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Dedryck Boyata could give Celtic a welcome injury boost by returning to face Hibs on Wednesday night after missing the Scottish champions’ last four matches.

Sunday’s win at St. Johnstone was a costly one for Brendan Rodgers with Mikael Lustig, James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard joining the list of the walking wounded.

Lustig’s Achilles injury made it a clean sweep of the first-choice back four with Boyata, Filip Benkovic and Kieran Tierney already sidelined.

Benkovic has been ruled out for at least another month but Chris Davies was able to deliver some good news on the fitness of his defensive partner.

“Boyata trained today having been out for a couple of weeks,” the Celtic assistant said, as quoted by The Evening Times. “We’ll see how he reacts to that and then see what his availability is like for Wednesday night.

“As he’s been injured for a couple of weeks we’ll have to see. He’d a slight groin issue so we’d [need] to get that right.”

Celtic fans will have to wait until 6.30pm to find out if Boyata is fit to make his second appearance since the turn of the year, teaming up with Jozo Simunovic in the centre of defence.

Jack Hendry or Nir Bitton are the other options available for the visit of Hibs, with either likely to be capable of keeping the Edinburgh side at bay.

Next week’s Europa League tie with Valencia is a different matter. The return of Boyata and any of the injured stars is desperately needed if the Hoops are to stand a chance of reaching the last 16 of the competition.

Despite having lost all of their last three matches in the Premier League, Everton will head into Tuesday night’s match with Cardiff City as slight favourites after Neil Warnock’s men were hammered 5-1 by Watford this past weekend.

Everton probably preferred having the weekend off to regroup as a team ahead of the match at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Marco Silva’s men dominated proceedings at Watford last weekend but suffered defeat thanks to an Andre Gray goal in the second-half.

But, one big positive that the manager could’ve taken from the match with the Hornets was the short but clinical performance by substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who replaced Gylfi Sigurdsson in the 74th minute.

The change saw Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun play together for the first time in quite a while. And, Calvert-Lewin immediately made his presence felt as Everton pressed high up the pitch, hoping to snatch a late equaliser.

Silva has struggled to find his best combinations so far this season and has been rotating his team quite regularly in recent matches.

Playing Calvert-Lewin and Tosun together, as two strikers, could give the team a significant boost.

Indeed, this new solution may just be the answer to the Toffees’ recent attacking woes, with a successful trial in their next game against Cardiff City possibly being the first step to launching Everton into the European places.

Silva dropped Bernard to the bench for the match against his former team and started Sigurdsson on the left wing, with Tom Davies operating in the middle.

A change in formation might be more accommodating if both Calvert-Lewin and Tosun start on Tuesday, which would present Everton with a new and exciting tactical shift.

It could also present more chances for crosses to be whipped into the box, while Calvert-Lewin has shown in the past that he has the pace to cause opposition defenders problems.

Tosun could assist Calvert-Lewin, with his shooting accuracy and ability to create space possibly proving too much for a very vulnerable Cardiff defence to handle.

حقق فريق سموحة فوزًا صعبًا على حساب منافسه المصري البورسعيدي بنتيجة 2-0 في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الممتاز.

وتواجه سموحة أمام المصري في اللقاء الذي يجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الجولة 28 على أرضية ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي بالإسكندرية.

وسجل صلاح محسن الهدف لصالح سموحة في الدقيقة 46 من عمر المباراة بينما أضاف ناصر ماهر الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 91.

وشهدت المباراة حالة من الجدل والاعتراض للاعبي والجهاز الفني لفريق المصري، بسبب تصدي الهاني سليمان لكرة خطيرة كانت على وشك تخطي خط المرمى.

وبهذه النتيجة ارتفع رصيد سموحة للنقطة 39 في المركز الخامس بجدول ترتيب الدوري، بينما تجمد رصيد المصري عند النقطة 29 في المركز الثالث عشر.

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Chronicle revealed that talks are underway over the signing of Benfica defensive midfielder Andreas Samaris, who would join the club on loan if a deal were to materialise.

The 29-year-old is a player of some pedigree, having played for the Greek national team for many years now, and would be a welcome addition to a squad in desperate need of fresh faces to give them a boost in their battle for survival. Samaris is an excellent passer of the ball and poses a threat from set pieces.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The Tynesiders have until 11pm on Thursday to wrap up some deals that they desperately need, as well as ones that would ensure that their Spanish boss remains at the club having grown tired at Mike Ashley’s reluctance to back him in the market, as per The Daily Mail.

Let’s see how the club’s fans reacted to the news on Twitter…

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in excited fashion after it was revealed that the Eagles would take on lower league opposition in Doncaster Rovers away from home in the FA Cup fifth round, as per cpfc.co.uk.

Roy Hodgson’s side booked their place in the draw with an excellent 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and will be pleased to have avoided the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea as their chances of progressing further in the competition look very good.

The League One side cannot be underestimated and have done extremely well to get this far, but Palace supporters are desperate for a successful cup run to put to bed their lingering demons having lost in the final to Manchester United as recently as 2016.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

As many of the club’s supporters would tell you Palace are more than good enough to stay in the Premier League, and they saw what was almost a second string side including the likes of Connor Wickham, Joel Ward, Julian Speroni, Martin Kelly and Scott Dann dispatch Spurs with ease.

Let’s take a look at how the fans reacted on Twitter following the draw…

Leeds United still find themselves in a commanding position at this moment in time, despite their recent result, so there’s all the more reason to be positive. 

The Whites will need to be at their best if they are to get the better of Middlesbrough on Saturday, with a win or a draw taking them to the top of the table until Norwich play their game.

However, the Yorkshire club’s recent defeat at the hands of Norwich City raised a few alarm bells at Elland Road, as they looked less than convincing in front of home support.

Marcelo Bielsa only decided to bring in Kiko Casilla back in the January transfer window as a late deal for Daniel James ended up collapsing. And, it’s safe to say that missing out on targets could come back to bite the Whites from here on in until the end of the season, with injuries possibly taking their toll.

One player who Leeds United were linked with was Fulham’s Stefan Johansen, who ended up joining West Brom.

Of course, it came as a big blow for supporters when Johansen joined the Baggies, but fans can still dream of what might have been had they gone the extra mile to secure his services.

Leeds currently have the likes of Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw in the middle of midfield, with Klich being the only player that really offers something moving forward. Johansen has the ability to make a huge impact in all areas of the field, which is something that’s very hard to find, so he would have been a valuable asset.

Johansen would have lightened the load on Pablo Hernandez’s shoulders by helping create in the final third, as well as producing goals, with experience of securing promotion last year. Samu Saiz was the attacking spark that really made Leeds tick when he was at his best, so it comes as some surprise that Bielsa didn’t go all out to sign Johansen.

It’s safe to say that the Norwegian, who is valued at £3.6 million (by Transfermarkt), would’ve brought Leeds’ Premier League dream one step closer, as his skill, dribbling and ability to pick a defence-splitting pass makes him almost impossible to defend against, with Kemar Roofe thriving off balls in behind the opposition’s defence.

Leeds United fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Johansen?

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Liverpool have announced their starting XI against West Ham United, with Jordan Henderson and Dejan Lovren ruled out.

Georginio Wijnaldum is also injured, leading to a selection headache for Jurgen Klopp.

Alisson starts in goal, while James Milner deputises at right-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez.

Centre-backs Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk continue at the heart of defence, while Andrew Robertson plays at left-back.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Adam Lallana is restored to the starting XI for the first time since the 4-1 win over Cardiff City in October, and will play alongside Naby Keita and Fabinho in midfield.

The usual front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino continue up front as Liverpool look to stretch their lead at the top of the table to five points at the London Stadium.

And Reds fans have reacted with shock at Klopp’s decision to start Lallana in midfield in east London, with many bashing the manager for keeping faith with the English international…

Last night saw Manchester City somehow scrape past Schalke in their round of 16 first leg clash in Germany. The Citizens were saved at the death by goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but when they were 2-1 down to a Nabil Bentaleb double and saw Nicolas Otamendi sent off for a second yellow card things were looking bleak.

At the time of Nicolas Otamendi’s dismissal, a lot of the fans were starting to turn on Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard very rarely gets it wrong when he’s setting up his side, although the fans were more than happy to stick the knife in when they saw that Otamendi had been shown a red card, as they’d never have started the 31-year-old Argentine from the get-go in such a big game.

Otamendi has appeared in the Champions League four times this season and was even given the captain’s armband by Guardiola in the club’s final group stage game, a 2-1 home win against Hoffenheim. However, this season has seen Otamendi drop down the pecking order at the club, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte the two first-choice options for Guardiola, so to see him mix things up and use his unreliable Argentine was a shock to the fans.

You can read the Citizens’ thoughts on Otamendi’s dismissal here:

The Citizens were far from happy with Guardiola as his side limped over the line yesterday and will be keen for swift improvements when they meet Schalke at The Etihad.

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Tottenham Hotspur face Chelsea on Wednesday evening and Mauricio Pochettino has promised fans that the club will “try to win” when they get to Stamford Bridge.

Spurs lost 2-1 to Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday and need a victory if they are to stay in touch with leaders Liverpool and Manchester City, who play AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United on the same night.

Pochettino’s men beat Chelsea 3-1 at Wembley earlier this season, with goals from Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Son-Heung Min proving decisive.

The Blues, meanwhile, lost the Carabao Cup final on penalties to Manchester City at the weekend and they, too, will be looking for a reaction against their London rivals.

But fans have reacted to Pochettino’s quotes with predictable sarcasm on Twitter.

Indeed, many believe that the Argentine has merely said the most obvious thing possible ahead of a game in which there is precious little margin for error. Take a look at the best reaction below!

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Tottenham are eyeing up a £50m move for Bournemouth sensation David Brooks, who has taken to life at Premier League level like a duck to water since his summer move from Sheffield United, as reported exclusively by The Express.

What’s the word, then?

The Welshman has excelled for the Cherries since signing in a £10m deal from the Blades, scoring six goals and recording four assists so far this season.

Tottenham are said to be willing to spend up to £50m to lure the Wales international to the new White Hart Lane in the summer, and he is well in with a chance of being named as the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Manchester United are also seriously interested in bringing the 21-year-old to Old Trafford, but Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to beat the Red Devils to Brooks’ signature and help him fulfil his huge potential.

Who could Brooks push out of the team?

The north Londoners have racked up a huge amount of debt from the construction of their new stadium, so any move for Brooks may have to be bankrolled by a significant sale.

Real Madrid were credited with an interest in signing Christian Eriksen recently, although they were quoted a huge £225m price by Spurs for one of their key players.

The Dane is, however, five years older than Brooks, and for a fee in that astronomical region or even slightly lower, Tottenham would be wise to cash in on Eriksen and mould Brooks into being his replacement.

Were he to arrive at Spurs with no departures having taken place, it is tough to see where Brooks gets into an attacking quartet of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eriksen and Heung-min Son, so a big sale may need to be made in order to lure the promising Welsh playmaker to north London.

The £50m figure is certainly an important one though as it would set a new club-record transfer fee at Tottenham, eclipsing the £42m spent on Davinson Sanchez two summers ago.