Joshua Oha, Author at Matchplug Blog

Bayern back under-fire Thomas Tuchel as Oliver Kahn blames players for Mainz loss

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has defended under-fire manager Thomas Tuchel after his side’s shocking defeat to Mainz on Saturday.

The Bavarians suffered their third defeat under Tuchel at the weekend, as his team were beaten 3-1 by Mainz.

The result means that Bayern have gone four games without a win in all competitions, while they have recorded just two wins in seven games under Tuchel.

However, despite the poor results, Kahn has backed the former Chelsea boss. According to the German legend, the coach’s job is safe, and the players should take the blame for the loss at Mainz.

“Thomas Tuchel is the last person we need to talk about now,” Khan said.

“He is doing everything he can to help the boys progress.

“There are 11 men on the pitch who have to work hard to achieve the goals of this club. What the team showed on the pitch is not enough.”

The Bayern chief was particularly critical of Bayern’s second-half showing, with the Bavarian giants conceding three goals in 14 minutes as Mainz came from 1-0 down to secure all three points.

“We played a catastrophic second half,” he added. “Who was the team that wants to become champions? It will be very difficult to become champions with such performances.”

Bayern’s recent defeat means Borussia Dortmund has the upper hand in the title race. Edin Terzic’s side moved to the top of the table, one point ahead of Bayern, thanks to a 4-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 in their weekend game. Both sides now have just five games left to play.

Atalanta vs AS Roma: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After their exertions in Europe last week, AS Roma will turn their attention to their top-four quest in the Italian Serie A when they travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta on Monday.

Atalanta come into this tie on the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Fiorentina, which left them trailing in the battle for the top four places.

La Dea were among the seven teams expected to battle for the top four this season, but after a brilliant start, they lost their trail. They are currently sitting seven points behind fourth-placed AS Roma ahead of this round, having won just three times in their last ten league games (D2, L5).

That poor form has been down to a porous defence that has managed just two clean sheets in the last ten games, making them the side with the second-worst defence among the current top-seven teams.

But if they keep a clean sheet here, it will mark consecutive head-to-head top-flight shutouts for the first time since January 1965, having won the reverse fixture 1-0.

Meanwhile, AS Roma will travel to Bergamo in a good mood after securing a semi-final place in the Europa League thanks to a 4-2 aggregate win over Feyenoord on Thursday.

That win was their fourth win in their last five games and saw them score 3+ goals in a game for the third time in their last five competitive matches.

Having dropped to the fourth position because of the 15-point added back to Juventus, Jose Mourinho’s side now have a more difficult top-four fight at hand, with Inter Milan and AC Milan hovering beneath.

Meanwhile, although they can play in the UEFA Champions League next season by winning the Europa League, Mourinho is not thinking about that, as he asked his side after their midweek win to “forget about the Europa League” and prepare for this match.

They will go into this tie looking to build on a run of three straight league wins. Each of those and all nine of their Serie A victories in 2023 have come with a clean sheet, adding an aura of defensive invincibility to Roma.

Given how tight Roma has been at the back, we can expect a tight game with few goals scored.

An under 2.5 goals bet will be the most likely outcome of the game.

Harry Maguire open to Serie A move amid loan interest from Italian giants

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is reportedly attracting interest from several top Italian clubs amid uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford.

The Englishman has endured a nightmare season and was at fault for Sevilla’s first goal in their 3-0 win over Man United on Thursday. That loss confirmed the Red Devils’ elimination from the Europa League at the quarter-final stage.

Although he is back in the starting team in recent matches, it is only due to injuries sustained by first-choice centre-back pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

Erik ten Hag does not trust Maguire and does not consider him a major part of his long-term project at the club. As such, the 30-year-old is among the at least 13 players United are looking to sell this summer as Erik Ten Hag attempts to continue his Old Trafford rebuild.

According to reports by 90min, United want to sanction a permanent exit for Maguire but understands it could be difficult to recoup a substantial fee from the defender’s sale. The 30-year-old earns £190,000 a week at Old Trafford, and few clubs are willing to offer him that amount. So that leaves sanctioning a loan move also difficult.

Few Premier League clubs have indicated interest, but Juventus, Milan and Inter have also indicated an interest in potential loan deals with options to buy.

While such a deal wouldn’t be perfect for United in the circumstances, they may need to be flexible to create room to manoeuvre around FFP limitations and to ensure they purchase quality players in key positions.

Juventus vs Napoli: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After their exertions in Europe in midweek, Juventus and Napoli will turn their attention to Serie A this Sunday when they meet at Allianz Stadium.

Juventus enjoyed a productive outing on Thursday in the Europa League, with a 1-1 draw in Portugal giving them a 2-1 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon and qualifying them for the semi-final competition.

Not only were they celebrating a place in the final four on Thursday, but the Old Lady also saw their 15-point deduction revoked on the same day, albeit temporarily.

So they come into this round of games sitting in third position, six points ahead of AC Milan in fifth place.

But having lost their last two league games, they will be desperate to avoid a first three-game losing streak in Serie A since 2011. Then, after their partial stadium closure was suspended, they could at least rely on their fans again.

That raucous support has been influential for Juventus this season, and they can cement their record as the best-performing home Serie A side this term (W11, D3, L1) with another win here.

They will fancy their chances against runaway leaders Napoli after winning four home league outings in a row.

The visitors had a disappointing outing in Europe on Thursday as a 1-1 draw with AC Milan was not enough to guarantee their passage into the last four of the Champions League.

The result means that the Partenopei are winless in their last three games and have recorded just one win in their last five competitive matches (D2, L2).

With every distraction now out of the way, Luciano Spalletti will hope his side can channel all their energy on finally securing the Scudetto. After recording a 5-1 win in the reverse fixture, he believes his side will triumph in Turin on Sunday.

Also, a run of seven consecutive away league wins will give them the confidence boost they need to get maximum points here.

Meanwhile, Juventus (17) and Napoli (15) rank in the top four for the most clean sheets in the top five European tournaments this term. So we expect to see a low scoring under 2.5 goals game.Click here to get today’s football tips.

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to continue their unhindered march towards the league title when they host top-four chasing Atletico Madrid this Sunday.

With no European games, the hosts enjoyed an entire week on the training field. That extended time of rest and recuperating may have arrived at the perfect time for Barcelona as they look to bounce back from a three-game scoreless and winless run (D2, L1).

That winless run included a goalless La Liga draw at Getafe last Sunday.

Despite the result, Barca’s eleven-point lead at the top of the table ahead of this round remains comfortable.

However, if their scoring woes aren’t addressed and Real Madrid keeps picking up points, it won’t be long before the title race is back on.

A return home could be a blessing as Barça have scored in 12 of their last 13 league games here, averaging over two per game. However, they won’t be short of motivation either, as the hosts stand a chance to win both seasonal H2Hs for the first time since the 2015/16 campaign, having won the reverse fixture 1-0.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid will travel to Camp Nou in beast mode, having gone unbeaten across 13 league games (W10, D3). That run includes six straight wins that consolidated their top-three spot.

This has softened the blow of dropping out of Europe and getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey, although a win here could receive the biggest cheer from their arch-rivals Real Madrid. Yet, the visitors still have much to aim for, sitting just two points shy of Real ahead of the weekend.

However, this fixture hasn’t been kind to them in recent years, with Atlético failing to win an away La Liga head-to-head since February 2006 (D5, L11 since).

But four wins from their last five league road trips (D1) suggest the visitors are well prepared this time and will take the 1-0 scoreline recorded in three of those victories.

Meanwhile, given how tight Barcelona have been at home, we expect a low-scoring encounter in this game. Click here to get expert football predictions.

Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Bayer Leverkusen will welcome top-four rivals RB Leipzig to Bay Arena this Sunday as both sides battle for three points that will set them on course for a top-four finish.

After a terrible start to their season that saw them meddle with relegation, Leverkusen are fully in the top-five race thanks to a change of fortune under Xabi Alonso.

The hosts come into this tie in good form and will be keen to continue that run here after progressing to a European semi-final for the first time since 2001/02 in midweek.

They will swiftly turn their attention back to the Bundesliga race for Europe. They entered this round six points adrift of the top five, so their most likely finish will be a Conference League place unless they can eat up the ground.

But confidence should be high ahead of this game after Leverkusen’s seven-game unbeaten Bundesliga run (W5, D2). However, extending that run here could be tricky as they are yet to win a Bundesliga home game against RB Leipzig (D3, L3).

The visitors could do Leverkusen a favour further down the line if they win the DFB Pokal and extend the European places to seventh. However, the more pressing matter for themselves is to cling to their top-four place.

Marco Rose’s side entered this round with just a one-point buffer to fifth, but with Freiburg playing at home to Schalke just before kick-off here, they may need maximum points to reclaim the fourth spot.

They travel to BayArena with a good record against Leverkusen. Yet, Marco Rose’s personal record against Leverkusen doesn’t inspire much confidence, with four losses and three wins in seven meetings.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen have scored a Bundesliga-high 15 goals in the 15 minutes directly following half-time this season.

That said, we can expect BTTS/GG here, given that only one of Leverkusen’s last eight home matches have featured a clean sheet.Click here for sure home win prediction.

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Top four rivals Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur will face each other at St. James’ Park this Sunday.

Both teams are fighting for a place in next season’s Champions League and will be desperate for three points, which could completely change the direction of the top-four race.

The hosts come into this tie ahead of their rivals in the race, winning three points more than the visitors, with a game less. They currently sit in fourth position after an embarrassing 3-0 loss to Aston Villa last time.

That loss was just the second time the Magpies had conceded three times in a PL game this term, with manager Eddie Howe admitting his side were ‘off it in every discipline’.

Returning to Tyneside may be the perfect way to refocus his side’s energy then, as the only side to beat Newcastle on their own turf in the PL since the start of 2022 is Liverpool (two times). Moreover, they have conceded just nine league goals at St James’ all season–only Manchester United (8) has conceded less at home this season.

Meanwhile, Tottenham will consider this an opportunity to rekindle their fading dreams of a top-four finish. The North London club missed the chance to draw level with Newcastle last time as they were beaten 3-2 by relegation candidates Bournemouth.

Interim boss Cristian Stellini bemoaned that Spurs’ poor form ‘isn’t a tactical problem, but individual mistakes’. The Italian has every right to be livid about his side’s leaky defence, which has conceded 45 goals this season–the second-highest total among sides currently in the top-15 of the PL table.

They will also travel to Tyneside in terrible away form, having won none of their last four league road trips (D2, L2).

But given that they are unbeaten on their last four trips to Newcastle, scoring at least twice in each of those meetings (W3, D1), they will fancy their chances of snatching a result here.Click here to get accurate bet tips today.

Mauricio Pochettino is the front-runner for the Chelsea job

Former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has emerged as the favourite to become Chelsea’s new permanent manager after holding positive talks with the club’s owners.

The Blues are still looking for a permanent manager to take over from Graham Potter, who was sacked last month. For now, ex-player and legend Frank Lampard is managing the team. But he has not had a successful return to the club and has lost all four matches he has overseen.

Chelsea had spoken to former RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann about taking the role. However, after speaking with the Chelsea owner, the German has pulled out of the running for the job.s

As such, the Stamford Bridge side turned their attention to Pochettino after further talks over the vacancy.

Chelsea do not want to make a hasty decision in who they hire, so they are doing their due diligence on several candidates. They want to ensure the next appointment is not a misstep, as it turned out to be with Potter.

Pochettino, who has been out of work since quitting PSG last summer, has recently held talks with Chelsea. The Argentine has always been in the frame to become Chelsea boss since new owner Todd Boehly took over the club. He was a candidate to succeed Thomas Tuchel in September and is now open to joining the Blues.

He is understood to be equally willing to discuss a return to Tottenham, who are also looking for a permanent manager after sacking Antonio Conte.

Meanwhile, former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique had previously discussed the vacancy at Chelsea but is not considered a candidate.

Burnley boss and Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany is on the shortlist for both Chelsea and Spurs but is not seen as a main contender at this stage.

Mainz vs Bayern Munich: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Bayern Munich will travel to Mewa Arena this Saturday to face Mainz in the 29th Round of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.

After back-to-back draws, Mainz will be desperate to return to winning ways and get their top-six quest back on track. The hosts are loitering just outside the top six but well placed to make a late assault on the Bundesliga table in search of a first appearance in European competition since 2016/17.

They find themselves in a cluster of four sides who harbour realistic hopes of claiming the Bundesliga’s sixth and final European spot, and their aspirations certainly boosted by a nine-match unbeaten league run (W5, D4).

However, head coach Bo Svensson will be worried that all four draws in that run came in their last five games. But having scored in 14 consecutive Bundesliga games (a club record), they will fancy their chances of getting a result here against a Bayern side still finding their feet under Thomas Tuchel.

The former Chelsea boss, who played under Svensskn at Mainz, has lost and won just two of his opening six games at the Bavarian club (D2, L2). His last outing was in the Champions League, where his side were kicked out after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Allianz Arena.

When Tuchel arrived, Bayern were on course to win three trophies. But as it stands, they only have the Bundesliga title to fight for, having been kicked out of the DFB Pokal and Champions League.

But no guarantee just being able to focus on the Bundesliga will help them, as their 59-point haul is their worst after 28 games in 11 years.

Playing away from home probably wouldn’t be the Bavarians’ premier pick to improve upon that tally either, not only because they’ve alternated between wins and defeats across their last five away league games (W3, L2) but also because they’ve lost both Bundesliga away games against a Svensson-managed Mainz.

Both sides do not struggle to score goals, so we can expect a BTTS/GG game at Mewa Arena on Saturday.

Click here to get soccer Predictions today.

Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

After their Champions League exertions at Stamford Bridge in midweek, Real Madrid will turn their attention to La Liga when they welcome Celta Vigo to Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

The hosts secured their place in the sending final of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday. A brace from Rodrygo Goes sealed the win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, handing them a 4-0 aggregate win and securing a date with Manchester City in the next Round.

Their attention will now turn to securing their 20th win in La Liga this game as they look to keep their unlikely league title charge alive. However, they come into this tie sitting eleven points behind Barcelona, with little or no chance of closing the deficit.

But they will keep trying to win games, especially at the Bernabéu, where they will be hoping their fans are treated to a battery performance than their most recent home outing when they were beaten 3-2 by Villarreal.

Meanwhile, Celta Vigo will look to get back to winning ways after their Monday night 1-0 defeat to Mallorca ended their seven-match unbeaten run in the league (W3, D4).

That loss dented their ambitions of a top-half finish this season. But it is still achievable, given that they come into this Round of games sitting just two points off ninth-placed Girona.

Repeating their top-ten finish two seasons ago would be a fine way to mark their centenary year, as would beating Madrid, which they haven’t managed in the league since May 2014 (D2, L15).

Yet they are unbeaten in the league away action since the start of February (W2, D3) and will fancy their chances here. But you have to go back to November 2006 for the last time they claimed a head-to-head league triumph in Madrid (D1, L9), highlighting the scale of the task Celta face.

Click here to get Football Prediction for today.

Joshua Oha

Bayern back under-fire Thomas Tuchel as Oliver Kahn blames players for Mainz loss

Atalanta vs AS Roma: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Harry Maguire open to Serie A move amid loan interest from Italian giants

Juventus vs Napoli: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Mauricio Pochettino is the front-runner for the Chelsea job

Mainz vs Bayern Munich: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

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