Empoli vs Juventus: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Juventus will look to seal a return to the Champions League this Monday when they travel to Stadio Carlo Castellani to face Empoli.  The hosts are looking to continue their impressive run of three games without defeat (W2, D1) that has pushed them far from the relegation zone. After a concerning run of three successive Serie A defeats to end April, Empoli sprung into May on a different note beating Bologna (3-1) and Salernitana (2-1) before recording a 1-1 draw with relegated Sampdoria last time. Yet, they have been woeful at the back, having not kept a clean sheet in six games. Yet, the Stadio Carlo Castellani faithful will be pleased with what manager Paolo Zanetti has masterminded. After four consecutive home matches without a win (D2, L2),, the hosts have won three of their last four (L1) home games.  Read more: Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Preview and Expert Football Prediction The Blues will now be hoping to keep the momentum going when they tackle Juventus here, especially as they’ve managed to go unbeaten in their last five top-flight matches played on a Monday. Juventus come into this tie in a disappointing mood after crashing out of the Europa League on Thursday, courtesy of an extra-time loss to Sevilla in Spain. The result means that their only route to UEFA Champions League next season is via a top-four finish in the Serie A. So they will be desperate to win here to seal their top-four destiny. They will fancy their chances here after winning their last three Serie A games. However, Max Allegri’s men have been poor on their travels, winning just one of their last seven away games (D2, L4).  Click here to get accurate football predictions. Perhaps a trip to Empoli will aid them in bettering that record, having beaten their hosts in 17 of their last 21 H2Hs in all competitions (D2, L2). 

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Newcastle vs Leicester

Newcastle United vs Leicester City: Preview and Expert Football Prediction

Premier League football resumes this Monday as Newcastle United welcomes Leicester City to St. James’ Park for the penultimate game of the 2022/23 season. Both sides are desperate for three points, with Newcastle desperate to win here to seal a place in the Premier League top four, while Leicester are fighting to avoid relegation.  Eddie Howe’s side took a step closer to their aim with a very important 4-1 win over high-flying Brighton last time. That win took them to within three points of Champions League qualification, which they can achieve if they win here. But if they lose here, they will go into the last game of the season, probably needing a win to seal a top-four finish. Read more: Empoli vs Juventus: Preview and Expert Football Prediction Having escaped a potential banana skin against Brighton, the Magpies should be confident of winning here, especially as they have a strong home record. Howe’s side have lost just two times at home this season, winning eleven and drawing five times. Meanwhile, Leicester City are on the brink of relegation after a 3-0 loss to Liverpool in their last outing. The Foxes are about to make a muted exit from the top flight just seven years after becoming the unlikeliest English champions of all time. If they lose here, they will be relegated, as they sit second from the bottom, two points behind the safety line with a terrible goal difference. The signs are ominous for them as they are winless in four (D2, L2), where they have shipped in ten goals. Dean Smith’s side are also winless in seven games away from home (D2, L5), adding extra doubt to their chances. While they have netted in their five most recent tests on hostile turf, it offers no guarantee they will score against a Newcastle side that has conceded the second-fewest goals in the league this season (32).

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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.  Read more: Frenkie de Jong speaks on relationship with Joan Laporta amid Manchester United interest  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.”

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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. Read more: Brentford striker Ivan Toney BANNED for EIGHT MONTHS for betting offences 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.

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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. Read more: Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund: Preview and Expert Football Prediction   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. Click here to get the best soccer prediction.

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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). Read more: Napoli vs Inter Milan: Preview and Expert Football Prediction   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.

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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.  Read more: Manchester City vs Chelsea: Preview and Expert Football Prediction   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). Click here to get Football Prediction for today.

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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. Read more: Valencia vs Real Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction   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. Click here to get Sure Win Prediction Today.

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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.  Read more: Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in line for a new contract  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.”

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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. Read more: Atletico Madrid want another Barcelona veteran: Jordi Alaba linked with a move to Wanda Metropolitano  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.”

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