All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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Liverpool head to Old Trafford this Sunday to take on Manchester United, with three huge points at stake for both teams, but for wholly different reasons.

The Reds have allowed Manchester City back into the title race after limping to draws against Leicester and West Ham in consecutive gameweeks before a win against Bournemouth, although they do have a game in hand over the Citizens – both teams are level on 65 points.

A win for Jurgen Klopp’s side would send them three points clear at the top of the table. In the Red Devils’ case, however, a win for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men would strengthen their grip on fourth place ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea, who are both currently one point behind the 20-time champions.

For the clash at Old Trafford on Sunday, PGMOL have appointed referee Michael Oliver, a man who has been a lucky charm for Liverpool so far this season.

The Merseyside-based club have won all four of their games this season that were overseen by Oliver, being handed just four yellow cards and no reds.

In stark contrast, United have won only one out of their two games that were refereed by the 33-year-old this season, and have been handed two yellow cards from those games.

Historically, games between Liverpool and Manchester United have been real blood-and-thunder derby affairs, with both teams often going in hard on each other as the occasion gets the better of the players.

Oliver has already brandished six red cards this season, along with 91 yellows, which shows that he isn’t afraid of getting his cards out when needed.

Additionally, the 34-year-old has awarded the second most penalties per game in the Premier League, which, if you were to mix that statistic in with the narrative of the heated fixture, suggests we could see some decisive spot kicks on Sunday.

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Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill celebrated his 66th birthday on Friday. The Bhoys posted a happy birthday message on Twitter in honour of their ex-boss.

O’Neill was in charge at Celtic Park between 2000 and 2005. In his time with the Hoops he hoarded silverware, winning three Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup. In 2003 he also took the Glasgow outfit to the UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Porto.

Since leaving the club he has taken on the top job with Aston Villa, Sunderland, the Republic of Ireland and his current team Nottingham Forest.

The former midfielder is clearly well-remembered and still respected by Celtic fans. He is certainly currently held in higher regard amongst the Hoops faithful than fellow former boss Brendan Rodgers, who recently left the club to join Leicester City.

Plenty of Celtic fans took to Twitter to wish O’Neill a happy birthday and celebrate his time at the club…

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According to respected journalist Alan Nixon, Leeds United are already targeting a summer loan swoop for Liverpool starlet Harry Wilson, should the Whites secure promotion to the Premier League this season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are currently in the thick of the Championship title battle and stand a great chance of achieving promotion at the end of this campaign. Doing so would mean a busy summer though. For as impressive as the Elland Road outfit have been, their squad needs a serious upgrade if the club are to thrive in the top flight.

Not only will Bielsa require extra quality, but he’ll also need additional strength in depth. Signing Wilson would potentially provide both, but it would also have knock-on effects at Elland Road.

We’re here to take a look at the potential consequences of Wilson’s arrival.

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

Cover for Hernandez

Pablo Hernandez is one of Leeds’ star players and is a favourite of Bielsa’s. However, at 33-years-old, he is now in the twilight of his career. To expect the Spaniard to thrive week in, week out in the Premier League would be a huge ask at his age. 

Whilst the attacker will still have a role to play next season, Wilson could provide some much needed cover for Hernandez. The veteran Spaniard can be relied upon to bring experience and guile to the team; the 21-year-old Liverpool ace can provide the pace and energy.

Competition for Clarke

Wilson is currently on loan with Championship club Derby County and is enjoying a fine campaign in the second tier. Frank Lampard generally deploys the Welshman on the right flank.

This season, Leeds have had a young breakout star of their own, Jack Clarke, who has shone in the very same position. The 18-year-old has shown some real quality in this campaign and the Elland Road faithful are certainly excited about the academy product’s potential. 

Whilst it wouldn’t be impossible for Wilson and Clarke to play together – Wilson can also be deployed centrally – it’s likely that they’d often find themselves competing for the same spot in the starting XI. Given that Wilson is the older and more experienced of the pair, he’d probably be the favourite to win this battle, which could stunt Clarke’s development and hold him back.

No deal for James

In the January transfer window, the Whites tried to sign Swansea City forward Daniel James. The move fell through, but it has since been suggested that Bielsa is keen to return for the 20-year-old in the summer.

However, it’s unlikely that the Whites will land both Wilson and James. A move for the 8-cap Wales international would probably end Leeds’ interest in the Swansea star.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been discussing the form and leadership abilities of James Tavernier, and not one of them thinks the right-back should keep the captain’s armband next season.

The Gers lost their last realistic hope of winning silverware this season on Tuesday, as Aberdeen rocked up to Ibrox and won 2-0 to advance to the Scottish Cup semi-final, where they will play Celtic.

Not a single Gers player will feel proud of their performance, but fans were extra critical of Tavernier after the match, and not even because of anything that happened on the pitch.

Fans were fuming that the club’s official Twitter account interviewed substitute and recent signing Jermain Defoe, instead of the skipper, after such a devastating defeat.

There is no doubt Tavernier is a brilliant player going forward, racking up 14 goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season, but he is prone to lapses in concentration at the back, which simply should not happen from the side’s skipper.

Fans clearly feel the same way, as you can see from the Twitter reactions down below…

The departure of Brendan Rodgers at such an integral part of the season has surely provoked inquiries into the ambition of Celtic Football Club.

Regardless how big Celtic may be, and we do not doubt their significant influence, clubs in Scotland are always susceptible to losing players to the richer clubs in the south, and abroad.

It is an unfortunate reality that has weaved itself in the fabric of the modern Scottish game.

Indeed, losing Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City at this stage of the season, with a domestic title all but secured, is testament to the state of the current football food chain.

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has a real test on his hands now to manage a potential exodus of players and ensure the club do not fall victim to further poaching.

And this difficult task may be made even harder if The Scottish Sun’s reports are true.

Prized possession Kieran Tierney is said to be the subject of interest from German giants Borussia Dortmund this summer, alongside Unai Emery’s Arsenal and Rodgers Leicester – who are both long-term admirers of the player.

Lawwell must demonstrate that he is still ambitious if he wants any chance of keeping his star players this summer – and ambition roughly translates major transfer activity, nowadays.

Admittedly, there has been a minor flurry in the market, and permanently bringing in Odsonne Edouard, Vakoun Issouf Bayo and Maryan Shved is all very good.

But it is hard to ignore the fact that a majority of Parkhead transfers have either arrived on loan deals or free transfers.

And where it is exciting to see the likes of Timothy Weah and Oliver Burke strutting their stuff the Bhoys, their temporary service shows a desperate lack of ambitious and a worrying sign of Celtic’s weakness in the market.

If Lawwell wants to ensure players that the club is going places, he is going to need to invest some serious money.

Celtic fans, do you think you are stuck in an impossible situation in terms of recruitment and keeping players? Let us know in the comments below…

It was looking extremely likely that Celtic were going to miss out on extending their lead at the top of Scottish Premiership on Sunday to ten points having been frustrated by strugglers Dundee.

Yet with only seconds remaining at Dens Park, Odsonne Edouard stepped up when it really mattered. The Frenchman fired home from close range to send the Hoops well clear of their nearest rivals Rangers who dropped points once again on Saturday after failing to overcome Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

Edouard’s recent form in Scotland’s top tier has been exemplary with the forward scoring four goals in his last four league appearances for Celtic. His latest strike saw him move to 18 for the season in all competitions, which is six more than any other player for the Bhoys.

If the former Paris Saint-Germain player continues his goal-scoring antics, he may inadvertently attract attention from clubs across Europe, leaving his side with an ultimatum that they will have to overcome in the summer. Considering the fact that Edouard is only 21-years-old, he has all the capabilities of becoming a Celtic legend if he stays with in Glasgow for the foreseeable future. Yet for this to occur, the club’s shareholders must avoid the temptation to sell one of their star players in the summer.

Last summer saw Moussa Dembele move to Olympique Lyonnais on transfer deadline day, which left many Hoops fans angered at the timing of the move as Celtic were unable to bring in a permanent replacement.

Although it was reported that the club recuperated a fee of £19.7m for the French forward (via the BBC), his absence has been felt by Celtic in Europe this season as the club were knocked out of the Europa League by Valencia in February.

If Celtic are to return to the Champions League group stages in the 2019/20 campaign, they must make the decision to build their squad around Edouard instead of making the same mistake as they did with Dembele.

Although domestic dominance is a great achievement for the Hoops, they should also be aiming to compete on a European level as the greatest ever Scottish sides have always been remembered for their exploits on the biggest of stages.

What do you think Celtic fans? Should the club be doing all they can to keep Edouard in the summer? Or should they cash in on the forward? Let us know below.

It’s safe to say the out of the crop of players Unai Emery brought in during the summer transfer window Stephan Lichtsteiner was the most underwhelming of the bunch.

The Swiss international is way past his prime and hasn’t been at the top of his game for years, and it’s evident in some of his performances for Arsenal this season, some of which have been comical.

Lichtsteiner hasn’t exactly done a lot to win over the hearts of Arsenal fans, which is why in a recent interview with Swiss paper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (via Sky Sports) that the 35-year-old defender was open to leaving the club after his deal with the club expires in the summer for more first-team football.

Of course, some Arsenal fans might be excited about this news. But what these people fail to realise is, that in the background Lichtsteiner has improved the club this season, just not in the way you expected it.

The main reason why the experienced right-back was brought in at Arsenal is because of that exact reason, Lichtsteiner is a defender who has done everything you can do for a club and has learnt all there is to learn about the art of being a full-back.

His experience of being Juventus’ starting right-back for seven years and winning almost everything there is to win with the Italian giants makes him the perfect mentor for Hector Bellerin, the player many Gunners fans expect to be at the club for many years to come.

As well as cover for if Bellerin gets injured, which has happened this season, Lichtsteiner behind the scenes has been helping the Spaniard improve this game, and this has been evident on the pitch.

Before his season-ending ACL injury, Bellerin was without question the best right-back in the Premier League this campaign. The 23-year-old led in assists from a defender with five, and his overall game massively improved, especially in defence.

With Bellerin for the foreseeable, Ainsley Maitland-Niles looks set to take over the right-back position, though the Swiss in question shouldn’t be allowed to leave so easily, if at all.

But his time at Arsenal should not be remembered for the few performances where he was beaten for pace or played in a wrong pass, it should be remembered for helping Bellerin play the best football he has played in years and for passing down the knowledge that will make the Spaniard one of the best fullbacks in world football.

Arsenal fans, was Lichtsteiner a good summer signing?

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Leeds United fans are struggling to agree with each other about the selection headache presented to Marcelo Bielsa after Kemar Roofe was cleared to return to first-team action.

Fans have been calling for Patrick Bamford’s head after his poor performance and penalty miss against Millwall this weekend, and with Roofe cleared to return from injury before the next game Leeds fans are speculating that Bamford might not get another sniff at the first team this season.

Roofe has been one of Leeds’ most important players this season netting 14 Championship goals as the Whites battle it out for spot in the top two.

Bamford himself has shown flashes of brilliance with a brace against West Brom a particular highlight of his Leeds career.

Leeds fans have been at odds about which striker should get the nod on Twitter after Roofe was cleared to return to full training following his knee injury, which saw him miss over a month of action.

Here’s a look at how Leeds fans reacted to news of Roofe’s potential return on Twitter…

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Birmingham City have been doing some fantastic things within the community, no less so than when it comes to the Geoff Horsfield Foundation.

However, as part of the Kick it Out campaign, defender Kristian Pedersen attended St Andrew’s Primary School to take part in activities and give every child a ticket for the club’s match against Leeds this weekend.

Reacting to a series of tweets from the club’s official Twitter account, supporters flocked to praise the club for their work.

One fan praised the Danish defender for promoting the club whilst another said he was now going to send his child to the school as a result.

However, there were was one tweet directed at the EFL as they took a dig at a tweet they made a few weeks ago about Aston Villa’s charity work.

Pedersen arrived at St Andrew’s last summer and he’s established himself as a first-team regular, with 32 appearances to his name so far.

Here’s the best of the reaction to the club post:

It’s now confirmed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is remaining at Old Trafford for another three years and fans are understandably elated because of how good he’s been so far. You Red Devils reading this must be absolutely delighted, considering how bad things have largely been over the course of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Spirit is flowing around Old Trafford as a result of the Norwegian’s stint as manager so far because the players are playing for the shirt once again, something that couldn’t be said when Jose Mourinho was in charge. Remember those days? Yuck.

It has been a quick change under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but certainly a good one at that and, finally, England’s biggest club can start planning, something fans don’t need telling they’ve struggled with over the course of the campaign.

Manchester United fans right now though, are more concerned about whether he will be given significant financial backing over the summer to improve his team. If money really isn’t a problem and Ed Woodward is prepared to go all-out, a target looked at (via CaughtOffside) under Jose Mourinho should most definitely be looked at once again this summer and that is Bayern Munich’s, Joshua Kimmich.

Kimmich, (who is valued at £54 million on Transfermarkt) is arguably one of, if not the best right-back in the world right now and Man United would be very lucky to have a player of his quality in defence. Largely brought to an English audience this season for his performance against Liverpool in the Champions League, the sight of the German international shouting at Sadio Mane after missing would have pleased the United faithful.

Not only is he a formidable right-back but Kimmich is well equipped to play as a defensive-midfielder alternately as well for United.

At the age of 26, Kimmich is now reaching the very best days of his career so far and what an asset he could be at Old Trafford.

With Antonio Valencia set to leave this summer, the need for a top right-back is essential and what better way to replace the pair than to sign the best one around. That’s the Manchester United way of thinking.

Is signing Joshua Kimmich a good idea for Man United… Join the discussion and let us know below!