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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.

Steven Gerrard finally got what he wanted all along when Bongani Zungu joined Glasgow Rangers on loan from Amiens last month, but the South Africa international is yet to make his debut for the Ibrox outfit thus far.

What’s the word?

Rangers signed Zungu from the French Ligue 2 side on an initial loan deal on transfer deadline day. He has been named in the South Africa squad for their upcoming AFCON qualifiers as his quarantine restrictions in Scotland have come to an end following his loan move from Amiens.

Speaking to the This Is Ibrox podcast, South African journalist Lorenz Köhler believes Gerrard must unleash his countryman sooner rather than later.

“In my opinion, he’s best as a box-to-box midfielder because he’s an all-action player who just wants to be involved,” he said.

“He likes to take the game by the scruff of its neck.

“It’s going to sound ludicrous…when Yaya Toure left Barcelona, he was playing as a centre-back. He came to the Premier League and the manager saw that ‘this guy isn’t a centre-back’.

“I think the same can be said to Gerrard. He’ll take one look and say ‘this guy is not a defensive midfielder’. Unleash him. Let him be free, let him go forward. He’s got a bit of height to him, he can score from headers, he can find the top corner. He can do everything.”

The summer signing has been pictured training ahead of the club’s Europa League clash with Benfica.

Impact sub!

Zungu was an unused substitute against Lech Poznan last week, but was not included in the squad for the away trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Whilst we have to admit that it’s highly unlikely the South African will start, as Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield have all impressed in recent weeks, the midfielder may make an appearance as an impact substitute from the bench.

The 28-year-old has a decent personal record against the Portuguese giants, as he has previously scored one goal in four games, although it’s worth pointing out the fact that he has lost every fixture so far.

Last season, he played 21 games in Ligue 1, averaging more than one tackle and one clearance per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Arfield is managing fewer than one tackle and one clearance per game in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, as per WhoScored.

Flavio Meireles, the sporting director from Vitoria de Guimaraes, once hailed the South African powerhouse as a “special talent”, whilst Amiens sporting director John Williams insisted “he can do everything.”

If that isn’t enough to convince Gerrard to consider his options, we don’t know what will be. The Gers have the option to buy Zungu outright if he can impress the club during his loan spell at Ibrox. He just needs to get some minutes under his belt in order to demonstrate his value – the sooner he gets the time to shine, the better. Otherwise, what was even the point of signing him in the first place?

AND in other news, Shades of Prso: Steven Gerrard must unleash Glasgow Rangers ace Cedric Itten vs Benfica…

According to Football Insider, Southampton are interested in Exeter City youngster Jack Veale.

Veale eyed by Hasenhuttl

It seems that the Saints are set for a Premier League transfer battle for the 18-year-old. Brighton are also interested in the teenager, it would appear, and the two sides are the leading the hunt ahead of the January transfer window.

Veale was in action on Wednesday for Exeter in the FA Youth Cup and netted twice in a 3-1 victory.

Next Ollie Watkins

Inevitably, Veale has been compared to arguably the most famous Exeter youth product in recent years, Ollie Watkins. After 26 goals in 78 games for the club, the striker joined Brentford, where he netted 25 times in 46 matches in the Championship last term.

That form saw him sold to Aston Villa during the summer, with the Villans paying a club-record fee of £28m for his services. He has already hit the ground running in the Premier League as well, netting six times in nine games.

If Veale can go on to achieve anything like what Watkins has done so far, then he could be a very interesting purchase for the Saints. And given his age, he wouldn’t set them back too much at the moment. This is definitely a low risk high reward type of deal Ralph Hasenhuttl and co should seriously consider.

In other news, Southampton fans are delighted by this huge development.

After seeing summer transfer target Said Benrahma join West Ham on deadline day, Aston Villa could see the best of Trezeguet this season.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months had suggested Dean Smith’s side were targeting a move for the Algeria international, with Villa eventually signing Benrahma’s Brentford teammate Ollie Watkins.

In the end, it was Villa’s fellow Premier League side, West Ham, who swooped in at the last moment to snap up Benrahma on an initial loan deal, with an obligation to buy.

Despite missing out on one of their key targets, it could have a very positive consequence on a player already at the club.

Time for Trezeguet to shine

Having joined Villa from Turkish club Kasimpasa last summer, it’s fair to say Trezeguet had a promising debut campaign in English football.

The Egypt international – valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt – scored seven goals across all competitions last season, including a truly priceless winner against Arsenal in the penultimate game of the Premier League – a result that effectively sealed Villa’s status in the top-flight.

Despite playing 41 times, including featuring in 34 out of the 38 league games, Trezeguet may have been looking anxiously over his shoulders amid Villa’s interest in Benrahma.

Of course, Smith’s side did end up bringing in Bertrand Traore from Lyon, but Benrahma’s previous history with the Villa boss, and the fact he would have come in for a hefty price, may have seen Trezeguet slip into the shadows.

Instead, the fact that they missed out on him, could see him take his game up a level. He already has a full campaign of English football under his belt now, and that will stand him in good stead for this season.

Speaking after his winner against Arsenal, Trezeguet’s teammate, Tyrone Mings, hailed him as “brilliant” and that he’s an “important player” for the club. With no Benrahma, the Egyptian can knuckle down and light up Villa Park.

In other news, this Aston Villa star could wreak havoc against Leicester.

Name: Ollie Watkins

Club: Brentford

Date of Birth: 30 December 1995

Position: Centre-forward

OLLIE WATKINS – HIS CAREER SO FAR

Ollie Watkins is a 25-year-old centre-forward currently playing his football over at Brentford in the Championship. He grew up in Newton Abbot and some of his first gigs in the sport that would later on become his life were at Exeter City. He finally joined their academy at U11 level, having previously been rejected when he was only nine years old in 2003. But that stay in the academy would indeed prove to be quite good and Watkins sore through the ranks to land into the first-team after only a year.

He signed his scholarship in 2012 and by 2014, he also penned his first professional contract, winning his first call-ups and appearances for Exeter in the 2013/14 season. And this was a start of something special for the youngster as he would remain at the club for the following couple of years, albeit with a short loan spell at Weston-super-Mare along the way.

The loan happened between 2014 and 2015 and Watkins would record 24 appearances for the Seagulls, scoring ten goals and actually developing quite a bit as well. This was essentially his first big shot at a regular role in a senior team and he embraced it with both hands. And upon return to Exeter, Watkins was adamant on succeeding there as well.

The now 25-year-old forward ended up playing a total of 78 games for them, scoring 26 goals and also adding 17 assists on the side as well. Needless to say, it was quite a return for such a young player and soon afterwards, Brentford came knocking on the door. In the summer of 2017, Watkins joined the Bees on a four-year contract, signing an extension soon after that, in 2019.

Since then, he has scored 49 goals and assisted 17 across 142 games for Brentford, surely cementing his spot as one of the most important players in the squad and one that has gone through tremendous development since his early years at Exeter and beyond that.

Now, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that he is a wanted man and could very well be on the move to greener pastures quite soon. He is surely ready for it.

TRANSFER LATEST

With his rise through the ranks, Watkins has become a prime target for many Premier League outfits as of late and many transfer rumours have indeed connected him with a switch to the English top-tier. Some of the latest transfer news, however, suggest the newly-promoted Leeds United might look to secure his signature in an attempt to boost their squad for the upcoming challenge.

The 25-year-old has been tipped to join the Whites in numerous Leeds United transfer news so far and it will be interesting to see how Brentford respond to the rumours.

As it currently stands, the Bees might indeed struggle to keep Watkins around for much longer.

PLAYER PROFILE

Even though he used to be a winger by trade, Watkins has successfully transitioned into the role of a centre-forward. All of his best traits that he possessed as a wide man, however, have been retained and combined with the new skill set he had to adopt with the switch, the 25-year-old comes with an impressive package, to say the least.

He is extremely athletic and can use his clever positioning and off-the-ball movement to confuse the markers and both create and exploit the space behind their backs brilliantly. When necessary, Watkins can also be used to pin back the centre-backs and give more freedom to his teammates that way. With good dribbling abilities as well as knowing when to drop, drift or move away from his position, courtesy of his winger days, the 25-year-old can cause chaos in the final third.

On top of that, he seems to give Brentford a decent aerial threat as well.

West Ham head into the Premier League’s final matchday of the 2019/20 season knowing that they are safe and secure for next year.

However, the Irons welcome a side battling relegation in Aston Villa, who come to east London on the back of an impressive victory over Arsenal last week.

Meanwhile, David Moyes’ side come into this one in decent form having won two and drawn one of their last three matches with the stalemate being against free-scoring Man United on Wednesday.

The 57-year-old has some decisions to make with team selection, so here’s what we are predicting this afternoon…

The Hammers could make as many as three changes with the Scotsman balancing injuries across the pitch.

Lucas Fabianski is sure to finish the term between the sticks, but the back four in front of him will be slightly different from midweek.

Left-back Aaron Cresswell came off injured early and is a serious doubt for this one, so Arthur Masuaku takes his place alongside centre-back pairing Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop whilst Ben Johnson continues on the right.

In a small tweak to the formation, Declan Rice heralds the backline with Thomas Soucek and Mark Noble slightly more advanced in Moyes’ engine room.

Pablo Fornals also keeps his place but switches to the right-flank as the impressive Jarrod Bowen is also a doubt like Cresswell.

Felipe Anderson could be handed a chance in his absence, starting on the other side – it would be the £28.8m-rated Brazilian’s first start since a defeat to Liverpool in February.

Whilst the final change comes in the attack.

Moyes could grant Sebastien Haller an opportunity to impress ahead of the summer, he may replace Michail Antonio upfront with the 30-year-old performing like a workhorse in recent weeks.

AND in other news, West Ham can finally replace Zabaleta with £18m summer raid…

أعلن المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، رونالد كومان، عن قائمة اللاعبين الذين سيخوضون مباراة الغد أمام بنفيكا في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويحل برشلونة ضيفًا على ملعب “النور” في العاصمة البرتغالية لشبونة، الأربعاء، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة” بقيادة الحكم الإيطالي الدولي، دانيلي أورساتو.

وشهدت القائمة عودة ثنائي خط الوسط، سيرجي روبيرتو وبيدري، بعدما تلقيا التصريح الطبي للمشاركة في المباريات بصورة طبيعية بينما استمر غياب، جوردي ألبا، رغم تواجده في التدريبات في اليومين الماضيين.

وعاد فرينكي دي يونج مرة أخرى إلى القائمة بعد غيابه عن مباراة ليفانتي بسبب الإيقاف عقب طرده أمام قادش في بطولة الدوري الإسباني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فان باستن ينتقد ممفيس ديباي: يلعب بشكل استعراضي وما يقدمه لا يناسب برشلونة

👥 CONVOCATÒRIA
✈️ #BenficaBarça pic.twitter.com/u5t1Skw5Se — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) September 28, 2021

قائمة برشلونة لمباراة بنفيكا في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، نيتو، إينياكي بينيا.

الدفاع: سيرجينيو ديست، جيرارد بيكيه، رونالد أروخو، كليموه لينجليه، أوسكار مينجيزا، صامويل أومتيتي، إريك جارسيا.

الوسط: سيرجيو بوسكيتس، ريكي بويج، سيرجي روبيرتو، فرينكي دي يونج، نيكو جونزاليس، جافي، بيدري.

الهجوم: ممفيس ديباي، أنسو فاتي، يوسف ديمير، فيليب كوتينيو، لوك دي يونج.

[COMUNICAT MÈDIC]@Pedri i @SergiRoberto10 han rebut l’alta mèdica! 👏#BenficaBarça pic.twitter.com/AAy5LRPOHc — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) September 28, 2021