Matchplug

Tottenham sign Perisic

Tottenham has completed the signing of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on a free transfer.

The Croatian helped Inter win the Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup in this campaign and they were desperate to keep him.

However, he wanted to try a new challenge and has always wanted to play in the Premier League. He decided to accept Tottenham’s offer of a two-year deal, according to Sun Sports.

The report claims the winger has been on the radar of the English club because he is perfect for Antonio Conte’s wing-back system.

He thrived in the same role at Inter and Spurs believe he would continue his fine form at their home and the 2018 World Cup finalist is delighted to have joined them.

A Tottenham statement read: “We are delighted to announce the transfer of Ivan Perisic.

“The vastly experienced Croatia international will join the Club on 1 July following the expiration of his contract at Internazionale and has agreed a deal that will run until 2024.”

Italy vs Argentina Match Preview

Italian fans will hope their team can beat Argentina to claim another trophy as compensation for missing out on the next World Cup.

This game is called  ‘the cup of champions’ by UEFA as it pits the European champions and that of South America together.

It is a rebrand of the previous competition which was last played in 1993 and Italy will hope they get some more luck as they return to Wembley for this showpiece.

Argentina boasts some of the finest players in the world and Lionel Messi alongside the likes of Paulo Dybala will hope they can beat the Azzurri and win this trophy for their country.

Italy won two penalty shootouts at the Euros and this game will head straight to penalties if there are no winners after 90 minutes.

They will be confident they can beat Argentina in a shootout, but winning this game in normal time should be their target.

Roberto Mancini’s side has been rocked by different injuries in preparation for this game and he will hope to get a fit enough starting XI for the match.

Argentina has won the last three matches between these countries and they have lost none of their last five head to heads against the European champions.

Scotland vs Ukraine Match Preview

Scotland will face Ukraine in this emotional rescheduled game as they bid to reach the next World Cup in Qatar.

The Ukrainians have been at war with the invading forces of Russia and had to postpone this match. They will want to take some joy home by beating the Scots.

Scotland won their last six qualifying matches to set up this game and will want to get the job done now that they are just two games away from the next World Cup.

However, it would not be an easy fixture because the Ukrainians know the importance of a win and representing their warring country and the football Mundial.

The visitors were also in good form in qualifying and finished behind World champions, France to set up this match.

Ukraine has won three and lost none of their last five matches against Scotland, but the Scots have not lost any of their last 11 games at Hampden Park and will not want to spoil that record in this fixture.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa Match Preview

Manchester City will hope to clinch a fourth league title in five seasons when Aston Villa comes to town on this final game of the season.

The Citizens simply have to win to clinch another league title, but a slip up from them will see Liverpool crown champions if the Reds win their match.

City were more than 10 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s men at the start of this year, but they remarkably closed the gap and just a point separates both clubs going into this final game of the season.

Pep Guardiola’s men will go trophyless in this campaign if they fail to win this game and the Premier League and that is a prospect only a few people will believe can happen.

Aston Villa has had a good season with former Liverpool player, Steven Gerrard as their manager and the former England captain will be looking to help his former club with some favour.

Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho are two other former Liverpool players in the Villa squad and they would be keen to ensure they get points from the defending champions to aid the Reds.

Villa’s only loss in their last five matches was the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, but they struggle in matches against City.

The Villans have lost all their last five matches against the Champions and they will be desperate to ensure they end that terrible run in this fixture.

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Liverpool vs Wolves Match Preview

Liverpool will host Wolves in this final match of the season hoping to earn a win that could make them win the Premier League title for the 2022/2023 season.

It is not as straightforward as that because Manchester City can win the title if they beat Aston Villa at home on the final day of the season too.

The Reds have come a long way having already won two trophies in this campaign in their search for a historic quadruple.

They also have a Champions League final to look forward to, but first, they have to beat Wolves in this fixture. the visitors come to Anfield on a poor run of form that includes no wins and three losses from their last five competitive games.

They have also lost all their last five matches against Liverpool either home or away and these stats point to another home win for the Reds.

But Jurgen Klopp’s men still have to be at their best if they are serious about adding the Premier League to their trophy cabinet.

Juventus vs Lazio Match Preview

Juventus will look to end this season on a high when they face Lazio in this last home league game of the season, but will it be easy for them?

The Bianconeri will welcome their former manager, Maurizio Sarri to the Allianz Stadium and his high scoring Lazio side will look to inflict more misery on them.

This game will also be the last home match for Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini and they will be keen to end their stay at Juve positively.

The Old Lady have already secured qualification for the Champions League next season, but they will also end this campaign without a trophy.

That is the first time it is happening in 11 years, but there is nothing they can do now but to ensure they finish this campaign on a high.

Lazio is currently fifth on the league table with AS Roma chasing them very closely in the race for the Europa League spot, they will want all the points from this game.

Traditionally, these clubs have served up some really good matches and fans will be hoping for more of the same when they meet.

Juventus has not lost any of the last four meetings between both clubs in the league and they have won the last two times both sides met.

Teammate shocks Chelsea players on the morning of FA Cup final

Andreas Christensen reportedly shocked his Chelsea teammates on the morning of their FA Cup final game against Liverpool by telling his manager, Thomas  Tuchel that he couldn’t play the game.

The departing Danish defender, who has agreed to play for Barcelona from next season, would probably have started the match ahead of Trevor Chaloboah if he was available.

However, The Daily Mail Claims he told his manager on the morning of the fixture that he would not be available to play, but he it wasn’t because of an injury.

The report claims his teammates were shocked when he checked out of the team’s hotel that morning and it remains unclear what had happened to him.

In his absence, the Blues played a good game as they held Liverpool to a goalless draw after extra-time before the Reds beat them on penalties.

They have now lost their last three FA Cup finals and their defeat means Liverpool can potentially end this campaign by winning the quadruple.

Newcastle vs Arsenal Match Preview

Arsenal needs to beat Newcastle United to return to a place in the top four after Tottenham beat Burnley at the weekend.

The Gunners could easily have secured a return to the Champions League with a draw in this game if they didn’t lose their last match to Tottenham.

The Lilywhites have now cut down on their points lead and even a win for Arsenal in this match will be just enough to keep them ahead of Spurs until their final game of the season.

Newcastle United have recovered from a very bad start under Steve Bruce to survive relegation. That they are now safe enough not to think about the drop means Eddie Howe deserves a lot of credit.

His team is well equipped to do even better next season and perhaps qualify for a European competition. But they will want to end this season well and that might involve throwing spanner into Arsenal’s European dreams.

Newcastle has lost their last two Premier League games, but they were against Liverpool and Manchester City, so this game might not be that tough.

Arsenal will have to enter this match prepared to suffer to get their desired result because the Magpies will not make things easy for them.

Football Prediction

Predictions for Liverpool vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid has had an extraordinary run to the Champions League final, and it may well be written in the stars that they could win this one too.

The Los Blancos were outplayed for extended periods by PSG, Chelsea, and most recently, Manchester City, yet still managed to sail through in all three games.

They’ll be underdogs in the final, and eliminating French giants would see them receive a backlash from the loyal Parisiens, with the finals set to be held in Paris. You may look at it in another way too. Karim Benzema is French, and the country could unite to cheer for their son.

Liverpool’s journey

Liverpool breezed through the group stages, winning all six games, but there have been some setbacks since then.

The Reds were defeated by Inter Milan at home and only drew with Benfica at Anfield, but they had done enough in the away legs to advance.

Jurgen Klopp’s team qualified for the final after a 2-0 win against Villarreal on Merseyside, but they had to withstand a rare scare in Spain.

Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin drew the game level before halftime, but Liverpool responded with Fabinho, Luis Diaz, and Sadio Mane goals in the second half.

Mohamed Salah has already stated his desire to avenge a 3-1 defeat in the 2018 Champions League final, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men will not take that lightly.

Counter-attacks may expose them at the back, as that is an area the Spaniards seem to have perfected.

Real Madrid’s journey

Real have faced several challenges during their season, not least an early setback at the Bernabeu to Moldovan minnows Sheriff.

They did, however, win five other group games, including two clean-sheet wins over Inter.

The Whites lost 1-0 away to PSG in the round of 16 and fell on home soil until a Karim Benzema hat-trick turned things around.

Benzema scored another treble in a 3-1 quarter-final victory over Chelsea, although the Blues had a 3-0 lead in Spain.

On 80 minutes, Rodrygo leveled the aggregate score, and Benzema sealed the matter in extra time.

Manchester City, who won 4-3 at Etihad Stadium and led 1-0 in the 90th minute in Madrid, added to the drama.

Rodrygo’s remarkable double forced extra time, and who better than Benzema to score a penalty to finish off another spectacular comeback?

Benzema already has 15 goals in the tournament, seven more than Salah of Liverpool, and the veteran striker is expected to score the game’s last goal at Stade de France.

Vinicius Junior, whose speed would definitely bother Trent Alexander-Arnold, might potentially cause chaos, as he did when Real upset Liverpool 3-1 in the quarter-finals last season.

Liverpool are hunting on all fronts, and you can read all Vwin’s predictions on the domestic cup final with Chelsea this coming weekend, and a tasking run-in as they chase Manchester City for the Premier League title to the wire. On the other hand, Madrid are focusing all their energy on winning their 13th European title. They have already secured the La Liga title, and coach Ancelotti will have the luxury of resting key players in the remaining matches, a luxury his counterpart cannot enjoy at Liverpool.

It remains a close call, and there is everything to play for in the finals. Liverpool are out to avenge the 2018 disappointment, but Real Madrid wear the European Royalty tag for a reason.

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Villarreal vs Liverpool Match Preview

Villarreal may have reached the end of their impressive Champions League run after Liverpool beat them 2-0 in the first leg of this semi-final at Anfield.

Unai Emery’s team have eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich to reach this level and they know they have underacheived.

True to Jurgen Klopp’s words, Liverpool did not underrate them in the first leg and that helped the Reds to make win 2-0. Like they say, this game is still finely balanced and it is just the first half that has been played.

Villarreal know Liverpool would be a tough nut to crack and the Reds showed in that first leg that they will do all they can to win a match.

Emery will be hard at work to ensure his team earn the win, but overturning a 2-0 deficit against a defence that has Virgil van Dijk, is almost wishful thinking.

Liverpool has faced Villarreal three times before now and have won two, while losing one. That loss was at the home of the Yellow Submarines and they will be careful not to suffer another defeat in this game.