Verdict: Danny Ings to score anytime
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Two sides who will have their sights set on securing a mid-table finish in the Premier League this season, Mark Hughes Saints will welcome Brighton to St. Mary s on Monday night.
Southampton
Starting with Mark Hughes side, although Southampton could only avoid the drop on the final game of last season, Mondays hosts did enjoy a solid run prior to the international break. Along with knocking Brighton out of the League Cup last month, Southampton also picked up an impressive 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. If Southampton are looking to make it three wins on the bounce, they will be hoping Liverpool loanee Danny Ings can carry on his impressive run of form. The 25-year-old now has two in his last…
Pep Guardiola has no concerns over NFL-inflicted damage to the Wembley pitch ahead of Manchester City s trip to Tottenham on Monday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Philadelphia Eagles at England s national stadium on Sunday – a date that led to a scheduling headache after Spurs move from their temporary home to the new White Hart Lane was hit by ongoing delays.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino joked that the unusual state of affairs could help his side and hinder City s slick passing approach but, even if that proves to be the case, Guardiola insists the playing surface will not be used as an excuse.
It is what it is. I m pretty sure that Tottenham have a good green keeper, noted golf enthusiast Guardiola told a pre-match news conference.
I think …
Thomas Tuchel does not expect Reece James to link up with the England squad next week, joking the defender will only be able to play water polo as he is still training in the swimming pool on his return from injury.
James was included in Gareth Southgate s 23-man squad on Thursday for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Andorra and Hungary, despite sustaining an ankle injury in the first half of the Blues 1-0 defeat to Manchester City last week.
The 21-year-old subsequently sat out the Blues 1-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League in midweek and will play no part in Saturday s Premier League clash with Southampton.
Southgate called up James in the hope of using him in one of England s October fixtures, but Tuchel does not believe that will be possible.
In-demand Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic will not be renewing his contract with the club, owner Rocco Commisso has revealed.
Commisso said forward Vlahovic – who is under contract with the Serie A side until 2023 has received multiple renewal offers to make him the highest-paid player in Fiorentina history, but an agreement has not been reached.
He released a statement on Tuesday to update fans on the failed negotiations, saying he was keeping a promise to be up front with them.
Vlahovic, 21, is one of the most exciting players in Europe after scoring 21 Serie A goals last season.
He ended up staying in Italy during the transfer window despite being strongly linked with Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.
(@OptaPaolo)
Manchester City, Arse…
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas on Wednesday dismissed the club s multi-million euro losses as an accident explained by the lull in the transfer market.
OL Group, the company that runs Lyon, on Tuesday announced net losses of 35.6 million euros in the financial period leading up to June 30, 2010, having enjoyed profits of 5.3 million euros in the previous year.
This loss-making exercise is an accident after an extremely profitable run for six years, said Aulas.
All clubs, even Lyon, can have unprofitable results.
Lyon s revenue also fell by 16.6 percent to 160 million euros.
In our view it s a minor setback. The results from this year have no bearing on what we have done up until now, said Aulas.
Transfers aside, it s quite positive…
With all eyes falling on the Etihad on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City claimed local bragging rights as they secured a thrilling 3-1 comeback victory against Manchester United.
With Marcus Rashford silencing the home support as the England international produced a thunderous strike after just eight minutes, Erik ten Hag’s men were desperate to pull off a heavyweight upset here.
However, while the Red Devils might have put in a rugged first-half performance away from Old Trafford, it was another English ace who stole all of Sunday’s headlines.
Watching Phil Foden produce his own stunner just 11 minutes after returning from the interval, the wheels quickly came off for United as the Sky Blues produced a rampant second-half display.
With Foden eventua…
Chris Smalling expects a response from Manchester United when they host Liverpool in the Europa League last-16 second leg on Thursday.
Louis van Gaal s side suffered a humbling 2-0 defeat at Anfield last week and had goalkeeper David de Gea to thank for keeping them in the tie as the home side threatened to run riot.
United came close to another major setback on Sunday in the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham, but Anthony Martial struck late on to force a replay.
Van Gaal had enjoyed a perfect record against Liverpool prior to the first-leg defeat and United s form at home to their fierce rivals is strong in recent years they have won 12 of the last 14 at Old Trafford, scoring in all but one of those games.
And with a Manchester derby to come at the …
Everton manager Roberto Martinez will next month hold talks with forward Steven Naismith, .
The Scotland international has made just four starts in the Premier League so far this season, with all three of his goals coming in 3-1 win over champions Chelsea back in September – a game in which he came off the bench.
Despite that incredible treble, the former Rangers man has struggled for hold down a regular first team place with Romelu Lukaku, Arouna Kone and Gerard Deulofeu ahead of him in the pecking order.
Naismith moved to Goodison Park from Ibrox on a free transfer in the summer of 2012 and has so racked up one hundred and twenty-two appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals.
However, his only game-time I the past si…
Spanish international striker Alvaro Morata is once again being linked with a big money summer move
I have to admit the old phrase about never going back fits Alvaro Morata’s current predicament at Real Madrid.
Last summer the Spanish international striker returned to his old club from Italian giants Juventus.
Morata’s current club had a buy-back clause inserted in the deal that had taken the striker to Juventus in the summer of 2014.
He was expected to be sold off last summer, with a host of clubs reportedly queuing up to acquire his services.
However, the striker decided that he wanted to stay in the Spanish capital and prove himself to the club that had sold him off. Unfortunately, that has not quite gone to plan.
Never regular as …
Manchester City dropped to third in the Premier League as Leicester City made it back-to-back defeats for Pep Guardiola s men Ricardo Pereira s spectacular 81st-minute strike securing a 2-1 triumph.
The reigning champions have lost three of their past four top-flight outings and lie seven points behind Liverpool, whose closest challengers are now Tottenham six points back of the leaders.
As in their weekend defeat to Crystal Palace, Manchester City took a first-half lead but were quickly pegged back Bernardo Silva s goal cancelled out by Marc Albrighton, who also equalised when the sides met in the EFL Cup quarter-finals last week.
A 1-1 draw on that occasion ended with a victory for Manchester City on penalties but Leicester prevailed this time,…