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Lee Johnson has revealed Aiden McGeady’s chances of appearing for Sunderland against Accrington Stanley this weekend are 50-50.

Johnson provides McGeady update

McGeady missed the Black Cats’ match against Hull City during the week with an ankle issue as his side managed a 2-2 draw.

Speaking prior to this weekend’s clash against Accrington, Johnson provided an update on the 35-year-old. He said (via The Northern Echo):

“I’d put Aiden at 50-50 (for the weekend). He’s tough, like I’ve said, so he wants to play. He’s still very bruised, but at the same time it is a superficial injury.

“It’s not anything bone-related or ligament-related, so if he can handle the pain of smashing one in from 25 yards, hopefully in the top corner, then he can play. It’s as simple as that.”

Save him for the play-offs

Even though he is approaching the end of his career, McGeady is enjoying a fantastic season, especially since the arrival of Johnson. In his last 24 League One appearances, he has managed four goals and 12 assists (Transfermarkt), helping the Black Cats chase their dream of automatic promotion.

Unfortunately, results over the last few weeks mean Sunderland are likely to have to make do with the play-offs if they want to move up to the Championship. As such, it makes no sense to rush McGeady back into the action too quickly. They will need him for the last few games of the campaign – it is then that he can make a real difference to his side’s fortunes.

In other news, Kevin Phillips has made this worrying transfer claim.

Confirming the team news as West Ham United gear up take on Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow evening at Molineux, Irons manager David Moyes has dropped the latest injury updates on Arthur Masuaku, Andriy Yarmolenko and Angelo Ogbonna.

The Scotsman, speaking to the press as relayed by the club’s official Twitter channel, has confirmed that long-term absentee Masuaku has played a reserve game and is back around the squad after undergoing knee surgery.

Masuaku is still a doubt for Wolves but appears to be nearing a return as Moyes refused to rule out his possible inclusion, with the Irons boss ‘unsure’ over his match fitness at this moment.

Meanwhile, both Yarmolenko and Ogbonna will remain sidelined for the encounter. The latter is making ‘good progress’ but isn’t ‘ready’ at this moment, with plenty of Hammers fans having their say on this team news through to social media.

Most of these supporters are particularly excited about the progress of Masuaku, with one calling this update from Moyes ‘great news’.

Find some of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans react to Moyes update

“Great news on Arthur. Shame about the other two… but at least they’re nearly there

COYI!”

Credit: @Stuthehammer76

“MASUAKUUUUUUU”

Credit: @veryupsetfan

“King Arthur”

Credit: @Thehammerone1

“Arthur will be on the bench I reckon”

Credit: @whujoe

“C’mon boys they’re on their way”

Credit: @WHUalfiee_

“Mas sooooon”

Credit: @Jaxkxc

In other news: West Ham now eyeing ‘extraordinary’ striker, find out more here.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Oliver Kay has claimed that Tottenham superstar Harry Kane is ‘running out of patience’ and is ‘preparing’ to push for a summer move if they don’t qualify for the Champions League, which could come as a potential blow for Spurs. 

Tottenham dealt potential Harry Kane blow

Describing the development as ‘big news’, Kay shared on social media that the 27-year-old is now strongly considering his future in north London as he harbours ambitions of Champions League football.

The Englishman, who has arguably been Spurs’ best player this season, is heavily linked to leaving the club, with destinations like Manchester City being touted in the media (The Times).

Kane himself recently admitted that he could decide his future after the upcoming European Championships (Sky Sports), with Kay now sharing the ‘big news’ that the striker will push for an exit depending on whether Tottenham qualify for the Champions League at the end of the season.

Coming as a potential blow for Spurs, one possible silver lining is that the situation remains ‘complicated’, which could lead to changing developments between now and after the Euros.

Transfer Tavern take

Given his outstanding goal contribution in the Premier League this season, losing the 27-year-old would be a huge hit to take for Spurs manager Jose Mourinho.

While Kane’s possible stance is a worry, chairman Daniel Levy could price interested parties out of a move, with the Daily Mail recently reporting that Tottenham want an enormous £150m before even considering a sale.

In this financial climate, we think it’s very unlikely that any club will be willing to pay such an amount, but it will still be interesting to see how the Kane saga unfolds over the summer transfer window.

In other news: Tottenham in pole position to sign this ‘amazing’ colossus, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur can advance into the quarter-finals of the Europa League by seeing off Dinamo Zagreb this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side carry a two-goal lead to the Croatian capital thanks to a first-leg brace from Harry Kane, but what sort of side could we see the Portuguese tactician select?

The thought of rotation would’ve crossed his mind, but a 2-0 lead can often be a funny scoreline in football, so he may well want to keep many of his regular starters in the mix.

So, here’s the Spurs XI we’re predicting tonight, as well as the latest team and injury news…

Spurs were beaten by arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday, and we could well see as many as eight changes from he side that were defeated 2-1 at the Emirates.

Club captain and first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is likely to keep his place between the sticks, whilst the only other defender to remain from the weekend is Toby Alderweireld.

That means Sergio Reguilon is replaced by Ben Davies at left-back, with Eric Dier partnering the Belgian colossus in the middle over Davinson Sanchez, and Serge Aurier is preferred to Matt Doherty on the right after the 29-year-old’s nightmare display.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will serve a one-game suspension after picking up a third yellow card in the competition last time out, so we’re expecting Moussa Sissoko to partner Harry Winks as Tanguy Ndombele is another who earns a rest.

In attack, we could see Dele Alli earn a rare start in the no.10 role, even despite the return of Giovani Lo Celso from injury. The Argentine may not be risked from the off but fellow countryman Erik Lamela could keep his place as he’s suspended for their clash with Villa at the weekend.

The £14.4m-rated dynamo, dubbed a “nightmare” by Dier, scored a rabona against the Gunners before being sent off in the second half.

Lucas Moura is axed to allow the return of Alli.

Mourinho has ruled out Heung-min Son from featuring tonight, so Steven Bergwijn is surely in line for a return. He’ll have to impress, having started just one match since the defeat to Everton in the FA Cup.

Whilst the Spurs boss also confirmed that Kane would be involved, presumably to ensure this tie is dead and buried from early doors.

AND in other news, Mourinho must unleash “special” £26m-rated star tonight, could be his game-changer…

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that he told West Ham United’s owners David Gold and David Sullivan to sign Ivan Toney.

Toney has become a star during his time at Brentford, moving to the club back in 2020, with the Championship club paying £10m to bring him in.

The 25-year-old made 94 appearances for Posh, scoring 49 goals in all competitions, while also laying on 15 assists.

Since his move to Brentford, he has gone from strength to strength and has netted 28 goals in 40 outings, netting in all of his last three Championship games.

West Ham have been heavily linked with Toney in recent weeks, with one report from Eurosport claiming that he will become a target this summer.

Fry has now revealed to FFC that he spoke with Gold and Sullivan before Toney moved to Brentford, insisting that he could have been a star at the London Stadium if he’d made the move.

He said: “I spoke to David Sullivan and David Gold last year at great length and I said he’s the best centre-forward we’ve had.

“He’s not only a goalscorer, he scored 49 goals for us in 92 games in two seasons. But it wasn’t only his goalscoring efforts, he also made a lot of goals and he also was our best defender. He headed the ball out more than anybody else, from free kicks and corners from the opposition.

“He was absolutely magnificent and I recommended him highly.”

Toney has a contract with Brentford until 2025 and is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt.

Mikel Oyarzabal was left to rue his missed penalty as Manchester United strolled into the Europa League last 16 with a goalless draw against Real Sociedad.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side kept a clean sheet thanks to the concerted efforts of Dean Henderson, but while the goalkeeper caught the eye with a string of eye-catching saves, it was Eric Bailly who was arguably Solskjaer’s unsung hero on the night.

The centre-back, who arrived at Old Trafford from Villarreal for £30m in 2016, has found himself jostling for position with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof for a spot in Solskjaer’s starting XI since the start of the season.

And on Thursday night, Bailly looked back to his formidable best, putting in a shift at the back, as he kept the likes of Alexander Isak and Oyarzabal in his back pocket for most of the game.

As per SofaScore, he made three clearances, which was the joint-highest of any player for United bar Lindelof, while his total of two interceptions was the most of any Red Devils defender, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Alex Telles.

It just goes to show that the experienced Ivory Coast international defender was the commanding presence at the heart of United’s backline which constantly frustrated the Sociedad attack, staying tight to Isak and denying the Swede any time or space on the ball, proving to be a thorn in their side for large periods of the game as he won every single one of his three individual battles.

For context, Isak lost three out of his four duels overall, and it was no surprise to see him substituted after 45 minutes.

Furthermore, Bailly also completed two successful dribbles from two attempts, producing a further four accurate long balls from five attempts, showing a willingness to bring the ball out from the back in an attempt to set his side on the front foot.

The 26-year-old, therefore, was a dominant presence aerially and stuck to his tasks well on the night, sending Solskjaer an important statement as a result.

AND in other news, Man Utd plotting Jarrad Branthwaite transfer with an eye on the future…

Ozan Kabak and Roberto Firmino should both be back in contention for Liverpool’s Champions League round of 16 second leg against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s James Pearce.

The pair were missing on Sunday as Liverpool slumped to a sixth consecutive home defeat against Fulham. However, their injuries were understood to be minor, and Jurgen Klopp should have them available again as he plots a route into the last eight of the competition.

Liverpool’s domestic path to Champions League qualification is narrowing, and so they might have to win the competition to avoid the huge financial blow of missing out on it next season. They carry a 2-0 lead into the second leg, nominally their ‘home’ fixture.

Firmino and Kabak both started the first meeting in Budapest three weeks ago. The struggling Brazilian has yet to score in Europe this season, while Kabak is battling to win over some doubtful Reds fans, as well as his manager, as the club decide whether to exercise their option to buy the on-loan defender.

Liverpool fans take little encouragement from Firmino/Kabak return

“Is it compulsory for Kabak to play in that Liverpool squad…”

Credit: @mister_laolu

“We will still lose…”

Credit: @No4troublemaker

“Firmino? NO”

Credit: @lcfpxnj

“Start Nat and not Kabak, he’s been brilliant”

Credit: @harooncr171

“So you’re saying we’ll lose again”

Credit: @NewhouseT

“Firmino hasn’t been fit for over 2 years.”

Credit: @T_bird_6

“And what changes?? Trash”

Credit: @Manlikegidi

In other news, some Liverpool fans were critical of one midfielder during Fulham clash

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Jordan Pickford will return in goal for Everton when Manchester City visit Goodison Park on Wednesday night.

The England number one has missed his side’s last three Premier League fixtures plus the Blues’ FA Cup fifth-round win over Tottenham Hotspur due to an abdominal injury, which he sustained during last months’ 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

AS Roma loanee Robin Olsen had opened all fixtures that Pickford sat out but will now return to the bench and could be joined by a handful of the XI which were beaten by Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Fulham last time out.

So, as Ancelotti strives to end a four-game winless league run at Goodison Park, here is a potential line-up the Italian could field against Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing Sky Blues…

Everton were dealt a blow ahead of Wednesday night’s clash with Manchester City after Ancelotti ruled top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin out with a hamstring injury, that he hopes the striker will recover from in time to face Liverpool at the weekend.

But the Toffees boss had brighter news to share on the fitness of Pickford plus midfielder Allan when speaking to the media on Tuesday: “For Dominic, I think it is a matter of days [before he is fit again]. We hope he will be available on Saturday.

“The others are all okay. Pickford trained yesterday [Monday], and he was okay. We will check again today, and if he is available, he is going to play.

“Allan is in contention. He is fit. He is good.”

Allan has missed the last two months of action with a hamstring injury sustained at Leicester City on December 16 but, after a few setbacks in recent weeks, is finally able to make his 13th Premier League appearance following a £21m summer switch from SSC Napoli.

The Brazilian will be expected to waltz back into Ancelotti’s engine room against Manchester City, likely at the expense of Andre Gomes after the Portuguese midfielder was off-tune in Everton’s 2-0 defeat to Fulham while Tom Davies brought the most promise and energy to the role.

Ancelotti also faces a huge selection dilemma over his creative midfielder between Gylfi Sigurdsson and James Rodriguez after neither were at their best against Fulham, and could ere on the side of the Colombian rather than the £100k-per-week Icelandic maestro after he scored in Everton’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United.

Moving Rodriguez back into midfield will also create an opening in attack for Joshua King to earn his first start in royal blue with Calvert-Lewin sidelined, having made each of his three Everton appearances to date from the bench.

Ancelotti has already confirmed that Pickford will return to his role between the sticks on Wednesday night but has decisions to make over Everton’s back four.

Lucas Digne is the only member of the unit that lost to Fulham that will be expected to have guaranteed continued presence.

Centre-half duo Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey both failed to leave much on the pitch to admire, with Holgate producing a sloppy performance and at fault for Josh Maja’s first goal while Godfrey likewise lacked the sharpness to stop the Cottagers doubling their lead.

Either could now move back out to right-back to afford Michael Keane and Yerry Mina a recall, though Godfrey will be the one expected to take over from the £70k-per-week Seamus Coleman after being favoured in the role against Tottenham in the FA Cup last week in the fifth and final change from the weekend’s defeat.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is willing Everton to pay £26.5m for a £176k-p/w gem…

All of a sudden, the positivity is rolling back to the green and white half of Glasgow.

The Hoops have now won four games on the bounce and amongst that, they took home the Scottish Cup following a win over Hearts.

Heading into a transfer window, the Hoops are building up ahead of steam nicely.

What’s the word?

Celtic can be under no illusions that they’re still having a disastrous season. Their victory against Hearts last weekend cannot mask that and in January, they need to address a number of issues.

That starts with their horrific defence, one that conceded a mammoth 19 goals in six Europa League games.

It’s no secret that the Bhoys could do with a new goalkeeper and they may have found their answer in someone already playing in Scotland.

That’s because according to The Daily Mail, Celtic are interested in signing Dundee United stopper Benjamin Siegrist.

The Swiss has been placed on their list of targets ahead of January and it is thought that they’ve already scouted the 28-year-old on a number of occasions.

Siegrist’s agent Dr Thomas Kraft said: “There is interest in him from clubs in the Bundesliga and the Dutch Eredivisie.

“Celtic have also scouted him several times, that is true. But today, at this moment, we have no official offer from Celtic. Will Benjamin leave Dundee United in January? It depends on the financial situation at United. You would have to ask the club, it’s difficult for me to say.”

Sign the thing

This would be a brilliant piece of shrewd business from Nick Hammond and Celtic.

The Hoops landed Vasilis Barkas for a haul of £5m in the summer but it’s hard to argue that he’s been a perfect signing. His succession of individual errors against AC Milan have summed up a torrid start to his Hoops career, one where he’s been dislodged by two different ‘keepers.

First, it was the turn of Scott Bain but he was again rather error-prone, proving to be a disaster when Celtic shipped four goals in Prague. On top of that, Conor Hazard has been inconsistent.

He kept the club’s first clean sheet since early November against Kilmarnock but was at fault in normal time during the Scottish cup final. Hazard did, of course, save two penalties in the shoot out but they could do with a more reliable senior goalkeeper.

In Siegrist, they’d have that. The Dundee United stopper has had an excellent campaign, keeping five clean sheets in the process. “Benjamin has had an extraordinary season and the last match against Hibernian he produced a high-level performance,” his agent told The Daily Mail.

It’s important to look at his colossal height of 6 foot 4 too, something that comes close to matching the frame of Fraser Forster. The Englishman was a goliath between the sticks last season and it’s clear Celtic are missing someone of his presence.

Siegrist could help to finally solve this void.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Celtic tipped to replace Lennon with manager who has 29.5% win rate…

MatériaMais Notícias

A goleada do Vasco sobre o Madureira por 4 a 1 em São Januário, neste domingo, deixou o torcedor cruz-maltino animado, principalmente após assistir as ótimas atuações de Riascos e Nenê. Com isso, a dupla recebeu a maior nota do confronto deste domingo. Confira a avaliação de cada jogador do duelo.

Vasco

5,5
Martin Silva
Não teve muito trabalho no jogo. Quando o Madureira assustou, não foi bem. Poderia ter saído no gol.

6,5
Madson
É uma das melhores opções de escape do time. Quando apoiou, foi bem. Subiu de produção no segundo tempo.

6,5
Luan
Não teve muito trabalho na defesa e quando foi ao ataque achou belo cruzamento para o gol de Andrezinho.

5,5
Rodrigo
Um pouco abaixo de Luan. Estava na marcação de Daniel no lance do gol do Madureira..

6,0
Julio Cesar
Foi muito acionado no primeiro tempo e apareceu bem em alguns lances. Na segunda etapa, segurou mais lá atrás.

5,0
Julio dos Santos
Jorginho o escalou para melhorar a saída de bola do time, que recorreu ao chutão em várias oportunidades.

6,5
Andrezinho
Não foi muito bem no conjunto, mas fez um gol importante num momento em que o jogo estava difícil.

5,5
Mateus Pet
Foi discreto em sua estreia como titular. Se movimentou, mas pouco apareceu neste primeiro jogo do ano.

8,0
Nenê
É o craque desse time. Todas as bolas passam por ele. A melhor contratação do clube foi mantê-lo no elenco.

5,0
Jorge Henrique
Discreto no ataque. Importante na reposição para marcar as subidas do lateral adversário.

8,0
Riascos
Mostrou muita vontade em um jogo que foi bastante acionado. Foi oportunista e marcou dois.

5,5
Yago Pikachu
Foi um pouco melhor que Mateus Pet. Iniciou boas tabelas com Madson pelo lado direito.

6,0
Eder Luis
Um pouco melhor que Jorge Henrique. Foi rápido no lance do último gol e deu bom passe para Riascos marcar..

5,5
Bruno Gallo
Teve pouco tempo para mostrar alguma coisa. Entrou apenas para descansar Julio Cesar.

6,5
Jorginho
Para o primeiro jogo do ano, o time foi bem. Mas ainda falta muita coisa para melhorar em campo.

RelacionadasVascoCom dois de Riascos, Vasco goleia Madureira na estreia no CariocaVasco31/01/2016

Madureira

6,0
Rafael
Sem culpa nos gols. Mostrou-se seguro quando foi exigido.

5,0
Formiga
Teve muito trabalho na marcação no primeiro tempo.

6,0
Daniel
Teve muito trabalho com Nenê e Riascos. Na frente, foi bem e marcou.

5,5
Jorge Fellipe
Um pouco abaixo do nível do companheiro.

4,5
Ernani
Não acompanhou o ritmo de Madson no segundo tempo.

4,5
Everton
Ficou perdido no meio.

5,0
Ryan
Atuação ruim. Foi substituído no início do segundo tempo.

5,5
Leandro Chaves
Tentou levar o time ao ataque. Sem sucesso.

5,5
Arthur
Correu muito, mas sofreu com a marcação.

5,5
Geovane Maranhão
Tentou ligar o ataque com velocidade, mas esbarrou na boa marcação vascaína.

4,5
João Carlos
Sofreu com a marcação dos zagueiros e pouco fez.

4,0
Carlos Júnior
Pouco tempo em campo. Mostrou muito pouco.

5,0
Gerley
Não teve tempo para mostrar nada.

5,5
Alfredo Sampaio
Seu time foi bem no primeiro tempo, mas não conseguiu resistir por muito tempo e acabou goleado em São Januário.