January 2023 – Page 19

Mikel Arteta would have been an ideal replacement for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

That is according to Guardiola himself, who had Arteta as part of his coaching staff at the Etihad Stadium from 2016 up until Arsenal hired their former midfielder as Unai Emery’s replacement just over three years later.

Arteta has needed time at Arsenal, but this year they are not only title contenders, but hold a healthy five-point lead over City at the summit of the Premier League.

Ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round tie the teams, their first meeting in any competition this season, if Arteta could have replaced him at City, Guardiola told reporters: “I’m pretty sure that if I’d have left before, and he would be here, then he would be the best [replacement], absolutely.

“But I accepted [a new] contract, I’m sorry, and he couldn’t wait, so it could not happen, but definitely.”

Guardiola might think Arteta would have been the perfect fit, but does the data back that up?

Certainly, Arteta’s Arsenal have aimed to emulate Guardiola’s City in many aspects.

For example, the inverted full-backs that Guardiola has used on and off over his six-and-a-half years in Manchester are now commonplace at Emirates Stadium, too.

Indeed, in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Manchester United, Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko – signed, of course, from City – finished with a touchmap resembling an attacking midfielder, not that of a full-back.

But it is certainly not a case of City Mk. II. No, Arteta has built a team on his own merits.

It has taken time, and an element of risk. Arsenal have made 16 errors leading to goals in the Premier League since he took charge in December 2019, as the Gunners have adapted to the Spaniard’s preferred style of play.

Yet that is only four more than City. This approach comes with risk, but the rewards are clear to see.

Arsenal have scored 193 top-flight goals under Arteta, with 45 coming this season from just 19 games. They are well on track to smash the high watermark of 61, set last term. In that same time, City have netted 290 times, but it’s fair to say they have had better players than Arteta has had to call on.

Defensively, the difference is not as great, with Arsenal conceding 124 to City’s 94, though the Gunners boast a better defensive record this season than City.

Indeed, Arteta has overseen steady improvement in the attack. Arsenal’s expected goals (xG) went from 52.2 in his first full campaign to 69.6 last season, while the development of Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli has demonstrated the 40-year-old’s ability to help youngsters thrive.

Given his work with those players, it is hard to imagine Arteta would have failed to get a tune out of Phil Foden or City’s other emerging talents.

Defensively, Arsenal were tighter in the 2020-21 season than in 2021-22 (an xGA of 43.3 compared to 51.8), but their 17.2 xGA this season tells the story of a well-drilled defensive unit.

While Arteta values possession, an average of 53.5 over his 116 league games in charge is not quite at the level of City’s 66.2 in the same timeframe.

The similarities are clear, though Arsenal – at least this season – have slightly more dynamism. The fitness of Thomas Partey has been crucial to that, as has the reemergence of Granit Xhaka as an excellent box-to-box midfielder.

The data suggests Arteta could well have taken over from Guardiola in the north west, and perhaps he still might one day.

For now, he will be looking to get one over on his old mentor in the cup, and then complete the job in the league.

Pep Guardiola claimed working with Mikel Arteta made him a “better manager” ahead of Friday’s FA Cup reunion.

Guardiola’s Manchester City side host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in the fourth round, the first clash this season between the current top two sides in the Premier League.

Arteta will return to Manchester for the game, having spent three years working as Guardiola’s assistant after he ended his playing career in 2016.

The Gunners boss has spoken of the impact of his former mentor and how their partnership helped to craft him into a manager, having left City for Arsenal in 2019.

It was not just a one-way street though, with Guardiola revealing he benefitted similarly from working alongside his Spanish compatriot.

“He said he would like to work together and that he can help because he knows the Premier League perfectly, he knows all the managers,” Guardiola told a press conference.

“I remember the first game, we played against Sunderland and against David Moyes. He said he knows him well from Everton, he does this, he does that, all the strategies and the pieces.

“After 15 minutes, half an hour, I knew he was the man, the guy to help me. If you can have someone who can anticipate and has the knowledge of what it is like to go to Stoke City away, to go to every stadium, a guy who has been there for many years.

“So, we started to work together. I don’t know what my part on him was, but his influence on me was great, it was massive and so important to be a better manager.”

Even in his years with City, Guardiola knew Arteta retained an allegiance to Arsenal, where he was a former club captain. Guardiola revealed Arteta never used to celebrate goals against the side he skippered in the final two years of his playing career.

“I know he went to his team, his club, the team he dreamed of. He was a supporter, he played there, he was captain there, he loves that club,” Guardiola said.

“I remember when we worked together here, we’d score a lot of goals and he was always jumping and celebrating, except against one team. Against this team, we’d score a goal, I’d jump, I’d turn and he was sitting there – it was Arsenal.”

Arteta has made Arsenal the team to beat in this season’s Premier League, with the Gunners five points clear of City, also boasting a game in hand.

Guardiola said Arteta’s move to Arsenal made complete sense.

“It’s like me, if I was training here as assistant coach and Barcelona called me, I would go,” Guardiola said. “It is my club. I’m not the person to say he must stay here with me, he has a contract. People have to fly when they believe it’s best for them.

“For players, I’ve said it many times, if they’re not happy they have to leave. Life is too short, especially for players, to spend time in a place that you don’t like, that’s treated you bad or whatever. That’s what it is.”

Atletico Madrid condemned the “repugnant” actions that have seen Vinicius Jr the target of abuse ahead of Thursday’s derby against Real Madrid.

The two great rivals clash in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey at Santiago Bernabeu, but build-up for the tie has been marred by a section of Atleti supporters.

Pictures spread on social media showed a mannequin, wearing a Vinicius shirt, hung by the neck from a bridge in the Spanish capital.

A banner in the colours of Atletico was displayed on the same bridge which read: “Madrid hates Real”.

In a statement, Atletico said: “Such acts are absolutely repugnant and inadmissible and shame society. Our condemnation of any act that attacks the dignity of persons or institutions is categorical and unreserved.

“The rivalry between the two clubs is the greatest, but so is respect. No individual, whatever their intentions or colours, can tarnish the coexistence between different supporters. It is everyone’s responsibility to avoid this.

“We do not know the perpetrator or perpetrators of this despicable act, but their anonymity does not avoid their responsibility. We hope that the authorities succeed in clarifying what happened and that justice helps to banish this type of behaviour.”

LaLiga also issued a statement on the matter, calling for a full investigation to be launched and criminal sanctions issued against guilty parties.

“We strongly condemn the acts of hatred directed towards Vinicius Junior. Intolerance and violence has no place in football,” the statement read.

“As it has done before, La Liga will press for a full investigation in search of the facts and the conviction of those responsible, requesting the most severe criminal sanctions.”

It is not the first time Vinicius has been targeted by sections of the Atletico fanbase, with footage outside the Civitas Metropolitano ahead of the LaLiga clash between the two clubs earlier this season showing fans chanting abuse.

Erik ten Hag is talking an excellent game, even when his Manchester United team perhaps let their standards slip.

It is a manager’s duly to keep the confidence high, so when Ten Hag said United’s defending was “unacceptable” after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal, he sought to qualify those comments the next time he spoke in public.

Ten Hag returned to the theme in a press conference before United’s midweek EFL Cup semi-final win at Nottingham Forest, and this time his message was overwhelmingly positive.

“In general, Arsenal we defended very well,” Ten Hag said. “I don’t think they had clean shots. There was only one time, it was from a free-kick.

“For the rest it was only shots, cutbacks, shots from distance where a lot of defenders from us were in between the ball and the goal and that’s what I meant after, all the goals were avoidable.”

This is all about the power of positive thinking, with the Dutchman finding a way to infuse critical feedback with praise, but Opta’s Arsenal game data firmly debunks the idea the Gunners rarely got close to the United goal.

Across the Premier League season to date, only once has a team had more shots inside the penalty area than the 20 that Arsenal had against United.

Manchester City, with 21 shots inside the area in a 3-1 victory at Leeds United in December, topped that, but for Ten Hag to suggest Arsenal rarely got close to the United goal is on the face of it misleading.

United’s expected goals against (xGA) tally of 3.25 against Arsenal was the seventh-highest incurred by a Premier League team this season.

United also have number six on that list – with a 3.3 xGA total in the 6-3 thrashing by Manchester City in October.

These are the games where they have leaked chances in bulk, and good chances to boot.

It is worth saying such games stand out as being atypical of United this season.

Overall, United have done well in limiting chances in the Premier League, with their next two highest xGA totals being the 1.61 and 1.5 they conceded to Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening two games of the campaign.

Last season, United conceded xGA of above 2.00 in 12 Premier League games, so there are clear signs of major improvement.

The Brentford and Brighton games both resulted in defeats, but United have been a team transformed since August. In 10 of their 20 Premier League games this term, they have conceded under 1.00 xGA, majorly limiting the opposition’s opportunities.

They went under that 1.00 mark for five consecutive league games before the Arsenal defeat.

Perhaps Ten Hag is working on the principle that if you say something firmly and assuredly enough, it will become a reality.

Against Forest in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, United were far more like their usual selves.

Forest had nine goal attempts from inside the United penalty area, but the xGA was a mere 0.65.

United’s win at the City Ground has put them on the brink of the final, ahead of the Old Trafford second leg, with Ten Hag looking to guide the Red Devils to a first major trophy since the 2016-17 EFL Cup and Europa League triumphs under Jose Mourinho.

Among United’s rivals for Champions League places, Manchester City and Newcastle United have built around defensive sturdiness this season.

There have been eight occasions when teams have faced three or fewer shots (including blocks) in Premier League games this season, and Newcastle have had three of those and City four. Brighton had the other, against Forest in October.

There have also been 11 occasions when a team have not faced a single shot on target, which can be put down to a mix of good defending and poor finishing.

Newcastle have had the most such games, with four of their opponents not managing to hit the target.

The fewest shots on target Manchester United have faced, curiously, is the one that Manchester City managed in January’s derby. United also faced just five shots in total in that game – their fewest this term, again, and a sign Ten Hag is turning his team into a well-drilled unit, even if there continues to be the odd aberration.

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie is edging closer to a Premier League switch.

Bianconeri boss Max Allegri is supposedly willing to let the 24-year-old depart Turin this month if the price is right, with both Arsenal and Leeds said to be keen on acquiring the USA international.

Ahead of Juve’s clash with Monza on Sunday, we take a closer look at McKennie’s career to date and what he could offer his prospective buyers.

Leap of faith

McKennie spent the bulk of his childhood in Texas but did enjoy three years living in the German city of Kaiserslautern between the ages of six and nine.

That stint would prove to be a sign of things to come, with the promising prospect opting to turn down a senior contract offer from FC Dallas and instead join Bundesliga outfit Schalke in 2016.

It was a bold move for a teenager to uproot his entire life so drastically, but one that has paid off in glorious fashion.

Progressing through Schalke’s youth and reserve ranks quickly, McKennie established himself as a regular in Domenico Tedesco’s midfield during the 2017-18 campaign and was influential as Die Knappen secured an impressive second-placed finish behind Bayern Munich.

His reputation sky-rocketed further during the following season, when his impressive versatility — plugging gaps ranging from centre-back to centre forward — caught the eye of some of Europe’s grandest clubs.

By the summer of 2020, he was joining Serie A giants Juventus in a loan deal that would quickly be made permanent for an initial outlay of around £16million.

Italian job

Though McKennie’s fortunes in Italy have been mixed, he has never looked out of place at the highest level.

In his first season, only Adrien Rabiot and Dejan Kulusevski topped the American’s 46 appearances across all competitions, with Juve finishing fourth in Serie A and lifting the Coppa Italia.

His performances at the base of midfield were largely impressive, also chipping in with six goals — though it was not enough to save his head coach Andrea Pirlo from the sack.

Club legend Allegri subsequently returned for a second stint in charge of the Old Lady and kept faith with McKennie in his new-look side, before disaster struck in February last year.

A fractured metatarsal sustained in a Champions League tie at Villarreal would rule the 41-cap international out until the season’s final fixture.

Though he has wrestled his starting berth back this term, reports in Italy suggest Allegri is confident of finding a suitable replacement should the club receive a lucrative offer for his services.

In demand

Arsenal and Leeds are said to be leading the chase for McKennie — two clubs experiencing very contrasting campaigns.

The Gunners are flying high at the top of the Premier League and Mikel Arteta is looking to bolster his squad for the run-in, with central midfield known to be an area of concern.

If Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey or Granit Xhaka were to get injured, question marks hang over the quality of their backup options and McKennie would be a vast improvement in that regard.

He also covers plenty of other positions, so logically, he is the dream addition to an already thriving group.

A move to West Yorkshire could appeal for different reasons, however.

Though the Whites are locked in a relegation scrap, the opportunity to play regular football and join Jesse Marsch’s American revolution alongside Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson would surely tempt McKennie.

Exciting chapter

At just 24, McKennie’s best years are still to come and his physical and technical skillset should see him settle quickly into Premier League life.

Though it will understandably be hard to leave behind the lure of Champions League football, Elland Road appears the perfect venue for him to learn the ropes in England’s top tier.

The move would represent a serious coup for under-fire Marsch, following on from the captures of FC Salzburg defender Max Wober and Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter earlier this month.

Intriguingly, Marsch’s fellow American Chris Armas was hired as assistant head coach on Wednesday, suggesting the Leeds board are fully standing by their man.

If they secure McKennie, the 49-year-old can have few excuses when it comes to steering his side away from the bottom three.

With nine Premier League teams already eliminated, this season’s FA Cup looks set to provide some fairytale stories for the underdogs.

Ahead of the fourth-round fixtures this weekend, we have picked out five FA Cup fixtures to form a five-fold acca.

Saturday, 3pm

Bet 1: Blackburn to beat Birmingham at 11/8

Both teams have pressing concerns in the Championship, as was reflected in the third round when Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson made six changes and Birmingham boss John Eustace made five.

But promotion-chasing Rovers still won impressively away at Norwich and the fact that key attackers Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack both started was an indication that Tomasson also fancies a run at the FA Cup.

Birmingham only just edged past League One strugglers Forest Green in the third round and the Blues’ run of five successive league defeats may prompt Eustace to rest players for an increasingly tough relegation scrap.

Saturday, 3pm

Bet 2: West Brom to win away at Bristol City at 5/4

West Brom’s trip to Bristol City is another all-Championship clash between a promotion-chaser and a relegation struggler and both managers are likely to shuffle their packs for the cup.

But Baggies boss Carlos Corberan has the far stronger squad and had his team picked up points all season at the rate they have since he took charge in October, then West Brom would be on 63 points – one more than leaders Burnley.

The Robins should avoid a serious relegation scrap but are too close to the bottom three for comfort, and that may mean that Nigel Pearson makes changes against a Baggies side who have two wins and a draw in their last three trips to Ashton Gate.

Saturday, 3pm

Bet 3: Burnley to win away at Ipswich at 6/5

Both teams are doing well this season but while Ipswich have work to do to reach the automatic promotion places in League One, Burnley sit 18 points clear of third place in the Championship and are nailed-on for automatic promotion.

Manager Vincent Kompany will not admit it publicly but promotion is a done deal for the Clarets. And with a presentable route into the last 16 opening up, the former Manchester City defender will fancy an extended FA Cup run to add gloss to a superb debut campaign.

Burnley have won 10 of their last 11 matches – with the exception being a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup – and an Ipswich side who have won only three of their last eight games – mostly against third-tier opponents – could be outclassed.

Sunday, 1.30pm

Bet 4: Back over 1.5 Brighton goals at 11/8

Liverpool have struggled for consistency and as a result find themselves scrapping for European places with this weekend’s FA Cup hosts, Brighton.

The Seagulls sit two points and three places above the mid-table Reds and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has had no answer to the attacking fluency of Brighton in their two Premier League meetings this term.

October’s 3-3 draw at Anfield in Roberto De Zerbi’s first match as Brighton manager was followed by a 3-0 victory for the Seagulls against Liverpool a fortnight ago, and the Seagulls have also netted five goals in two meetings with Arsenal this term and won 2-1 at Manchester United in August.

De Zerbi’s side have scored at least twice in each of their last six outings and will fancy their chances of getting another couple of goals against a Liverpool team who have conceded 10 goals in their last five away games.

Sunday, 4.30pm

Bet 5: Sheffield United to win away at Wrexham at 4/5

While this may not be as straightforward as it looks on paper, Sheffield United should do enough to edge past Wrexham.

The hosts are flying in the National League, sitting top of the division and three points clear of the play-off places as they look to end their 15-year Football League exile.

However, the Blades are firmly on course for promotion to the Premier League thanks to a run of 10 wins in their last 12 Championship outings, which has sent them 13 points clear of the play-off slots.

It might not be the rout that a clash of fifth tier vs second suggests but, with promotion under control, the Steel City outfit can put their full focus into the FA Cup to navigate a tricky test.

Need help with your accas?

With LiveScore’s Acca Insight tool you can create your accumulators using the latest stats, insight and odds at the touch of a button.

Read on as we explain how.

Step 1: Tap Acca Insight from the top of the Scores tab

Find it on the top left of the LiveScore app just below the LiveScore logo.

Step 2: Choose your competitions and market

Set up your filters based on the competitions and betting markets you like to build accumulators from, along with the stats you find most insightful. For example, last five matches or head-to-head record.

Step 3: Check the insight, stats and odds

Your results are ordered by the stats. So if you select Premier League, Both Teams to Score and Last 5 matches, the percentages show how often that outcome happened in each team’s recent games. The more often it happened, the higher the match is ranked.

Step 4: Build your bet

Add your selections to our bet slip and transfer them to LiveScore Bet with the click of a button.

Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt confirmed the club are keen on signing Thiago Silva and Marcelo at the end of their contracts.

Silva, 38, began his career at Fluminense, returning to the club in 2006 for a three-year spell before making his mark in European football with Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Full-back Marcelo’s footballing roots also trace back to the Brazilian side, with a single year in the first team before a trophy-laden 15-years with Real Madrid that ended in 2022.

Both players are out of contract with their teams at the end of the season and Bittencourt confirmed the club will make a move if they do not renew with Chelsea and Olympiacos respectively.

“We are waiting for [Thiago Silva’s] decision at Chelsea. We don’t know yet if he will extend there or not,” he told a press conference.

“Depending on this information, whether he extends or not, we will start discussions for him to come back to Fluminense.

“We have the will to bring [Marcelo] in. But he is in the same situation as Thiago Silva. He has a contract in Greece that goes until May.

“We are waiting to see the decision he will take there, if he will extend or not. There was a report that Al-Nassr, the same club as Cristiano [Ronaldo], were interested in him.

“We are following the situation of Marcelo and Thiago Silva to bring them back.”

– Manchester City have scored two goals or more in 20 of their last 22 home games
– Arsenal have been red-hot in front of goal but could be significantly weakened for the FA Cup
– Recommended bet: Manchester City to win and both teams to score

FA Cup success may not be the top priority for either Manchester City or Arsenal, but this fourth-round fixture provides an intriguing insight ahead of more meaningful Premier League clashes to come.

Defeat for either club in this competition could be breezily dismissed as an irrelevance – even a blessing in disguise.

However, managers Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta will both privately hope to land a blow that can give them an edge as they kickstart the mind games for their upcoming top-flight encounters.

City come into the tie with home advantage and the greater depth of squad, but league leaders Arsenal undoubtedly have the momentum and the feelgood factor of a winning run.

Whatever the strength of the starting XIs sent out on Friday night, this FA Cup clash should be keenly contested between two clubs eager to gain a psychological advantage.

Manchester City vs Arsenal (Friday, 8pm)

Team news

City have a clean bill of health, but Guardiola made multiple changes to his team for the FA Cup third-round clash against Chelsea and is again likely to do so.

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is out until March with a knee injury and fellow forward Reiss Nelson is also set to miss out with a thigh injury.

The stats

Arsenal are flying. Their only defeat in 11 games came in the Carabao Cup, when a second-string side lost 3-1 at home to Brighton.

The Gunners have won nine of the other 10 games in that run, drawing at home to Newcastle but beating Tottenham, Chelsea and Brighton away from home as well as defeating Manchester United in north London last weekend.

City’s recent form has been patchier, with Guardiola frustrated by his players’ lack of focus in cup and league defeats to Southampton and the Red Devils earlier this month.

City also slipped up in the Premier League home games either side of the international break. However, while they were below par in a 2-1 defeat to Brentford prior to the World Cup – with some key players arguably having half an eye on Qatar – they were hugely unlucky to draw against Everton in the first match back after the event in Qatar.

Those two slips aside, City have been imperious at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola’s side have won the other 20 of their last 22 home matches, scoring at least twice on each occasion and netting an average of 3.75 goals per game in that sequence.

At home this season, City have recorded a 6-3 league defeat of Manchester United, 4-0 and 2-0 victories over Chelsea in the cup competitions, a 3-2 win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and a 4-2 league victory over Tottenham.

Prediction

This should be an enthralling encounter as City rarely fail to entertain on home soil, while Arsenal have propelled themselves to the top of the Premier League amid a flurry of goals.

Given the attacking potency on show, the relative lack of jeopardy and City’s record of conceding in 10 of 17 home games this term, it is hard to imagine this will be a tight and tense encounter – so adding over 3.5 goals to Bet Builder selections looks a sensible approach.

But the best bet lies in finding a way to back City at decent odds as home advantage and City’s greater strength in depth makes Guardiola’s men solid favourites.

While there is a noticeable drop-off in quality when Arteta fields his reserves – with the 3-1 home defeat to Brighton in the Carabao Cup a clear example – it is often hard to identify which of Guardiola’s options are weaker.

His second-string selections have already seen off Chelsea – twice – and Liverpool in the cup competitions and they look likely to outclass a weakened Gunners team.

Back Manchester City to win and both teams to score, available at 19/10 with LiveScore Bet.

– Southampton have won and scored exactly two goals in three of their last five matches
– At least two goals have been scored in six of Blackpool’s last seven away games
– Recommended bet: Southampton to win with over 1.5 goals in the game

Southampton switch their attention back to the FA Cup on Saturday when they entertain Championship strugglers Blackpool in their first game under new boss Mick McCarthy.

The Saints have suffered back-to-back 1-0 home defeats in the space of the last week while the Seasiders have had a fortnight off since they last played – losing to Watford in what proved to be Michael Appleton’s last game in charge.

Nathan Jones is expected to ring the changes for this tie, which falls between Southampton’s two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle.

McCarthy, who was appointed last week as Blackpool’s new head coach on a deal until the end of the season, is still yet to see his new squad in action.

Their league game against Huddersfield was postponed last weekend because parts of the pitch were frozen and therefore unplayable.

Southampton vs Blackpool (Saturday, 3pm)

Team news

Duje Caleta-Car is suspended after being sent off after picking up two yellow cards in the midweek defeat to Newcastle.

His place alongside Mohamed Salisu is likely to go to Jan Bednarek, who came on as a late substitute on Tuesday after being recalled from loan.

Moussa Djenepo was replaced by a concussion substitute after receiving a knock to the head in the first half and will miss a mandatory period of seven days.

Jones suggested both Southampton’s wide players could have been replaced on form alone, so Mislav Orsic may also drop out of the line-up with Samuel Edozie and Adam Armstrong set to feature instead.

For Blackpool, new signing Charlie Goode looks likely to make his debut at St Mary’s after arriving on loan from Brentford for the rest of the campaign.

The defender could slot in alongside Jordan Thorniley as Marvin Ekpiteta is sidelined by an injury he sustained against Watford earlier this month.

McCarthy is likely to bring in another centre-back or two before the January transfer deadline and will want to implement a back-three system as soon as he has the personnel to do so.

Callum Wright has completed a permanent move to Plymouth Argyle and Grant Ward’s short term contract has expired. Loanees Theo Corbeanu and Rhys Williams have both left Bloomfield Road.

The stats

The Saints’ 1-0 loss to Aston Villa was the ninth straight league game in which they had conceded the opening goal, tying the club’s post-war record streak.

Armstrong scored two goals in his last match against Blackpool – a 3-0 League One win for Blackburn in March 2018.

McCarthy has not managed in the FA Cup since Ipswich’s third-round exit to Sheffield United in 2018 and has not taken a team beyond the fourth round since his Wolves side reached the fifth stage in 2008.

Blackpool eliminated Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the third round. The Seasiders are looking to knock out more than one top-flight side in an FA Cup campaign for the first time since their victorious 1952-53 campaign when they overcame four.

Prediction

McCarthy’s priority is securing Championship safety and he might see this game as an ideal opportunity to learn more about some of the squad he has just inherited.

The Seasiders boss is also trying to get new players in and move others on before the deadline, so there is a good chance that the team he selects will not click from the beginning.

Southampton, despite their inability to score against Aston Villa and Newcastle in the last seven days, have been creating chances and saw goals in each game chalked off after VAR reviews.

Jones can coax a win out of a much-changed side in this game and the chance to build some confidence against a struggling side from the tier below ought to ensure Southampton chase something bigger than their usual one-goal margin of victory.

Back Southampton to win and over 1.5 goals, available at 4/5 in LiveScore Bet’s Match Result/Over/Under 1.5 market.

Tottenham have strengthened their squad with the surprise signing of Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.

The Dutch international had looked to be on the verge of moving to Everton on Monday, where he had undergone a medical, completed some media duties and even signed a contract.

All that needed to be done to rubber stamp the loan deal was for the Nigeria-born winger to send a registration form to the FA.

The late interest from Spurs came on Tuesday night and resulted in the LaLiga ace rejecting the Merseysiders.

Ahead of Tottenham’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Preston on Saturday, we take a look at what Danjuma can bring to the North Londoners.

Everton snub

On the face of it, Everton seem to be much more in need of Danjuma’s talents than Tottenham.

The Toffees are 19th in the Premier League and their tally of 15 goals this season is the second lowest in the division. Danjuma would have surely walked straight into their team.

Everton are reported to be unhappy with the forward’s late decision to instead join Spurs, but they were guilty of shifting the goalposts themselves.

When Danjuma completed his medical on Saturday, Frank Lampard was the manager that he expected to play under. On Monday, Goodison Park chiefs sacked the former Chelsea boss.

Despite not yet having appointed a successor, the Merseysiders somehow expected to sign a player who had no assurances that the new manager would even want him.

Return to England

Rather than a relegation battle, Danjuma joins a side competing for a top-four finish and that are still involved in the Champions League and FA Cup.

It is his second spell in England, having signed for Bournemouth from Club Brugge in 2019. In an injury hit first season, he was unable to prevent the Cherries from being relegated from the Premier League.

He scored 15 goals in 33 games for the South Coast outfit in the Championship, as Jonathan Woodgate’s side made the play-offs. This form saw the Netherlands international make a move to Villarreal.

Danjuma notched 22 goals in 51 games for the Yellow Submarine, which included six in the Champions League, as Unai Emery’s team made the semi-finals last season.

With Emery having been replaced by Quique Setien, the 25-year-old has found himself on the bench in recent games, alerting clubs in England to his potential availability.

Tottenham tussle

Though Danjuma has swerved a fight against relegation, he now faces a tussle to make the Tottenham first team.

The competition is fierce for a player that is predominantly a left-winger. Heung-Min Son currently occupies that position and though the South Korean has been in poor form this season, Antonio Conte has remained loyal to him.

Spurs already have high quality backup to Son in the form of Richarlison, who can also deputise for Harry Kane and on occasion has played on the right.

It is on the right that Tottenham most looked in need of reinforcement. There is no natural alternative to Dejan Kulusevski in the squad, with both Richarlison and Bryan Gil happier on the left and Lucas Moura set to leave the club.

Spurs had been linked with Nicolo Zaniolo, but have not persuaded Roma to release the 23-year-old Italian on loan. It would seem that they have signed Danjuma as an alternative, boosting their overall forward depth, if not the specific position they wanted.

Option to buy

The good news for Danjuma is that though this looks like an opportunistic deal, Tottenham’s interest is reported to go back to last summer.

It is claimed that they mooted a swap deal for the player, with Giovani Lo Celso moving the other way. Villarreal have also revealed that the loan move includes an option to buy at the end of the season.

Another positive is the fact that Son cannot remain in the team unless his performances improve. Gil looks set to go out on loan and with Kane’s future up in the air, Spurs could easily have a new-look forward line before long.

In the short term, Danjuma’s opportunities are likely to come from the bench. His pace, dribbling ability and finishing, give him every chance to make an impact against tiring defences.

For now, this signing looks a smart way for Tottenham to increase the attacking options available to Conte. Yet if he can make the most of his chance, Danjuma’s stay in North London could be a lengthy one.