Brighton’s quest to become a force in English football is taking shape with the reported signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud.
The Seagulls have enjoyed a remarkable rise in the Premier League since their return to top-flight football. They want to keep that positive mood at the Amex Stadium by completing their transfer business early this summer.
Having already secured the pre-signing of Brazilian forward Joao Pedro from Watford for a fee that could reach £30m, they have now sealed the signing of Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer, according to 90min.
It has long been known that the German midfielder would leave Signal-Iduna Park when his contract expires at the end of this season. Various clubs had been linked to him, with Premier League sides Brentford, Aston Leicester City, Newcastle United and West Ham United all interested.
But Brighton has won the race for the 27-year-old, who has been out for much of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Apart from Dahoud and Pedro, Roberto De Zerbi’s side are also closing in on a deal to bring Liverpool’s James Milner on a free transfer.
Former Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that he told his former side to buy Erling Haaland for £ 4 million in 2018, but the club refused.
Solskjaer and Haaland worked together at Norwegian side Molde before the latter joined RB Salzburg. And Solskjaer, fully aware of Haaland’s enormous potential, had recommended him to Manchester United while he was still an unknown quantity at Molde.
During his time at Molde, Haaland scored 20 goals in 50 games, with all those appearances coming under Solskjaer. He joined the club from Bryne in 2017.
After spells in Austria and Germany, Haaland eventually left Norway for the Premier League. At City, he is lighting up the league and is undoubtedly one of the world football stars.
But things could have been different if United had listened to Ole.
‘I called United about six months before I took over and told them that I’d got this striker that we had, but they didn’t listen,” Solskjaer said via The Sun.
“I asked for £ 4 million for Haaland, but they didn’t sign him.”
Haaland has enjoyed a phenomenal first season in English football and has scored 51 goals in 47 games in all competitions.
“When I signed with City, he congratulated me and wrote to me ‘, Good luck on going to the wrong side of Manchester”, Haaland said about Solskjaer.
“We talk sometimes. As you know, he had a huge impact on my career when I was at Molde. He’s a good guy.”
Bayern Munich will continue their quest for the Bundesliga title this Saturday when they welcome a Schalke side fighting for their lives.
The hosts kept their slender one-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table thanks to a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen last time.
With just three rounds of league action remaining, this is the tightest title race at this stage of the season since Bayern Munich were level on points with Wolfsburg back in 2008/09 before ultimately failing to lift the title. But they will hope to hang on for a record-extending 11th-straight Bundesliga crown this time.
But nothing is guaranteed yet despite the odds being in their favour. But they can at least be expected to win here, given their strong record across their last 21 league games against promoted sides (W17, D3, L1).
Yet, since Die Roten have shown vulnerability in their home games against sides ranked 14th or lower, dropping vital points in two of them (W2, D2), Schalke will be confident of leaving Allianz Arena with something.
The Royal Blues have enjoyed a massive resurgence under Thomas Reis, with three victories across the past four rounds pushing them out of the bottom three places.
Reis was in charge of Bochum when they beat Bayern last season, so he will be looking to cause another colossal upset and end his side’s five-game losing streak at the Allianz Arena.
After their weekend exertions in the Champions League, Real Madrid will return to La Liga action this Saturday when they host Getafe.
The hosts have not played in the league since their 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad early this month. Since then, they have beaten Osasuna 2-1 to win the Copa Del Rey before holding Manchester City 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League semi-final.
Two league losses from their last three games mean they come into this round of games sitting in third place, one point behind city rivals Atletico Madrid, who have shot themselves to the second spot with impressive results.
Getafe have beaten Madrid only once across the last 18 H2Hs (W15, D2) and might struggle again here, given that their hosts have lost just once in 20 La Liga home fixtures (W14, D5).
The visitors were winless in April (D2, L4) but moved to 18th position with a crucial 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo, which boosted their survival hopes.
They will enter this game (which is their third last La Liga away game of the season), having not won on the road since October (D3, L7) whilst failing to score in three of the last four (D1, L3). The visitors also haven’t won an away head-to-head meeting with Carlo Ancelotti’s side since February 2008 (L13), losing the last four of them ‘to nil’, including three with a 2-0 scoreline.
Manchester United will continue their quest for a top-four finish this Saturday when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford.
The Red Devil’s chances of securing a top-four finish this season took a big hit last weekend as they were beaten by West Ham (1-0) away from home.
The loss was their second defeat in a row and reduced their once-healthy lead over the top four chasing sides to just one point, even though they have one game in hand.
That means they remain in charge of their destiny ahead of this game at home against Wolves. They will fancy their chances here given that they are currently on an unbeaten 26-game run in home matches (W22, D4), with their last home PL defeat at Old Trafford coming against Brighton on the season’s opener.
Meanwhile, Wolves have won only at Old Trafford since 1980 (D3, L10). However, that sole victory came last season. Moreover, Julen Lopetegui’s side should be full of confidence after mathematically confirming their place in the Premier League next season with a huge 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
That means the visitors are just the fourth side in Premier League history to be bottom of the table at Christmas and still survive. And now, with the pressure of relegation lifted from their shoulders, Wolves can target an improvement on their rod trips as they’ve won just two of their last 21 Premier League away matches (D6, L13).
They’ll likely have to build on their poor record of one league clean sheet on the road.
Meanwhile, only one of the last eight H2H meetings with Manchester United have seen both teams on the scoresheet. So, we can expect a low-scoring game at Old Trafford, with under 2.5 goals highly likely.
MatchPlug brings another thrilling soccer match in Atlanta United VS Charlotte FC, this one promises to be a clash for all ages.
Atlanta and Charlotte have been preparing diligently for this matchup, and as a Hot Prediction site you can always depend on for the hottest odds, we bring provide Today Soccer Prediction for Atlanta VS Charlotte.
By reading our preview, you’ll get the best selections and picks compiled after a careful analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.
Atlanta’s record shows they won five games, drew three, and lost three in the 11 matches they’ve played so far in the MLS. They’re tied with Nashville with 18 points, and their focus for today’s game would be to snap the tie in their favour.
If they can win against Charlotte FC, they’ll advance to third position in the Eastern Conference standings.
But, the past few games have been challenging for this team. Even with a good average of 1.4 goals per game in their five most recent matches, they still can’t effectively defend their goal, with a 1.8 goals-against ratio.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Quentin Westberg, Brooks Lennon, Miles Robinson, Juan Sanchez Purata, Andrew Gutman, Santiago Sosa, Amar Sejdic, Derrick Etienne Junior, Thiago Almada, Caleb Wile, Machop Chol.
Betting On Charlotte FC
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 5.2
Charlotte is at the bottom half of the standings, placing 12th in the Conference. Just like Atlanta, this team intends to forge ahead of Toronto, Montréal, and Inter Miami, who all have 12 points. This year they’ve managed 13 goals, but allowed 21 against. They’ve conceded more goals than any other team in their own net.
As guests, their numbers have been disappointing. They played five matches, with just one win and one draw, so statistics point to a loss. Although they have an average of 1.2 goals scored in their favour, they forfeited more than this. This means their average is 2.4 goals against per away game.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): Kristijan Kahlina; Nathan Byrne, Adilson Malanda, Jan Sobociński, Jaylin Lindsey; Ashley Westwood, Karol Świderski, Derrick Jones; Orrin McKenzie Gaines II., Enzo Copetti, Justin Meram.
MatchPlug Prediction
Atlanta United VS Charlotte FC won’t be a smooth ride for the visitors. Charlotte is the clear underdog in this fixture with the lowest odds of winning.
Furthermore, Atlanta has been playing well both offensively and defensively. All these factors should result in a straight victory for the guests.
Matchday 12 will feature Inter Miami VS New England Revolution. This a crucial game for Miami, which presently holds the top position in the Eastern Conference. Any small mistake could topple them.
Inter Miami is in 10th position in the Eastern Conference with 12 points, which won’t get them to the playoffs. But, they know they still have a lot of competition to play in. They enter this match fresh off a win in the US Open Cup (1-0 against Charleston Batter) and have a good streak of results.
This is due to winning their last four matches, improving their performance and hoping to recreate their good form today. But, it won’t be easy because they’ll be facing a current leader in overall standings.
Possible Lineup: (3-4-3): Nick Marsman, Christopher McVey, Ryan Sailor, Kamal Miller, Harvey Neville, David Ruiz, Victor Ulloa, Franco Negri, Nicolas Marcelo Stefanelli, Josef Martinez, Robert Taylor.
Betting On The New England Revolution
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.64
The New England Revolution didn’t get the same fortune as Miami in this round, haven lost 0-1 to Pittsburgh in the US Open Cup. But, this poor performance shouldn’t tarnish how well they’ve been playing in the MLS. Matter of fact, they enter this competition after defeating Toronot FC 0-2 last week,
New England have lost just once in their last seven road matches, and haven’t lost in two out of three games played against Inter Miami at the Lockhart Stadium.
Possible Lineup: (4-3-3) Earl Edwards, Joshua Bolma, Omar Gonzalez, Christian Makoun, Ben Sweat, Justin Rennicks, Jack Panayotou, Latif Blessing, Jozy Altidore, Giacomo Vrioni, Damian Rivera.
MatchPlug Prediction
New England Revolution has given an excellent performance when compared to Inter Miami. They are the best too in playing on the road, winning three matches and drawing one in five games.
Despite this, Inter Miami won three out of five games played on their field and is currently in good form, which must be considered, and they can compete at a top level.
After considering the hosts’ good form and the guests’ consistent level of play, the match may end in a draw.
Leeds United will continue their quest for Premier League survival this Saturday when they welcome top-four hopefuls Newcastle United to Elland Road in the early kickoff fixture of the weekend.
The hosts’ desire to remain in the Premier League beyond this June remains intact despite a 2-1 loss to Manchester City in their last outing.
New manager Sam Allardyce declared after the game that he has hope, given how ‘dogged’ they performed at the Etihad.
However, the Yorkshire club welcome high-flying Newcastle to Elland Road, sitting inside the relegation zone, two points off safety with just three games to play.
But with their relegation rivals playing later, the hosts can provisionally move above Everton to a position of relative safety if they win here. They can take heart from a goalless draw in the reverse H2H, but they have to score their first goal against Newcastle since their Saudi takeover (D1, L1) to boost their fading hopes.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United will look to get back to winning ways here after suffering a rare win in their last outing against Arsenal, who beat them 2-0 at home.
That loss was just their second loss at home and greatly affected their chances of securing Champions League group-stage football for the first time since 2002/03.
Yet, their top-four destiny remains in their hand given that they remain in third spot, three points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, having played a game less. But they know they must win here to avoid getting caught by the high-flying Reds.
That said, playing away from home is unlikely to faze Eddie Howe’s men after they picked up 12 of the last 15 points available on the road (W4, L1). Providing a further boost to the Toons’ away form is that they’re unbeaten against every side placed ninth or worse at home (W7, D3), which includes scoring 3+ goals against four of the five lowest-ranked sides.
Meanwhile, Leeds have won just one home league game as pre-match home outsiders this season (W1, D2, L4). So, this game is likely to go Newcastlee’s way.
MLS has had a great 2023 season thus far and has constantly kept fans entertained with premium matches. And today it will continue this project with another exciting matchup Chicago Fire VS St. Louis FC.
Chicago moves at a snail’s pace this season, as it sits at number 14 in the table with just 11 points. In recent games, they mustered one win against Minnesota United – two draws and two losses.
But, they’ve fared better at home, with just one win and five draws, and haven’t lost a game yet. The average goal scored per match is 1.5, which is far better than their average when playing on the road (1.0).
Chicago Fire and St. Louis only played once before now, this was on May 9th in the US Open Cup. They emerged winners with a 2-1 final score, courtesy of goals by Fabian Herbers and Maren Haile-Selassie. These are the players to watch for today’s match.
Proposed Lineup (3-5-2): Chris Brady, Wyatt Omsberg, Rafael Czichos, Kendall Burks, Daniel Alonso Aceves Patiño, Fabian Herbers, Federico Navarro, Jonathan Dean, Xherdan Shaqiri, Kacper Przybyłko, Georgios Koutsias.
Betting On St. Louis FC
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.72
Things are looking up for St. Louis City SC as they are in second position in the MLS Western Conference standings with a +10 goal difference, scoring 22 goals and conceding 12 in the 10 matches they’ve played.
Recently, St. Louis dipped in form with two losses, one draw, and one win in their MLS Matches, after winning four and losing one in their last five matches.
João Klauss has borne the fire for the team so far, delivering five goals this season. Jared Stroud and Nicholas Gioacchini trail closely with three goals each. Playing against Chicago Fire recently may give them an edge in being well-prepared for the upcoming match.
Proposed Lineup (3-4-3): Roman Bürki; Jakob Nerwiński, Tim Parker, Kyle Hiebert, John Nelson, Rasmus Alm, Miguel Perez, Eduard Löwen, Jared Stroud, Indiana Vassilev, Nicholas Gioacchini.
MatchPlug Prediction
Chicago Fire VS St. Louis FC face off again. Chicago is the clear favourite, especially with their last encounter, but St. Louis is one of the best teams in the MLS Western Conference; therefore they may win this game.
