Month: March 2023

– Nottingham Forest’s solid home form has kept their survival hopes alive this season 
– Wolves have lost half of their games against others in the relegation scrap
– Recommended bet: Nottingham Forest draw no bet

Wolves went into the international break aggrieved to have lost two successive matches in which contentious refereeing decisions twice played a key role.

Those back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Leeds have kept Wanderers in the thick of the relegation scrap and while the safety of mid-table has often looked tantalisingly close during Julen Lopetegui’s reign, Wolves now find themselves just three points above the bottom three.

Such is the tight nature of the bottom of the table — with just four points separating the bottom nine — that any loss to a relegation rival will be costly, and Lopetegui will know that defeat at the City Ground will see their hosts leapfrog them and push his side deep into trouble.

Forest, too, have slipped back following an excellent run of results at the start of the year, but Steve Cooper’s men have been solid on home soil and will fancy their chances of gaining another crucial City Ground success.

Team news

Nottingham Forest could have as many as 15 players unavailable this weekend.

Centre-forward Chris Wood, goalkeeper Dean Henderson and defenders Wily Boly, Giulian Biancone and Omar Richards are confirmed absentees. 

Serge Aurier, Andre Ayew and Gustavo Scarpa are also doubts after picking up injuries on international duty.

Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis also look likely to miss out while attacker Brennan Johnson and midfielder Ryan Yates are rated 50/50. 

However, centre-back Scott McKenna and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate could both return.

Wolves’ Matheus Nunes is available after his red card against Leeds was rescinded and fellow midfielder Boubacar Traore and right-back Nelson Semedo have recovered from injury.

Jonny serves the first of a three-match suspension, forwards Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic are out for the season and winger Hwang Hee-chan is unavailable, but defender Hugo Bueno will take a late fitness test.

The stats

Nottingham Forest have lost only two of 11 home games against teams outside the current top five this season, with all five wins within that set finishing either 1-0 or 2-0.

That includes a 1-0 defeat of Liverpool and four wins from six against other teams in the bottom nine.

Wolves have a patchy record against the other eight teams still in the relegation mix, winning five but losing six of 12 such matches.

Goals remain a problem for Lopetegui’s team, who have scored the joint-fewest in the top flight along with Forest, with the pair having netted just 22 goals each.

Prediction

This is likely to be a tight, tense encounter between two teams who will place greater emphasis on not losing than winning and that makes the addition of under 2.5 goals — or even under 1.5 — an interesting option for Bet Builder selections.

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

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Despite his tender age, Bukayo Saka has already developed into a crucial player for both club and country. 

The winger, 21, has been an instrumental figure in Arsenal’s unlikely Premier League title bid this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting ten more to date.

Then for England, the youngster followed a fruitful World Cup with two fine performances his nation’s first set of qualifiers for Euro 2024. 

Ahead of Arsenal’s important home match with Leeds on Saturday, we turn the spotlight on Saka and look at what the future holds for the talented starlet. 

Undroppable

After featuring in a hard-fought 2-1 victory away to Italy, Saka was the star of the show during England’s return to Wembley against Ukraine.

Setting up Harry Kane for the opener in last Sunday’s comfortable 2-0 win, he later bagged a stunner of his own when curling the ball into the top corner from 25 yards out. 

The glorious strike was his eighth goal in 26 international appearances.

Only four players in English history — Dixie Dean, Jimmy Greaves, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney — have scored more goals for the Three Lions at Saka’s current age of 21 years and 206 days. 

That is some serious company to be keeping and the stats suggest that his influence on the national team is still growing. 

In his last 16 games for England, Saka has been involved in ten goals, scoring seven and assisting three. 

In an era awash with talented English wide players, the Arsenal star has become undroppable. 

Club progress

Saka’s influence at club level is also showing signs of growth. 

With 11 games of the Premier League campaign remaining, he has already surpassed last season’s tallies of 11 goals and seven assists. 

His talent and industry have been apparent since his teenage years, with the only serious question mark against his name being whether his end product would become reliable enough.

That question has been answered and replaced with a new one. Exactly how productive is Saka going to end up being? 

Only the equally prodigious Gabriel Martinelli has outscored him for Arsenal this season with 13 Premier League goals — but the Brazilian has only provided two assists in comparison to Saka’s 10.

There would seem the potential for Saka to grow into the sort of player that could have an influence akin to Mohamed Salah at Liverpool. 

That is an exciting prospect for both Arsenal and England. 

Toure advice

A couple of years ago it seemed likely that Saka might end up at a club like Liverpool or Manchester City, who could seemingly provide a more realistic chance of trophies than Arsenal. 

But the winger’s progress has coincided with similar leaps forward by his team. The Gunners are now able to match the ambitions of their best players. 

Saka’s contract runs out in 2024 and ex-Arsenal defender Kolo Toure has implored the club to tie him down for a decade.

Toure said: “My advice to Arsenal is for Bukayo Saka to sign for ten years. 

“One mistake that Arsenal made down the years, they had key players that loved the club and they let them go. 

“You must keep those players because these players are the players that are going to lead the team for you. 

“These are the players you can rely on. These are the players that when it’s tough they will put their bodies on the line because they love the club.”

Saka’s agent might balk at a ten-year contract, but this is a player who clearly loves starring for Arsenal and England.

Mikel Arteta has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for the fourth time this season after an unbeaten March.

The Premier League leaders celebrated a perfect month that saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points over Manchester City, while Bukayo Saka’s involvement in that run has seen him win the Player of the Month trophy.

Arsenal scored 14 goals and conceded just three in their four league games, with victories over Everton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace. 

Having won 4-0 against Everton, they salvaged a dramatic 3-2 victory against relegation-threatened Bournemouth courtesy of Reiss Nelson’s stoppage-time winner.

A rampant first-half display saw them beat Fulham 3-0 before another convincing 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace prior to the international break. 

Saka takes home the player award after his three goals and two assists in March.

Arteta fought off competition for this month’s award from Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery and City’s Pep Guardiola.

It is the Spaniard’s fourth having also won it in August, November and January.

He is now just one off the record of five set by Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp in 2019-20.

Aaron Ramsdale has warned Arsenal not to take relegation-threatened Leeds lightly on Saturday after drawing experience from his own previous battles against the drop.

The Gunners head into Saturday’s home clash with an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League, while Javi Gracia’s Whites are just two points above the bottom three in 14th.

Ramsdale, 24, was involved in his fair share of survival scraps during his time at both Bournemouth and Sheffield United, having suffered consecutive drops in 2020 and 2021.

And he remembers enjoying games against the bigger sides more compared to tense battles with fellow teams fighting for their lives.

Ramsdale told Arsenal.com: “There was more freedom when I was down at the bottom playing against the bigger teams.

“I wouldn’t say it was a free hit but when you’re playing against someone who’s in and around you, it’s a big pressure game and teams are nervous and don’t want to make a mistake. 

“But then they could come here to the Emirates and say, ‘We’re going to have a good go and see what happens.

“They could get to 0-0 after 60 minutes and then just sit in and defend for their lives. So the free hit phrase is not one I like using.

“You saw what Bournemouth did, and I don’t think we took that for granted. I just think you can be bottom of the table and you can score goals against anyone or beat anyone in this league. 

“We’ve seen that with big teams dropping points.”

The Elland Road club have bolstered their survival hopes with seven points in their last four games, including a 4-2 win over Wolves last time out.

Ramsdale added: “They had a great win before the international break against Wolves so it will be another tough test. 

“And hopefully it’s one we can come through like we have done at the Emirates more times than not this season. 

“Hopefully it will be another good day for us.”

Erling Haaland is still recovering from his groin injury, with Pep Guardiola saying a final decision on his fitness for this weekend would be made later on Friday.

Haaland has enjoyed an astonishing first season at Manchester City, scoring 42 goals in all competitions – comfortably the most of any player in Europe’s top five leagues.

But his momentum was checked heading into the international break by an injury that kept the forward from linking up with Norway.

City have a huge game against Liverpool on Saturday and are hopeful Haaland will be back, although Guardiola was eager to take his time with that call.

“Erling is recovering,” the manager said. “We have the last training session and we will see how he feels.”

Guardiola, who added Phil Foden would be out for “two or three weeks” following appendix surgery, was asked if he would risk Haaland if he was not convinced he was fully fit.

The City boss was happy to trust the 22-year-old’s judgement, but he is also confident his side would cope without their superstar striker.

In the Premier League, Haaland has scored 28 goals, making up 42 per cent of City’s total this term and earning 20 points. All three are high marks for a City player in a single season.

“The doctors and especially the players will decide,” Guardiola said. “How does he feel? Yesterday I spoke with him and he feels good. But we will see, we will see what happens.

“We have scored a lot of goals this season, and he’s scored an incredible amount of goals, but in the past we also scored a lot of goals.

“Since we were here, and with Roberto Mancini and [Manuel] Pellegrini, always Man City was a team that scored a lot of goals in the season – with different players, different strikers.

“They scored a lot of goals, which is what we will try to do until the end of the season.”

City have scored the second-most goals across Europe in all competitions this season, with their 109 trailing Bayern Munich’s 112. They are the only two teams to reach three figures.

William Saliba has been ruled out of Arsenal’s Premier League meeting with Leeds United with a back injury, but Mikel Arteta is hopeful of having Thomas Partey available.

France international Saliba limped off during Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Sporting CP on March 16 and sat out the 4-1 league win over Crystal Palace three days later.

The 22-year-old, who has started 32 of Arsenal’s 39 games this season, subsequently pulled out of France’s squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers during the international break.

Arteta had been hopeful Saliba would be available in time for the Gunners’ return to action on Saturday, but the centre-back is still not ready.

“He is progressing but still has some discomfort in his back,” Arteta said at Friday’s pre-match press conference. “He’s not going to be fit for this game. 

“We’re doing everything to get him back feeling better, but he is not ready yet.”

There have been suggestions Arsenal could be without Saliba for the majority of their remaining 10 league games, but Arteta does not see that being the case.

“We’re very hopeful [he will return soon] and he is as well,” Arteta said. “Back injuries are tricky in terms of how they evolve with the load that you put in certain areas. 

“Let’s push it and see how he copes with that. He’s so willing to be back in the team. We’re very positive and pushing it every day, seeing how the pain develops.”

Takehiro Tomiyasu also limped off in the Sporting match, which saw Arsenal eliminated from the Europa League, and has since been ruled out for the campaign.

Arsenal had another injury scare in the week, meanwhile, as influential midfielder Partey did not play in Ghana’s 1-1 draw with Angola for precautionary reasons.

But the 29-year-old is likely to feature against 14th-place Leeds at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal look to maintain – or indeed extend – their eight-point lead at the summit.

“We’re positive about him. Hopefully he’ll be back,” Arteta said.

Arteta confirmed he otherwise has a fully-fit squad to choose from, with striker Gabriel Jesus now nearing full fitness after recently returning from a long-term lay-off.

“He’s close to 100 per cent,” Arteta said. “He’s taken a big step forward in recent days, creating chaos in training. He’s in a really good place.”

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 13 meetings with Leeds in all competitions, winning 11 of those, since a 3-2 loss in May 2003 that ended the Gunners’ title bid that season.

The Gunners have won six league games in a row ahead of hosting Leeds to keep Manchester City, who they still have to face away from home, at arm’s length.

Thomas Tuchel believes there is a positive energy around Bayern Munich as they begin the season’s “weeks of truth” with Saturday’s Klassiker against title rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel replaced Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena during the international break, with Bayern trailing BVB by one point and at risk of missing out on an 11th successive Bundesliga title.

The first game of the former Champions League winner’s reign pits him against the club he led between 2015 and 2017, winning the DFB-Pokal in his second season at the helm. 

Despite enjoying limited time on the training ground with his new players, Tuchel believes Bayern are raring to go in their hunt for three major trophies.    

“Today was the first training session with everyone. I feel positive energy and great anticipation. We are very aware of the importance of the game,” Tuchel said on Friday.

“These are the weeks of truth at FC Bayern and now it’s about titles. Normally Bayern can focus a little more on the Champions League at this stage of the season because they already have a lead in the Bundesliga.

“That’s not the case this year and that’s why every game counts now. When you arrive at Bayern in April and still are in all competitions, you’ll be fighting for all three titles. 

“Of course, the quality and performance of the team should be right and should improve, but in the end it’s about the titles.”

Nagelsmann’s exit came amid suggestions all was not right behind the scenes in Munich, but several members of the 35-year-old’s backroom team will remain in place under Tuchel.

Denying he had been in contact with Nagelsmann, Tuchel said: “I want to gather my own impressions. 

“Some people went with Nagelsmann and some stayed, but I don’t see why working with me shouldn’t work. 

“I would like to form my own opinions and then draw my own conclusions from them. But the impressions have been very positive in all departments.

“Eat, sleep, work and repeat are the keywords. It feels like it has been a month’s work and I have been pretty tired every day, but it’s still good.”

Nagelsmann’s dismissal came as a surprise to several Bayern players, with midfielder Joshua Kimmich describing him as an “outstanding” coach while on international duty with Germany.

Asked about those comments, Tuchel said: “His disappointment is understandable. It’s not a problem to have a close relationship with a coach. 

“Joshua is a player who embodies Bayern. He is a very important player. It’s a gift to work with players like that. Most of the time, players’ feedback is welcome. 

“Along with Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, he is a very important player. I didn’t feel any reservations [from them].”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists his opinion of Liverpool has not been altered by their below-par season in 2022-23.

Liverpool visit Guardiola’s City on Saturday with their campaign all but over.

The Reds have long since been out of the Premier League title race and have a big task ahead of them just to finish in the top four.

They did not win the EFL Cup and are out of the FA Cup and the Champions League.

It is a far cry from last year, when Liverpool pushed City to the last day in the league, bidding for an unprecedented quadruple before falling just short and finishing with just the two domestic trophies.

City are fighting Arsenal for the title this season, but Guardiola expects Liverpool to be back, even if he has no explanation for their lack of consistency.

“They remain an exceptional team,” said the City manager. “My opinion doesn’t change for one season of ups and downs. Every club can have a season of ups and downs.

“Now, the biggest rival is a different one this season. But with what happened in the past and in the future, they could be a big rival.

“For one game, absolutely, they can beat everyone, like we can beat everyone. One game is one game.

“It’s about being consistent, and always Liverpool have been. This season… I don’t know why [they have not been], because I’m not there, and honestly I don’t care. I don’t know the reason why, so you’ll have to ask my colleague.”

If Liverpool’s season has been one of “ups and downs”, City’s could yet end on a remarkable high.

Second in the Premier League and into the FA Cup semi-finals and Champions League quarter-finals, they remain in contention for the treble.

But Guardiola continues to take one game at a time, explaining: “It’s the best approach we can have. It can be boring, maybe it would be better if I said the opposite, but the reality is it’s [about] the next game. Otherwise it cannot happen.

“I’ve said many times: just one team in the history of the Premier League won the treble – the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup – because it’s so difficult. That’s why we should not think about these kind of things.

“We have this game, then we have a long week and after a tough, tough schedule with many games. The most important thing is that we are still fighting.

“We are in all competitions. That is awesome, that is so good.”

Champions-elect Napoli can take another step closer to the Scudetto by dealing a blow to AC Milan’s top-four hopes this weekend.

Elsewhere, high-flying Lazio travel to Monza, while third-placed Inter Milan take on in-form Fiorentina. 

Roma, meanwhile, will be keen to revive their fortunes when they welcome struggling Sampdoria to the capital. 

And Juventus face relegation-threatened Verona as the Bianconeri bid to make up ground on the European places.

Game of the weekend: Napoli vs AC Milan (Sunday, 7.45pm)

Napoli are a whopping 19 points clear at the top ahead of Matchday 28 and they will be hoping to continue their seemingly unstoppable march towards the title against a floundering Milan side. 

The Partenopei have won an astounding 23 of their 27 Serie A matches this term, losing just twice. 

In contrast, Milan are enduring a four-game winless run across all competitions and lost 3-1 to Udinese last time out. 

A second successive defeat would put their top-four place in jeopardy, with Roma and Atalanta close behind. 

The Neapolitans boast both the competition’s highest scorer and top assister in the form of Victor Osimhen (21 goals) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (10 assists). 

That does not bode well for the Rossoneri, whose 36 goals conceded is the joint-worst tally of any club in the top half of the division.

Monza vs Lazio (Sunday, 2pm)

Lazio head into the weekend in second place and — while a title tilt is out of the question — Maurizio Sarri’s men cannot rest on their laurels if they wish to secure Champions League football for next season.

The Biancocelesti’s next opponents are Monza, who are enjoying an impressive debut campaign in Serie A and remain in contention for a top-half finish. 

But Sunday’s visitors are unbeaten in their last five league outings, winning four times in that run — including 1-0 victories over Napoli and Roma.

Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic enjoyed a blistering start to the season, registering three goals and seven assists in his first nine league appearances. 

However, he has managed just two goal involvements in his 16 top-flight outings since then (one goal, one assist), so will be hoping for a return to form on Sunday.

Inter Milan vs Fiorentina (Saturday, 5pm)

Inter are enduring a slump, having lost three of their previous four Serie A matches (one win) — including their last two against Juventus and Spezia.

Fiorentina, on the other hand, are in superb form. Vincenzo Italiano’s charges are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.

La Viola have kept four clean sheets in that run, scoring 16 times themselves. 

But Inter’s top scorer Lautaro Martinez (14 league goals), will hope to prevent Saturday’s visitors from adding to their clean sheet tally and boost his own Capocannoniere bid in the process.

Roma vs Sampdoria (Sunday, 5pm)

Roma have failed to take advantage of Inter and Milan’s poor form so go into this weekend one point off the Champions League spots in fifth. 

Jose Mourinho’s outfit have suffered three losses in their previous four league outings, including a damaging 1-0 derby defeat against Lazio last time out. 

Sampdoria are equally desperate for points and remain nine points off safety ahead of Matchday 28. 

Their paltry total of 16 goals from 27 games is the division’s worst record by some distance — no other side has scored fewer than 22 times.

Juventus vs Verona (Saturday, 7.45pm)

Juventus are mounting a genuine charge for a European place, despite their 15-point deduction earlier this season. 

They currently sit seventh, just four points behind sixth-placed Atalanta and head into this match in imperious form, after collecting 10 wins from their last 12 in all competitions (one draw, one defeat).

Max Allegri’s team will expect to continue their strong run against Verona, who are in the bottom three and have not triumphed in any of their last five league games (two draws, three defeats). 

Filip Kostic has recorded two goals and three assists in his previous seven top-flight appearances, so could be the Old Lady’s danger man at the Allianz Stadium if he can shrug off an Achilles problem.

The weekend’s other games

Cremonese vs Atalanta (Saturday, 2pm) 

Bologna vs Udinese (Sunday, 11.30am) 

Spezia vs Salernitana (Sunday, 2pm) 

Empoli vs Lecce (Monday, 5.30pm) 

Sassuolo vs Torino (Monday, 7.45pm)

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Tight at the bottom

Returning Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson believes this season’s fierce relegation battle is the tightest ever.

Palace sit 12th in the table but are among nine teams at significant risk of the drop as just four points separate them from rock-bottom Southampton.

Hodgson, 75, is back in the Selhurst Park hotseat having replaced Patrick Vieira, with the South Londoners currently on a dismal winless run of 13 games in 2023.

Ahead of facing fellow relegation rivals Leicester tomorrow, the ex-England boss was asked if he had ever seen a survival scrap so intense.

He responded: “No. I think this season is exceptional in that respect.

“You don’t normally have almost a whole bottom section of the table all fighting to avoid relegation and you certainly don’t see so many teams which most people would say, ‘They can’t get relegated, they’re too big a club to get relegated’. 

“I think that’s unusual in that respect this year.

“We go into the last 10 games with a very exciting scenario at both ends because we still aren’t 100% certain who the champions are going to be and who the top four are going to be.

“So there’s an awful lot to play for in these last 10 games.

“But I’ve got to say the only games that will really interest me are the ones that we play and maybe watching the games that our opponents play to get some idea of how good they are.”

Howe will stick to football

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe insists he and his players will focus on matters on the pitch amid ongoing debate over the club’s ownership.

Premier League clubs yesterday unanimously voted to strengthen their owners and directors test with tighter restrictions on human rights abusers.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund hold an 80% stake in the Magpies and Amnesty International has called for its involvement at St James’ Park to be examined.

Toon boss Howe, 45, said: “I don’t think anything will affect the players because we’re used to, me included, headlines and news about ownership and different things.

“But for us, it’s always about the football and it’s always about making sure when we take the pitch, we’re the best team we can be.”

Meanwhile, Howe is hopeful goalkeeper Nick Pope will be fit for Sunday’s crucial top-four clash with Manchester United after pulling out of the England squad last week.

He added: “Nick felt a problem in his thigh after the Wolves game and didn’t train in preparation for the Nottingham Forest game. 

“He completed that game with a bit of discomfort, so didn’t train when we were in Dubai.

“He has trained this week, so the signs are good.”

Notts County chief passes away

Notts County chief executive Jason Turner has died at the age of 50, the National League club have announced.

A statement said: “We are devastated to report the loss of our much-loved chief executive, Jason Turner.

“Jason, who passed away suddenly last night, was appointed in 2016 and devoted himself to the club thereafter.

“He was an outstanding CEO who was respected across football having also worked for Bath City, Newport County, Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City.”