March 2023 – Will Bet

Massimiliano Allegri is unsure when Paul Pogba will return to action following his most recent injury setback.

The France international has had a torrid time of things since returning to Juve from Manchester United last July, featuring for just 34 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Pogba appeared to have put his injury issues behind him when playing in back-to-back games against Torino and Roma on February 28 and March 5, both times as a substitute.

But he was dropped for Juve’s next match, a Europa League tie with Freiburg, due to turning up late for a team meeting.

The 29-year-old has not featured since, having sustained a fresh muscular problem while taking free-kicks in training.

Providing an update on Pogba’s fitness ahead of Juve’s return to Serie A action against Hellas Verona on Saturday, Allegri appeared to once again rule out the midfielder.

“At the moment, I don’t know when he will be available again,” Allegri said at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “He’s working, but at the moment it’s difficult to say.

“The adductor is fine, but we’re waiting to see how his knee will react after taking part in training.”

Allegri’s side were hit with a 15-point deduction in January, but they have won six of their past seven Serie A games to move back within seven points of the top four.

Juve have five league games in April, as well as a meeting with Sporting CP in the Europa League quarter-finals and the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter.

“Our aim is to win as many games as possible in order to have a wonderful May,” Allegri said of his side’s congested April programme.

“This is the schedule and we have to manage it the best way possible. We’re heading towards a beautiful but tiring end to the season and must continue playing with enthusiasm.”

Marc Skinner refuses to be seduced by the Women’s Super League table as he urges leaders Manchester United to take control of the run-in.

United top Manchester City on goal difference but champions Chelsea and Arsenal are also in firm contention with the title race set to go down to the wire.

Only six matches separate Skinner’s team from the finishing line, starting with Saturday’s trip to Brighton.

The United boss said: “We’re an ambitious team so to not win things would be disappointing.

“Where we are now means nothing if we don’t perform in the last few games.

“I don’t care where we are right now, we might be top but it doesn’t matter.

“We can talk abut the psychology of where you’re positioned right now.

“But if [we think] there’s one team in the top four that doesn’t want to win the league then we’re kidding ourselves.

“We know how difficult it will be and I want us to take control of these moments rather than think it’s in somebody else’s destiny.

“Whatever we do this season, if we’ve taken control and given it our all, that’s what was meant for us.

“We’ve done really well so far this season but we’ve got to make sure we do the same thing in that process to try and win these last few games.”

Midfielder Lisa Naalsund misses out against the Seagulls with a hamstring injury, while defender Maria Thorisdottir will miss the rest of the season due to a foot problem.

United thumped Brighton 4-0 last October. And while they continue to struggle near the foot of the table, Skinner believes the South Coast outfit have improved under the guidance of interim manager Amy Merricks.

He said: “I’ve been around the league long enough to see what Amy does when she comes in. She has got really god qualities.

“The team are much better organised and much more cohesive. I’m expecting a very difficult game.

“We’ll have to find different ways to score. We can’t take this lightly.”

There are a magnificent seven games on the Premier League card this Saturday, including a heavyweight clash between Manchester City and Liverpool as the Citizens attempt to chase down Arsenal at the summit.

Here are our expert writers’ top selections for each of those fixtures.

Manchester City vs Liverpool (Saturday, 12.30pm)

Manchester City went into the international break having built up a head of steam, thrashing Burnley 6-0 in the FA Cup and RB Leipzig 7-0 in the Champions League while taking 16 points from a possible 18 in the Premier League — a run that includes a 3-1 defeat of Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s men have been imperious in their recent Etihad outings and host a Liverpool side who have taken just 12 points from 13 away games this term.

The Reds’ struggles in front of goal on the road, coupled with City’s excellent Etihad form makes a bet on a low-scoring home win appeal at a big price.

Back Manchester City to win and under 2.5 goals, available at 7/2 with LiveScore Bet.

Arsenal vs Leeds (Saturday, 3pm)

Arsenal are rightly overwhelming favourites to take all three points, but the visitors should contribute to an end-to-end encounter.

Leeds have scored at least twice in trips to Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham this season and their front-footed approach makes both teams to score an appealing option.

However, an in-form Arsenal frontline that has scored an average of 2.71 goals per home game in the Premier League this season should be confident of outscoring their guests.

Back Arsenal to win and over 3.5 goals at 31/20 with LiveScore Bet.

Bournemouth vs Fulham (Saturday, 3pm)

A victory over Liverpool and a draw against Champions League-chasing Newcastle in a decent run of performances since January show there is fight left in the Cherries.

Bournemouth, who have been growing steadily more impressive at the Vitality Stadium in recent months, could keep a clean sheet against a Fulham side who are running out of gas and will obviously miss top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Back Bournemouth to win, available at 8/5 with LiveScore Bet.

Brighton vs Brentford (Saturday, 3pm)

It is hard to split two of the most impressive teams of 2022-23 and a draw is certainly not the worst result for either side.

Brighton are one of just five teams to have outscored Brentford this season and will expect to trouble a visiting backline that has kept just one clean sheet in their last six league outings.

The best bet though could well be to back Brentford to make it seven draws from 14 Premier League away games this season.

Back the draw, available at 16/5 with LiveScore Bet.

Crystal Palace vs Leicester (Saturday, 3pm)

Leicester have generally been playing far better than their results suggest of late and will feel their luck must turn at some point.

In a 1-0 defeat at Southampton, Kelechi Iheanacho missed three excellent chances and Harry Souttar hit the bar.

They also restricted Arsenal to relatively few chances in a 1-0 defeat and gave at least as good as they got against Chelsea.

But they visit a Palace side who are also not as bad as a run of 12 consecutive winless matches would suggest and who will expect some sort of bounce following the return of Roy Hodgson to the helm.

Back the draw, available at 11/5 with LiveScore Bet.

Nottingham Forest vs Wolves (Saturday, 3pm)

Nottingham Forest’s solid home record makes them the more fancied outright selection as Steve Cooper’s men have lost just twice when hosting teams outside the top five this season and were very unfortunate on both occasions, against Fulham and Bournemouth.

Adding a ‘draw no bet’ element is an appealing safety buffer given Forest’s lack of firepower if Brennan Johnson misses out, but Cooper’s men have the set-piece threat and solidity to edge favouritism against a toothless and hard-to-trust Wolves side.

Back Nottingham Forest draw no bet, available at 21/20 with LiveScore Bet.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa (Saturday 5.30pm)

Villa are equipped to come away from Stamford Bridge with something as Unai Emery is a master of setting his team up to frustrate sides that like to play through the middle, which is what Chelsea have largely done in their last few games.

The Blues have lost as many home league games as they have won since November, but the number of stalemates are piling up too, which suggests there is value in backing Villa not to taste defeat.

Back Villa to win or tie at 13/10 with LiveScore Bet.

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German football’s biggest game will take on extra significance this weekend when Bayern Munich host Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena.

Dortmund have mounted a serious challenge to Bayern’s sustained Bundesliga dominance this season and lead the defending champions by a point.

Bayern’s inability to take control of the title race led to them surprisingly parting ways with Julian Nagelsmann on March 24.

His replacement, a man who has the other side of this storied rivalry, Thomas Tuchel, who was BVB coach from 2015 to 2017.

Tuchel’s Dortmund overcame Bayern en route to DFB-Pokal glory in 2017, but the former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss is now immediately under tremendous pressure to deliver victory for Die Roten.

For Dortmund, a win in Bavaria could go a long way to helping Edin Terzic’s men seal the title.

But history is firmly against them doing that. With the help of Opta numbers, Stats Perform previews a potential title decider.

Dortmund’s Munich misery

Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Bayern in the reverse fixture ended a run of eight consecutive defeats in competitive matches against them.

But the Allianz Arena has become a house of horrors for BVB. Indeed, Dortmund have lost their last eight away games against Bayern in the league.

In Dortmund’s Bundesliga history, they have only had one longer losing streak away from home: versus Werder Bremen from 1979 to 1989 (10 matches).

Good omens for BVB

By their lofty standards, Bayern have struggled mightily in 2023.

They have won only five of their 10 Bundesliga games in 2023 (D3 L2) and have 52 points after 25 games.

That is their lowest at this stage of the season since 2011-12, when they had 51 points. The season ended with Dortmund winning the title, Bayern have not failed to do so since.

Since this campaign resumed, Dortmund have claimed a league-high 22 points in eight games. That is a club record for BVB after eight games in the second half of the season. The last time they collected as many points at this stage was the 2011-12 title-winning season under Jurgen Klopp.

The omens are good for Dortmund as they look to end Bayern’s reign, but they will need to avoid a repeat of what happened the last time they were top of the Bundesliga in the second half of the season.

Table toppers in trouble?

Dortmund are top of the table for the first time since the second matchday of the 2019-20 season.

Prior to this campaign, they had not been at the summit in the second half of the season since matchday 27 in 2018-19, which saw them thrashed 5-0 by Bayern at the Allianz Arena.

Simply put, Dortmund cannot afford the same outcome this time around if they are to maintain their push to dethrone Bayern.

Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has stepped back from his role while the club awaits the outcome of his appeal against a worldwide ban from football.

FIFA announced on Wednesday that the 30-month suspension handed to Paratici by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in January would extend beyond Italian football.

Spurs were caught cold by the timing of the announcement and said in a statement they were “urgently seeking further clarification from FIFA” regarding Paratici’s situation.

The 50-year-old’s appeal will be held on April 19, but it was confirmed by Tottenham on Friday that he will step back from his duties until then.

“In view of FIFA’s decision, Fabio has agreed with the club that he will take an immediate leave of absence pending the outcome of his appeal,” a Spurs statement read.

Paratici was one of 11 individuals banned by the FIGC in January after Juventus were found guilty of alleged breaches in relation to historical transfer dealings.

Juve were docked 15 points in Serie A as part of the punishment, with Paratici and the club denying any wrongdoing and lodging an appeal to the Italian Olympic Committee.

Then-chairman Andrea Agnelli and former director Pavel Nedved were hit with 24 and eight month bans respectively, which they are also appealing in April.

Paratici’s leave of absence comes at a time when the club are on the lookout for a new head coach following the sacking of Antonio Conte last week.

Arsenal can see the finish line in the Premier League title race after returning from the international break, but Mikel Arteta just wants his players to enjoy it.

The Gunners are in pole position to end a 19-year wait for the championship, eight points clear of Manchester City – albeit having played a game more.

Arteta’s men were also in top form before the season was paused a fortnight ago, and they will be expecting another win at home to Leeds United.

By then, City will have played Liverpool, who could tilt the odds further in Arsenal’s favour.

But Arteta is trying to avoid worrying about matters elsewhere, explaining this week: “We cannot control the outcome of other clubs.

“All we can control is what we do every single day, how we behave, how we train, how we communicate, how we control our energy, and the messages we send to our people.

“Now, it has to be about enjoying the last part of the season, with enthusiasm, energy and a real hunger to continue to do what we’ve done and, if possible, better.

“I think we have really good people, and we have really good players. They are curious all the time to improve, learn and be better. It is a joy to work with this group.

“They really follow us and want to please everybody, and they love what they do, love living with each other and playing for each other. I think you can sense that.”

Leeds were beaten 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Elland Road, a near-miss that new boss Javi Gracia has no interest in reflecting on.

“We are looking for the next game and focused on the next game,” he said.

“For sure we are playing against the team at the top of the table and it will be very demanding for us.

“But to have one option to get a good result, the first step is to believe that you can do it. The team believe that we can do it.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka was one of the undoubted stars of the international break, with a sublime goal and equally brilliant assist for Harry Kane in England’s 2-0 win over Ukraine. That sort of display was in keeping with what the Arsenal winger has produced in the Premier League this season, with no other player in the division joining him in reaching double-figures for both goals (12) and assists (10). Only Erling Haaland (33) and Kane (23) have more goal involvements.

Leeds United – Jack Harrison

Harrison has suddenly rediscovered his scoring touch, netting in back-to-back games after just two goals in his previous 29 Premier League appearances. But that is not to say he had not been delivering for Leeds in other ways as the winger leads the way for both assists (six) and chances created (41) among his team-mates.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal have not lost to Leeds in all competitions since a 3-2 defeat in May 2003 ended their title bid. It will take more than that to stop the Gunners this time, though, and a repeat appears pretty unlikely at Emirates Stadium.

Leeds have won only two of their 23 meetings with Premier League leaders, including losing each of their four such games against Arsenal by an aggregate score of 14-2.

Meanwhile, Arteta’s men are on a six-match winning run in the league, their joint-best under this manager. Arsenal last won seven in a row with Unai Emery at the helm between August and October 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 61.4 per cent

Leeds United – 15.7 per cent

Draw – 22.9 per cent

Newcastle United are heading into a “massive month” as they bid for Champions League qualification, and their first task is EFL Cup final foes Manchester United.

Newcastle’s long wait for a major trophy goes on after they were beaten 2-0 by Man United at Wembley in February.

This can still be a successful season for the Magpies, however, with a top-four finish within their hands. They could even leapfrog third-placed Man United with a win on Sunday.

Eddie Howe’s side will not be short of motivation for that match at St James’ Park, although it is far from the last big game they have in April.

There are another six fixtures to come before the end of the month, and Howe said: “It’s a massive month. Whenever you have an intense period of games, you know those results are going to define what we do this season.

“The last two results [wins against Wolves and Nottingham Forest] put us in a really strong position and also just lifted confidence levels and morale in the squad.

“This is going to be a big week to come. It’s Manchester United first, so we have to focus on that alone and learn our lessons from the cup final defeat.”

The EFL Cup clash came after Erik ten Hag had described Newcastle as “annoying” in reference to their gamesmanship.

Although Howe suggested on Friday such claims had been “overblown”, he confirmed Newcastle would be out to annoy their opponents.

That is certainly what Ten Hag expects as he revisited the top before this encounter, saying: “We know they delay. It’s something that the referee doesn’t want.

“Whey want to have tempo in the game, that is the aim of the Premier League, so they have to be consistent to let the game go.”

He added: “It’s a team that is really hard to beat. We are looking forward to the challenge, and the evidence is we can beat them.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak

Isak returned injured the last time he went away on international duty in September, missing more than three months as a result. This time, the forward appears to be fit after featuring for Sweden and is coming into form, scoring six times in 10 league matches this season.

Isak has three in his last two games, with Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic the only Swedish players to have previously netted in three in a row in the competition.

Manchester United – Marcus Rashford

Rashford, unlike Isak, did not go away on international duty, complaining of a problem ahead of linking up with England. That appeared to frustrate Gareth Southgate, but it should have him fit for this game.

It is a boost to United, with Rashford scoring more winning goals than any other player in the Premier League this season. His nine have only twice been topped by a United player in a single campaign – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 in 2007-08) and Wayne Rooney (10 in 2009-10).

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Newcastle are winless in six against Man United in the Premier League, but their past two meetings – the only two under Howe – have both ended in draws.

It was goalless between the sides at Old Trafford. Although Newcastle have not kept clean sheets in consecutive games against Man United since May 1997, the visitors are without a goal in their past two league games.

The Magpies are more than capable of frustrating their opponents if they have a result to protect, too, with their matches this season spanning the third-longest period of time on average at 98 minutes and 58 seconds but seeing a ball-in-play low of 51 minutes and 41 seconds.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Newcastle – 34.3 per cent

Man United – 36.8 per cent

Draw – 28.9 per cent

Interim Tottenham boss Cristian Stellini has quashed suggestions of the club being in crisis.

Spurs axed manager Antonio Conte last weekend, with his 48-year-old assistant surprisingly opting to stay put in North London and take over first-team affairs until the end of the season.

Things then went from bad to worse for Spurs on Wednesday when director of football Fabio Paratici had his ban in Italy extended worldwide by FIFA.

Despite the upheaval, Stellini sees no reason for major panic.

Speaking at his Friday press conference, the Italian explained: “No, this is not a club in crisis. Absolutely not.

“Everyone takes the decision for the best and when you take the decision for the best, you are not in crisis.

“If you have some matters, we have to stay compact and we have to stick together to move on and play the matches.”

Many fans were left stunned when Stellini was confirmed as the club’s new temporary manager — particularly given his close friendship with Conte.

However, Stellini has revealed that the ex-Inter boss actually played a leading role in him landing the post.

He added: “My relationship with Antonio is still the same. Very close, nothing changes between me and him.

“I have to say thanks to him also, because I’ve improved a lot in my career up until now and this is why.

“I spoke with Antonio. The club and Antonio spoke to each other. They take the decision together and they let me know. I was aware of it.

“They call me and say the decision is taken and if you agree with us, you can do it. I had no problem to say yes.”

Christian Stellini and Antonio Conte’s relationship has not changed following the latter’s dismissal at Tottenham.

Conte and Spurs mutually agreed to part ways during the international break following a concerning dip in results, putting Spurs’ top-four position in jeopardy, and a remarkable outburst against the club from Conte after the 3-3 draw with Southampton.

Stellini will now take charge in north London for the remainder of the season, with his first game being Monday’s clash against Premier League strugglers Everton.

Spurs have 10 games to secure their position in the Champions League next season, while Stellini’s temporary appointment has not eased concerns regarding the club’s long-term position.

One thing that is clear for Stellini, however, is that he still has a strong friendship with Conte and he moved to thank the former Chelsea and Inter boss.

“I want to clarify that the decision was taken for the best of the club and for everyone,” he told a press conference, “Antonio is good. Everyone took the decision altogether for the best of the club.

“My relationship with Antonio is still the same, we’re very close and nothing changed between us. I have to say thank you because I have improved a lot in my career under him and it’s because of him.

“I did the best for him before, and I’ll do the best for him until the end of the season.”

Asked whether he felt this was his next step into a managerial career, Stellini added: “It’s the next step to work hard for the next 10 games.

“Nothing has to change in my mind. I’m not here for vanity. I’m here to help this club. I have to be myself. I used myself, my character. We will see what happens during the process.

“We’ve had not many days together. We had a good day in training and we followed in training what we did in the past.”

Spurs head into the weekend fourth in the Premier League standings, two points above Newcastle United and seven above Liverpool, both of whom have two games in hand.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier is optimistic about the club’s plans for next season, but admits there are parts of the setup that need improving “significantly”.

PSG still have a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1 despite a 2-0 home defeat to Rennes in their last game before the international break.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash with Lyon at Parc des Princes, Galtier explained the work that is taking place to plan for the future, including discussions with Lionel Messi, whose deal expires at the end of the season.

The World Cup winner has been linked with a return to Barcelona as well as a potential move to MLS with David Beckham-owned Inter Miami.

“What will happen next season, we are working on it a lot, with management, with [director of football] Luis Campos,” Galtier said.

“There is what we want to do but there are also the positions of each other, the club, the players. What we need to change quite significantly, what we need to improve quite significantly to be even more competitive.

“Regarding the future of Leo, there is the position of Leo, of the club, it is discussed between the two parties.

“I am focused on the 10 matches that come up to get this title. As for knowing what Leo or the club will decide, that remains very confidential.”

Galtier also provided an update on Neymar, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Lille in February.

“During the break, he came in for an evaluation of his ankle post-op,” Galtier explained. “We’re talking with him a lot, we obviously follow his rehabilitation process.

“When there is an injury like this one, I like to give the player a bit of space, but we obviously keep in touch very regularly.”

PSG have just 10 league games remaining this season, having been eliminated from both the Coupe de France and Champions League, and Galtier has used the international break to try and prepare his team as they look to seal the Ligue 1 title.

“We’ve had 10 days to work with a limited number of players,” he said. “We’ve taken care of the little injuries, the players are coming back little by little. Tomorrow we will have a session focused on the game.

“Paris-Lyon is a classic fixture in this league. We need to get back to winning ways after Rennes, and get back on track in the final sprint.”