Matchday Live Blog
That remark strikes a familiar chord personally. The festive period is invariably prioritizing the beautiful game, decorations later.
This can be a difficult time for football supporters. Can we manage to maintain the required focus on our club while showing appropriate enthusiasm for presents, holiday meals, and family events...? We'll give it a damned good try! Sorry, what was that you were saying...?
Man Utd Pursue Rúben Neves and Conor Gallagher
The Red Devils are searching for midfield reinforcements. This can’t be good news for the young talent… as a pair of former Premier League stars are on the radar of Ruben Amorim’s side.
Newcastle v Chelsea Fixture Analysis
The clash at St. James' Park in the early Saturday slot is a great way to start the day’s action. Eddie Howe’s side occupy 12th place and Enzo Maresca’s men are in fourth. Only six points lies between them, given Newcastle's strong home form set to provide a stern test for Chelsea.
Newcastle may be hamstrung, though, due to a lengthy list of current defensive absentees. Tino Livramento has joined a host of sidelined players on the treatment table, with Lewis Hall also a doubt.
Despite this, and even with the manager stating he was “falling more in love with [his players” recently, you wouldn’t bank on Chelsea strolling to victory at St James’ Park. Will the coach decide on a consistent attacking trio? Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench in the Carabao Cup against Cardiff and found the net appearing as candidates for a starting spot.
Forecasting results in such fixtures this season has proven exceptionally tough.
Top 100 Players Discussion
Observations show considerable debate among fans about the Guardian’s Top 100 players… such lists are inherently opinion-based, of course. One thing you cannot argue with is the positioning of Ousmane Dembélé at the top.
Key Weekend Storylines
10 things to look out for: From pressure on Scott Parker at Burnley, Wolverhampton's hunt for three points, to calls for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to feature in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup plans, everything is covered.
Friday Night Round-Up
For those who didn't see there was drama during the Welsh derby. The shot-stopper presented Swansea with the win with a last-minute error fumbling a cross straight to the substitute. Idah had the simplest of task to tap home to make it 2-1.
A gift from the Arsenal academy graduate, by the way, and local supremacy go to the Swans.
Steve Evans steered his team to a draw ending a poor run, but stated the 1-1 draw at Crewe was “frustrating” as they faced ten men for the majority. In the fourth tier, Cambridge United jumped into the playoff spots with a 2-0 win over Accrington and Cheltenham picked up a 2-1 win away at Barrow.
Northampton strolled beyond AFC Wimbledon 3-1 in the third division.
Over in Germany, the derby was won 2-0 by Dortmund, Max Beier scoring in the 97th minute to defeat Gladbach following an early Brandt strike.
Introduction
Hello everyone and welcome to another live football coverage. It’s Saturday morning meaning pre-match excitement! And we can safely call it a bumper day of action with no less than eight Premier League games, kicking off with the early kick-off, followed by four afternoon games, the evening fixture, and concluding with two late matches: Everton v Arsenal and Leeds v Crystal Palace (all times GMT).
Additionally, there's a full schedule of games in the Scottish Premiership, Championship, League One and League Two, plus lower down the pyramids along with European action. It's a feast.
As always with matchday lives, we encourage your comments and emails, so share your predictions for the day ahead, thoughts on 2025 in general now that it’s coming to an end, or your plans for a football-filled day. Enjoy!
