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After securing a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their latest Champions League outing, Liverpool now face a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United later this afternoon.

Ahead of the match against the Red Devils, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that midfielder Curtis Jones returned to first-team training after picking up an injury whilst away on international duty, whereas Thiago Alcantara will miss the match altogether.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up at Old Trafford.

In goal, despite conceding two in midweek, we feel that Klopp will stick with Alisson Becker between the sticks to see if he can stop the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood from getting on the scoresheet.

Ahead of the Brazilian, we think Klopp will stick with the same back four that started against Atletico with Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold occupying the full-back positions with Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk in the middle.

In midfield, even though he scored Liverpool’s opening goal against Diego Simeone’s side, we can see Klopp taking Naby Keita out of the starting XI as a result of his rather disappointing overall performance in midweek.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod after he managed to put in a good shift after coming on in the second half against Atletico, rather than throwing Jones back into the side straight away.

For their attacking front three up top, it would be difficult to see Klopp taking either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah out of the team considering the duo have scored 12 league goals between them so far this season.

However, given how Roberto Firmino failed to register even one shot on target in 90 minutes in midweek, we feel that Klopp could be persuaded to swap him for £90k-per-week Diogo Jota who has three Premier League goals under his belt in 2021/22.

Whether Klopp goes with this exact starting XI we have suggested or not, we feel that this is a big game for the Reds, not just because of the heavy rivalry between the two sides but also because Liverpool will need a win to keep up with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

In other news: FSG must land Liverpool swoop for £29.7m-rated beast who’s a “better version of Pogba” – opinion

West Ham United are seemingly eyeing a move Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope as manager David Moyes also sets his sights on three other major signings this summer.

The Lowdown: Moyes set for busy window?

As recently shared by Claret & Hugh, the Hammers boss will apparently have a ‘£150 million’ transfer kitty to play with this summer with Moyes set for major summer backing.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

This comes after a lack-lustre January window, where despite lodging marquee record-breaking bids, West Ham were unable to finalise any mid-season signings for Moyes.

Their intent, as per reports, is to make up for it in the summer as news emerges on just how many major signings Moyes personally wants to make – including the potential addition of a keeper who Sean Dyche branded a ‘monster’.

The Latest: The Time share interesting transfer update…

As per The Times, West Ham ‘could try to sign’ Clarets keeper Pope if they go down, as they now contemplate whether or not to make Alphonse Areola’s loan move from Paris-Saint Germain permanent.

Alongside sealing a reserve goalkeeper for next season in either Areola or Pope, it is believed Moyes also personally wants three more additions in a left-sided centre-back, central midfielder and forward.

The Verdict: Promising claim…

Moyes’ show of ambition for the next market could come as a promising bit of news for Irons supporters.

The aim from a West Ham perspective is to stay among the Premier League’s elite and continue their remarkable ascendancy against all odds.

To do that, however, new signings will need to come through the door at Rush Green for 2022/2023 – especially going by their current defensive crisis and serious lack of depth behind striker Michail Antonio.

In other news: £25.2m-rated forward could now be open to joining West Ham after failed Pellegrini bid, find out more here.

Crystal Palace’s promising start to the campaign had them dreaming of a first top-half finish since 2014/15 amid a new wave of hope and optimism under Patrick Vieira.

Victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City formed a run of just one defeat in eight Premier League matches, with a seven-game unbeaten run indicating their form was no flash in the pan.

However, an injury to key midfielder James McArthur threatened to derail all of their impressive progress before the capital club had even reaped the rewards of their improvement.

A chaotic 3-3 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley marked the first game of the 34-year-old’s absence before three consecutive defeats compounded their newfound struggles.

Luka Milivojevic and then Jeffrey Schlupp were initially selected as McArthur’s replacements by Vieira, but with neither player excelling in the Palace engine room, summer-signing Will Hughes was finally handed an opportunity to impress over the weekend.

Since signing from Watford over the summer, the £30,000-per-week beast had only received 10 minutes of first-team action prior to Sunday’s showing.

However, his outstanding 73-minute display at Selhurst Park illustrated how Hughes is already solving Vieira’s biggest conundrum since arriving at Palace; how to replace an injured McArthur.

The former England U21 international controlled the middle of the park alongside Conor Gallagher, constantly breaking up opposition attacks before kickstarting ones of his own.

“He helped us to play really well in our build-up from the back, and for somebody who started his last game seven months ago, he was unbelievable,” said Vieira on Hughes in his post-match interview.

And the French tactician wasn’t the only one impressed with the 26-year-old’s eye-catching performance in south London.

The Athletic’s Palace reporter Matt Woosnam tweeted his admiration for Hughes, writing: “Conor Gallagher once again stole the headlines yesterday, but Will Hughes was excellent on his full debut.”

With Gallagher bagging a brilliant double, it’s clear that the youngster was Palace’s match-winner against Everton, but Hughes’ underlying numbers also illustrate his vital importance.

As per SofaScore, he received a match rating of 7.4 out of 10, the second-highest total awarded to any player that featured.

Throughout his time on the pitch, Hughes achieved a passing accuracy of 93%, had 58 touches of the ball and created one big chance that led to his providing an assist.

But he was equally as impressive out of possession, making two tackles, winning eight duels and blocking one shot, highlighting his hugely effective display.

Winnable fixtures against the likes of Southampton, Watford and Norwich City lie ahead for Palace over the festive schedule, and Vieira will be hoping Hughes can replicate the level of performance he showed against Everton in the weeks to come. With McArthur still out, that’ll be vitally important.

And, in other news…Vieira must seal Palace swoop for “crazy” £10.8m-rated beast likened to “LeBron James” 

In recent days, Aston Villa have been linked with a transfer move for West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph, only for Hammers manager David Moyes to come out and say that they have no intention of letting him leave this month.

With that in mind, it seems as though this has not stopped the Midlands club in their search for another goalkeeper to add to their squad.

What’s the latest?

In a recent Twitter post from journalist Matteo Moretto, Villa have “in the last hours,” approached Paris Saint-Germain with an offer to sign goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who apparently wants to play regularly, on loan with an option to buy.

He said: “Sergio Rico’s priority is to play regularly and that is why he prioritizes signing for Mallorca. In the last hours Aston Villa appeared, who contacted PSG offering a loan with an option to buy, but the English team already has Martínez as the owner of the project.”

Given how PSG have the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas in their squad that has made a total of 20 Ligue 1 appearances between them this season, it’s easy to see why he would be willing to go elsewhere to get regular game time.

Gerrard would be delighted

Even though Villa have Emi Martinez in their squad who has played in all but one of their Premier League games so far this season, it’s safe to say that Rico would be closer to regular game time at the Midlands club rather than at Paris where a potential injury or ban for Martinez would presumably open the door for Rico to come in.

The 28-year-old originally joined the French club on a loan deal from Sevilla back in September 2019 before joining on a permanent basis a year later.

Overall, the Spaniard has only made 24 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side across all competitions, highlighting his lack of regular game time.

However, in those 24 appearances, Rico has managed to concede just 16 goals and keep 14 clean sheets in the process, showing his capabilities in goal and demonstrating why Villa have made a move to sign him.

With this in mind, if the Villans were able to secure a deal for Rico this month, it would surely delight Gerrard who is very much in need of finding a quality back-up with Jed Steer still currently playing second fiddle.

Therefore, to have an experienced and capable backup goalkeeper to Martinez, or one that could even compete with the Argentine for his place in the team would be incredibly pleasing for the Liverpudlian.

It would put an end to the club’s search for a shot-stopper so they can then focus on other potential areas in the squad they may feel the need to strengthen in.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops exciting AVFC update, Gerrard could soon break transfer records – opinion

Aston Villa will try to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer, according to Ryan Taylor of The Express.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans were quick to flock to the update on social media.

Villa were credited with an interest in Bissouma earlier this month and even reportedly had a £25m bid turned down.

It now seems as if Juventus’ Rodrigo Bentancur is the club’s main midfield target, but Bissouma is still on Johan Lange and Steven Gerrard’s radar.

According to Taylor, Villa are expected to go back in for Bissouma in the summer, when he could be into the final 12 months of his Seagulls contract. However, Brighton remain adamant he is not for sale at any price.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful relayed Taylor’s claim on Twitter on Wednesday evening. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one believing the summer window could be ‘absolutely mental’.

“We’re cooking”

Credit: @buendiazboyz

“I can’t see us getting Bissouma in the summer so many clubs will want him”

Credit: @Benavfctooth

“Dw we’re big time again now”

Credit: @youngprodigy08

“Our summer is gonna be absolutely mental”

Credit: @JayVtid

“Good we need Bissouma”

Credit: @mattdavis281

“110% have to”

Credit: @AvfcRegan

In other news: ‘Bottled it’ – Many Villa fans react to Fabrizio Romano transfer update. 

[ad_pod ]Liverpool’s first-choice left-back, captain of the Scotland national team and a Champions League finalist, but it hasn’t always been this easy for Andrew Robertson. Released by Celtic as a 15-year-old, the energetic full-back ended up at Queens Park, whereÂGardner Speirs, who now oversees the academy at the Tartan Army’s Hampton Park, was taken aback by a teenage Robertson.“We were due to go down to Largs on the Clyde coast to play a couple of matches inside four days but we didn’t have a left-back,†Speirs said. “Andrew was just finishing a season with the under-17s, so we took him and that’s how it happened.“Andy’s response was to say, ‘I’ll prove you wrong.’ He played in the first warm-up game at Largs and I don’t think he went out of the team again until he left us.”It is this attitude that has endeared him to the Liverpool supporters after some had written him off before his career on Merseyside had even begun.

Some of the Anfield faithful wanted a marquee name, but in truth, almost anyone would’ve been an upgrade on Alberto Moreno, so Robertson had a chance to make the left-back position his own.

But Robertson would’ve been somewhat of a hit even if he never set foot on the hallowed turf of Anfield, as a result of his selfless charity work and commitment to the community around him – that is an ethos that Liverpool hold dear to them, and one that Robertson does too.

“He might be from Glasgow originally, but everything about him screams Liverpool”, said Jurgen Klopp, and luckily for the German and those associated with the club who aren’t as interested about his work off the pitch, the Scottish international is one hell of a footballer to boot.

Robertson currently has eight assists in all competitions, more than any other defender in Europe, and that tiny initial £8m spent on him back in the summer of 2017 is looking like small change – it could even be argued that the 24-year-old is probably worth five times that figure now if not more.

His relentless play up and down that left flank is hard not to cheer on, even if you aren’t a Liverpool fan.

One foray up the left flank and over to the right wing saw Robertson mount a one-man press against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 4-3 win at Anfield last season, a moment which drew cheers similar to those heard after a goal and almost saw the Reds score, but for the referee’s intervention.

“I am still tired just looking at Robertson. He makes 100-metre sprints every minute, absolutely incredible, and these are qualities,”Âsaid Jose Mourinho after his Manchester United side were humbled by three goals to one earlier in the season – Mourinho didn’t get much right during his time with the Red Devils, but that statement is spot on.

The scary thing about Robertson is that he has time on his side, time that he doesn’t even need given just how phenomenal he is right now. If there is an improved version of the hungry Scot waiting for us in the future, opposition forwards might as well not bother.

Rangers face Brondby away from home in the Europa League tonight as they look to replicate their 2-0 win against them at Ibrox earlier this season.

The win against the Danish outfit is their only one in the group stage so far this term, following losses to both Lyon and Sparta Prague.

Steven Gerrard’s side are heading into this clash full of confidence after a superb 6-1 drubbing of Motherwell on Sunday in the Premiership.

How many changes will Gerrard make from that game? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Jon McLaughlin, John Lundstram and Kemar Roofe coming into the team.

Starting off between the sticks, McLaughlin could return to replace Allan McGregor after the veteran’s clanger at the weekend against Motherwell. He attempted to gather the ball from a low shot and inadvertently spilt it straight to Bevis Mugabi, who scored the opening goal in the game.

Not only did he make a mess of the initial shot to create the rebound, but he also allowed Mugabi to sneak the ball past him at the near post on the follow-up despite being back up and ready to make a save. This could cause Gerrard to axe him from the XI in favour of McLaughlin, in an attempt to avoid any major errors against Brondby.

In midfield, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara may keep their spots in the side, despite a slight injury doubt for the latter. Next to them, however, summer signing Lundstram could replace Scott Arfield, who struggled in spite of Rangers’ impressive display against Motherwell. Per SofaScore, he lost seven of his eight individual duels on the pitch and failed to create a single chance, showing that he was not at his best defensively or offensively for the Gers.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Joe Aribo on the right of the front three. We published an article explaining why the Nigerian international needs to be dropped to the bench for this match, as he has played too much football this season and could be suffering from burnout. Therefore, Roofe – who scored off the bench against Motherwell – could replace the £14k-per-week gem.

AND in other news, Kent 2.0: Gerrard could unearth new wing wizard in “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers flyer…

Celtic had a rather enjoyable afternoon back in Premiership action today following their Old Firm victory last weekend.

This time, Ange Postecoglou’s side secured a tantalising 7-0 victory over St Johnstone at Parkhead courtesy of six different goalscorers.

Three first-half strikes from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda gave the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead at the midway point. A penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada gave Postecoglou and the home fans a lot to savour as they take another step closer to the title.On a day when many Hoops players had a lot to smile about, one player in particular lit up Parkhead and stole the show.Having opened the scoring for his team, Reo Hatate had 60 touches of the ball before being replaced by fellow midfielder David Turnbull in the 55th minute. Out of the 47 passes he attempted, 43 found their intended target, including all three of the long balls he attempted.He also had three shots on target in total and won the penalty that Juranovic put away in the second half, in addition to completing both of his dribbles, showing how tricky he was to play against. That was in stark contrast with his fellow countryman Maeda, who failed to complete any of his three dribble attempts.The 24-year-old also did his bit defensively by winning three of his four duels, showing how useful he was in and out of possession for his team.This performance ultimately earned the midfield gem an overall match rating of 8/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-second highest rated Celtic player to start the game.Labelled an “outrageous” player by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, Hatate has shown once again today why Postecoglou chose to bring the Japanese maestro to Parkhead in the January transfer window.If the Australian coach can keep getting Hatate and the rest of the Celtic players to deliver performances like this throughout the remainder of the season, they should be a shoo-in to secure the Premiership title.In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

Since Steven Gerrard was appointed as Aston Villa’s manager back in mid-November, the former midfielder has used a total of 24 players at the Midlands club so far.

One of those 24 players is midfielder Morgan Sanson, who, alongside Ashley Young, has made six appearances for Villa under the Liverpudlian, all of them coming in the Premier League.

The Frenchman has started two of the six league games he’s played in so far this season under Gerrard, the first of which came in their 3-1 defeat against Chelsea followed by their recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United.

Even though the 27-year-old has only made 16 appearances for the Villans since arriving from French club Marseille back in the 2021 January transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £16m, his future at Villa Park should be starting to come into consideration based on what he’s managed to deliver for the club.

His performances in the Premier League so far this season have earned the midfielder an overall rating of 6.34/10, currently making him the lowest-rated player in Villa’s squad at the moment that has started more than one league game according to WhoScored, suggesting that he has let Gerrard down when given the chance to show what he can do.

In the game against the Red Devils at the weekend, not only did Sanson give the foul away that led to the free-kick that Bruno Fernandes scored his first goal of the game from but the French maestro also gave the ball away in the second half that led to United’s second goal. All of that culminated in him reacting badly when he was substituted off, which he had to apologise for on social media afterwards.

In addition to his underwhelming performances, Sanson has struggled with injury issues since he made the move to the Midlands club, which former Villa manager Dean Smith described as “frustrating,” which shows that he hasn’t been a particularly reliable player for the team.

Moving forward, if Sanson doesn’t start delivering for Villa on the pitch until the end of the season, then Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris must seriously consider cutting their losses with the player in the next summer transfer window to see if they can reclaim any of the money they paid for him.

Also, with young Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka apparently not happy with his playing time at the club, potentially axing Sanson, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £59k-per-week according to Salary Sport, from the team could give him a clear path to regular game time to see if he would be a better option than the struggling Frenchman.

In other news: Lange could secure another AVFC transfer masterclass as claim emerges on £9m-rated ace – opinion

With the first game of Eddie Howe’s reign in charge of Newcastle United just a couple of hours away as they take on Brentford at St James’ Park, all eyes will be on who he selects in his starting XI as he aims to get the Tyneside club out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Taking this into account, one player who should be in the starting XI on this occasion is Joe Willock.

Time to let Willock loose

After making two substitute appearances in Newcastle’s league games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea last month, the 22-year-old spent the entirety of the 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion watching from the bench.

Now that Howe has taken over at the club, this could be Willock’s opportunity to prove to the new Toon boss that he has what it takes to be a crucial figure in Newcastle’s midfield moving forward. However, the 43-year-old won’t be involved today due to a positive virus test, with Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones calling the shots this afternoon.

After originally joining the club on a loan deal last winter from fellow Premier League side Arsenal, he took Newcastle by storm by scoring eight goals in 14 league appearances.

The Magpies then secured Willock, who has been praised in the past by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for the “special” qualities in his game, on a permanent move from the north London club on a six-year deal worth a reported fee in excess of £20m.

Although Willock, who is currently earning £80k-per-week according to Salary Sport, may not have started this season in the same goalscoring form (zero goals in 10 appearances) with which he ended 2020/21, he has still shown how capable an option he can be for the team by racking up an accurate passing average of 84% and an average of 2.8 tackles per game with 53% duels won.

With this in mind, today’s match against an off-form Brentford could be a great opportunity for Willock to get his season back on track after committing his future to the Toon, and potentially saving them from relegation if he can find his same goalscoring form from last season in the process.

In other news: Offer on the table: PIF working to land NUFC deal for beast which will leave fans buzzing…