Sunderland kit

A very intersting combination of colours, as we can see. This away kit of Sunderland is definitely hard to miss.

#sunderland

Paolo Di Canio knee slide celebration

Paolo Di Canio slides to celebrate Adam Johnson’s goal (Newcastle United v Sunderland) .

#paolo-dicanio #sunderland #premier-league #celebration

Mkhitaryan’s scorpion goal

The beautiful goal scored by Henrikh Mkhitaryan gainst Sunderland.

#henrikh-mkhitaryan #manchester-united

Southampton vs Manchester City

Pellegrini Targets Win against Surprise Package Southampton

Manchester City, as the reigning Premier League champions, were expected to be in the race for the title after 10 matches. Not many expected to see Southampton ahead of them after 12 matches. Ronald Koeman has had both great success and extraordinary failure during this time as a manager, but he was given little chance of success when he took over a Southampton team that saw the departure of several first-team players in the summer. The two teams face each other on Sunday at the St Mary stadium. The latest Premier League odds from Betfair places City as slight favourites for the victory at 2/5.

Manuel Pellegrini’s team have suffered from inconsistent form this campaign, but they come on the back of an impressive 3-2 win over Bayern Munich. Sergio Aguero appears to be better than any other player in the Premier League right now. His hat-trick against the German club has led to numerous plaudits in the last few days. The Argentine leads the way in terms of Premier League goals scored this season with 12 to his name.

Aguero will undoubtedly be the man to watch on Sunday, but Koeman reckons that his team has been the best in the league so far. They have certainly been the best defensively as they have conceded only six goals in the two league matches. A run of more than 400 minutes without conceding a single league goal recently came to an end after the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa. Only Chelsea can come close to Southampton’s defensive record and even they have conceded almost twice as much as the south coast outfit.

Even after losing important players like Dejan Lovren, Koeman has shown that he can assemble a squad that now looks favourite to finish in the top six.

City will have their work cut out in order to score against Southampton. Apart from having a stubborn defence, the team from the south coast also appear more than well-equipped to create havoc at the other end. Despite featuring newcomers to the Premier League like Pelle, Southampton have been able to average two goals per game.

The Premier League has become incredibly competitive, but one of the reasons for bookmakers favouring City over Southampton is the relatively kinder fixture list for the Saints up until now. Apart from Tottenham and Liverpool, Koeman’s team has not faced any of the big guns so far. The real test for the team will come in the next few weeks. After facing City, Southampton head into matches against Arsenal and Manchester United. The fixture against table leaders Chelsea is also not far ahead.

City kept their Champions League last 16 qualification hopes alive with a late win over Bayern, but it was against 10 men who almost came to getting a result had the Etihad stadium. The win disguises the poor form, which has resulted in Pellegrini’s job coming under threat in the last few weeks. They have already fallen a massive eight points behind leaders Chelsea and they cannot afford to slip any further. City appear to face a mental block, or the lack of motivation, just after success in the league. Pellegrini must ensure that this is not the case if he is to become one of the top managers in the league.

Even though Manchester City are the favourites to get a win, Southampton are not far behind. Betfair places the Saints at 21/10 for three points, while the possibility of a stalemate is given odds of 12/5.

Southampton could potentially exploit any tiredness within the City team given that they did not have any midweek action unlike the visitors. City could go above Southampton with a win, but a bigger motivation would be to close the gap between them and Chelsea. Jose Mourinho’s team have the possibility to extend the lead into double digits if they get a win against Sunderland on Saturday.

Pellegrini is aware that Chelsea are going through a splendid period and it will be difficult to see them dropping points. The best City can do at the moment is staying in touch with them. The club from Manchester have eight matches between now and the turn of the year. Even though it presents a lot of opportunities to improve their form, there is also the danger of their season ending even before the turn of 2014.

City are already out of the League Cup, while they could be knocked out of the Champions League as well. It would be disastrous if they were to fall further behind Chelsea. 

This is a sponsored content and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the website.


#graziano-pelle #manchester-ity #sergio-aguero #southmaption

Can anyone stop Arsenal winning the FA Cup again?

The FA Cup is undoubtedly one of the most famous and prestigious domestic cup competitions in world football, with its ability to produce endless drama and headline-making giant-killings being the pinnacle of everything that is great about it. Lower and non-league teams get the opportunity to pit their wits against the Premier League big boys, with Reading and Bradford City last year proving that reaching the latter stages is by no means impossible for teams outside out of the top flight. It promises to be yet another fascinating tournament, and with the 3rd Round Draw producing eye-catching fixtures such as Exeter v Liverpool, Oxford v Swansea and Everton v Dagenham or Whitehawk, there is real potential for a big upset.

Arsenal are the team that the other sixty-three clubs remaining in the 2015/2016 FA Cup will be looking to knock off their perch, with Arsene Wenger’s men on the cusp of history by becoming only the third team after Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers to win the trophy three years in a row. However, a spate of injuries to key players such as Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla may explain why the Gunners are only second favourites at 13/2 with Betway to achieve the historic feat. The upcoming January transfer window may be a great opportunity for Wenger to add the strength in numbers that Arsenal have been crying out for, but they have enough quality at their disposal to fancy their chances once again, particularly with a home tie against struggling Sunderland to start their FA Cup campaign off with.

Manchester City have been installed as early favourites at 6/1 to end Arsenal’s stranglehold on the FA Cup and bring the trophy back to the Etihad Stadium. This may come as a surprise to those who have seen Manuel Pellegrini’s side struggle to impose themselves in recent week, especially without influential captain Vincent Kompany as they have looked anything but secure in defence. It will inevitably come down to Sergio Aguero to lead from the front yet again, with the Argentine striker capable of winning games on his own. His quality may be enough for those consider placing a bet on who’ll make the FA Cup final with Coral to pick Manchester City, but they will have to get past a potentially tough test at Norwich if they are to progress past the 3rd Round and have any hopes of achieving glory.

Although Manchester United and Chelsea are both 7/1 shots, both are enduring their own struggles at the present moment. The former have recently suffered the ignominy of dropping into the Europa League after crashing out of the Champions League, with Louis Van Gaal under increasing pressure following the lack of entertaining football that his team are playing, while the latter have endured a major fall from grace by going from Premier League champions to being just two points away from the relegation zone this season. It could, therefore, see Liverpool stand the best chance of emerging as real FA Cup contenders, with Jurgen Klopp making an instant impact at Anfield. The former Borussia Dortmund manager has transformed the way that Liverpool play, and with the January transfer window coming up, they could put themselves in serious contention to challenge for silverware this season.

The FA Cup always has the potential of throwing up shocks and surprises along the way, and although teams from the Championship and below should not discount themselves from having a chance, there are potential dark horses that could go all the way. Current Premier League leaders Leicester are enjoying a wonderful season under Claudio Ranieri and continue to go from strength to strength, while West Ham have beaten the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool away from home already. Both are 33/1 shots to lift the FA Cup, while Everton could also have a chance with the quality of football they are currently playing under Roberto Martinez. With Romelu Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu in superb form for the Toffees, their odds of 16/1 represents good value for a team that look extremely strong at present and could fancy a good cup run.

#arsenal

5 Contenders to replace Steven Gerrard

Who can replace one of the best number 8s in the Premier League era?

Fabien Delph

The 25 year-old Aston Villa midfielder may have committed to the Midlands club by signing a new four year deal but that hasn’t stopped his name being mentioned among Liverpool’s summer transfer targets. Delph is a very good footballer and has easily been Villa’s best player for the last 18 months.

His excellent form has seen a call up to the England squad as Delph continues to evolve as a player. His reading of the game is top notch, but the one chink in his armour, however, is his lack of goals. He has yet to register a league goal this season and has only managed three goals in 100 Premier League appearances.

Paul Pogba

The Juventus starlet has been lighting up Serie A with his performances this season. Dictating the tempo of the game and scoring spectacular goals is the norm for the 21 year-old midfielder.

Pogba looks like a world class player in the making and would, in an ideal world, be the number one signing for Brendan Rodgers over the summer. But there will be a host of top clubs in for the Juve man should they decide to cash in.

Miralem Pjanic

A more realistic target would be the Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic. The 24 year-old Bosnian playmaker has shades of Gerrard about him – he can create, pass, tackle and is deadly from set pieces. Almost the complete midfielder. And it looks like Roma could be willing to do business over the summer if the fee is big enough.

Pjanic, if signed by LFC, could flourish in this current side with the likes of Coutinho, Sterling, Ibe and Sturridge alongside him. The one problem he faces at Roma is that the Italian side rely on him too much to create something out of nothing. At Liverpool, though, there is enough talent in the final third to release the weight of expectation on Pjanic’s shoulders.

Morgan Schneiderlin

The Saints midfielder is one of the unsung heroes of the Premier League. His makes the Champions League chasing side tick and allows the rest of Southampton’s attacking players to wreak havoc. His has the physical presence and stature to dominate the centre of the park and looks likely to leave the South coast in the summer.

The 25 year-old central midfielder is also Premier League proven and represents a relatively risk free signing, should Liverpool take the plunge and target Schneiderlin as their priority signing over the summer.

Jordan Henderson

Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers may already be sitting on their “Steven Gerrard replacement” in the shape of Jordan Henderson. Already been given the captain’s armband, the former Sunderland man has grown into a leader and one of Liverpool’s most consistent and reliable players.

Henderson has flourished under the tutelage of Rodgers and nothing appears to faze the 24 year-old England man. His injury record is excellent and is one of the first names on the team sheet. Liverpool may already have the answer under their noses.

This is a sponsored content and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the website.

#liverpool