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Preview: Newcastle vs Chelsea, Sat 15:00

Newcastle recorded their first Premier League win in 6 in midweek against Villa, and they’ll be looking to kick on against a Chelsea side that have been uncharacteristically shaky in recent weeks.

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Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard celebrate linking up to score against the Magpies earlier in the season.

Team News:

Newcastle:

  • Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is expected to give home debuts to Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran, while fellow Frenchman Sylvain Marveaux is fit after a foot problem.
  • The only absentees are the injured Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tiote, who is on duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
  • Newcastle are likely to name the same side that won 2-1 at Villa in midweek, with Yohan Cabaye once again orchestrating the Magpies’ efforts from midfield.

 

Chelsea:

  • Oriol Romeu (knee) and David Luiz (ankle) will definitely miss out this week through injury for the Blues.
  • Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel will also miss out as they’ll be in action at the African Cup of Nations for Nigeria.
  • Petr Cech and Juan Mata are slight concerns for Rafa Benitez, but it’s expected that they’ll both be fit for the trip to St James’ Park.
  • Eden Hazard will also miss out as he continues to serve his 3-match suspension for kicking a ball boy in the Capital One Cup semi final.

 

Think you can predict the line-ups? Play our Facebook game ‘The Insider’ and win great prizes: PLAY NOW

 

Premier League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Newcastle: W-L-D-L-L                         Chelsea:  L-D-L-D-L

 

Head to Head (Last 10 Matches)

 

NEWCASTLE

CHELSEA

WINS

2

5

DRAWS

3

 

When these sides met in the Premier League back in August, Newcastle took the game to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but emerged on the wrong side of a 2-0 scoreline. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored a goal apiece in the first half to hand the Blues all 3 points.

 

The Stats:

  • Newcastle have won just one of their last 11 Premier League games against Chelsea (W1 D4 L6).
  • Chelsea have won three and lost none of their last five Premier League trips to St James Park and have conceded just one goal across those five games.
  • Newcastle have lost five of their last seven Premier League games on home soil (W2 L5).
  • No player has scored more Premier League goals from outside the box since August 2011 than Yohan Cabaye (5).
  • Newcastle have played eight different French players in the Premier League this season – more than any other side in the history of the competition.
  • Chelsea have scored the first goal of the game on more occasions than any other Premier League side this season (16).
  • Juan Mata has been involved in 18 goals (nine goals, nine assists) in 19 PL starts for Chelsea this season.
  • Frank Lampard has scored nine goals in 11 starts for Chelsea in the Premier League this season.
  • Rafa Benitez has taken two points fewer (22) from his 12 Premier League games this season than Roberto Di Matteo did from his (24).

 

Follow Saturday’s Premier League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all Premier League games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

 

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Preview: Aston Villa vs Newcastle, Tues 19:45

Two under pressure managers collide on Tuesday, as Paul Lambert’s 17th placed Villa take on Alan Pardew’s 16th placed Newcastle at Villa Park, with both bosses in desperate need of a win to kick-start their respective seasons.

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French winger Hatem Ben Arfa unleashes a rocket when these sides met earlier in the season.

Team News:

Aston Villa:

  • Marc Albrighton (foot), Gary Gardner (knee) and Chris Herd (foot) make up the long term injury list for Villa.
  • Paul Lambert is likely to make several changes to the side that lost 2-1 against Millwall in the FA Cup on Friday night.
  • Main striker Christian Benteke was rested for that match, though he’s likely to come back into the team to replace Darren Bent up front.
  • Brad Guzan, Stephen Ireland and Barry Bannan are also likely to be recalled to the starting line up for the Midlanders.

 

Newcastle:

  • Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring), Dan Gosling (ankle), Ryan Taylor (knee) and Danny Simpson (foot) will all miss out through injury this week.
  • Midfielder Cheik Tiote joins that list of absentees after joining his Ivory Coast team mates at the African Cup of Nations earlier this month.
  • Newcastle’s influential French midfielder Yohan Cabaye picked up an injury in the 2-1 loss to Reading two weeks ago, though he’s likely to be deemed fit this week.
  • Newcastle added to their French contingent earlier this week by signing midfielder Moussa Sissoko from Toulouse.
  • Sissoko is in line to make his debut along with his fellow countrymen Yoan Gouffran, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Massadio Haidara.

 

Think you can predict the line-ups? Play our Facebook game ‘The Insider’ and win great prizes: PLAY NOW

 

Premier League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Aston Villa: D-L-D-L-L                          Newcastle:  L-D-L-L-L

 

Head to Head (Last 10 Matches)

 

ASTON VILLA

NEWCASTLE

WINS

3

4

DRAWS

3

 

When these sides met in the Premier League back in September, the sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park. Centre-back Ciaran Clark gave Villa an early lead, before French midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa spectacularly levelled for the hosts with a 25-yard screamer.

 

The Stats:

  • Aston Villa have won 3, and lost none of their last 4 Premier League matches against Newcastle at Villa Park.
  • In that time, the Villains have conceded just one goal against the Magpies.
  • However, Villa have failed to beat Newcastle in their last 3 matches at all venues; losing 1 and drawing 2.
  • At Villa Park, Aston Villa have won 53% of their matches against Newcastle in all competitions.
  • Both teams are currently severely struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League – Aston Villa have 20 points after 23 games at sit 17th, while Newcastle sit just 1 point and 1 place above them in 16th.
  • Alan Pardew’s men have won just 1 of their last 10 matches in all competitions, and they’re still without a win in 2013.
  • The Magpies have also mustered just 2 victories in the Premier League in 14 matches.
  • Aston Villa have lost 4 of their last 6 Premier League matches, drawing the other 2.
  • Paul Lambert’s men have won just 1 match in their last 5 matches in all competitions. That victory came in the 2-1 League Cup win over Bradford City that proved not enough to progress on the aggregate scoreline.

 

Follow Tuesday’s Premier League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

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Preview: Newcastle Utd vs Reading, Sat 15:00

Reading will be hoping to kick on from their remarkable 3-2 win over West Brom last week, and will fancy their chances against a Newcastle side that have recorded just 1 win in 7 in the Premier League.

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Reading winger Jimmy Kebe celebrates finding the net against Newcastle earlier in the season.

Team News:

Newcastle:

  • Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring), Dan Gosling (ankle), Ryan Taylor (knee), Steven Taylor (knee) and Danny Simpson (foot) make up the long term injury list for the Magpies.
  • Newcastle will be boosted by the return of their French midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who returned from a groin injury last week as a substitute.
  • His countryman Mathieu Debucy made his debut at right back in last week’s 0-0 draw against Norwich, and will start at St James’ Park against the Royals.
  • Striker Shola Ameobi will return from his suspension this week, and he’s likely to partner Papiss Cisse up front for the Magpies.

 

Reading:

  • Alex McCarthy (shoulder) and Jason Roberts (hip) make up the long term absentee list for the Royals.
  • Midfield duo Hal Robson-Kanu (knee) and Mikele Leigertwood (knee) both suffered knocks recently but will return to fitness for the trip to Newcastle.
  • Manager Brian McDermott is likely to name the same side that dramatically won 3-2 against West Brom last weekend, after being 2-0 down with just 9 minutes to play.
  • The influential Jimmy Kebe will keep his place on the wing after scoring and winning a penalty in the match.

 

Think you can predict the line-ups? Play our Facebook game ‘The Insider’ and win great prizes: PLAY NOW

 

Premier League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

Newcastle: D-L-L-L-W                                    Reading:  W-L-W-D-L

 

Head to Head (Last 10 Matches)

 

NEWCASTLE

READING

WINS

6

2

DRAWS

2

 

When these sides met in the Premier League back in September, they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Madejski Stadium. Jimmy Kebe and Noel Hunt found the net for the Royals, but their goals were cancelled out by a Demba Ba double.

 

The Stats:

  • Newcastle have won 3, and lost none of their last 4 meetings with Reading.
  • The Magpies have a 100% record against Reading at home, winning all 7 fixtures that they’ve played against them in their history.
  • Newcastle have scored at least 3 goals in each of their last 6 home matches against the Royals.
  • Alan Pardew’s side have won just one and lost five of their last seven Premier League games.
  • However, the Geordies are unbeaten against the bottom four teams in the current table (W2 D2 L0).
  • Reading have won none of their eight Premier League games against teams in the bottom nine of the current table (W0 D4 L4).
  • However, they have won 2 of their last 3 Premier League matches.
  • 21 points after 22 games of a campaign is Newcastle’s lowest ever tally in the Premier League era.
  • Reading and Newcastle are the only two teams in the Premier League that are yet to record an away victory this season.

 

Follow Saturday’s Premier League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all Premier League games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

 

 

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PlayUp’s All-Time Top 10 January Transfers

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the Premier League winter transfer window. Here are our favourite January transfers of the last decade.

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Nemanja Vidic (Spartak Moscow to Manchester United)

Signed on 5th Jan 2006 for a fee of £7m Nemanja Vidic has become a key member of the Manchester United squad. Forging a strong defensive bond with Rio Ferdinand, Vidic has been the mainstay of the United back line and was named club captain by manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011.

He has won a whole host of honours with the Red Devils including 3 consecutive Premier League titles (4 in total), a Champions League trophy, three League Cups and the FIFA World Club Cup. He has also appeared in four PFA Teams of the Year and was a key element in United’s record-breaking run of 14 consecutive clean sheets in the 2008/09 season, and was awarded the Barclays Player of the Season for his exploits.

 

Patrice Evra (AS Monaco to Manchester United)

Following Nemanja Vidic into Old Trafford in Jan 2006, the French full back struggled for appearances in his first few months as a United player. Having now made over 300 appearances for the Reds, Evra has become one Alex Ferguson’s trusted members of the squad and has stepped in as captain on numerous occasions.

A winner of multiple trophies, Evra has collected four Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League title, one FIFA Club World Cup and three League Cups among many. Like Vidic, he has been named in several PFA Teams of the Year (3) and in the 2008/09 season, he was selected for the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year.

 

Henrik Larsson (Helsingborgs IF to Manchester United on loan)  Arriving on a 10-week loan spell from Swedish club Helsinborgs in 2007, Larsson’s role in United’s title success came at a time when the then 15-time Premier League champions were struggling for strikers. Scoring on his debut in the FA Cup against Aston Villa, the Swede was on the losing side only once in 13 games and scored United’s only goal in their Champions League win against Lille at Old Trafford, securing their place in the quarter-finals.

 

 

Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution to Fulham) 

Switching the MLS for the Premier League in 2007, Dempsey signed for Fulham for a fee of £2m. In his second season at the club, Dempsey ended the season as Fulham’s top goalscorer in the league with six goals. In March 2011 he also broke Fulham’s Premier League goalscoring record by netting twice in a 3–0 victory over Bolton in the following month.

At the end of the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons, Dempsey was voted Fulham player of the Year by the fans for his role in scoring 36 goals across the two terms, helping him to the title of the club’s highest Premier League goalscorer of all time.

 

Martin Skrtel ( Zenit St Petersburg to Liverpool)

Signed for £6.5m from Russian club Zenit in 2008, Skrtel is known for his no-nonsense defensive mentality and his ability to chip in with the odd goal – his most notable being the leveller in Liverpool’s 2012 Carling Cup Final victory against Cardiff City, the first and only trophy he has won for the club. He was also named Liverpool player of the season for 2012.

 

 

Branislav Ivanovic (Lokomotiv Moscow to Chelsea)

Although he failed to make an appearance in his first six months at the club, Ivanovic was brought in to secure a place as full time right back for Chelsea. His versatility has also seen him fill in at centre back in the absence of the injured John Terry and is dangerous with his head as he is with his feet. The Serbian has popped up with some valuable goals for the Blues, scoring a total of six goals in the Champions League alone since joining in 2008.

Serbia’s Player of the Year last year, the full back was part of the Champions League winning squad of 2012 and has won a Premier League title and three FA Cups since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

 

Luis Suarez (Ajax to Liverpool)

An unpopular figure outside of Anfield he may be, but following a shaky to start to the season this term, Suarez has been an integral part of Liverpool’s efforts to claw back some points to regain their status as one of the Premier League’s top competitors. With 15 goals in the league this season, the Uruguayan is the Premiership’s second most prolific goalscorer behind Manchester United’s Robin van Persie. Since joining the Merseysiders, Suarez has scored 40 goals in 80 games; meaning on average, he converts every other game – not a bad return for £23m.

 

Paul Scholes (Unattached to Manchester United)

The one in the list that many would least expect. Yes, Scholsey did play for Manchester United for 18 years previous to renewing his contract, but it was the decision to bring him back to Old Trafford that was the deal breaker. Retiring from the game in 2011, the 38-year-old was brought back to wreak havoc once again with his pin-point passing, comfort in possession and rifle right foot.

What we like about this signing is Scholes’ sheer love for the game. In the midst of an injury crisis that struck at Old Trafford, Scholes reversed his decision to retire and signed until the end of the 2011/12 season. He since signed a year-long extension that keeps him at the club until the end of this term.

 

Papiss Cisse (SC Freiburg to Newcastle)

Signed for a fee of £9m mid-way through last season, the Senegalese striker had an immediate impact on the Premier League by scoring the winning goal on his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 win against Aston Villa. A brace against West Brom in March 2012 made him the quickest player since Les Ferdinand to hit the five-goals for Newcastle. In his first five months at St. James’ Park, Cisse netted an impressive 13 goals in 14 games. The icing on the cake for what was a superb first season at the Magpies, Cisse was to win the BBC Goal of the Season award for the 2011/12 with his wonder strike against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

 

Nikica Jelavic (Rangers to Everton)

Another player to immediately set the Premier League on fire, Jelavic signed from Rangers for a fee of £5.5m in 2012 and returned the favour with nine goals in 13 games in his first season with the Toffees making him the club’s top scorer for the season.

His stellar start to his Everton career also earned him the FA Cup Player of the Month for March and the Premier League and Everton Player of the Month awards for April.

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FA Cup Preview: Brighton vs Newcastle, Sat 12:30

Both teams are struggling and will look to change their fortunes with a win in the FA Cup

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albion v newcastle.jpg

Newcastle will be looking find their form against Brighton & Hove Albion

 

Team News:

Brighton and Hove Albion:

  • Gus Poyet confirmed that he will play the best team available on Saturday.
  • if right-sided players Bruno and Will Buckley are fit enough, they will play.
  • Defender Bruno (Achilles) and winger Buckley (hamstring) both missed out on the New Year’s Day trip to Ipswich but Poyet will play them if they pass the fitness test. Neither trained on Thursday.
  • Forster-Caskey has returned from a loan spell at League Two Oxford United and the Albion boss said he has no problems selecting him on Saturday if he proves himself in training.
  • Romain Vincelot has also come back from his loan at Gillingham so “we will be looking at his progress too.”

 

Newcastle:

  • Defender, Danny Simpson will miss up to 4 matches with a broken toe.
  • Demba Ba won’t be available for selection as he looks to sign for Chelsea before their FA Cup tie with Southampton.
  • Jonas Gutierrez (knee), Steven Taylor (hamstring) and Yohan Cabaye (groin/pelvis) are expected to be fit for the middle of January.
  • Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring) should return to fitness by early February.
  • Ryan Taylor was withdrawn after 11 minutes of Newcastle’s European tie with Atromitos on 30/8 with stretched knee ligaments. Sidelined for “several months.”

 

League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Brighton: W-L-D-D-D                                    Newcastle:  L-L-L-W-L

 

Head to Head (Last 10 Matches)

 

BRIGHTON

NEWCASTLE

WINS

4

4

DRAWS

2

 

These sides have met 17 times in their history with each claiming 7 victories and 3 drawn games. Albion have won 3 of their last 5 meetings with the other two being draws.

 

The Stats:

  • Lee Probert will take charge of Newcastle United’s FA Cup third round fixture away at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
  • Probert was the man in the middle last season when Newcastle met the Seagulls in the FA Cup – at the fourth round stage, where Brighton triumphed 1-0.
  • They have faced each other in 5 FA Cup fixtures and 12 League Division Two matches.
  • Newcastle are 6 times FA Cup winners but haven’t tasted Cup victory since 1955
  • Brighton & Hove Albion best result in the FA Cup is reaching the 1983 final where they lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a replay after drawing 2-2

 

Follow Saturday’s FA Cup clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all FA Cup games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

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Preview: Newcastle United vs QPR, Sat 15:00

A resurgent QPR side travel to St James’ Park looking to extend their 4-match unbeaten run under new boss Harry Redknapp. Newcastle have won only one of their last 10 matches in all competitions. Is this a 6-pointer?

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Newcastle players celebrate a hard fought victory against QPR at St James' Park last season.

Team News:

Newcastle:

  • Newcastle were hit with a massive blow last week when it was confirmed that star man Hatem Ben Arfa would miss the entire Christmas programme.
  • Ben Arfa has been struggling with a hamstring injury, and suffered a set back in his return to fitness against Fulham 2 weeks ago.
  • Yohan Cabaye (groin), Dan Gosling (ankle), Ryan Taylor (knee), Steven Taylor (hamstring) and Haris Vuckic (knee) join Ben Arfa on Newcastle’s long term injury list.
  • Gabriel Obertan (toe) is the only other injury concern, though his return is reportedly imminent.
  • Alan Pardew is likely to name the same side that lost against City last week, with Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse once again starting up front.

 

QPR:

  • Bobby Zamora (hip), Andy Johnson (knee) and Park Ji Sung (knee) make up the long term injury list for Rangers.
  • QPR picked up their first win of the season in a 2-1 victory over Fulham at Loftus Road last weekend, and will name an unchanged side.
  • Moroccan midfielder Adel Taraabt scored a brace in that match, and will line up once again at St James’ Park.

 

Think you can predict the line-ups? Play our Facebook game ‘The Insider’ and win great prizes, including a copy of Football Manager 2013: PLAY NOW

 

Premier League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Newcastle: L-L-W-L-L                          QPR:  W-D-D-D-L

 

Head to Head (Last 8 Matches)

 

NEWCASTLE

QPR

WINS

6

2

DRAWS

2

GOALS SCORED

13

11

 

In this fixture last season, a Leon Best goal gave the Magpies a 1-0 victory over QPR at St James’ Park, in a match that was dominated by the away side. Rangers had 57% possession and had 19 shots on goal, but couldn’t find the breakthrough. Harry Redknapp and co will be hoping that they can expel the ghosts of last season and grab their first away victory of the season on Saturday.

 

The Stats:

  • Newcastle have won 4 and lost none of the last 6 league matches against QPR. The last time the R’s recorded a victory against Newcastle was back in 1994.
  • Rangers have failed to score against Newcastle in their last three meetings with them – losing 1-0 twice, and drawing 0-0 in the other match.
  • In the last 11 league meetings, there have been two draws and eight of the victories have been by a one-goal margin.
  • QPR front man Djibril Cisse has scored in three of his four Premier League appearances against Newcastle.
  • Newcastle have lost 11 of their last 15 Premier League games in the month of December (W3 D1 L11).
  • The Magpies have won just two of their 12 Premier League games (W2 D3 L7) since Alan Pardew was rewarded with a new eight-year contract at the club.
  • Striker Demba Ba has scored six goals in his last seven Premier League appearances at St James Park.
  • QPR have scored only one goal in the final 15 minutes of Premier League games this season; fewer than any other side.
  • Rangers are still yet to win away from home this season, but picked up their first win of the campaign in a 2-1 victory over Fulham last weekend.

 

Follow Saturday’s Premier League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all Premier League games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

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Toon Army Jump To Top The Insider Fans League

The weekly fans league standings have been turned upside down in the past week with Geordies charging to the top followed by a good performance from Spurs fans. With an 8% increase in players, this week marked a high mark of competitive activity

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Scything their way to the pinnacle of the fans leaderboard is Newcastle, who were sitting in lowly 15th place this time last week. Despite their 2-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage last night, fans stuck with the core squad that beat Wigan the week before.

Eight players received 100% of the votes, those being goalkeeper Krul, defenders Simpson, Coloccini and Santon, midfielders Gutierrez and Tiote and strikers Ba and Cisse. The only change Alan Pardew made to the squad that faced Wigan saw Hatem Ben Arfa step in for Sylvain Marveaux and support was torn between the two with 25% and 33.3% of respective selections going for each.

West Ham also followed Newcastle up the rankings, trailing just outside the bottom three only to move up nine places to 8th spot. Matt Taylor and Mohamad Diame were both pivotal in the Hammers’ win against Chelsea and were granted a place in the starting lineup this time around.

A mere 12.5% of fans selected Matt Taylor to appear in the starting XI and 50% predicted Diame’s spectacular all-round performance against their London rivals would warrant a start. The only players who got the nod from all West Ham Insider players were Jaaskelainen, O’Brien and Jarvis who all took 100%.

Usually consistent Stoke City found themselves embarrassingly fall from the heights of the top spot to sixteenth position. Winning four of their last six games in the Premier League and scoring six in the process, top scorer Peter Crouch’s absence through injury stumped a few people, with subsequent scorers Jonathan Walters getting just 33.3% of selections, Charlie Adam; 100% and Cameron Jerome; 33.3%.

Can you successfully predict your side’s starting line up this week? Help your club to the top of the table, and claim the PlayUp Insider bragging rights by playing The Insider now.

There are several prizes up for grabs every week; including a copy of Football Manager 2013, an official Nike Premier League football, and £250 worth of shopping vouchers. Follow the link below and get started.

PLAY INSIDER NOW

See below for current fan ranking table, plus rankings from last week (in brackets). Don’t forget there are bonus points available for making your Insider selections early, so don’t miss out.

 

Premier League table
1st Man Utd 39pts
2nd Man City 33pts
3rd Chelsea 29pts
4th Everton 26pts
5th Tottenham 26pts
6th West Brom 26pts
7th Arsenal 24pts
8th Swansea 23pts
9th Stoke 23pts
10th Liverpool 22pts
11th West Ham 22pts
12th Norwich 22pts
13th Fulham 20pts
14th Newcastle 17pts
15th Southampton 15pts
16th Aston Villa 15pts
17th Wigan 15pts
18th Sunderland 13pts
19th Reading 9pts
20th QPR 7pts
Insider club rank
1st Newcastle (15th)
2nd Tottenham (5th)
3rd Liverpool (12th)
4th Man City (9th)
5th Reading (6th)
6th Man Utd (4th)
7th Chelsea (13th)
8th West Ham (17th)
9th Fulham (10th)
10th Aston Villa (3rd)
11th Everton (11th)
12th Arsenal (8th)
13th Southampton (2nd)
14th QPR    (7th)
15th Wigan (14th)
16th Stoke (1st)
17th Sunderland (18th)
18th Swansea (16th)
19th West Brom (19th)
20th Norwich (20th)

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Preview: Fulham vs Newcastle, Mon 20:00

The Toon Army will be hoping for another majestic Monday this week after last Monday’s 3-0 win over Wigan gave them their first league victory in 5 matches. Martin Jol’s Fulham stand in their way, and are without a win in 7 league matches.

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Demba Ba converts his 10th Premier League goal of the season against Wigan last week.

Team News:

Fulham:

  • Simon Davies (hip), and Alexander Kacaniklic (hamstring) are definite absentees for the match with Newcastle.
  • Forward Bryan Ruiz had been scheduled to return from his hamstring injury against Newcastle, but suffered a massive set back in his recovery and will now be out until the New Year.
  • Fulham will be boosted by the return of Brede Hangeland to the defence following a suspension. He will replace Phillipe Senderos.
  • The Norwegian was sent off against Sunderland last month, and has since seen out a 3-match sideline ban.
  • Hangeland aside, Martin Jol is likely to name the same side that lost 3-0 to Spurs last weekend. A team that he said ‘lost spirit’ against their London rivals.

 

Newcastle:

  • Haris Vuckic (knee), Steven Taylor (hamstring), Gabriel Obertan (toe), Dan Gosling (ankle) and Yohan Cabaye (groin) are on the long term injury list for Newcastle.
  • Winger Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring) has also been sidelined of late, though he is scheduled to return at Fulham. The Frenchman has around a 50% chance of featuring in the match.
  • Midfielder Gael Bigirimana scored a screamer for the Magpies in their 3-0 win over Wigan on Monday, and will be pushing for a starting place.
  • Cheik Tiote and Demba Ba picked up knocks recently, but both are likely to shake them off and start on Monday.

 

Think you can predict the line-ups? Play our Facebook game ‘The Insider’ and win great prizes, including a copy of Football Manager 2013: PLAY NOW

 

Premier League Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Fulham: L-D-L-L-D                               Newcastle:  W-L-L-L-L

 

Head to Head (Last 10 Matches)

 

FULHAM

NEWCASTLE

WINS

6

3

DRAWS

1

GOALS SCORED

14

10

 

In this fixture last season, the sides played out a seven goal thriller at Craven Cottage in a 5-2 victory for the hosts. A Clint Dempsey hat trick together with strikes from Danny Murphy and Bobby Zamora lead the Cottagers to victory. None of the three goal scorers that found the net for Fulham that day still play for Martin Jol’s side.

 

The Stats:

  • Fulham have lost just one of the last six Premier League games against Newcastle and won the last three in a row at Craven Cottage.
  • However, they have won just one of the last five Premier League games at Craven Cottage (W1 D1 L3).
  • The Whites have gone seven games without a Premier League win – their worst spell within a single season since November-December 2010.
  • Newcastle’s victory against Wigan on Monday ended a run of 4 consecutive Premier League losses in recent week.
  • Demba Ba is the first Newcastle player to score 10+ goals in consecutive Premier League seasons since Alan Shearer did so in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04.
  • Newcastle are the only team not to score from a corner in the Premier League this season.
  • Demba Ba has scored three braces this season, only Jermain Defoe can match this.
  • Fulham substitutes have contributed seven goals this season, only Man City’s have been as productive.

 

Follow Monday’s Premier League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all Premier League games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

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Bundesliga – Learning To Love Something German

The Bundesliga is back on British TV screens. Are we seeing the start of a new cultural revolution? Is something born and bred of the old enemy winning our hearts and minds?

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 Bundesliga logo.jpeg

Overseas football leagues, generally, have never been entirely welcomed by proudly nationalistic supporters of the English Premier League. But a revolution has taken place. In Spain, astronomic talents like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have caught the eye and imagination of English football fans that have previously been happily ignorant of other European leagues.

Sky’s Sunday evening Spanish football show has become must-watch television for the dedicated football fan. Now the cultural revolution is embracing German football.

Until this season the Bundesliga and German teams have been something of a ‘dark’ area, unless you count watching the likes of Schalke every few weeks on ITV’s post-match Champions League highlights. But over the summer, two TV networks latched on to the growing interest in one of Europe’s elite leagues.

ITV4 secured a new deal this season with the Deutsche Fußall Liga (DFL). Monday evening at 8pm, English football fans can watch free-to-air highlights of Germany’s top flight football league in an hour long show.

This dovetails with the existing long-term, live coverage that the not-so-popular subscription channel, ESPN, have had in place with the Bundesliga since July this year.

So what has made the Bundesliga more appealing, to broadcasters and viewers? Is it the prestige of 22-time champions Bayern Munich? Is it the stadiums that fill to the rafters at half past three every Saturday afternoon? Could it be the international talent that German football now attracts?

Dortmund yellow wall.jpeg

Borussia Dortmund's "Yellow Wall"

In an interview with Times journalist Rory Smith this week, Germany and Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus compellingly explained the adulation that football receives in his native country. On describing the phenomenon that is the ‘Yellow Wall’ of 25,000 Dortmund fans – the largest single-tiered stand in the world – the 23-year-old said, “It’s amazing. The atmosphere really pushes you, I love it.”

For November’s league clash between Hamburg and Bayern Munich, German subscription channel Sky obtained “top ratings”; a total of 1.24 million viewers.

The figures show that the Bundesliga is now a force to be reckoned with. According to the Deutsche Fussball-Bund (DFB) website, “Speaking nowadays of the Bundesliga means speaking of a big boom, also with regard to the crowds, the sale of season tickets and turnover of souvenirs, not to speak of the record TV ratings.”

In 2010, The Guardian reported that the Bundesliga had the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance of Europe’s five major leagues. On average, a Bundesliga ticket will set punters back around €12-15, less than half of what you’d expect to pay to see a Premier League fixture. German clubs also limit the number of season tickets to ensure everyone has a chance to see the games, and the away team has the right to 10% of the available capacity.

In keeping with making the fan’s experience all the more pleasurable, and to avoid any extra costs, also included in the price of a match ticket is a free rail pass.

With such a huge fan base nationally, it is inevitable that interest from abroad will grow. Tied in with the overabundance of ability that the Bundesliga is now producing in players like Mario Götze, Marco Reus and Toni Kroos to name but a few, it’s not been surprising to see the import of Papisse Cisse, Shinji Kagawa, Marco Marin and Lukas Podolski to the Premier League.

And to the English eye, there appears to be a refreshing lack of player arrogance in the German game. How often do you read that in the English language about something born and bred in Germany? Behind the French Ligue 1, out of the five top European leagues it has the second lowest rate of bookings for simulation. A fact that indeed shames the English game who more than doubles their tally.

In a country where fans pay a minimum amount to watch their favourite team and enjoy a few beers and a bratwurst along the way without a police escort, there exists a humble infrastructure where the fan comes first. Maybe that is the thing that draws us in. In an era where racism rows have become prevalent, maybe the English fan feels embarrassed about the trials and tribulations surrounding his game. Is the Bundesliga showing us how it’s done? Maybe there are a few pages to be taken out of its book.

 

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Preview: Bordeaux vs Newcastle, Thurs 18:00

Both these sides have already qualified for the next round of the Europa League this year, though Alan Pardew’s Newcastle can steal Group D’s top spot from Bordeaux with a win in France on Thursday evening.

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Papiss Cisse and Shola Ameobi celebrate completing the rout against Bordeaux in the Europa League earlier this season.

Team News:

Bordeaux:

  • Abdou Traore (thigh) is the only notable absentee for Francis Gillot’s side, who will name a full strength starting XI on Thursday night.
  • Henri Saivet could be welcomed back into the team following a hamstring injury that has kept him out for the last few weeks. A place on the bench is most likely for the Frenchman.
  • Bordeaux are likely to start with the same side that drew 2-2 with Sochaux on Saturday, with top scorer Yoan Gouffran up front.
  • The striker has netted 4 times in the Europa League already this season, and will be hungry for more when Newcastle visit the Stade Chaban Delmas.

 

Newcastle:

  • Haris Vuckic (knee), Steven Taylor (hamstring) Gabriel Obertan (toe), Dan Gosling (ankle) and Yohan Cabaye (groin) are all on the long term absentee list for Newcastle.
  • Magpies’ main man Hatem Ben Arfa (hamstring) has also been sidelined of late – the Frenchman will play no part in Bordeaux, though he could return to face Fulham this weekend.
  • Gael Bigirimana scored a screamer for the Magpies in their 3-0 win over Wigan in the Premier League on Monday, he is likely to start for Newcastle on Thursday.
  • Alan Pardew is likely to name a weakened side for the Europa League clash, and can afford to rest of few players as his side have already qualified for the knockout stages.
  • Club top scorer Demba Ba will be the most high profile player to be handed a break, in his place will come young Sammi Ameobi.

 

Domestic Form Guide (Last 5 Matches)

 

Bordeaux: D-L-W-W-W                              Newcastle:  W-L-L-L-L

 

Head to Head (Only Match)

 

BORDEAUX

NEWCASTLE

WINS

0

1

DRAWS

0

GOALS SCORED

0

3

 

When Bordeaux and Newcastle met in the reverse fixture of this Europa League clash back in October, it was the first ever meeting between the two sides. And it was a meeting that Bordeaux will want to forget…

Newcastle ran riot at St James’ Park in Week 2 of the Europa League, and cut Bordeaux to ribbons in a well deserved 3-0 win. Shola Ameobi struck the opener, a Carlos Henrique own goal doubled the Magpies’ lead,  before a Papiss Cisse goal made the result safe for Pardew’s men.

 

The Stats:

  • Bordeaux have not beaten an English side in 9 attempts in European competitions. They have faced Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and now Newcastle.
  • They have played out 2 draws against English clubs – both of which came at home.
  • The French club have won all of their last 8 European home matches, and are unbeaten at home in Ligue 1 this season.
  • Bordeaux striker David Bellion spent two seasons in the North East of England with Sunderland. Now back in France, he has not scored a league goal since 2009.
  • Newcastle’s 3-0 victory over Wigan on Monday night was the first time that the club had scored three goals in a match since the visit of Bordeaux to St James’ Park at the start of October.
  • The Magpies had previously gone 7 matches without a victory.
  • Interestingly, every single goal that Newcastle have scored this season has been netted by a player whereby French is the native language in their country.
  • All of Shola Ameobi’s goals this season have come in the Europa League, including the opener against Bordeaux in October.

 

Follow Thursday’s Europa League clash via the PlayUp app – view live commentary, stats, photos, games and interact with other fans on your PC: CLICK HERE

You can also follow all Champions League games on your smart phone, download PlayUp to your iPhone and make sport social - DOWNLOAD NOW

 

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