Chelsea take on Malmo in the Europa League tonight in a game that has grown massively in importance.

Following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, there are now doubts among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy to whether Maurizio Sarri can guide the Blues to a fourth-place finish with failing to do so likely to cost the Italian his job (via Telegraph).

The Breakdown

The Telegraph again reports that the Europa League may now be the only thing that can save Sarri from getting the sack with the winner of the tournament guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League.

With the likes of Arsenal, Napoli and Inter Milan still in the competition, though, at this stage, even that looks impossible for the Blues based on recent performances.

Still, should Sarri manage to lead his side to Europa League glory and secure Champions League football, it could end up changing the west London outfit forever.

The main factor behind Sarri’s appointment was the club’s desire to move away from a pragmatic style of football to a more adventurous one, something which the 60-year-old delivered at the San Paolo after replacing Rafael Benitez as Napoli manager.

But if Sarri is relieved of his duties at the end of the season, there is a good chance that Chelsea hire another Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte style coach and revert back to playing the football they were trying to move away from after watching their original plans completely backfire.

Should Sarri, however, win the Europa League and thus achieve Champions League qualification which should be enough to save his job, then he could end up laying down the groundworks for a more positive style of football to be played at Stamford Bridge for years to come.

Portsmouth’s record in the league since the turn of the year has been quite frankly embarrassing and things need to be addressed as quickly as possible.

Having performed so well in the first half of the season, it’s amazing to see how downhill Portsmouth have gone but yet still remain in contention for promotion into the Championship.

As they currently sit third in League One, the automatic spaces are still viable but if that fails, their spot within the play-off places will still likely be in-tact.

It’s not as if crucial players were sold in January either. Portsmouth managed to retain all their stars, only for their performance levels to drop significantly since the turn of the year.

Whether they get promoted or not, Pompey need to make some drastic changes to their squad and the first step could be to lure Everton’s Beni Baningime to Fratton Park.

Baningime, (who is valued at £2.2 million on Transfermarkt) has recently joined Wigan on-loan as he bids to lend a hand to a team trying to save themselves from relegation.

Having made eight Premier League appearances, the 20-year-old may have had aspirations of kicking-on with the first team this season but Marco Silva wasn’t having any of it.

The midfielder hadn’t featured for the first-team, hence the move to Championship side Wigan to get some much-needed game-time.

As an academy product, hope still remains high that Beni Baningime can be a hit in the Premier League and a move to Portsmouth could see the central-midfielder realise his potential and perform to the best of his ability.

The two could form a good relationship and Portsmouth would certainly benefit from adding another quality midfielder to their ranks.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Swansea fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that they would be facing Manchester City at the Liberty Stadium in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The Swans managed to beat Brentford by four goals to one in the fifth round to secure their place in the last eight, although they will perhaps have been hoping for an easier opponent than the Citizens.

Just one game stands between Graham Potter leading his side out at Wembley, although every single Swansea player will have to bring their A-game if they are to overcome the reigning Premier League champions.

This is the first time that the pair have been put up against each other in the FA Cup, and is also the first meeting between the two since Swansea were relegated last season.

Let’s see how Swansea supporters on Twitter reacted after being given arguably the hardest draw out of any team left in the competition…

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Southampton’s excellent performances of late finally translated into a result as they came back from one down to win 2-1 against Spurs at the weekend, with James Ward-Prowse netting for a third consecutive game to ensure all three points remained on the south coast.

The 24-year-old’s stellar showing – and free-kick – earned him a spot in Garth Crooks’ team of the week, with the BBC Sport pundit making a bold claim that his recent performances should make him at least a possibility for Gareth Southgate’s England squad:

“It’s about time England manager Gareth Southgate introduced James Ward-Prowse into the England squad to add to the single cap he won in 2017.

“His performances against Tottenham and Manchester United in recent weeks are proof enough that the lad is ready.

“His work rate is phenomenal and his ability to take free-kicks is a tremendous asset”

Indeed, the Saints academy graduate has been in fantastic form in recent weeks and if the St Mary’s Stadium outfit evade the drop, he will have surely have been instrumental.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Ward-Prowse’s skill-set is unique and perhaps one that the Three Lions don’t yet have – sure, Kieran Trippier can take a free-kick and Jordan Henderson’s engine will ensure he always has a place in Southgate’s considerations, but Ward-Prowse offers both and more in one package.

Whether or not the number 16 would fit into the 3-4-1-2 that Southgate found success with in the summer or not is unclear but he would certainly add a different dimension to the team. Crooks may be spot on with this assessment.

تحدث هيكتور بيليرين مدافع آرسنال، عن هزيمة فريقه أمام ليفربول بثلاثية في الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال بيليرين لشبكة “سكاي سبورتس”: “أعتقد أنه مع الفرص التي كنا نصنعها شعرت أن لدينا فرصة في التعادل أو الفوز بالمباراة”.

وأضاف: “عندما تأتي إلى ليفربول على أرضه عليك أن تسجل فرصك وألا ترتكب الأخطاء مثل التي ارتكبناها”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أرتيتا: لا يمكن الضغط على ليفربول في وجود فان دايك ومحمد صلاح

وأكد الإسباني: “ارتكبنا أخطاء في الأهداف التي دخلت مرمانا، وفرصنا لم تدخل شباكهم”.

وأتم: “كنا أكثر فاعلية في المباريات الأخرى التي لعبناها ضدهم، قدمنا معركة جيدة لكننا محبطون، ونتحسن كل يوم”.

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West Ham fans are urging Manuel Pellegrini to do the unthinkable after Saturday’s match, hoping the boss will keep Fabian Balbuena out of the team even once the Paraguayan international is fully fit.

West Ham continued their impressive run of form in Saturday’s late kick-off, beating a red-hot Newcastle side 2-0 without any real difficulty at the London Stadium.

The Magpies travelled to east London with four wins from their last six league games, but Declan Rice opened the scoring with a thumping header from a Robert Snodgrass corner.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Mark Noble then doubled the lead from the spot after Florian Lejeune clumsily brought down Javier Hernandez, but it was the Hammers’ defensive duo that were the stars of the show.

Ogbonna, starting once again alongside Issa Diop in Balbuena’s absence, took loads of criticism earlier this season, but has consistently performed well since that horror show against Wolves.

He was dominant against the physical threat of Salomon Rondon, recording four tackles, three interceptions, three clearances, two blocks and also winning four aerial duels, per Whoscored.

Fans now want Pellegrini to keep Balbuena out of the team even once he is fully fit, something that would have been truly unthinkable just a few weeks ago, given how well Balbuena performed before his injury.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Leeds were out of action last weekend with wins for Sheffield United and Norwich City seeing them slump down to third in the Championship table, but the flow of news and reaction surrounding the Yorkshire club remains consistent as always. Here’s a quick rundown of the biggest Leeds stories from the last few days…

Roofe injury blow

The biggest and most piece of significant news doing the rounds right now – Leeds United confirmed on Monday that star striker Kemar Roofe will face ‘a period on the sidelines’ after suffering damage to his knee ligaments in the recent win over Swansea City. Whites fans were fretting over the front-man’s fitness before the injury was confirmed by the club, so one can only imagine what state they’re in right now. As their top scorer in the Championship this season, his absence is inevitably a massive blow to Leeds’ title hopes after dropping down to third – especially with games against fellow promotion hopefuls West Brom and Sheffield United on the horizon.

Odour pens new deal

Exciting young talent has been a recurring theme of Marcelo Bielsa’s time at the club and there appears to be another one in the pipeline at Elland Road in the form of Clarke Odour. The Yorkshire outfit confirmed on Sunday that the winger had penned a new deal and although it is due to expire at the end of next season, Leeds have the option of extending it by a further year. Of course, Odour isn’t quite making waves at first-team level in the same way as Jack Clarke, but Leeds fans on Twitter were very pleased to hear he’d agreed new terms.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Leeds fans impressed by Daniel James display

This transfer saga just won’t go away after Leeds came so close to signing Daniel James in January. With his contract winding down and Swansea’s interest in keeping their top players bemusingly limited, there’s a collective feeling James will end up at Elland Road in the summer – perhaps, by that point, to take on the challenge of Premier League football. Inevitably, Leeds fans have taken a vested interest in his performances since Deadline Day and were in awe of his FA Cup performance against Brentford on Sunday, charging from his own box to theirs before blasting past the goalkeeper. Whites supporters took to Twitter after the performance to lavish praise to the youngster’s stunning display – click here for full coverage of their reactions.

أكد جورجينو فينالدوم لاعب وسط ليفربول الإنجليزي، على أن فريقه يسعى دائمًا للتطور وتقديم أفضل ما لديه للحفاظ على المستوى الذي وصل له خلال الموسمين الماضيين.

ليفربول بدأ الدوري الإنجليزي بطريقة رائعة، بعدما حصل على الـ9 نقاط في أول 3 جولات، العلامة الكاملة.

طالع أيضًا.. تريزيجيه عن مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا: يوم مميز في مصر.. وسأتحدث مع صلاح

وقال الهولندي للموقع الرسمي لـ ليفربول: “نحن مجموعة معًا لفترة طويلة، الجميع يعرف بعضهم البعض، وهذا في الأساس يقودنا للفوز بكل شيء”.

وأضاف: “الشيء الوحيد الذي فعلناه أننا أصبحنا أبطالًا، لذلك أنت تريد تقديم المزيد والفوز بالألقاب مرة أخرى، وربما يكون الوضع الآن أكثر صعوبة”.

وأكمل: “نوعية كرة القدم التي نلعبها جيدة للغاية، الظروف تجعلنا نتعامل مع جميع الأمور الصعبة، والمواقف التي نمر بها، ونحاول تقديم أفضل ما لدينا”.

وعن مواجهة أستون فيلا مساء غدًا الأحد: “آمل أن نتمكن من فعل نفس الشيء في مباراة أستون فيلا، قبل الذهاب للمشاركة مع المنتخب الوطني”.

ليفربول تواجد في المجموعة الرابعة بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا مع أياكس الهولندي وأتلانتا الإيطالي، وميتلاند الدنماركي.

وعلق فينالدوم: “متحمس لمواجهة أياكس، لأنه فريق هولندي وأنا أعرفه جيدًا، وأعرف عددا من اللاعبين هناك، وألعب معهم في المنتخب الوطني، ومن الجيد للغاية اللعب ضدهم”.

وواصل: “فريق أياكس يستحق الاحترام، مع كرة القدم الرائعة التي يلعبونها، يستحقون احترامنا وسنظهر لهم احترامنا من خلال منحنا 100% أمامهم وجميع الفرق الأخرى”.

واختتم: “هذا ما يستحقونه تمامًا، كما قلت، لما قدموه في العامين السابقين، وخلال الفترة القليلة الماضية أيضًا”.

Brendan Rodgers was announced as Leicester City manager on Tuesday, and the fact he’s left treble-chasing Celtic goes some way to prove the Scottish top division is a ‘pub league’.

The news came as a shock to most, particularly as it was expected the Scotsman would stay at Celtic Park until the end of the season to try and win his third straight SPL title. Instead, he’s decided to jump ship and climb aboard a mid-table Premier League side with no chance of silverware this season. It seems strange, but that highlights the attraction of England’s top flight.

Yes, Leicester won the title in 2015/16, but the chances of doing something similar again is almost impossible, so he’s not here to win lots of trophies. It’s clear he wants to become one of the best managers in the world and be back at a club like Liverpool where he nearly won the title in 2013/14.

He surely sees this move as a step up from the SPL and as a rung higher on the ladder to returning to one of Europe’s great clubs. After all, it was his impressive stint at Swansea City that brought him to Anfield in the first place. He was sacked in the 2014/15 season and strangely Premier League clubs avoided him like the plague, so he headed to Scotland.

The SPL may indeed be the victim of its own perception, because there are some great games being played across the division, but if big clubs don’t see it being good enough for someone to prove themselves capable of managing or playing for them, it’s irrelevant. The ‘it’s only Scotland’ put-down is clearly something top Premier League sides believe in.

Celtics fans may not agree leaving their club would be a step in the right direction but it’s clear to everyone else that it’s the only way Rodgers can make his way back to where he’s capable of managing – at the top.

How do you think Brendan Rodgers will fare as Leicester manager?

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Spurs host Arsenal on Saturday where they will be hoping to make a big improvement on performance standards having lost to both Burnley and Chelsea in their last two games, but it seems they may have to take on their bitter rivals without Jan Vertonghen and Harry Winks.

The pair have been two of Spurs’ most consistent players this season but both are doubts for the north London derby due to injuries and will be assessed ahead of the 12:30pm kick-off.

Winks has been the Lilywhites’ breakout star of the 18/19 season and the 23-year-old has filled the void left by Moussa Dembele capably, while Vertonghen has been typically solid at the heart of defence or at left-wing-back – see his man of the match performance versus Dortmund.

Who have been the biggest title race bottlers? Liverpool? Spurs? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

The duo may join Dele Alli (late stages of rehab) and Eric Dier (rebuilding fitness after illness) on the sidelines and Spurs fans on Twitter were, once again, cursing their luck ahead of the highly-anticipated clash…