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A promising Rangers injury update has emerged ahead of the Scottish Premiership clash with Dundee on Wednesday evening, shared on social media by journalist Joshua Barrie.
The Gers suffered a damaging 3-2 defeat away to Ross County last weekend, in a result that could ultimately prove to be so costly come the end of the season. At half-time, it looked as though Philippe Clement's side were on their way to another victory, leading 1-0, but the manner in which they fell apart was a real concern.
Having drawn 3-3 at home to Celtic as well, the importance of victory away to Dundee in midweek cannot be downplayed, having allowed the Hoops an advantage in the Scottish Premiership title race.
They now have a four-point lead at the top of the table, but Rangers' game on Wednesday will give them the chance to narrow the gap to just one. Going into the match, there are still injury concerns for Clement, with a number of players unavailable for yet another hugely important game. That includes the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz, Oscar Cortes and Ryan Jack, meaning they won't be at full strength for their midweek showdown.
Taking to X on Tuesday, Barrie claimed that Yilmaz won't be out injured in the long-term, even though he is out of the Dundee game, providing quotes from Clement's pre-match press conference in the process:
"Clement is confident Ridvan won't be out long-term but can't put a timeframe on his return yet. 'I'm sure it's not going to be long-term, he's on the pitch training individually.'"
This has to be considered good news for Rangers, even though they won't be able to call upon the services of Yilmaz on Wednesday night, considering there will have been fears about him potentially being out for the rest of the season.
The Turk hasn't featured for the Gers since the middle of the March, playing in the 1-0 defeat at home to Benfica in the Europa League, and Clement needs him back in the fold as soon as possible. That has only heightened because of Borna Barisic's form, with the left-back taken off early in the loss to Ross County, being handed a three-out-of-10 rating in the process.
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It is important that Rangers don't rush Yilmaz back prematurely – fielding an under-cooked player is something that won't be of any help to anyone – but the hope is that he is fit and available for the end of the season, coming back into the team and playing his part in what could be a memorable Scottish Premiership title triumph for Clement and his players.
For now, three points at Dundee simply have to be taken, closing the gap on Celtic and ensuring that the Gers' slight blip in recent matches comes to an end sooner rather than later.
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Title run-ins are nervy, very very nervy. Arsenal fans found that out last season when an April collapse ruined any hopes they had of securing a Premier League title.
Yet, when that run-in includes a visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as it does this weekend, the nerve levels ramp up another notch.
Today's clash is huge, let's make no mistake about it. The Gunners are currently top of the table but Manchester City have a game in hand. Mikel Arteta's men simply have to keep winning and anything other than a victory against their old rivals on Sunday afternoon would be disastrous.
So, how can Arteta engineer a victory? He'll certainly be relying on Martin Odegaard to set the tone.
The Norwegian began this current campaign in a slow fashion. Without Granit Xhaka, the back end of 2023 proved to be somewhat of a struggle for the club captain. Odegaard posted just four goals and three assists in league action.
However, since the turn of the year, he and Arsenal have taken their game up a level. The midfielder has five goals and seven assists to his name in 2024 league action, only proving that point.
He saved perhaps his best game of the season to date for Chelsea a few days ago. We know Mauricio Pochettino's men haven't been great this season but they were torn apart by a rampant Gunners side who were banishing any tiredness and mental fog from their brain after defeats to Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.
Odegaard was at the forefront of that victory, supplying two assists – one of which was a beautiful assist in behind for Kai Havertz's first goal.
It was a "Kevin De Bruyne-style ripper of an assist", as the Telegraph's Sam Dean put it, with others quick to suggest he was "out of this world". That's not bad praise, is it?
So, what was different at the Emirates during that game? Well, for the first time in 2024, we saw a midfield of Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Odegaard.
We have not seen much of the former Atletico Madrid star this season, notably because of injury.
Indeed, Partey has missed 26 matches because of groin and hamstring injuries, leaving Arteta without one of his most trusted midfielders.
To lose Xhaka was already a blow but to lose another third of the midfield from their 2022/23 title challenge was tough to swallow.
Alas, Arteta's midfield is now complete again. The Ghanaian has only had fleeting cameo appearances from the bench in recent weeks – and truth be told hasn't impressed much – but this was a timely reminder of what he brings to the team after being selected to start again.
At one point he sold Moises Caicedo back to Brighton with a wonderful dummy in the centre of the pitch, before going on to complete 86% of his passes, win 100% of his aerial duels and make three interceptions.
Handed an 8/10 match rating by GOAL's Matt O'Connor-Simpson, the reporter noted that he was 'excellent on just his fourth Premier League start of the season'.
Further hailed as "extraordinary" by Arsenal content creator Rohan Jivan, the £200k-per-week earner has cemented himself as a key cog in the team once again.
As one Gunners insider noted at full-time, Partey's "passing takes Arsenal's fluidity to another level" and also "allows Odegaard to stay further up the pitch and focus on creation."
So, if Arteta wants to keep his skipper's performance levels at the same level we saw against Chelsea, Partey simply has to start in the north London derby.
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Gearing up for the final run-in for the Scottish Premiership title, Celtic are still in control of their crown and are on course to enter the summer transfer window as champions. But that may mean nothing if one European giant comes calling for one of Brendan Rodgers' best players.
It hasn't been the simple title push that some would have imagined at the start of the campaign when Michael Beale had Rangers struggling, but Celtic look set to come out on top against their Old Firm rivals nonetheless. A title win would be an ideal platform to take into the transfer window and could go a long way in convincing reported targets such as Charles Pickel and Caoimhin Kelleher into moves this summer.
The key will also be to keep hold of important players. The Bhoys could do nothing but watch on as star man Jota and manager Ange Postecoglou jumped ship in a situation that those in Scotland will be desperate to avoid a repeat of. That said, reports don't exactly look promising in that regard.
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According to Corriere Dello Sport, Inter are keeping Matt O'Riley under observation ahead of the summer transfer window as they potentially look to flex their title-winning muscles for the first time since sealing their latest Serie A crown.
This isn't the first time that O'Riley has been linked with a move away, of course, with Celtic overcoming an approach from Atletico Madrid for their midfielder's signature back in the January transfer window. After coming out on top in that transfer tussle, it remains to be seen whether those at Celtic Park will have similar luck this summer.
Just like in January, Celtic must win the battle to keep hold of O'Riley this summer if they are to maintain their dominance in the Scottish Premiership. The midfielder is undoubtedly the key to defending their crown once again, and Rodgers will be aware of that quality.
The former Leicester City boss was full of praise for O'Riley earlier this season, saying via Glasgow Live: "I like him a lot. I think he is a really intelligent footballer. He is a top professional. He prepares his body well and he prepares his life well. He wants to do well. He sets his standards high every day to be better."
|
Matt O'Riley 23/24 |
Stats (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
44 |
|
Goals |
14 |
|
Assists |
16 |
It won't be an easy task when it comes to keeping hold of O'Riley, especially when looking at the stats, but Celtic did it once and should have the confidence to at least attempt to keep top European clubs at bay for a second time in the space of six months. Whether it is Inter, Atletico Madrid or another club, O'Riley won't be without suitors, that's for sure.
Everton have had a turbulent 2023/24 campaign, but following some fine form, they have guaranteed their Premier League place for another season. The Toffees were sunk by two separate points deductions for FFP breaches, but have since battled their way to safety.
The Merseyside club will still want to keep their players fit ahead of the summer, and with that in mind, Football FanCast is here to keep you updated with the latest injury news coming out of Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche gave a mixed injury update ahead of their Goodison Park meeting with Sheffield United this weekend. The good news is that Dyche confirmed that Everton have no one "seriously injured" at the moment and that "most of the group are ready to go again", except for players we already know who are out injured.
|
Everton: current injuries |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Player Name |
Injury |
Date Injured |
Expected Return Date |
|
Vitalii Mykolenko |
Ankle |
24th April |
Next season |
|
Nathan Patterson |
Hamstring |
15th April |
Next season |
|
Dele Alli |
Hip |
Summer |
Unknown |
Defender Vitalii Mykolenko's season is over after he damaged ankle ligaments during the Merseyside derby in late April. The Ukrainian appeared to twist his leg awkwardly and saw out the rest of the first period at Goodison Park before being replaced at half-time.
Having suffered ligament damage, his recovery period will see him miss the Toffees' remaining games.
The reliable Nathan Patterson is also out for the remainder of the season after picking up a hamstring injury against Chelsea.
Dyche had this to say: "Patto will be out for the season – he will need surgery. Very unfortunate injury. We're disappointed on that one for him as much as us."
Dele Alli is yet to play for Dyche, as he was on loan with Besiktas when the former Burnley boss was appointed manager. And things have gone from bad to worse for the recovering midfielder, as he's set to be out for even longer after going under the knife recently.
Dyche provided an update recently on Dele as well, stating: "Dele's focus is just getting fit. Obviously, he's got a period [to go] yet but he's just focusing on that. We're not worrying about when, just, first things first, get fit. That's all we're looking for him to do and that's all he's looking to do."
The Toffees have no players missing through suspension.
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It's been a real up-and-down season for Tottenham Hotspur this year, but it would be fair to say that Ange Postecoglou has adapted to life in the Premier League reasonably well.
The Australian has instilled an attacking philosophy in his team that has seen the Spurs faithful treated to some of the best football in the league.
However, with 61 goals conceded, the defence could be slightly improved, and while Micky van de Ven has shown his class at points this campaign, the latest defender touted for a move to N17 could threaten his place in the team.
According to a recent report from the MailOnline's Simon Jones, Tottenham are one of three Premier League sides interested in signing Everton's star centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite ahead of the summer transfer window.
The report revealed that both Manchester United and Manchester City are also keen on the Englishman and that offers in the region of £50m could be made.
However, the Toffees, understandably reluctant to lose the jewel in their defence, could hold out for even more should the interest be strong enough.
Signing the 21-year-old wouldn't be easy for Daniel Levy and Co, considering the competition and possible final price. Still, given his impressive displays this year and the Lilywhites' leaky defence, it would be worth pursuing, even at the expense of Van de Ven.
Now, if the North Londoners were to get their man and spend more than £50m in doing so, they wouldn't just let him sit on the bench as a backup option: he would play.
That means that one of Cristian Romero or Van de Ven would have to make way in the starting lineup, or at least share minutes, and considering the former is the club's vice-captain, a firm fan favourite and a World Cup winner, it would likely be the latter.
With that said, then, how does Branthwaite stack up against the Spurs ace?
Well, from an underlying numbers perspective, it's relatively close, with the Dutchman predictably coming out ahead in areas such as progressive passes and carries, passing accuracy, and successful take-ons, all per 90.
However, when it comes to the defensive metrics and some attacking ones, too, it's a comfortable win for the Toffees ace.
|
Branthwaite vs Van de Ven |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats per 90 |
Branthwaite |
Van de Ven |
|
Non-Penalty Expected Goals +Assists |
0.08 |
0.02 |
|
Progressive Passes |
2.14 |
4.15 |
|
Progressive Carries |
0.06 |
0.73 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
79.8% |
93.8% |
|
Goal-Creating Actions |
0.12 |
0.04 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
0.72 |
0.42 |
|
Tackles |
1.91 |
1.88 |
|
Blocks |
1.47 |
0.96 |
|
Interceptions |
1.45 |
0.69 |
|
Clearances |
4.71 |
3.00 |
|
Successful Take-Ons |
0.14 |
0.58 |
|
Dispossessed |
0.06 |
0.46 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
2.72 |
1.46 |
|
All Stats via FBref for the 23/24 League Season |
||
For example, Everton's "absolute monster," as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, more shot and goal-creating actions, wins far more aerial duels, is dispossessed less often, and makes more tackles, blocks, interceptions, and clearances, all per 90.
There is one significant advantage the former Wolfsburg ace has over his potential replacement, though: speed. Against Brentford earlier this year, the 23-year-old registered the fastest sprint in Premier League history at 37.38km/h, which, while not noticeably slow, is not something the Englishman can bring to the table.
However, the Englishman is an inch taller, which could come in handy for defending set pieces, and if he can help bring more defensive durability to Postecoglou's backline through his superior underlying metrics, then he may not have to rely upon his speed as much.
Ultimately, while Van de Ven is a very talented footballer and will likely remain an important member of the Lilywhites' squad going forward, Levy and Co must try to sign Branthwaite. His defensive output is evidently more impressive, and he could help to add some real solidity to a backline that has leaked 61 goals this season.
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