After a surprise win at their new stadium, Tottenham Hotspur come into their 2019 UEFA Champions League quarter final with a chance at going through. When the draw was made, many assumed that Spurs would simply be fodder for Manchester City. A well-deserved 1-0 win in the first leg, though, sets up the return match to be an absolute cracker.

Manchester City News

In terms of injuries, only Fernandinho is missing for City. Claudio Bravo won’t make it, as he is still out long-term. However, his season-ending injury has more or less meant little to City, as Ederson has stayed fit all season.

City will be looking to make the most of a fully fit squad and use their fitness to push Spurs back. With Tottenham in need of some creative squad management themselves, it will be interesting to see how City approach this. If they go for it from the first minute, they could very easily come out the other side with a massive win.

Tottenham Hotspur NewsotspuHot

Spurs, though, are no layabouts. They are a quality side; the main doubt comes from squad depth. With Harry Kane, Erik Lamela, Serge Aurier, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Fernando Llorente all more than likely out, Spurs are very thin in terms of players.

This could be their downfall in what will surely be a long evening. As the game goes on, Mauricio Pochettino has less players than he usually would to call upon. In such a tight match, that – rather than any tactical issues – will likely be their biggest obstacle to going through.

Verdict

City to go through. Spurs will score, but we can see City getting the three they need. The carrot of a tie against (most likely) Juventus in the semi-finals should spur City on to victory.

The stage has been set. When Liverpool kept returning to the South Coast to buy the likes of Adam Lallana, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk, they were mocked for buying players without a long-term return in investment. Now, the latter duo are absolutely essential in what has been one of the most genuine title challenges put in by Liverpool in nearly 30 years. Could the scene of where many of their star players have come from, though, be the location where Liverpool see their title tilt come to an end?

Southampton News

Buoyed by some good wins recently, the Saints have come into this one in a relatively good run of form. Wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton and Hove Albion were preceded by wins against Fulham and losses to Manchester United (3-2) and Arsenal (2-0).

They come into this with some of their younger players, James Ward-Prowse in particular, in fine form. Good at attacking their opponents and pressing high under Ralph Hassenhuttl, this will be a fine test of their progress under the Austrian.

Liverpool News

Not much to worry about in terms of fitness: it’s the long-term return of the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, another former Saint, that has some fans edgy. This could be a good game to see him come back into the fold in some form, alongside other midfielders such as Naby Keita. Expect Liverpool to go for solidity first and foremost, using the forward quality they have – especially the in-form Mane and Roberto Firmino – to try punish Saints on the break.

Joe Gomez, too, could be back in and around the squad for this one. For Liverpool, the injuries are returning at just the right time.

Verdict

A tight, very stodgy Liverpool win. The Reds have been poor on the road in 2019 (performance wise), but know they need three points to keep things moving forward. They’ve struggled in games like this recently but have been finding late grit to win the 3 points. If they can do so again here, it’ll only further put pressure on Manchester City. We back them to do so – but not without a tense, tight Friday night affair.

For the Baggies, relegation was a surprise – at least at the start of the season. With a squad that felt lacking in balance and an overhaul required that many didn’t see coming, relegation has left the Midlands missing yet another top flight representative.

They have dropped down into the Championship after a period of relative top flight stability for the club. What happens next, though, will be quite interesting. The club handed the keys to coach turned near saviour, Darren Moore. The ex-Baggies player was a bit of a stalwart with the club, and instantly made an impression in the dugout. He done well to keep a club doomed for relegation under Alan Pardew ticking along, with some stellar results along the way.

However, for West Brom, the future does seem a bit rosier than some of the other clubs. The playing staff will go through an obvious rebuild, while the coaching staff at least have the fans onside. While their relegation was a bit of a shock, it looks like they are at least on some kind of steady footing to progress from the outside.

2018/19 Prediction

We’d suggest it all comes down to recruitment; West Brom have a lot of work to do on that front. With a rookie coach at the helm, it’ll depend on how quickly he can move players on to free up space, and finance, for much-needed replacements. If they can inject some energy and youth whilst maintaining a decent spine, the boing-boing Baggies may return

Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the more historic and stories English cubs. Despite that, they’ve endured a rough period of time in the last couple of decades, rarely if ever living up to their genuine potential. Under the Fosun group, though, Wolves have quickly built a very interesting project.

Present manager Nuno is a very intriguing coach himself, having enjoyed success with Valencia before it fell away in devastating fashion. Backed by his long-term agent and major influencer Jorge Mendes, Wolves have the finance and the network access to snare some amazing players.

Already building on the core of players who got them promoted, Wolves have a fervent backing in the stands and a very interesting transfer window ahead. If they can build on a season that seen them hit 99 points, they could really make a big difference in the Premier League next year.

2018/19 Prediction

While players like Wily Boly and Barry Douglas were excellent second tier players, it’ll be interesting to see how players like Ruben Neves, Ivan Cavaliero and Diogo Jota step up in the Premier League.

With some other interesting names being linked such as Andre Silva, it all comes down to how well Wolves use the market. If they play their cards right they could easily finish on the top half, simply by adding to the impressive pool of players they have.

If they struggle to attract as many of the big names as they are being linked to, though, then they’ll likely stay up with less fanfare than some might expect. It’s a tricky balance, though; their Mendes link should see them bring in enough quality to easily stay up, though.

The FA Cup might not be as popular as it once was, but big ties like this will always whet the appetite. Arsenal versus Manchester United is an FA Cup classic. From the Ryan Giggs game to the FA Cup Final win for Arsenal (on penalties) in the 2005 season, through to the infamous game where Nani carried out many flicks and tricks, this is a tie that has – more often than not – went in favor of United.

Can Arsenal finally put an end to that?

Arsenal News

The injuries are racking up for the Gunners, with injuries to the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Hector Bellerin, Danny Welbeck and Rob Holding vastly limiting their squad depth. We could see Mesut Ozil return to the team, though it would be a surprise given his complete drop-off from the first team picture under Unai Emery.

We could also see some of the younger players get a game, with Emery showing no fear in putting faith in the next generation.

 

Manchester United News

United, though, come with some interesting issues of their own. Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw might sit this one out, with both having played a lot under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. We could also see Marouane Fellaini miss out, after his injury looked quite serious.

With a home league game against Burnley just four days after this one, expect United to rotate heavily: a previously unlike shot at the Champions League spots has come into view, so this could be sacrificed to make way for it.

 

Other Sport Thoughts

This weeks other ‘sport thoughts’ cast an eye to one of the biggest sporting event of 2019, namely the Grand National held in April at Aintree racecourse. For those interested in placing a wager on horse racing in addition to their typical football bets, I can think of no better racing event to chance your arm on. With such a big field, there are a good number of outsiders for those looking for a big win at a small outlay, and for punters with a more cautious approach, you’d no doubt be joining thousands in betting on a Grand National favourite. Tiger Roll is current favourite. Perhaps he’s the one for you?

 

Verdict

Back to the game! With United in such amazing form under their caretaker coach but Arsenal slowly finding form, too, we think this could be a draw. Neither side will really want to take a replay, but we could see both sides lacking the bodies to push for a winner, which could create the spectacle of a repeat game up at Old Trafford.