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Liverpool take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night desperate to get back to winning ways in the Premier League

The Reds have endured a horrendous domestic run in recent weeks, losing six out of their last seven league matches.

However, they were able to regain some confidence after overcoming RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League.

Will Klopp be tempted to make any changes to his side for the trip to Molineux? Here’s the line-up we think he’ll select.

There could be as many as two changes from the German as he only slightly rotates in the Midlands.

The former Borussia Dortmund man appears to have settled on a regular back-line at Anfield due to the club’s lengthy injury list.

This means that Alisson is likely to be shielded by Andrew Robertson, Ozan Kabak, Nathaniel Phillips and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Meanwhile, changes could occur in midfield. Fabinho will remain in the starting line-up and in his preferred role just in front of the defence. £43.3m-rated Thiago Alcantara started on the bench against Fulham and was also withdrawn against Leipzig so might well be replaced by Curtis Jones.

Elsewhere, the ever-reliable Georginio Wijnaldum has not been out of a Premier League starting line-up since October and also started in the Champions League so could be deserving of a rest against Wolves, so Naby Keita starts in his place.

Liverpool’s attack should stay relatively constant, with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane starting after their goals in Europe. They will be supported by Diogo Jota who continues to deputise in the absence of Roberto Firmino.

AND in more news, take a look at why Liverpool need to prioritise Europe instead of the Premier League this season…

Newcastle medics fear that the after-effects of Covid-19 have hampered Federico Fernandez’s recovery from injury.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, who offered an update on the Argentine on Tuesday afternoon.

Fernandez was a regular for Newcastle during the first half of the season, his only absence down to a positive coronavirus test back in December.

He then strained his thigh muscle, keeping him out from the middle of January until the beginning of March.

Fernandez setback gives Bruce headache

The 32-year-old returned to the bench for the goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion and remained among the substitutes for the Aston Villa and Brighton matches.

But there was no sign of him in the matchday squad last Sunday as Newcastle faced Spurs. He’s clearly struggling to build-up to full match fitness.

His return can’t come soon enough for the Magpies. Steve Bruce was forced to select Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett, two full-backs by trade, either side of Jamaal Lascelles in a back three at the weekend.

Krafth in particular found it a real struggle – Lee Ryder rated his performance a mere four out of ten, with Waugh commenting on The Athletic that Fernandez has been “huge miss”.

Transfer Tavern verdict

If Newcastle feel they can’t rely on Fernandez, it raises real doubts about his future. His contract is up in the summer, and at 32 a renewal seems unlikely if these problems persist.

It’s clear that we don’t yet fully understand the toll the pandemic is taking on certain players, and fans will be hoping the former Swansea man is back at full fitness as soon as possible.

In other news, Noel Whelan made this claim about a possible Steve Bruce replacement.

Fran Kirby pulled out of England's starting line-up on Friday ahead of their clash with Austria, causing injury concern for the Lionesses and Chelsea.

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• Kirby pulls out of England line-up
• Left warm-up early ahead of Austria game
• Replaced in the XI by Toone

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Kirby left the warm-up early ahead of the friendly in Spain and was seen in discussion with the England physio before being replaced in the Lionesses' XI by Manchester United star Ella Toone.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kirby is one of England's most talented players but has sadly been hampered by setbacks in recent times. It was only last summer when the Chelsea playmaker was forced to miss the World Cup as a result of a knee problem that had already ended her club season early. Both the Blues and the Lionesses will hope this problem is nowhere near as serious.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kirby became Chelsea's all-time top goal-scorer on the women's side in late 2020 and has now scored over 100 goals for the club. The only other player to hit a century for the Blues is Sam Kerr.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KIRBY AND ENGLAND?

  More news on the extent of Kirby's issue and whether or not she'll be able to feature in Tuesday's friendly against Italy will be known in the coming days, as the England staff assess the talented playmaker.

Erling Haaland equalled a Premier League feat set by Harry Kane after he scored the crucial goal in Manchester City's 1-0 victory over Brentford.

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• Haaland scored winner against Brentford
• Norwegian has now netted against every PL team he's faced
• City climb to second in table

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Despite a resilient performance by Brentford, Haaland's composed finish in the 71st minute secured the win for City, reigniting their pursuit of a third-straight Premier League title. With this goal, Haaland joins Kane (32/32) as the only players to have scored against every team they faced in the Premier League. However, the Norwegian achieved this feat in just his second season in England, which speaks volumes about his goal scoring prowess and the impact he has had on the English top-flight since he moved from Borussia Dortmund.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kristoffer Ajer had an unfortunate slip which provided Haaland with a clear path to goal. The 23-year-old kept his composure to score past Mark Flekken, who had come off of his line, to register his 22nd goal of the season.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  City had taken 17 shots on goal in the first half, but only five of them were on target. However, they were more clinical in the second half and kept six more inside the frame of the goal out of eight attempts.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The victory sees City leapfrog Arsenal into second place and close the gap to one point behind league leaders Liverpool. Looking ahead, City will aim to continue their winning streak as they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, while Brentford will seek to bounce back against West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Lee Johnson is doing marvellous things with this Sunderland side. He has taken them to fourth in the League One table and is extracting the very best from the Mackems’ front line.

Aiden McGeady has recorded ten assists in just 16 outings for Johnson while Charlie Wyke has become the second top scorer in the entire division, although injuries are still wreaking havoc with the team.

On the chalkboard

Every week seems to spring more bad news for Johnson in the injury department. Last weekend the casualty happened to be Grant Leadbitter. The experienced midfielder was introduced as a substitute in the draw with Crewe but hobbled off within a matter of minutes.

The stretcher was brought out for Leadbitter, who went down in enormous pain. The positive was that he eventually walked off the field of play but he had still sustained a dislocated shoulder, the second such injury of this variety after Luke O’Nien’s dislocation a few months ago.

He is now set for a number of weeks on the sidelines, which could open up other opportunities for players to step up and take on the mantle in the middle of the park.

The solution

Josh Scowen has started two successive games in the middle now, but with games coming up thick and fast, Johnson will have to use the very depths of his squad to get Sunderland over the line and promoted.

O’Nien has been playing as a makeshift centre-half with further injuries to Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan and Jordan Willis.

As a result, he won’t be able to offer a solution in midfield. Instead, the manager should turn to Carl Winchester, someone that started against Swindon last time out.

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The midfielder signed in January from Forest Green Rovers but has been used sparingly since. Winchester has only started three matches and is yet to really see his career take off at the Stadium of Light.

That being said, he’s a player that Johnson and indeed managers throughout the EFL rate incredibly highly. The Black Cats boss took charge of the 27-year-old during his days at Oldham, where he waxed lyrical about his qualities.

“He’s been superb,” Johnson began. “He’s had a really good pre-season and I think he’s been Championship-class at least since the start of the season,” he concluded.

That was a number of years ago but the sentiment has remained. Mark Cooper commented last year: “He’s a top, top player and should be playing at a much higher level. He’s at least a seven and a half out of ten each week.

“He’s a Championship player and if I was a Championship manager, he’d be one of the first players I would take.”

Like Leadbitter, Winchester possesses the ability to gently keep things ticking over. His passing success rate is north of 85% while he’s strong in the tackle, producing two successful challenges per game for Forest Green this season.

With Sunderland’s options consistently dwindling, Johnson could do far worse than turning to the midfielder this weekend. He simply has to be unleashed in the starting XI during the run-in.

AND in other news, Move over Wyke: Sunderland should swoop for 57-cap gem who Moyes dubbed a “predator”…

Shields Gazette journalist Liam Kennedy has predicted that Newcastle United will loan out Matty Longstaff next season, while colleague Jordan Cronin admits he ‘just can’t see’ the midfielder having a future under Steve Bruce.

The lowdown

The younger Longstaff brother was limited to just 377 Premier League minutes across five outings in 2020/21. His final league appearance of the season came on 18 January in the 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal.

The 21-year-old, who is valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, is about to enter the last year of his contract at St James’ Park.

The latest

In a fan Q&A for the Shields Gazette, Kennedy stressed about Longstaff’s future: “This is a tough one. If I had to predict, I’d say a loan deal for next season and a possible short contract extension. But it really is impossible to know.”

However, Cronin thinks it will be bad news for the 21-year-old if Joe Willock joins permanently or a similar player is recruited. His prospects are said to be looking somewhat bleak while Bruce is in charge and he added that “things seem very complicated” after his minimal involvement in 2020/21.

The verdict

It was worrying to see Longstaff feature so little in recent months. He actually played fewer games than he did in 2019/20 when he first broke into the side.

Bruce seems to rate Jonjo Shelvey more highly despite his underwhelming performances and strong fan criticism, and so you certainly couldn’t blame Longstaff for seeking a way out.

As Cronin has said, a return to Tyneside for Willock would probably keep the 21-year-old well down the pecking order at St James’ Park, which may lead to Kennedy’s prediction of a possible loan move being fulfilled.

In other news, Mark Douglas has offered the latest on another midfielder who struggled to get a look-in. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Frank Lampard should not turn down the opportunity to manage in the Hawthorns dugout if it comes knocking.

Lampard has been out of work since his sacking from Chelsea back in January and is one name said to be currently in the running for the West Brom job.

According to Sky Sports, along with Chris Wilder, the 42-year-old tops the Baggies’ list of potential replacements for Sam Allardyce.

Having now managed in both the Premier League and Champions League, however, a return to the Championship may be seen as a step backwards in his managerial career.

For Palmer, though, Lampard should not be too picky when it comes to choosing his next gig, while the ex-West Brom player feels the Baggies vacancy is a good one anyway.

“Sometimes, you can’t be picky,” Palmer said. “You have to take your job, prove your worth.

“For Frank, it’s a question whether he waits to see if he can get another Premier League job, but it’s going to be difficult for him to walk into a top Premier League job. So the West Brom job is as good as any to get him back up and running.”

After coming so close to winning promotion with Derby County back in 2019, Lampard may feel he has unfinished business in the Championship, a point to prove perhaps.

So, as far as challenges go, the West Brom job does not sound like a bad idea, especially for a manager who is still very young.

Speaking to TMW Radio (via Inside Futbol), former player turned agent Massimo Brambati has lifted the lid on Tottenham Hotspur and their contact with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

The Lowdown: The Italian Job…

Since Jose Mourinho was handed his marching orders last month, Tottenham have been linked with a host of Italian managers. This includes the likes of Gasperini, Maurizio Sarri, Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and Simone Inzaghi (football.london), who all have ample experience of managing in Serie A.

Indeed, as per reports, Spurs have been looking toward Italy for their possible next manager, but these claims are dismissed by sources closer to home (football.london).

The Latest: Agent lifts lid on Gasperini contact with Spurs

Speaking in an interview with TMW Radio, Brambati has insisted that contact has been made by Spurs for Gasperini despite the manager denying it himself recently.

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Brambati even says that Premier League manager Carlo Ancelotti has advised the 63-year-old to go to London.

“Tottenham and Monaco contacted him,” the agent explained (via Inside Futbol).

“At Atalanta he found the ideal environment, but going to London might be worth more. I know that he has been in touch with Ancelotti, who has advised him to go there, his football would be praised.

“For what he did at Atalanta, it is strange to me that he still has not had the chance to make the big leap.”

The Verdict: Appointment very unlikely…

As explained by Gasperini himself (football.london), the 63-year-old is happy at current club Atalanta – and it’s obvious to see why given the fine job he has done there since being appointed in 2016.

Under his reign, La Dea have qualified for the Champions League in the last two seasons, reaching the quarter-finals last year, and are on course to do so yet again this time around.

Indeed, Atalanta have established themselves as one of the top clubs in Serie A, with journalist Ian McGarry pointing out his ‘hyper-offensive’ footballing philosophy at the Gewiss Stadium (Transfer Window Podcast). They are the highest-scoring team in Serie A this season with 86 goals, having struck 98 in the division last term.

However, due to Gasperini’s public stance, Tottenham may have to look elsewhere for a new manager.

In other news: Tottenham exit talks for 66-cap ace emerge, find out more here.

Charlton Athletic midfielder Alex Gilbey endured a disappointing evening on Tuesday, despite the Addicks’ crucial League One victory.

Knowing that nothing short of victory against Lincoln City would have ended Charlton’s hopes of securing a top-six finish come the end of the season, Nigel Adkins’ side turned in a highly impressive display in a 3-1 win against the Imps, with goals from Jayden Stockley, Ryan Inniss and Chuks Aneke ensuring that the southeast London side remain in with a shout of clinching a play-off spot on Saturday.

The win means that the Addicks are now just one point behind Portsmouth in sixth place and level on points with Oxford United in seventh, meaning that Charlton will have to better Pompey’s result against Accrington Stanley, as well as Oxford’s against Burton Albion, when Adkins’ side face table-toppers Hull City in order to seal their place in the League One play-offs.

However, one player who will undoubtedly be hoping for a better performance on Saturday in comparison to Tuesday will be Alex Gilbey, as, despite his side’s victory, the 26-year-old turned in a disappointing display, with his SofaScore match rating of 6.3 ranking him as the club’s worst player on the night.

This lowly ranking is likely to be down to a number of factors, including his sloppy passing – completing just 20 of his 30 attempted passes, with his 67% accuracy rate ranking him as Addicks’ joint second-worst passer in the fixture – his six fouls – double the number of fouls conceded by the next highest Charlton player – and the fact that he lost possession of the ball on 15 separate occasions.

Charlton may have got the win they needed, but Gilbey’s individul performance let his manager down and he’ll need to be much better next week.

As such, with so much at stake in the game against Hull on Saturday, the £5,500-per-week man will certainly have to up his game if the Addicks are to have any chance of securing a result against the Tigers. If he doesn’t, the midfielder could well cost his side a shot at promotion.

Many Rangers fans have been left to slam the display of Jack Simpson despite their 3-0 win at Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

A penalty from James Tavernier as well as further strikes from Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi maintained the Ibrox faithful’s unbeaten run in the league with just one more game left to play.

While there were some solid performances on the night, Simpson seemed to struggle at the back, picking up a very early yellow card in the 23rd minute.

The former AFC Bournemouth man lost out on three of his duels and also failed to block any shots or make a single interception or tackle in the match, all while losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 18 separate occasions, the second-most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Rangers fans on Simpson display

These Gers slammed his performance on Twitter, with one RFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the 24-year-old is ‘garbage’:

“Jack Simpson’s garbage”

Credit: @fraserrlawrie

“Have to say, Jack Simpson has a long way to go to convince me he’s good enough for our team.”

Credit: @KCS45764876

“It’s early days and I get that but I tend to go on my gut and my gut feeling on Jack Simpson is nah.”

Credit: @kirsten93_

“Really struggling to see Jack Simpson as Rangers standard”

Credit: @PlayGrum

“I fear Jack Simpson isn’t good enough to play for RFC.”

Credit: @knocks_john

“Jack Simpson again, not covering himself in glory so far in a Rangers shirt”

Credit: @grantmckay7

In other news, find out what Steven Gerrard update has left Gers buzzing here!