Jane Njoku, Author at Matchplug Blog

Davies assures Bayern Munich amid Real Madrid rumours

Bayern Munich wing-back Alphonso Davies says the German side has his full attention.

Off contract in June, Davies is expected to receive a pre-contract offer by Real Madrid in January with the intention of signing him next summer in a Bosman transfer.

But Davies told BILD: “My full focus is on this team. I’m playing for Bayern Munich now, and that’s what I’m concentrating on. I want to win every game. That’s why I’m not thinking about it right now.

“Whether I stay or leave the club, I will always carry this club in my heart, he says.

“You have to talk to my agent about it. My focus right now is on winning every game. I’m not thinking about the other subject at the moment.”

Former Chelsea boss Potter says some Chelsea players “sat on the floor” due to lack of seats

Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter revealed that during his tenure, some Chelsea players did not have seats.

Those players resorted to sitting on the floor during club gatherings in 2022.

Taking charge at Stamford Bridge after Thomas Tuchel left, Potter received eight new signings that winter.

Speaking to The Telegraph this week, Potter said: “We tried to support it as best we could, but it left us with a challenge of a lot of players after January and then they can’t go anywhere.”

He added: “A few of them just had to sit on the floor.

“It’s not ideal, of course. Everybody recognised it was a really difficult situation because you can only pick 11 players and if you’ve got 20 players not playing, it doesn’t matter where you are. If you can find a coach out there who says, ‘yeah, that’s the best condition for me,’ I’d be very surprised.”

Taylor Twellman: MLS, League of the No. 10

The newest episode of Offside with Taylor Twellman discusses how the importance of the No. 10 position has shifted on the global stage, and how that created the way for MLS to become a league where classic No. 10s survive and thrive.

The reason for this discussion, according to Twellman, was a statement Apple TV analyst Sacha Klejstan made.

“Listen, if you’re starting No. 10, whether you’re paying him $8 million or $800,000, and he’s getting you five goals and five assists, that’s not good enough in MLS,” said Kljestan. “This is the league of the number 10.”

Twellman spoke to other bests at the position: Nashville SC’ Hany Mukhtar, Colorado Rapids’ Djordje Mihailovic and Portland Timbers’ Evander.

According to Mukhtar, MLS’ increased focus on the position is one of the reasons he went stateside.

“I think like two, three years into my career, being a professional soccer player, a lot of teams started to not play with the No. 10,” Mukhtar told Twellman.

“… That was also a big reason why I ended up here in MLS, because to this day you still have a lot of No. 10s.”

Will the trend continue? Or will MLS ultimately follow the footsteps of leagues around the world that have avoided building around classic 10s in favor of a different tactical set-up?

Twellman asks that question to Kljestan, Jeff Rueter of The Athletic and MLS legend Marco Etcheverry, leading to differing perspectives on the matter.

“We should always have the star No. 10s. These are the guys that should fill seats in the stadium,” Kljestan said. “They should be the guys that you tune in to watch every week. And then these should be the guys that are leading the All-Star game, leading the MVP race every season. It’s the most important position. Of course, putting the ball in the back of the net gets all the glory, but the game runs through the No. 10 and I love it.”

Tai Baribo is good for Philadelphia Union

When Julián Carranza was sent to Eredivisie side Feyenoord earlier this summer, people asked questions about who would be the next consistent goal scorer for the Philadelphia Union. Tai Baribo became the answer to that question.

Baribo, leads the Leagues Cup Golden Boot race with five goals and 11 goals in his last 11 games across all competitions.

The Israeli citizen was always on the sidelines looking in for the Union. Now, he is debatably the most in-form attack in the league.

Baribo and Philadelphia will get back to action on Saturday night when welcoming LIGA MX side Feyenoord in the League Cup quarter finals (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

MLB EXPERT PICKS: Toronto Blue Jays VS Miami Marlins betting Predictions

The Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays meet Friday in MLB game 1 action at Rogers Centre. Here’s a Toronto Blue Jays vs Miami Marlins prediction for you.

Find the MLB best bets today, predictions, picks, and odds for Toronto Blue Jays vs Miami Marlins on MatchPlug. We are a Sure Prediction Site to get accurate previews on MLB matches.

Predictions And Betting Preview For Toronto Blue Jays VS Miami Marlins

Venue: Rogers Centre.
When: Saturday, September 28th, 2024.
Time: 00:07
Teams to play: Blue Jays and Marlins.
MLB Expert Picks: SPREAD -1.5.

Odds by 1XBet.

Betting On The Toronto Blue Jays

1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.425
1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5

The Toronto Blue Jays are 74-85 on the year after playing the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays have scored 12 runs in their last 3 matches and 4 or more runs in 6 of their last 12 matches.

Toronto have won 5 of their last 7 matches when scoring 4 or more runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the Blue Jays with 197 hits and 102 RBI, while George Springer and Ernie Clement combine for 230 hits and 106 RBI.

Betting On The Miami Marlins

1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.991
1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5

The Miami Marlins are 59-100 on the year after playing the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins. The Marlins scored 15 runs in their last 3 matches and 4 or more runs in 7 of their last 9 matches.

Miami have won 4 of their last 7 matches when scoring 4 or more runs. Jake Burger leads the Marlins with 127 hits and 72 RB, while Jesus Sanchez and Otto Lopez combine for 220 hits and 110 RBI.

MatchPlug Prediction For Toronto Blue Jays VS Miami Marlins

Although both the Blue Jays and the Marlins have nothing to play for, Toronto was on a break yesterday while Miami played 13 innings. Adam Oller hasn’t given much in limited frames and suffered a hard hit on the road. Jose Berrios has been excellent in his few starts, which includes permitting 3 runs in his last 19 innings. Experts back the Blue Jays at home and with an All-Star material arm on the hill.

Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays -1.5.

MLB EXPERT PICKS: New York Yankees VS Pittsburgh Pirates betting Predictions

The New York Yankees will face the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 1 of their season-ending three-game Yankees VS Pirates series tonight at Yankee Stadium.

MatchPlug has the MLB Expert Picks, predictions, and odds for Yankees VS Pirates. We are a Hot Prediction Site that offers accurate MLB previews and match analysis.

Predictions And Betting Preview For New York Yankees VS Pittsburgh Pirates

Venue: Yankee Stadium.
When: Saturday, September 28th, 2024.
Time: 00:05
Teams to play: Yankees and Pirates.
MLB Expert Picks: MONEYLINE 1.626.

Odds as seen on 1XBet.

Betting On The New York Yankees

1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.626
1XBet Over/Under: Over 7.5

The New York Yankees rebounded on a powerful offensive day with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday after dropping the first two. They will face the Pirates in the last three matches, which is the first time both teams are meeting in 2024.

New York winning in the series opener means they’ll stay in the sole spot of the best record in the American League. They are presently 1.0 game ahead of the Guardians. Their series loss against the Os broke a series of five straight series victories for the Yankees.

Betting On The Pittsburgh Pirates

1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.373
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5

The Pittsburgh Pirates will end their disappointing campaign on a high. They have only 3 victories in their last 10 matches and are 2 points behind the Reds in NL Central standings in fifth.

Jared Jones will start for the Pirates after what was an appalling start against the Cincinnati Reds. In his last start versus Cincinnati, Jones had 5.0 innings, 6 hits, 6 earned runs, 3 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

MatchPlug Prediction For New York Yankees VS Pittsburgh Pirates

The Yankees will believe in Rodon to fix his 3rd best Win-Loss record in the league. They’ll focus on Aaron Judge, as the captain is expected to be hot at the plate after getting back to shape. The Pirates lineup’s .224 batting average in the last ten contrasts the New York’s 2.57 ERA from their pitching.

Final Prediction: New York Yankees Moneyline.

Darvich restless at Barcelona

Noah Darvich is restless at Barcelona.

The rookie forward is presently with Barca Atletic, but Jijantes reports that he is uncertain about his long-term prospects with the Blaugrana.

In four matches this term, Darvich has played for 130 minutes.

Several opponents from across Europe are monitoring the German youth national’s situation.

Darvich was an excellent player as he helped Germany win the U17 World Cup last year.

Zamalek chief reaffirms plans for Real Madrid star Ramos

Zamalek directors have reaffirmed their interest in Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos. The ex Real and Spain captain is still a free agent after leaving Sevilla last summer.

He was linked with Zamalek earlier this week and now the Egyptian team’s director Ali Hisham Nasr said: “Zamalek is a great club and deserves players like that.

“We see the agreement with Ramos not only as something good in sporting terms, but also for marketing. The player is free and it would be a great advantage to hire him. Any club in the world wants Ramos.”

According to AS, Sergio is listening to Zamalek, although Saudi Arabia club Al Orobah is also interested in him.

Palmeiras used facial recognition to stop ticket touting

Fans need no physical tickets, membership cards or e-tickets. To enter Allianz Parque at Palmeiras, only facial recognition is needed. The technology was developed as a solution to a problem every club in Brazil is facing: ticket touting.

“Before we implemented facial biometrics, ticket touters would legally join Avanti, the club’s supporter programme, buy tickets within our system and then sell them for prices well above what we charged, which is a crime,” Everaldo Coelho Palmeiras’ marketing director explains.

“It was something that bothered us a lot, because our fans, including Avanti members entitled to priority purchase, were unable to get tickets for Palmeiras matches.”

This revolution in changing the way fans can access the stadium has been good for the club. In August, Palmeiras hit a milestone of 200,000 active fan members, a record in Brazil. They got 62,000 new members between January and July this year. Due to this, the team expects to rake in over R$70 million (£9.5m) with Avanti in 2024.

Palmeiras claims to be the first football club in the world to adopt the facial biometrics system for all access to the stadium on match days. In Brazil, article 148 of the General Sports Law (LGE) stated that all sports arenas with a capacity of over 20,000 people must have facial recognition on their turnstiles by June 2025.

With these requirements, teams have gradually started adopting technology, but no other club demands facial recognition at 100% of its entrances. There are instances like Flamengo, which uses the system for all tickets sold online, but still sells physical tickets.

“We studied a number of technological options and realised that the problem could only be solved by facial recognition,” Coelho says .

Palmeiras won’t reveal how much it spent to implement facial biometrics at Allianz, in a project carried out with Bepass. “I can say, however, that the investment is worth it,” says the marketing director.

Arsenal midfielder Vieira to return to FC Porto on loan

Fabio Vieira will go back to FC Porto on loan from Arsenal after Mikel Arterta could not guarantee him any minutes.

Athletic’s David Ornstein, an Arsenal correspondent and reliable source is reporting this news.

According to Ornstein, Vieira is unhappy with his lack of minutes and the expected arrival of Mikel Merino which could steal the starring role he has been hoping for.

Due to injuries, the midfielder has struggled for regular matches for the Gunners, making only 15 appearances last season, with one goal and three assists. Vieira’s absence from the match with Aston Villa seemed to reaffirm his return to Invicta, where he shone before he went to London.

🚨 EXCL: Porto agree deal to re-sign Fabio Vieira on loan from Arsenal. Not in #AFC squad for #AVFC as #FCPorto finalise move to bring midfielder back after 2022 sale. Merino arrival + Nwaneri rise reduces minutes & 24yo needs regular action @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/JG4XCr23p1
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 23, 2024

His exploits since joining Arsenal in 2022/23 has been overshadowed by injuries. In that campaign Vieira made a total of 33 appearances, with two goals and six assists. However, last season he only played 16 times and the last time he started was in November 2023, in the League Cup. When he came back to the club in February, he only played 57 minutes.

Cold celebration, Fabio Vieira 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/JrT01hWwp7
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 31, 2023

This pre-season, Vieira was back in the side and has been in good shape. But European champion Mikel Merino arriving and homegrown talent Ethan Nwaneri emerging will rob him of minutes he does not want to concede. On that note, he has accepted a return home after an excellent season in 2021/22, where he scored 7 goals and made 16 assists, which got him a move to Arsenal for up to €40m.

Jane Njoku