The ex-PSG star has a huge decision to make on his future, with Al-Hilal set to let the injury-ravaged forward leave the club this summer
“I know this will be my last World Cup, my last shot, my last chance and I will do everything I can to play in it,” Neymar said in an interview with CNNearlier this month. Brazil have certainly missed the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star in their latest CONMEBOL qualifying campaign, slipping to fifth in the standings, seven points behind arch-rivals Argentina.
Neymar played in Brazil’s first four games, recording five goal contributions, but tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee during a shock 2-0 defeat against Uruguay on October 17, 2023, and was stretchered off the pitch in floods of tears. He hasn’t featured in the iconic yellow for his country since.
Al-Hilal finally welcomed Neymar back to the pitch in October last year, but his return lasted for just 42 minutes across two games, as he was left with a tear in his hamstring after overstretching for the ball. Neymar is now nearing the end of his recovery from that particular blow, but according to The Athletic, there is practically zero chance that he will be offered a contract extension by the Saudi Pro League champions, who have seen no return on their initial €90 million (£77m/$98m) investment in the Brazilian over the last two seasons.
Neymar will leave the Middle East when his contract expires this summer, and despite his persistent physical struggles, there is no shortage of potential suitors lining up for his signature. The question is: where is the best place for Neymar to rebuild his fitness and confidence in order to force his way back into the Brazil squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup? GOAL runs through the six transfer options available to the 32-year-old below…
Inter Miami
“Playing again with [Lionel] Messi and [Luis] Suarez would be incredible,” Neymar told CNN when quizzed on the possibility of a move to Inter Miami. “They are my friends. We still speak to each other. It would be interesting to revive this trio.”
Neymar, Messi and Suarez famously formed the deadly ‘MSN’ triumvirate at Barcelona between 2014 and 2017, delivering 253 goals and seven trophies while wowing audiences across Europe. And Neymar is right, it would be “incredible” to see them reunite in Florida; he would complete Miami’s contingent of ex-Barcelona superstars, which also includes Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and new head coach Javier Mascherano, and perhaps be the final piece in the puzzle towards the club’s ultimate goal of MLS Cup glory.
The potential move was described as “impossible” by Mascherano last week due to MLS salary cap rules, but the league has since announced a new mechanism that clubs can use to raise extra money through domestic transfers, which means Miami could get some big wage packets off their books to pursue new targets.
This doesn’t feel like a farfetched deal anymore. Indeed, Miami’s managing owner Jorge Mas said to GiveMeSport last month: “We are aspirational. If there is ever a chance to bring the calibre of a player like Neymar, we will not hesitate.” The chance is there now, and maybe a reunion with old friends is exactly what Neymar needs to get back to his best.
Chicago Fire
MLS does indeed look like the most realistic option for Neymar at the moment, but Miami might not be his final landing spot. According to ESPN, three other U.S. clubs have already opened preliminary transfer talks with the Brazil international, including the Chicago Fire.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna was first to report the Fire’s interest, adding that Neymar has been offered a two-year contract at Soldier Field. That would guarantee his future at club level through to the end of the 2026, and if a preferred move to Miami never materialises, heading to Chicago could be the next best thing.
Neymar could build some invaluable soccer experience in the U.S. ahead of the next World Cup, which is primarily being staged in North America, while working under the tutelage of former USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter. The Fire have only appeared in the MLS playoffs once since 2012, but expectations are growing with Berhalter now at the helm, and signing Brazil’s all-time top goal-scorer would be a major statement of intent.
Santos
Next up: the most romantic destination. Neymar initially established himself as one of the most exciting talents in the game at Santos, making his pro debut for the Brazilian club at just 17 years old. He quickly became a hero at Santos, most notably inspiring their run to Copa Libertadores glory in 2011, with some even going so far as to label him Pele’s heir – and Barcelona eventually bought into his immense potential.
The second coming of Neymar would be monumental for Santos, who are still recovering from the blow of suffering relegation for the first time in their 112-year history in 2023. Club president Marcelo Teixeira has said they are ready to offer Neymar a “concrete project”, while executive director Marcio Calves has expressed his belief that there is a “60 percent chance” the beloved academy graduate will retrace his steps this summer.
Neymar last visited the club as a fan in April 2023, and vowed: “One day I’ll be back.” That day appears to be edging closer, with Santos now in a better position to match his wage demands as a result of the financial boost that came with their immediate promotion back into Brazil’s top flight last season.
Flamengo
Santos are not the only club in Brazil that Neymar could join, though. Back in 2016, after a charity game organised by Brazil icon Zico, Neymar said: “It would be a great honour for me to play for Flamengo, at the Maracana. It’s a club I’d love to play for.”
Neymar even posed for a photo on social media wearing a Flamengo jersey last summer, and it has been reported that he could be bought in to replace Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa, who left the club in December before signing for Cruzeiro. Flamengo have more financial power than Santos right now, and they are serious contenders for all the biggest trophies on offer in South America.
Former club president Rodolfo Landim has also leaned into the speculation, telling ESPN back in July: “It doesn’t hurt to dream, right? I think Neymar is a completely extraordinary player, the best in the world.” This one could have some legs, though it remains to be seen if Neymar would pick Flamengo over Santos if both clubs launched formal bids.
Arsenal?!
We know what you’re thinking: Neymar to Arsenal is a completely ludicrous notion. Why would the Gunners ever break their wage structure to sign a man who turns 33 in February and hasn’t been able to stay fit for more than a few successive games in the past five years?
It would certainly be a massive risk, but former Arsenal ‘Invincible’ Gilberto Silva believes it could pay off tenfold. “I’d love to see Neymar in the Premier League with Arsenal, it would be interesting that’s for sure,” the Brazilian World Cup winner said in an interview courtesy of Bet365’s Copa Americacoverage. “It would bring a lot of joy to fans and make the competition even more special. Let’s see. It’s not impossible that he could join Arsenal, why not?”
Boxing promoter Frank Warren then did his best to fuel that talk when meeting Neymar ringside for the light heavyweight unification bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol in Riyadh in October, saying: “This is the man. He’s coming to England. He’s going to come and play for Arsenal.” Neymar looked more than a little bit perplexed, and laughed awkwardly, but stranger things have happened.
Arsenal are most definitely in need of more firepower upfront, and if they fail to land their main targets, Neymar might well come into their thoughts as a free transfer option who would generate a huge buzz at the Emirates Stadium.
The winger scored his first ever hat-trick to make amends for another terrible collective display from Ruben Amorim’s side
Where would Manchester United be without Amad Diallo? In the relegation zone, quite possibly.
The Red Devils were on their way to their most humiliating defeat yet as they trailed 1-0 at home to Premier League basement club Southampton after a Manuel Ugarte own goal in the first half. But Amad took matters into his own hands, equalising in the 82nd minute and completing a hat-trick within the final 10 minutes to give United a 3-1 win they barely deserved but which they badly needed, taking them 10 points clear of the drop zone.
Southampton turned up at Old Trafford bottom of the table with six points and having just taken two points from all their away games this season, the lowest amount of any team in the four top divisions in English football. The Saints also had the lowest points total after 20 games in Premier League history and in their last league outing they had been humiliated 5-0 by Brentford. But it did not take long for Ivan Juric’s side to start playing as if they were Real Madrid
Kamaldeen Sulemana bullied Leny Yoro while Tyler Dibling was also too hot to handle for a United side which looked nothing like the team that had held Liverpool to draw at Anfield and knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup. The Saints scored from a corner, their first such goal all season but the latest demonstration that United cannot cope when defending from set pieces.
Amorim took swift action from the bench, hooking Kobbie Mainoo at half-time and Rasmus Hojlund and Manuel Ugarte early in the second half. But Antony, who had replaced Mainoo, made things even more embarrassing for the hosts by missing an absolute sitter. United fans were tearing their hair out, as was Amorim, but Amad kept believing and equalised almost on his own, cutting through down the right wing and then lashing inside the near post.
He struck what looked to be the winner in the 90th minute before making sure with another goal in added time to complete his first ever hat-trick.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Andre Onana (6/10):
Made an outstanding double save to thwart Dibling and Fernandes but needed a stronger arm to prevent the goal.
Leny Yoro (3/10):
Got repeatedly destroyed by Kamaldeen Sulemana as United really suffered without the security Harry Maguire gives them.
Matthijs de Ligt (5/10):
The best of a bad bunch in defence, making several important blocks.
Lisandro Martinez (4/10):
Struggled against Dibbling and was targeted from the corner leading to the goal due to his height, being out-jumped by Dibling. Forced into a couple of tactical fouls, getting booked for taking out Ugochukwu.
Midfield
Noussair Mazraoui (5/10):
Had some joy down his flank in United’s best spell of the first half but couldn’t keep it up.
Kobbie Mainoo (4/10):
Had one promising foray into the area only to bungle the pass. Otherwise he couldn’t get a grip on the game. Hauled off at half-time.
Manuel Ugarte (4/10):
Cumbersome in possession and powerless to stop Southampton’s quick advances. Taken off, looking furious, in the 53rd minute.
Amad Diallo (10/10):
The one player who kept believing, almost single-handedly turning a wreckage into a masterpiece.
Attack
Alejandro Garnacho (5/10):
Got off to a bad start when he missed a glaring chance but at least he kept going and kept playing with positivity.
Rasmus Hojlund (4/10):
Put chance on a plate for Garnacho but that was his only positive contribution and he could not argue with being substituted early, even tough he did.
Bruno Fernandes (6/10):
Looked like he and Amad were carrying the team for large parts of the game.
Subs & Manager
Antony (3/10):
Created a chance within moments of coming on but gets a dire rating for his dire miss.
Joshua Zirkzee (7/10):
Gave United an outlet and his passing created lots of attacking moves.
Toby Collyer (7/10):.
His energy made a big difference.
Christian Eriksen (N/A):
Threaded through the pass for the winner.
Harry Maguire (N/A):
A late addition and the performance showed he has to start all the time.
Ruben Amorim (7/10):
His proactive and ruthless substitutions saved the game.
The Magpies are absolutely flying, and if their prolific No.14 can keep up his scintillating form then major silverware is a realistic goal
Just over a month ago, Newcastle looked in real danger of being dragged into a relegation battle, and serious questions were being asked over Eddie Howe’s position in the dugout. After a chastening 4-2 loss at Brentford on December 7, the Magpies dropped to 12th in the table, having only won two of their previous 11 Premier League games.
Howe apologised to the visiting fans at the Gtech Community Stadium, before pledging “we will always work as hard as we can to put it right”. Since then,Newcastle have delivered on the manager’s promise in spectacular fashion.
They are now on a nine-match winning streak in all competitions, the joint-best run in the club’s entire history, with 20 goals scored and only two conceded. Suddenly, Champions League qualification is in Newcastle’s hands again, and they have one foot in the Carabao Cup final.
A charge for the Premier League title should not be ruled out either. Newcastle look capable of blowing away any team that’s put in front of them, and it’s time for Howe and his resurgent Magpies to start aiming for the very top, especially with ruthless Swedish frontman Alexander Isak leading their charge.
Underwhelming start
The 2023-24 campaign was a huge disappointment for Newcastle. Howe had guided the club back into the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, but his team crashed out in the group stage, and ended up finishing seventh in the Premier League. Because of Manchester United’s miraculous FA Cup triumph, that wasn’t quite enough for Newcastle to secure another year of European football.
There were no big summer signings to bring a feeling of optimism back to the St James’ Park faithful either. Making Lewis Hall’s loan move from Chelsea permanent was the only significant piece of business Howe conducted, and it was no surprise when Newcastle made such an underwhelming start to the new season.
But there were enough positive signs to keep the wolves from Howe’s door. The Magpies recorded impressive home wins over Tottenham and Arsenal, while also battling to draws against Liverpool and Man City; it was just their away form that was preventing any real progress.
But with a few small tactical tweaks, Howe has fixed that dynamic, and Isak has been the biggest beneficiary.
‘The complete striker’
Heading into a clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 27, Isak had just one Premier League goal to his name from six appearances, and seemed to be struggling for rhythm. But he found the target in the 2-1 defeat against the Blues, which seemed to snap him back into life.
That was the first of 14 goals he has scored in his last 13 league outings, and Isak was on the scoresheet for the eighth game in a row on Wednesday as he hit a brace in the 3-0 win over Wolves, breaking a club record he previously shared with Alan Shearer and Joe Willock.
Isak is now only three games away from equalling Jamie Vardy’s historic 11-game scoring streak for Leicester City back in 2015, and only a fool would bet against him. On current form, the Sweden international has a strong case for the title of best centre-forward in Europe.
That’s not just because of his prolific strike-rate either. Isak also set up Anthony Gordon to round off the scoring against Wolves, bringing his tally of assists to five this term, and his work off the ball has been essential to Newcastle’s improvement as a collective.
“He is the complete striker,” Newcastle legend Shearer said on BBC Match of the Day. “He is in red-hot form. No-one can stop him. He has got this belief and confidence and there is no doubt that he has the ability. He does his bit defensively, which he has to do in that Newcastle team. Everything about his game is great. He is just so tough to mark.”
‘This generation’s Henry’
Some teams have been able to limit Newcastle’s effectiveness from the flanks, but Isak is talented and confident enough to create chances for himself in the tighter matches. He’s got more to his game than a pure goal-scorer like Erling Haaland, who rarely gets involved in Man City’s build-up play; Isak will drop deep or drift wide to get on the ball when he’s being starved of service.
The former Real Sociedad star has remarkably quick feet for a big man, his link-up play is excellent, and it’s impossible to knock him off the ball when he’s infull flow. Isak’s powerful yet elegant style of play has even seen him draw regular comparisons to another of the Premier League’s greatest No.14s, Thierry Henry, and one of the Arsenal icon’s former team-mates believes they are fully justified.
“He is comfortable everywhere on the pitch. The ability to rotate positions and occupy every role in a frontline is part of what makes him a constant t
hreat. For me he is the closest thing we have seen to another Thierry Henry,” ex-Arsenal winger Theo Walcott told in November. “Henry started out wide, so he knew that role very well, and Isak’s pace and strength means he is excellent in those areas too. I would say he is this generation’s Henry.”
What’s next?
There is a very good chance that Newcastle’s winning run will continue though to the start of February at least, with favourable games against Bournemouth, Southampton and Fulham up next, and maximum points could potentially see them leapfrog second-placed Arsenal. Howe’s troops are nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more, but the Reds have drawn their last two, and Newcastle are powering through all-comers like a freight train.
When asked if the gap is insurmountable, Shearer replied in his latest Match of the Day appearance: “No it’s not. The form they’re in, the way they’re
looking – defensively solid, clean sheets. Midfield – there’s no doubt they’ve got the system going, and with [Alexander Isak] up front, they’ve got a chance.” He’s absolutely right, Newcastle are the definition of dark horses, especially since they have no European football to distract them.
There are no weaknesses in Howe’s starting XI, and in
Isak he has the most potent weapon in the Premier League. It has been reported that the club now value Isak at £150 million ($184m), with Arsenal reportedly set to test Newcastle’s resolve in the summer, but Shearer believes the 25-year-old should be completely off limits regardless of any potential offers.
“Who are they gonna go out and get that would come into Newcastle and do a similar job? We know that centre-forward is the most important position,” he said on the Rest is Football podcast. “They are really difficult to find so when you’ve got a bloody good one, why do you want to let him go for any price?”
The St James’ Park boardroom team would do well to heed that warning. Isak is doing a flawless job of spearheading a Newcastle team that could very well challenge for the biggest trophies come May, and in the years to come.
A blunt attacking display in defeat to Inter on Wednesday night highlighted many of Arsenal’s recent problems. Martin Ødegaard’s return cannot come soon enough.
There are worse problems to have in football than being overly reliant on a player like Bukayo Saka.
It’s an issue that almost every other club in world football would love to have, and yet an injury-ravaged Arsenal are starting to feel the strain of their reliance on their star man.
In the absence of a key player in Martin Ødegaard and a lack of form from other attackers in Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard, Arsenal have leaned even more heavily on Saka of late, and both he and the team have suffered.
After limping out of England’s UEFA Nations League tie with Greece last month, Saka missed two Arsenal games due to injury – the 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth and a somewhat uninspiring 1-0 home Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Since then, he has played all but five minutes in three Premier League and Champions League matches, and even came off the bench for 28 minutes at Preston in the EFL Cup.
Manager Mikel Arteta has previously insisted that Saka should aspire to be like “the top players in the world. They play 70 matches [a season], every three days and make the difference and win the game. If you want to be at the top, you have to be able to do that.”
There’s little reason to be surprised, then, that Arteta is happy to play Saka as often as he does. He demands a lot from Arsenal’s best and most exciting attacker, and understandably so given his ability and genuinely exceptional output.
In nine Premier League games this season, Saka already has three goals and seven assists. Only Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah (both 12) and Erling Haaland (11), none of whom have been injured this season, have more goal involvements than him.
But with other key attacking players either missing through injury or lacking in form, the reliance on Saka has become genuinely problematic.
When Arsenal have other threats for the opposition defence to worry about, Saka is an incredible weapon. When those other players aren’t around or performing as well as they can, it is much more difficult for him to influence games.
He has been one of the players impacted most by Ødegaard’s absence. In the Premier League last season, Ødegaard passed the ball to Saka more times (322) than any other combination of non-defenders apart from Man City pair Mateo Kovacic and Rodri passing the ball to one another. And simply looking at that raw number doesn’t take into account the quality of the passes Ødegaard provides, or the areas he helps Saka get into. This term, Thomas Partey is the player passing to Saka the most, and he will be doing so from deeper positions than Ødegaard would take up.
Meanwhile, with Martinelli underperforming on the left flank, there is even more pressure on Saka to perform. In the defeat to Inter on Wednesday night, it was all too apparent that the game plan was just to get the ball to Saka and see what he could do, with Martinelli inept and ineffective on the opposite side of the pitch.
Arsenal have had problems in attack bubbling beneath the surface for a few weeks now. They have failed to score in three of their last six matches, and have particularly struggled to break teams down in open play. They have scored just 13 goals in open play in 10 Premier League games so far this season.
At San Siro, they lacked ideas and resorted to crossing the ball all too much, putting in 46 crosses overall. Their total of 33 in open play was their second highest in their 248 matches under Arteta (excluding extra-time), after the 37 they attempted in the 3-2 comeback win over Bournemouth in March 2023, when they were piling forward against a low block until finally finding a winner in the 97th minute.
Arteta has cut a frustrated figure on the touchline in recent games/ Getty Images
Crossing isn’t intrinsically negative, particularly against a team like Inter who sat back and invited pressure. But it clearly wasn’t working on Wednesday and it was concerning that Arsenal were so clearly lacking in other ideas.
Seeing cross after cross go into the box, it was impossible not to think of Arteta’s words after a November 2020 defeat at home to Wolves, when Arsenal had attempted 33 crosses in vain.
“I think it is the first time in the Premier League that we put 33 crosses in,” Arteta said. “I am telling you that if we do that more consistently, we are going to score more goals. If we put the bodies we had in certain moments in the box, it is maths, pure maths, and it will happen.” He was widely ridiculed after saying that, and many would have thought before this week that that was an approach this new, improved, title-challenging version of Arteta’s Arsenal had left in the past.
But perhaps the approach and performance against Inter shouldn’t be all that surprising with Ødegaard absent. Since the start of last season in Premier League and Champions League games, Arsenal have averaged 9.3 open-play crosses per game when Ødegaard has played, compared to 13.6 per game when he’s been missing. That’s an increase of 46.2% in Arsenal’s crosses when the Norwegian isn’t playing.
That’ll be in part because Ødegaard is the main Arsenal player who gets on the ball between the lines in central areas, allowing them to attack through the middle of the pitch. He averaged more touches in the zone just outside the opposition penalty area – known widely as ‘Zone 14’ – last season (5.3 per 90) than any other teammate to play at least 1,000 minutes.
Rice and Partey have been the only saving grace so far this season/ Getty Images
This season, Partey and Declan Rice – both defensive-minded midfielders – are Arsenal’s most prolific players in that crucial zone (min. 200 minutes played), and they are averaging just 3.8 and 2.9 touches per 90, respectively.
What’s more, with Ødegaard absent this season, Arsenal have needed more from Martinelli on the left flank to take the strain off Saka, but he hasn’t shown anything like his best, and so there has been an even greater reliance on the Englishman.
Last term, Arsenal created 43.0% of their chances down the right third of the pitch. That was a higher proportion than any other team in the Premier League, showing just how much they relied on Saka.
But this season, their imbalance is even more extreme, with the proportion of chances created down the right side jumping up to 51.4%, which is unsurprisingly the highest in the Premier League in 2024-25 by some distance.
A reliance on a player as gifted and threatening as Saka isn’t really a problem and hasn’t caused too many issues over the past few seasons, in which Arteta has turned Arsenal into genuine title contenders.
But without others taking some of the pressure for attacking output off Saka, Arsenal are suffering. Ødegaard’s return could not be better timed.
Credit: Ali Tweedale | Jonny Whimore | Matt Sisneros | OptaAnalyst
Mourinho said to want Newcastle United job if Eddie Howe leaves
Fenerbahce boss sees Magpies as ideal club to help him return to Premier League
Portuguese legend recently criticized refereeing standards in Turkey
Jose Mourinho will eye the Newcastle United job if current manager Eddie Howe departs as he plots a sensational return to the Premier League, a new report has claimed.
After winning the Champions League with Porto, Mourinho led Chelsea to three Premier League title triumphs across two separate spells and later took charge of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
He currently manages Fenerbahce but recently heavily hinted at his dissatisfaction with life in Turkey, launching an extraordinary eight-minute tirade against referees and alleged corruption in the Super Lig.
The Guardian report that the 61-year-old has identified the Newcastle job as his best opportunity to work in the Premier League again and has reached out to intermediaries to communicate his interest.
Howe and Mourinho have squared off in the Premier League before / Michael Steele/GettyImages
After leading the Magpies to a Champions League place for the first time since 2002/03, Howe’s squad struggled with injuries in 2023/24 and only finished seventh. The former Bournemouth boss is not understood to be under significant pressure, with their recent victory over Arsenal lifting them up to 11th after a five-game winless streak in England’s top flight. They visit in-form Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Howe said: “It feels good to still be here. I’m so pleased with how it’s going, so pleased to be in this position and still dreaming.
“I’m happy with the progress but you always want more and we haven’t got the one thing we wanted when we came in which was a trophy. That was the dream, that’s still the dream and still driving us.
“We believe we can achieve extraordinary things and that’s the focal point driving us every day. Qualifying for Europe again is one of our aims this season.”
Los Blancos aiming to bounce back from two home defeats on the spin
Carlo Ancelotti’s side already nine points behind Barcelona
The defending European champions stumbled to a dismal 3-1 loss at home to Milan on Tuesday evening, exacerbating the frustrations at the Santiago Bernabeu following a humbling 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have struggled to go through the gears this season, with the addition of Kylian Mbappe having only made them worse. The experienced Italian must discover a way to efficiently configure his star-studded forward line.
Los Blancos are already nine points behind La Liga leaders Barca, although they do have a game in hand on their Clasico foes. Another slip-up is out of the question, with high-flying Osasuna – who beat Barca 4-2 earlier this season – likely to pose them a stern test in a repeat of the 2022/23 Copa del Rey final.
Osasuna have made an impressive start to the campaign and currently sit just three points off Madrid. Vicente Moreno’s outfit have won three games on the bounce, keeping clean sheets in victories over Real Sociedad, Real Valladolid and Copa del Rey opponents Chiclana.
Real Madrid team news
Aurelien Tchouameni is out of action / Mateo Villalba/GettyImages
Aurelien Tchouameni was the latest casualty in Madrid’s midweek defeat, being withdrawn at half-time due to an ankle injury. The Frenchman is unavailable for the clash with Osasuna and could be sidelined for the next month.
Federico Valverde was also taken off at the break with a minor back issue but he’s expected to recover in time for Osasuna’s visit. David Alaba, Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal remain in the treatment room.
Vinicius Junior and Mbappe – who was left out of the France squad for the upcoming internationals – will start alongside one another once again on Saturday, although they are likely to be joined by the returning Rodrygo. Despite a disastrous defensive display against Milan, Ancelotti is unlikely to make changes in the backline due to a lack of depth and injuries.
Osasuna team news
Moreno has a full-strength squad for the weekend / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages
Osasuna have no injury concerns heading to the Bernabeu as they aim to continue their impressive form. Moreno is unlikely to make too many alterations – if any – from the same XI that were victorious over Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid.
Bayern Munich loanee Bryan Zaragoza has made a fast start to life in Pamplona and has already produced a goal and five assists in La Liga. Ante Budimir is the man he’s seeking to find in the number nine role. The Croatian has six goals this term.
Sergio Herrera has kept four league clean sheets between the sticks but will be braced for a flurry of shots from a Madrid side determined to redeem themselves.
Real Madrid vs Osasuna prediction
One would imagine that Madrid’s disappointing run of form will come to an end sooner rather than later. The idea of them losing three home matches on the bounce is unthinkable and they will be fired up ahead of Osasuna’s weekend visit.
The visitors are likely to unnerve a Madrid side lacking in confidence and without some key defensive cogs, but we’re backing Los Blancos to scrape a win on Saturday afternoon – even if it’s unlikely to be entirely convincing.
Liverpool will host Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday, looking to continue their impressive run of form with a positive performance at home.
Liverpool have picked up eight wins from ten Premier League matches, and they are coming into the game against Aston Villa on the back of three consecutive wins. The home team will be full of confidence here, and they will certainly fancy their chances of getting all three points.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa have lost their last three matches in all competitions, and they will be desperate to bounce back. The Villans are chasing UEFA Champions League qualification this season, and they cannot afford to keep dropping points.
It will be difficult for them to grind out a positive result away from home against an in-form Liverpool side, but they certainly have the quality to pull off an upset here. It will be interesting to see if the players can step up and deliver for the West Midlands club.
Liverpool Team News
Photo: Getty
Liverpool will be without Harvey Elliott because of a foot injury. Alisson Becker has a hamstring injury, Federico Chiesa will miss out with a knock, and Diogo Jota has an abdominal injury.
Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk in the central defensive partnership.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add defensive cover and control to the side. Dominik Szoboszlai will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. He will take up the no. 10 role and look to link up with the attackers as well.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas. Finally, Darwin Nunez will lead the line for Liverpool against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Aston Villa Team News
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Ross Barkley and Matty Cash will miss out with knocks here. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Liverpool, with Emiliano Martinez an automatic pick between the sticks for the away side.
Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Liverpool on the break. Diego Carlos will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit. Amadou Onana will look to break up opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side as the defensive midfielder here. Meanwhile, Youri Tielemans will look to control the tempo of the game from the deep.
Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey will add pace, flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas. Morgan Rogers will start as the attacking midfielder behind Ollie Watkins, who will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Liverpool.
Match Prediction
Liverpool will be the favourites heading into this contest, and they should be able to grind out a victory at home. The Reds have been formidable under Arne Slot this season. On the other hand, Aston Villa have struggled in recent weeks, and this will be a tough challenge for them away from home.
The West Midlands outfit have a poor record against Liverpool as well, and the home team is likely to pile further misery on them. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Slot and his charges this weekend.
Brighton & Hove Albion will host Manchester City at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with both sides eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
Manchester City, like Brighton & Hove Albion, are struggling, and they have lost their three matches in all competitions. Pep Guardiola will be thoroughly disappointed with the performances of his team, and he will demand a strong reaction from the players.
The defending champions need to get back to winning ways if they want to retain their league crown this season. They cannot afford to keep dropping points. Manchester City are the favourites on paper, and they have the squad to grind out a positive result here.
The away side will be determined to get their season back on track, and Brighton & Hove Albion will have to raise their performance levels to get something out of this contest. Manchester City are unbeaten in their last six meetings against Brighton, and they will certainly look to extend that run here.
Brighton & Hove Albion Team News
Photo: Getty Images
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without Matt O’Riley and Joao Pedro due to their ankle injuries. James Milner is still recovering from his thigh injury, Adam Webster has a thigh injury as well, Solly March has a knee issue, Yankuba Minteh has a groin strain, Jack Hinshelwood has a muscle problem, and Lewis Dunk misses out with a calf injury.
Brighton will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Manchester City, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and hit Manchester City on the break. Jan Paul van Hecke will start in the central defensive partnership alongside Igor Julio.
As for the midfield unit, Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba will start in the double pivot. They will look to protect the defensive unit and win the ball back for their side. Julio Enciso will start as the attacking midfielder and create goalscoring opportunities with his passing, vision and link-up play. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas, with Danny Welbeck leading the line.
Manchester City Team News
Photo: Getty Images
Manchester City will be without Rodri because of an ACL injury. Ruben Dias has a muscular injury, John Stones has an ankle issue, Oscar Bobb is out with a leg injury, and Kyle Walker misses out due to a knee injury. Jack Grealish is ruled out with undisclosed problems.
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Ederson Moraes in goal. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanji will start at the heart of the defence alongside Nathan Ake.
As for the midfield unit, Ilkay Gundogan will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the double pivot. They will look to add creativity and control to the side from the deep. Kevin De Bruyne will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Savinho and Jeremy Doku are likely to start in the wide areas, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City.
Match Prediction
Manchester City have an exceptional record against Brighton & Hove Albion, and they should be able to extend it. Despite their recent struggles, the champions are a formidable side, and they have the quality to grind out a comprehensive victory here. Brighton are struggling as well, and they are likely to crash to their third consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Bayern Munich welcome Benfica to Bavaria in the Champions League on Wednesday night
Bayern looking to bounce back from consecutive league phase defeats
Benfica have lost just once under Bruno Lage
Bayern Munich are in need of three points when they take on Benfica in their fourth game of the Champions League’s league phase on Wednesday night.
The Vincent Kompany era has so far boasted domestic promise, but the Belgian’s side suffered a chastening defeat last time out in this competition as they were blown away by a coming-of-age Barcelona performance in Catalonia.
Bayern’s 4-1 defeat followed up a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa in the West Midlands, leaving Kompany’s side languishing at the wrong end of the league phase table and with plenty of work to do if they’re to climb into a top eight position. Time is on their side, however.
The Bavarian giants are facing a Benfica side that have lost just once under Bruno Lage’s tutelage, but that defeat did arrive on Matchday 3 of the league phase. Benfica were woeful in a 3-1 home defeat to Feyenoord, yet they do sit 13th in the table and in a relatively strong position having won their opening two games.
Unlike Bayern, they don’t lead their domestic division heading into this fixture, but Lage’s side have won five straight in the Primeira Liga and are hunting down an excellent Sporting CP team at the summit.
Bayern Munich team news
Sacha Boey is closing in on a return to action /GettyImages
Impressive young midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic remains out after breaking his collarbone last month. He’s expected to return at some point before the winter break. In his absence, Joao Palhinha could partner Joshua Kimmich in the middle of the park.
Sacha Boey is closing in on a return from a knee injury and could be included in Wednesday’s matchday squad having returned to training. Raphael Guerreiro is likely to start at right-back, though.
Summer arrival Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic are out of action until after the international break.
Benfica team news
Bruno Lage has lost just once as Benfica manager /GettyImages
There are no fresh concerns on the injury front for the away side, who escaped their 2-1 win over Farense at the weekend without any new fitness issues.
Lage, however, will not be able to call upon the injured trio of Gianluca Prestianni, Leandro Barreiro or Tiago Gouveia in Bavaria.
Angel Di Maria is the household name in Benfica’s frontline, but Turkish international Kerem Akturkoglu has been the Portuguese side’s main man this season. The summer addition has eight goal contributions in the Primeira Liga and another three in this competition.
Bayern Munich vs Benfica prediction
Bayern can hold their hands up and say they were simply beaten by an excellent Barcelona side on Matchday 3. They had control of large swathes of that game, but their vulnerabilities to the transition were ruthlessly exposed.
Benfica ran riot on the counter against Atletico Madrid on Matchday 2 and should have some joy here, but winning at the Allianz is an almighty task for any visiting team.
Bayern haven’t lost a home group stage/league phase Champions League game since 2013, and their desperation for three points should see them triumph in a goal-fest on Wednesday night.
AC Milan pulled off a remarkable result in the Champions League as they ran out 3-1 winners against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Milan took an early lead in the game and it came via the familiar method of a near-post corner that Malick Thiaw powered in, but Vinicius Junior won and converted a penalty to level things not long after.
The Rossoneri then stunned the Bernabeu crowd with two unanswered goals. The second goal came from Alvaro Morata as he pounced on a rebound just before the break, then after it Tijjani Reijnders fired in from close range.
Both sides missed chances to either put the game to bed in Milan’s case or reopen the contest in Real’s case, but the end result was 3-1 and a huge three points in the ‘league phase’ of the UCL.
Paulo Fonseca chose to make four changes to the starting line-up from the team that beat Monza on Saturday, with the most notable being the inclusion of Yunus Musah. There was doubt about whether he would be a right winger or a wing-back, but the coach gave his explanation pre-match.
The first half-chance of the game went to the home side less than three minutes in as a nice move down Real’s right side ended with Kylian Mbappe whipping a low shot that curled wide of the far post.
It was an end-to-end opening to the game, as perfectly demonstrated when Theo Hernandez went on a run from inside his own half into the opposition box but saw his shot saved from a narrow angle, while at the other end a teasing low cross only just missed Mbappe and it would have been an easy conversion.
In the 13th minute, Milan took the lead and stunned the Bernabeu crowd. A ball in behind Vazquez found Leao and he won a corner, which was whipped in towards the near post – a routine we have seen plenty already this season – and Malick Thiaw provided a thumping header into the roof of the net.
Less than a minute after the goal, Real Madrid almost equalised straight away. Mbappe first launched a shot from near the edge of the box that Mike Maignan saved well, then Musah’s poor out ball saw Modric feed Vinicius who shot at Maignan from a narrow angle.
The home side did get a golden chance to level from the spot, after Emerson Royal made a rash challenge near the byline on Vinicius Junior. In truth the winger bought the contact by dragging his leg but it was still a clumsy tackle, and the Brazilian confidently fired the penalty down the middle of the goal.
Lunin was called into action for the first time aside from the goal just after the half-hour mark as a corner was cleared and Tijjani Reijnders sent a thundering low shot towards the bottom corner that he clawed away for a corner.
With just over five minutes to go until half-time, Milan retook the lead after an excellent spell in the game. Pulisic made a darting run towards the right edge of the box and provided cut-back for Leao who spun and fired a low shot which was well saved by Lunin but straight into the path of Morata. He tucked it home from close range, shushing the fans of his former club.
Real Madrid had Lunin to thank for keeping the deficit to one goal as he made a miraculous one-handed diving save from a Leao header that was heading for the postage stamp. Moments later Reijnders found Theo in behind with an outside of the boot ball, which the full-back dragged wide from a narrow angle.
A fantastic turn from Pulisic in the Milan half started a two-on-one counter in Milan’s favour and he fed Leao, but it was a bit behind him and the Portuguese saw his shot cut out by the recovering defender. A couple of minutes later Musah put Leao in isolation, yet he never really committed to the dribble and was crowded out inside the box.
The Rossoneri’s near-post in-swinging corners continued to cause issues for Real, and Morata’s flick went through a crowd before clattering the near post. After that, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham came on for Morata and Pulisic.
In the 72nd minute, Milan did get themselves a two-goal advantage and it was another wonderfully worked goal. Leao went galloping down the left and into the box past Vazquez and squared it on a plate to Reijnders, who managed to take a touch and lash a low shot underneath Lunin from close range.
It looked like being a grandstand finish with just less than 10 minutes left when a cross was palmed by Maignan to Rudiger who hammered a volley into an empty net. However, a VAR check commenced and ruled it out for offside interference at the far post, much to the disbelief of the home players and fans.
The chances continued to flow, and Abraham really should have put the game to bed after a fantastic driving run and square ball from Theo that the Englishman hammered straight at Lunin from close range. At the other end, a pinpoint cross from the left found an unmarked Brahim Diaz but headers are not his strength and he sent it straight at Maignan.
