Everton v Leicester
It’s rancorous at Everton, where the home team have gone close after a slow start, Richarlison missing a good chance. Anthony Gordon is to the fore for Everton, as he is always is.
Goal! Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal (Werner, 18)
It’s a deflection as Werner shoots, off Xhaka and into the goal. That’s loose from Arsenal considering how they had found themselves ahead. That was very very soft, but a typical Werner goal.
We’re underway at the Etihad, now can Brighton make it three in a row?
Goal! Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal (Nketiah, 13)
A horrible error from Andreas Christensen presents Eddie Nketiah the Arsenal striker with a clear chance to score and he shows he’s a good finisher, taking it well and with cool.Tha could be a big goal for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta looked pumped as he celebrated it.
Newcastle v Crystal Palace
It’s been all Newcastle, the home fans roaring on their heroes and Palace perhaps looking to shake out the Wembley weariness. Marc Guehi has been called into some last-ditch defensive work.
At the Bridge, it’s pretty even, with both sides on the attack and Lukaku going close for Chelsea against Arsenal.
Goal! Everton 0-1 Leicester (Barnes, 5)
Lax Everton defending and Harvey Barnes, back in the team, pokes home. Goodison is silent, the sound of groans may be imminent.
The word on Brighton’s Leandro Trossard, missing against Manchester City, is that he is ill, and Solly March has stepped in.
Everton v Leicester
Seamus Coleman has warded off an early scare in stopping Dewsbury-Hall surging through but he’s picked up a knock in doing so, but appears ok to continue.
And away we go in the 7.45pm kick-offs. What magic awaits?
The Newcastle skipper, Jamaal Lascelles, has praised Bruno Guimarães in the programme notes ahead of the match with Crystal Palace.
He really is just fearless. The confidence he has to receive the ball in any area of the pitch shows a lot of courage and then there’s his work ethic as well. I watched the second goal back on Sunday night and just to see where he ran from to get forward and score the winner shows an incredible amount of desire. He’s already been a huge player for us but he’s still only young, so it’s going to be interesting to see how far he can
No pressure, then.
Pep Guardiola spoke to the BBC about Ruben Dias and the challenge of Brighton, who he has given the classic blowing of smoke ahead of a match against a less well-heeled rival.
He is already on the bench and doing much better. It has been seven weeks out. But he is ready.
I expect the best of them. I always expect the best of any opponent. We especially expect the best from ourselves. I like almost everything. They have the courage to play, it doesn’t matter where, with their own personality and football.
Frank Lampard spoke to the BBC on Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s absence, and it’s bad news on a player who hasn’t featured nearly enough this season.
Dominic felt a small sensation in his quad in training. We scanned it and it’s 10 days to two weeks, unfortunately, so we’ll miss him for these next couple of games, for sure. He’ll possibly be back for Chelsea.
Kevin de Bruyne is risen for City, and that’s a big deal, not least because Leandro Trossard, the Brighton match-winner at Tottenham, is absent. Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, Ayermic Laporte, Rodri and Riyad Mahrez are all back for City and the word seems to be that Nathan Ake and Laporte will pair up as centre-backs. Further good news for City is the absence of Yves Bissouma, suspended after battering Tottenham’s midfield on Saturday.
Manchester City v Brighton teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Stones, Ake, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez. Subs: Steffen, Dias, Sterling, Jesus, Grealish, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Palmer, Lavia
Brighton: Sanchez, Lamptey, Cucurella, Dunk, Veltman, March, Gross, Mwepu, Mac Allister, Caicedo, Welbeck Subs: Steele, McGill, Webster, Maupay, Lallana, Leonard, Offiah, Ferguson, Sarmiento
The big news among those, aside from Romelu Lukaku starting for Chelsea, are seven changes for Leicester against Everton. Brendan Rodgers has gone for sweeping alterations from the team that lost to Newcastle. Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira, and Timothy Castagne come into defence, while James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Kelechi Iheanacho line up in attack. No Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Everton, but Demarai Gray and Yerry Mina come in. To face Crystal Palace, Newcastle make no changes from the team that beat Leicester while Palace make four changes from Wembley, including the return of Conor Gallagher to the team.
Chelsea v Arsenal teams
Chelsea: Mendy, Alonso, Christensen, Kante, Lukaku, Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, James, Azpilicueta, Sarr. Subs: Kepa, Jorgiho, Silva, Pulisic, Chalobah, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Havertz.
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Gabriel, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tavares, Elneny, Nketiah, Xhaka. Subs: Leno, Lacazette, Soares, Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Martinelli, Azeez, Swanson, Hutchinson
Newcastle v Crystal Palace teams
Newcastle: Dubravka; Krafth, Schar, Burn, Targett; Guimaraes, Shelvey, Joelinton; Almiron, Wood, Saint-Maximin. Subs: Darlow, Lascelles, Ritchie, Fernandez, Manquillo, Murphy, Willock, Gayle, Longstaff
Crystal Palace: Guaita; Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Kouyate, Gallagher, Schlupp; Olise, Edouard, Zaha. Subs: Butland, Ward, Tomkins, Ayew, Eze, Hughes, Mateta, McArthur, Benteke
Everton v Leicester teams
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Godfrey, Mina, Mykolenko, Allan, Delph, Iwobi, Gordon, Gray, Richarlison. Subs: Begovic, Kenny, Holgate, Keane, Doucoure, Gomes, Van de Beek, Rondon, Alli
Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Fofana, Evans, Castagne, Tielemans, Mendy, Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison, Barnes, Iheanacho. Subs: Ward, Justin, Soyuncu, Albrighton, Perez, Amartey, Choudhury, Daka, Lookman.
Frank Lampard is playing the but seriously card heavily.
I saw a quote this week saying we’ve been let off the hook because this happened. I don’t see how. It doesn’t change anything. Burnley are a good team and Burnley are used to fighting to stay in the Premier League. That fact will remain the same.
So, just how patched-up are City? The teams will roll in soon enough.
Guardiola was without Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne and Rúben Dias at Wembley. Walker’s ankle problem rules him out of Brighton’s visit for the league match on Wednesday but De Bruyne and Dias await fitness tests.
Dias has not played for seven weeks because of a hamstring injury but Guardiola is not concerned about putting the Portuguese defender back in. “He could [play 90 minutes],” he said.
“It depends on the game. Tomorrow’s game is so demanding. I haven’t decided on the lineup. I think maybe the last minutes for him but he could start, he could play. I have no doubts about Rúben. With Rúben, it is not a problem.
Preamble
Good evening, we are back back back for more, and it may well be a decisive night in just about all parts of the Premier League table.
Manchester City v Brighton (8pm UK time kick-off): Brighton were very good on Saturday at Spurs, to follow up beating Arsenal the previous week, and looked to pose a bigger threat to City than Liverpool did to Manchester United last night. City looked careworn in losing to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final and the question is how patched up Pep Guardiola’s men might be? There’s no Erling Haaland to save them this season.
Everton v Leicester (7.45pm): Frank Lampard may just have been saved by the chaotic scenes at Burnley where Michael Jackson has replaced Sean Dyche….(I am not going there)…and there appears no immediate plan. So a win over Leicester, distracted by their Europa Conference League dreams, could steady some nerves ahead of the Merseyside derby this weekend. This has match a pleasing look of potential chaos about it.
Newcastle v Crystal Palace (7.45pm): Perhaps Palace’s season ended in that rather drab semi-final loss to Chelsea, but Newcastle have been fun to watch on the field of late, with Bruno Guimarães already hitting levels of Geordie South American folk hero of Nobby Solano levels. Safe, and with their priority to entertain the fans St James’ Park is a fun place to be for those fans who welcomed the takeover, which, let’s face it, was just about all of them.
Chelsea v Arsenal (7.45pm): This one is being covered by the excellent Rob Smyth elsewhere but we’ll keep tabs. They are split asunder in the table by Tottenham and both have wobbled of late but this appears make or break for Arsenal after three straight defeats chucked away their command of fourth place. Having made the FA Cup final and recovered from exiting the Champions League, Chelsea have less at stake but Thomas Tuchel is not one for letting up on his players, though his team did lose this fixture in May last year when the Champions League final had been reached. Chelsea won the previous fixture this season when Romelu Lukaku – remember him? – looked like the answer to Chelsea’s striking problems.
Plenty to play for, all the action here. Join me.
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