Big Midweek: Chelsea v Liverpool, Man Utd, Steve Cooper, the better Bruno, Finalissima
Two sleeping Premier League giants face off looking to make amends after their woeful encounter earlier this season while we get giddy over watching England Women take on the best South America has to offer.
Game to watch – Chelsea v Liverpool
This could be the first and last time our game to watch is between eighth and 11th in the Premier League…
When these two clubs faced each other earlier this season it was a dire 0-0 draw. Fingers crossed Chelsea and Liverpool have more to offer on Tuesday when they lock horns at Stamford Bridge. That first fixture gave us a glimpse of what Mykhaylo Mudryk can offer but he quickly realised he can’t face James Milner every week and has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League.
Both of these sides have been nothing short of hopeless, but they are still Chelsea and Liverpool. The former sacked Graham Potter on Sunday evening after Saturday’s 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa saw them slip into the bottom half of the Premier League, while the Reds are coming off the back of a 4-1 thumping at the hands of Premier League champions and old foes, Manchester City.
Potter’s dismissal means that Chelsea will be led by interim head coach Bruno Saltor; you know, the geezer who used to play right-back for Brighton. The visit of Liverpool – who have been woeful away from home this season – is a good opportunity to get things back on track and make a push to qualify for Europe. Whether it’s the Europa Conference League or not, they need the extra fixtures next season so they can distribute minutes throughout their bloated and young squad.
Liverpool need to win this game. They are leaving their Champions League qualification quest worryingly late in the season and in a run of matches against City, Chelsea and Arsenal, this is their best chance to get three points, even if they face Mikel Arteta’s side at Anfield.
Even if the reverse fixture was a tough watch, this is a game with big implications for both teams and is very hard to call given how rubbish and inconsistent Liverpool and Chelsea have been. It’s a mid-table six-pointer.
Team to watch – Manchester United
Erik ten Hag’s side have not scored a single Premier League goal since February and after every dropped point we are reminded that they were supposed to be title contenders a few weeks ago. That 7-0 defeat at Liverpool seems to have knocked the stuffing out of them, domestically anyway. That embarrassing defeat at Anfield came a week after Man United were crowned Carabao Cup winners and since then they have drawn 0-0 at home to bottom-side Southampton and were most recently beaten 2-0 by Newcastle, who dominated them from the first kick to the last.
The Red Devils will still be sore from their 4-0 defeat at Brentford on matchday two and have the chance to get some sweet revenge when they welcome the Bees to Old Trafford on Wednesday.
That is not to say that revenge is a foregone conclusion. It is anything but. Brentford are enjoying a fantastic 2023 and are well in the hunt for continental football. They were minutes away from an impressive win at high-flying Brighton and have only lost once in the Premier League since late October. United will have to be at their best to win, and they have been far from that in recent weeks.
Sunday’s performance Newcastle was woeful. They were dominated in a defeat reminiscent of Arsenal’s that cost them Champions League football last season. It could have been 4-0 and Ten Hag’s men can feel fortunate it wasn’t. Luke Shaw bizarrely said afterwards that Newcastle didn’t win based on “quality”. They bloody did. They beat the Red Devils in every single department and Shaw, who claimed seconds prior to that comment that he is “always honest” after a defeat, was anything but in this instance.
Nobody knows what United will show up at Old Trafford on Wednesday. More dropped points leaves them in a precarious position in the league with a battle to finish in the top four back on after looking like a shoo-in for third not so long ago. There could be nerves for the first time in a while and against a very good opponent and manager, they will need to be at their best, which they rarely are without summer signing Casemiro.
Manager to watch – Steve Cooper
It was reported last week that Steve Cooper’s role as Nottingham Forest manager was under real threat ahead of the visit of Wolves. A point in that fixture seems to have bought the Welshman a bit more time. Anything less against Leeds on Tuesday could see him say his goodbyes. If that does happen, he will depart with his head held high having been the man that brought Forest back to the Premier League after more than two decades away.
Cooper has had plenty of players to choose from this season but he has to get his selection right at Elland Road, where his side face a team fresh off a 4-1 defeat at league leaders Arsenal.
The Forest hierarchy seems to be the only people in the country questioning whether Cooper is the right man for the job. He has done a spectacular job and has kept them out of the bottom three for months while managing over 20 new players. The City Ground club have gone through manager after manager over the years and seem to have found some stability; they surely cannot ruin that by sacking the man they handed a new contract earlier this season, when things were actually going a lot worse than they are now.
Forest and Cooper go to Leeds one point above the bottom three and four above 20th. A defeat would see Javi Gracia’s side go ahead of them, while Bournemouth and Leicester also have the opportunity to do just that. If everything goes against Cooper on Tuesday, the club’s owners will probably panic and he will be sacked, which would be a huge shame. Fingers crossed this isn’t the last time Cooper is the manager to watch this season.
Player to watch – Bruno Guimaraes
While Man United are looking to bounce back from Sunday’s result at St James’, Newcastle will hope to continue their impressive form with a win at West Ham on Wednesday.
Bruno Guimaraes has probably been the Magpies’ best signing under their Saudi owners. £40million he cost…what a bloody bargain. He once again ran the show against the Red Devils, who were missing Casemiro, and is now preparing to face off against Hammers captain Declan Rice. Both are excellent midfielders able to operate as a No. 6 or a No. 8 and are relied on a bit too much by their respective teams.
Bruno missed the reverse fixture – a 1-1 draw in February – through suspension and his absence was notable, as it always is whenever he is unavailable. In six Premier League encounters without the Brazilian this season, Newcastle have won precisely zero. They have drawn four and lost two. Both defeats came against Liverpool and the draws were against Wolves, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and the Hammers. That is four fixtures they probably would have won if he was available.
The former Lyon midfielder’s battle with Rice and his best pal Lucas Paqueta will be an intriguing one. It will be interesting to see how he gets on against one of the best midfielders in the country. After proving himself to be the best Bruno in the Premier League once again, I think he will do just fine, but it should be fun.
International game to watch – England Women v Brazil Women
European champions England are preparing to host South American champions Brazil in the battle for world supremacy in the 2023 Finalissima at Wembley on Thursday.
Brazil went into the 2022 Copa America ranked ninth in the world, but were clear favourites to win the competition as the second-best team were the host nation, Colombia, who were ranked 28th by FIFA at the time. Led by Arsenal star Rafaelle Souza, Selecao won it all for the eighth time, winning all six of their games without conceding a single goal.
Everyone knows what England achieved last year. It was a monumental day for the women’s game and was watched by millions, including your correspondent, who felt immense pride watching Arsenal hero Leah Williamson lift that trophy after Chloe Kelly’s historic extra-time winner against Germany.
Brazil and England have not faced each other since October 2019. Brazil won 2-1 on the day – the only time in three encounters they have not lost against the Lionesses. Thursday’s match at Wembley will be very competitive and promises to be a spectacle as the football world celebrates two brilliant teams.
Slick @nikefootball @Lionesses pic.twitter.com/fhC66ixwGc
— Leah Williamson (@leahcwilliamson) April 3, 2023
European game to watch – Barcelona v Real Madrid
No matter what other fixtures are on this week, there is no beating El Clasico. Barcelona and Real Madrid are arguably the two biggest clubs in the world and even without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, this is always one hell of a spectacle.
The two famous rivals face off in the second leg of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Madrid are hoping to overturn a 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu to advance to the final of the competition.
Los Blancos have been ridiculous in the Champions League under Carlo Ancelotti. They have won games they have had no right to win on their way to European dominance, but always seem to come unstuck when they take on Barcelona. Xavi has their number. From the 4-0 win at the Bernabeu last season to the 2-1 win at the Nou Camp a few weeks ago, Barca have proven themselves to be the one side Madrid are afraid of.
Both sides enjoyed emphatic victories at the weekend, meaning they go into this one high on confidence. Barcelona battered Elche 4-0 away from home on Saturday before Madrid beat Real Valladolid 6-0 with Karim Benzema netting a seven-minute hat-trick. Madrid’s starting XI is a lot more consistent and Ancelotti was able to bring off Benzema, Vinicius Jr and David Alaba before the 70th minute, meaning they will be fresh as a daisy for Wednesday’s cup semi-final.
There are a few good European clashes this week for what it’s worth. Leipzig play Borussia Dortmund in the DfB Pokal, there is an Istanbul derby between Galatasaray and Instanbul Basaksehir and Feyenood host Ajax in the Dutch Cup.