Manchester City vs Arsenal: Preview and Expert Football Prediction  

Manchester City and Arsenal will go head-to-head this Wednesday in arguably the biggest game of the Premier League season for a  top-of-the-table clash that could decide where the title will end this season. Both sides are in a heated title race, with Pep Guardiola hoping to ensure his mentee and former assistant Mikel Arteta does not end their run to a third straight Premier League title. After slipping up, Guardiola’s side has fought well to keep up with Arsenal, thanks to a strong run of six straight Premier League wins.   They have done so while keeping their quest for a historic treble alive. They saw off Bayern Munich last week ( 4-1 on aggregate) to reach the Champions League semi-finals before beating Sheffield United (3-0) last weekend to book a place in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. Read more: Girona vs Real Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction  So they come into this time in solid shape as they attempt to close Arsenal’s five-point gap at the top of the table, knowing they still have two games in hand. Their form at the Etihad will give them belief here, as the Cityzens have won each of their last six home PL fixtures by at least a two-goal margin, even though only two came with a clean sheet.  But Arsenal could struggle to score here as the hosts haven’t conceded in any of the last four head-to-head meetings (W4). The North London side have had terrible outings in their recent visits to the Etihad and cannot afford another poor result as that will take the title destiny out of their hands. Although they are five points ahead of City, they have played two more games and must win this game to ensure that the title destiny is still in their hands at the end of this round.  They could have been okay with a draw if they hadn’t shot themselves in the leg with three straight draws in which they conceded seven goals. They travel to the Etihad without a clean sheet in their last six games and must sort out their terrible defence to get all three points in this game and keep their title quest alive. Meanwhile, this season, Man City’s Premier League home games have produced a league-high average of 2.2 goals per first half. So we expect a high-scoring game at the Etihad, with over 2.5 goals a high possibility.

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Manchester and Chelsea battling for PSG forward Neymar

Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly the clubs leading the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar. The PSG attacker has endured another frustrating season that has seen him miss many of his club’s games because of injury. The Brazilian is out for the season with an ankle injury he picked up in PSG’s 4-3 win over Lille in February. This has led to reports that PSG want to sell him and take his huge weekly salary out of his wage bill. Read more: AC Milan interested in Man City’s Kyle Walker The Parisian club are looking to rebuild their squad and are now prioritising younger players and French stars instead of big names. They want to build their team around Kylian Mbappe and could allow Neymar to leave this summer if the right offer comes.  So according to reports by Foot Mercato, Man United want to take advantage of this and bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford. However, that can only happen if they can finalise a sale of the club.  The Red Devils are in the midst of a takeover and will be able to sign quality players once the new owners take over. According to the report, several big names will be signed in the event of a successful sale, with Neymar on the list of wanted star players. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are not alone in the pursuit of Neymar. Fellow Premier League side Chelsea are also interested in the Brazilian. The Blues unsuccessfully tried to sign the 31-year-old last summer but will be back on the negotiation table this summer. 

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Girona vs Real Madrid: Preview and Expert Football Prediction 

Real Madrid will travel to Estadio Municipal de Montilivi on Tuesday to face Girona in the 31st Round of the 2022/23 La Liga season. Girona saw their four-game unbeaten run in La Liga (W2, D2) ended on Saturday when they were beaten 1-0 by Valladolid. The result was a huge blow to their chances of qualifying for European football for the first time in their history.  So a more realistic target for this season will be eclipsing their best ever top-flight finish of tenth in 2017/18, with their next assignment a Real Madrid side against whom they’ve fared well recently (W1, D1, L1). Read more: Leeds United vs Leicester City: Preview and Expert Football Prediction  Although they lost the last two home head-to-head despite scoring on both occasions, draws away to Barcelona (0-0) and Real Madrid (1-1) this season suggest they could influence the title race.  They will fancy their chances of causing another upset here, given that they have lost only one of their last five home La Liga fixtures (W4). Meanwhile, Real Madrid kept their unlikely La Liga race alive by beating Celta Vigo 2-0 on Saturday. The win was their fourth consecutive game to have finished in their favour with that scoreline.  But they remain eleven points behind table toppers Barcelona. But they will hope to keep winning, hoping for a slip-up from the Catalan side with seven games still to play. Meanwhile, mixed away form since November has been a key factor in Los Blancos falling so far behind Barcelona (W4, D1, L4), a far cry from when they began their league campaign with six consecutive victories on the road.  But recent campaigns suggest they should finish strongly, as when including only their final four away trips of a La Liga season, Madrid have lost just one of their last 12 fixtures away from the Bernabéu (W8, D3). Meanwhile, Girona’s home La Liga games have produced the second-highest average of total goals per game (3.07) in the division. So we can expect an over 2.5 goals game here. 

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Leeds United vs Leicester City: Preview and Expert Football Prediction 

The Premier League resumes this week with two relegation-threatened sides, Leeds United and Leicester City, battling for three points at Elland Road this Tuesday. Both sides are separated by one point after 32 games and are among the nine teams currently fighting for their lives in the Premier League. Leeds United find themselves at the head of what might be a five-horse race in 16th place since the bottom five clubs are only separated by as many points.  They have not helped their course recently after their 2-1 defeat to Fulham last time out made it three defeats in a row for Javi Gracia’s side. Read more: Atalanta vs AS Roma: Preview and Expert Football Prediction  A return to Elland Road usually helps their course, but they’ve been bad in their recent home games, suffering heavy 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool, respectively.  Nerves might be exacerbated when a desperate Leicester City visits them then, especially with Leeds winning only one of the last nine head-to-head meetings (D3, L5) and keeping only one clean sheet then. Meanwhile, Leicester took a giant step towards their step to survival with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.  The result ended a run of four straight losses and ten competitive games without a win for the Foxes. But the result kept them waiting for a clean sheet for another game. Leicester are the only club in Europe’s top-five leagues without a top-flight clean sheet since the World Cup. It’s now been 17 PL matches since their last shutout. But they would be okay with it as long as they keep getting three points, as that win against Wolves made them climb out of the bottom three into the coveted 17th place. Securing back-to-back wins for the first time since February will therefore see them leapfrog their hosts and give them their first league double over Leeds this century after winning the reverse fixture 2-0 in October.  The Foxes have either been the hunter or the hunted on the road this season, though, as they’ve only drawn a league-low one away match. Meanwhile, twenty of Leeds’ PL matches this season have seen both teams score a league-high. So a BTTS/GG game should be expected here.

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Mateo Kovacic’s agents set for transfer talks Premier League clubs

Mateo Kovacic’s agents have reportedly landed in England for talks over the Croatia international’s future at Chelsea. The Chelsea midfielder will enter the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge in the summer, meaning he could leave for nothing next year. The club want to keep him, but very little progress has been made over a possible extension, leading to widespread interest from across the Premier League. Chelsea, do not want to keep any unsettled players, especially those in the final two years of their deals. online pharmacy buy lipitor no prescription with best prices today in the USA So they have ruled that such players are available for the right price and are prepared to sell Kovacic this summer if he declines to sign an extension. online pharmacy buy semaglutide no prescription with best prices today in the USA Read more: Mauricio Pochettino is the front-runner for the Chelsea job The 28-year-old’s agents are set to speak with Frank Lampard’s side in the coming days about the situation. But according to reports, they aren’t just focusing on talks with Chelsea; they are also scheduling discussions with the numerous Premier League sides who have expressed an interest in the client. online pharmacy buy vibramycin no prescription with best prices today in the USA Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United are all expected to hold talks with Kovacic’s representatives, having all expressed an interest in the midfielder over the past few months. Should Chelsea sell Kovacic, Mason Mount and Gallagher, as reported, they will pursue a deal for West Ham United’s Declan Rice, who has been a long-term target. Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is also a target. The Blues are also big fans of Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone.

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AC Milan interested in Man City’s Kyle Walker 

Italian Serie A giants AC Milan are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker at the end of the season. The English defender has been an ever-present fixture in Pep Guardiola’s side since he joined City from Tottenham for £50m in 2017.  However, in recent months,  Walker has struggled for minutes in Guardiola’s setup. The right-back started Man City’s 3-0 win against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.  But that start was just one of the few he has made recently, with the defender, more often than not, starting from the bench. He has started just two Premier League matches in the last two months. Read more: Chelsea confident of beating Man United and PSG to Victor Osimhen’s signing despite the absence of Champions League football Guardiola prefers to use a system that doesn’t require a conventional right-back, meaning that Manuel Akanji, John Stones and Rico Lewis are ahead of Walker. According to The Telegraph, AC Milan is looking to add Walker to their squad ahead of next season. The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad, so Milan are looking to take advantage of the situation. The reigning Scudetto champions are currently outside the Serie A title race, so they are keen to bolster their squad for next season. The San Siro side views Walker as someone who can challenge right-back Davide Calabria for minutes. Should no move materialise this summer, and Walker does not renew terms with City, he would be free to negotiate with potential suitors next January.

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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. Read more: Bayern Munich will ‘try everything’ to sell Sadio Mane this summer 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.

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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. Read more: Juventus vs Napoli: Preview and Expert Football Prediction  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.

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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. Read more: Barcelona agree on deal with Roberto Firmino 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.

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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. Read more: Bayer Leverkusen vs RB Leipzig: Preview and Expert Football Prediction 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.

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