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Crystal Palace return to Premier League action on Saturday at home to rock-bottom club Huddersfield Town.

Following consecutive defeats, at home to fierce rivals Brighton in the league and then away at Watford in the FA Cup, pressure has started to mount on boss Roy Hodgson.

With dreams of silverware put aside for another year, the Eagles are yet to secure safety, and are only five points clear of the relegation zone with eight games still to play.

This weekend’s clash at Selhurst Park could prove to be a make-or-break game for the former England manager. The Terriers are all but down, 16 points adrift at the foot of the table and with one win in their last 18 league outings. But could this work to Palace’s detriment?

What’s the word?

Recent performances have demonstrated some fight and will in the Terriers’ tank, following Jan Siewert’s appointment in late January. In their last outing, they fell to an unfortunate injury-time 4-3 defeat at West Ham after leading for the majority of the match. Two-and-a-half weeks earlier, they beat FA Cup semi-finalists Wolves with a late winner of their own, demonstrating some promise.

They haven’t quite given up, then, and they’re perhaps not as bad as their league position suggests. Add to that the fact really they have little to lose, as opposed to Hodgson and Palace who will be feeling the heat by the time kick-off comes around.

Huddersfield’s biggest threat

The main problem that Palace will have to deal with is likely to be Karlan Grant. The 21-year-old has quickly emerged as a new favourite at the John Smith’s Stadium since his January move from Charlton Athletic and he has enjoyed his transition from League One to the Premier League.

Grant has three goals in six league appearances for Huddersfield and netted twice in that heart-breaking defeat to the Hammers, making him the Yorkshire side’s joint top-scorer this season.

The former England under-19 international will be keen to add to his tally at Selhurst Park, and with the Eagles not having kept a clean sheet in the league since the start of February, Grant will be confident of continuing his rich vein of form.

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Ralph Hasenhuttl is confident Southampton’s away form can keep them in the Premier League this season.

Southampton travel to Brighton this weekend in what is sure to be a hotly contested clash.

The two sides are separated by just three points, and a 3-0 win for the Saints would actually move them above the Seagulls on goals scored.

And Hasenhuttl, who has so far won six out of 17 games in charge, thinks it is these away trips that will make all the difference going down the stretch.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

What did he say?

“I know that we’ve had a few very good results on away games,” Hasenhuttl said, as reported by Sky Sports.

“The last two against the big teams we also played well but we couldn’t take points. So it could be interesting not playing that good but taking more points.

“So for us the focus is on having a good performance, having a good stable defence and then I know that we can score always, also in away games.”

Au contraire

Hasenhuttl’s declaration that “I know that we can score always” must be music to the ears of fans who watched all the dross under Mark Hughes, but the boss is way off the mark if he’s looking at the club’s away games to keep them up.

After the home clash against Liverpool, the final three home games of the season are against Wolves and Bournemouth, who could both have nothing left to play for by that point, before a clash against Huddersfield on the last day, who are sure to be already relegated.

Quite simply, the gaffer should be looking at those three fixtures with nine points in mind, nine points that will take his side to within a point of that sacred 40-point marker.

The away trips meanwhile are to Brighton, Newcastle, Watford and West Ham, none of which are elite but all take great pride in making their home grounds very difficult to play in.

If Southampton are to stay up, it will be the goals at St. Mary’s that do the trick, not the wondergoals at places like Old Trafford.

Barnsley had gone a remarkable total of 118 days unbeaten in League One before they faced Burton Albion on Saturday.

During this period, Daniel Stendel’s Tykes played 20 games and amassed a total of 44 points which saw them move into second place behind runaway leaders Luton Town. With only six games to play before the end of the season, it was looking increasingly likely that the Yorkshire-based outfit were going to extend their run up to May.

However, the Brewers had different ideas at the weekend as goals from Jamie Allen, Liam Boyce and Marcus Harness secured the victory for the home side at the Pirelli Stadium and thus snapping Barnsley’s streak.

Although the defeat to Burton was compounded by victories for promotion challengers Sunderland and Portsmouth, it may have been a blessing in disguise for the Tykes. During their run, they dropped points in no fewer than eight of their games which allowed their rivals to keep within striking distance of them.

It could be argued that the value of remaining unbeaten during this period inadvertently prevented Barnsley from going all out for victories and so by losing at the weekend, they may in fact benefit over the next month.

Indeed, the fact that Sunderland have the same amount of points as the Tykes but still have two games in hand means that Stendel’s side no longer are in control of their own destiny yet they remain in a good position to secure automatic promotion if the Black Cats slip-up.

However, even if they are usurped from the top two positions in May, the Tykes will still have a second chance of achieving promotion via the play-offs, which they have a great recent relationship with. In 2006, Barnsley achieved promotion from League One by defeating Swansea City in the final whilst a decade later they repeated the feat by emerging victorious over Millwall. A third consecutive victory in the knock-out competition therefore would not be entirely out of the question, especially when you consider how well Stendel’s side have been playing this season.

What do you think Barnsley fans? Can your side bounce back from defeat at Burton? Would you be confident of them securing promotion via the play-offs this season? Get in touch below.

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This season Aston Villa have done tremendously well in the loan market. Tammy Abraham has been scoring goals for fun whilst Tyrone Mings’ addition in January couldn’t have turned out any better.

But one loanee, who may well now be a bit of a forgotten man having been out for so long through injury, is Axel Tuanzebe.

The Manchester United man performed well during the first half of the season but hasn’t pulled on a Villa shirt since 15th December due to a metatarsal problem.

However, after appearing among the substitutes bench for the first time since his return against Blackburn on Saturday, Tuanzebe is ready to play a major part in Villa’s remaining matches.

A play-off place is anything but secure for Dean Smith’s side who, despite occupying sixth place, have Derby breathing down their necks. The Rams are a point behind with a game in hand so it’s likely it’ll come down to the wire. Villa still have to play Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds and Norwich this term too.

But the return of Tuanzebe is timely and can give them the defensive foundations required to remain tight and compact during such a pressure point of the season.

It may be a significant amount of responsibility to harbour on a 21-year-old’s shoulders but now in his second spell with Villa, he knows how to meet expectations.

The return of the 6 ft defender could see either him or Kortney Hause move into a full-back position. Both are adept in those roles and there is no moving Mings who has one of the centre-back roles on lockdown.

Tuanzebe’s composure with the ball at his feet makes him a great candidate for either role, though, with the defender boasting a better best pass % rate, per WhoScored, than Hause and Mings.

James Chester leads the way in terms of clearances per game for the club, but Tuanzebe is then only second to Mings in that regard. The versatile defender is only behind his fellow loanee in tackles per game too.

But an area where he is greater than the Bournemouth loan star is headed aerial duels, an attribute that without Chester and Tommy Elphick, Villa haven’t always dominated in.

It might feel strange to pin your hopes on such a young player, but among the creative hubs of John McGinn and Jack Grealish and the attacking potency of Abraham, Tuanzebe can become key.

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To pardon the pun, Nuno Santo’s team were all over Arsenal like a pack of wolves on Wednesday evening. They were exceptional, putting a shambolic and embarrassing Gunners team to the sword as they won 3-1 at Molineux.

Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves were both vital to the win and the latter returned to form in some fashion. The team as a whole were also back in form, ending a run of three matches without a victory.

But of course they’d turn up against a big side. Wolves have done it so often since being promoted and they more than capitalised on Arsenal’s mental block away from home to pick up their 16th point against one of the top six in 2018/19.

But in Wolves’ ruthless display, one man and their most potent player this season nearly went missing. Raul Jimenez was barely involved in the build-up play on the night, and his displays since becoming the club’s record signing at the start of the month have dropped off a little.

Indeed the rest of the team have been poor since the FA Cup semi-final but Jimenez’s performances over the last three games have seen him go goalless, something that might develop into a concern considering the £30m they’ve now spent on him.

The Midlands club scored three on Wednesday but it could have been a lot more, particularly if Jimenez had been in form.

He spurned a fantastic chance with the score at 0-0, firing over from close range after Willy Boly’s flick on.

It summed up his day, failing to have a single effort on target whilst even against an Arsenal defence that has been bullied repeatedly, he didn’t win any aerial duels.

Raul Jimenez is turning it on for Wolves and Mexico right now! He definitely deserves the song in the video below…

His lack of dribbles and the fact he was also dispossessed led to a further disappointing evening for the Mexican who never really found himself in the thick of the action.

The 27-year-old has been magnificent this season and there is no denying his quality. After all, he’s found the net on 17 occasions, but this was a rare off day and one where Jota outshone him.

The transfer market has gone wild in recent years, and it does not look like it is stopping anytime soon.

The money and fame of the Premier League have turned an already lucrative market into a beast akin to a Wall Street boom on steroids. Money is flying in from far and wide to pay greedy agent fees, huge wage bills, wonderkids, flops, hidden gems, star players, idols, legends and more.

We are undergoing a confusing period of transition here in the English topflight; no one knows exactly what is going on or quite how to behave. Hugely inflated price tags are being slapped on players who barely warranted half of the £190m (exaggeration) demand in the relatively sensible market of old.

Take Richarlison, for example. The Brazilian has been mightily impressive since making his move to Goodison Park, scoring 12 goals in 31 Premier League appearances so far this term. Maybe even good enough to see a marginal hike in value on the already huge £35 million – expected to rise to £50 million – it set the Toffees back to secure his services from Watford at the beginning of the season.

But the club have something a little grander in mind.

According to Football Insider, an Everton source has revealed that the club believe the Brazilian’s value has nearly doubled and they are sitting on an “£80 million goldmine”.

Now, we understand that Richarlison is a very good player. His age, pace, typical Brazilian flair and skill, and versatility on the forward line is genuinely something to be admired. However, £80 million seems a little farfetched.

Where is the value, after all?

Clubs invest big nowadays not just in players but in global figures. Superstars, if you will. Individuals who will produce the goods both on and off the pitch as individual enterprises in their own right. Richarlison is yet to build up the kind of profile your Mbappe’s, Neymar’s, Pogba’s and Ronaldo’s of the world have.

And until he has, his value should be tamed.

Everton fans, if you were to sell Richarlison, how much would you want in this market? Let us know in the comments below…

Although a lot has been made of Sheffield United’s rise in recent years, it could be argued that Chris Wilder would not have been able to achieve the success that he has at the club without his experiences at Oxford United and Northampton Town.

After moving to the Kassam Stadium in 2008 after a seven-year spell at Halifax Town, the 51-year-old missed out on securing a top-five finish in his debut season in charge of the Yellows before launching a challenge for the Conference title a year later.

Having led the standings at Christmas, a bad run of form for Oxford saw them have to settle for the play-offs where they would gain promotion to the Football League via a 3-1 win over York City in the final of the competition. Following four more years with the U’s, Wilder decided that it was time for a new challenge and so when Northampton came calling, he decided to make the switch.

Inheriting a side who were in need of a miracle to avoid relegation to the Conference, the former Alfreton boss entered the last two matches of the 2013/14 campaign needing two victories. Instead of opting for experience, Wilder decided to hand teenager Ivan Toney a start against Dagenham & Redbridge in what turned out to be a masterstroke as the forward scored twice in a 3-0 victory before backing it up with another goal in a 3-1 win against Oxford a week later.

These results kept the Cobblers in League Two and following a year of consolidations at Sixfields, Wilder assembled a squad which would go on to secure promotion as champions in 2016. This remarkable turnaround in fortunes was even more impressive when you consider that Northampton had received a winding-up order during this particular period before Kelvin Thomas eventually saved the club (via the BBC).

Wilder’s experience of overcoming adversity in the past could prove to be vital during the culmination of the current Championship campaign. With the Blades third in the league standings and three points behind automatic promotion rivals Leeds United, they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to finish in the top-two in May.

Having failed to pick up victories in their last two games, some United fans may be concerned about the mental strength of the players at Bramall Lane. However, whereas last season saw the club fall away at the back-end of the year, Wilder will not let his side repeat the same mistakes, especially when you consider that he has a much-better squad at his disposal.

If the Blades do however miss out to Leeds, they should not fear the prospect of the play-offs despite their miserable record in the competition. With the top three in the second tier being well ahead of the rest of the division in terms of consistency and quality, it would be incredibly surprising if Wilder does not lead his side to the Premier League via this particular avenue in May.

What do you think Blades fans? Can you club overcome recent adversity to secure promotion? Will Wilder’s previous experiences help him gain an edge over Marcelo Bielsa? Let us know below.

أكد أحمد حسام ميدو المدير الفني السابق للزمالك، أن الظروف التي تدور في الفترة الحالية داخل القلعة البيضاء صعبة جداً، خاصة قبل المواجهة المصيرية أمام الرجاء في إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتشهد الفترة الحالية قرار إيقاف لرئيس الزمالك مرتضي منصور من قبل اللجنة الأولمبية لـ4 سنوات، كما تم إعلان بطلان لائحة النادي من جانب لجنة التسوية والتحكيم.

طالع | ممدوح عباس: الزمالك يستطيع الطعن على قرار التسوية.. والمشاكل لن تؤثر على الفريق

وقال ميدو خلال برنامجه “أوضة اللبس” على قناة “النهار”: “لدي معلومات كثيرة فيما يخص مشاكل الزمالك خارج الملعب، لكن لن أتحدث عنها، حديثي سيكون فنيًا، والفريق يحتاج إلى الدعم في الوقت الحالي”.

وأضاف: “الظروف صعبة جدًا على الزمالك، فريق الكرة سيتأثر بما يحدث، وموقف النادي صعب”.

وتابع: “لكن أثق في لاعبي الزمالك، لأنه كلما اشتد الموقف صعوبة عليهم أثبتوا للجميع كالعادة أنهم رجالا وعلى قدر المسئولية”.

وأتم: “بعد أنباء طلب الأمن تأجيل نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، أخشى أن يتم نقل النهائي خارج مصر”.

وكان الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم كاف قد قرر إقامة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا هذا الموسم في مصر.

وتأهل الأهلي إلى المباراة النهائية بعد الفوز على الوداد المغربي، ويتنظر الفائز من مواجهة الزمالك أمام الرجاء المحدد لها يوم الأحد المقبل في القاهرة. 

تحدث حكيم زياش لاعب فريق تشيلسي عن الفوز الذي حققوه على بيرنلي، اليوم السبت، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في الجولة السابعة من البريميرليج، حيث فاز تشيلسي بثلاثة أهداف دون رد. أهداف تشيلسي وبيرنلي

وقدم زياش أداءً مميزًا في المباراة، وتمكن من تسجيل الهدف الأول وصناعة الثالث.

وقال زياش، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “الأمر يكون صعبًا دائمًا بعد خوض المباريات في البطولات الأوروبية، أعتقد أننا قدمنا مباراة جيدة”.

وأضاف: “بدأنا بشكل جيد ولم نواجه مشاكل على الإطلاق، كان لدى بيرنلي فرصة واحدة في البداية، ولكن بعد ذلك سيطرنا على المباراة”.

وواصل: “لقد كان أسبوعًا جيدًا بالنسبة لي، آمل أن نتمكن من الاستمرار، أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة وأشعر أنني في بيتي، كل شيء على ما يرام”.

وسجل زياش هدفًا في مباراة الأربعاء الماضي أمام كراسنودار في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتابع: “عليك أن تلعب بثقة ولا تخاف من ارتكاب الأخطاء، وإلا فلن تسير الأمور كما يُفترض، كل أسبوع نتخذ خطوات، دعونا نواصل على هذا النحو”.

With another dominant domestic display, Celtic have wrapped up all but the Scottish Cup, which is the next accolade on their agenda. With only two games to go in the best case scenario when it comes to that competition, you Bhoys must be living in absolute dreamland. 

Neil Lennon is the man tasked with achieving just that, with the potential for so much more than a trophy should he win.

Clearly, Celtic are desperate to reach the next level and whatever manager they deem fit to try and bring that to Paradise, fans will be right behind.

Success is second nature for this team but in order to continue that streak, importance will be on recruitment and who they deem will improve the team as a whole. It’s unknown as to whether Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke will be at Celtic Park after this season so the need for a striker yet again is of the utmost importance.

A player they once considered (as per the Chronicle back in January) before being beaten to his signature is Josh Maja and that is someone Peter Lawwell should contemplate moving for again.

Maja, (who is valued at £1.5 million on Transfermarkt) was regarded as one of the better League One strikers until he moved away from Sunderland in January. However, since his move to Bordeaux, the Englishman would have arguably hoped for a better transition into the team.

With only five appearances in Ligue 1 since January, it could be possible that Josh Maja will again be on the move this summer and Celtic could be one of many teams to appeal as a better option for him. Indeed, they should aim to rescue the youngster from his time in France, offering him the chance to develop like so many other young talents have in Glasgow.

A talent like this is too good to ignore. Perhaps he chose the wrong move at the wrong time but by making a quick move for the former Black Cat, the Hoops could hit a masterstroke.

His electric pace and incredible finishing ability would work wonders at Celtic, especially if he can rediscover the goalscoring form he displayed during his time at the Stadium of Light.

Maja was so impressive during his time in England so a loan move at least to Celtic could help him get back to his best and that can only a good thing for all involved.

Celtic fans, are you still keen on Josh Maja? If not, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below…