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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is searching for his first win since the international break and after a goalless draw in midweek, he’ll be hoping his side can go one better at Brighton and Hove Albion this evening.

The Lilywhites were held by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, just a few days after their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.

It’s a short turnaround for the Italian and his squad, so rotation could be in order, whilst Emerson Royal is one of a few confirmed absentees after he received a careless red card in the north London derby.

Conte could finally switch to a 3-5-2 formation, as a result of their form and congested schedule.

That would see another midfielder enter the fray, likely to be £30m signing Yves Bissouma. The box-to-box powerhouse – who journalist Aaron Stokes once dubbed an “absolute monster” – joins Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the engine room but does mean that a forward needs to be dropped.

Given his struggles this season, Heung-min Son could be axed to the bench – just as he was against Leicester City – meaning it’s Harry Kane and Richarlison up front.

The 6-2 whitewash over the Foxes also provided a clue as to how Spurs could lineup without Emerson, so Ivan Perisic may switch to the right wing-back role, with Ryan Sessegnon coming in on the left.

Conte should also revert back to his usual three-man defence after Ben Davies returned from injury in midweek. The versatile Wales star is likely to start alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, who are protecting club captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks, in what would be the third and final change from Tuesday.

The likes of Oliver Skipp, Davinson Sanchez and Bryan Gil may have to wait for further minutes and there are continued doubts over the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski, who has missed Tottenham’s last two fixtures.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-5-2): Lloris; Davies, Dier, Romero; Sessegnon, Bentancur, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane

AND in other news, Spurs could end creative crisis with 22 y/o “superstar”, he’s 82% cheaper than Maddison…

West Bromwich Albion will go into today’s game against Bristol City hopeful that they can achieve back-to-back victories for the first time this season.

With Steve Bruce yet to be replaced over a week after his sacking, Richard Beale will once again take charge hoping to mastermind another performance like their 2-0 victory over Reading.

They will have to overcome a Robins side that sits just four points above them in the table.

It marks a fine opportunity to give the incoming manager, whoever it may be, the best possible atmosphere to come into.

With no injuries to contend with, it can be expected that Beale will not make wholesale changes.

As a result, here’s the West Brom XI we’re predicting for tonight’s game…

From their win against the Royals, Beale is expected to make just two changes.

Alex Palmer should continue in goal behind an unchanged back three, as a rare clean sheet makes them the best available options.

Erik Pieters will continue to deputise as the leftmost centre back.

Goalscorer Matt Phillips will be hoping to continue his upturn in form on the right flank, with Conor Townsend occupying left wing-back.

The first of two changes could see Tom Rogic recalled for Jake Livermore, to add some added class and energy in midfield beside last week’s match-winner.

Academy graduate Taylor Gardner-Hickman will continue in central midfield, as finally since the departure of Bruce has he been allowed to flourish in his natural position.

They will sit behind a front three that only sees one major change.

Grady Diangana and Jed Wallace will start on the flanks despite their rather underwhelming form, but now free from the shackles of the previous regime, the two could be the catalyst for a true turnaround in the Baggies’ season.

That leaves the impressive 23-year-old, Brandon Thomas-Asante, to likely drop to the bench. Dubbed a “pocket rocket” by his teammate Phillips, Karlan Grant is expected to be preferred to him as Beale strives for a more experienced name to spearhead his front line.

Although he too has been misfiring, he could truly be the key to unlocking this squad. His chances are dwindling, however, as he has started just one of the last four.

Leeds United and Victor Orta have got a number of transfer decisions right in recent years, with the £17m signing and subsequent £55m sale of Raphinha, the £5m signing of Illan Meslier and the £11m signing of Jack Harrison standing out as three of the director of football’s better deals during his tenure at Elland Road.

However, the Spaniard has also got a few deals wrong in his time in LS11, with the £13m signing of Junior Firpo, the £25m signing of Daniel James and the £16m signing of Helder Costa not particularly representing excellent value for money for the Whites.

And, while many of the Elland Road faithful may well have agreed that Ezgjan Alioski was not quite of the standard required for Premier League football at the time his contract came to an end in the summer of 2021, with the benefit of hindsight, Orta’s call on the versatile left-back now looks to have been something of a nightmare.

Indeed, while the 30-year-old’s return of two goals, three assists and four big chances created was far from disastrous over his 36 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, there was a general feeling that, should Leeds wish to kick on, the club should sign an upgrade on the North Macedonia international.

However, with this upgrade being Firpo – a player who has started just 22 games for the Whites due to a series of injuries, as well as largely disappointing when he has been on the pitch – coupled with Alioski now enjoying something of an Indian summer while on loan at Fenerbahce, perhaps Leeds would have been better off sticking with the left-back.

Indeed, the defender has impressed over his five Super Lig appearances in 2022/23, scoring one goal and helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as averaging an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.86.

The player who Alex McLeish once dubbed a “firework” has also caught the eye in the Europa League, starting two of Fenerbahce’s three fixtures in the competition, over which he has averaged a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.73.

However, while the £42k-per-week Alioski playing European football will not likely be the cause of too many sleepless nights for Orta, the fact that the player the Spaniard released on a free transfer now has a market valuation of £6m will more than likely come as a gutting blow to the 43-year-old – especially considering Firpo’s struggles both on and off the pitch.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has dropped some exciting Celtic news on Bosun Lawal.

The Lowdown: First-team call up soon?

As per The Scottish Sun, the 19-year-old was called in to train with the first team in September as Ange Postecoglou’s side were trying to deal with an injury crisis.

He has not yet made a senior appearance but has been impressing for Celtic’s B team, scoring five goals and supplying a further two assists in 11 games in all competitions from the centre of defence (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Lawal impressing at Celtic

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph has shared that ‘a lot of people within the club’ are ‘very impressed’ with the progress that Lawal is making at Celtic since signing a three-year deal from Watford last summer.

The journalist said: “I’ve certainly heard a lot of good things about Bosun Lawal. I think there’s a lot of people within the club who are very impressed with the progress he’s making.”

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The Verdict: Needs a chance

After impressing so much with the B team, Lawal needs to be given a chance by Postecoglou to feature for the senior side.

The Celtic manager does have four central defenders that he can call upon in his squad, but he could still give Lawal minutes in cup competitions or to the back end of the Premiership campaign if the Hoops find themselves well enough clear at the top.

Nonetheless, having also featured 10 times for the Republic of Ireland at youth level, the 19-year-old is clearly an exciting prospect, and one that Celtic supporters will no doubt want to see more often as he progresses.

سلط الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” الضوء على 4 لاعبين من الأندية المشاركة في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا يجب متابعتهم خلال المباريات.

ويشارك في دور نصف النهائي لدوري أبطال إفريقيا للنسخة الحالية 2024، كل من الأهلي ومازيمبي الكونغولي وصن داونز الجنوب إفريقي والترجي التونسي.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع مازيمبي في نصف النهائي الأول، بينما الترجي يلاقي صن داونز في نصف النهائي الثاني.

الأهلي يواجه مازيمبي في الكونغو في مباراة الذهاب يوم السبت 20 أبريل على أن تقام مباراة العودة في القاهرة يوم الجمعة 26 من الشهر نفسه.

على الجانب الآخر، صن داونز يلتقي مع الترجي في تونس يوم السبت 20 أبريل، ولقاء الإياب في جنوب إفريقيا مساء الجمعة 26 من الشهر ذاته.

طالع | كولر يوضح موقف بيرسي تاو من مواجهة مازيمبي.. ويصرح: لن أكشف كل أوراقي

وكشف كاف عبر موقعه الرسمي عن 4 لاعبين من الأندية المشاركة في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا يجب متابعتهم، هم: حسين الشحات (الأهلي)، جلودي ليكونزا (تي بي مازيمبي)، رونوين ويليامز (صن داونز)، يان ميديروس ساسي (الترجي التونسي).

وكتب كاف عن حسين الشحات، يعتبر الدولي المصري حسين الشحات، من بين أبرز العناصر في نادي الأهلي المصري، يشغل منصب جناح هجومي، وسجل 5 أهداف في 10 مباريات، يريد نجم “الفراعنة” ترك بصمته مرة أخرى في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

سجل الجناح البالغ من العمر 31 عاما، 5 أهداف خلال 10 مباريات فقط، مما جعله لاعبا فعالا في صفوف حامل اللقب خلال مشواره في المنافسة القارية.

يذكر أن لاعب الأهلي حسين الشحات، يغيب عن مباراة الذهاب المقرر إقامتها غداً السبت للإصابة، لم يتحدد موقفه من مواجهة الإياب في القاهرة التي ستقام يوم الجمعة المقبل 26 أبريل.

وعن لاعب مازيمبي جلودي ليكونزا، يتواجد مع نادي تي بي مازيمبي الكونغولي، جوهرة نادرة في شخصية، جلودي ليكونزا، لاعب خط الوسط الكونغولي الموهوب، سجل 3 أهداف وقدم تمريرة حاسمة.

وعن حارس صن داونز رونوين ويليامز، قال الكاف: “ستتجه الأنظار مجددا إلى حارس مرمى نادي ماميلودي صن داونز، رونوين ويليامز، خلال مباراتي نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا أمام نادي الترجي الرياضي التونسي لتميزه كعادته فى ركلات الترجيح، هو قاد فريقه في ربع النهائي من خلال تصدي استثنائي في سلسلة ركلات الترجيح، ليضمن تأهل ناديه إلى المربع الأخير.

وأخيراً يان ميديروس ساسي لاعب الترجي، ذكر كاف، أن الترجي التونسي يدين بالكثير للاعب وسط الميدان البرازيلي حيث سجل هدفين وقدم تمريرة حاسمة، يعول جماهير الترجي عليه في نصف النهائي، أمام نادي ماميلودي صن داونز الجنوب الإفريقي.

Everton could land a “massive coup” if they are able to secure a January transfer deal for potential World Cup star Cody Gakpo, according to pundit Noel Whelan. 

The Lowdown: Previous interest in Gakpo

Back in the previous summer transfer window, the Toffees were named as one of the clubs interested in signing the winger.

Other Premier League clubs such as Leeds United, Southampton and Manchester United were also linked with the PSV starlet, who has scored 82 goals in total for the club across 220 appearances in their senior and youth sides.

Now that the next January transfer window is approaching, it appears that the possibility of Everton making a move to sign the Dutchman has been the topic of discussion once again.

The Latest: Get it done

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan told Everton to get it done, labelling a deal as ‘massive’.

He said: “If they can get him, it’d be a massive coup. There’ll be a lot of clubs looking at him. I’m pretty sure in January – he’ll be a player who can make a difference to any side, he’s a fantastic talent.

“If there’s a bidding war, Everton could find it difficult – with their league position and their style of play. But if they can get this deal over the line, it would be an absolutely tremendous coup.

“If they start coming up against Man United and other top sides, it could become a lot more difficult.”

The Verdict: A stunning move for Everton?

Regardless of Whelan’s doubts over Everton’s ability to sign Gakpo in January, the 23-year-old, who will be hoping to have a breakout tournament with the Netherlands in the upcoming World Cup, has shown this season why the Merseyside club should do all they can to secure his signature.

With 17 appearances under his belt this season across the Eredivisie and the Europa League, the winger has scored 12 goals and delivered 13 assists, boasting well above one direct goal contribution per game.

Hailed as an “electric” player by journalist Josh Bunting, Gakpo has also had more shots at goal (47) and shots on target (24) than any other player in his division, further highlighting the attacking talent he has.

Taking all of this into account, we agree with Whelan that if Everton were to sign the PSV figure in January, he would be a great signing for the club and an exciting addition to Frank Lampard’s squad.

Although Carlos Corberan has secured his first win as West Bromwich Albion manager, he still has plenty to do before he can rest on his laurels.

His side still sits in the relegation zone, three points adrift and desperately trying to make up for the damage done by Steve Bruce.

Despite reverting to a back four for their win over Blackpool, it is common knowledge that the new manager prefers a 3-4-3 system with bombing full-backs.

Whilst he was Huddersfield Town manager, he benefitted from the offensive exploits of Harry Toffolo, who the previous boss Danny Cowley labelled “a really good kid” who was “hard-working”.

The left-wing back would then go on to score six goals and assist a further seven across their playoff-pushing campaign.

Whilst it may be a step too early to bring in youth players just yet, once they have secured a more confident degree of safety the Spaniard must surely promote Ethan Ingram into his senior side.

He has shown glimpses at youth level that suggest he could be a direct replacement for Toffolo at the Hawthorns, just on the opposite flank.

Already boasting one goal and two assists in seven Premier League 2 appearances this season, the 19-year-old has unsurprisingly often been deployed as a winger.

This experience will only mould him further into the perfect wing-back for Corberan.

Having already played once for the senior team this season too, in the EFL Cup, he is clearly well thought of amongst the club’s hierarchy.

Even last season, the bombarding defender recorded six assists at an even younger age.

He has been scoring and assisting goals throughout the whole of his short career, with his exploits surely to soon catch the eye of Corberan.

It was said at the back end of last season that Ingram wanted to “push for the first team”, and if this form is to continue then there is no reason why he cannot force his way into contention.

He aligns perfectly with the new manager’s ideals, and with Toffolo standing as proof that goalscoring defenders are his speciality, Ingram can start to feel excited about the new era at the Hawthorns.

With Unai Emery clearly keen to stamp his authority on this underperforming Aston Villa team, he has already been linked with a whole host of new talent.

Perhaps the most exciting and potentially viable of those linked are those regarding Martin Terrier, who has garnered huge praise in recent years for his quietly brilliant performances in France.

As per 90min, the Villans were one of many Premier League clubs scouting the wide man in preparation for this January.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all reportedly seen him in action, with German and Italian clubs also sniffing around.

To tempt him to Villa Park would mark a sensational coup given the breadth of quality sides just mentioned, but he is expected to cost as much as £40m.

There is a reason for their interest, as the Frenchman is so highly rated that he has actually been likened to the great Thierry Henry by European football writer Tim Williams.

With an incredible goal-scoring prowess from predominantly the left wing, his right footedness was sure to bring about comparisons.

Especially after last season, where he scored 21 goals and assisted four in Ligue 1.

Terrier’s prowess is further exemplified in that he ranks in the top 1% for non-penalty goals when compared to other wingers in Europe.

Should he make the switch to Villa Park, it would certainly provide a new impetus for Emiliano Buendia, who promised much when he first signed but has since underwhelmed.

The Argentine joined on a club-record fee after scoring 15 and assisting 17 for Norwich City in the Championship. He since has scored just five times for the Midlands giants.

The entrance of a player who is at such a “high-level”, as his manager Bruno Genesio dubbed him, would lift the club entirely after what has been such a torrid time, and would surely aid Buendia’s output in the final third, with there being inconsistencies surrounding both Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins.

To draw comparisons to a man who scored 175 goals in the Premier League denotes a special career in the making, and Villa should act quickly to secure what could be one of the greatest transfer coups in their recent history.

Crystal Palace look to have struck gold with the summer signing of Cheick Doucoure, as the midfielder’s value has already doubled since his move to Selhurst Park.

The Malian joined Palace from RC Lens in the summer transfer window in a deal worth £21m and he has quickly established himself as an integral part of Patrick Vieira’s side.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has made 12 appearances in the top flight for the Eagles, averaging an impressive 6.74 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This ranks him as the sixth-best performer in Vieira’s squad, which emphasises just how important he is becoming to the south London side, and at 22, he is only going to get better.

Doucoure’s defensive abilities are already shining through with the Eagles, as he ranks second for tackles per game, third for blocks per game and top for interceptions per game in Palace’s squad.

Vieira testified this earlier in the season after a defeat against Chelsea, saying:

“He is a complete holding midfielder. He can be part of our buildup and, defensively, he is winning a lot of one-against-ones. He’s growing into that role and responsibility and feeling more and more comfortable with each match. Even so, there is a lot more to come from him.”

His impressive start to life in the Premier League certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed, as his market value according to Transfermarkt has rocketed since his Selhurst Park switch.

Just six months ago, during Doucoure’s time in Ligue 1 with RC Lens, his market value stood at just €15m (£13.1m), but now he is rated at an impressive €30m (£26.3m), a 100% increase.

This also ranks him as the joint-fourth most valuable played in Palace’s squad, behind just Marc Guehi, Wilfried Zaha and Joachim Andersen.

Therefore, it seems clear that Steve Parish struck gold when bringing the young midfielder to England during the summer, as they seem almost certain to make a big profit on him should he ever leave Selhurst Park.

Nottingham Forest have a whopping ten players taking part in the World Cup 2022 in Qatar over the coming weeks, however, one player could be about to have his dreams crushed as a new injury update emerges.

What’s the latest?

Forest and Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyaté was stretchered off during Senegal’s 2-0 World Cup defeat to the Netherlands on Monday evening.

Senegal manager Aliou Cisse revealed after the game:

“Cheikhou Kouyaté twisted his ankle. I hope it’s nothing major. For now, I can’t comment on that yet. We will take stock tomorrow and we will have more information,”

This morning, journalist Papa Mahmoud Gueye has revealed an update that Kouyate will miss at least the remaining group-stage games as they continue to assess his condition and recovery timeframe:

“Cheikhou Kouyaté out for the remainder of the first round. He would suffer from a tear in the right thigh.”

It will frustrate Cooper

Kouyate – who was a starter in the Group A clash before he suffered an injury scare and left the pitch in the 73rd minute – has been a consistent feature in the centre of the pitch for the Tricky Trees, so there is no doubt that the injury news will frustrate Steve Cooper ahead of a busy festive period after the World Cup.

Over 12 league appearances, the 32-year-old midfielder has scored one goal, created one big chance and has completed 84% of his dribble attempts.

He’s been superb from a defensive point of view, averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.6 clearances and winning 3.6 duels per game, proving that he has become a positive presence and a reliable performer for Forest.

The former Crystal Palace ace was a standout in the Senegal team against the Netherlands and there is an argument to be had that his injury blow could have caused the defeat that led to two late strikes from their opponents after Kouyate left the pitch.

During his 73-minute display, the talented AFCON winner made one key pass, won 50% of his duels and completed four clearances. Furthermore, his one block and two interceptions proved vital, so he will likely be a big miss for his nation over the coming games.

With that being said, Cooper will undoubtedly be concerned about Kouyate’s injury but will be hopeful that the talented player can get back to his best ahead of Forest’s clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford after Christmas.