Joshua Oha, Author at Matchplug Blog

Arsenal join Barcelona in the race for Ilkay Gundogan

Arsenal have reportedly shown interest in signing Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan as a free transfer in the summer.

This is according to The Athletic, who claim that the Gunners want to bring the Manchester City skipper to the Emirates this summer.

Gundogan’s current contract at the Etihad expires at the end of this season, and he has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the past.

However, he has yet to commit to a deal at Camp Nou and is free to speak to other clubs, including Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, who want him to join them next season ahead of their bid to win the title after missing out on this season’s trophy.

Meanwhile, City are also trying to negotiate a new deal that will keep Gundogan at the Emirates for at least one more year.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Pep Guardiola’s side has presented a two-year offer to the German’s entourage.

“Talks will continue in the next few days between Ilkay Gündogan’s camp and Manchester City — the new proposal will be valid until June 2024 plus one year as an option,” Romano tweeted.

“Gündogan has not rejected or accepted any bid as of now. Barcelona’s proposal remains valid. Race open.”

Talks will continue in the next few days between Ilkay Gündogan’s camp and Manchester City — new proposal will be valid until June 2024 plus one year as option. 🔵 #MCFC

Gündogan has not rejected or accepted any bid as of now. Barcelona proposal remains valid. Race open. https://t.co/N4sWwOZsBp
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2023

Kim Min-jae and Manchester United have AGREED on a deal

Manchester United have reportedly sealed a deal to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-jae and are already house-shopping for him.

According to Il Mattino, the Red Devils sealed a £56m deal for the Napoli defender and identified a house for the South Korean centre-back to live in once he joins the club.

Erik ten Hag’s side are set to bolster their defence this summer as they attempt to challenge Manchester City for the title next season.

Their current options at the back are deemed inadequate for their ambitions next season, with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire seen as weak links in the team. Moreover, the former is expected to remain at the club beyond this summer, while the latter is expected to be sold.

Summer signing Lisandro Martínez is currently sidelined with an injury, while Rafael Varane isn’t trusted, given his injury record.

So, the Red Devils see Min-jae as the man that will upgrade their defensive line. The South Korean has been crucial for Napoli this season as they won their third Serie A title.

Manchester City vs Chelsea: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After sealing a place in the Champions League final, Manchester City will look to win their first title of the season when they host Chelsea in the Premier League this Sunday.

The Cityzens are in line to win three trophies this season, having already secured a place in the FA Cup and Champions League finals and sitting top of the Premier League table ahead of Arsenal.

A massive 4-0 win over Real Madrid in their last outing gave them a chance to win the UCL and proved their credentials in their attempt to win a historic treble.

The visitors come into this tie on a run of 23 games without defeat (W19, D4). A 3-0 win over Everton in their last outing gave them an eleventh straight win in the Premier League. A 12th victory in succession here would crown them Champions of England for a historic third consecutive season.

Pep Guardiola’s side have beaten Chelsea in their last five H2Hs without conceding a goal, so they will feel confident of winning here and extending their winning run at the Etihad to 17 games in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Chelsea travel to Manchester in better shape than in recent months, having gone two games without tasting defeat for the first time since March.

Frank Lampard’s side has never lost six consecutive matches without scoring to any opponent in their history, so they will fancy their chances of denting City’s title hopes and at least giving themselves something to cheer about an otherwise dreadful season where they could finish in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1996.

But given that they have won none of their last 14 Premier League meetings against teams starting the day above them (D4, L10), it could be another long afternoon for the Blues.

Also, the fact that they have won only two of their last 15 away assignments (D3, L10) does not give hope to even the most optimistic fans.

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Valencia vs Real Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Real Madrid will look to get back to winning ways when they travel to Estadio de Mestalla this Sunday to play struggling Valencia.

The hosts have four games to save the bad season that has saw them lose 17 league games to sit close to the relegation zone.

A 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in the last game put them on course for survival as it moved them three points ahead of 18th position.

As such, their survival destiny is now in their own hands, and the signs are encouraging for them as they have lost just one of their last five league games (W3, D1).

Key to that late-season revival is their home form. Valencia have lost only one of their last six La Liga games as hosts (W3, D2). And even more impressive is that they have lost only one of the last four head-to-head meetings with Real Madrid (W2, D1).

But with both teams scoring in each of the last ten meetings at this ground, there could at least be goals aplenty in this one.

However, Real Madrid seems to be struggling in front of goal, having failed to score in their last outing, an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League.

That result means that Madrid have scored more than one goal in just one of their last five games in all competitions.

Having crashed out of the UCL, their focus is on finishing in the top two places in La Liga. Ahead of this tie, they hold a two-point advantage over city rivals Atlético, so the race for the second position could go down to the wire, especially given their recent struggles away from home.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have won just one of their last five La Liga road fixtures (D1, L3), so they’ll be hoping that the lack of any other distractions can help them focus entirely on the job they need to do in the league.

That said, BTTS/GG is highly likely in this game, given that both teams have scored in the last ten meetings at this ground.

Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Borussia Dortmund will look to keep pace with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table when they travel to WWK Arena to face Augsburg.

While the visitors are battling at the other end of the table to secure the title, the hosts are involved in a relegation battle.

They come into this penultimate round sitting in 13th place, four points ahead of the 18th-placed side. That means they can mathematically secure their Bundesliga future with a win here.

However, they could also be secure by the time kick-off comes around if results elsewhere favour them. Regardless of other results, the hosts will hope to improve on their rotten run of one win across the last nine rounds (W1, D4, L4). That sole victory came in their most recent home game against top-four hopefuls Union Berlin.

Meanwhile, Given that Augsburg have scored in their last 18 head-to-head meetings with Dortmund, this will not be a straightforward tie for the visitors, despite a good record in this fixture (W10, D5, L3).

The Back and Yellow come into this tie on the back of a huge 5-2 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in the last round. That game was expected to be a banana skin for Edin Terzic’s side. But they scaled it in style to keep the pressure on Bayern Munich, who they trail by one point.

So any slip-up by the Bavarians will grant Dortmund the chance to win the title. But that will require them to keep winning their own games.

There is some precedent that might suggest to Dortmund fans that this is their year. In both 1994/95 and 2001/02, BVB won the league after heading into the penultimate round in second place.

However, to keep themselves in the frame for the title, they must end their rotten six-game winless away run (D3, L3).

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Napoli vs Inter Milan: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After securing a date with Manchester City in the Champions League final, Inter Milan will look to guarantee themselves a place in the competition next year when they travel to Naples to face Serie A champions, Napoli.

The hosts may have secured the Scudetto, but they come into this tie poorly, having won just two of their last eight games in all competitions (D4, L2). The most recent in that sequence was a 2-0 away loss to Monza.

Despite this, the Azzurri have a chance to make a bit of history here as a win over Inter will mean that they have won 19 different Serie opponents in a single season for the first time in their history.

Napoli fans will head to Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, hoping their side will extend a proud H2H record of just one defeat in 16 home league meetings (W9, D6).

Inter beat their fierce rivals 1-0 last Tuesday to secure a place in the Champions League final. That win was their eighth consecutive win in all competitions.

While their final in Istanbul will likely take the bulk of their attention, there’s still the small matter of wrapping up a top-four Serie A finish to contend with.

Sitting in third with a five-point gap to fifth ahead of the round, Simone Inzaghi’s side will want to continue their fine league form of five-straight wins to keep the chasers at bay.

That run is Inter’s longest run of consecutive Serie A wins in a single season since they registered eight back in January of last year. While they could match that streak if they win their remaining games of this campaign, their three defeats against fellow current top-five Serie A sides on the road this term highlights how that’s likely to be a tough feat to achieve.

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Frenkie de Jong speaks on relationship with Joan Laporta amid Manchester United interest

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has insisted that while his relationship with club president Joan Laporta is good, the two did have a ‘situation’ last summer.

De Jong was close to leaving Barcelona last summer after he was subject to heavy interest from former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who had just become Manchester United that summer.

United were willing to meet Barcelona’s lofty asking price. However, De Jong’s deferred wages from previous years proved a major stumbling block as the Dutchman demanded he be paid them in full before he will agree to leave the club.

That situation resulted in a clash between De Jong and Laporta. The Barcelona chief consistently said in public that he wanted the midfielder to remain at Camp Nou. Still, behind the scenes, he was open to selling the Dutchman given Barca’s financial woes.

Speaking to Ziggo Sport Voetbal in his native Netherlands, De Jong opened up on his relationship with Laporta.

“My relationship with the president is good. In reality, it has never been bad,” De Jong said.

“Of course, there was this situation last summer, but my relationship with him is good.”

De Jong also spoke about the potential return of Lionel Messi to Camp Nou.

“Messi is a fantastic player. It would be amazing if he comes back,” De Jong said.

“But I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”

Erling Haaland’s agent COY on striker’s future amid rumours on ‘mystery’ Man City release clause

Erling Haaland’s agent has refused to clarify the status of the release clause in the Manchester City striker’s contract.

The Norwegian superstar joined Man City last summer in a huge deal that makes him the highest-paid player in the Premier League when add-ons and bonuses are factored in. The contract also included a bumper release clause.

However, Pep Guardiola’s recent contract extension reportedly triggered a change in Halaand’s terms at the Etihad, perhaps even removing it altogether.

However, when asked to give updates about Haaland’s future, the 22-year-old’s agent Rafaela Pimenta, remained coy and, if anything, fuelled the uncertainty surrounding his future.

“I have nothing to clarify,” she told Mundo Deportivo via 90min. “The mystery of this story is very cute because you don’t know where it is, like a treasure chest. Anyway, as a lawyer, I can’t reveal the details of contracts.”

Haaland is reportedly interested in testing himself across Europe, with Real Madrid keen to sign him down the line.

“[Haaland can go] wherever he wants,” Pimenta continued. “He is a player that has never been seen before.

“For me, his quality in everything and his ability to evolve are very impressive. He is capable of adapting quickly to a new club, new city, new coach… it’s as if he has always been there. That gives you a lot of peace of mind and allows you to move forward.

“He is very calm in his professional and personal life, he has the quality. Today, he is in the right place, with the right team and the right coach.

“In Brazil, we say that the sky is the limit. I think he is going to break all the records.”

Pimenta, refused to say whether Haaland would ever play in La Liga, instead she spoke about her relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

“Strangely, I have only spoken with Florentino once in my life,” she said. “I cannot explain the reason, but above all I have a good relationship of great respect and admiration with Jose Angel Sanchez and Juni Calafat. They are serious, humble people and I think they do a great job for Madrid.”

AC Milan vs Sampdoria: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After their embarrassing exit from the Champions League, AC Milan will turn their attention to Serie A, where they are fighting for a top-four finish.

The Red and Blacks were beaten 1-0 by their city rivals Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday, confirming their exit from the UEFA Champions League. Not even the return of Rafael Leao, who started the game on Tuesday after an injury return, could save Milan from a 3-0 aggregate score.

The Portuguese could not also inspire Milan’s attack to score, with their blank on Tuesday the third time in a row they have failed to score, having lost 2-0 to Spezia in their last game.

Falling to Spezia has left them four points behind the top four, with an increasingly tricky three-game battle on their hands to return to the Champions League next term. Under pressure, manager Stefano Pioli won’t be taking anything for granted as he prepares his side to host already-relegated Sampdoria.

But the hosts have sometimes found sides in the bottom half going into this round hard to put away at the San Siro this term (W4, D3, L1), although they’re at least unbeaten here in the league since late January (W4, D3).

Meanwhile, having already been relegated, Sampdoria come into this game looking to record their first Serie A win since March 19th (D3, L5).

They were held to a 1-1 draw with Empoli on Monday night, leaving them trailing 19th-placed Cremonese by six points. Therefore, Dejan Stanković’s side now look on course to finish bottom of the top flight for the first time in their history.

Their away form has been the primary catalyst for their poor league form, as the visitors have scored just once across their last four Serie A road fixtures (D1, L3). They also lost 3-0 at the San Siro against Inter in October.

Meanwhile, they haven’t beaten Milan here since February 2017 (D2, L3), so another difficult away day looms for La Samp.

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Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Arsenal will travel to City Ground this Saturday to face relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest in a must-win game for both sides.

After securing a point in a well-fought 2-2 draw with Chelsea last weekend, the hosts could secure their Premier League (PL) status on Saturday if they win this game.

They will fancy their chances of snatching a result, especially as they are playing at home, where they have enjoyed much of their success this season. Moreover, Steve Cooper’s side scored seven goals across their two most recent home games, which is more than the total they had scored in seven competitive home games prior. So, there is a sense that things have clicked for the Tricky Trees at the crucial point of the season.

Meanwhile, any Forest success would also see them complete a run of three straight top-flight home wins – a feat not accomplished within the same season since the winter of 1995/96. However, such a feat is unlikely to come easily, with the hosts’ latest home clean sheet dating back to early February.

Meanwhile, Arsenal head to City Ground with a sense of disappointment, having thrown away any hopes of an unlikely title win when Brighton them beat 3-0 in their last game.

That result means that Pep Guardiola’s side need just two points to win the league, and they look likely to achieve that this weekend when they play Chelsea. Yet the Gunners will at least hope to ensure that they keep themselves on City’s toes.

Mikel Arteta’s side’s latest road trip saw a 2-0 win over UEFA Champions League chasers Newcastle after a mini-drought on the road (D2, L1). That win would have given them some cause for optimism. However, with the Gunners squandering 2-0 leads in both draws, the Gunners’ PL-best away record after half-time leads (W8, D3) is a stat worth treating with caution.

Click here to get today’s football predictions.

Joshua Oha

Arsenal join Barcelona in the race for Ilkay Gundogan

Kim Min-jae and Manchester United have AGREED on a deal

Manchester City vs Chelsea: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Valencia vs Real Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Napoli vs Inter Milan: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Frenkie de Jong speaks on relationship with Joan Laporta amid Manchester United interest

Erling Haaland’s agent COY on striker’s future amid rumours on ‘mystery’ Man City release clause

AC Milan vs Sampdoria: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

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