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Tottenham Hotspur return to Europa League action later this evening as they head to Bulgaria to face Ludogorets in their latest Group J clash.

Jose Mourinho revealed in the build-up to the match that he’s less inclined to rotate his squad after last week’s shocking defeat at Royal Antwerp. He has hinted that they’ll go “full power” and named one definite starter – Gareth Bale.

There are also a number of injury doubts ahead of the tie, so the Special One does have some key decisions to make – none bigger than whether or not Dele Alli will be involved.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting tonight…

Mourinho will be without Sergio Reguilon (illness), Erik Lamela (injury) and Serge Aurier (knock), so it seems likely that both Ben Davies and Matt Doherty will start on either side of the defence.

In fact, the only change at the back is Davinson Sanchez coming in for Toby Alderweireld, who is granted a rest ahead of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures.

He partners Eric Dier in front of skipper Hugo Lloris.

Another player who remains in the starting lineup is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who appears to have become a crucial powerhouse in the middle of the engine room.

And for the first time this season, the Special one could partner Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, who is valued at €70m (£63.5m), in a mouthwatering partnership that many fans have been longing for.

It means Moussa Sissoko is dropped and that Alli will not be starting, though he could be named on the bench.

Out wide, Bale starts as we already know with Lucas Moura coming in for £140k-per-week star Heung-min Son on the other flank. There may be no place for Steven Bergwijn as he was one of the quartet to be withdrawn at the break last week.

Mourinho mentioned going full power, and that’s why Harry Kane starts over Carlos Vinicius – their defeat in Belgium meant that LASK Linz took hold of top spot over the north Londoners.

Young prospects Dennis Cirkin, Jack Clarke and Harvey White should all be named on the bench.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £22.5m-rated “huge talent” risks becoming another Taarabt…

Manchester United are holding talks with Inter Milan over a potential transfer for Ivan Perisic this summer, reports say. 

Man United have been interested in signing Perisic for a while, long before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge at Old Trafford.

According to Fichajes.com, as cited by the Daily Express, United are negotiating an exchange with Inter which would see Alexis Sanchez head in the other direction on a permanent basis. The Spanish publication claimed that the Red Devils are close to completing a swap deal for the Croatian.

Perisic, who is valued at £15.75m by Transfermarkt, has spent the past season on loan at Bayern Munich but the Bundesliga champions declined to activate a permanent deal for the midfielder, which has paved the way for Ed Woodward to make a move instead.

Bayern were only interested in extending his loan deal for another year, which didn’t go down well with his parent club.

Recent reports had suggested that Tottenham Hotspur were in talks with Inter, but United appear to have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals.

After arriving at the Allianz Arena last year, Perisic has scored four goals and supplied three assists in the Bundesliga this season, taking 1.9 shots per game (via WhoScored).

Although the 31-year-old suffered an ankle injury which ruled him out of several games prior to football’s suspension, he turned out to be a reliable asset for Bayern, as he made 31 appearances in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Sanchez is arguably one of Woodward’s biggest mistakes, as he currently earns £400,000-a-week, even though he has only scored five times in 45 games for the Red Devils.

A straight swap for Perisic is surely a no-brainer for United, as Solskjaer is desperate to get Sanchez off the wage bill as soon as possible. However, whether or not Inter will be willing to pay his hefty wages is another matter altogether.

United fans, should Woodward swap Sanchez for Perisic in the summer? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett has discussed his decision not to make a summer move for Bristol Rovers striker Jonah Ayunga.

Pompey boss Jackett will enter the 2020/21 season under a huge amount of pressure after failing to guide his side to the Championship from League One for a second successive season.

With the transfer window potentially offering a chance for Jackett to bring in a number of players, Ayunga emerged as a potential transfer target after performing well for Havant and Waterlooville, netting 24 goals in 41 games.

Despite having a recommendation from Hawks manager Paul Doswell, Jackett and chief executive officer Mark Catlin turned down a move for the striker and the former has now discussed his decision not to try and take him to Fratton Park.

Ayunga has now completed a move to Portsmouth’s league rivals Bristol Rovers, prompting as quoted by The News, Jackett to say: ‘We scout a lot of players during the course of the season.

‘We did scout him and he would have been coming into a position where we already have established players.

‘We’ll see (if we bring in another striker).‘In terms of the front three, we have Ellis Harrison John Marquis, Ronan Curtis, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, Marcus Harness and Ryan Williams.‘Those are our options at the minute.’Any potential move for a striker this summer at Fratton Park will depend mainly on the club’s current financial situation after the English Football League introduced a salary cap.Such a decision by the EFL follows the pandemic which curtailed the 2019/2020 season in England’s third tier and saw club’s fail to make any revenue due to the closing of stadiums across the country.

Another player missed for Portsmouth and fans must now be starting to question who they are going to sign and when. Little transfer movement is happening at Fratton Park – only Sean Raggett has arrived so far – and the season is not a million miles away.

Jackett must make this the season to gain promotion or his and the club’s future could very much in danger.

Do you think Portsmouth should have made a move for Ayunga? Let us know in the comments section below…

A lot of Crystal Palace fans are loving the latest news from journalist Matthew Law, who has tweeted that the Eagles will face rivals Charlton in a friendly match to prepare for the return of the Premier League.

There is a big history between the two sides, stemming from the fact that they are local rivals, and moments like Ian Dowie leaving Palace to manage Charlton are one of many which heat up the London rivalry between the two sides.

It is the Eagles who currently boast bragging rights, as they are now an established Premier League side whilst Charlton fight for survival in the Championship. The Selhurst Park side also have a good record against their upcoming opponents as they have won 34, drawn 15 and lost only 19 against the Addicks, via 11vs11.

This could be the ideal type of friendly to get the Palace squad match fit for the Premier League, which is finally due to return in June after three months of postponement.

Here is what these Crystal Palace fans said following the tweet from Law:

Palace fans, are you excited for the friendly against Charlton? Comment below with your views!

Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson has been handed a boost ahead of next season with the return of Grant Leadbitter to training.

The midfielder initially began his career with the Black Cats before spells with Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.

Returning to the Stadium of Light in January 2019, the 34-year-old made 14 League One appearances during the 2019/20 season but was handed a spell of compassionate leave in February due to personal reasons.

With Parkinson keen to bounce back next term after the club’s second consecutive failure to gain promotion from League One, Leadbitter’s return could hand him an experienced option in midfield – he has racked up 533 appearances in his senior career.

With the League One outfit back on the training ground recently, £1.44m-rated Leadbitter was among the returnees, as reported by Sunderland Echo, taking part in a session at the Academy of Light.

A handful of players took part in the session having passed the various pandemic tests and performed a light training session before getting on the ball in small groups.

This news should be a boost for Parkinson, who has a very small squad to call upon at the present time.

Leadbitter offers a wealth of experience, having already played 158 times for Sunderland, and he could be used as a focal point and leader for next season.

Do you think Leadbitter can play a big part in Sunderland’s 2020/21 season? Let us know in the comments section below…

Everton have had a whirlwind of a season, feeling almost every emotion there is to feel in football, including the heart-stopping, gut-wrenching nerves of being sat in the relegation zone.

But the Blues have pulled it all back in magnificent style, clawing their way out of the bottom three to sit comfortably just six points behind sixth-placed Wolves. Not everyone has pulled their weight in this uphill battle, though, and here’s a look at a couple who are guilty as charged…

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Really shocking stuff to see how much the Icelandic midfielder has declined this campaign. When he joined Everton back in 2017, he boasted an impressive 10 goal and 13 assist final season with Swansea and was hailed for his impressive free-kicks and strikes from long-range.

However, the 30-year-old is a shell of the talent that caught Everton’s eye and this season has been a torrid one for both parties. Sigurdsson has registered just one goal and one assist in the Premier League this term, nowhere near on track to match last year’s 13 goals and six assists.

The skipper’s latest performance against Chelsea was nothing short of abysmal. Sigurdsson made no attempt to shoot, failed to win a single duel and attempted no tackles, interceptions or blocks. It was clean sweep of poor player performances in that game, but the Iceland international was the stand out underperformer. His football has been woeful and his attitude seems to be even worse.

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Tom Davies

For a player who does a lot for the club’s charity, Tom Davies doesn’t make much of an impact on the pitch. The 21-year-old has earned himself a measly WhoScored rating of 6.4 so far this season.

His weaknesses have been identified as passing, tackling and discipline which wouldn’t be too worrying if he was creating goals or banging them in himself. But Davies has scored just one goal in 21 league appearances this season. So what is he actually bringing to this Everton side?

He has started 15 Premier League games this term, playing the full 90 minutes on 12 occasions. Carlo Ancelotti must see something in him in order for Davies to have retained his place in the lineup, but as the transfer window approaches, he will need to start thinking about fighting for a starting position. There’s only so far being a ‘young, local lad’ can carry you.

Everton fans, do you agree with the above or are there other players who just haven’t pulled their weight this season?

Liverpool fans have been left thinking about the prospect of signing a new central defensive partner to Virgil van Dijk this week.

It comes after the former agent of Leicester City colossus Caglar Soyuncu made an interesting claim to Spanish outlet AS.

Mustafa Dogru claimed that “only Liverpool” could afford his signature in the Premier League this summer before namedropping financial heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona as other suitors.

This news was relayed on Twitter by popular fan account Anfield Edition and the Reds faithful have been reacting in their droves.

The 23-year-old has been a frequent figure under ex-Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers at the Foxes this campaign, making 28 appearances in the top-flight where he has averaged an impressive 4.6 clearances, 1.8 tackles and an 89.3% passing success rate per game, via WhoScored.

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It remains to be seen what sort of fee he would command, especially in the current climate. He cost the Midlands outfit £19m back in 2018 and according to Transfermarkt, is now worth £28.8m.

Here’s how supporters have been reacting on social media…

AND in other news, Liverpool fans drool over Bundesliga STAR after jaw-dropping display…

The rapid approach of the January transfer window can only mean one thing: the return of the rumour mill.

There is now just over a month left before clubs across Europe can add to their squads, and there is already plenty of speculation in regards to who could be bought.

In regards to Liverpool, it is no different, with Jadon Sancho and Sander Berge (Radio Punto Nuovo via Goal.com) just two of the names to have been mentioned.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

According to Corriere dello Sport, Amine Harit is also attracting the Reds’ attention. The Morocco international, who is 22 years of age, is said to be being monitored by the European champions. He has scored five goals and provided two assists for Schalke in the Bundesliga so far this campaign.

Jurgen Klopp is good friends with Die Konigsblauen’s manager David Wagner, which could work to the Anfield outfit’s advantage.

For a potential reported fee of €20m (£17.1m), it could be a bargain for the former Borussia Dortmund manager. The club’s supporters, at least, are delighted with the link. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

According to a report from 90min, Paul Pogba’s priority is still to join Real Madrid when the transfer market reopens.

What’s the word?

The Manchester United midfielder’s future is rarely far from speculation and 90min are claiming that he hopes to move to Real Madrid, in part to work with his idol Zinedine Zidane.

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It’s added that the Spanish giants do hold an interest in signing the World Cup winner, who reportedly made his intentions to leave clear to United back in 2019.

United still have the opportunity to extend Pogba’s contract by a further year, with his current terms about to enter their final twelve months, but it seems his head has already been turned.

No longer needed

It might seem laughable to suggest that a fifth-placed United side don’t need the services of a midfielder who effectively ran the show for France in the 2018 World Cup final.

But in truth, United have been without Pogba virtually all season – he’s made just eight appearances while picking up £290k per week – and they’re only three points away from a place in the top four.

Bruno Fernandes arrived in January and has already established himself as a focal point in the team, producing three goals and four assists in nine outings, and considering how attack-minded the Portuguese is, there’s no guarantee he’ll be as effective when placed next to Pogba who likes to get forward as well.

Essentially, United are already prepared for his departure, which only makes a summer exit seem more likely.

Real Madrid and Barcelona always have the ultimate pulling power when it comes to transfers, and Pogba certainly fits the template of a Galactico – an asset both on the pitch and from a marketing perspective.

A move in the next transfer window then, provided United get a good deal, feels almost like a formality at this stage.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Everton have struggled defensively this season and sit in 16th, just two points off the relegation zone. Marco Silva’s men have let in 16 goals in just 10 games so far, making them the joint third-worst defensive side in the Premier League.

Right-back is far from a problem position for the club with both Seamus Coleman and Djibril Sidibe available to Silva, but he will surely be keeping a close eye on Jonjoe Kenny’s time at Schalke with the prospect of a 2020 breakthrough in his mind.

The Liverpudlian burst onto the scene under Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce in 2017-18, making 19 Premier League appearances that season and providing two assists. Two seasons on, Kenny is showing his brilliance in the Bundesliga.

Schalke manager David Wagner is a huge fan of his and told The Independent (via Bundesliga.com): “I can tell you what, he’s already close to becoming a fan favourite here in our stadium. He’s done an amazing job so far and scored a wonderful goal against [Hertha] Berlin. He’s, for sure, one of the best signings which we have made this summer.”

Not only has Kenny received praise from his manager, he has also won the Rookie of the Month for August in the Bundesliga and was again nominated for the award in September.

It is no surprise to see the 22-year-old earning such praise when he has started all nine Bundesliga games, registering a goal and two assists along the way.

Watching Kenny perform so well will give Everton fans hope for the future, as Coleman is now 31 and may not have long left at Goodison Park. Also, Sidibe is only on loan from Monaco, which means the right-back slot could be his for the taking next season if the Toffees decide against making his deal permanent.

This story is yet another example of a British talent flourishing abroad and it’s a trend that suggests managers should trust these players and used them more often.

Kenny may have to wait until next campaign to fully make his mark on Merseyside, but his early success in Germany suggests he could be ready to succeed Coleman in 2020.