Sports
A falling giant meets an already fallen one while Postecoglou heads to Rangers, Real Madrid will doubtless be in for a harrowing evening and a future England star takes on Barcelona.
Game to watch: Juventus v Manchester Metropolis
The Kevin De Bruyne-inspired victory over Nottingham Forest never regarded esteem the finish of the crisis and a collective shrug at a draw with Crystal Palace is a telling indictment of how far Manchester Metropolis’s inventory has fallen. They are now correct another Premier League team.
Juventus know exactly what a fall from a pedestal feels esteem. No Scudetto for four years after nine on the leap, Metropolis will hope their very dangle hasty and painful toddle into mediocrity isn’t the start of an extended duration in the shadows as it’s been for the Passe Lady.
Remarkably, Juventus are but to lose a game in Serie A this season but find themselves in sixth, seven points off Atalanta at the tip of the table, having drawn nine of their 15 games. Love Metropolis, they’ve received eight points in the Champions League after two wins, two draws and a defeat, and while they’ve had significant injury complications this season, Thiago Motta will really feel he needs a landmark victory to maintain the wolves from the door.
Disaster or not, Metropolis are a ample ample scalp to glean on-the-fence Juventus fans on his facet.
It’s not correct that Metropolis gaze nothing esteem a Pep Guardiola team fair now but that they’ve misplaced interest in trying to was one again – esteem it’s too considerable effort to finish so. They may possibly really correct finish with something, anything to discontinue them plodding via the season.
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Team to watch: Real Madrid
No matter how considerable we love Carlo Ancelotti, are rooting for Jude Bellingham and admire the ridiculous things Luka Modric and others have carried out in this Real Madrid team over the last decade, we would take great pleasure in seeing them dumped out at the almost-very unlikely-to-glean-dumped-out-of neighborhood stage of the inaugural All Novel Champions League, created in no small part because of their very dangle greedy angling for more games against high European opposition.
They are at the moment two points clear of The Dump Zone after losing three of their five games, having been totally outplayed by Liverpool last time out. They’ve received RB Salzburg and Brest to reach in January as a disappointingly gentle finish to their fixtures, however the French facet have impressed so far and they may neatly have to win at least a kind of games to earn a play-off state after a day coast to play the in-form team in Europe on Tuesday.
A significant hangover from their Europa League win at the finish of last season saw Atalanta accumulate correct seven points from their opening six Serie A games in a bustle which also saw them lose the Large Cup to Real Madrid 2-0, but a really extraordinary uplift has viewed them win all of their last nine in the Italian high flight, including a 3-0 thumping of then league leaders Napoli in Naples, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s facet scoring 27 goals in the direction of.
They’re also unbeaten in the Champions League and will all but seal automatic qualification with a win over the European champions on their very dangle patch.
Manager to watch: Ange Postecoglou
What better way to glean over losing a two-goal lead to at least one among your closest and most irritating rivals to spark their title challenge than a day coast to face your former closest rival, whose fans will unquestionably mean you can already know what they think about your latest job performance and, by the finish of the game, may neatly be joined by your dangle fans in advising you that reach daybreak you may be seeking alternative employment.
Postecoglou’s last game against Rangers ended in a 3-0 loss, albeit at the finish of the 2022/2023 season after Celtic had already secured the title, and although Daniel Levy has reach out in fortify of the Spurs boss following the embarrassing loss to Chelsea, you can’t assist but really feel defeat of any form to the Scottish facet – who are at the moment above Spurs in the Europa League table on goal incompatibility – may possibly be hard to reach back from with a lot of Tottenham fans already calling for his head.
READ MORE: 16 Conclusions on Spurs 3-4 Chelsea: Postecoglou sack, Sancho, Bissouma, Cucurella and the title
Player to watch: Jamie Gittens
“Thomas Tuchel, are you watching?” was the commentary call after Gittens’ goal in Der Klassiker. A solo effort so apt that in isolation it would have been ample to make the England boss take behold, as he stepped over the ball on the the byline on halfway, ran prime Gareth Bale-esque instantly towards goal and fired the ball over Manuel Neuter’s head into the roof of the online. But he’s been very apt for considerable of what is a breakout season for but another ludicrously talented young English forward.
He’s received four of his nine goals in the Champions League, including one against Real Madrid, and has another opportunity to turn heads in a dwelling clash against Barcelona, whom they’re level on points with in the automatic qualification spots.
EFL game to watch: Leeds v Middlesbrough
Most effective Norwich (35) have scored more goals than Leeds and Boro (33), who are 2d and fifth respectively. Defeat for Michael Carrick’s facet may gape them decrease adrift from what’s starting to gaze esteem a high four as they’re at the moment five points behind Sunderland in fourth – though depending on Premier League results he may not be in that job for for considerable longer, with West Ham among his admirers.
Leeds will doubtless be looking to glean their very dangle back having misplaced to Boro in the League Cup back in August, and Elland Road has was something of a fortress for Daniel Farke’s facet, who have won all seven dwelling games since defeat to Burnley in September, scoring 17 and conceding correct one.
