Aston Villa will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Sunday.

Steve Bruce’s side were beaten 1-0 by out-of-form Norwich City at Carrow Road on Tuesday night – only their second defeat in 10 games under the man who took over from Roberto Di Matteo in October.

The Midlands club do appear to have hit a particularly sticky bit of form though, with their loss to the Canaries coming after another defeat in their previous match on the road against Leeds United, while they needed a late Jack Grealish goal to beat lowly Wigan Athletic 1-0 at Villa Park last weekend.

After such a poor display in Norfolk during the week, Bruce could look to ring the changes against a QPR side who have lost their last four Championship matches.

Here is Football FanCast’s Villa XI that should take all three points in the capital…

GK: Pierluigi Gollini

The Italian stopper has been first choice goalkeeper under both Roberto Di Matteo and Steve Bruce this season and the 21-year-old should retain his place between the sticks for the visit to QPR on Sunday.

Gollini endured a less than enjoyable night at Carrow Road, spilling Martin Olsson’s shot but saving well from Nelson Oliveira on the rebound, although he may feel he should have done better when the latter scored what proved to be the winning goal.

RB: Leandro Bacuna

Steve Bruce hinted after the performance at Norwich that there could be a number of changes for Villa’s next match at QPR and one of those should come at right-back.

Alan Hutton was one of the players that came under criticism during the last few seasons in the Premier League, and with his recent performances failing to stand out, Bacuna – who has been a regular on the substitutes’ bench in recent weeks – should be given an opportunity in the Scot’s full-back spot on Sunday.

CB: James Chester

The Welshman has formed a formidable partnership with captain Tommy Elphick at the heart of the defence, and while Bruce suggested changes following the dismal defeat at Norwich, there is little competition at centre-back at the current time.

Nathan Baker is the duo’s main competition but he has been absent through injury, which means Chester will line up alongside Elphick again at Loftus Road by default.

However, they will be keen to prevent any goals going in that are as simple as the Canaries’ was in midweek.

CB: Tommy Elphick

The Villa captain would have been disappointed with the way his side concede against Norwich, as the Canaries attackers were ultimately allowed to walk past their opponents before Nelson Oliveira brilliantly finished low into the bottom corner.

The former Bournemouth man will need to be more vocal towards his midfielders against QPR to prevent the same thing happening again, and keeping a clean sheet like they did against Wigan would boost their chances of taking the three points back to the Midlands.

LB: Jordan Amavi

The Villa left-back is considered to be one of the best in his position in the Championship and can count himself a little unlucky to be in the second tier after a fine start to his Premier League career last season.

The full-back has shown how good he can be defensively as well as helping the team in an attacking sense by overlapping the wide player in front of him.

CM: Aaron Tshibola

Despite costing £5m from Reading in the summer, the central midfielder has found first team opportunities hard to come by since Steve Bruce took over as manager, with the likes of Mile Jedinak, Gary Gardner and Ashley Westwood preferred in the middle of the park.

However, with Bruce set to ring the changes against QPR, Tshibola could finally get his chance to impress with a place in the starting XI.

CM: Mile Jedinak

While Gary Gardner and Ashley Westwood have sometimes been rotated, and Aaron Tshibola has struggled to get an opportunity at all, Mile Jedinak has been something of a constant in the Villa midfield since Bruce took over in October.

The experienced Australian was probably one of the players at fault for the Norwich goal in midweek, but his steel in the middle of the park is so valuable in the Championship.

RAM: Albert Adomah

Gabby Agbonlahor was preferred to Adomah in midweek, with the Ghanaian taking a place on the substitutes’ bench before replacing the forward in the second half.

However, Agbonlahor lost the ball initially in the move that led to Norwich’s goal, and after failing to impress in attack, Adomah could find himself back in the starting XI at Loftus Road – where he will look to get at a defence low in confidence.

CAM: Jack Grealish

Following his stunning strike against Wigan last weekend – which proved to be the winning goal – Grealish was again given a start against Norwich in what was an off night for the whole team.

While he struggled to make an impact going forward, he will hope that he did enough to earn another opportunity for the trip to the capital, as he seems to be one of Villa’s most in-form attacking players at the moment.

LAM: Ross McCormack

The forward moved to Villa Park from Fulham for £12m in the summer, but like fellow big-money addition Aaron Tshibola, he has found first team opportunities hard to come by since Steve Bruce took charge.

However, with the likes of Jordan Ayew and Gabby Agbonlahor failing to produce in those attacking midfield positions in recent matches, the Scot could finally get his chance to impress in west London, and the proven Championship goalscorer will want to get on the scoresheet.

ST: Rudy Gestede

Another summer signing – Jonathan Kodjia – has been Bruce’s preferred option in the striker’s position during his reign so far, but the Ivory Coast international has struggled to find the net recently, going three games without a goal.

Bruce may opt for Gestede up top against QPR, knowing that the striker will provide an aerial presence as well as a goal threat alongside Ross McCormack.

The Man Utd fans in the Transfer Tavern had big hopes for Morgan Schneiderlin when he signed in 2015…

The ex-Southampton midfielder made a name for himself on the South Coast with a flurry of excellent performances, and like many of the Saints’ most talented players – a big money move was destined from the beginning.

It was Man Utd, then managed by Louis van Gaal, that won the race for the Frenchman – and whilst he endured a slow start to his Man Utd career, he was expected to kick on and really progress once he finally settled at Old Trafford.

However, under Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman’s role at the club has reduced even further, and whilst he rarely played under van Gaal – he has seen his game time diminish even further under the Portuguese boss.

This has led to the seemingly natural conclusion of a proposed departure, with many of the Man Utd fans in the Transfer Tavern expecting a deal to come sooner, rather than later – but it would appear as though that isn’t the case.

According to the Telegraph, both Everton and West Brom have failed with bids in the £10-20 million mark for Schneiderlin – with Man Utd instead insisting on recouping the £24 million that they paid for Schneiderlin in 2015.

The reported rejection of Everton’s £19 million bid follows just a few days after West Brom reportedly had a £13 million bid rejected – and Mourinho’s hesitancy to do a deal seemingly confirms the notion that he will only sell players if the right move comes in.

The news has generated a mixed reaction from the Man Utd fans in the Transfer Tavern, many of whom simply want to see something come of Schneiderlin this season. They think that he either needs to play every week, or he needs to be shipped out in January – or else nobody will win. The Frenchman will simply rot on the bench for the Manchester giants.

Our landlord agrees, though he does expect a deal to be agreed this month – he thinks that Mourinho is simply trying to generate interest in the midfielder.

Man Utd fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

Marseille have abandoned their pursuit of wantaway West Ham United star Dimitri Payet, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the latest?

By all indications, the midfielder has had his heart set on a return to Marseille ever since he informed Hammers manager Slaven Bilic that he no longer wants to play for the club.

His desire has been so strong that he has even rejected offers of around £500,000-a-week wages from Chinese Super League clubs, reports the London Evening Standard.

It appears Payet may not get his wish, though, as Sky Sports claim that Marseille have given up on signing him in this window.

The broadcaster states that West Ham are demanding a £30m fee for the Frenchman, but after having multiple bids rejected, the Ligue 1 club are refusing to pay more than £25m.

It could prove to be a negotiating ploy, but Sky Sports claim that as it stands, Payet will not be going to Marseille this month.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

What happens now?

West Ham hold the cards given that Payet’s contract does not expire until 2021, so they have the right to command whatever fee they choose.

If a suitor does not meet their desired figure, then it makes sense for the Hammers to hold out until someone does.

The problem with that scenario is that they now have to keep a player who is desperate to leave for another four months.

Payet is on strike and has been banished to the Under-23s, and at the moment, he is no closer to making a first-team return.

For that to happen, the midfielder will likely have to apologise, but even if it is accepted by Bilic and the team, it may be difficult for him to repair his relationship with the fans.

From Payet’s point of view, if reports are to be believed, he only wants to go back to Marseille, but waiting until the summer could severely hamper his form considering that he will be lacking match fitness.

It is a big mess for all concerned, but there are still 11 days left in the window, so anything could happen.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

As reported in an exclusive by AfricanFootball.com, Celtic have made a bid to sign Nigerian teenager Henry Onyekuru from Belgian side Eupen.

What’s the story?

Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths have both been in red hot form for Celtic this season but beyond those two the Bhoys have little attacking depth in the squad. Rodgers is addressing that problem according to these latest reoprts.

African Football say that German, Russian and Turkish teams have all been looking at striker Henry Onyekuru but Celtic are the team that have made a bid to Eupen this January.

The report seems to have substance given they have direct quotes from the player himself.

Quoted by the website, Onyekuru said:

“Celtic are interested in me and they have tabled an official bid for me. There are discussions between the clubs and my agent. I believe everything will be sorted out soon.”

Sounds to us like this deal could be a goer. If it happens, the striker would be Rodgers second signing already in the January transfer window after the arrival of Kouassi Eboue.

Good enough for Celtic?

Onyekuru is hardly a household name across Europe but he seems to be doing the business for Belgian side Eupen this season. He’s banged in 12 goals in 24 appearances for the side this season, not bad considering the team have been battling against relegation this term.

As noted, Celtic have little depth beyond Griffiths and Dembele in the striking department. Only Nadir Ciftci is a recognised striker in terms of first team squad members and he’s not shown anything to suggest he is good enough to feature regularly for the Bhoys.

A move for the likes of Onyekuru makes sense. Not only does he seem to have the ability to knock a few goals in, but he’s still young and can be happy with developing under Rodgers and his coaching staff without necessarily expect a lot of playing time immediately.

That could suit both Celtic and the player, making this potential move an exciting one for Hoops fans.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

The end of the January transfer window is looming with little over 24 hours left for clubs to secure themselves a big name signing or two in preparation for the rest of the season.One club yet to do any incoming business this winter is Chelsea, which is rather unlike the usually big-spending club from west London. Having invested heavily over the summer – spending close to £100m to take David Luiz, N’Golo Kante and Michy Batshuayi to Stamford Bridge – the Blues currently sit top of the Premier League, eight points clear of closest rivals Arsenal.They can be forgiven for their lack of further spending. After all, what is the need?The only activity of any kind from Antonio Conte during this window has been the recalling of a number of his loan signings, most notably Nathan Ake following his impressive spell at Bournemouth, and Charly Musonda, who returned, from Real Betis. Brazilian Kenedy is also back at the Bridge from Watford.So with a strong squad, recalled players and there likely to be no further investments before tomorrow night, could it be that a few are on their way out from the Bridge before 11:00pm on January 31?We think these could be FOUR four last-minute exits for the Blues …

Branislav Ivanovic

Despite his involvement and goal in the 4-0 thrashing of Brentford during the weekend’s FA Cup Fourth Round fixture, it could turn out that the Serbian never pulls on the blue shirt again, with there being plenty of speculation in regards to his imminent departure.

Sky Sports (below) believe the right-back is close to sealing a deal with Zenit St. Petersburg as he goes in search of first-team football.

Michy Batshuayi

Another who was not only involved but also on the scoresheet against Brentford this past weekendÂis another who could see that be his last action in a Blue shirt, at least for this season, anyway.

Batshuayi has impressed when handed opportunities, but given the form of Diego Costa, those opportunities have been few and far between. SwanseaÂwereÂlinked with a move for him, but any deal may hinge on Fernando Llorente going the other way, which seems unlikely so late on.

Charly Musonda

Back from Real Betis, and straight out again, should the rumours be true, of course.ÂLa Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that AC Milan, who have already swooped for Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu earlier this window, are preparing a bid to bring the Belgian to the San Siro on loan.

The 20-year-old had impressed during his sporadic appearances for Betis, however, so it could be that he instead stays to try and compete for a place.

Asmir Begovic

Wasted on the bench for Chelsea, Asmir Begovic has struggled for playing time this season, and unlike team-mate Michy Batshuayi, hasn’t impressed when given the chance to do so.

With Celtic’s Craig Gordon linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, there could be wiggle room for the shot-stopper to sneak out the back door. Bournemouth are favourites to bag themselves the Bosnian.

Sunday afternoon promises to be a throwback to the early 2000s as former Premier League side Fulham host Tottenham Hotspur in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.

Both formerly managed by Martin Jol, the pair’s fortunes have since divided. Fulham were relegated from the Premier League after a near decade-and-a-half stint in the top flight and are yet to return, currently sitting in eighth position in the Championship.

Spurs, on the other hand, are perhaps enjoying their best run of form since the late nineties in the Premier League, with the Lilywhites’ looking favourites to challenge Chelsea for the title this season – although a second place finish seems a more realistic target.

In a fixture we were once looking for the Louis Sahas, the Robbie Keanes and the Luis Boa Mortes, this time around a new generation of players for each club will set up for an unfamiliar yet interesting tie between the two London sides.

With Spurs still pursuing the Premier League top spot, a few of their youngsters could be given the nod for the weekend’s fixture. We think these three Tottenham starlets deserve their chance to impress…

Harry Winks

Having recently signed a new contract at the club following a spate of impressive performances in both the league and the cup competitions, a start in the FA Cup would be a due reward for the young Englishman. The five-year deal will now keep him at the club until 2022.

Mauricio Pochettino is known to be a fan of the young players at White Hart Lane, especially the Englishmen, with many of Spurs’ starting XI also making the cut for the England National team too. Winks has recently hinted at his desire to play in a more advanced role for the club as he usually sits deep in midfield, so this weekend’s fixture could be the perfect chance to show why he deserves a shot further forward.

Joshua Onomah

Young Onomah was mightily impressive earlier in the season as he scored his first goal for Tottenham in a 5-0 victory over Gillingham in the League Cup. The Englishman looked full of confidence with the ball at his feet and was able to both run at the defenders from the middle of the park and distribute it effectively.

He has also impressed for England U-19s, where his four goals in 14 performances earned him call-ups to the U-20 and U-21 sides too.

Onamah has a bright future ahead of him and if he continues to develop at the same rate as he has done over the past season, it won’t be long until we see him breaking into the first team for good.

Cameron Carter-Vickers

Another man who excelled at Gillingham earlier in the season was Cameron Carter-Vickers. The exciting defender started and finished the game, putting in a fine shift at the back alongside the more experienced Kevin Wimmer.It will be his starts against both Atletico Madrid and Juventus during the club’s pre-season tour, however, that will be perhaps most memorable.

A regular for the United States U-20s and U-23s, Carter-Vickers was also recently called up to the senior USA squad for the first time in his career. At only 19 years of age and with only a few Spurs outings under his belt, fans are set to really see his potential, but his call-up to the national side is an indication of great things to come.

Tottenham Hotspur face a huge week ahead of them as their season comes down to clinching a top-four finish in the Premier League and advancing to the FA Cup semi-finals against Wembley.

Their first hurdle to overcome is Ronald Koeman’s Everton, who visit White Hart Lane with good spirits and hope of clinching their own spot in European football- and it will all come down to the final 12 games of the season.

Everton will need a minimum of a seventh-placed finish to qualify for the Europa League next season but have aspirations of leapfrogging the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, if at all possible, so it sets-up an intriguing tie this Sunday.

Former Arsenal defender Paul Merson believes there’s going to be a lot of goals in the game at White Hart Lane but ultimately believes the hosts will emerge triumphant. Making his predictions for Sky Sports, he said:

“This is a good game to kick off Super Sunday. It’s another tough game to call but I’m going to go with home advantage and back Spurs for a slender win.”

“There will be goals as both teams are excellent going forward and the defences will not be able to live with the attacking quality both sides have. And I think Spurs, who are unbeaten in 13 homes games in the league, will come out on top for a ninth straight win at White Hart Lane in the Premier League.”

Merson’s predicting a 3-2 win for Spurs in the clash that would see them hang onto second-spot in the table, whilst a loss for Everton could see West Brom cut to just one point behind the Toffees.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Although West Ham have hauled themselves clear of early-season relegation fears, there’s little to be overly positive about in regards to where the club are going right now.

There’s no getting away from the fact that 2016/17 will be deemed a failure on the whole given the positivity the Hammers entered the campaign with, while the Dimitri Payet saga of the January transfer window left a sour taste for fans of the club.

However, one plus has emerged in the wake of the Frenchman’s departure: Manuel Lanzini’s revival. The Argentine, nicknamed ‘The Jewel’ has thrived with the freedom he’s been afforded in Slaven Bilic’s set-up that was once Payet’s, and his performance in the 2-1 loss to Chelsea was impressive enough to create a buzz among Irons fans…

The playmaker’s 97 touches made him the third most active player on the entire pitch – no mean feat given he’s primarily a final third player – while his 70 passes with a completion rate of 89% was impressive also. On top of that, Lanzini completed the joint-most dribbles of any of the players involved at the London Stadium while he netted a late consolation goal, too.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

With the United States national side constantly improving, we’ve seen an influx of American stars making waves across the pond in the Premier League of late.

In truth, players from over the Atlantic have always had a strong presence amongst the English elite, though recent years have seen the likes of Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and Landon Donavan enjoy life on these shores.

Visit Britain are running a competition to find the biggest Super Fan in the world to earn the chance to be flown over to watch a Premier League game of their choice, though perhaps the lucky winner shouldn’t be the only people to make a journey to England.

The MLS is improving with every passing season, while the likes of Michael Bradley and DeAndre Yedlin have made maves in Europe too. With that in mind, here’s a look at five Americans who should move to the Premier League this summer.

Christian Pulisic

Borussia Dortmund forward Christian Pulisic has been linked with Liverpool in the past and it’s easy to see why. Looks to be every inch a Jurgen Klopp type player, bombing up and down the wings with attacking intensity, while also proving lethal in front of goal at times.

Would certainly light up Liverpool.

Fabian Johnson

With full-backs proving to be such a hot commodity in the Premier League these days, it’s a wonder why Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Fabian Johnson hasn’t been brought over to England yet.

Another to provide attacking enterprise from wide areas, albeit deeper ones, the 29-year-old could surely offer something to an English side.

Darlington Nagbe

Linked with a move to Celtic over the course of the January transfer window, Portland Timbers star Darlington Nagbe must be making an impression in Britain. The classy 26-year-old midfielder is entering his prime and would be a relatively cheap option for a mid-table side, able to chip in with goals and assists.

Mix Diskerud

The darling of New York City FC, Mix Diskerud has been plying his trade in the Big Apple with the likes of Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, barely bad company to rub shoulders with. A palpable goal threat, it’d be little surprise to see an English plump for the 26-year-old, such is his commercial appeal.

Julian Green

Signed by Bayern Munich at a young age, Julian Green must have something about him. To even be considered by such a powerhouse of European football, especially Pep Guardiola was in charge, a player really must have some glowing talent.

Things may not have worked out since for the attacker, though he is still only 21.

So think you have what it takes to be their Super Fan? Click on the link below to find the details.

[ad_pod id=’visit-britain’ align=’center’]

Manchester City will spend this summer and probably break records.

This is not a sign of Pep Guardiola ‘buying’ trophies, nor is it a reflection of an impatient club. It is, instead, an admission this is a club who have had some abysmal transfer windows in recent years and failed to address several glaring issues that have held a young, immensely talented attack back.

Primarily this has been the defence and goalkeeping situations. A new goalkeeper is a guarantee after the catalogue of howlers from Claudio Bravo, but just how seriously they take their defensive investment is yet to be seen. Man City cannot afford another summer of near-misses and prolonged sagas if they want to realistically compete on multiple fronts next season, Guardiola will know that as well as anyone.

What can they do? Well, for a start, they have an awful lot of players to either release or sell on to make space for a new, fresh defence.

Here are THREE reasons the Manchester giants must overhaul their defence…

Age is not just a number

Some players transcend ageing. Manchester City’s defenders have, for the most part, not been in that pack.

Bacary Sagna, 34, Pablo Zabaleta, 32, Gael Clichy, 31, and Aleksandar Kolarov, 31, are all way past their respective peaks, and decline has begun for all four and, despite some decent central defensive performances from Kolarov, all must be replaced this summer.

The 29-year-old Nicolas Otamendi continues to be too error prone, too, which will likely see Man City sign at least one more central defender with Vincent Kompany’s career sadly coming to an end, too

Poor John

John Stones could become one of the best defenders of a generation. He really is that good.

For all the money spent on him by Man City, however, the former Toffee has been thrown into a lose-lose situation. With goalkeeping disasters all too frequent, defensive shape changing and players alongside him short on confidence, Stones is in almost the worst possible position for a developing player.

His improvement even in the course of this season has been marked, but with a proper defence around him, he will continue to go from strength to strength and begin to repay all the money City spent on him.

Pep Needs This

Defenders are not just defenders for Guardiola – they are components in a footballing philosophy who are required to participate in possession as much as the midfielders and must be tactically enough aware to deal with his occasionally abstract requirements.

Whether through inverting the full-backs or using a central defender as a first phase playmaker, Guardiola’s defenders cannot be limited to stopping the opposition. Their responsibilities may vary a little week to week, but players like Jerome Boateng, Gerard Pique and David Alaba epitomise just how much he demands from his back line.

Spend the money in defence and it will more than pay its dividends.