful.
Here’s how fans have responded to Hay…
AND in other news, Leeds fans really would HATE to see 29 y/o back at Elland Road…
This upcoming campaign promises to be one of huge importance to Glasgow Rangers.
This will be Steven Gerrard’s third campaign as manager of the Gers, with him having failed to win any major silverware in any of the last two campaigns. Surely, if he is unable to win anything in a third consecutive term, he will have real trouble keeping hold of his job.
However, the early signs for the Ibrox outfit have been positive ahead of the new campaign. They have already made three new signings, for example, whilst they have also signed a £25m deal with Castore, who will be their kit manufacturer. Not only that, they have also sold 40,000 season tickets even though fans are unlikely to be able to enter stadiums, at least for the first few months of the season.
The latest news is that 20,000 people have signed up to their MyGers membership scheme as well. This has delighted the club’s supporters, and they have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.
Arsenal fans have been left in a heated debate after fresh reports linked midfielder Lucas Torreira with an exit from the Emirates Stadium this summer.
According to Corriere dello Sport, AC Milan will attempt to re-open negotiations over the Uruguayan after failing to land him before the start of the season, and the Gunners have set a €40m (£35m) asking price.
The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?
It’s claimed that Torreira, through the use of his agent, has often sent ‘positive signals’ to the Serie A giants and Stefano Pioli’s side still retain interest in him.
The 24-year-old’s last appearance for the north London club came during their FA Cup fifth-round victory over Portsmouth where he was stretchered off after just 16 minutes and had been likely to miss the remainder of the campaign with the ankle injury.
Per Transfermarkt, Torreira has featured 83 times for Arsenal, including 33 times this season, so he’s clearly been a frequent presence especially under Mikel Arteta.
Here’s how supporters have been reacting to his potential summer exit…
AND in other news, Arsenal can land a new Cazorla with £36m Spanish swoop in the summer…
Many Leeds United fans have looked back on a memorable goal from former striker Mark Viduka against Arsenal in 2003.
Footage of the Australian striker’s winner against the Gunners which ended their title hopes in the 2002/2003 season was shared via the club’s official Twitter account, and it has got The Whites fans talking.
Viduka bent home a superb winner with two minutes remaining on the clock, scoring a goal that would also end the threat of relegation for the Yorkshire club.
The striker’s Australian teammate Harry Kewell would put Leeds ahead, before Ian Harte would put the visitors in front for the second time in the game after both Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp had got the home side back in the game.
Despite appearing offside, Viduka scored late on and in doing so would hand Manchester United the title, sitting eight points clear of Arsenal with two games remaining.
Reacting to footage of the goal via @LUFC, fans revelled in the Australian striker’s goal…
Let us know your best memory of Viduka in the comments section below…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Sheffield Wednesday’s season could well be over already.
On Thursday afternoon, the EFL charged the club with financial misconduct after they sold their Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri in order to offset debts in the 2017/18 season.
The move handed the Owls a pre-tax profit of £2.5m that year, but they broke league regulations to do so.
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Wednesday have since released a statement claiming they will contest the charges, and although no punishment has been set in stone, it seems somewhat likely that the club are made an example of.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the most likely consequence will be at the very minimum a 12 point deduction, but no timeframe has been set on that.
If they were to be faced with such a penalty today, sitting eighth on 25 points, they would slip to the edge of the relegation zone on goal difference with 13 points.
And if Maguire is right, they could see even more deducted, which would undoubtedly leave them in a battle to save their Championship status.
What a sheer contrast that would be as the club are currently a mere three points off being back in playoff contention.
But thankfully, they have a manager in charge that knows the situation all too well as Garry Monk was in charge of Birmingham City when they were slapped with a nine-point deduction back in March.
Their form after the news should offer serious encouragement to fans in south Yorkshire as the 40-year-old is the perfect man to keep them safe on the pitch for the foreseeable future.
In the eight games played post-deduction, the Blues managed to lose just one game, and at the end of the season, they should have been three places better off.
To only keel over in one match speaks volumes to Monk’s man-management abilities, so Wednesday are in a safe pair of hands for sure.
They even beat Owls’ Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in that run.
If there is to be one positive from this scenario, it is the fact that the club has a shining light in Monk – without him, their future prospects would look rather dismal.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
John Aldridge has written in his column for The Liverpool Echo that he thinks Roberto Firmino will go on a goalscoring run after his strike against Crystal Palace.
What did he say?
Whilst the Brazil international has started each and every Premier League match so far this term, he has been far from prolific in front of goal. He has bagged just four times in the top tier so far this campaign, and this strike against the Eagles was his first in seven fixtures in the competition.
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Former Reds striker Aldridge has said that he now expects the former Hoffenheim forward to get himself on the scoresheet more frequently. He explained: “It was great to see Roberto Firmino end a run of seven league games without a goal. He has a lot of aspects to his game and he’s not a ‘goalscoring striker’ but being a centre forward he has to score goals.
“I know what it’s like as a striker when you lose your confidence in front of goal and you need a bit of luck to get it back. I think after Saturday that will have done him the world of good and we will start to see more goals from Bobby in the coming weeks.”
A big few weeks
There has been a lot of talk about how much Firmino does for the team off the ball, and the way he links up with his teammates. After all, he does have eight assists to his name in all competitions already this season. But four goals in 19 matches is a poor return for a number nine who is playing for a team that have won all but two matches this campaign.
It is not as though Liverpool couldn’t do with some more goals either. In the league, they have won seven games by a single goal. Whilst they are still picking up the points, this is surely a run that can’t go on.
In recent weeks and months, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner. The 23-year-old is not far off £72m-rated Firmino – as per Transfermarkt – in terms of creating for his teammates – he has just one less assist than the 28-year-old – but in terms of goals, there is no comparison. In just 18 matches in all competitions, the Germany international has already netted 16 times, four times as many as the man he could replace if he were to make a switch to Anfield.
Before the end of the year, Liverpool will play at least 10 more matches – it could be 11 should they make it to the Club World Cup final – and Firmino is likely to feature in the majority of them. As the transfer window approaches, it could be a huge few weeks for him. Should he go on a goalscoring run, as Aldridge expects, Jurgen Klopp may hold off on attempting to sign Werner. Another drought, though, and the speculation and rumours will only intensify. Firmino’s future is in his own hands.
In other news, one Liverpool star puts in a passive performance against Palace, but Klopp should do nothing.
From Francis Jeffers to Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal have really made some awful of signings over the years, especially under the 22-year reign of Arsene Wenger.
There’s so many that we struggled to fit them all into this list and had to leave out some strong contenders!
Anyway, here’s Arsenal’s 20 worst signings of the Premier League era so far…
Mikael Silvestre
We start with a great player who the Gunners just decided to prise away from Manchester United way too late in his career, versatile French defender Mikael Silvestre.
The 31-year-old at the time of his Emirates Stadium arrival really struggled to have the same impact he had at Old Trafford in north London and featured a mere 43 times in two years.
Andre Santos
Arsene Wenger scouted the former Brazil international at Fenerbache and decided to take a near £5m punt on the left-sided star, it was one that failed to pay off with Santos only able to provide three goals and no assists in 33 outings.
He also hardly endeared himself to the red army, see Robin van Persie incident.
John Jensen
Curly-haired Danish 1992 UEFA European champion John Jensen became something of a cult hero at Highbury right at the beginning of the Premier League era.
However, that doesn’t really take away from the fact that he never really delivered in the tricky pre-Wenger period for the North Londoners and he was signed as a result of an agent giving George Graham a back-hander – at least he’ll always have that seminal goal against Queens Park Rangers to remember.
Denilson
Football – Leyton Orient v Arsenal FA Cup Fifth Round – The Matchroom Stadium, Brisbane Road – 10/11 – 20/2/11 Arsenal’s Denilson lies on the picth after appearing to sustain an injury Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Tony O’Brien Livepic
When the Gunners forked out £3.4m to sign little-known 19-year-old Brazilian Denilson in the summer of 2006, there was a feeling of excitement and bemusement around the club.
The latter one turned out to be the more appropriate reaction.
Despite making over a century-and-a-half of Arsenal appearances, the central defensive midfielder never really lived up to his potential and comfortably makes it onto this list.
Sebastien Squillaci
Taking about easily being one of the Gunners’ worst signings in Premier League history, Sebastien Squillaci is right up there and could even be the worst.
The ill-disciplined ex-France centre-back never really settled into English football, struggling from the off and the fact that his international career was brought to a halt after he moved to north London says it all really.
Denis Suarez
Denis Suarez’s loan from Barcelona to Arsenal in the second half of 2018/2019 was certainly one of the most pointless transfers of the Premier League era.
The agile attacking midfielder played just six times, a cameo role from the bench on each occasion, before picking up a groin injury a month before the end of the campaign and spending the rest of it on the sidelines.
Junichi Inamoto
There was definitely something fishy about Japan legend Junichi Inamoto’s switch to Highbury in 2001 as he was plucked out of the microscopic J-League on loan only to ever feature four times in cup competitions.
Looking back now it very much appears that there were other motives behind this move, perhaps the Gunners wanted to raise their profile and sell more shirts in Japan ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup? And maybe the transfer was successful in that sense?
Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger’s face above doesn’t in the least suggest suspicion…
Yaya Sanogo
Former Golden Boy nominee Yaya Sanogo is a classic example of that player who impresses hugely in pre-season and turns out to be a flop when they start to sink their teeth into some competitive action.
The French youth prodigy did what Arsenal’s official social media accounts are still referring to as a “madness” against Napoli in the Emirates Cup in just his second pre-season, scoring four times in a 5-1 victory.
However, his form competitively was a world apart from this as Sanogo pathetically never scored a Premier League goal in four years before a free transfer back to his homeland with Toulouse.
Richard Wright
Arsenal’s goalkeeper Richard Wright watches the ball bounce past himduring their English Premiere League match against Charlton Athletic atHighbury November 4, 2001. Arsenal lost the match 4-2. REUTERS/RussellBoyce “No online/internet usage without FAPL licence. For details seewww.faplweb.com”RUS/AA
It’s simply laughable that not only did the Gunners spend £2m, some sum in 2001, to bring goalkeeper Richard Wright in from Ipswich Town, Arsene Wenger saw him as the long-term replacement for ageing club legend David Seaman.
Wait, it gets better, Wright actually managed to earn a Premier League winners’ medal during his mistake-laden Highbury spell but unsurprisingly, he didn’t even come close to establishing himself as the new first choice in north London.
Andrey Arshavin
Andrey Arshavin is a man who will always polarise opinion in world football – there was no doubting his talent though he could never really get over his frustrating inconsistency.
The fact remains, however, that the Gunners never really got anything more than THAT performance against Liverpool at Anfield out of the controversial Russian for their lofty £14.85m.