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Can you believe it?! Gameweek 15 is on your doorstep.

It feels like gameweek 14 was just a couple of days ago. Oh wait… it was.

Well, we know you live a busy life, so today’s briefing will keep you on top of your game - metaphorically and literally.

And a quick FPL reminder, your gameweek 15 transfer deadline is 6 o’clock tonight!

Don’t stress if you’re struggling with FPL this week, we have you covered with The Ultimate Guide to Gameweek 15.

Let’s get into it, Router.

Today’s briefing is a ~3 min read:

1. Day 1 preview of Gameweek 15… Wolves vs Burnley… Luton vs Arsenal 🤩

2. Extra time: Son rises to the big occasions 😯

3. Stephen Ireland's Secret World Class 9-a-side Team 🪄

Morning Brief 🗞️

GAMEWEEK 15 - DAY 1 PREVIEW 🤩

WOLVES VS BURNLEY

7.30 pm - Amazon Prime Video

The first game of Gameweek 15 kicks off tonight.

Off the back of Burnley’s 5-0 victory over Sheffield United, they’ll be feeling confident.

Burnley fans will be confident after hearing that Wolves have failed to win any of their last seven matches against Burnley in all competitions.

And… weirdly enough, Wolves don’t like coming against any promoted sides - having failed to win their last five games against them.

Maybe Wolves are just one of those teams that match their opponent…

You want to know something else…? Burnley have gone unbeaten in their last 17 midweek fixtures.

Sorry… what?! Are we talking about the same Burnley side that we’re seeing this season?

That said, Gary O’Neil’s Wolves have been impressive this season. That’s even considering how unlucky they’ve been.

If Burnley wants to riggle out of the relegation zone, this game might be their chance.

• 💉 Quick hit: Wolves have won seven of their last 19 Premier League games played on Tuesdays. That's their highest win rate (36.8%) on a specific day in the competition.

—

LUTON VS ARSENAL

7.30 pm - Amazon Prime Video

Ok, so if we look at both teams’ current form, we see a clear pattern…

• Luton: LDLWL

• Arsenal: WWWWW

Easy win for top of the table, Arsenal, right?

Well… yes and no.

Look, Arsenal will probably win.

But Luton has proven to be stubborn at home. Spurs only got a 1-0 win and Liverpool clutched onto a draw in the equivalent fixture.

Arsenal’s away record isn’t all that special this season, either. They sit 11th in the league in terms of expected goals scored away (9.71) and are slightly underperforming with just nine goals.

Luton are also fifth best when it comes to expected clean sheets at home this season.

So… while Arteta’s men will likely secure all-three points, don’t expect them to bulldoze the newly promoted side.

• 💉 Quick hit: Luton won 1-0 the last time these sides met… on December 26 1991!

EXTRA-TIME ⏱️

Jeff Stelling is back as the TalkSport Breakfast host… expect his notoriously high decibel levels and continuous mentions of Hartlepool.

No stopping Mac Allister’s screamer against Fulham. And the excited Arab commentary fits perfectly with such a wonder strike.

Erling Haaland was not happy after the final whistle on Sunday night. The Robot had zero shots on target in a game where he had five shots for the first time in his career… frustrated.

The bigger team the better for Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son. He becomes the first player to score away against four different reigning champions in the Premier League.

When you forget NOT to celebrate… Chelsea’s Levi Colwill scores against his former club Brighton but gets carried away in the moment.

Stephen Ireland's Secret World Class 9-a-side Team 🪄

Stephen Ireland organises a 9-a-side game in Chesire every week. 

But it’s not an ordinary 9-a-side. It’s only open to retired Premier League players. Yet, it sounds like a few of them still have lots of ability.

We have the inside scoop on who plays and Ireland’s plans for the team. 

The team does not have a name yet so we will refer to them as the Once-Upon-A-Prime. 🤣

Here’s a list of the regulars who play for Once-Upon-A-Prime:

• Papiss Cisse

• Oumar Niasse

• Stephen Ireland

• Antonio Valencia

• Phil Barnsley 

• Danny Drinkwater

• Joleon Lescott 

• Danny Simpson

• Ravel Morrison

Stephen Ireland tells Ladbrokes Fan Zone, "I've managed to put together a great group of lads, and we all play together regularly now.”

The comradery between the players is building…

"We go for drinks, socials, games of paddle, runs, anything really. I organise so many games because I just want to get everyone together.”

The old boys still have ability judging by Ireland’s confidence.

"Our 11 is good enough to play in League One, I'm telling you.”

“I'm the best, by a mile! I'm still a top dog, in that group, don't worry about that. I don't think I've lost in something like 48 games, but who's counting?”

Ireland famously claimed to get the better of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes when he played against them. So there is good reason to believe the standard is high. 

Each game is high stakes. The losing team faces forfeits and must cover the cost of the pitch. 

"The losing team has to pay for the pitch, some cost a few hundred quid, some cost £10 per man, it just depends where we're playing.

"There's forfeits, too. We'll vote for the worst player, and they'll have to wear an outfit chosen by the rest of us for a night out. There are shot forfeits when we get back to the bar, and we're constantly stitching each other up.”

The Once-Upon-a-Prime-9s on tour? We’d love to see it. 

“I'd love to take it on the road a bit…”

"We're already planning our Christmas do, and the next step for me is to take this group chat on the road, I think.”

“Maybe go to Ireland and play a team over there, maybe the same in the USA. I think there's something in it; a documentary or a TV show or something... that's my thinking behind it.”

The bottom line: we want to see this 9-a-side team in action for ourselves….

"Every game is carnage because everyone is so competitive. It gets really bad; we've had to start paying for a proper referee and everything, because there always ends up being wars on the pitch. It's madness!”

"People coming to watch, or teams that are on after us, must just be thinking that's not right at all, how rowdy it gets, it's insane.”

"We've had players walk off; their heads have gone so they've jumped in their car and drove off halfway through the game. It's so funny; everyone looks forward to it.”

The team has proved to be a good networking tool for some of the players and managers involved. 

Apparently, Papiss Cissé and Oumar Niasse are still looking good according to Alex Bruce.

Bruce ended up inviting the pair to Macclesfield training to “up the standards”.

Something special is brewing in Chesire and we want to know more. 

The R1 team are enquiring about an old-fashioned 7 vs 7 against Stephen’s side.

MEME 😆