Competition: Premier League

Market: Crystal Palace to beat Southampton

Odds:

The new year brings even more footballing action as the players are back out on the pitch almost as soon as they came off it. Every side will know how important it is to start the year with a win, while the managers will be desperately trying to rotate their teams to keep the players as fresh as possible. With all of this in mind, Southampton host Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Southampton have been in very poor form this season and they are in danger of being forced into a relegation battle. After 21 games they have won four times, drawn eight and lost nine, while they have scored 20 goals and conceded 30 times. The 20 points they have collected sees them sitting just tw…

Napoli have completed the signing of Giacomo Raspadori from Sassuolo, with the 22-year-old initially arriving on a season-long loan ahead of a permanent transfer next year.

Raspadori, who was also targeted by Juventus after scoring 10 Serie A goals last season, follows the likes of Giovanni Simeone, Tanguy Ndombele and Kim Min-jae in sealing a move to Naples during a busy transfer window in southern Italy.

Luciano Spalletti s team threatened to challenge for a first Scudetto since the Diego Maradona era before finishing third last season, but they have subsequently been in need of attacking reinforcements following a spate of high-profile departures.

Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne, the two highest goalscorers in Napoli s history, both departed on free transfer…

Tanguy Ndombele has not tried to shift the blame for his underwhelming Tottenham performances as he accepts he is risking his career by returning to Lyon on loan.

Ndombele was a £55.5million (€62m) signing for Spurs in 2019 but re-joined former club Lyon on Monday in a temporary move that could become permanent for €65m.

The midfielder failed to show in England why Tottenham had invested so heavily in his services.

After creating 47 chances and laying on seven assists in his final season in Ligue 1, Ndombele played only 30 key passes and contributed five assists in two and a half years in the Premier League.

There were mitigating factors, with Ndombele signed by Mauricio Pochettino, who soon left to be replaced by Jose Mourinho. Nuno Espirito Santo a…

Olivier Giroud s hot goalscoring form continued as Chelsea came from behind to claim a 3-1 win over Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, sending the Blues top.

Former Chelsea player Patrick Bamford put Leeds ahead with their first shot of the game as Chelsea were punished on the counterattack.

Giroud, who scored all four of Chelsea s goals in a Champions League win over Sevilla during the week, equalised just before the half-hour with an instinctive close-range finish.

Chelsea went ahead when Kurt Zouma headed in from a corner and the hosts finished Leeds off in stoppage time thanks to Christian Pulisic.

34 At 34 years and 66 days, Olivier Giroud is also the oldest player to ever score in six consecutive Premier League starts. Maturity.

…

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea will approach the rest of the season confident in the knowledge they can compete with the best teams after dramatically drawing 4-4 with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Cole Palmer struck a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to deny the club with whom he won the Premier League title in May and snatch a sensational point at the death in west London.

City thought they had won it via Rodri’s deflected strike four minutes from the end, his effort spinning into the goal past the wrongfooted Robert Sanchez off Thiago Silva’s outstretched foot.

Spoils shared on a breathless afternoon!

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)

Earlier, the lead had been passed back and forth on a topsy-turvy afternoon, Erling Haalan…

Sergino Dest is ready to give 100 per cent in order to secure his long-term future at Milan following his loan move from Barcelona.

The United States international is on a season-long loan in Serie A, with a purchase option, following a frustrating 2021-22 campaign under Xavi at Camp Nou.

A pair of Champions League appearances has seen the 21-year-old on European rotation so far, but there are suggestions he will be given his chance to prove his worth with the club.

Asked ahead of this weekend s crucial clash with Napoli what he must do to earn a longer stay, Dest spoke of his commitment to the Rossoneri cause, adding that he is settling into life in Italy.

What I can do is give 100 per cent so that Milan can decide to keep me, he stated. Settling int…

Real Madrid outcast Luka Jovic is poised to re-join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan until the end of the season, the German club s sporting director Fredi Bobic has revealed.

Jovic swapped Eintracht for Madrid in a €60million transfer ahead of the 2019-20 season, but the Serbia forward has endured a turbulent period under Zinedine Zidane with the LaLiga champions.

The 23-year-old – who managed just two goals in 25 appearances in his first season in the Spanish capital – has only featured in 149 minutes of LaLiga action this term, while he has played in just five matches across all competitions amid ongoing form and fitness issues.

But Jovic is set for a reunion with Bundesliga side Eintracht, for whom he scored 27 goals in 2018-19 before leaving for the Santia…

Ferran Torres rescued a 1-1 draw for Barcelona in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt, who finished with 10 men.

After a goalless first half at Deutsche Bank Park on Thursday, Ansgar Knauff sent the home fans into raptures with a wonderful finish from 20 yards out. 

Xavi sent Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembele on in response and the pair started a lovely move that ended with Torres slotting an equaliser into the bottom-left corner. 

And although Tuta was shown a second yellow card with just over 10 minutes remaining, Barca were unable to complete a dramatic late turnaround to snatch the victory.

Kevin Trapp s fingertip save kept Torres at bay in the third minute and Djibril Sow failed to hit the target from a …

It is the belief of Dinamo Zagreb head coach Nenad Bjelica, who spoke on radio Cadena SER (as relayed by ), that Ivan Rakitic will leave Barcelona in the upcoming January transfer window.

Having played in 278 games and scored 35 goals for the Catalan club, winning four La Liga titles and as many Copa Del Rey trophies, as well as the 2015 Champions League, the Croatian international has fallen down the pecking order under Ernesto Valverde this season, and he has made his annoyance with the situation publicly known on more than one occasion.

Bjelica says the time has come for the 31-year-old midfielder to leave the Camp Nou and that both the player and the club surely realize that the parting of ways this winter is the best option for both sides. The Dinamo boss is also q…

Sergio Aguero reached 400 goals for club and country in Manchester City s 3-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Sunday.

The Argentina striker netted twice at the Vitality Stadium, taking his tally for the league season to four.

Aguero has started the campaign in blistering form, becoming the first player since Carlos Tevez in 2012-13 to score in each of City s first three league games of the season.

His second effectively ended Bournemouth s chances of a comeback and took him to 235 across all competitions for the club.

400 Sergio Agüero has now scored 400 goals for club and country combined, with 235 of those coming for Manchester City. Relentless.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

The 31-year-old scored 101 at his previous club Atletico Mad…