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Arsenal will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins when they welcome Southampton to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

And Mesut Ozil must start for the Gunners, despite the recent comments from the London club’s head coach Unai Emery about rotation.

What has Emery said?

Emery has revealed that Ozil will continue to be rotated in and out of the XI, suggesting that he will be on the bench against Southampton this weekend having started Thursday’s clash with BATE Borisov.

Ozil was in the Arsenal XI for just the second time in 2019 against BATE, and the German helped his team record a 3-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.

The 30-year-old could well find himself back on the bench in the Premier League on Sunday, but there simply has to be a spot in the team for the playmaker.

Much can be said about Ozil’s energy levels and willingness to go that extra mile, but he remains Arsenal’s most talented footballer.

And he has to feature against a Southampton team who will find it very difficult to see much of the ball during the 90 minutes.

How has Ozil performed this season?

Nineteen matches – four goals and two assists. The fact that Ozil has only registered one Premier League assist this season is quite incredible when considering his talent.

There’s good news for fans of City, Liverpool, Spurs and United in the video below…

However, in fairness to the former Real Madrid attacker, who Transfermarkt value at £31.5million, it is clear that he does not have the trust of Emery as he simply does not work hard enough.

The Gunners will absolutely dominate the ball against the Saints, though, and they will not need every single player to be a workhouse.

On the contrary, it is in these type of games where players of Ozil’s quality are extremely important.

The 6 foot ace is intelligent enough to know that he has not been at his best this season, but it makes little sense to leave the German out of Arsenal’s home fixtures against the lesser clubs in the division, with respect to Southampton of course.

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Jamie Ward scored as Nottingham Forest’s Under-23 side beat Leicester City 3-1 on Thursday.

And with Lewis Grabban currently struggling with injury, Martin O’Neill should consider throwing the versatile forward, who has recently returned from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic, back into the fold.

On the chalkboard

Ward has been out-of-favour at Forest in recent months and, under Aitor Karanka, was shipped out on loan at the start of the season.

He played just nine times in League One, scoring in a 3-1 win over Bristol Rovers, and laying on an assist against Barnsley in a 2-0 victory.

The 32-year-old has a great deal of experience, however, and has won 34 caps for Northern Ireland.

A versatile attacker who can play in attacking midfield or on the flank, Ward has scored 50 times in the Championship across 280 games, and can surely help O’Neill’s side, particularly with Grabban struggling for fitness.

The 31-year-old has scored 15 goals thus far this season but was not included in the squad to play Derby County.

He is also a doubt to face Stoke City, with O’Neill telling Nottinghamshire Live: “We have known about it for a few days. He has an Achilles problem that has flared up again.

“Considering he is our leading scorer that is a difficult one. But we knew he was struggling a number of days ago, so we were able to prepare for that.”

Make or break

Giving Ward a chance could see him rescue his Forest career.

He has struggled for minutes since joining the club in 2015, embarking on loan spells at Burton Albion and Cardiff City in addition to Charlton.

But bringing an experienced international into the fold will surely do more good than harm.

If he hits the goal trail, too, then O’Neil suddenly has a number of forward options to choose from and genuine competition for Grabban.

If he doesn’t, and he flops, then the manager will surely know that his time is up.

Ultimately, it is a low-risk strategy and there is nothing to lose by calling him up to the senior squad.

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to a huge update, as Tom Rogic has returned to outdoor training.

Rogic was pictured at the Hoops’ Lennoxtown training centre on Friday, per Video Celts.

The report shows pictures of the Australian international running outside, although he does not appear to be in full contact training at this time.

That said, it seems very unlikely that he could make a shock appearance from the bench against Aberdeen on Saturday, but he will certainly be eyeing the Old Firm at the end of the month for a possible return.

With an eight point lead for the Bhoys, the derby between the table-topping arch-rivals could well be what decides the title, and having the playmaker extraordinaire back in the squad would provide a huge boost.

The 26 year-old has managed  four goals and five assists in all competitions this campaign despite his troubles with injuries, and fans are over the moon to have him back.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]Gareth Southgate has announced his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers in which England will square off with Czech Republic and then Montenegro – there are some notable omissions, including Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.Southgate has explained his reasoning behind that decision and it will surely baffle not just Saints fans, but anyone invested in the national squad too.

What did he say?

Well, speaking about his crop of players, the former Middlesbrough manager said the following of Ward-Prowse’s exclusion:

Interesting stuff. It should surely do little to soothe the St Mary’s faithful or the player himself, who, as Soughtgate says, has been in sensational form of late.

Southgate has dug himself a hole

The England boss has repeatedly stated his preference to pick players based on form rather than reputation but his latest selection is a huge contradiction to that. Ward-Prowse is the epitome of ‘form’ at the moment having scored six goals in his last nine games, including free-kicks against Manchester United and Spurs.

Meanwhile, Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek – two of the midfielders who have have kept the 24-year-old out of the Three Lions setup this time around – have accumulated just 1,155 minutes of Premier League football between them this term at Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, with Delph featuring for just 10 minutes in the top flight in 2019.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Previous managers have shown loyalties to the top six clubs but, considering Southgate’s promise not to do so, fans of both England and Southampton were surely expecting the Saints number 16 to be a shoe-in for the squad, particularly with the likes of Harry Winks and Jesse Lingard out.

Southgate has dug himself a sizeable hole with his comments and should Ward-Prowse keep up this form for the remainder of the season and then not be included in the next squad, the England boss will have confirmed he is no less biased towards the big clubs than his predecessors.

Wolves supporters have been left elated at the news that one of their star players Diogo Jota has been called up to the Portugal squad.

This marks the first time the forward has been included in the European champions’ senior squad and fans have been sharing their adulation and praise for him on Twitter.

Although he started the season slowly, Jota has been in superb form for his club of late and has become one of the major reasons why Nuno Santo’s men are performing so admirably. He’s become a fan favourite and the impressive reaction to his call up is evidence of that.

Plenty of supporters said how well deserved his inclusion was with one individual keen to voice the increasing threat he’s become to Premier League defences. Another reaction saw the decision to include him in the squad labelled a no-brainer.

At 22, Jota is one of the Premier League’s best upcoming talents and the Molineux faithful will hope he gets the chance to prove himself on the international stage when Portugal take on Ukraine and Serbia.

The former Atletico man has followed up a 17 goal breakthrough season in the Championship by registering six strikes this term as his side sit 7th.

Here’s the reaction to the soon to be Portuguese international getting his call-up.

It has been a whirlwind of a career for Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Born amidst the rumblings of the Cold War in 1987 to Ghanian parents, he joined Hertha Berlin as a child and progressed through their youth system before making his senior debut for the club at the age of 18.

After two impressive seasons in the Bundesliga with Die Alte Dame, Tottenham Hotspur swooped for Boateng in 2007 yet he would go on to have limited success at White Hart Lane. A positive start to life in north London was severely impacted by the sacking of Martin Jol, who had entrusted his faith in the midfielder before being given his marching orders by Daniel Levy.

The arrival of Juande Ramos saw Boateng become surplus to requirements for Spurs and following a brief loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in 2009, the Ghanian moved to a Portsmouth side managed by Avram Grant.

In what turned out to be a disastrous Premier League campaign for Pompey who were relegated to the Championship after being deducted nine points for going into administration, Boateng proved to be a shining light for a club who were harpooned to the depths of despair.

Despite playing for a side who were by all accounts absolutely dismal, the midfielder still managed to score five goals and provide four assists for his team-mates, therefore showcasing his talent despite the situation in which he had inadvertently found himself stuck in.

It could also be argued that if Boateng had not picked up an injury that saw him miss ten consecutive games for Portsmouth towards the end of the season, the club may have been able to have reached a higher points tally than the 19 which they achieved.

Nevertheless, the former Hertha star had earned himself a spectacular summer move to Italian giants AC Milan in 2010 where he produced arguably the greatest moment of his career to date. In the fourth year of a highly successful period with I Rossoneri, Boateng scored an incredible goal against Barcelona in the Champions League.

With the scores level at 0-0 in the round of 16 first-leg clash, the midfielder chopped the ball away from Eric Abidal before thundering a sublime strike past Victor Valdes. Milan would go on to win the game 2-0 at the San Siro before succumbing to a Lionel Messi-inspired performance in the return fixture in which they were eliminated from the competition.

Such is the fact that this particular goal by Boateng is still remembered by football fans across the world is a testament to a player who has always been blessed with undeniable talent.

After spells at Schalke 04, Las Palmas and Eintracht Frankfurt, the former Spurs man moved to Sassuolo at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. Following a bright start for I Neroverdi which included four goals and two assists in thirteen Serie A games, one of the most remarkable transfer deals of a generation occurred in January.

Boateng would have been forgiven for thinking that someone was playing a practical joke on him when Barcelona called up with an offer to take him on loan from Sassuolo. Yet incredibly, the former Pompey midfielder was a serious subject of interest for the Blaugrana and manager Ernesto Valverde who signed him on a deal until the end of the season.

Since moving to the Camp Nou, the 31-year-old has featured on two occasions, both being in the unfamiliar role of centre-forward against Real Valladolid in La Liga and Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey. Although he may not feature too often as the season draws to a close in Spain, Boateng has been given a priceless opportunity to boost his CV in terms of honours.

With Barcelona steamrolling to yet another La Liga triumph and in a great position to win both the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League, the Ghanian international could end up winning the treble with the Catalan giants, something of which he would never have predicted at the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

In a career which has seen him represent a total of 10 club in just 14 years, the roller-coaster ride that Boateng has been experiencing shows no signs of letting up.

Where will he end up next?

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England return to action on Friday against Czech Republic in the first of ten Euro 2020 qualifiers and the sense of optimism surrounding the international break has surely never been higher.

The Three Lions gifted us all a summer to remember as they battled all the way to the World Cup semi-finals before losing in heartbreaking fashion to Croatia, whom they exacted revenge upon in their November Nations League clash.

England fans, players and Gareth Southgate will now be looking ahead to next summer, where they will have the opportunity to build on their successes of the previous one.

First, though, they must advance through the qualifying rounds and Czech Republic are the first obstacle in their path. This week’s fans – Football Fancast’s very own Harry Sherlock and Billy Meyers – give their thoughts ahead of the clash below.

Are there any players named in the initial squad who you feel were fortunate to get in and who would you have replaced them with?

Harry: “It was obviously a surprise when James Ward-Prowse was omitted but, rather by luck than judgement, he has found his way into the squad. One would say that Kieran Trippier, on form, probably doesn’t deserve to be in the team; Aaron Wan-Bissaka would have been an obvious replacement, allowing the Crystal Palace youngster to find his feet at international level.”

Billy: “I feel that James Tarkowski was lucky to make the squad. Burnley haven’t set the world alight this season and have been poor for the majority of the campaign, and it is criminal that the former Brentford man has made the cut when Conor Coady, captain of the Premier League’s 7th-placed side, is sat at home.”

Indeed, Southampton’s Ward-Prowse has been in scintillating form for the Saints in 2019 – the midfielder has scored six goals in his last nine games and three in his last three, two of which were superb free-kicks against Manchester United and Spurs.

The 24-year-old’s dead-ball goals might have given some flashbacks to Trippier’s own strike against Croatia, although the right-back hasn’t been so great since – there were certainly arguments to be had for Wan-Bissaka to take his place in the squad, although the Palace man remains with the Under-21’s.

Burnley’s Tarkowski, meanwhile, hasn’t quite been as immense as he was last season, while Coady has led Wolves to what will surely be an impressive top-half finish having just come up from the Championship.

Should Gareth Southgate go with the three-at-the-back approach which was so successful in the World Cup or go with the formation which beat Spain in October?

Billy: “I think Southgate should go with the three-at-the-back formation. It worked well at the World Cup, and suits a lot of the players in the side who will most likely be eager to carry on in the same system as a result of the aforementioned success, which will breed confidence as it has shown the squad that it is an effective formula for results.”

Harry: “Southgate need not pin down one formation. England’s squad is filled with multifunctional, technical players for the first time in a generation; he can change the system as the games come. The fact is, in qualification for Euro 2020, it is unlikely to matter. England should be winning these games, even if they play 6-3-1.”

The former Middlesbrough man’s taking of the Three Lions wheel saw a complete overhaul of style and approach, with the introduction of a new 3-5-2 setup which reaped rewards in the World Cup.

England were playing some fantastic football and, a fortuitous run of games aside, fully deserved to reach the last-four of the competition. It was somewhat a surprise, therefore, when the formation was thrown out for the Nations League games against Spain and nemeses Croatia at the end of the year.

Quickly, though, all questions were answered, with the Three Lions beating both.

What does it mean for The Three Lions that we have players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho breaking through to the first team?

Harry: “England have the most exciting crop of youngsters in a generation. Never before have we seen so many exciting young talents break through and then actually threaten to live up to the hype. Sancho is already a £100m player and Hudson-Odoi could save Chelsea a fortune across the next couple of years.”

“Add into that the fact that all of these players remain eligible for the Under-21s: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Ryan Sessegnon, James Maddison, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford. This is the new golden generation.”

Billy: “I think it’s phenomenally exciting to have the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho in the side. With the latter mainly playing on the right-wing at Borussia Dortmund, and Hudson-Odoi a fan of cutting in on his right foot off the left flank, England could potentially have the two best wingers in world football in a few years time.

“Our very own Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, perhaps?”

Sancho has been nothing short of incredible since trading Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund – the 18-year-old has chalked up a jaw-dropping 15 league assists for BVB this campaign, while also netting eight goals, in just 26 appearances.

Southgate has repeatedly promised to select players for his England squad based on performances rather than reputation and the electric winger has vindicated that claim.

Another youngster making waves in club competition is Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi, although the speedster has been limited to far fewer minutes than his former England Under-17’s teammates. Don’t bet against the 5 ft 10 forward making a huge impact on the international stage this month though.

Matej Vydra has identified Harry Maguire as a weak-point for England – is he right?

Billy: “Harry Maguire definitely seems to have fallen away from his man-mountain-like state that we saw at the World Cup. Perhaps playing in an unhappy, uncertain environment at Leicester under Claude Puel, before he was sacked of course, has affected him. Hopefully he can regain some form in the international break and carry it on under Brendan Rodgers upon his return to the Foxes.”

Harry: “No. Maguire confirmed his abilities at the World Cup. This is a defender who can tackle, win the ball in the air and distribute. There isn’t much more you can ask. Defence may not be the strongest point of Southgate’s squad but Maguire is far from a weak link.”

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

Indeed, ‘Slab-head’ – as he was affectionately dubbed by the England fans – has been underwhelming for the Foxes this season. As Billy says, though, he may just have been a victim of poor management while Puel was still at the helm.

There are no certainly questions regarding the 26-year-old behemoth’s quality after his sensational showings at centre-back in the summer; that is, unless you’re Burnley’s Vydra, who believes Maguire will be exploitable on Friday.

Finally, what are your score predictions?

Harry: “England should win comfortably. It’s at Wembley and the Czechs have been in remarkably patchy form. They beat Slovakia and Poland by a goal to nil in their most recent outings but were thrashed 5-1 by Russia as recently as September. I’ll go 4-0.”

Billy: “England 3-0 Czech Republic.”

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Tyrone Mings has gone from being a spare part at Bournemouth to a huge hit with the fans at Aston Villa, where his performances have earned rave reviews almost every single week. Clearly the defender is enjoying his spell in the Midlands, perhaps partly because of how tough his time at the Vitality Stadium was prior to his January loan move.

The behemoth centre-back’s Cherries career has been plagued with long-term injuries in recent years – knee ligament and back injuries have accounted for 608 days out and 81 games missed between August 2015 and September 2017 – however he is proving to be a fantastic signing for the Villans, who have climbed into promotion contention.

Having rejuvenated his career at Villa Park and referred to his recent time at Bournemouth as ‘jinxed’, the 26-year-old expressed how much the past couple of months have meant to him:

“This loan is massive for me. I don’t think I could underestimate how big it is and how big a decision it was to choose where to go because everything had to click immediately.

“The aim is obviously to make the play-offs, but coming here and playing games, and feeling wanted was so important. Personally, it was a big choice and I 100 per cent believe I made the right one.”

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Certainly, the Bath-born big man wasn’t all that useful on the south coast – he accumulated just 140 Premier League minutes last campaign, but has played the full 90 minutes in each of his eight appearances under Dean Smith since joining Villa in January.

Now a firm fan-favourite further north, the 6-foot-5 brute will surely be reluctant to return to Bournemouth in the summer if these comments are anything to go by.

Liverpool are battling Nottingham Forest for Ligue 2 youngster Silas Wamangituka, and what a statement it’d be if he moved to Nottingham rather than Merseyside!

The centre-forward has played 23 times for Paris FC this season, scoring seven goals and making one assist. Not bad for a 19-year-old! Forest have been linked with him by French outlet TFI via Nottinghamshire Live and it should excite fans despite hardly anybody having heard of him.

The fact Le Parisien believe Liverpool are interested backs up the interest from Martin O’Neill’s side, but it also provides stiff competition, particularly with Liverpool’s reputation of bringing youth players through the ranks in recent times. But if Forest win the battle, their fans would be hugely excited by the coup.

He’d get more chance of playing for Villa, that’s for sure, and that might give them the advantage. The Championship is a step up from Ligue 2 and that’d suit the promising youngster rather than being stuck in Liverpool’s youth team or on the bench. If Forest sign him, it shows real intent that they aim to build a long-term future for the club.

It’s important the fans stay positive about O’Neill and his methods, so signing exciting talent like this can give the fans hope they’ll build themselves back up to be a Premier League outfit.

Transfermarkt only value him at £450,000, so there’d be no risk involved and he’d be happy to wait for his opportunity to shine without demanding minutes straight from the off. All this while giving the club the mental boost of beating Liverpool to one of their targets.

Get a move on Forest!

Forest fans, who do you think your club should sign in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Chelsea are set to welcome West Ham United to Stamford Bridge this evening in a fixture which the hosts simply have to win to keep their dream of qualifying for the top-four alive.

The visitors have little to play for but they have a reputation for saving their most outstanding performances for the top-six clubs, so the Blues will be wary of the threat they could pose in the all-London affair.

Chelsea go into the game on the back of a resounding 3-0 victory over Brighton last week, while the Hammers arrive after being outplayed by Everton at the London Stadium in a 2-0 defeat.

Ahead of the game, Football FanCast have provided an in-depth preview, including potential starting XI’s and what the history books tell us.

What History Tells Us

Historically speaking, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have struggled to claim three points at the Bridge. Their last win away at Chelsea arrived in 2002 when an 84th minute strike from no other than Paolo Di Canio secured a dramatic 3-2 victory for the visitors.

That stands alone as their only win at Chelsea since the turn of the Millennium, but a 1-1 draw last season suggests that they could stand a chance of breaking their hoodoo tonight.

The Blues boast a superior but not completely dominant head-to-head record, and with holes clearly there to be picked in Maurizio Sarri’s system an unlikely win could be on the cards.

Key Battle

The central midfield battle could ultimately decide our Fixture in Focus. Andre Gomes and Idrissa Gueye dominated the central area against West Ham last time out, dictating the tempo and breaking up play with seamless ease.

Chelsea’s offering of midfielders pose a markedly different challenge for Declan Rice at the base of midfied, and stopping a revamped N’Golo Kante from marauding into the penalty area will be one of his most fundamental tasks.

The holding midfielder turned box-to-box man has made less tackles and interceptions than Rice so far this season, but that reduction in defensive output has been traded off for an extra dose of creativity and forward-thinking dynamism.

These two are likely to lock horns in what promises to be a fascinating battle between two of the league’s finest midfielders.

Ref in Focus

Chris Kavanagh, 34, has been appointed as the referee ahead of the game. That his away win bias stands at just 16.7% suggests that the travelling Irons are up against it as they bid to record a rare victory at Stamford Bridge.

What we can expect is a free-flowing game, as Kavanagh has only given out an average of seven fouls per game in the previous two Chelsea fixtures he has been in charge of this season.

West Ham, meanwhile, have won just one of the four encounters Kavanagh has refereed this season, drawing two and losing the other.

Compared to the other eighteen referees who have been appointed for a Premier League fixture so far this season, Kavanagh is on the lenient side and is generally reluctant to award fouls, penalties or red cards.

Team News

Both Marcos Alonso and Pedro are carrying knocks and facing late fitness tests ahead of the fixture. The former has been engaged in a battle with Emerson for a starting berth at left-back in recent weeks and the Brazilian could keep his place in the side with question marks remaining over Alonso’s fitness.

Hudson-Odoi’s electric performance against Brighton, meanwhile, should ensure that he keeps his place in the starting XI with Pedro struggling.

We’re predicting that Sarri will name an unchanged team from the side that started last Wednesday, with Olivier Giroud keeping Gonzalo Higuain on the bench after notching his first league goal of 2019 against the Seagulls.

Pellegrini is set to welcome Felipe Anderson back into the fold tonight after his notable absence against Everton. Samir Nasri is back in training and could feature for the Hammers as his short-term deal ticks towards expiry.

A 4-2-3-1 system has been deployed to excellent effect against some of the top-six sides this season – most recently against Liverpool – so it’s likely that the Chilean will use a similar system to stifle Chelsea’s threat.

We’re anticipating a return for Mark Noble after West Ham were overran in midfield last time out, while Michail Antonio, Javier Hernandez and Anderson also return in four changes.