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West Bromwich Albion will face off against Ipswich Town hoping they can unsettle the Championship entertainers on home soil, Baggies boss Carlos Corberan eager to see a response from his players after narrowly losing 2-1 to Southampton last time out.

Corberan's men weren't resoundingly taken apart by Russell Martin's Saints by any means and were unlucky to lose on the South Coast, the Baggies bettering Southampton in the shots department with West Brom notching up 14 shots in total but the West Midlanders ultimately came away empty-handed despite their best efforts.

This time around, Brandon Thomas-Asante could be sacrificed for a fresh pair of legs up top after a toothless performance at St Mary's, as could Matt Phillips who was regularly thwarted by Southampton defenders when attempting to create a decisive opening for his team.

Southampton's defenders nullifying one of West Brom's main attacking outlets helped them on their way to a slim victory, stretching their unbeaten run in the division to eight.

Matt Phillips' season in numbers

Phillips has been on-song for his side this season more times than he's underperformed, registering three goals and two assists which included a strike in West Brom's last home match which saw them get the better of Hull City in a convincing 3-1 display.

However, with Phillips now 32 years of age, it won't be long before his manager starts opting for fresher and hungrier options over the ex-Blackpool man to start planning for the future.

Tom Fellows could well be West Brom's next star from down the channels in Phillips' left-wing spot, the 20-year-old has excited fans of the West Midlands club with brief cameos off the bench in the second tier recently.

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He could be drafted into the line-up soon to replace the ageing winger if Phillips' display versus the Saints is anything to go by, the experienced midfielder way off the pace before being substituted off for the aforementioned promising number 30.

Phillips would only send one accurate cross into the opposition box all game at St Mary's, as per Sofascore, seven of those crosses going nowhere near their intended target.

The Baggies' number ten also lost possession 22 times in the contest to the detriment of his team, with Stuart Armstrong only losing the ball 11 times down the flanks for the hosts in contrast.

Corberan will consider dropping his usually dependable midfield option off the back of this below-par showing, Fellows eager to impress in his place to potentially displace the EFL veteran in the long term.

Fellows as Phillips' replacement

Linked with a move away to the Bundesliga in recent times according to reports – Werder Bremen just one of the German clubs interested in the Baggies prospect – West Brom will hope they can convince Fellows to stay by giving him more first-team opportunities in the weeks to come.

Scoring 12 goals at U18 level for his boyhood club before being promoted to the senior ranks, the 20-year-old starlet has shown flashes of brilliance in the Championship this season when substituted on.

A 15-minute cameo against QPR got West Brom fans talking, nearly setting up Jed Wallace for a goal in that contest with a ball into the box.

West Brom were comfortable on the day with a 2-0 win, but Fellows would have loved to have played a part in a goal to make the victory even more convincing.

West Brom's number 31 will have to remain patient for chances to impress in the starting eleven, but he could be gifted a start against Ipswich if Corberan decides to completely drop Phillips after an off-day versus the Saints.

With Thomas-Asante's place also potentially uncertain having failed to score in either of his last two games, there could well be a fresh feel to the Baggies' attack later today.

Glasgow Rangers return from the international break straight back into domestic proceedings with a clash against Aberdeen this afternoon.

Between now and January 2, the Light Blues face 12 vital matches which could arguably make or break their season.

Included in this run is a League Cup final against the Dons, two crucial European matches and a trip to Parkhead to face Celtic in the Premiership.

If Philippe Clement can emerge from this busy run with a trophy, a place in the Europa League knockout stages and having closed the gap on Celtic in the league, it will be a job well done.

The signs have been positive over the previous few weeks as the Gers have won six and drawn one of the last seven matches and the Belgian has brought some confidence back into a squad which had stagnated under Michael Beale.

The main thing now is to build on these performances while also managing the first team with regard to workload, as there have been far too many injuries this season.

Slowly but surely, certain players are returning and Tom Lawrence was one of the many who had missed large chunks of the season before making just his third start of 2023/24 and the first since Real Betis in the tie against Livingston a couple of weeks ago.

Tom Lawrence’s game in numbers vs Livingston

The Welshman had proven during his maiden season in Glasgow that, when fit, he could be a valuable asset to the club.

Before suffering a season-ending injury in August 2022, Lawrence had scored three goals and registered two assists, and it was clear that the Light Blues missed his creativity during a dismal campaign.

He had managed only one assist before starting against Livi, yet his performance on the plastic turf was excellent, and he could certainly throw a spanner in the works regarding Clement’s future plans.

The 29-year-old was deployed just behind Cyriel Dessers in an attacking midfield slot and ran the show, making five key passes while also grabbing an assist.

The midfielder also created a big chance, succeeded with his only dribble attempt, and won two of his three duels, demonstrating his strength in one-on-one battles.

It was a display which showcased Lawrence’s talents from the number ten role and one that surely pleased the manager.

With that in mind, however, Clement faces a selection headache ahead of the tie against Aberdeen, especially when Todd Cantwell is performing well in the same role.

With plenty of games to come in the next few weeks, keeping players fresh and healthy will be his main concern and this could see the Welshman return to the bench against the Dons today.

Todd Cantwell’s season in numbers

The Englishman endured a difficult start to the season under Beale as he was played out of position several times and while he grabbed an assist against Servette in the Champions League qualifiers back in August, that was his last goal contribution until Clement arrived.

Cantwell suffered a knee injury against Celtic at the start of September and this meant he missed the next seven matches, disrupting the progress he had built since joining the club in January.

Since returning to the first-team fold, however, he has been in solid form and even scored his first goal of the season against Sparta Prague last month.

The Belgian has deployed him on the right side of the attack, yet the playmaker is more effective from the attacking midfield slot.

During the second half of last season following his £1.5m move from Norwich City in January, he scored four goals and grabbed four assists from the number ten role in just 11 games in that position.

Following the end of last season, journalist Josh Bunting lavished praise on the former Norwich gem, saying:

“Really interested in seeing how Todd Cantwell goes next season. Has proved to be an excellent bit of business and I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s probably a level above this league. With the momentum he has he’s going to be the catalyst in that Rangers side. Has that desire.”

Due to his injury, his performances have taken a while to get back to that sort of level, but with more game time under the Belgian plus some added confidence following his goal against Sparta, he should be raring to go now.

He was given a 12-minute cameo against Livi a couple of weeks ago and during his time on the pitch, he completed 100% of his passes (10/10) along with succeeding with his only dribble attempt, and he should be fresh to start against the Dons.

Todd Cantwell’s market value

Since joining the Glasgow side less than 12 months ago, the 25-year-old has shown a significant improvement on the pitch and this has led to his market value increasing slightly.

According to Football Transfers, Cantwell is now currently worth €3.6m (£3.1m) and this is a decent rise on the £1.5m that the club signed him for at the start of the year.

Jack benched & £26k-p/w machine unleashed in Rangers predicted lineup vs Aberdeen

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It means that the Ibrox side could potentially cash in on him if they received an offer too good to turn down, or if the player failed to adapt to Clement’s tactical system and style of play.

Hopefully this is not the case, however, as the Gers currently have a player who was valued at around £40m just a few short years ago, and he appears to be shining north of the border.

Although Lawrence made an impressive return to the starting XI against Livingston before the break, his game time should be managed in order to ensure he will be fit once the fixtures start rolling in thick and fast leading up to the festive season.

This should give Clement the licence to unleash Cantwell from the first whistle and if he performs like he has done since joining the Gers, he could certainly cause the Aberdeen defence plenty of problems, that’s for sure.

A win today would exact revenge for the 3-1 defeat suffered against the same opposition in what turned out to be Beale’s last game at the end of September.

It's fair to say, the Light Blues have come a long way since then.

Despite suffering through an abysmal campaign last year, there was quite a bit of optimism surrounding Chelsea going into this season.

They had appointed a well-respected, Premier League-proven manager in Mauricio Pochettino, shipped off most of their deadwood to Saudi Arabia, and spent egregious sums of money on exciting young players to replace them.

However, that optimism has yet to translate into on-pitch performances, and the Blues are once again enduring a dreadful campaign in which there seems to be no end in sight.

There are, of course, a multitude of reasons why the wheels have so spectacularly fallen off at Stamford Bridge this year. Still, one that is hard to ignore is the injury to Christopher Nkunku, who, prior to his knee issue, was looking particularly deadly.

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Luckily for the Pensioners, the Frenchman isn't too far off returning, and the idea of him combining with transfer target Ivan Toney should make rival fans feel a little nervous.

Chelsea transfer news – Ivan Toney

According to a prior from talkSport, Chelsea are one of several Premier League clubs interested in signing the Brentford striker in 2024, and the fact that he has yet to sign a new deal has only further increased that interest.

The "unplayable" forward, as described by Alan Shearer, will see his current deal at the Gtech Community Stadium expire in 2025, meaning that the Bees are likely to sell their star striker in 2024 to protect their investment – regardless of what they tell the press.

There have been reports in recent months that a fee in the region of £50m-£60m would be enough to tempt the west Londoners into selling, but Sky Sports has confirmed that Toney is valued at £100m by his club and when Thomas Frank said as much in the summer, he wasn't joking: "£100m plus?… What would you pay for a striker that guarantees you 20-plus goals? And this is 20 goals for a mid-table club. What can he do in a bigger club?"

While that is an undeniably mammoth investment in a player who is already 27 years old and will have not played any football for over seven months, the prospect of him pairing up with Nkunku should be enough to convince Todd Boehly and co.

And hey, when has a massive price tag ever dissuaded Chelsea before?

How Ivan Toney could get the best out of Christopher Nkunku

One of the biggest problems at Chelsea this season – and over the last few years as well – is their inability to finish chances. The Blues have actually registered the fourth-highest expected goals total so far this season at 29.39, yet when it comes to finishing those chances, they rank eighth, with 25 goals, per Understat.

Compare that to the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United, who have all scored more than their expected goals number, and the Blues' ineffectiveness in the six-yard box becomes all the more apparent.

Team

Expected Goals

Actual Goals

League Position

Manchester City

32.61

36

3rd

Liverpool

31.83

32

2nd

Newcastle United

31.31

32

6th

Arsenal

28.19

29

1st

Tottenham Hotspur

24.26

28

5th

Chelsea

29.39

25

10th

All Stats via Understat and correct as of matchweek 14

The return of Nkunku is undoubtedly going to help alleviate this problem somewhat, as the 26-year-old "monster", as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, found the back of the net 16 times in 25 Bundesliga appearances last season and 20 times in 34 the season before.

However, were Pochettino able to play the Frenchman alongside Toney – who has the "mindset of a lion" according to Frank and managed to bag 20 goals in 33 Premier League games last season – Chelsea could finally have a genuinely lethal attack to get on the end of the mountain of chances they create.

Additionally, while Nkunku excels best down the middle, his ability to play out wide would allow Pochettino to play three up top and include Raheem Sterling on the right, who has been one of the club's few bright sparks this year – scoring five league goals so far.

While this deal will force Boehly to put his hands back in his pockets, the idea of a front three comprising Nkunku, Toney and Sterling should be enough to reinvigorate any deflated Chelsea fan out there.

For well over a century now, Aston Villa fans have walked up and down Trinity Road to visit their beloved stadium.

They are a hugely successful and historic club and Villa Park is at the heart of all they have enjoyed over the years.

Football FanCast runs you through everything you need to know ahead of a trip to Birmingham.

Villa Park history

As previously mentioned, Villa Park has been the home of the Villans for more than 100 years.

After two years at Aston Park and two decades at Wellington Road, this became their beloved stadium in 1897.

It cost £16,733 to build, which, when adjusted for inflation, sits at a value of roughly £25m.

Villa Park capacity

42,657 is the current capacity of Villa Park but they once reached heights of more than 75,000.

On 2nd March 1946, Derby County came to town and the pair went toe-to-toe with 76,588 people watching on.

Villa’s club website states: “By 1914, there were plans to create a huge stadium capable of holding 104,000, but the grand scheme was curtailed by the First World War.”

The Holte End is infamous in English football and additionally, the North Stand is soon to be improved to take the total capacity up and over 50,000 seats.

6

Manchester City

Etihad Stadium

53,400

7

Newcastle United

St. James' Park

52,257

8

Aston Villa

Villa Park

42,530

9

Chelsea

Stamford Bridge

40,173

10

Everton

Goodison Park

39,414

Every Premier League stadium ranked by capacity

Football FanCast runs down all 20 stadiums in the Premier League by capacity.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 5, 2023 How to get to Villa Park By car

Travelling by car to Villa Park isn't exactly encouraged; although there is parking available at the stadium, it is only open to permit holders, while you can book matchday parking services in advance.

Otherwise, those from the north/south-west are advised to head for Junction 7 on the M6 and follow signs for the A34. If travelling from the north/south-east, you'll want to leave the M6 at Junction 6.

By train/bus Aston Station – a 15-minute walk give or take, from Aston station, will see you arrive at Villa Park. You will first go along Queens Road and then Witton Lane will take you to the ground after that. Witton Station – Witton is the closer option. You come out on Brookvale Road and make a short 5/6-minute journey on foot around the corner to the destination.

Alternatively, the 7 and 11 buses run regularly if you aren’t getting the train.

How to get tickets for Villa Park

If you’re a home fan visiting Villa Park, setting up a FAN ID and digital account is easy enough, and by doing this on the website, you can attempt to secure your seat.

Meanwhile, the Doug Ellis Stand can house just short of 3,000 away fans, split between the upper and lower tiers.

Villa Park is considered by many to be an old-school, classic ground that English football fans love to visit with the only slight drawback being the tight concourse.

Tickets for away fans, as usual, need to be bought through your own club as opposed to the Villa website.

Other events at Villa Park

Villa Park has hosted some iconic Aston Villa games, but also some infamous international matches.

The 1966 World Cup and 1996 European Championship have been two of England’s most successful major tournaments, and games were played here during both occasions.

When Sir Alf Ramsey’s side went all the way on home soil in ’66, three fixtures were played at Villa Park and then 30 years later, four clashes here hosted at Euro 96, including Czech Republic's quarter-final against Portugal.

55 FA Cup semi-finals have taken place on Trinity Road, which is more than any other stadium, as well as the last ever European Cup Winners’ Cup final and the 2012 Community Shield.

Away from football, major events in cricket, boxing and rugby have taken place at Villa Park, with two group games at the 2015 Rugby World Cup certainly being a highlight.

Taking sport out of the equation altogether, Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi and Take That are some of the most famous musical acts to perform there.

Leeds United take on West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns on Friday and Daniel Farke could spring a few surprises ahead of their trip to the Midlands to face Carlos Corberan's men.

West Brom vs Leeds team news

On Boxing Day, the Whites were on the end of a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End at Deepdale in a fiery Championship clash that was decided by a late Liam Miller wondergoal, which cancelled out an equaliser from the spot by Pascal Struijk.

Republic of Ireland international Alan Browne opened the scoring; however, the main talking point of proceedings was undoubtedly Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier's red card for retaliation, after he appeared to shove Milutin Osmajic in the face, leading to Karl Darlow taking his place between the sticks for the remainder of the clash.

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Speaking in his post-match press conference, Leeds United boss Farke criticised Osmajic for his theatrics on the field, leading to his side being reduced to ten men and suffering a loss on the road, stating via BBC Sport: "It's disappointing because the second player really has nothing to do with it. He's come in and tried to provoke Illan then he goes and rolls around 10 times. Maybe the referee should sense what was really happening there. Maybe a yellow card would have been a fairer outcome."

Nevertheless, the Yorkshire giants will have little time to lick their wounds as they go to battle once again away to West Brom on Friday evening in another must-win clash if they are serious about realising their aspirations of promotion. Now, some intriguing news has become available regarding Farke's potential team selection heading into the fixture, as provided by various reports.

Darlow starts but Dallas not ready as Farke set to ring the changes…

Previewing the clash, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Farke could make some surprise changes to his side at the Hawthorns, though one obvious alteration will present former Newcastle United goalkeeper Darlow with a rare start in light of Meslier's suspension.

Despite joining the Whites in the summer, the £30k-a-week ace has appeared just three times in all competitions and could now be offered an opportunity to begin on the field in the Championship for the first time since April, when he was on loan at Hull City.

Meanwhile, Stuart Dallas is still expected to be out for a period of time as he struggles to overcome a fractured femur, as injury specialist Dr Rajpal Brar explained to MOT Leeds News.

Brar stated: "If he’s returning to matches in January, then his training will be a gradual progression from individual to partial to full group training which is unlikely to happen this week. The extended absence and very serious nature of the injury make it even more paramount that his training progression is methodical. Having setbacks in his rehabilitation certainly has not helped."

While unclear exactly what Farke could change at the Hawthorns, Leeds need to win to keep pace with their rivals in the race for automatic promotion, so it will be intriguing to see just how bold the gaffer is after a disappointing performance and result.