Premier League Fantasy Picks: Rashford, Kane and Vardy backed to shine

Manchester City will be looking to stretch their record winning run to 20 matches when they welcome fellow in-form side West Ham to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League this weekend.

Pep Guardiola s men are 10 points clear at the summit and two of their players feature among our Opta-fuelled fantasy picks, along with a couple of Everton men on the back of last week s long-awaited derby win at Liverpool.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Leicester City players are also selected ahead of games against Chelsea, Burnley and Arsenal respectively.

 

EDERSON

There are many factors behind the leaders winning run not least an incredible defensive record, with goalkeeper Ederson more than playing his part.

The Brazil international has kept 15 …

Leicester pilot said ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on’ as helicopter failed

The pilot of the helicopter involved in a crash which killed Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha almost five years ago said “I’ve no idea what’s going on” as the aircraft was turning out of control.

Eric Swaffer, 53, made the comment seconds before the helicopter hit the ground outside the club’s King Power Stadium on October 27, 2018, a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) revealed.

Srivaddhanaprabha, employees Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, Mr Swaffer and his partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz – also a professional pilot – were all killed in the accident, which happened shortly after the helicopter took off from the pitch.

The Leonardo AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of approximately 430ft before plummeting to the…

James advises Slot to block out Man City and target 90 points in first Liverpool season

Arne Slot should block out any noise around trying to catch Manchester City and instead set his sights on compiling 90 points in his first season in charge of Liverpool.

That is the view of former Liverpool goalkeeper David James, who believes securing Champions League football should be seen as the minimum requirement for former Feyenoord boss Slot, who is replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

While Klopp lifted the EFL Cup in his final campaign as manager, James feels it is very difficult for Premier League teams to set any targets relating to any silverware due to the consistent dominance of City under Pep Guardiola.

City have won an unprecedented four straight Premier League titles and will face rivals Manchester United this weekend at Wembley in an attempt to w…

Prediction: AC Milan vs Juventus

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker:

In what is a heavyweight Serie A showdown on Sunday night, AC Milan will welcome Juventus to the San Siro.

AC Milan

Starting with the hosts, while AC Milan might have managed to claim another top-four finish last season, the Rossoneri have their sights set on mounting a genuine title charge this time around. Continuing to shine since opening up the 2023/24 campaign, Stefano Pioli’s side certainly find the mood in their camp at a real high. Last seen putting in a gritty performance as they entered October’s international break with a 1-0 victory away at Genoa, the former Lazio boss has seen his high-flying squad muster 21 points from their first eight Serie A appearances. Excited to make a return to domestic duties on Sunday night…

Barcelona confirm Saviola return as ex-forward joins coaching ranks

Barcelona have confirmed former player Javier Saviola will return to the club as the new assistant manager of their under-19 side.

The Argentine spent a six-year spell at Camp Nou albeit with two terms on loan at Monaco and Sevilla between 2001 and 2007, before moving to Real Madrid, where he became a LaLiga winner.

It is with the Blaugrana he is most fondly associated, however, and he follows another former Barca star, Rafael Marquez, through the door to join their coaching roster.

Saviola will be assistant to former team-mate Oscar Gomez at the helm of the Juvenil as they seek a fourth consecutive Division de Honor Group 3 title this term.

During his playing days, the forward the then-youngest player named in Pele s legendary FIFA 100 list started o…

Tottenham Hotspur ready to bid £40m for Ivan Toney

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Ivan Toney from London and Premier League rivals Brentford in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Spurs are preparing to make a bid of £40 million and are also gathering a package of personal terms for the England international striker.

Football Transfers has claimed that Brentford were looking for £100 million in transfer fees for Toney in the January transfer window. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were keen on the striker at the time, but it was too expensive for the three Premier League clubs.

Toney is out of contract at Brentford at the end of next season, so the London club are open to cashing in on the 28-year-old former Newcastle United prospect this summer. Spurs are on the …

Chelsea want to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran

Chelsea are interested in signing Jhon Duran from Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Villa will demand as much as £40 million for the 20-year-old forward.

The Guardian has claimed that Villa are open to selling Duran. Villa want to sign England international midfielder Conor Gallagher in the summer transfer window and have held talks with Chelsea over a potential deal. There have been discussions between the two Premier League clubs over including Duran in a deal.

Duran has been on the books of Villa since January 2023 when he moved from the Chicago Fire. The Colombia international striker made three starts and 20 substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Villans last season, scoring fi…

Klopp and Liverpool the template for rudderless Man Utd and incoming Ten Hag

A lot of talk in recent weeks has centred around the burgeoning rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool, with English football s two current leading lights doing battle on multiple fronts.

Liverpool got the better of City in the weekend s FA Cup semi-final, but they remain in a tussle for the Premier League title and could yet meet in a Champions League showdown – there s much to play for.

But while that rivalry has been borne out of competitiveness, the Liverpool matches that most – fans and neutrals alike – will continue to look out for are those with Manchester United.

Despite their historic successes and status as English football s most-successful teams, rarely in the modern era have they been competitive rivals like Liverpool are with City now…

Lyon 0-3 West Ham (agg 1-4): Hammers reach first European semi in in 46 years

West Ham cruised into a first European semi-final in 46 years as they beat Lyon 3-0 in the Europa League.

Goals from Craig Dawson, Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen secured a surprisingly comfortable 4-1 aggregate success in France, setting up a last-four meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Germans were, in fact, the opposition the last time the Hammers reached this stage of continental competition that tie coming en route to defeat in the final of the 1976 edition of the Cup Winners Cup.

But there will be hopes of going one better in Europe over four decades on after such a convincing win against elite opposition.

There he is! |

— West Ham United (@WestHam)

With Lyon supporters creating an intimidating atmosphere pre-match, West Ham was…

Norwich City suffer Premier League relegation after Burnley stun Watford

Norwich City s relegation from the Premier League has been confirmed after the Canaries fell to a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa and Burnley beat Watford.

The Canaries tame loss to manager Dean Smith s former employers, coupled with Burnley recovering from a goal down to stun fellow strugglers Watford 2-1, condemned Norwich to an immediate return to the Championship, which they won last season.

Norwich have now been relegated from the Premier League on six occasions, more than any other side in the competition s history, with Smith and predecessor Daniel Farke overseeing just five wins in 34 league outings this term.

Meanwhile, the Canaries have been relegated in each of their last four Premier League seasons (2013-14, 2015-16, 2019-20, and 2021-22), becoming just th…