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As reported on the club’s official website, West Ham have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their game against Watford with the return of Felipe Anderson, Sebastien Haller and Mark Noble back available for selection.

What was wrong with them?

Haller – a £45m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt – and Anderson picked up small knocks in the 5-0 defeat to Manchester City in the opening game, missing the trip to Brighton as a result.

The Hammers drew that game against the Seagulls 1-1, and they were also without Noble who is yet to feature for the club this term due to an injury which he picked up in pre-season.

In their absence, Manuel Pellegrini selected Pablo Fornals for his first Premier League start and also handed Javier Hernandez a start in Haller’s absence – the Mexican scored the Irons’ only goal.

Who could be affected by their returns?

As aforesaid, Fornals was handed the opportunity to impress in Anderson’s absence, but the £24m summer signing failed to really light up the Amex Stadium despite a bright start.

Football London gave the Spaniard a rating of six, stating that he looked eager and got stuck in straight away, although he faded as the game went on.

His WhoScored statistics also don’t cover the 23-year-old in too much glory.

Watch the video below to find out how CR7 achieves some his best skills…

As an attacking midfielder, you would want to see Fornals test the keeper and thread some incisive passes through to the forwards.

Disappointingly, he played zero key passes and also had zero shots on target, on an afternoon where he failed to really have an influence on proceedings.

Given Anderson’s status at the club as a key first-team player – his 10 goals and five assists last term prove this – you would expect Pellegrini to bring back such an effective performer as soon as he possibly can.

If this is the case, then Fornals may be the unlucky man to miss out having been so ineffective against Brighton.

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أشاد الدولي البرازيلي ماركينيوس، لاعب وسط باريس سان جيرمان، بزميله كيلور نافس، بعد التعادل مع برشلونة في دور الـ16 بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

باريس سان جيرمان تعادل بهدفٍ لمثله مع برشلونة، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، على ملعب “حديقة الأمراء”، مساء الأربعاء، ليتأهل لربع النهائي، مُستفيدًا من فوزه ذهابًا بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدف، ليتأهل بنتيجة 5-2 في مجموع المباراتين (طالع تقرير المباراة). شاهد أهداف مباراة برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان

وقال ماركينيوس في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية: “لقد كانت مباراة صعبة بالنسبة لنا، كنا نعلم أنها ستكون مباراة مُختلفة تمامًا عن مباراة الذهاب”.

وأضاف: “برشلونة قدم أداءً جيدًا في مبارياته الماضية بعد الهزيمة في مباراة الذهاب، لقد كانت لديهم شجاعة كبيرة في الشوط الأول”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جريزمان: إهدار ميسي لركلة الجزاء ليس سبب خروج برشلونة.. ونافاس كان رائعًا

وواصل: “لقد ضغطوا علينا جيدًا في الشوط الأول، وجدنا صعوبة في إخراج الكرة، لم نتمكن من التمرير إلى الأمام من أجل خلق الفرص”.

وأتبع: “ولكن هذه هي كرة القدم، هُناك أوقات جيدة وأوقات سيئة، وعليك الصمود في الأوقات الصعبة، ولقد فعلنا ذلك بمُساعدة نافس الرائع”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “نحن سعداء بالتأهل إلى ربع النهائي، إنه شعور جيد، بعد كل ما مررنا به، ليس فقط ضد برشلونة، ولكن أمام مانشستر يونايتد أيضًا”.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Harry Winks enjoyed an excellent performance as Tottenham Hotspur escaped from Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal with a point.

On the chalkboard

The two teams drew 2-2 in a pulsating encounter at the Emirates Stadium.

Spurs, of course, took a 2-0 lead through Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane, but they were unable to see the game out.

Nevertheless, Winks played exceptionally throughout the 90 minutes.

Partnered with Moussa Sissoko in central midfield, the England international got up and down the pitch, kept the ball and was also excellent when it came to winning it back.

Per WhoScored, Winks had 51 touches of the ball, attempting 37 passes, and had a pass completion rate of 92%; the joint-highest of any player to start the game, alongside Sead Kolasinac, Arsenal’s left-back.

Winks also laid on two key passes and played a vital role in the build-up to Kane’s penalty, pirouetting on the left flank and playing in Son Heung-min, who was fouled by Granit Xhaka.

At just 23 years old, he is still learning and improving, but he completed the only dribble he attempted and also won six tackles, twice as many as second-placed Sokratis, who made three.

Handicapped

Winks played phenomenally well when one considers that he was playing alongside Sissoko, who was mysteriously quiet against the Gunners.

The Frenchman made just one tackle, had a mere 76% pass completion rate and was dispossessed twice.

Effectively, Winks was handicapped by the deficiencies of his partner.

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He will surely improve as the season goes on, particularly when Tanguy Ndombele is back to full fitness and in full flow alongside him.

One should view his performance against Arsenal through the prism of his limitations, though, as it makes it all the more impressive.

Winks often mopped up behind the Frenchman and also progressed the ball whenever possible; this was a brilliant display.

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West Ham United had Arthur Masuaku sent off in Monday night’s goalless draw with Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The left-back picked up his first booking in the 23rd minute before collecting his second in the 67th minute for a late challenge on Ahmed Elmohamady.

It was a late tackle from the defender but the contact was minimal at best.

And it would be fair to say that the West Ham fans were absolutely furious with Mike Dean’s decision to send Masuaku from the field.

A fiesty contest also saw Villa teammates Anwar El Ghazi and Tyrone Mings go head-to-head in the latter stages of the first half.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Meanwhile, West Ham captain Mark Noble was perhaps a touch fortunate not to pick up a second yellow card for what could have been easily interpreted as a dive before the break.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the red card can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen could learn a lot from former Spurs ace Gareth Bale following a below-par display in the Champions League during the week.

The 27-year-old clearly wants to leave the north London outfit given Marca report he has rejected every new contract offer submitted by Daniel Levy, with Real Madrid the team he is waiting for a proposal from.

Bale found himself in a similar situation seven years ago when he was playing at White Hart Lane, with the La Liga giants heavily linked with making a big-money move for the Wales international at the time, as reported by The Sun, via The Daily Mail.

Instead of being distracted by the rumours of a move Bale described as a “dream come true” when it happened 12 months later, the attacker instead knuckled down and played the best football of his career at that time.

As per Transfermarkt, 26 goals and 15 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for Spurs followed in the 2012/13 season, and the Welshman was in consistently unstoppable form despite having the distraction of rumours of a dream move.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bale showed exactly why he was good enough to play for one of the world’s best clubs during that campaign, and now it’s time for Eriksen to step up and do the same.

The Denmark international obviously feels as though he is good enough to play for Real, but he isn’t going to get there by failing to turn up for his current employers.

His display against Olympiacos on Wednesday was nothing short of abysmal, as shown by his stats from Athens, and he can’t afford to go missing like that again.

Yes, it can happen and many of his Tottenham teammates did the same, but Eriksen needs to give something back to the club that has allowed him to flourish be linked with clubs like Real and Juventus.

He can do that by being hugely influential on the pitch like Bale was back in 2013.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sunderland signed seven players in the summer transfer window, but Jack Ross has failed to address an issue that plagued his side often last season.

What’s the word?

Every Black Cats fan must be sick of the sight of two 1’s with a little hyphen in between them.

The club drew 19 of their 46 league matches in 2018/19, and a quite ridiculous 15 of those were 1-1 draws.

Ross’ side constantly found the net in games, and rarely conceded multiple goals, but they never created enough chances to put the match to bed and leave their opponents in the dust.

Given that the likes of Charlie Wyke and Will Grigg both have proven records in the third-tier, and the fact Marc McNulty has impressed fans early on this campaign, the problem is clearly rooted behind the front men.

George Honeyman was the popular pick at the number ten role last season, but assisted just twice in 28 games from the position. Good thing they sold him and replaced him then, right?

Wrong.

On the chalkboard

The club did get rid of their former skipper, but not one of the seven new signings this summer is an attacking midfielder.

Ross has added one goalkeeper, four defenders, one defensive midfielder and a striker, and of the attacking players already in the squad, not one of them is an out-and-out playmaker.

Aiden McGeady for example, arguably the side’s star man, has only played attacking midfield 12 times in his career, and hasn’t mustered a single assist from the position.

The same can be said for Chris Maguire, who has no assists in 11 appearances as a number ten, and Lynden Gooch, who has managed just six assists in 35 showings from the role.

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Ross has plenty of players capable of scoring goals – Grigg has made a career out of bagging in League One, while Maguire already has four to his name this campaign.

However, the lack of a genuine playmaker harmed the Black Cats last year, and whether it is the gaffer behind the decision not to address that this summer or the men upstairs, it is likely to be a huge mistake.

1-1. Get used to that sight Sunderland fans. It has already happened twice in this very young season, and it’s going to happen an awful lot more thanks to this blatant oversight in the transfer market.

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Besiktas are in talks with Arsenal to take Egypt international Mohamed Elneny on loan for the 2019/20 campaign.

What’s the story?

The former FC Basel player’s future at the Emirates Stadium looks bleak. He is yet to feature during this campaign, and started just 12 games in the previous season.

Unai Emery has already made it clear that he is not a part of his plans this term, saying, “Elneny and Mustafi know their situation in the squad. I spoke with them a lot of times last year and in this pre-season. I think it’s positive for them to leave and to sign for another team where they can be protagonists, they can be happy and they can continue in their careers as very big players. They are very big players.”

As such, the Super Lig side have taken an interest in the 27-year-old, according to Turkish-Football. Talks between the two sides are underway, whilst Besiktas have also spoken to the player himself. It seems that he would not be against a move away from north London.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

Put him in the shop window

On the face of it, a loan switch is questionable. Why keep a player on the books who appears unlikely to ever feature regularly for the club again? However, when you look a little closer, it makes sense for all involved.

Firstly, it is a good move for Elneny. At 27, he is in the prime of his career, and he will want to be regularly involved in the action. Whilst Turkish football may not have the glamour of the Premier League, the passion of the fans makes it an interesting place to play, and many star footballers have enjoyed their time there. Just ask Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, for example.

Arsenal will also benefit from the move. Currently, the midfielder is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt after spending almost a whole year watching on from the bench or the stands. Besiktas are one of the best teams in their country, and are also in the Europa League this season.

As such, Elneny can put himself in the shop window with some strong performances, meaning the Gunners would reap the benefits and could then sell him for a higher fee next year. He still has three years left on his contract, so next summer would be an opportune time to sell should Elneny perform well.

As such, this is a move that works well for all parties, and they should be hoping a deal can be completed before the transfer deadline.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

As Ryan Kent signed a £7m deal with Rangers on Monday, all hope of Leeds landing the promising winger were firmly quashed.

Or had they already been stamped upon by one of their own?

This summer, Victor Orta made a late swoop for striker Eddie Nketiah. Impressing the Arsenal hierarchy in a Dragons’ Den style process, the Leeds official convinced the Gunners to let him join the Whites.

Their attention, according to Yorkshire Evening Post, had switched from Ryan Kent.

The former Liverpool man was at the heart of a long-running transfer saga stretching back to July and possibly even beyond but ultimately he didn’t join.

Only in January, Leeds came within inches of landing another winger, Daniel James.

He is enjoying life at Manchester United now, scoring three goals in the early stages of the campaign but it could have been so much different.

The Welshman was sat at Elland Road waiting to be unveiled until Swansea pulled the plug.

With Kent, however, it was Leeds pulling out.

They had agreed a fee with Liverpool of £4m, potentially rising to the £7m he’s now moved to Scotland for, but for one reason or another, they moved for Nketiah instead.

Considering his deal was only a loan, it was a cheap decision but it was the right one.

To put it simply, Leeds didn’t need another winger. Instead, they needed a forward and one capable of scoring goals.

Kent netted six for Rangers in 2018/19, a total that doesn’t even eclipse Jack Harrison’s tally from last term. His goal on the opening weekend has been cited as the reason for why Leeds looked elsewhere in the transfer market.

One of Leeds’ strengths falls in a wide area and throwing £7m at Kent would have been foolish.

After all, this is a Leeds team that is yet to feature Helder Costa from the start in the Championship. It’s also a side that can’t find room for a bright prospect in Jack Clarke. So how would the 22-year-old stand any chance himself?

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Clarke rejoined Leeds on loan after moving to Spurs but has played just twice in the cup competitions and rather ironically is probably the victim of Nketiah’s arrival.

Leeds are only allowed five loans in a matchday squad and the Arsenal man became their sixth.

But truth be told, the club should thank its lucky stars that they turned their focus to a striker. If they hadn’t signed Nketiah and went for Kent instead, it would have been baffling.

Leeds only have two first-team strikers as it is, one of which missed 22 games because of injury last season. A striker was what they needed and a striker was what they got.

Adding another winger wouldn’t have made sense. Thus, Orta’s summer decision was the right one.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Arsenal and Aston Villa produced a thrilling encounter at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

For much of the game, it looked as though the Gunners would come away with nothing as the Villans twice took the lead, first through John McGinn and then Wesley Moraes.

However, despite being reduced to ten men after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off for two bookable offences, the Gunners put in a gutsy second-half display to come away with all three points thanks to a 3-2 victory.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It was a big day for Nicolas Pepe, in particular. The Ivory Coast international has endured a slow start to the season, but he finally got his first goal for the club against the promoted side, albeit from the penalty spot. Nevertheless, his display was full of attacking threat.

The 24-year-old led the way in so many of the offensive statistics for Unai Emery’s side. He registered the joint-most shots on target – two, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hitting the same number – and he also had the most successful dribbles, with three. None of his teammates were able to match the four key passes he registered, either, showing that his vision was on point.

In general, his passing was impressive. He had an accuracy of 91.4%, and also provided three accurate crosses. Once again, that was the most on his team, and indeed across both sides.

It was important to note that Pepe was back in his favoured position on the right-wing for this match. Last weekend, against Watford, Emery had decided to play him up front alongside Aubameyang.

While he was not necessarily poor against the Hornets, he was not as effective alongside the Gabon international. Here against Dean Smith’s side, though, he was able to display the full array of weapons he has at his disposal.

The Emirates faithful will be hoping that their team can do it the easier way in future. With Pepe beginning to hit his stride in England, the chances of that happening will only increase.

أعلن الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون المدير الفني للزمالك، تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة الترجي التونسي، في المباراة المقرر إقامتها اليوم الثلاثاء بدوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الزمالك يستضيف الترجي، علي ملعب استاد القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من دور المجموعات للمسابقة القارية.

ويشهد تشكيل الزمالك، تواجد أسامة فيصل في قيادة هجوم الأبيض تشكيل الزمالك أمام الترجي

حراسة المرمي: محمد عبد الرحيم جنش

خط الدفاع: محمود حمدي الونش ومحمود علاء وأحمد عيد وعبد الله جمعة.

خط الوسط: طارق حامد وفرجاني ساسي ويوسف أوباما وأحمد سيد زيزو وأشرف بن شرقي

خط الهجوم: أسامة فيصل.

طالع | بدلاء الزمالك أمام الترجي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. عبد الشافي يجاور شيكابالا وإمام عاشور

ويحتل الزمالك المركز الثالث في ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، برصيد نقطتين، ويتصدر الترجي بـ7 نقاط، ويأتي في المركز الثاني مولودية الجزائر بـ 5 نقاط، ويتذيل الترتيت تونجيث السنغالي بنقطة واحدة.