Wigan Athletic s defence of their FA Cup crown continues with a tricky fifth-round trip to Premier League outfit Cardiff City on Saturday.
The Lancashire outfit are on a 10-match unbeaten run in the world s oldest football competition, including a famous 1-0 triumph over Manchester City in last season s final when Roberto Martinez was at the helm.
Wigan have since dropped out of the Premier League, meaning Uwe Rosler s men would be the first team in 34 years to win the competition from outside the top flight if they can repeat their success, with West Ham the last team to achieve the feat in 1980.
If history is anything to go by, Wigan have every reason to be optimistic of a cup upset at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Cardiff have failed to register a victory over Wig…
Verdict: Newcastle win
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Looking to carry on what has been a very bright run of form, Rafa Benitez s Newcastle side will welcome West Ham to St. James Park on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle
Starting with Rafa Benitez s side, although it might have been a slow start to the season for Newcastle their 2-1 win away at Burnley on Monday night has summed up what has been a very impressive turnaround. Now unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches, winning their last three on the bounce, the mood around St. James is at a season high. Looking to secure another top half finish, Newcastle will also be boosted by their recent record against West Ham. Unbeaten at home since 2005, the Magpies have also now won four of their last five m…
Valencia coach Marcelino has suggested the club are open to Michy Batshuayi leaving after an underwhelming loan spell from Chelsea.
Batshuayi joined Chelsea in 2016 to significant fanfare after impressing with Marseille, but he has had little impact at the club.
He was shipped out to Borussia Dortmund on a temporary deal in the second half of last season and caught the eye, scoring seven times in 10 Bundesliga games.
That form saw him attract significant interest in pre-season, with Chelsea again keen to see him leave, and Valencia struck a deal which include a purchase option.
However, he has scored just once in 13 LaLiga outings and, following reports claiming Valencia want to send him back to Chelsea, Marcelino did little to cool such speculation.
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Best Odds: 7/10
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Two sides who find themselves in search of a real boost when returning from the international break, Leicester will host Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
Leicester City
Starting with the hosts, while Leicester might have come within touching distance of landing a top-four finish last season, they are showing some worrying issues this time around. Despite claiming their first FA Cup crown over the summer, Brendan Rodgers side mark their return from October s international break sat down in 13th and needing a real boost. Last seen earlier in the month throwing away a two-goal lead at Selhurst Park and having to settle for a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace, Foxes fans have had little to cheer about so far this campaign. Coming under r…
Ben Chilwell kept up his scoring streak but gave all the credit to Edouard Mendy after the Chelsea goalkeeper defied Brentford with a string of vital saves, securing a valuable three points.
Chelsea s 1-0 win against their west London rivals came thanks to Chilwell s fine strike in the 45th minute, his third goal in his past three games.
Mendy produced six saves to preserve what Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel described as not the cleanest sheet we ever had .
The shutout was Mendy s 20th in the Premier League from just 38 starts. In the competition s history, only Petr Cech (26), Pepe Reina (32), Alisson (36) and Roy Carroll (37) have needed fewer starts to reach 20 clean sheets, Opta said.
It was pretty much Hell on Earth for the last 20 minutes b…
Serie A trio AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus are leading the race to sign Manchester City full-back Aleksander Kolarov, .
According to his agent, no offers have yet been received by the Premier League title favourites for the Serbia international, who has made just nineteen league starts so far this season.
The 28 year old moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2010, and he has won the complete set of domestic honours since arriving in England.
However, he could be set to move on this summer, with teams in Russia and France also linked with a move to secure his services.
City currently sit in third place in the table, and will win a second championship in three years if they win their remaining three games regardless of the results of their rivals.
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FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a mistake .
Qatar s bid to host the tournament was accepted in December 2010 in a decision that has since sparked much controversy.
Allegations of bribery emerged less than a year after the right to stage the World Cup was awarded to Qatar, while concerns over the extreme heat in the country during the months of June and July when the competition is traditionally held have led to calls for the tournament to be moved, with November and January touted as possible starting dates.
Additionally, human rights group Amnesty International has previously called for FIFA to intervene following reports of mistreatment of Nepalese migrant workers at World Cup construction projects in the Arab st…
Manchester United full-back Guillermo Varela has hit back at Eintracht Frankfurt for terminating his loan spell after the defender got a tattoo in the build-up to the DFB-Pokal final, asking whether Real Madrid would treat Sergio Ramos in such a way because of his penchant for body art.
Varela had been expected to start Saturday s clash with Borussia Dortmund, but went against the wishes of coach Niko Kovac and the club s doctors when getting the tattoo, according to a Frankfurt statement on Wednesday.
The area then became inflamed, meaning the Uruguayan put his participation in the crucial match in jeopardy.
However, Frankfurt swiftly moved to end Varela s affiliation to the club by suspending his loan spell, issuing a personal punishment and sending him back t…
Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid rounded off their La Liga season on a high with a 2-0 home win against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Defeat to Levante last weekend ended Atletico s title hopes but goals from Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann saw Diego Simeone s men finish their domestic campaign with three points.
Diego Godin went close to opening the scoring after six minutes, but his header struck both the crossbar and the post before Fabian Orellana had Celta s best chance of the first half, only to find Jan Oblak in terrific form.
A brace of goals in the space of three minutes shortly after half-time secured the points for Atletico, with Torres brilliantly volleying in the opener following Celta s failure to clear a corner.
Griezmann then …
Frank Lampard criticised Chelsea for failing to see off Brighton and Hove Albion before half-time on New Year s Day, as Alireza Jahanbakhsh s sensational late strike earned a 1-1 draw.
The Blues led early through Cesar Azpilicueta and were then comfortable for the most part until they came under increasing pressure in the final 10 minutes.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was forced into impressive saves either side of a stunning overhead-kick from Jahanbakhsh.
Chelsea also could have clinched the points in the closing minutes, yet Lampard did not believe they should have been in a position where the game was still in the balance.
It was frustrating for different reasons, he told BT Sport. In the first half, the game was there to be won.
We weren t ruthless en…