Premier League
Bullet point previews of Premier League matches
Match-by-match facts and statistics ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures from Nov. 25-27 (all times GMT):
Saturday, Nov. 25
Manchester City v Liverpool (1230)
* Liverpool are one of the only two clubs City striker Erling Haaland has not scored against in the top flight.
* City’s Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez and Mateo Kovacic will likely remain on the sidelines due to injuries. Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson and Norway’s Haaland, who missed games on international duty, are expected to feature in the top-of-the-table clash.
* Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has netted seven times in 12 league appearances against City, who have won their last 23 home games across all competitions.
Sheffield United v Bournemouth (1500)
* Sheffield United have been in poor form at home, losing four, winning one and drawing one. The promoted side sit 18th after collecting five points from 12 matches.
* Dominic Solanke scored a double to help Bournemouth move out of the bottom three with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. They are 16th in the standings.
* Sheffield United and Bournemouth are among the three teams who have conceded the most goals, with Paul Heckingbottom’s team top of the list with 31 and Andoni Iraola’s third on 27.
Newcastle United v Chelsea (1500)
* Chelsea will look to carry on their momentum after victories over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and drawing with City when they take on seventh-placed Newcastle, who lost their last two games in all competitions.
* Callum Wilson, Newcastle’s leading scorer for the past three seasons, joined a long list of injuries at St James’ Park. Harvey Barnes, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson and Matt Targett were already on the sidelines.
* Chelsea, 10th, received a boost with the return of captain Reece James, while Frenchman Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia edge closer to making their debuts for the Stamford Bridge side following injury setbacks.
Luton Town v Crystal Palace (1500)
* Luton, 17th, are on a six-match winless streak, with their last victory coming against Everton.
* Mads Andersen, Dan Potts, Reece Burke and Albert Lokonga are among those injured at Kenilworth Road.
* Palace are sweating on the fitness of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, James Tomkins and Dean Henderson. They are 13th in the standings.
Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove Albion (1500)
* Brighton could see Kaoru Mitoma miss out through injury after the winger withdrew from Japan’s squad. The South Coast side were already without captain Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck, Julio Enciso, Solly March, James Milner.
* Taiwo Awoniyi is Forest’s top scorer with four goals.
* Eighth-placed Brighton are winless in five league matches, their longest such run since Roberto De Zerbi’s first five games in charge in October last year.
Burnley v West Ham United (1500)
* Promoted Burnley have scored the least goals (nine) in the league this season.
* West Ham’s Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus suffered injuries during the international break. Bowen is the league’s third-highest scorer this season.
* Midfielder James Ward-Prowse could again be the key for West Ham, having provided five assists this season.
Brentford v Arsenal (1730)
* This will be Mikel Arteta’s 200th match in charge of Arsenal in all competitions (W115, D34, L50).
* Brentford are winless in their last three games against Arsenal (D1 L2).
* Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira will miss the game after picking up a straight red card in their 3-1 win over Burnley.
Sunday, Nov. 26
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa (1400)
* Spurs started the season with eight wins from 10 matches but have dropped to fourth after defeats by Chelsea and Wolves.
* Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have picked up long-term injuries, while Richarlison underwent groin surgery that will rule him out of action for a few weeks.
* Villa will hope to take their fine home form to Spurs. Villa have opened a season in the top division with six successive home wins for the first time since 1932-33.
Everton v Manchester United (1630)
* Everton became the first Premier League club to be deducted points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules last week, when the league docked the Merseyside club 10 points. They dropped to second-from-bottom from 14th.
* Keeper Andre Onana and Denmark duo Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund have added to United’s injury problems over the international break, with Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Casemiro among long-term absentees.
* United have lost nine of their opening 17 matches of a season in all competitions for the first time since 1973-74, when they were relegated.
Monday, Nov. 27
Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers (2000)
* Fulham have only picked up one point in their last four league matches.
* Wolves are unbeaten in their last six games against Fulham.
* Fifteenth-placed Fulham and Wolves, 12th, are separated by just three points.
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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