Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace Preview | Team News, Key Men, Stats

This match sees two sides, looking for their first win of the season, face-off. As the home side, Newcastle will be looking at this match with more expectancy, especially after signing a flurry of new players this summer. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace have lost their opening two matches without a manager, but Neil Warnock has been announced as the new boss, so it will be Warnock’s second spell in the hotseat at Selhurst Park.

Tony Pulis left in an abrupt manner, which has damaged the side, as he was the perfect fit for Palace and his departure could lead to the club returning to the second tier, unless Warnock can continue the good work, but it will be very difficult for a manager who has never settled in the top flight.

Newcastle have started the season averagely. Despite them failing to pick up a win in their opening two league matches, they have put in encouraging performances, which has given the fan-base hope that they will have a good season. Their main issue is putting the ball in the net, but the attacking players will slowly adjust to the league and the introduction of Siem de Jong should see the Magpies carry more threat in the final third. They were unlucky not to beat Aston Villa last weekend as they did have the better chances to break the deadlock, with Cabella and de Jong missing good chances. If they don’t beat Palace this weekend, the fans’ concerns will grow, and Alan Pardew must prevent that from happening.

Last season was incredible for Crystal Palace as they stayed in the Premier League for the first time in their history, finishing 11th, which was a great campaign, considering many tipped them for relegation from the off. Many will point to the influence of Tony Pulis, but the squad is decent and the team spirit is what carried Palace to survival. This season will be much harder for the side as it’s proven that consolidating in the Premier League is very difficult. The home defeat against West Ham was disappointing, but only two matches have passed, and there is a lot of time for Palace to reach the magical 40 points.

In the corresponding fixture last season, Newcastle won through a late winner from Papiss Cisse. This was during a period in which Newcastle were struggling for form. At Selhurst Park, Newcastle also finished with the three points with a 3-0 win. On that day Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and an own goal were on the score-sheet. Neither of the first two will be playing this weekend as Cabaye has left the club, while the latter is currently banished from the first team.

Interesting Stats

No side has picked up more red cards than Newcastle since the start of last season. The Magpies have received 7 red cards, with Mike Williamson’s dismissal against Aston Villa being the most recent.

Dwight Gayle has scored 11 goals in 1083 minutes across all competitions for Palace. He has never nailed down a starting berth, but if he continues scoring goals, it will be a matter of time.

Key Men

Siem De Jong

The surname will be familiar to Newcastle fans after Luuk’s disappointing loan spell last season, but his older brother Siem is likely to have a bigger impact on Tyneside. He has been the captain of Dutch giants Ajax for a number of years and was a key part of a side that impressed in the Champions League, with a win over Manchester City being the highlight, a match in which De Jong scored. After joining in the summer, he was appointed vice-captain and impressed in pre-season, but missed the opening game with an injury. The Dutchman has featured in the last two games, so will be expected to start this weekend, with his most likely role being the number ten, behind Emmanuel Riviere. Alan Pardew has spoken highly about his summer signing, comparing him to Teddy Sheringham. Newcastle will be hoping he makes a big impact. His strength lies in his technical ability and football intelligence to create chances, while he will be eager to score a decent amount of goals this season. Newcastle are yet to score a Premier League goal,  however, they will be a lot better in the final third with the Dutchman in the team and he could show his class this weekend.

Hangeland

For Crystal Palace, they will be hoping their new signing Brede Hangeland has a good season, as his Premier League experience will play a big part in them establishing themselves as a top flight side. He hasn’t had the best start, after playing in a side that has conceded five goals in their opening two games, but it’s early days in his Palace career. His aerial ability and his dominating style will prove difficult for the Newcastle side to break down, especially given they are low on confidence after not scoring in their opening two matches. The Newcastle attack is still developing and getting used to the league, and facing a physical defender like Hangeland will be a good test for them. They struggled against Ron Vlaar and the Palace defender is similar in style to the Dutchman, therefore he will be key to Palace’s chances of picking up their first point of the summer or better. Palace played very well at Newcastle last season. They were unlucky to lose, with Hangeland in the side, and they are unlikely to conceded a late goal, as he is very experienced and will know you can’t turn off in the Premier League.

Team News

Jack Colback and Rolando Aarons are expected to be available after picking up knocks in previous matches. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is a doubt, while Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote remain a couple of weeks away. Davide Santon and Ryan Taylor are also expected to miss out. Gabriel Obertan is a contender to start after an impressive performance in the Capital One Cup.

Joe Ledley is a doubt as he recovers from a groin injury, while Scott Dann is expected to be unavailable. Dwight Gayle will be pushing for a start after a hat trick in the Capital One Cup. A lot of fringe players will be looking to impress as when a new manager comes in, there is always opportunities, so it will be interesting to see how Warnock lines Palace up.

Verdict

It will be a tight game with very few goals in it. Newcastle have played well in their opening two matches, but it hasn’t quite clicked in the final third yet. They will dominate possession and the likes of Remy Cabella and Siem de Jong will be given chances to break Palace down. While the atmosphere at St James’ Park could be the determining factor. They are facing a side low on confidence after two losses in the league, while Neil Warnock won’t have got to know the Palace squad yet or know his strongest eleven. However, the new manager bounce could come into play and Palace could be able to get something. I think Newcastle will be too strong and will surely break their duck this week.

Newcastle United 1-0 Crystal Palace

EPL Preview: Swansea vs Burnley Prediction (23/Aug - 22:00)

Probable Lineups

 Team News

Swansea

• Swansea confirmed the signing of centre-back Federico Fernandez on Wednesday, but he is unlikely to start the meeting with Burnley.
• Garry Monk is without only Leon Britton and Marvin Emnes due to injury.
• The Swans may name an unchanged XI from their opening day win at Manchester United.

 Burnley

• Sam Vokes remains sidelined with a knee injury and he is expected to miss a substantial chunk of the season.
• Despite an underwhelming performance against Chelsea, summer signing Lucas Jutkiewicz should lead the attack here.
• Sean Dyche may be tempted to name an unchanged XI from the defeat against Chelsea.

Prediction

• Swansea secured an inspring 2-1 win over Manchester United on the opening day of the season. Many expected the Swans to falter this season, but they have hit the ground running and if they can hold onto their key players, they could be in for a notable campaign.
• Burnley put in a good account of themselves against Chelsea on Monday, but the gulf in quality between the Clarets and the title favourites was evident. Sean Dyche will look to convince his players that the season starts now as they aim to avoid relegation at the first time of asking.
• Garry Monk's side will be in buoyant mood following the surprise victory at Old Trafford and should have enough about them to pick up another 3 points here.

Manchester Utd vs Swansea Preview & Prediction (16 Aug ~ 19:45)

Manchester United v Swansea
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 16 August 2014 Kick Off 19:45

Manchester United

There is a sense of deja vu as Manchester United get ready to welcome a new era against Swansea on the opening day of the new Premier League season. This time last season, Manchester United prepared for a trip to the Liberty Stadium as the David Moyes era officially got underway, but the fans will be hoping for a similar result albeit with a much more positive end to the new campaign than they saw in 2013/14.

It was the worst season that Manchester United suffered during the Premier League era and the worst in the top flight since the 1988/89 season. The problems began early for Moyes and never seemed to resolve themselves which means Louis Van Gaal gets the opportunity to revive Manchester United after guiding the Netherlands to Third Place at the recent World Cup.

The first place United will be looking to recover their form is at Old Trafford where the side were beaten in 7 of their 19 League games last season. They did win 7 of their 10 home games against teams from the bottom half of the table, although Manchester United also lost 2 of those games and now they have to deal with a new formation that their Dutch manager will be asking the team to play.

A strong pre-season has at least raised some hope for Manchester United fans after last season, including wins over the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid. However, friendlies are rarely a true indication of what a team is capable of and there will be a different sort of pressure on United when the Premier League kicks off. Manchester United did end the season with more inconsistency at home as they won 4, draw 2 and lost 3 of their last 9 games at Old Trafford in all competitions.

Luke Shaw and Michael Carrick have both been ruled out until next month with injuries, while Jonny Evans and Antonio Valencia need to pass fitness tests. Robin Van Persie might have to sit out after only recently returning to training which means Danny Welbeck could be asked to partner new Captain Wayne Rooney along with Juan Mata. Ander Herrera should make his competitive debut for the club after signing from Athletic Bilbao.

Swansea

A lot of the experts believe Swansea are going to have a more effective season than last year when they were hindered by their small squad having to compete in the Europa League as well as the Premier League. Without European football this season, Swansea are expected to return to the middle of the table, but this could be a tough season for Garry Monk and his troops, especially if they can't hold onto Wilfried Bony.

Last season, Swansea finished 12th in the Premier League and they ended the campaign with a healthy 9 point advantage over Norwich City in the relegation zone. However, it wasn't plain sailing as shown by the removal of Michael Laudrup as manager despite the success the Dane had the season before last, but it was the form at the Liberty Stadium that prevented the Swans from ending higher up the League table.

Swansea won 3 of their last 4 Premier League games last season which ensured their Premier League future and the side will be looking to build upon that early in the new campaign. The side had failed to win any of 8 away games in all competitions, losing 6 of those games, before ending the season with back to back wins at Newcastle United and Sunderland.

The likes of Michel Vorm, Ben Davies and Michu have moved on from the Liberty Stadium this summer, while Gylfi Sigurdsson returns to the club where he had a lot of success two seasons ago. Bafetimbi Gomes was also brought in, but the best bit of business will be keeping hold of Bony if they manage to do that over the next two weeks. Lukasz Fabianski could be the new Number 1 to replace Vorm.

Head to Head

Manchester United had been unbeaten in 10 all time home games against Swansea before being beating by them in the FA Cup Third Round last season thanks to a late Wilfried Bony goal.

United did complete the League double over Swansea with a 1-4 win at the Liberty Stadium and a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have won 8 of their last 9 home games against Swansea.

Prediction

It is the start of yet another new dawn for Manchester United as Louis Van Gaal takes charge of his first competitive game as manager of the club. The formation won't be something that the fans at Old Trafford are used to, but the pragmatic Dutchman believes it will make the best of a squad that he described as 'unbalanced' when arriving at Old Trafford.

After the disappointing campaign under David Moyes, Manchester United fans will be desperate for the team to get off to a strong start and the fixture list has certainly been kind to them on that front. A home game against Swansea should be one that sits well with United, especially as the away side have had a few changes to the squad from last season.

As much as Manchester United struggled at Old Trafford last season, they did win 7 of their home games against those sides that finished in the bottom half and that is something I project for Swansea. They also have had success with the formation that Louis Van Gaal will be using during the pre-season with a little more success going forward, although Manchester United are still going to have a few issues defensively.

In games like this, I would expect those defensive problems won't be as highlighted as in games against the better teams in the Premier League and I can see United making a strong start to the new season. Last season, 7 of their 9 home wins at Old Trafford came by more than a single goal and they have had success against Swansea in recent games here including winning 2 of their last 3 in the League by at least two goals since the Swans returned to the top flight.

United fans would do well to remember twelve months ago and not to get overly carried away by a strong win over Swansea to open the season, but I do think they can win this game by at least two goals.

The Statistics :

 

The Pick :

Manchester United 2-0 Swansea

Liverpool agree £16m for Spanish international

Liverpool are in advanced talks with Spanish La Liga side Sevilla to sign their left-back Alberto Moreno.

The Daily Mail are reporting that the two clubs have agreed a £16 million transfer fee for the 22-year old.

Brendan Rodgers has been in search of a left-back this summer as he looks to improve his defence from last season.  The club have already signed centre-back Dejan Lovren from Southampton.

Alberto Moreno has come through the Sevilla youth system, making 45 La Liga appearances in all for the club since making his debut in April 2012.  Last season was his first as a regular in the starting line-up, making a total of 40 appearances in all competitions, helping Sevilla to a fifth-place finish in the league and winning the UEFA Europa League on penalties.

The youngster has three caps for the Spanish national team having previously played nine times for their under-21s.  He is a highly-rated player in his position with years ahead of him.

Widespread reports suggest it is only a matter of time before the deal goes through.  Sevilla had previously requested £20 million for their left-back but it appears they have settled for £16m.

Last week the Liverpool Echo were confident the club were closing in on the signing of Moreno as well as a loan deal for young Atlético Madrid right-back Javier Manquillo.

Liverpool currently have José Enrique, Jon Flanagan, Mamadou Sakho and Emre Can all capable of playing at left-back but Brendan Rodgers appears to want to upgrade at that position.

A loan deal for Manquillo would see him compete with Glen Johnson, Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly for the right-back role.

The Reds have already spent £88.5 million in the transfer window this summer, signing Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Marković, Dejan Lovren and Divock Origi.

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal: Robin van Perise will miss start of the season

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that Robin van Persie will not feature against Valencia in the pre-season friendly and also miss the season opener against Swansea City.

The Dutchman says he is ready to take the criticism for dropping the former Arsenal skipper, but says the player’s fitness should be a priority and claims he is aware of what needs to be done with the striker.

Van Persie was the part of the Netherlands squad that finished third in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which was coached by the current United manager. The 30-year-old is currently on a holiday and will return to training on Monday.

The 62-year-old manager admitted that Van Persie is keen on playing every game, but Van Gaal says the Dutch international will miss the start of the Premier League season.

“Robin will begin training on Monday, but he won’t play in the friendly against Valencia on August 12, definitely not,” Van Gaal said, as reported in the Daily Mirror.

“And he won’t play in the Premier League at the start either, I think. People can criticise me for that decision but I know what you have to do with players who have had three weeks’ holiday.”

“Hopefully, Robin will get his fitness back very fast. But at this moment, he won’t be playing.”

“Robin wants to play every game, I know that, but so do the other 30 players in the squad. But players have to train and Robin needs a full training regime behind him before he can play again,” new United manager said.

Van Gaal’s decision to not include his compatriot should not be criticised. Van Persie should not be rushed for the opening game, especially when he has not been a part of the club’s pre-season tour.

The Red Devils’ boss can use Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck to lead United’s attack as the England international duo has been impressive so far in the US.

Liverpool vs. AS Roma July 23, 2014 Prediction

After a disappointing result against Brondby of the Danish Superliga, Liverpool travels to the United States to continue their pre-season tour. Liverpool will play a friendly against AS Roma on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at Fenway Park, the famous home of the Boston Red Sox.

Both European clubs are in the United States for the Guinness International Champions Cup, which features six other European giants, and thirteen lucky American cities that get to host these games.

Both of these clubs also qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the upcoming year after a hiatus of club championship football.  Roma returns to Champions League for the first time since 2011 and Liverpool has been absent since 2010. The two sides will not be playing Champions League-quality soccer on Wednesday, but this game will be entertaining, nonetheless.

AS Roma comes to the states, with a few new names (Juan Manuel Iturbe, Salih Uçan, and Ashley Cole) on its roster, and recent wins over Orlando FC (a 1-nil win) and Indonesia’s U-23 team (3-1).

Liverpool arrives in Boston, licking its wounds after a 2-1 defeat to Brondby and a come-from-behind win to beat Preston 2-1.  The Brondby game should not raise many questions because it is the first game of the preseason and there is still lots of training left for the team.  However, for a side with many subs, the team looked stagnant, confused by its teammates and a bit out of shape, physically and tactically.

What Liverpool Fans Should Watch For

Liverpool needs to be better with the fluidity of the team.  Granted that is hard to do with the amount of players on hand and more subs than usual with the friendly rules; Brendan Rodgers made six changes at halftime against Brondby that seemed to change the flow of the game. However, since the whole squad is now back, look for some better passing and movement that comes from the chemistry that the first teamers have built.

Philippe Coutinho was the man of the match for Liverpool against Brondby, and he brought a punch against Preston.  He brought energy and electricity to the team that seemed to be lacking elsewhere on the pitch.  He was not afraid to take defenders on one on one, and he made several nice passes over the defense to spur on his teammates.  Look for this to continue against Roma, and hopefully he will be paired up with Daniel Sturridge or Rickie Lambert.

The defense needs to be better.  Liverpool have allowed early first half goals in both preseason fixtures so far, and Brondby’s game-winner came in extra time.  So far, it appears the team starts to focus after allowing an early goal, but they need to come focused to start the game.  And then keep the concentration all the way to the end.  With a bigger name, such as AS Roma, I would think the intensity would come right from the start.

Lastly, keep an eye on the substitutions.  With the larger amounts of subs allowed, watch for the paired subs that come on together, and watch to see who Brendan Rodgers pairs with who.  With so much youth and new faces on this squad, this will be the interesting part of the preseason.  Who can leave a mark in their shortened playing time and who can mix and match with the rest of the squad better?

Liverpool vs AS Roma Prediction

These two teams met in Fenway two years ago, with Roma winning 2-1.  This will be a fun game, with two historical sides meeting, and maybe it is a prelude to a Champions League fixture later on. However, Liverpool should be able to flip the script this time and take home the win by a 2-1 margin.

Netherlands 0 - 0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on pen): Highlights and Key Battles

The second semi-final of Brazil 2014 kicked off just 24 hours after the one before it, but could not have been more different. While the Germany-Brazil showdown was a goal fest, this was more of a snooze fest, goalless until the end and with real chances at goal coming only late on in regular time.

Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2 thanks to two saves from keeper Sergio Romero, booking a spot in the Maracana final against Germany.

Both sides seemed preoccupied with snuffing out each other's star players - Argentina's Lionel Messi and the Netherlands' Arjen Robben - that they failed to, or were unable to create much potent attacking chances for themselves.

The game for long looked destined for penalty kicks, and Louis Van Gaal will be left to wonder what might have been if he had saved one last substitution for Tim Krul.

Highlights

- Argentina began the match looking bright down the right flank through Ezequiel Lavezzi, although most of his crosses ended up being ineffective. Messi and Robben were largely silenced throughout the match, with the first shot bearing any resemblance to a goal came only in the 75th minute. A run by Enzo Perez down the right sends in a great cross to find Gonzalo Higuain, but the chance is squandered when the striker sent it wide of the post. 

- Robben finally breaks away in literally the last minute of regular time and is through on goal, but takes one too many touches and allows Javier Mascherano to perform a brilliant tackle to scurry the ball away from danger. The Argentinian had been solid in midfield for his side, soldiering on despite going down after a hard clash of heads earlier in the game. 

- Rodrigo Palacio threatened to break the deadlock in extra-time, getting behind Dutch defense but opts to head the ball - a little too gently - rather than try for a volley. Sends the ball right into Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen's hands. 

- Spotkicks: Romero gives Argentina a headstart by saving the first from Ron Vlaar, then another from Wesley Sneijder. Cillessen, who has never saved a penalty kick in his entire professional career, continues that unflattering run.

Key battles

- Vlaar v Argentinian attack 

The Aston Villa centreback was rock solid holding the defence together, putting a halt to attacks in open play and from setpieces. Interceptions were well-timed, took on Messi, and should take bulk of the credit for helping the Netherlands keep a clean sheet until the shootout. 

- Robben v Argentinian defence 

Mascherano was on Robben's case right from the start, depriving him of touches with many big plays and Demichelis did a good job of shutting down space for Robben. Zabaleta also did some work in preventing the fleet-footed Dutch player from enjoying his usual runs. 

Man of the match

Ron Vlaar 

Was the first to take to the spot for the penalty shootout, and despite having his attempt saved by Romero, was still the best player on the pitch over 120 minutes. 

Up until the 115th minute, he had won 100 per cent of his tackles, aerial duels made 11 clearances and six interceptions with a 92 per cent pass accuracy. Numbers don't lie. 

Paris Saint Germain could have got a lot more by paying a lot less if they had called Vlaar up instead of David Luiz. 

What this result means

Plain and simple: Messi in the Maracana. He will lead his team to face the rampant Germany, who would probably have been taking a second dip in their jacuzzis while watching Argentina slog out a result for 120 minutes.