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Chelsea and Southampton will tangle for the second weekend in a row, and this time the stakes are very different. Saints are running out of time and chances to secure Premier League safety, while Chelsea are close to seeing the sun set on their top four finish hopes. Both however, can still acquire a trophy this season, if they win here and then beat the Manchester United-Tottenham Hotspur winner in the final.
Let’s look at the availability situation for both sides.
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Chelsea and Southampton will clash for the second time in just eight days when the two sides meet on Sunday in Wembley Stadium for an FA Cup semifinal clash. The Blues came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat the Saints 3-2 this past Saturday at the St. Mary’s. Chelsea leads the all time series between the two clubs 43-30, with 28 draws.
This will be the last chance for both clubs to get their first trophy of the season, so expect this clash to be very competitive. Let’s look at who both sides could field in their respective first teams.
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It’s very early, but thus far, the most extraordinary aspect of the 2018 Chicago baseball season has been the weather. Upon conclusion of their first home stand yesterday, the Chicago Cubs are 8-8, and the fourth place team in the NL Central division. The Chicago White Sox are also in fourth, in the AL Central, but with a much worse record, at 4-11.
Typically, the weather, so the extremely shopworn cliche goes, is what you talk about with someone when you have absolutely nothing else to talk about. It’s the one and only universal. We’re not talking about the weather just because the baseball has been mediocre on the north side of town, and terrible on the south side, though.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has announced that he will step down at the season. After 22 years, three Premier League titles, a record seven FA Cup titles and a very long streak of Champions League qualification that came to an end last season, tributes to the Frenchman are pouring in from all over the world.
As the football media look back in reflection on the 68-year-old’s legacy, it’s also a time to look forward. Wenger himself has not announced his future plans, but the club have said they are underway with their ambitious managerial search.
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(Update: five leading candidates to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has announced, via an official club statement, his resignation, effective at the end of the season. Naturally, a football news event as massive as this has elicited reaction from all over the football community.
Many of Wenger’s former players and/or prominent members of the Arsenal community have weighed in, but what about the Frenchman’s biggest rivals? Three major Wenger opponents have all weighed in:
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Arsenal Football Club announced today that after 22 seasons in charge, manager Arsene Wenger will finally step down. Today, the #WengerOut crowd got exactly what they want, as the Frenchman will resign at the end of the season.
Wenger released the following statement:
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Manchester United might have to do a major makeover in the midfield next season, as this summer could see a host of departures in the position group. Michael Carrick is set to retire, while Paris Saint-Germain have been in contact with Mino Raiola, the agent of Paul Pogba, about a potential deal, “for months” reportedly.
Meanwhile Marouane Fellaini has rejected any contract extension offers, and looks set to leave in June- potential to China or America. All in all, it looks like United might have to do some midfielder shopping this summer, in order to replace their potential losses.
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It only seems natural that Jurgen Klopp would be linked with the Bayern Munich job. You have one of the finest Germans managing in world football today, potentially paired up with the dominant Deutschland superpower.
Klopp had a phenomenal run of success with two Bundesliga clubs, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz, with his 2012 BVB side the last non Bayern team to claim the title. With another managerial change taking place in Munich next season (Niko Kovac replaces the retiring Jupp Heynckes), it’s the perfect time to revisit this idea.
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has essentially been playing down the importance of the FA Cup, but it has a lot more significance than he publicly acknowledges. For all four teams involved in the semi-finals, it’s the only chance to win a trophy this season. For Spurs, it would end their decade long trophy drought.
While Tottenham has certainly made tremendous strides under Pochettino, especially so in regards to European football, the north London side still hasn’t attained any silverware under his tenure. They will playing Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Man United at Wembley Stadium, Tottenham’s temporary home for the season.
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Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United at Wembley Stadium, their temporary home for the season, in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final. Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino claims that being in Wembley will not be a home field advantage, but I guess we’ll just have to see if he’s right about that or not.
Both teams come into this match looking to get to the final and then secure their first trophy of the season. For all four semifinalists, it is the last remaining opportunity for a trophy this season.
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Heading into last night’s 2-0 win at Bournemouth, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claimed that the midweek league clash would be an open tryout of sorts for the FA Cup semifinal versus Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.
Don’t buy it; Mourinho will select his best team possible this weekend. He was always going to pick the best XI, regardless of who did what versus the Cherries. While there is reason to doubt the veracity of that Mourinho commentary, what he said after the match was definitely honest and spot on.
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Once again the prevalence of empty seats at Arsenal home games is a hot topic, and again Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is in denial about the problem. Attendance has been decreasing as the Gunners have long been out of the race for a top four finish, and we never really had a league title race this season as Manchester City sizzled out of the gate. No other side was competitive enough to warrant using the ComeOn voucher code to back them to win the title over City.
Arsenal are currently in sixth place, and still in danger of losing their position to Burnley and finding themselves, potentially, out of Europe all together next season. Almost one third of seats at the Emirates have been in empty for recent league games, but the last time Wenger discussed dwindling attendance, he blamed it on Easter Sunday.
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