59-year record broken

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Front Row Preview

Manchester United vs Arsenal

Sunday 12 May, 16:30 BST - Sky Sports 

And then there were two… 

That’s two Matchweeks left to go and two teams left fighting for the title.

One contender - Arsenal - faces Manchester United on Sunday… and the other - Manchester City - face Fulham on Saturday (stats for this fixture below). 

So… on paper Arsenal have the tougher fixture. Even Opta’s “supercomputer” predicts that Arsenal are more likely than not to drop points in this match. 

It’s clear why the AI model predicts this.

The history between the clubs has been more favourable to United… as they’ve lost just one of their last 16 Premier League home games against Arsenal (10 W, 5 D). 

And the model is probably weighted heavily towards historical results. 

But, if current form means anything then we’re not so sure Arteta’s men will drop any points…

• Arsenal have won 14 of their last 16 Premier League games (1 L 1 D)…

• … and the Gunners have kept 10 clean sheets away from home in the Premier League. 

Plus, United’s injury list is growing by the day. They’ve used 14 different centre-back combinations this season - Arsenal have used just three. 

Chopping and changing a defence against the team with the most goals in the league (88) doesn’t bode well.

Either way, be sure to check in on City’s result on Saturday. While they too are unlikely to drop points, an upset from Fulham could change the mood of this game entirely.

• 💉 Manchester United Quick Hit: Manchester United have conceded 81 goals in all competitions this season, their most in a single campaign since 1976-77.

• 💉 Arsenal Quick Hit: Bukayo Saka has been in five Premier League goals against United, with three goals and two assists - a goal contribution in each of his last four appearances against the Red Devils.

Last night’s results…

Europa League Semi-Final: Atalanta 3 (4) - (1) 0 Marseille | Bayer Leverkusen 2 (4) - (2) 2 Roma

Conference League Semi-Final: Olympiakos 2 (6) - (2) 0 Aston Villa

Matchday 37 Snapshot

Fulham vs Manchester City (Saturday 11, 12:30 BST - TNT Sports)

→ Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League games (16 wins, four draws). They have won each of their last six while netting four or more goals in five of them.

→ Fulham have won just one of their last 15 home Premier League games against City and Marco Silva’s men are winless in three league games at Craven Cottage.

→ In the reverse fixture, Fulham felt hard done by as Nathan Aké’s goal was controversially allowed to stand amid appeals for offside in a 2-1 loss.

Tottenham vs Burnley (Saturday 11, 15:00 BST)

→ Failing to win at Spurs will see Burnley relegated from the Premier League for the fourth time. But the Clarets have lost all of their league games against teams starting the day in the top five this season. 

→ Spurs will be looking to bounce back from their longest losing run since 2004 (4). If Burnley wins, Ange Postecoglou will be on the longest losing run by a Tottenham manager since Ossie Ardiles in 1994. 

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea (Saturday 11, 17:30 BST - Sky Sports)

→ Nottingham Forest have not won consecutive Premier League games since December but need a win to seal safety from relegation.  

→ The Blues have not won an away match in five and have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 14 away games, despite being strong favourites to win this game. 

Link to this weekend’s fixture list here.

Head Start

🤯 Record broken: Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen set a European record for the longest unbeaten run (49) after drawing 2-2 with Roma last night. They surpassed Benfica’s 48 streak which the Portuguese side set by avoiding defeat from December 1963 to February 1965. Leverkusen’s draw means they’re through to the Europa League final and are on track to win a treble whilst remaining unbeaten for the entire season. 

🫡 Todd Boehly backs Poch: Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has publicly backed manager Mauricio Pochettino amid speculation about his future, saying that he has been impressed by the team’s upturn in form. Boehly also said that The Blue's recent form is proof that the club’s plan is “coming together”.

🔵 Everton takeover: Two multimillionaire Evertonian businessmen and US firm MSP Sports Capital will be targeted as potential buyers of Everton. This comes as reports suggest that the proposed takeover by 777 Partners has been on the brink of collapse after the Miami-based group have faced several setbacks.

Scouting Report

How managers assess players… leaked scout report

There’s not long left to go in the season.

And soon we’re going to be hearing about summer transfers - some good and others bad.

Last year, one of Jose Mourinho’s scouting reports during his first spell at Chelsea was leaked online and it gives insight into what clubs will be looking out for when signing players. 

While the leaked scouting reports were for tactical use - and not scouting - they essentially do the same thing.

Here’s what the scouting report looked like… 

Don’t worry if you can’t read the text as we’ve picked out the best parts… 

On Lionel Messi, the report said: "Quality + speed, but very left-footed. Exactly the same behaviours as Ronaldinho. Inside between lines or diagonals. Encourages team forward by ball driving. Amazing 1 vs 1. If the option is to foul him, it's important to do it outside the box and as early as possible.”

Even as early as 2006 Messi was causing chaos. But the two most interesting reports were…

… On Ronaldinho, the report said: “Very poor defensive transition and defensive work -- exploit. Constant cheater -- falls easily."

… And Carlos Puyol, the report said: "Aggressive, but very emotional. Gets crazy with the referee… bad positional sense and bad leadership of defence.”

Bad leadership?!

So, safe to say, scout reports aren’t always the most reliable.

But the report most admired Samuel Eto’o, saying that he was “explosive and aggressive with or without the ball. Skills in tight spaces. Defensively very strong.”

Heck, no wonder Mourinho was desperate to sign the Cameroonian for Inter Milan only a few years later.

Off The Pitch

🪩 The Eurovision final is on this weekend, Saturday 11 May - 21:00 CEST (More)

🧠 It has been 100 days since the first participant received a Neuralink implant (More)

🐬 Young Dolphins ‘deliberately get high’ on puffer fish a new documentary finds (More)

👶 UK toddler has hearing restored in world's first gene therapy trial (More)

🏢 Saudi authorities have been permitted to use lethal forces to clear land for a futuristic desert city Neom (More)

🪱 Robert F Kennedy Jr says a worm ate part of his brain and then died (More)

😬 A property developer turned drug dealer sprinted away from questions after leaving a UK Crown Court (More)

Fantasy Premier League

Captaincy for Gameweek 37 🫡

Gameweek (GW) 37 is exciting for two reasons: everyone is using their Bench Boost and it’s the last double GW of the season. 

(The Bench Boost chip turns your benched players into point-scoring players, meaning you have a 15-man team for one GW only.) 

Sounds great R1… so who’s got a double GW? 

Six teams in total:

• Manchester City - Fulham (A), Spurs (A)

• Chelsea - Nottingham Forest (A), Brighton (A)

• Manchester United - Arsenal (H), Newcastle (H)

• Newcastle United - Brighton (H), Manchester United (A)

• Tottenham - Burnley (H), Man City (H)

• Brighton - Newcastle (A), Chelsea (H)

OK. Who should I transfer in?

Look no further… we got that one covered here. 

And, who should I captain? 

Well, according to Fantasy Football Hub’s point predictor, there are three potential picks for captaincy:

🥇 Erling Haaland (£14.2m) - Fulham (A), Spurs (A) - 15.5 Predicted Points

🥈 Heung-min Son (£9.9m) - Burnley (H), Man City (H) - 13.1 Predicted Points

🥉 Alexander Isak (£8.4m) - Brighton (H), Manchester United (A) - 12.3 Predicted Points

Warning to those who like to play FPL on the edge… 90% of managers are planning to captain Haaland this week - so be warned if you’re going differential!

Game Face On

Question: Which player holds the record for most assists in a single Champions League season?

Hint: A Liverpool player set the record record in 2017/18.

Scroll below for the answer.

Extra Time

Three months ago Gary Neville made a wild prediction about Manchester United.

Champions League final tickets, who gets them and how much do they cost?

Here’s how the Championship table changed throughout the season… it’s wild.

AI chooses the optimal Free Hit GW 37 FPL team.

On this day in 1947: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales FA’s rejoined FIFA after a long-standing disagreement.

Long read: A big decision for Liverpool: Stick or Twist with Darwin Núñez?

Answer: James Milner, 9 assists in 2017/18

“Lionel Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe Cole can do as well, if not better.”

-Steven Gerrard