║➽║ EXCLUSIVE Football News║

[miri-01]

Any Other Bets: Premier League and EFL tips for 18 and 19 January
By Joe Townsend
Football
Sat January 18, 2025 · 14h ago
Football betting tips: Sunday best bets
1pt Murillo 2+ total shots in Forest vs Southampton (14:00) at 16/5 (Ladbrokes, Coral)

0.5pt Murillo to score anytime at 16/1 (Betfair, Paddy Power)

0.5pt Murillo to score from outside the box at 70/1 (William Hill)

CLICK HERE to add the selection to your Sky Bet bet slip
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power |


Nottingham Forest vs Southampton
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT, Sunday
Home 4/11 | Draw 15/4 | Away 13/2
Murillo
Nottingham Forest centre-back MURILLO turned plenty of heads with his performance in their draw against Liverpool in midweek, at both ends of the pitch.

He became the first player since 2016 to complete at least three tackles, win at least five duels and complete at least 15 clearances in a top-flight match, with his 17 clearances of the latter the most by any player in a Premier League game this season, beating his own high of 15 against Brighton in September.

murillo stats and heat map
The Brazilian again caught the eye by twice going for goal too, and having backed him TO SCORE ANYTIME and TO SCORE FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX at huge prices - going painfully close when he strode out of defence and shot inches wide from 30 yards - I'm keeping faith for the visit of the worst team in the division, who also happen to boast both the worst defensive record and worst ability to defend set-pieces.

CLICK HERE to back Murillo to score anytime with Sky Bet
CLICK HERE to back Murillo to score from outside the box with Sky Bet
Naturally the prices are shorter for the visit of Southampton, but at 16/1 and 70/1 they are still very much worth sticking with.

Murillo had 17 attempts on goal in 2023/24: six from outside the box, with two even coming from inside his own half.

He's already equalled that number this season, with all but one attempt - his incredible halfway line effort on Tuesday - coming from within the width of the penalty area as Nuno Espirito Santo and the Forest coaching team have clearly tried to channel his energy in a more focused, less scattergun manner.

murillo shot map
There has been a mixture of open play and set-piece attempts, with 10 of his shots from outside the box.

The price about the Brazilian having one shot isn't quite there as it was in midweek, but the 16/5 for 2+ TOTAL SHOTS is advised given Southampton's set-piece deficiencies.

CLICK HERE to back Murillo 1+ total shots with Sky Bet
Murillo has already scored a header from a corner this season, and only Crystal Palace and Arsenal have scored more goals from dead-balls than Forest (7) this season.

Already advised
Saturday

2pts Swindon to beat Barrow at 29/20 (888Sport)

1pt Under 1.5 goals in West Ham vs Palace at 16/5 (Betfair, Unibet)

0.5pt No goalscorer in West Ham vs Palace at 11/1 (Betfred)

2pts Reading to beat Stockport at 9/4 (Betfred)

2pts Barnsley to beat Bristol Rovers at 17/20 (William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral)

*All games kick off 15:00

Swindon vs Barrow
Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Saturday
Home 23/20 | Draw 21/10 | Away 21/10
SWINDON have really turned around under Ian Holloway, with three straight home wins followed by a highly credible draw against promotion-chasing Crewe, albeit in farcical, foggy, delayed circumstances.

CLICK HERE to back Swindon to win with Sky Bet
For a team who had previously barely won in 18 months to take 10 points in four home games is some achievement, and has put distance between themselves and the League Two relegation zone.

Barrow boss Stephen Clemence
Stephen Clemence's Barrow are dropping like a stone
Barrow - who I recently advised at 50/1 to be relegated - have won just twice in 17 league games, a run that stretches back to September's 5-0 defeat at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.

Before that they took 16 points from seven games. Since it they've taken 12 from 17.

It's a concerning collapse in form that stretches back to April. Of the 19 ever-present fourth-tier teams only Newport (0.93) and Morecambe (0.72) are averaging fewer points per game than Barrow, who've managed just 30 from their last 30 league matches.

Away from home it's even worse.

This is the Bluebirds' first trip of the new year after taking just 14 points from 23 away matches (W2 D8 L13) in 2024. This season they've lost seven of 12.

[miri-01]

Manchester City skipper Kyle Walker heading to Italy to sort AC Milan loan move
By Sporting Life
Football
Thu January 23, 2025 · 42 min ago
Manchester City captain Kyle Walker is set to join AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the season.

It's understood the two clubs have reached agreement over a deal which will give the Italian side the option to buy the 34-year-old in the summer.

Walker will now travel to Italy to complete the formalities of the move.

The England right-back informed City of his wish to leave the club and seek opportunities abroad earlier this month.

Walker has endured a difficult campaign at City and has not started a game since their derby loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on December 15.

He has been left out of their matchday squad altogether for their last four games.

Walker has helped City win 17 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, since joining the club in a £45million switch from Tottenham in 2017.

He previously came close to leaving when Bayern Munich showed interest in the summer of 2023 but he opted to stay and sign a new contract with City, which runs until 2026.

[miri-01]

Pep Guardiola's significant rewrite to try and save Manchester City's season
By Alex Keble
Football
Mon January 27, 2025 · 2h ago
It’s been a long time since Pep Guardiola showed us his tactical genius.

He used to be the most consistent innovator in the game, an incessant thirst for new ideas driving him to colossal success in three different countries, but perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by success at Manchester City, he’s spent the last few seasons stripping back layers, rather than adding them.

Four centre-backs across the defence, a proper striker up front, and a barely-pressing 4-4-2 formation: Guardiola has slowly refined Man City into a caricature of an old-fashioned idea of English football, in the process going from football’s most progressive thinker to a strangely regressive one.

But after a long and wearying campaign, it looks as though Guardiola has finally remembered that he needs to return to the forefront of tactics if he is to remain one of the best managers in the world.

https://m.skybet.com/lp/acq-bet-x-ge...p=SL_ED_RACING
“The way that modern football is, is the way that Bournemouth play, the way that Brighton play, that Newcastle play, like we were [playing], that is modern football," Guardiola said in a press conference prior to the game.

“Today, modern football is not positional, you have to ride the rhythm.”

It’s rare that Guardiola talks about tactical fashion, so those comments tell us he is thinking deeply about rebuilding his team. How Man City approached playing Chelsea was an even bigger hint.

Never before has a Guardiola team played like they did on Sunday, with constant runners on the shoulder of the last defender and frequent long balls forward.

Manchester City long balls vs Chelsea
Omar Marmoush, though supposedly playing on the left, stood next to Erling Haaland and made runs that created an urgently vertical front two, while both full-backs Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes made similar inverted runs.

It was a combination of Nunes’s run through on goal, and Gvardiola appearing centrally for the rebound, that got Man City their first.

Then, almost in protest against everything a Guardiola team is supposed to stand for, Haaland received a long goal kick to bludgeon his way through for the second, before the striker then held up the ball and flicked it on for Phil Foden in a 90s-style one-two for the third.


It was a lot more like watching Bournemouth than an increasingly clunky and passive Man City, and the fact that it led to all three of their goals points to a new direction for the team.

Certainly without Rodri, Man City will not be able to entirely regain control of matches in the old way, whereas to instil a considerably more direct approach – to allow the players to improvise and burst forward, pushing the other team back – should help City shake themselves out of a hypnotic rhythm.

In other words, a more free-form approach would counterintuitively make City into a more contemporary team under Guardiola while simultaneously creating the conditions for a return to something more ordered and controlled.

It may prove to be a one-off, but more likely Guardiola has recognised that his team need to be jolted into a different headspace – and has acknowledged that Marmoush and Haaland in particular simply need to be fed in a different way.

Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has potentially had a rethink on City's style
At the very least, Arsenal can expect this treatment on Sunday considering how cagey and Mourinho-ish their head to heads have been over the last 12 months.

Arsenal’s lower block will resemble Enzo Maresca’s approach, hence opening the hosts to a similar vulnerability should Haaland and Marmoush stretch the back line.

Verticality, urgency, and riding the rhythm: it isn’t at all what Man City were supposed to stand for under Guardiola.

But the 2024/25 campaign has taught us that Guardiola’s approach has become outdated – and victory over Chelsea showed that, finally, Pep has realised a significant rewrite is needed to save their season and begin the final chapter of his managerial career.

[miri-01]

Champions League: Who needs what in the final fixtures
By Jake Osgathorpe
Football
Tue January 28, 2025 · 17h ago
The first edition of the Champions League's league phase comes to a close on Wednesday, with all 36 teams playing at the same time to determine final placings.

To recap, the top eight in the standings will automatically qualify for the last 16 of the competition, while teams who finish between ninth and 24th will go into a two-legged play-off to join them. Teams in 25th and below will be eliminated and their European campaign is over. No dropping into the Europa League this time.

The Champions League is completely different this season
The Champions League is completely different this season
Teams placed ninth to 16th will be seeded and will face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the advantage of finishing higher in the league being that the seeded teams get to play the second leg at home. The draw for the play-off will be made on Friday January 31.

The seeded sides will already know their opponents will be one of two teams ahead of the draw, with the teams to finish ninth and 10th in the league phase taking on either of the sides finishing 23rd or 24th, 11th and 12th will take on either 21st or 22nd and so on; the draw just determines which one each team faces.

CLICK HERE TO SEE TABLE IN FULL
What has already been decided?
Guaranteed top eight: Liverpool, Barcelona

Top-24 guaranteed (at least): Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Monaco, Feyenoord, Lille, Brest, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus, Celtic

Eliminated: Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys

Uncertain of progression: PSV, Club Brugge, Benfica, PSG, Sporting, Stuttgart, Manchester City, Dinamo Zagreb, Shakhtar Donetsk

CLICK HERE TO SEE TABLE IN FULL
How do things look for the British clubs?
Manchester City (25th) are in the biggest danger of all Premier League teams, as they head into the final match outside the play-off spots and needing to win to finish in the top 24. A victory over Club Brugge at the Etihad does just that, while anything less would see them eliminated.

pep guardiola
Liverpool (1st) have won every game so far, and a point in their final fixture at PSV would guarantee top spot, though Arne Slot's side can't finish any lower than second.

Arsenal (3rd) need only a point away at Girona to secure a top eight spot, though even a loss would likely see them finish in the top eight. The only way Mikel Arteta's side miss out is if they lose and there is a big goal swing.

Unai Emery
Aston Villa head into the final matchday in ninth spot, and know that while a win would give them a great chance of finishing in the top eight, even victory over Celtic at Villa Park doesn't guarantee that. They would require dropped points from one of Atletico Madrid, Milan, Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen, or a bigger margin victory than the latter with just one goal separating Unai Emery's men and Xabi Alonso's.

Celtic (18th) are just jockeying for position. They head to Villa guaranteed of a place in the play-offs, but a higher finish could mean a more favourable draw. If the table finished as it currently looks, the Bhoys would take on either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the two-legged play-off.

CLICK HERE TO SEE TABLE IN FULL
What about the European giants?
Barcelona (2nd) are guaranteed a top eight finish but only a win over Atalanta (7th) would see them secure a spot in the league phase's top two. 2022 Champions League finalists Inter (4th) need one more point to guarantee their spot in the last 16, while a point could be enough for Atletico Madrid (5th) though a win against already eliminated Salzburg makes certain of their progression.

Diego Simeone
Milan (6th) are in the same predicament as Atleti, needing a win to be sure of going through automatically, while reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen round off the top eight heading into the final matchday, and need a convincing win to guarantee their spot in the top eight. They are tied with five other teams on points, so their progression could come down to goal difference. Leverkusen do get to face an eliminated side (Sparta Prague) at home though.

Last season's finalists Dortmund (14th) need a host of results to go their way if they are to finish in the top eight, and while that seems unlikely, they host Shakhtar in the final round of fixtures looking to move up the table at the very least, in a bid to get a kinder draw in the play-off.

Jude Bellingham
German juggernauts Bayern Munich (15th) and reigning champions Real Madrid (16th) also need a minor miracle to get into the top eight. Both need wide margin victories and at least seven results to go their way. The pair finish against Slovan Bratislava (h) and Brest (a) respectively.

Juventus (17th) host Benfica (20th) in a similar predicament, with the Old Lady extremely likely to finish in the play-off spot while the Portuguese side need a point to avoid elimination.

PSG (22nd) got a huge win against Manchester City last week to keep themselves alive, and now know a point away at Stuttgart (24th) will more than likely be enough to finish in the top 24. Both PSG and Stuttgart know a point would more than likely be enough for both to finish in the top 24, with only an extremely wide-margin for Dinamo Zagreb against Milan will see either eliminated, though defeat for either puts them in serious danger.

[miri-01]

Any Other Bets: Sky Bet Championship and Copa del Rey tips for 3 February
By Sporting Life
Football
Tue February 04, 2025 · 14 min ago
Football betting tips: Tuesday best bets
0.5pt No first goalscorer in Burnley vs Oxford (19:45) at 15/2 (Sky Bet)

0.5pt Burnley to win by one goal vs Oxford (19:45) at 12/5 (bet365)

2pts QPR to beat Blackburn and under 3.5 goals (19:45) at 9/4 (Sky Bet)

0.5pt QPR to beat Blackburn and under 2.5 goals (19:45) at 4/1 (Sky Bet)

1.5pts A red card to be shown in Atletico vs Getafe (20:30) at 16/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair)

0.5pts Both teams to receive a red card Atletico vs Getafe (20:30) at 16/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair, William Hill)

CLICK HERE to add the selection to your Sky Bet bet slip
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power |


Burnley vs Oxford
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT, Tuesday
TV: Sky Sports+
Home 4/9 | Draw 3/1 | Away 13/2
Jake Osgathorpe

As documented by Tom Carnduff last week, Burnley have a real problem.

Unfortunately, you can't nil-nil your way to the Premier League. And, right on queue, the Clarets dropped another blankety-blank at Portsmouth at the weekend.

Scott Parker's men have featured in 10 goalless draws, one shy of tying the record of 11 currently held by Preston's 2005/06 team.

It's not hard to see why they've seen so few goals so regularly either, with the Clarets averaging just 1.05 xGF per game - an attacking process that ranks them as the fourth worst in the league - while allowing just 0.84 xGA per game which is the second best.

burnley attack
Fine-margin football™️. Unfortunately for fans heading to Turf Moor on Tuesday, they will be witnessing a game between two sides of the same ilk.

Oxford have built themselves in the same way as Burnley since the arrival of Gary Rowett, with their xG process showing as much (0.94 xGF, 1.01 xGA per game).

It's a style of play that has yielded 19 points from a possible 30 and moved the U's well clear of the drop zone, and it's a style that could well nullify their title-chasing opponents on Tuesday.

While perhaps lazy to just go, 'they keep drawing 0-0 so let's back NO FIRST GOALSCORER’ the data stacks up on both teams, and the price of 8/1 looks larger than I had anticipated.

CLICK HERE to back no first goalscorer with Sky Bet
After all, this is a bet that has landed in five of Burnley's last seven matches, an obscene strike rate.

Obviously the influx of new signings such as Jonjo Shelvey and Marcus Edwards could see them become more expansive, so we'll just go half a point on this occasion.

For that reason, we'll also put half a point on BURNLEY TO WIN BY ONE GOAL at 12/5.

CLICK HERE to bet on Burnley vs Oxford with Sky Bet
Eight of the Clarets' 15 wins this season have come by a one-goal margin, with their superior quality helping them edge extremely tight games.

QPR vs Blackburn
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT, Tuesday
TV: Sky Sports+
Home 6/4 | Draw 21/10 | Away 15/8
Joe Townsend

QPR are flying under Marti Cifuentes
QPR were flying up until 10 days ago, on a run of four straight victories and with a record of W8 D3 L1 from 12 Championship games.

A couple of narrow losses, at home to Sheffield Wednesday and away to Millwall across which they conceded four goals from just 0.99 expected goals (xG) should not put us off backing them against a Blackburn team who ended a run of three successive defeats with a hard-fought derby victory over Preston on Friday.

Rangers had won their five previous home matches before the visit of Wednesday, with only one failing to see UNDER 3.5 GOALS land.

CLICK HERE to back QPR and Under 3.5 goals with Sky Bet
That 3-1 win over Watford is the only time this term Marti Cifuentes' side have won a match and there have been more than three goals scored.

As for Rovers, 29 of their last 30 fixtures have involved under 3.5 goals.

A match-up between two low-scoring teams has me happy to also back QPR TO WIN AND UNDER 2.5 GOALS at a standout 4/1, albeit to smaller stakes.

CLICK HERE to back QPR and Under 2.5 goals with Sky Bet
Atletico Madrid vs Getafe
Kick off: 20:30, Tuesday
TV: Live streaming on Sky Bet
Home 4/9 | Draw 14/5 | Away 11/2
Jake Osgathorpe

This one could get spicy. Not only are Atletico Madrid and Getafe fierce local rivals, with both clubs built on a culture of physicality and dark arts, but on Tuesday we add a single-leg quarter-final into the mix.

Throw in card happy referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez and we could be in for something special.

The last 20 head-to-heads have seen an eye-watering average of 6.45 cards per game.

Red cards have flowed in Atleti vs Getafe matches
Red cards have flowed in Atleti vs Getafe matches
Not only that, but there has been A RED CARD SHOWN in 12 of those contests; 16/5 looks a big price for it to happen again.

Expanding on the referee appointment, I cannot understate how happy I was going through his history.

In 22/23 he flashed 13 red cards in just 25 matches, dishing out a red in four straight games at one point.

Referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez
Referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez
He also had a triple-red card game involving Atletico Madrid that saw BOTH TEAMS GET A RED CARD. He refereed Getafe twice and brandished 17 yellows and a red.

Last season Fernandez handed out nine red cards in 27 matches, and had another triple-red game, this time featuring Getafe, again with both teams having a man sent off. He took charge of one further Getafe match and handed out another red.

The two Atleti games he oversaw resulted in and 17 yellows and one red card.

This season it’s been more of the same, with four reds in his last 10 matches, two of those dismissals coming in Atleti games in this very competition.

His two Getafe games this season have seen 19 yellows, with him yet to get the red out.

Third time’s a charm, we hope.

[miri-01]

Newcastle seal dominant win over Arsenal to reach Carabao Cup final
By Sporting Life
Football
Thu February 06, 2025 · 40 min ago
Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon fired Newcastle to a second Carabao Cup final in three years as the Magpies secured a thumping aggregate win over Arsenal.

Murphy and Gordon struck either side of half-time to seal a 2-0 victory over the Gunners at St James’ Park, to go with their win by the same scoreline at the Emirates Stadium last month, to book a Wembley showdown with either Liverpool or Tottenham.

It moves Newcastle a step closer to ending their 70-year wait for a domestic trophy.

Fourteen years to the day from a remarkable 4-4 Premier League draw between the sides which was secured by the late Cheick Tiote’s wonder-strike, his son Rafael was among the mascots as the Magpies dispelled the pre-match nerves of the home fans to claim a 4-0 semi-final win on aggregate.

If Eddie Howe’s three-man rearguard – he had drafted in central defender Sven Botman as a replacement for injured midfielder Joelinton – set the tone for a uncompromising display, it was the pace and potency of striker Alexander Isak, for so long the subject of speculation linking him with the North London club, which terrified the visitors.

Isak’s stunning early finish may have been ruled out by VAR but it was his incision which led to the opening goal and the attention the Gunners had to pay to him throughout was instrumental in what followed.

The game kicked off amidst a cacophony as the home fans attempted to roar their side on after back-to-back home defeats.

They thought they had got their reward within four minutes when Gordon slid Isak in behind Gabriel and he sent a thunderous shot high past David Raya and into the top corner, only for a lengthy VAR review to result in an offside decision.

Relieved as the Gunners were, they looked rattled as the Magpies pressed high, although they gradually began to impose themselves with Leandro Trossard in particular making in-roads down the right.

Lewis Hall volleyed Jacob Murphy’s 15th-minute cross into the side-netting from an unlikely angle but Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard forced a block from Botman and then clipped the outside of the post seconds later.

However, Newcastle made the most of their escape with 19 minutes gone when Gordon once again picked out Isak’s run and, although the Sweden international’s shot came back off the post, Murphy steered the rebound past the stranded Raya.

Opposite number Martin Dubravka had to make a solid reaction save to deny Trossard four minutes later with the visitors scrapping for a lifeline.

Mikel Arteta’s men were dominating both possession and territory but they were playing largely in front of the massed black and white ranks.

Early substitute Ethan Nwaneri’s pace down the right gave the Gunners renewed threat but Gordon curled a right-foot shot just wide in first-half stoppage time after leaving Declan Rice for dead.

The former Everton forward might have put the game beyond doubt within four minutes of the restart when he robbed William Saliba with Raya out of his goal but he could not find the target from distance.

But Gordon made no mistake with 52 minutes gone when Fabian Schar caught Rice in possession from Raya’s ill-judged pass and the England international gleefully fired home.

The Gunners were laboured in their efforts to claw their way back into the tie, with Dubravka fielding Nwaneri’s tame 74th-minute attempt comfortably as Howe’s men saw out a third win of the season over Arsenal with little difficulty.

Match facts
Newcastle have reached their second League Cup final in the last three seasons (also 2022-23), more than they managed in their first 62 participations in the competition beforehand (one in 1975-76).
This is the ninth time that Arsenal have been eliminated from a League Cup semi-final, now the most of any side at this stage of the competition (Tottenham on 8 before their second leg vs. Liverpool).
Arsenal have now been eliminated from each of their last three semi-finals in major competitions, falling at this stage of the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League vs. Villarreal, 2021-22 League Cup vs. Liverpool, and this season’s League Cup vs. Newcastle.
Newcastle have eliminated four different London clubs from this season's League Cup (AFC Wimbledon, Chelsea, Brentford, Arsenal), the most ever by a side in a single campaign in the competition.
This was Arsenal’s fifth defeat to Newcastle United under Mikel Arteta in all competitions; only against Manchester City (9) and Liverpool (6) have they lost more times under the Spaniard. Four of those five defeats to the Magpies have come away from home, only losing more times on the road to Man City (5) in Arteta’s tenure.
Jacob Murphy has five goals in all competitions this season – his most in a single season for Newcastle. Indeed, he has 14 goal involvements in 2024-25 (5 goals, 9 assists), his most in a single campaign since 2016-17 for Norwich (16 – 10 goals, 6 assists).
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon has scored three goals against Arsenal in all competitions – his joint-most against a club side in his career (level with Man Utd).

[miri-01]

Sack race odds: Ange Postecoglou criticises ‘agenda driven’ analysis of his position
By Joe Townsend
Football
Mon February 10, 2025 · 2h ago
Ange Postecoglou says those calling for him to be sacked are “agenda driven”, with the Tottenham boss claiming no team would cope with the injuries Spurs have suffered this season.

Less than 72 hours after watching his side limp out of the Carabao Cup via a 4-0 thrashing at Liverpool, injury-hit Tottenham were beaten 2-1 at Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

"I’m not talking about me. People can judge me. They can say I’ve done a bad job, I’m not up to it, or whatever,” said Postecoglou.

“That’s fine. What I’m saying is you can’t be critical of players or players’ performances at this time. Because if you do, then do that with everyone else. Be as critical of other clubs when they’ve got nine or 10 or 11 players out. And none of them have. And have to play every week. And not for one game.

“How did Liverpool go [at Plymouth]? And they just did that for one game. Do that for two and a half months. Any team... do that for two and a half months in multiple competitions."

Next Premier League manager to leave odds (via Sky Bet)
Ange Postecoglou - 4/7
Ruud van Nistelrooy - 5/2
No Manager to Leave - 7/1
Ivan Juric - 16/1
Vitor Pereira - 22/1
Enzo Maresca - 22/1
Ruben Amorim - 25/1
Pep Guardiola - 33/1
Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham's injury crisis has been unrelenting this term
To a large degree, he is right.

Whenever Tottenham have been scrutinised during what has been an undeniably difficult campaign - they sit in the Premier League's bottom half, are now out of both domestic cups and have their entire season hinging on the Europa League - there has been little to no acknowledgment of the aforementioned context.

Instead, Postecoglou has faced unrelenting questions about his tactics, his future and the situation in general.

The trip to Villa Park was their 39th game of the season, just two shy of the entire number of fixtures Spurs contested last term - a campaign largely viewed as a success, with the club only narrowly pipped to fourth place by Sunday's opponents despite the sale of Harry Kane days before the start of the season.

TOTTENHAM INJURIES GRAPHIC
With an entire starting XI out injured, they brought in three fairly unproven players during the transfer window.

It's no surprise Tottenham are struggling.

The Australian, and his players, frankly look exhausted.

"I don’t care about me. People will judge me, but you can’t judge this group of players on what’s happened," Postecoglou continued.

“Me, that’s not of interest to me. My responsibility at this football club is this group of players and this team, to get them to play in the manner I want them to and bring us success.

“Whether people think I can do that or not, that’s for others to judge. But there's got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months.

“It can't be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff.

“If it's to get rid of me that's fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times. But in terms of this group of players, what they've given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it's a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”

[miri-01]

Any Other Bets: FA Cup and EFL tips for 11 February
By Sporting Life
Football
Tue February 11, 2025 · 2h ago
Football betting tips: Tuesday best bets
3pts Nottingham Forest (-1 handicap) to beat Exeter (20:00) at 4/5 (William Hill, Unibet)
In 90 minutes


NOTTINGHAM FOREST are surprisingly long to win at Sky Bet League One strugglers Exeter given the seasons both are having. It would be fair to assume it's due to the weekend's shocks and near shocks, but it was in fact the case in the FA Cup third round as well when Forest were 4/9 to beat Luton at home.

Some with the means might be prepared to take the 2/9 about an away win, I instead prefer the -1 HANDICAP at 4/5.



Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo greets goalkeeper Matz Sels following the Premier League match at Goodison Park
Nottingham Forest are defying the odds this season
Nuno Espirito Santo's team are 3/10 to simply score 2+ goals, unsurprising given the gap in quality and Exeter's defensive record - the Grecians have conceded 13 goals in their last three matches, and at least twice in seven of their last nine home fixtures.

Where Arne Slot had the mitigating factors of a Carabao Cup semi-final on the Thursday prior, a rearranged Merseyside derby the Wednesday after and a Champions League campaign to plan for in his decision to disrespect both Plymouth and the world's oldest knockout competition, Nuno has no such issues.

Forest have had 10 days' rest since thrashing Brighton 7-0 to continue their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League.



Derby picked up a good point at Norwich just a day after the club parted ways with manager Paul Warne. As of yet his replacement hasn’t been named, meaning interim boss Matt Hamshaw should again be in charge as they host Oxford.

It looks a good opportunity for the strugglers to get a big win on the board, and after a good result last time out, we should expect the same starting XI.

That means NAT PHILLIPS is likely to again start at centre-back, making his 17/20 price for 1+ TOTAL SHOTS appeal.

).

Oxford are conceding an average of 4.2 shots per game from set-pieces, so the hosts should get opportunities, and Phillips is a huge threat.

He’s had at least one shot in seven of his 12 starts this season, and in five of his most recent six, averaging 1.00 shots per 90.

At 18/1, we’ll also have a small bet on him TO SCORE ANYTIME.



There looks to be a real set-piece mismatch when Charlton take on Peterborough.

Peterborough have conceded the most goals (18) and third most xG (15.0) from dead-ball situations this term, while Charlton have generated the fourth most xG in Sky Bet League One from such scenarios (13.4).

We’ll dive into centre-backs scoring again, and back Charlton’s LLOYD JONES TO SCORE ANYTIME at 9/1 and TO SCORE FIRST at 25/1.


Jones has scored twice already this season, as recently as four games ago, and is averaging 0.11 xG per 90, high for a centre-back.

We’ll take the first scorer as well as the anytime because three centre-backs have scored against Peterborough in their last nine league games and all three have been the first scorers of the game.

[miri-01]

This Week's Acca misses out on 11/1 winner as Aston Villa held by Ipswich
By Sporting Life
Football
Sun February 16, 2025 · 2h ago
It was a frustrating afternoon for followers of This Week's Acca, denied another winning four-fold by the stubborn resistance of Ipswich at Villa Park.

Hosts Aston Villa had a man advantage from the 40th minute but found themselves behind after the break, before Ollie Watkins levelled things midway through the second half.

From there, Villa had chances to go on and win the game and had they done so, followers of This Week's Acca would've added an 11/1 winner to the 20/1 shot which landed a fortnight ago, plus two winning midweek editions.

But Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford saw chances go begging late in the day as Ipswich held on for a 1-1 draw.

Wins for Stockport and Sheffield United were followed by a late goal for Leyton Orient to seal a 3-2 victory over Lincoln, leaving eyes fixed on the clock at Villa, where the home side couldn't find the goal they needed.

It was a boost to Ipswich's survival prospects on a day which saw Leicester lose 2-0 to Arsenal, with Wolves in action on Sunday when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.

Southampton, cut adrift at the bottom, lost 3-1 to Bournemouth.

Elsewhere in the Premier League...
Fulham showed their aerial dominance as two headed goals helped them secure a 2-1 win over Premier League top-four contenders Nottingham Forest.

Chris Wood netted his 18th goal of the season at Craven Cottage but it was not enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as headers from Emile Smith Rowe and Calvin Bassey allowed Manchester City and Bournemouth to close the gap on Forest in third.

It was a third successive victory in all competitions for Fulham following back-to-back wins against Newcastle in the league and Wigan in the FA Cup last Saturday.

New signing Omar Marmoush scored a scintillating first-half hat-trick as Manchester City rediscovered their spark in an emphatic 4-0 win over Newcastle.

The £59million January signing from Eintracht Frankfurt struck three times in the space of 14 minutes as the champions crushed one of their top-four rivals at the Etihad Stadium to climb to fourth in the Premier League.

Substitute James McAtee completed the rout when he volleyed in from a corner six minutes from time.

The only concern for City was an injury to Erling Haaland in the closing stages but the Norwegian was able to walk from the field.

Kevin Schade’s early goal gave Brentford a 1-0 win at West Ham, with Graham Potter’s spell in charge yet to work its magic, while Everton extended their unbeaten league run to five matches with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace

[miri-01]

Sack race odds: Enzo Maresca shortens but Ange Postecoglou still favourite
By Jake Osgathorpe
Football
Sun February 16, 2025 · 14h ago
Enzo Maresca was a mover in the sack race market, but Ange Postecoglou remains the favourite despite his Tottenham side beating Manchester United.

The Chelsea boss is under increasing pressure, moving from 22/1 into 14/1 in the market, after a run of just three wins in 11 matches, a run that has seen them knocked out of the FA Cup and slip to sixth in the Premier League.

The Blues are winless in six away games, losing four, not ideal ahead of a trip to Aston Villa next up, and we know just how trigger happy Chelsea's owners are when it comes to sacking managers.

Next Premier League manager to leave odds (via Sky Bet)
Ange Postecoglou - evens
Ruud van Nistelrooy - 13/8
No Manager to Leave - 6/1
Enzo Maresca - 14/1
Ivan Juric - 14/1
Ruben Amorim - 18/1
Vitor Pereira - 22/1
Pep Guardiola - 28/1
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly though, it's Postecoglou who heads the market as the even money favourite, drifting a tad following a 1-0 win over Manchester United, Spurs' second successive league win.

Those two wins did sandwich exits from both domestic cup competitions though, so that, combined with the fact his side is in the bottom half of the Premier League, perhaps explains why Ange is still the short favourite.

Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy is tucked in just behind the Tottenham boss at 13/8, shortening after yet another defeat for Leicester.

His record in the top flight since being appointed is a sorry one, winning just two of 12 and losing nine.

There has been money for Ruben Amorim after yet another defeat as Manchester United boss, with the Portuguese manager moving from 25s into 18s.