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The Germany international could return on Thursday, with the Gunners in Europa League action

Mesut Ozil has returned to full training and is in line to make his Arsenal return in Thursday’s Europa League clash with Qarabag at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal confirmed on Wednesday that the former Germany international is back in contention for Unai Emery’s side after recovering from a back injury which has kept him out since last month’s Premier League win over Bournemouth.

Ozil missed matches against Vorskla, Tottenham, Manchester United and Huddersfield Town after sustaining the problem – Arsenal picking up three wins and a draw to extend their unbeaten run to 21 matches in all competitions.

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But the 30-year-old is now available to return, along with Aaron Ramsey (ankle), who was absent from Saturday’s late 1-0 win over Huddersfield.

Ramsey has been in fine form thus far this season, and played a key role in the club’s recent north London derby win over Tottenham.

The Wales international laid on two assists against Spurs, though it remains to be seen if he will be able to earn himself a new contract at the club, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Shkodran Mustafi (hamstring), who came off in the second half of the clash with Huddersfield, remains a doubt and will be assessed ahead of the clash with Qarabag, who are bottom of a Group E table where Arsenal are already confirmed as pool winners.

Given that the game is seen as something of a dead rubber, Unai Emery may choose to blood a number of young players.

Bukayo Saka, Charlie Gilmour, Tyreece John-Jules and Joe Willock are all included in the Gunners’ squad, and Emery has history of playing youth in the competition.

The Gunners beat Vorskla 3-0 last time out, having fielded the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock, Emile Smith-Rowe and Eddie Nketiah.

Indeed, both Smith-Rowe and Willock were on the scoresheet, along with Aaron Ramsey, while Charlie Gilmour, Zechariah Medley and Saka all came off the bench.

Mohamed Salah’s superb effort earned Liverpool a 1-0 win over Napoli to claim second in Group C, drawing effusive praise from Jurgen Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp said an “outstanding” Liverpool team performance stifled Napoli to earn a 1-0 win that secured a place in the Champions League knockout rounds.

Mohamed Salah’s wonderful first-half goal put Liverpool on track at Anfield on Tuesday but they needed a terrific 92nd-minute save from Alisson to deny Arkadiusz Milik and clinch second spot in Group C behind winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool had numerous chances to wrap up the points with Sadio Mane particularly wasteful in front of goal, but last season’s beaten finalists are safely through to the next phase of the competition, much to Klopp’s delight.

“I’m not sure if a manager has ever been more proud of a team than I am at the moment,” Klopp said to BT Sport.

“I said to the boys before the game the only good thing from the first game against Napoli [a 1-0 reverse] that they would have no clue who we are, because it was our ugly brothers, it was not us.

“In the Champions League you usually cannot surprise a team, I don’t know if they were surprised, but we had the opportunity to show more than we did at Napoli, and together with the crowd, it was just outstanding.

“The boys played an outstanding game. You could watch all the Napoli games and you would not find a team that caused them the problems that we did tonight. How we pressed them, they had to change their game completely, they had no real key for us in the build up.

“We defended not with size, just big passion. We were strong, took the ball on good runs, Mo scored an unbelievable goal and Alisson made a save, I have no idea how he can make a save like this, it’s just amazing.

“We could have scored more, that’s obvious. But it makes no difference, 1-0, stay focused, stay compact. It was wild after 65 minutes – counter, counter, counter, everybody lost the ball in the wrong moment. We were cool after that.

“We deserved to win and it’s just brilliant. My respect for Napoli couldn’t be bigger, how strong they are.”

Carlo Ancelotti previously said Napoli would be “a*******” if they did not qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds having established a strong position in the group.

But having seen his side fail to break down Liverpool at Anfield, three-time Champions League winner Ancelotti could not pick faults in Napoli’s overall Group C performance.

“We have to accept it, even if this is very disappointing, as we did everything we could,” Ancelotti said to Sky Sport Italia.

“Over the six games, we perhaps did more than anyone expected and came very close to qualification, so there are no regrets.

“We lacked a little sharpness when building our forward play, as Liverpool pressed us very high and in the second half it was more disorganised from both sides.

“It’s true that Liverpool had chances on the counter, but that’s because we needed to score and so were a little more unbalanced.

“Having a few difficulties against the side that lost the Champions League Final last season is hardly that surprising.

“You can try to look back over regrets, like Angel Di Maria scoring in the last minute [to earn PSG a 2-2 draw on matchday three], but I don’t think there ought to be regrets.

“We did all we could, we were a little unlucky and now hope to rediscover that luck in the Europa League.”

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Kaka blames Mourinho for Real Madrid struggles

October 10, 2019 | News | No Comments

The Brazilian failed to hold down a regular spot in the Blancos starting XI, with the Portuguese preferring Mesut Ozil to him in the lineup

Former Brazil star Kaka claims that Jose Mourinho is partly responsible for his disappointing spell at Real Madrid.

The Ballon d’Or winner joined Madrid from AC Milan in 2009, becoming the second most expensive player ever, but saw injury problems blight his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu. When he regained fitness, Mourinho had taken over as head coach and often left Kaka out of the starting XI.

Kaka believes a combination of the two factors ruined his chance of becoming a star for Real, with Mourinho preferring Mesut Ozil to him in attacking midfield.

“The problem in Madrid was continuity,” Kaka told SporTV. “First, it was because of the injuries. The first year I had a hip problem. I pushed to reach the World Cup and then I had an adductor injury.

“After the Cup I have a knee operation and I’m out for six months. And when I return I have Mourinho. My problem in Madrid was continuity. 

“First for the physical issue and then for the choice of the coach. I spent three years trying to convince Mourinho that he could give me opportunities. But it was his choice, it was beyond my reach.”

Despite the disagreements between the two during their time in Madrid, Kaka says that he has forgiven Mourinho and understands why he left him out of the lineup.

“There is no problem between us,” he continued. “I was in Manchester for a sponsorship gig and I stayed at the hotel where Mourinho lived and we talked for two hours. 

“At some point we had a misunderstanding because I believed that I had to play and he believed that I did not. But they were respectful disagreements. 

“I never rebelled and told him ‘I’m leaving here’, nor did I go before the press to complain. I told him: ‘It’s your choice, but I think you could have other options because I think I should have a chance to play. Now, you must choose.’ 

“He had no arguments. He told me he was not going to play because the position was for Ozil. I thought I could contribute.

“Mourinho is really what you see in the cameras. He has his explosive moments, but he’s a very smart guy. What people see at press conferences is all prepared and planned and knows exactly what they are going to say. The problem I had with him was because of his choices. I thought he was wrong. But the team worked. We won a ;eague and we reached the Champions League semi-finals.”

The caretaker manager has made United a more attacking prospect after replacing Jose Mourinho as he looks to get the club playing attractively again

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Manchester United vibrant attacking approach since he replaced Jose Mourinho is “the way Man United are supposed to play”.

The Norwegian has led the club to four straight wins since being appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season following Mourinho’s sacking, and the Red Devils have netted 14 goals along the way thanks to a more expressive style of play.

But Solskjaer, who played 366 times for the Red Devils alongside thrilling forwards such as Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke under Sir Alex Ferguson, says his players will continue to be asked to assert themselves on the pitch as he looks to thrill the fans in a way not seen under recent managers.

“Pace and power. Man United, that’s what we are! When you have players like we have with the pace of Paul [Pogba], Anthony [Martial], Alexis [Sanchez], Romelu [Lukaku], [Marcus] Rashford… that’s how we played with Andy, Yorkie, with Giggsy and Becks down the sides, you attack quickly when you can,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“And that’s my philosophy as well. If you look at my Molde team, in the years I’ve had them that’s always been how I like to play football: get the ball into their half as quick as you can, if you score fantastic, if not then you’ve got to have patient build-up play.

“No one had to tell me I had loads of talented players, I could see that from outside.

“We didn’t speak too much [with the board] about what’s been going on, to be honest. It was about what you can do to come back to the way we used to play, the way Man United are supposed to play.

“That’s exciting football, and I think we are looking a little bit like we want to see them.”

United host Championship strugglers Reading in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, and Solskjaer has promised changes, including a recall for the returning Sanchez, from whom he is hoping to see improved performances in the weeks to come.

“He’s a quality player and he’ll get the chances to get the best out of himself,” he added of the Chilean. “Of course it’s up to them to get the performances. He’s done fantastic in training, he’s working really hard to get back to his fitness, he’ll get his chances and it’s up to him to take them.

“I’m sure that we will see a lot of Alexis because he is a quality player.”

Following Saturday’s cup fixture, United will head off for a warm-weather training camp in Dubai before their league clash with Tottenham at Wembley on January 13, and Solskjaer says it will be a good opportunity to increase fitness levels.

“We can get fitter and we have to do that through training sessions here, but Dubai is a good chance because that is the first time we get a week of work together. The ones who have not been in the squad, they’ll obviously work on their fitness.

“I still have pictures in my mind: every January, [Sir Alex] with a stopwatch and timing us on all them runs. And that stood us in good stead towards the end of the season, so it is a time too to really work hard. Even though we’ve got plenty of games, we need to work.”

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The Los Blancos man, a key figure under Santiago Solari so far, is expected to be sidelined for three weeks minimum, with a longer period out possible

Real Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente looks set to be out for at least three weeks after he suffered a strain of the adductor muscle in his left groin, the club has confirmed.

Llorente enjoyed a rise to prominence towards the end of 2018 under new manager Santiago Solari, starting their last three La Liga games as well as their Club World Cup wins over Kashima Antlers and Al Ain.

But the 23-year-old will be forced into a likely month-long lay-off, give or take a week, after struggling with the injury during the mid-season break.

Madrid confirmed the injury is a “grade two” problem, meaning Llorente could miss between three and six weeks of football.

He looks likely to at least be out for games against Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Leganes, Real Betis and Sevilla, but a six-week layoff could also see him ruled out of contests with Espanyol, Deportivo Alaves and Atletico Madrid, with any further time out likely to see him miss the Champions League last 16 tie against Ajax in mid-February.

A native to the capital, the Spaniard signed up with Los Blancos as a teenager, and came through the ranks at their Castilla youth academy set-up.

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He made his senior debut for Real Madrid B in 2014, before stepping up for his first appearance with the main team in a 3-0 win over Levante in late 2015.

However, with little in the way of regular game-time, he was subsequently loaned out to Alaves in August 2016 on a one-year deal, where he famously helped the club to a 2-1 win over Barcelona during the subsequent campaign.

Good form saw him recalled into Madrid contention for the 2017-18 season, where he won the Champions League title under Zinedine Zidane after making one appearance during their European odyssey.

Llorente scored his first competitive goal last month in the Club World Cup final against Al Ain, in which he also picked up the Man of the Match award for his performance.

At international level, Llorente has received no senior caps or call-ups, but has played nine times for the nation’s under-21 team, having made his first appearance against Estonia in 2016.

Old Arsenal team-mates Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira will square off at Stade Louis II, with the hosts seeking a first home win of the season

Wednesday’s Cote d’Azur derby between Monaco and Nice will be no ordinary affair. In the dugouts of the respective clubs will be coaches Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, long-time team-mates for Arsenal and France, and fellow ‘Invincibles’.

Life back in France has not started too smoothly for either, with Henry’s Monaco still in the relegation zone, partly due to incredible injury problems for the duration of the season, and Vieira’s Nice having struggled to eighth but now troubled by boardroom issues.

Monaco picked up a good draw against Marseille away from home on Sunday, while Nice come into this fixture off the back of a 1-0 win over Bordeaux.

Game Monaco v Nice
Date Wednesday, January 16
Time 6:00pm GMT /1:00pm ET


In the United States (US), the game can be streamed on beIN SPORTS CONNECT.

US TV channel Online stream
N/A beIN SPORTS CONNECT

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport 3 and livestreamed on BT Sport Live.

UK TV channel Online stream
BT Sport 3 BT Sport Live


Position Monaco players
Goalkeepers Benaglio, Subasic, Sy, L. Badiashile
Defenders Barreca, B. Badiashile, Biancone, Glik, Henrichs, Jemerson, Panzo, Serrano, Sidibe
Midfielders Ait-Bennasser, Diop, Faivre, Golovin, Grandsir, Massengo, Lopes, Pele, Navarro, Tielemans, Thuram
Forwards Falcao, Sylla

Thierry Henry will be without 16 players for the match. New signings Cesc Fabregas, Naldo, Fode Ballo-Toure and William Vainqueur are all ineligible.

An astonishing 12 members of his squad remain laid up through injury, including Jean-Eudes Aholou, Nacer Chadli and Stevan Jovetic.

In addition to these issues, Radamel Falcao has had a virus and is a doubt. Djibril Sidibe may be fit to return, though.

Possible Monaco starting XI: Benaglio; Glik, Jemerson, B. Badiashile; Sidibe, Ait-Bennasser, Tielemans, Henrichs; Lopes, Sylla, Golovin

Position Nice players
Goalkeepers Benitez, Clementia
Defenders Sarr, Burner, Dante, Coly, Pelmard, Atal, Jallet
Midfielders Walter, Cyprien, Tameze, Makengo, Danilo
Forwards Saint-Maximin, Ganago, Sacko, Sylvestre

Nice will have to do without centre-back Christophe Herelle, who has a one-match suspension to serve.

Meanwhile, midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou is missing due to injury along with striker Myziane Maolida.

Mario Balotelli continues to be frozen out and has not been named in the squad.

Possible Nice starting XI: Benitez; Atal, Jallet, Dante, Sarr; Tameze, Cyprien; Sylvestre, Walter, Saint-Maximin ; Sacko



Thierry Henry’s Monaco are priced as 13/10 favourites by bet365. A draw is priced at 11/5 while Nice can be backed at 23/10.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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The reunion between Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira was initially scheduled for before Christmas, yet security concerns over the ‘gilet jaune’ protests saw that encounter pushed back.

If anything, it has done a favour to Monaco, whose fitness concerns are not quite what they were before the winter break, with star man Rony Lopes now back in the fold after a long period on the sidelines.

It has been a turgid season for the men from the principality thus far, and they go into the midweek fixture in the relegation zone and seeking a first home Ligue 1 victory of the season.

While signs of improvement have been evident, most notably thanks to a positive January transfer campaign to date, Henry will have to cope without his new arrivals, who are not eligible for this fixture as they were not on the club’s books when the original match was pencilled in.

Cesc Fabregas and Fode Ballo-Toure both gave fine displays in Marseille at the weekend and will be missed.

Henry, meanwhile, is looking forward to locking horns with an old colleague.

“He is a friend of mine and he is a guy that I admire,” he said.

“Not only for the player, but also for the man, and the game will not change that.

“But it is Monaco versus Nice which is the most important thing, and for a little bit, we are not going to like each other.”

Vieira, meanwhile, has organised his Nice side impressively this season so that they do not concede many goals. However, they have problems going the other way.

He is also looking forward to the midweek encounter.

“It will be our first time facing each other as coaches,” he said. “It will be a moving moment. We shared a lot of things together, but all of this will be forgotten.

“It’s strange to be like that, facing each other on a bench. We began our careers here, he in Monaco and me in Cannes, it is a situation that excites us both. I never imagined for a second that we would end up on the benches like that in such a derby.”

Jurgen Klopp’s side have suffered successive losses but will be confident of bouncing back at the Amex

Liverpool have suffered successive defeats against Manchester City and Wolves, and on Saturday are out to ensure they do not suffer an unwanted hat-trick when they tackle Brighton.

The 2-1 reverse away to Manchester City on January 3 was the first they had suffered in the league all season, and in spite of that result they still command a healthy four-point advantage at the summit.

Brighton’s quest to avoid relegation, meanwhile, is going well thus far. The Amex club are 10 points clear of the bottom three and are undefeated in their last four in all competitions.

Game Brighton vs Liverpool
Date Saturday, January 12
Time 3pm GMT / 10am ET
Stream (US only) fubo TV (7-day free trial)


In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

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US TV channel Online stream
NBCSN fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be played during the blackout period and will not be broadcast or streamed.

UK TV channel Online stream
N/A N/A


Position Brighton players
Goalkeepers Steele, Button
Defenders Bruno, Bong, Duffy, Dunk, Balogun, Schelotto, Montoya, Suttner
Midfielders Stephens, Kayal, Bissouma, Knockaert, Gross, March, Propper
Forwards Locadia, Andone, Murray, Izquierdo

Brighton made eight changes for their FA Cup win over Bournemouth last weekend but are set to return to Premier League mode in this encounter.

Bernardo is out so Gaetan Bong starts at left-back in the only change from their 2-2 draw with West Ham.

Goalkeeper Maty and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are away on Asian Cup duty with Australia and Iran respectively, while Jose Izquierdo is absent.

Confirmed Brighton starting XI: Button; Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Propper, Stephens, Gross, March; Murray, Locadia.

Bench: Steele, Balogun, Bruno, Kayal, Sanders, Knockaert, Andone.

Position Liverpool players
Goalkeepers Alisson, Mignolet, Grabara
Defenders Clyne, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Robertson, Moreno
Midfielders Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita, Henderson, Lallana, Camacho, Jones
Forwards Mane, Salah, Firmino, Sturridge, Shaqiri, Origi

Rhian Brewster and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are still on the injury list long term. Liverpool remain without Joe Gomes and Joel Matip due to a fractured leg and a broken collarbone respectively, although the latter could play against Crystal Palace next week. 

Dejan Lovren is out with a hamstring problem amid the Reds’ injury crisis at centre-back, meaning Fabinho lines up alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Jordan Henderson is fit after he missed Monday’s game with Wolves due to a minor complaint, while Xherdan Shaqiri has been given a start, too.

Confirmed Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Van Djik, Robertson; Henderson, Shaqiri, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Bench: Mignolet, Milner, Keita, Moreno, Origi, Matip, Camacho.



Liverpool are hot 3/10 favourites to come away with the win, according to bet365. Brighton are priced at 10/1 and a draw is 5/1.

Click here to see all of bet 365’s offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.



Liverpool’s unbeaten record may be gone, but there are few signs of their title challenge fading as Jurgen Klopp’s outfit aim to break a duck that has stretched back to 1990.

Defeat to Manchester City is nothing to be ashamed of, while Monday’s FA Cup match against Wolves was certainly not to the top of their priority list. Indeed, the defeat may prove a blessing as it leaves their schedule relatively clear before the pace picks up in February, when the Champions League restarts.

Until then, Liverpool can focus on the league and will be expected to maximise the number of points they take, with a relatively straightforward run against Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, West Ham and Bournemouth.

Roberto Firmino, though, knows that the Reds cannot afford to take any of these fixtures lightly.

“It’ll be a difficult game,” he told the club’s website.

“Losing is obviously always bad; nobody likes to lose, and certainly not me. But now we’ve got to bounce back. We’ve worked hard every day so we’re prepared for the weekend. It’ll be a big game, a difficult game and we’ll do our best to get the three points.

“That’s what the Premier League is all about – it’s intensely competitive. If the team at the top stutters, the second place will overtake them.

“We know we can’t go to sleep and lose silly points. We must maintain our focus until the end of the season.”

On the other side of the fence, Brighton go into the game with the pressure off them. Ten points clear of the relegation zone, they are surprising this season and manager Chris Hughton has played down their expectations for the encounter.

“Can we go into the game with some comfort? We can until kick-off time and then it’s about how you perform on the day,” he said.

“They will be big favourites, as everybody would imagine, and it will be us doing as well as we can on the day.”

Unbeaten in four, including a 1-1 home draw with Arsenal, Brighton have proven themselves to be no pushovers, but they have lost all of their last six against Liverpool – a run they desperately want to arrest.

 

Goromaru sweating on Super Rugby fate

October 10, 2019 | News | No Comments

Ayumu Goromaru’s chance to have a much-awaited match up against his home country is set to be decided by Karmichael Hunt.


Hunt missed last weekend’s game against the Hurricanes with a groin injury , giving Goromaru his first starting opportunity of the year.


The Japanese Test star played the full 80 minutes of that match, but could be pushed to the bench or out of the 23 entirely for Saturday’s match against the Sunwolves if Hunt is fit.


Reds captain James Slipper said he was confident in both Goromaru and Hunt to perform at fullback, regardless of who was ultimately picked.


“We’re still waiting on Karmichael’s injury to see if he’s fit but we’re extremely confident in either player,” he said.


“‘Goro’ did an exceptional job last weekend. The whole team didn’t’ perform at its best,” he said.


“I think ‘Goro’ or Karmichael can do the job this weekend and we’ll be confident in either player.”


This week’s selection battle comes amid reports that Toulon is set to announce its signing of Goromaru by the end of the month, meaning this could be his only chance to meet his compatriots.


Goromaru is one of two Japanese test players in the Reds squad, with Hendrik Tui likely to line up in the back row for the Sunwolves’ first visit to Australia .


Slipper said while the match held significance for the Japanese representative duo, it was as important for the Reds’ season, as they look to notch a third win.


“We definitely have two class players who are pretty keen on playing this game,” he said.


“(They’ve) both played for Japan themselves and I’m sure they know quite a few players that are coming here this weekend.


“It’s going to be an important game for them but important for us as well, one we’re looking forward to.”

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The Reds have won two matches at home, against the Highlanders and the Cheetahs, and Slipper said they wanted to give their fans another chance to celebrate.


“It’s been tough the last couple of weeks,” he said.

 

“We’ve been playing good rugby but at the same time we’ve been disappointed with the end results.

 

“So if we can get back here in front of our fans and get the win against the Sunwolves that’d be ideal and it’s something we’re working hard to achieve.”


The St George Foundation is donating $5000 to the Salvation Army, to support ongoing earthquake relief efforts


Locks Ben Matwijow and Cadeyrn Neville will auction off their one-off headgear to the cause, as part of the Reds’  Be Great, Do Good initiative.


Members of the Gold Coast-based Japan and Friends Society will be at Suncorp to collect donations to further boost relief funds.


Wallabies hooker signs with Rebels

October 10, 2019 | News | No Comments

Wallabies hooker James Hanson will move south at the end of the season, signing a two-year deal with the Melbourne Rebels.

The 26 year old has 78 Super Rugby caps for Queensland but it’s the opportunity to push his Wallabies’ claims that proved most enticing.

“I have aspirations to achieve success at both a Club and International level, and I am confident that I will be able to realise these by moving to Melbourne and joining the Rebels,” Hanson said.

Nine Wallabies caps since his debut in 2012, Hanson has battled for selection alongside Saia Fainga’a at the Reds as well as Wallabies level.

The man known as ‘Chibba’ no stranger to Melbourne as well as Rebels coach Tony McGahan, having played under him during McGahan’s reign as Wallabies’ Coaching Coordinator.

“James’ excellence in the set piece area, added to his ability to contribute to our strong playing group, is invaluable,” McGahan said.

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The addition of Hanson a win for the Rebels, after they lost rising star Cadeyrn Neville to Ballymore for 2016.

Our Fantasy writer reviews an exciting week of English football and picks out the 11 best players from Manchester City, Liverpool, Watford, and more

There was certainly no shortage of excitement in match week 17 of the Premier League. Four teams (Manchester City, Watford, Southampton, Liverpool) recorded three or more goals this week, and all of them picked up wins. No team can win without individual efforts though, which certainly reflected in Fantasy as all four of those clubs have at least one entrant in this edition of the Goal Fantasy Team of the Week, which you can find below.

GK: Martin Dubravka – Newcastle – 1 Game, 6 Saves, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points

DF: Javier Manquillo – Newcastle – 1 Game, 1 Assist, 1 Clean Sheet = 10 Points

While owned by hardly anyone in the Goal game (.16%), Manquillo picked up an impressive 10 points for those that did select the Spaniard this week. The clean sheet was well earned, although not exactly a shock as it came against a Cardiff, but the assist was definitely a collector’s item as it was just his second in five Premier League seasons. Because of that, the Newcastle defender has a very low ceiling and, therefore, very little value.

DF: Kieran Trippier – Tottenham – 1 Game, 1 Clean Sheet = 7 Points

DF: Jose Holebas – Watford – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 2 Goals Conceded = 7 Points

MF: Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Arsenal – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 14 Points

This has certainly not been the season that Arsenal fans, or Mkhitaryan himself would have imagined, but he looked much better on Sunday, Despite the loss, the Armenian midfielder managed a brace against Southampton, thereby doubling his goal total for the season. Having played more than 60 minutes just four of the last 10 matches, the 29-year-old is far from a lock in Fantasy, but it’s nice to be reminded of the player he can be on his day.

MF: Xherdan Shaqiri – Liverpool – 1 Substitute Appearance, 2 Goals = 13 Points

MF: Gerard Deulofeu – Watford – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points

MF: Eden Hazard – Chelsea – 1 Game, 1 Goal, 1 Assist = 11 Points

Hazard has refound his form of late, having recorded an impressive five assists in the last four matches. That, plus his goal today, means the Chelsea talisman has already been involved in more goals this season (17) than last (16). The Belgian international is now only behind Mohamed Salah and, with the more favourable schedule of the two, don’t be surprised if Hazard overtakes him by the New Year.

MF: Sadio Mane – Liverpool – 1 Game, 1 Goal = 8 Points

FWD: Gabriel Jesus – Manchester City – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 12 Points

Having been largely ineffective in his first four starts, Jesus stepped up in a big way on Saturday, scoring two of Manchester City’s three goals against Everton. To be fair, this kind of fantasy performance was coming for the Brazilian as he was way underperforming in expected goals. In fact, he’s still in line for more goals by that metric but, with Aguero returning to fitness, it’s likely that Jesus will not get another chance to do so anytime soon.

FWD: Danny Ings – Southampton – 1 Game, 2 Goals = 12 Points

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