Football transfer news

The Serie A season is only six match rounds old, but Sunday’s Derby d’Italia could be absolutely pivotal in the title race. 

Juventus head to San Siro to take on an Inter side who are flying under Antonio Conte, sitting at the top of the table with one of just two 100% records in Europe’s top five leagues.

Here is how they could line up on Sunday for this game…

---

Goalkeepers & Defenders

Wojciech Szczesny (GK) – Despite the return of Gianluigi Buffon to the club, the Pole is undeniably Maurizio’s Sarri’s number one, and is a certainty to start.

Juan Cuadrado (RB) – With Mattia De Sciglio and Danilo still sidelined with injury, Cuadrado will continue to deputise at right-back for Juve.

Leonardo Bonucci (CB) – With Giorgio Chiellini out, Bonnuci has taken the mantle of senior centre-back, a pivotal role with a young defender next to him.

Matthijs De Ligt (CB) – The Dutch defender hasn’t been at his best since coming to Italy, but he is undoubtedly a huge talent and will have to perform well in this massive fixture.

Alex Sandro (LB) – The Brazilian has become a key man under Sarri, and is one of the first names on the team sheet. 

---

Midfielders 

Miralem Pjanic (CM) – Pjanic has become one of Sarri’s main men, sitting as the deepest player in midfield and orchestrating play a la Jorginho at Napoli and Chelsea. 

Blaise Matuidi (CM) – A man for the big games, Matuidi’s work ethic and ability to run for 90 minutes will mean he starts on Sunday.

Sami Khedira (CM) – Despite the arrival of Adrian Rabiot from PSG this summer, Khedira has kept his place in central midfield, his experience and all round ability helping him anchor the centre of the pitch.

Aaron Ramsey (AM) – Ramsey has been in and out of the team as he gets used to life in Italy. However, ?the Welshman has impressed hugely every time he starts, and Sarri will probably throw him into the lion’s den this weekend resting him in Europe.

---

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo (ST) – Is there really any doubt about this one? It’s ?Ronaldo.

Gonzalo Higuain (ST) – Sarri is clearly a huge fan of the Argentine, signing him when at Chelsea, and now giving him a role up front in his ?Juve team. Will continue to lead the line on Sunday alongside Ronaldo.

Let’

?Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is preparing a move for Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic in January, as the club look set to go against their recent transfer policy of buying young British players.

United focused on bringing in talented youngsters in the most recent transfer window, adding Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka over the summer, along with the more experienced Harry Maguire.

However, according to the Metro, Solskjaer is keen to attract Mandzukic to Old Trafford at the turn of the year. The report states that Juventus wanted between £9-11m to allow him to leave over the summer, but given his lack of game time in recent months they would be happy with a smaller fee in January. 

United allowed Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to depart to Inter in the summer, and have looked short in attack since, with Anthony Martial struggling with injuries and Marcus Rashford in inconsistent form. Having seen his side score just five goals in their last six Premier League games, Solskjaer is now looking to Mandzukic, despite the Croatian forward being 33 years of age and coming towards the end of his career.

Mandzukic has not played for Juventus this season, with Maurizio Sarri preferring Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala as his attacking options. Sarri also opted to leave Mandzukic out of his Champions League squad, sending out a clear message that he does not see the forward in his future plans. 

Mandzukic had looked to be on his way to Qatar last month, but that deal has stalled, leaving the door open for United to swoop in.

Let’

Everton manager Marco Silva has preached patience with his long term plan at Goodison, despite the Merseyside club’s recent poor run of form.

The Toffees have lost three consecutive Premier League matches and currently occupy 15th place, with just two wins to their name all season. 

Although ?Everton did not disgrace themselves during their recent 3-1 loss to ?Manchester City, it was the defeat against Sheffield United the previous week that left fans feeling particularly underwhelmed. 

The Toffies lost at home to the Premier League new boys, leaving the field to a chorus of boos and causing pressure to increase on the Everton boss.

However, Silva believes a change in personnel would only unsettle things at Goodison. 

As quoted by ?The Mirror, Silva said: “I know everything that has happened and for me it is so clear. Stability is so important. If you ask me then I don’t feel anything has changed in the last week. 

“Of course I am not happy, the players are not happy, everyone inside is not happy.

“But the club is clear. We showed last summer that we had a project and I am the manager to handle and work with the players we have.”?

Everton endured a frustrating transfer window, with attempts to sign Wilfried Zaha, Kurt Zouma and Chris Smalling all proving unsuccessful. 

However, Silva refused to put Everton’s struggles on the pitch down to failings in the transfer market. 

“For some managers it is easier to find excuses, but I am not a coach to hide.

“We inside the club know what’s happened last summer – we have to know because we are football people.

“Those who understand football really, look to the situation and understand what has happened. What we did or not [in the summer] we cannot change anything now. We believe in them, so let’s support them.”

Everton will look to relieve the pressure on Marco Silva on Saturday, as they travel to Turf Moor to ?take on Burnley.

Let’

?Things aren’t going well for Brighton. That said, they aren’t going much better for Tottenham neither.

In fact, a humiliating 7-2 defeat at home to Bayern Munich ranks pretty high on the list of recent catastrophes for the Lilywhites, with Saturday’s midday kick-off against the Seagulls offering Mauricio Pochettino’s side the chance to go someway towards amending that result.

For the home side, after starting the ?Premier League season with a bang – seeing off Watford 3-0 at Vicarage Road – its been anything but joyous for Graham Potter’s side, who’ve yet to win since that clash.

Their most recent loss against a club from the capital saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, while ?Spurs secured a much-needed league victory by scraping past Southampton.

Both sides desperately need a win, but who will get it? Further still, will there actually be a winner? Our friends over at Opta have provided us with all the necessary stats you’ll need to ensure you head into the match prepared for every possible outcome. And, even better than that, one-up your mates with some factual fun that has you reigning supreme in the football knowledge table.

---

0/4

The early signs aren’t good. For ?Brighton, that is.

Simply due to that fact they’ve never beaten Spurs in the Premier League to date, drawing only once in their four previous encounters in the division. In other words, it doesn’t bode well for Saturday.

---

It Only Gets Worse

One wonders how capable Brighton are of holding onto a lead against Spurs in the top-flight.

Well, nobody knows, because they’ve never done it. I suppose there’s a first for everything, no?

---

Flavour of the Month

Harry Kane can’t score in August. Everyone is broke in January. Brighton don’t really lose in October.

That’s right, somewhat incredibly. Clearly the blend of falling leaves and extensive rain showers works wonders for the Seagulls, who have lost just one of their last 19 league matches in October – that defeat coming away at Arsenal in 2017.

---

Home Is Where the Win Is(n’t)

Brighton aren’t great away from home, but they’re fairly average at it too it would seem.

Eight games without victory at the AMEX Stadium is their longest run without victory at home since February 2010 – a run of nine matches. If only the side they were facing were in the midst of a torrid away run…

---

A Match Made in Heaven

Just as Brighton are struggling at home, along come Spurs who are dreadful away from it.

Tottenham are winless in nine Premier League away games since beating Fulham in January of this year. Their previous worse record was ten matches in 2006 and, given the current state of affairs, that may well be matched.

---

A Game of Two Halves

Spurs do remember that, don’t they? Because the fact they’ve scored their last nine Premier League goals in the first half would suggest otherwise.

---

Two Peas in a Pod

Shoes and socks. Bacon and eggs. Two things that come together in harmony. A bit like Christian Eriksen and ?Harry Kane.

The Dane has provided 19 assists for Kane at Spurs in the Premier League and could become just the fifth player to provide 20+ for a single player in the competition’s history

If that combination strikes again, the pair will join Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, Darren Anderton and Teddy Sheringham, Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler as well as David Silva and Sergio Agüero in reaching that number.

---

Don’t Quit While You’re Ahead

Advice often considered unwise, its something Potter needs to drill home to his players if they’re to get themselves out of the bottom three.

Brighton have failed to score more than once in any of their last 15 Premier League home games, with only Sunderland and Huddersfield enduring longer runs in the competition. We all know how things turned out for them…

---

Let’

?Real Madrid have dropped goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois from their matchday squad which faces Granada on Saturday, but the club have stressed it’s not been as a result of anxiety.

The Belgium international was substituted at half-time against Club Brugge on Tuesday as Real Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw, prompting rumours to pop up which claimed Courtois was hooked due to his anxiety.

But the club have released a statement which denies Courtois has been suffering from anxiety, instead chalking the goalkeeper’s substitution up to illness.

“In relation to certain information about our player, Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid want to state the following,” the statement said (via Goal). “Our player has never been diagnosed with anxiety and that information is absolutely false.

“Courtois has been diagnosed and treated for gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which made it impossible for him to finish Tuesday’s game against Brugge.

“The player is responding well to the treatment.”

Having now been left out of Real Madrid’s squad which hosts second-place Granada on Saturday, Courtois will be replaced in between the sticks by Alphonse Areola.

Castilla goalkeepers Javier Belman and Diego Altube have also been called up to Zinedine Zidane’s first-team squad.

Lucas Vázquez and Vinícius Júnior are both missing from Real Madrid’s attack this weekend, while at the other end of the pitch Marcelo, Ferland Mendy and Nacho are also unavailable.

That could see summer signing Éder Militão or right-back Álvaro Odriozola used out of position to provide cover on the left against Granada, where they’ll have to mark either Antonio Puertas – he scored in last week’s win over Leganes – or Álvaro Vadillo.

Let’