TouchlineFootball

  Manchester United VS England's 2nd most successful red team -Samarth Purohit Photo via: insidesport.com Manchester United have been in a bit of a precarious position lately, dropping points against teams such as Aston Villa and Everton, where they needed to secure 3 points to mount an effective title charge. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to have to beat, no-dominate, Liverpool at Old Trafford this weekend to have any hopes of keeping his position, as rumours of Zidane and Conte taking over begin to gain more traction. Fans seem to have lost any hopes of a title charge under OGS as several fans prepare to protest at Old Trafford this weekend, and this may very well be the club legend’s last shot at redemption. Injuries: Raphael Varane (groin injury during nation's league final), Harry Maguire (VS Everton) and Luke Shaw(VS Everton). Though it's important to note the latter 2 will still be playing as they show signs of complete recovery. Marcus Rash...

  EL CLASICO PREVIEW: FC BARCELONA -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: edailysports.com Barcelona come into El Clasico having seen a recent upturn in form, beating Valencia 3-1, and notching their first win the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv. Barca fans will be hopeful, but not optimistic, as Ronald Araujo and Pedri are expected to stay injured. However, the returns of Ansu Fati and Sergio Aguero will certainly buoy spirits. Barca Record (Last 5 matches): WWLLW Barca Injured: Martin Braithwaite (Knee), Ousmane Dembele (Hamstring), Pedri (Muscle injury), Ronald Araujo (Hamstring). EXPECTED LINEUP: Expected Formation: 4-3-3 1.      GOALKEEPER Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will start in goal for the Blaugrana, aware that he might have a busy job ahead of him. He will be key to Barca’s defense, and his distribution from the back will have to be top-notch. 2.      DEFENSE Barca are expected to play with their traditional back-4. Gerard Pi...

  EL CLASICO PREVIEW: REAL MADRID -Shiven Roy Photo Via: ciyaaro.com Carlo Ancelloti’s Real Madrid come into the 1 st El Clasico of the season with a certain conviction. After Ancelloti’s take over, the men in white have shown no signs of slowing down. After unexpected losses to Sherrif Fc and Espanyol, Madrid put themselves back on track after a clear win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Recent performances on the Madrid side and the inconsistent performances on the Barcelona side make Real Madrid favourites for this Clasico. Real Madrid Record(last 5 matches): WLLDW Real Madrid Injured: Dani Ceballos (Ankle injury), Gareth Bale (Knee injury) Questionable: Daniel Carvajal (Calf problems), Isco (Back trouble), Luka Jovic (Knock), Eden Hazard (Muscular problems), Karim Benzema (Court Trial). Expected lineup: Expected formation: 4-3-3 1.Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois will start in goal for Real Madrid. He will remain a key part of the Madrid defense and will have to keep up his...

  3 TALKING POINTS FROM BARCA 3-1 VALENCIA -Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: barcablaugranes.com RETURNING PLAYERS: Barca have endured a torrid time in recent weeks, and a large part of the reason why is the number of players on their injury list. After the international break, however, Barca finally show signs of fighting for top 4, and it was the returning players who made the difference against Valencia. Ansu Fati was excellent, scoring a banger for the equalizer, and then winning the penalty for the second. Jordi Alba too was fantastic, linking up well with Fati, Depay and Gavi, and played the ball which won Barca their penalty. Sergio Aguero too returned from injury in what is welcome news for the Blaugrana faithful. Barca look a completely transformed side with both of these players, but whether this good form will last is a question, as El Clasico looms over the Blaugrana.  SERGIÑO DEST AS WINGER: Sergiño Dest's time at Barca has been a very inconsistent one. The exciting A...

  TALKING POINTS FROM LIVERPOOL'S PULSATING DRAW AGAINST CITY - Parth Pabaru -Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala Photo Via: skysports.com With the Anfield crowd buzzing on a lovely Sunday night, Liverpool and Man City shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw. A brilliant move led to Liverpool's opener scored by Sadio Mane which was shortly canceled out by Phil Foden. Mo Salah scored one of the goals of the season and Kevin de Bruyne's deflected shot found the back of the net in front of a nervous Kop. In this article, we look at some of the talking points from the game that saw Liverpool go 2nd in the table and Man City concede twice for the first time this Premier League season: 1.    RIGHT BACK THE WEAK SPOT: Liverpool went into this game without one of their most important players, Trent Alexander Arnold. James Milner slotted in at right-back and was tormented by Phil Foden and Jack Grealish throughout, even receiving a booking in the first half. He committed several fouls i...

  Game Review As United Draw To Everton -Samarth Purohit -Editor: Mitansh Kagalwala Andros Townsend copies Ronaldo's iconic "Siuu" celebration after scoring the equalizer  Photo Via: independent.co.uk Man United were lucky to come away with a draw against an Everton side who outclassed their superstars all over the pitch. Everton arguably should have won, with a goal correctly disallowed for offside, but Man United, with their expensively assembled squad, should never have faced difficulty, with several Everton players out injured. Here's what we made of it:  Defence: With both full backs, AWB and Luke Shaw playing relatively offensive pressing positions, Man United's defence was carried greatly by Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof. Varane put up a commendable performance, ensuring the strongest defence musterable by the red side. While Victor Lindelof did what was expected of him, the absence of Harry Maguire in the centre back position led to a visibly weaker...