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Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to stop a run of seven straight defeats when they welcome their local rivals to Hillsborough Stadium this evening.

Darren Moore simply has to start picking up victories otherwise his new Owls side will be preparing for life in the English third division for the first time since the 2011/12 season.

The performance against Championship leaders Norwich City on Sunday afternoon was encouraging, but ultimately it was another match without any return, meaning the Yorkshire giants are now seven points adrift of safety with only 11 matches to play.

So, what sort of side will we see against Huddersfield Town tonight? Here’s our predicted XI…

There could be as many as three changes from the weekend as Moore could revert back to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation that worked so well at Doncaster Rovers.

Veteran goalkeeper Keiren Westwood made a shock return to the starting XI last time out, and he should remain between the sticks over Joe Wildsmith, whilst Moore is now able to welcome back Julian Borner from suspension.

The 30-year-old comes straight back in to partner Tom Lees at centre-back in a move that sees Osaze Uhoghide switch to right-back, with natural left-back Matt Penney returning to the line-up over the versatile Liam Palmer.

It also means that Sam Hutchinson goes back into his natural midfield position, alongside Barry Bannan as Joey Pelupessy makes way in Moore’s second change.

Adam Reach and Kadeem Harris should occupy the wide positions but there may be no place for Josh Windass, who is among WhoScored’s worst performers with an average rating of 6.44.

Instead, top goalscorer Calum Paterson will come in behind Jordan Rhodes. The 26-year-old has bagged six goals this season and should be starting for the Owls and could be the third and final change.

AND in other news, Darren Moore must drop “explosive” Owls star tonight…

Many Manchester United fans have been left to fume at some early team news before their UEFA Europa League tie away at Granada.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that Marcus Rashford is travelling with the squad.

This has caused outrage among several members of the Old Trafford faithful as they feel that the England international needs to be rested, given that he has only missed two games in total over all competitions across the 2020/21 term so far (Transfermarkt).

The Red Devils should be strong favourites against the La Liga club to go through into the semi-final stage of the competition, and they may be able to do that without having the need to play Rashford.

Manchester United fans on Rashford news

These MUFC supporters slammed the news that Rashford is going to be travelling with the squad on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it is ‘disgraceful’:

“This is actually disgraceful he’s honestly going to ruin him”

Credit: @UTDdriz1

“He is going to kill him”

Credit: @selamdizi

“What do I have to do? Tell me what I have to do for you lot to rest him? Just name it and I’ll do it”

Credit: @Farnaz936

“If he can’t play 90 minutes he shouldn’t be there…he should be resting …it’s also insulting the rest of the forward line suggesting that a half fit Rashford is better than them”

Credit: @LoucasAndreou2

“He is gonna be finished by 27 because of injuries. Poor management yet again”

Credit: @Herbert1521

“I swear if this clown doesn’t bench Rashford to rest…..”

Credit: @Maticism

In other news, find out what Edinson Cavani update has left fans fuming here!

Many Liverpool fans reacted in their droves to the latest update from the well-respected journalist from The Times, Paul Joyce.

He posted on Friday morning that captain Jordan Henderson has undergone surgery for the groin injury that he picked up against Everton and is “likely” to be out for up to eight weeks.

The 30-year-old joins the lengthy list of first-team names that are occupying the Anfield treatment room, with another central defensive option out of action.

Henderson has been covering the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in an attempt to ease Jurgen Klopp’s headache – but has suffered a similar fate to his teammates, albeit not as severe.

With this in mind, supporters were devastated by the update on his fitness, with some suggesting that the 2020/21 campaign should be “null and void.”

Familiar feelings of injury woes for these fans

“Weekend in ruins and its 9 am on Friday.”

Credit: @andy_lane

“Thanks Paul, ruined the weekend”

Credit: @perryh

“just null and void the season. for the love of God.”

Credit: @StateOfReds13

“Cursed”

Credit: @dannyb96

“Season is well and truly done and dusted”

Credit: @RedOesterCult

“LORD MAKE IT STOP”

Credit: @kyannaskrdj

“Championship here we come”

Credit: @haavardanm

In other news, Liverpool loanee hailed as “excellent” after featuring out of natural position.

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United are one of several sides said to be hot on the heels of Everton’s £1.8m-rated centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite.

What’s the word?

Branthwaite, who is currently on loan at Blackburn Rovers, finds himself on the Red Devils’ radar after excelling in the Championship this season thus far.

The 18-year-old has caught the eye after impressing at Ewood Park and it is believed a number of other unnamed clubs have kept tabs on the young centre-back.

The Mail have claimed Solskjaer wants to fend off the stiff competition for Branthwaite’s signature. His contract at Goodison Park is set to expire in 2022.

Eventual successor to Harry Maguire?

Despite his age, Branthwaite has arguably led from the back during his loan spell at Blackburn, just like Harry Maguire did at Sheffield United, racking up seven appearances for the Rovers since joining the club in January.

Maguire has now established himself as an integral part of Solskjaer’s side, marshalling his troops from the heart of the defence – this season alone has seen him start and feature in every single Premier League fixture so far.

In the teenager, Solskjaer could find someone very similar to the 27-year-old, despite their obvious differences in age, especially when you consider just how well he has performed for Tony Mowbray’s side this season.

The England U19 international is averaging an impressive 2.7 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game, which ranks him very favourably when you compare him to the club captain, who himself has only managed 0.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

In fact, only Aaron Wan-Bissaka has averaged more tackles per match with 3.1, while no other player can better his interception success rate.

But Ed Woodward may have his work cut out should he try to bring him to Old Trafford in the summer, as Carlo Ancelotti is reportedly a ‘big fan’ of the teenage prospect.

By getting him, however, he could land a player who has shown that he is fully capable of playing second-fiddle to the likes of Maguire and Victor Lindelof for a fraction of the price it would’ve cost to sign a player like Dayot Upamecano.

AND in other news, Forget Kingsley Coman: Man Utd should sign Jadon Sancho instead…

Kai Havertz has been struggling as a forward since joining Arsenal, and Germany may have found a new role for him at left-back.

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• Creative influence usually deployed in attack
• Asked to fill in at full-back by international coach
• Impressed enough to suggest experiment may continue

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 24-year-old playmaker, who moved across London over the summer when leaving Chelsea for the Emirates Stadium, was deployed as a makeshift defender by his country in an international friendly clash with Turkey. Despite operating in an unfamiliar position, Havertz opened the scoring after just five minutes.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It seems unlikely that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta will be taking inspiration from fellow coach Julian Nagelsmann any time soon, but Germany’s boss has hinted at persevering with an unexpected experiment. Nagelsmann has said of Havertz: “Kai said he wanted to do it, wanted to try it. I don't see this as a risk for him, but as a very, very big opportunity to play a key role at the Euros. For a first time in an unfamiliar position, he did extremely well and probably was our best player.”

• WHAT THEY SAID

  While Die Mannschaft believe they have stumbled across an unlikely solution to their left-back problems, 1990 World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaus has told of the tactical tinkering: “It can't be a permanent solution, suddenly letting one of the best German offensive players of recent years play full-back. This is also a slap in the face to those who last played there, even if there were problems on the left side of the defence recently. I was surprised that David Raum wasn't in the starting line-up, especially since Benjamin Henrichs played on the other side, who is not a typical three-man chain player but rather has his strengths in the offensive. The national team can actually already play the three-man chain, as Nagelsmann practised at FC Bayern Munich, with three central defenders. But against Turkey there were two central defenders on the pitch, plus an offensive defender on the right and a player on the left who had previously had nothing to do with a three-man or four-man chain. After Havertz's goal, it initially looked as if Nagelsmann's plan might work, but as a coach I have to think long-term, not just from one game to the next.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Germany, who are preparing to fill hosting duties at next summer’s European Championship, have another friendly against neighbours Austria to take in on Tuesday. Havertz – who has just one club goal to his name this season – will then return to England, with Arsenal preparing to face Brentford in Premier League action on Saturday.

The Three Lions boss is making a rod for his own back with a contradictory selection policy that is shafting on-form players

England have already qualified for Euro 2024. All the Three Lions need to do in facile fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia is ensure that they will be one of the top seeds in next month's finals draw in Germany.

Fair to say, then, that this could have been a relatively boring international break for England fans – had Gareth Southgate not once again inexplicably overlooked Raheem Sterling, with Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and Jarrod Bowen the chosen widemen.

The absence of the Chelsea winger from a fifth consecutive squad hasn't just caused controversy; it's provoked all sorts of speculation surrounding Sterling and Southgate.

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  'Something has definitely happened'

  Both Alan Shearer and Michah Richards are convinced that "something has definitely happened" behind the scenes that we don't yet know about, while Rio Ferdinand has even issued a public plea to "free Raheem Sterling!"

  "I don't know what he's done, whose nose he's put out of joint," the former Manchester United defender said on the podcast. "Was it him coming back from the tournament or something like that?"

  Ferdinand was obviously alluding to the fact that Sterling briefly returned to England during last year's World Cup because of a burglary at his family home – and that kind of conjecture does a great disservice to Southgate, who was very supporting of the attacker at the time. However, while such talk is unhelpful, and potentially harmful, it's also inevitable in the circumstances, given Southgate's Sterling snub makes zero sense.

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  Out of favour

  There's absolutely no denying that Sterling made a somewhat subdued start to his Chelsea career, after his high-profile move from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, but he still travelled to Qatar as a trusted member of Southgate's line-up, only to lose his starting spot by the time England were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

  Injury ruled him out of the start of the start of the qualification campaign for the Euros, in March, but it was nonetheless a surprise to see him overlooked for the June clashes with Malta and North Macedonia.

  Sterling may have endured a difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge, but Southgate has become renowned for picking players performing poorly at club level simply because they have served him well in the past.

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  One rule for one…

  Harry Maguire continued to be called up even while spending most of his time on the bench at Old Trafford, Jordan Henderson is still in the squad even though he's now struggling in Saudi Arabia, while it's a complete farce that Kalvin Phillips has held onto his place given he's barely got a run-out for Manchester City in the past two years.

  Phillips undeniably played a key role in England's run to the final of Euro 2020 – but why hasn't Sterling benefited from the same level of loyalty given he was arguably his country's best player at the tournament?

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  Don't change a winning team?

  Southgate has argued that the "landscape" has changed; that the competition for places, particularly in attack, is now fiercer than ever before. However, when asked to explain why Sterling had been omitted from the England squad for the October internationals, he pointed out that the likes of Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen were "both in a hot streak of form". "That's the thinking," the manager explained.

  But this time around, he effectively admitted that he was reluctant to change a winning team. "I can only repeat what I've said in the last few squad selection meetings," he said. "The team is playing really well. It's as simple as that, really.

  "[Raheem] wasn't available in March or June and the team started on a good run. We won in Italy for the first time in 60 years, while the two performances in June were excellent, so we stuck with that group."

Loris Karius played in his first Premier League game in six years as he keeps goal for Newcastle against Arsenal at the Emirates.

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• Karius replaces Martin Dubravka in goal
• Only his second appearance for Newcastle
• Eddie Howe has explained stopper's selection

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Eddie Howe selected Karius to play in goal due to an illness being suffered by Dubravka. He has not played in the Premier League since May 2018, when he was still playing for Liverpool, and his first appearance for the Magpies came in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United last season.

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• WHAT HOWE SAID

  Howe revealed on Dubravka: "He has not been feeling very well for a couple of days so hopefully he is on the mend."

  Asked about Karius' selection, he added: "He has trained every day for a long period of time. He had a slight shoulder injury at the start of the season but since then he has been fine. He has played in games behind closed doors so he is match ready.

  "The last game he played of course was the cup final so he is used to big games and at Liverpool he had many big matches so I have no doubt about his temperament and we are relying on his big-game experience."

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  Karius has been in the spotlight previously for all the wrong reasons, as he made two vital mistakes in the Champions League final when Liverpool lost 3-1 to Real Madrid. That was his final game for the Reds, and he was subsequently sent on loan to both Besiktas and Union Berlin, before making the move to the Magpies as an experienced back-up to the currently injured Nick Pope and Dubravka.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  If Dubravka's illness does not clear up, Karius will hope to play in Newcastle's next fixture, in the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday. Their next Premier League game comes against Wolves next weekend.

Manchester City star Chloe Kelly was given the team's October Player of the Month award.

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• Kelly voted Man City's best player for October
• Attacker scored decisive goals in WSL
• Was presented with award by team-mate Esme Morgan

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 25-year-old was named the women's team's top performer for the month in a fan vote, beating Khiara Keating and Jill Roord to the award. She scored decisive goals against Chelsea and Leicester as City picked up vital points in the Women's Super League. Kelly has since struck three times and registered an assist in matches against Arsenal and Liverpool in November.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Arsenal and Everton player has been key for Gareth Taylor's team. City are currently sixth in the WSL, six points behind reigning champions and current leaders Chelsea. Asked by team-mate Esme Morgan to sum up the month of October in three words, the attacker said: "Heart, goals, energy".

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KELLY?

  Kelly will hope to maintain her excellent form when she and her City co-stars take on rivals Manchester United in the WSL on Sunday. That game will be followed by a FA Women's League Cup match against Leicester on November 22.

Southampton have been linked with Giorgos Giakoumakis recently and the Greek striker could add a completely new dimension to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s attack next season, should he make the move to St Mary’s this summer.

The Saints were linked with the VVV Venlo star recently, with TEAMtalk suggesting that the South Coast club, along with Norwich City and Brighton, were keen on bringing him to the Premier League this summer.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a phenomenal season in the Eredivisie, contributing 26 goals in just 30 appearances in the Dutch top-flight, which has helped him average a superb 7.30 rating from WhoScored.

It is not just his goals that would make him an excellent fit at Southampton however.

While Giakoumakis may only be six foot tall, he has averaged four aerials won per game in the Eredivisie this season, which is more than any Southampton player has managed in the Premier League, with six foot six Jannik Vestergaard’s 3.4 aerials won per game the best of any player in Hasenhuttl’s squad.

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Danny Ings and Che Adams, Southampton’s main strike force this season, have managed 0.8 and 1.5 aerials won per game respectively, which suggests that going long isn’t really a viable option for Hasenhuttl at the moment. Meanwhile, Southampton have attempted the third-fewest crosses of any team in the Premier League this season, suggesting that they need a striker who can capitalise from crosses into the box.

Giakoumakis would certainly add that, as he is obviously a threat in the air as well as on the ground, and would surely capitalise from the quality of crosses that James Ward-Prowse can deliver from set-piece situations at Southampton.

Therefore, with recent reports suggesting that the “very special” striker could be prised away from VVV Venlo for less than £10m this summer, Martin Semmens should definitely be looking to bring him to St Mary’s, as he could offer something completely different in Hasenhuttl’s squad.

And, in other news… Southampton could sign their ideal Ings heir with swoop for “magnificent” 19-goal beast

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma recently – and should he join Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, it would be a huge blow for Premier League rivals Liverpool, who have also been regularly linked with the Mali international in recent months.

According to the Daily Star, City are ‘confident’ of signing the 24-year-old this summer despite interest from the Reds along with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham.

The report suggested that City are in the market for a midfielder due to doubts about Fernandinho’s future with the club, and whilst Brighton are resigned to losing Bissouma this summer, they are expected to demand around £30m for him.

This would see them earn a significant profit on the £15m they paid to sign him from Lille in 2018, a deal which looks to have been a shrewd purchase by the Seagulls given his impressive performances since joining.

Bissouma has gone on to make 92 appearances for the Sussex club, in which he has contributed four goals and one assist, so he has plenty of Premier League experience under his belt already.

His recent displays for Graham Potter’s side have been quite impressive, as he has earned above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored in each of his last six Premier League appearances, so it is easy to see why he is attracting so much interest ahead of next season.

Notably, his average of 2.8 tackles per game is better than anyone in Guardiola’s squad and almost double Fernandinho’s 1.5 match average.

Whilst the “exceptional” Bissouma – as hailed by Gary Lineker – could prove to be an excellent long-term replacement for Fernandinho in Guardiola’s side, his potential arrival would also strike a huge blow to one of City’s possible title rivals for next season in Liverpool.

Although Jurgen Klopp’s side have endured a nightmare 2020/21 season, it seems likely that with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez available next term, they will be challenging at the top again, so City could get an early edge on the Merseyside club by signing Bissouma.

It seems as if the Reds are keen to bring in the Brighton ace as a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum, who looks set to depart Anfield in the summer when his contract expires, so it would be a significant blow for Klopp’s side if City were to beat them to the signing of the 24-year-old.

Therefore, City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider a move for the Mali midfielder this season, as he could prove to be an excellent addition for a number of reasons.

In other news… Txiki can sign Pep his ideal Fernandinho heir with swoop for “outstanding” Premier League star