Liverpool fans want Naby Keita to feature against Genk

A number of Liverpool fans have urged head coach Jurgen Klopp to select Naby Keita for Wednesday’s Champions League with Genk.

The midfielder made his first Premier League appearance of the season against Manchester United on Sunday – featuring for the final eight minutes at Old Trafford.

Indeed, Keita has been on the sidelines for much of the campaign with a muscular problem that he picked up ahead of the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea in August.

The 24-year-old is now back to fitness, however, and has been included in the squad for Wednesday’s European fixture against Genk.

Klopp is bound to shuffle his pack following Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford, and it would be fair to assume that midfield could be an area where alterations are made.

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A whole host of Liverpool fans have taken to social media to urge their manager to hand Keita, who has only played three minutes of their Champions League group stage campaign to date, the opportunity to impress.

And a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Arsenal fans want Joe Willock to start against Manchester United

What team will Unai Emery choose to face Manchester United on Monday?

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford in search of a fourth successive victory, and they will fancy their chances against a side that lost 2-0 to West Ham in their last Premier League match and were also taken to penalties by League One team Rochdale in the League Cup last week.

Joe Willock could be amongst those to be given the nod after some impressive performances in the last few fixtures. He was on the scoresheet against both Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. After much promise, the 20-year-old is finally getting his chance this season, having already made seven appearances.

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The Gunners supporters, it appears, want him to start against the Red Devils. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Newcastle’s Matty Longstaff takes to Twitter after his incredible debut

Matty Longstaff’s Premier League debut will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable games of the midfielder’s career.Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Even if he goes on to win the Ballon d’Or, the World Cup and the Champions League he’ll always remember scoring the winning goal against Manchester United in his first-ever start for his boyhood club.

To make things even better, he was lining up alongside his big brother in front of a packed out St James’ Park.

It really must have been an indescribable feeling for the 19-year-old, but he tried to put it into words as he took to Twitter after the match.

“It doesn’t get much better than that.â€

It may seem like a bit of a strange thing to say after making your debut, but it is going to be tough for the midfielder to top this feeling and this performance in the near future after his first match for the Magpies was went like a dream.

It’s great to see the teenager showing so much passion on social media after the game, and for his sake, we hope he’s wrong in his tweet and his career only continues to get better after his electric debut.

Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain impressed with Jordan Henderson improvement

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has praised the performances of teammate Jordan Henderson and picked him out as a midfielder he admires.

What did he say?

The former Arsenal player has made a return from injury this summer after more than a year out with a ruptured ACL, and is excited to be back inolved for both club and country.

He is keen to get back to playing in the no.8 role for both teams – the position which saw him thrive at Anfield prior to his injury.

In an interview with The Times’ Henry Winter, he was asked about midfielders he looks up to, and listed Andres Iniesta and Steven Gerrard, as well as his current club captain.

He said: “Hendo [Jordan Henderson] has stepped forward into a more advanced role [at Liverpool] and he’s doing it really well. It has brought a sense of life out of him, a sort of energetic pulse.”

The two could pair up together for England over the international break with games against Bulgaria and Kosovo, and the 26-year-old will certainly hope for the opportunity to play his way back into Gareth Southgate’s plans.

Cementing a legacy

There is no doubting that Henderson has come a long way in the last few years in terms of his character and the leadership qualities he has displayed, but he has also become instrumental for the Reds on the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp now views him as a vital part of his team and to contribute to a side which won the Champions League and gained 97 points in the Premier League suggests he is a special midfielder – perhaps even better than Gerrard.

It says a lot when his fellow teammates look up to him in the way Oxlade-Chamberlain does, and if he continues in a similar vein over the next few seasons he could be remembered for years to come.

The ultimate for fans is to win the Premier League, and if the boy from Sunderland can make that dream a reality he will certainly write his name into the Anfield history books.

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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes praises prodigy Mason Greenwood

[ad_pod ]If you didn’t already know, Mason Greenwood is looking to be a very, very good prospect.

The Jimmy Murphy Player of the Year might only be 17-years-old, which is surprising in of itself given how well he seems to have taken to the melee of first-term football, but he’s already making waves at Manchester United.

Bear in mind, this is a player who has been known to score from set-pieces with both feet. The sheer arrogance and ability it takes to even attempt that is mouth-wateringly exciting.

Exciting times lie ahead, as well. Greenwood is set to be unleashed by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during Thursday night’s clash against FC Astana, with the 1999 treble maestro claiming that the youngster is already one of the finest finishers he’s ever seen.

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Another man who might know a little something about spotting youth greatness, having been one of the golden boys himself once upon a time, is the Class of ’92’s very own Paul Scholes.

Clad in golf gear, he recently praised United’s next big thing…

Che Adams failure an opportunity missed for Southampton to dispel Premier League relegation fears

According to a report from The Daily Mirror earlier this week, Southampton were one side keen on a late January move for Che Adams. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Championship outfit Birmingham City and has done so since the summer of 2016, with his sensational goal-scoring efforts for the Blues this season seemingly attracting the interest of new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

And that’s because a report earlier this week from The Daily Mirror suggested that the South Coast outfit were keen on a move for the striker as they sought the striking reinforcements needed to pull clear of the Premier League’s bottom three, only for Adams to remain at St Andrew’s beyond Thursday’s 11pm deadline.

But given Southampton’s struggles in the final third of the field, it appears that Hasenhuttl’s side may have missed a big opportunity to dispel their relegation fears for good by missing out on the 22-year-old.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, this season has very much followed the trend set by last season at St Mary’s, what with the Saints again set for a battle against relegation, with putting the ball in the back of the net proving to be a key factor in their difficulties.

The South Coast outfit aren’t the lowest scorers in the English top-flight, but their tally of 26 goals from their 24 Premier League matches will almost certainly need big improvement between now and the end of the season if they are to fend off relegation – mainly because their tally of 41 goals against underlines their difficulties in keeping them out as well.

But in the likes of Charlie Austin, Shane Long, Michael Obafemi, and Sam Gallagher, Hasenhuttl doesn’t have a forward line that is inspiring much confidence at present given the quartet have managed only five goals between them in all competitions so far – for what it’s worth, main man Danny Ings has eight goals.

Clearly then, another accomplished striker seemed necessary in the January window especially following the departure of Manolo Gabbiadini, and after last year’s calamitous move for Guido Carrillo, luring someone in form and match-ready to St Mary’s this month appeared to be the order of the day – Birmingham’s Adams fit the bill.

The 22-year-old may have never played at Premier League level before, but he has shown throughout his time at St Andrew’s that he is a young striker very much on the up, with this season the best goal-scoring campaign of his young career to date.

And that’s because the Englishman has netted 15 times in only 29 Championship appearances for Garry Monk’s side to propel him into the division’s top five goal-scorers this term, with four goals in his last four matches underlining his excellent recent form and just how confident he is in front of goal.

Clearly, it seems that Adams is only getting better the more football he plays having bagged nine last term and seven the season before for Birmingham, and at the tender age of 22, he is surely only going to keep improving as the years go on.

But he’d also do a job for Southampton in the present as well given his confidence and form in front of goal – unlike Carrillo, who hadn’t played or scored much for Monaco prior to his move to St Mary’s, Adams would have arrived match-ready and confident to make a difference.

Yes, there has certainly been an upturn in fortunes at St Mary’s following the arrival of Hasenhuttl as manager, but when one looks at the current striking options available to the Austrian, it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from, Ings aside, in the second half of the campaign.

And that is why failing to land Adams last month represents a big opportunity missed by the Saints, as his arrival would’ve gone some way to dispelling their relegation fears for good.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

5 betting success stories that’ll make you say “Yes we can!”

Nowadays, gambling is a big business in the UK. Online casinos started to surpass land-based locations in popularity and that is because these can be accessed from the comfort of your home. On these websites, you can enjoy various casino games and more and more platforms provide its users with a sports betting feature.

According to the latest UKGC data available, just gambling on football was worth £1.4 billion in one year, while bookmakers made £333.4 million profits from 2015 to 2016. That sounds like a lot, but when reading about these figures, you can’t help wondering if your regular betting bloke also has something to gain from this industry. That’s why we decided to write about a handful of gambling success stories, to show you that yes, you can hit the jackpot big time if you play your cards right or if the good old Fortune chooses to smile on you.

The man that betted on his grandson and won

In 2000, Peter Edwards, a 49 years old Welsh man, went to the nearest William Hill shop and placed a bet of £50 that one day that his toddler grandson, Harry, will make the Wales National Football team. 13 years later, against all odds, Peter’s prediction proved to be right: Harry Wilson, aged 16 at the time, made his debut for Wales. This achievement got his gramps a £125,000 win, while Harry still plays at the highest level of British football, as a winger in the Premier League and also continues to be a reliable member of the Welsh national team.

The 61-year-old engineer that became a millionaire by betting £2

Winning large sums of money by betting on horse racing is no easy job, even for the most seasoned and lucky gamblers out there. One fateful day of 2011, Steve Whitley, a 61-year-old heating engineer, landed the big Jackpot at a horse racing competition. His presence there was a rare stroke of luck: he benefited from a promotion that won him and his friends some free tickets to the racecourse. One of his mates told him to get into the race towards the Jackpot, and so he did, betting £2 on six horses, one in each race. At the end of the day, his £2 bet on Lupita, the last horse standing, got him £1,445,671.20. Previously, Lupita had been beaten in all her 28 races, so imagine what sort of gods you need on your side to strike gold in such a manner.

How 50 pence can turn into one million pounds

In Britain, there’s something special about turning 60 years old. That’s when the pagan gods of Luck seem to operate. I imagine Tyche, the ancient Greek goddess of fortune, sitting in her penthouse on Mount Olympus, looking down on us mortals and saying something like: “oh, look, good old Fred over there in Yorkshire just reached his sixties, better throw some blind luck his way!” Because this is exactly what happened to Fred Crags, from Northern England, who placed an accumulator bet of 50 pence on horse races all over the country and, when he returned to his local William Hill agency to place another bet, he found out that his previous attempt got him the £1 million jackpot. One of the eight winning horses picked by him was “A Dream Come True”, who competed against odds of 2 million to one.

Roofer turned professional gambler

If you skim through dozens of news articles about amazing betting wins, you will inevitably see Mick Gibbs’ name mentioned. A roofer by day, skilled punter by night, he started his successful betting career back in 1999, when he earned over £150,000 by correctly predicting the final results for nine football games all over Europe. Not too shabby, isn’t it? Wait, there’s more. Throughout the years, he continued gambling and, in 2001, he staked 30 pence to forecast the victories in 15 games across the old continent. All of them went exactly as he predicted, including the 2001 UEFA Champions League Final, when Bayern Munich beat Valencia on penalty kicks. This made Gibbs £500,000 wealthier. He should consider changing his name to Lucky Gibbs.

The anonymous Maltese that beat 683,738/1 odds and became rich

8 years ago, a Maltese citizen who declined to make his identity public, won over 585,000 quid. How did he manage that, you ask? Quite easy: he placed a 19-match accumulator bet for the gargantuan sum of 80 pence. All his 19 predictions proved to be correct, including a Liverpool win over Chelsea, so now he’s pretty well off. He just had to beat 683,738/1 odds, a piece of cake!

Now, these tales are truly inspiring but it’s better to stay realistic and know that everything is possible – that includes losing. The Football FanCast team advises all its readers to always be gamble aware. But, these true stories are worth remembering because they offer a glimmer of hope to all sports and gambling fans out there. They also show that you don’t need to place some ludicrously high bets and waste all your savings to hit the big Jackpot.

Tottenham Hotspur: Dean Jones drops latest verdict on Paulo Dybala

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Juventus have a ‘huge decision’ on their hands regarding the future of reported Tottenham target Paulo Dybala.

Jones claimed that the decision to sell Dybala ‘would be mad’, given the Argentine is ‘one of the few poster boys’ left at the Turin club.

The Lowdown: Dybala out of contract in the summer

Dybala joined Juventus in the summer of 2015 from Palermo as an exciting playmaker, arriving in a deal worth £33.5 million, inclusive of add-ons. Since then, the Argentina international has secured himself as a fan-favourite, having made an incredible 275 appearances for the club.

During this time, the 28-year-old has accrued a sensational record as a second striker, having scored 110 times with 46 assists.

However, Dybala is in the last six months of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the season. According to reports by TyC, the attacker is not planning on signing an extension.

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As a result, Dybala is allowed to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of Italy. Following this, reports have emerged claiming that Tottenham lead the race to sign the Argentine on a free transfer in the summer.

The Latest: Jones stunned by exit links

Jones, an insider with Eurosport, spoke to The Transfer Tavern with his verdict on the possibility of a move: “If Juventus lose Dybala, that’s a huge decision for them and it changes everything.

“So, I still need convincing that they would do that because it just seems such a big move to let [go of] somebody like that, one of the few poster boys left.

“To actually sell him would be mad.”

The Verdict: Spurs could be getting an unbelievable deal

A host of footballing legends, including the likes of including Michael Laudrup and Alessandro Del Piero, have heaped praise on Dybala, claiming that he is a ‘special’ player, and it’s not hard to see why.

With a current market valuation of £45m, Fabio Paratici would be coming out into the summer window with the absolute steal of the century if he can secure a player with 139 career goals at club level.

If Spurs are able to get this deal over the line, Daniel Levy and Paratici will have outdone themselves; making up for a number of previous disappointing transfer windows under the former.

In other news, Tottenham may have been hit with a u-turn in their chase for Adama Traore…

Newcastle transfer news on Rogerio

Newcastle United are reportedly now ‘in talks’ to sign Rogerio before the January transfer window shuts, with personal terms even agreed already.

The Lowdown: Another Brazilian in?

Brazil international Bruno Guimaraes now looks set to become the third new arrival at St. James’ Park this month, following the signings of Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, in what is shaping up to be an exciting next few days in the North East.

Left-back is clearly another area of the pitch that they want to strengthen, given strong links to both Mitchel Bakker and Dan Burn, but Brazilian Rogerio is another name that has popped up.

The Sassuolo man has been in impressive form so far this season, creating over a chance per game in 17 Serie A starts.

The Latest: Talks on, wages set

As per 90min journalist Graeme Bailey, the Tyneside outfit are now ‘in talks’ to sign Rogerio, although Bakker seems to be ahead of him in the pecking order at the moment:

“He (Bakker) now appears to again be ahead of Brazilian Rogerio – who is the other option they are currently in talks with.”

Craig Hope believes Bakker is now unlikely however, while Serie A journalist Rudy Galetti believes the Magpies have already agreed personal terms with Rogerio at €2.5million-per-year, which comes to roughly £40k-a-week.

The Verdict: Bakker over Rogerio

If the Magpies could only bring in one of them before the deadline, then they should go for Bakker over Rogerio.

The former is three years younger than the Brazilian, and is averaging more tackles, interceptions and dribbles per game for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga compared to Rogerio in the Serie A, while he has also scored one goal and made three assists (WhoScored).

Crucially, he can also play as a central defender as well as a left-midfielder, adding depth in multiple positions for Eddie Howe.

Either way, both would strengthen Howe’s squad ahead of their relegation battle.

In other news, find out who NUFC have now made an offer for here!

Rangers can sign Barisic replacement in Josh Doig

Rangers could sign their ideal Borna Barisic replacement in Hibernian starlet Josh Doig.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Barisic has emerged as a potential target for Premier League side Watford in the upcoming January transfer window, and that Doig could be the man Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side turn to if the Croatian does end up leaving.

They revealed: “At left-back, with uncertainty over Danny Rose’s fitness and Masina’s potential absence, looking for someone to slot straight in is likely to be the plan. The Athletic has learned that Watford have shown initial interest in Rangers’ Borna Barisic but his price tag may be prohibitive.

“With two years left on his contract, he may cost in the region of £5-8m. The younger and more affordable option would be Hibernian’s Josh Doig who is worth approximately £2-3m. If Watford opted for Barisic, Rangers may look to replace him with Doig.”

Superb replacement for Barisic

Still only 19, Doig has built up some incredible experience in the Scottish top-flight already, marking himself down as one of the first names on the team-sheet for Hibs – this season has seen him start every single Scottish Premiership game bar just four.

And, speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland right-back Alan Hutton said: “He’s got a great engine, can get up and down, got a great left foot, aggressive. He is definitely one for the future.

“They see a talented player they think they can develop and make better for £1.5m. You can definitely tell he’s a talented player. He’s got all the attributes to be a left-back or a wing-back. He is one that you’re hoping does well.”

Given the prices involved according to The Athletic, Doig could come in not only as a bargain replacement for Barisic, but also as someone who could potentially command a sizeable fee in the future himself should the Gers ever feel the need to cash in.

His experience of playing week-in and week-out for Hibs stands him in good stead for joining a club like Rangers where the pressure will increase ten-fold, and with him still only being a teenager, there’s plenty of time left for him to still grow and develop.

Meanwhile, Rangers are eyeing this 6 foot 4 “diamond”…

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