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Celtic head into their first match of the European group stages with problems mounting for manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops struggled to come through the Champions League but have secured a pathway into the Europa League where they face some tough opponents.

First up is Real Betis, a side who love to dominate possession and pass you off the park.

The Bhoys travel to Seville in Spain and will have their work cut out with a number of injuries to contend with.

Therefore, what kind of XI can we expect from Postecoglou on Thursday night? Here’s what we’re predicting on Football FanCast…

We’re tipping the manager to make as many as five changes to his injury-depleted squad this evening.

Albian Ajeti is set to resume his place as the lead striker with Kyogo Furuhashi out for around a month and Giorgos Giakoumakis lacking fitness.

Next to him in the forward areas are Jota and Adam Montgomery. The self-professed “tricky” teenager is a winger by trade but has been used at full-back throughout his senior career so far.

Yet, with Liel Abada due to miss the game for religious reasons and James Forrest out injured, Montgomery is used in attack.

Callum McGregor has picked up a knock so he is replaced in the starting XI by summer signing James McCarthy. Betis are expected to dominate possession so we anticipate Postecoglou to bring Ismaila Soro back into the fray ahead of Tom Rogic to offer more defensive protection.

Greg Taylor is set to undergo shoulder surgery so Josip Juranovic plays at left-back as he did in the Old Firm derby.

That means that Anthony Ralston returns on the right-hand side after missing out against Ross County with his own injury.

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The final alteration is at centre-back where Carl Starfelt is axed in favour of Stephen Welsh, a player we’ve championed to start this week.

This is a huge uphill task for Celtic given the sheer number of fitness issues in the squad but Postecoglou will still have a number of experienced campaigners in his side.

AND in other news, £55k-p/w gem saw value rise by £25.3m after leaving Celtic, he’s now “one of the best”…

West Brom will be looking to win promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking this season, after being relegated from the top-flight last term.

The Baggies finished 19th in the Premier League table under the management of Sam Allardyce, before the 66-year-old left his role in charge of the club earlier this summer.

West Brom looked towards a manager that has caught the eye in his first season in the Championship, as they appointed Valerien Ismael as their new boss, after agreeing compensation with fellow second-tier side Barnsley to see him move to the Hawthorns ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Ismael will be looking to add players to his squad, with Alex Mowatt joining him at West Brom after opting not to renew his contract with Barnsley at Oakwell.

But with new arrivals likely, it does mean that some of the current West Brom squad are set for summer departures, and some are already attracting interest.

One of those to be linked with a move back into the Premier League is defender Darnell Furlong, with Football Insider claiming that both Burnley and newly-promoted Brentford are reportedly keen on finalising a deal to land his signature in the near future.

The full-back signed for the club back in 2019 from QPR and has gone on to make 69 appearances in total for the Baggies, and it appears as though his performances haven’t gone unnoticed.

It’ll be a tempting move

For any player, you’re going to want to be playing your football at the highest possible level, and a move to either Burnley or Brentford would present Furlong with the opportunity to do just that in England’s top-flight.

The Championship is a competitive league, but the prospect of playing against some of the best players in the world whilst in the Premier League will tempt Furlong, and you couldn’t blame the defender if he wanted to head for the exit door this summer.

He might not feature in Ismael’s plans

Ismael was heavily reliant on his wing-backs whilst with Barnsley, with the likes of Callum Styles and Callum Brittain catching the eye with some strong performances with the Tykes, as they challenged for promotion into the Premier League themselves.

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But Furlong only chipped in with one goal and three assists last term for West Brom, which could make it the ideal move for all parties involved if he was to depart the Hawthorns.

An attack-minded full-back playing to a high-intensity style is key to Ismael’s philosophy, and with Furlong on reported wages of £22,000 per-week (according to Salary Sport), it is time for them to cash-in on him in the near future, and sign a cheaper, more suitable option, as they look to adjust to dropping back to the Championship and to the new manager’s desires.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Said Benrahma could “be the one” to step up for West Ham next season.

The winger joined on Deadline Day from Brentford last summer before making his move permanent for £25m plus add-ons in January.

But Benrahma has struggled to replicate his Championship form with the Bees in previous seasons, starting just 11 Premier League games all season, and only four since the arrival of Jesse Lingard.

Benrahma, who’s played just 54 minutes across West Ham’s last four Premier League fixtures, hasn’t yet scored for the Hammers, providing just four assists.

The Algerian had been playing in a central attacking role prior to Lingard’s arrival, but with Pablo Fornals returning to form on the left, Benrahma has slipped down the pecking order under David Moyes.

But with Lingard’s loan deal expiring at the end of the season, Windass believes that the former Brentford attacker could step up in his absence.

He told Football FanCast:

“It was a loan deal then a permanent. And the only reason why he’s not playing is because Jesse Lingard is there, and Jesse Lingard won’t be there next season.

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“David Moyes will be saying ‘come back in good shape, get a good pre-season down you’. 

“He has unbelievable ability by the way, and could be the one to step up next season.”

According to WAZ, via The Mirror, Borussia Dortmund may be forced to sell Jude Bellingham in the summer amid interest from Manchester United.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils were reportedly eyeing up a move for Bellingham before his switch to Germany with United reportedly obsessed with winning the race to sign him nearly a year ago.

However, United missed the chance to sign the 17-year-old wonderkid after refusing to match the £56,000-per-week wages offered by Dortmund, as per a report from ESPN.

Bellingham has barely skipped a beat since swapping Birmingham City for the lofty heights of the Bundesliga, having made 26 appearances across all competitions so far this season.

But the cash-strapped club could now be forced to sell some of their star players to alleviate the financial pressures of these unprecedented circumstances, with Bellingham reportedly at the top of their shortlist.

What is Ed Woodward waiting for?

The England international, who earned his first cap for his country during the 1-0 win over Ireland, has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season for Dortmund.

Capable of playing in the centre or on the left, not only would he be able to provide backup for Fred, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack, with a tally of one goal and three assists to his name this season thus far.

By comparison, the Brazilian midfielder is yet to register a goal or assist in 26 appearances in all competitions this season.

It’s no surprise that teammates like Jadon Sancho have swooned over the English teenager, with the 20-year-old even calling his compatriot “world class.”

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Dortmund are doing it tough at the minute – both on and off the pitch – and Ed Woodward should seize the opportunity to take advantage of the situation by signing a player who is a future star in the making this summer.

AND in other news, Manchester United urged to sign West Ham star Declan Rice by Trevor Sinclair…

According to The Times, Tottenham want to sign Alexander Sorloth and they may just have been given a boost to their hopes of doing so.

The newspaper reported that the Norwegian is keen to move on from Trabzonspor, whose president Ahmet Agaoglu has said that “Sorloth wants to go” amid further interest from RB Leipzig.

However, Spurs’ prospects of signing the 24-year-old could rest on whether they can strike a deal to end his two-year loan with the Turkish club, as he is still a Crystal Palace player. The Eagles do not have an option to cut short his loan and they would need to reach a financial agreement with Trabzonspor if they want to sell him to Tottenham.

Sorloth enjoyed a terrific first season on loan at Trabzonspor, hitting 33 goals in all competitions for the Turkish Super Lig outfit. To put that into context, it is the same tally that Harry Kane and Dele Alli, two of Tottenham’s top three scorers in 2019/20, managed between them (as per TransferMarkt).

The Norwegian’s prolific spell in Turkey is in stark contrast to the form that he showed for Crystal Palace, for whom he has netted just once in 20 appearances and struggled for game-time prior to loan spells with Gent and Trabzonspor.

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has indicated that he wants to bring in a striker to compete with Kane, who is currently Spurs’ only senior centre-forward, and the Lilywhites are reportedly meeting with the Turkish club to discuss his future.

Some Spurs fans may have their reservations about Sorloth given his struggles in England with Crystal Palace, although he has shown during his time in Turkey that he can be a marvellously prolific striker – something which Tottenham don’t have aside from Kane, whose luck with injuries is not the greatest.

Aside from the complications arising from Palace needing to terminate his loan deal, though, RB Leipzig have reportedly made a £16m offer already for the Norwegian, who may not be a regular starter at Spurs given Kane’s formidable goal return for the club and Mourinho’s preference for a 4-2-3-1 formation.

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That the 24-year-old seemingly wants to leave Trabzonspor is encouraging for Spurs – it then becomes a matter of being able to jump through the subsequent hoops in their attempts to land him.

Tottenham fans, do you think that Spurs will get Sorloth by the end of the transfer window? Comment below with your views!

Leeds United are in a very strong position as they embark on the final nine games of the Championship season, and only then can they start to plan for the future, and a decision on one player may be out of their hands.

What’s been said?

The Whites clinched RB Leipzig striker Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan during the January transfer window and hold an olbligation to buy him on a permanent basis this summer, should they gain promotion.

He’s been restricted to just 48 minutes from three substitute appearances since joining the club, but in part, that has been down to an injury.

Meanwhile, the squad as a whole have gone seven points clear of the playoff positions after a five-win streak.

Marcelo Bielsa is fiercely loyal to his starting XI anyway, so he was always going to be sat behind Patrick Bamford.

Speaking in a recent Q&A, Phil Hay revealed the exact price United will have to pay should they go up, he said:

Expensive risk

Hay also claimed the 22-year-old is currently on approximately £100k-per-week at the Bundesliga outfit, so if Leeds do indeed go up, that “£17m/£18m” clause is going to look like a hefty sum of cash.

Given his lack of game time to date, it would be a huge risk unless Bielsa has seen things behind the scenes in his character and from training to suggest he can pull his weight in west Yorkshire long-term.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Aston Villa won in excess of £170m for winning the “richest game in football” (the playoffs) last season, yet their summer spree of spending has hardly panned out as Monday night’s thumping to Leicester City has left them firmly in a relegation scrap.

It only goes to show that spending money isn’t the be-all and end-all to achieving continued success in the top-flight.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

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Rio Ferdinand is the club’s record signing at £18m – the reported fee it will cost to sign Augustin – and even though finances were a lot different in 2000, has the Frenchman done enough to warrant the same tag?

Probably not.

And in other news, Leeds fans swoon over Jay-Roy Grot after goal…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Liverpool, Premier League champions.

It has a ring to it, doesn’t it, particularly for those on the red half of Merseyside?

After Leicester City’s draw with Norwich City, coupled with the Reds’ win over Watford, Jurgen Klopp’s men are ten points clear at the top of the table.

There are, of course, 21 games left to play and 63 points left to fight for but it feels as though the Reds will stay there for the duration now.

The stats point to it too; they’ve won 16 games and drawn just one of their 17 thus far this season. They have scored 42 goals and conceded just 14 goals.

Their performance against Watford wasn’t actually all that good. The Hornets had eight shots on goal and it was only woeful finishing that stopped them from scoring; they managed just two shots on target.

This is the hallmark of champions, though. Klopp’s men can grind out wins when one least expects it and, throughout the season, they have done just that.

Quickfire Quiz: Premier League experts will get 100%…

Leicester, perhaps unexpectedly, had been positioned as their challengers purely due to the ineptitude of those around them. Manchester City have already lost four games and the Foxes have been in a position to benefit; they have just two defeats to their name this term.

Inspired by Jamie Vardy’s 16 goals, they have put together a respectable challenge but they do not look equipped to make up a gap of 10 points.

Against Norwich, they dominated the play, having 57.3% possession, 17 shots to the Canaries’ nine and 11 corners to the visitors’ four.

But they paid the price for an inability to find a way to win, to grind out a win in the way that Liverpool have done repeatedly.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are electric, exciting and have players that could grace most top clubs in Europe. But they simply don’t have the backbone that Liverpool have.

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As the season progresses and the festive period kicks in, the games will come thick and fast and Liverpool will actually head to Qatar for the Club World Cup.

It means that the Foxes could well claw back some of that deficit but such has been the Reds’ form, don’t be surprised if they merely extend it once again as soon as they return.

Liverpool, Premier League champions.

Meanwhile, a former Arsenal man has urged the club to bring in a key Leicester figure.

Sunderland have officially announced Phil Parkinson as the club’s new manager, nine days after the sacking of Jack Ross.

The Black Cats sit ninth in League One having won just one game in the competition over the past four fixtures, and Parkinson instantly has a chance to get his new side back into the playoffs, should they beat Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend and other results go their way.

Many fans certainly weren’t excited by the prospect of the former Bradford City boss being in contention before he was appointed, but that is exactly what has happened. The 51-year-old’s most recent stint in management, however, should certainly give the Sunderland supporters some hope for the future.

Sunderland set to become “the richest club in England”? Get the latest on the Black Cats’ takeover situation in the video below…

Although he resigned as Bolton Wanderers boss at the start of this season, Parkinson achieved promotion to the Championship in 2017, which, after all, is the aim for the Black Cats for the end of the campaign.

The 3-0 victory over Peterborough earned the Whites a spot in the second tier, with the club finishing on an impressive 86 points and as the best defensive side in the division, conceding just 36 goals.

Here is what three individuals who know what Parkinson can do better than most have said…

Furthermore, before the former Reading player took over at Bolton, Parkinson made a name for himself as a coach when he famously took League Two side Bradford to the League Cup final, beating Premier League sideÂArsenal along the way.

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At the Trotters, the Chorley-born also endured a troublesome time behind the scenes, with the club entering financial meltdown during his reign. Amidst this, Parkinson was still able to get the club back into the Championship and Sunderland fans should remember this going forward and give him the time and patience he will need to do the same.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Back at the start of the month, Liverpool were met with two offers from Rangers and Leeds for their young winger Ryan Kent, but rejected both of them.

Either offer must have been fairly enticing for the Champions League winners to accept. The Liverpool Echo reported that the Reds were hoping for £12m, but even a lesser sum would’ve had an argument for it to be accepted given Kent’s career path so far.

The 22-year-old has been on five separate loan moves away from Anfield over the course of the last five years, and after every one, he hasn’t quite been in the discussion regarding a spot in the first-team.

“The worst we’ve played all season” but “our most straightforward final since 2003” – a Liverpool fan reflects on the UCL final in the video below…

As a result, the money on the table must’ve been enticing for a player running out of time at Liverpool.

However, the Merseysiders’ decision to reject advances for Kent has paid off if his form in pre-season is anything to go by.

The 5 foot 8 attacker has impressed hugely in Liverpool’s friendly affairs this summer.

Kent has one assist to his name, and has also completed an impressive 10 dribbles – his directness and dribbling ability are the main features of his game.

He appeared to find his feet whilst out on loan with Rangers last term under Steven Gerrard’s tutelage, scoring six goals and winning the Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Season award as he looked to come of age –  the Scottish giants were put off by the £12m price tag however.

Luckily for Liverpool, they seem to have come out on top as their young talent starts to hit his stride, and at a perfect time amid a mini fitness issue in attack.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were all away on international duty over the summer, meaning they will have disrupted pre-seasons and assumingly, a disjointed start to the campaign as their fitness slowly builds up.

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As a result, Kent will most likely be needed at some point by Klopp.

The decision to keep him was bold as there were more than enough arguments for him to be sold, but Liverpool’s transfer stance looks to be paying off judging by Kent’s pre-season form.

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James Forrest has been an outstanding performer for Celtic this season and his contribution has aptly been recognised by Sky Sports journalist Charles Paterson.

What’s the word?

Forrest, one of Celtic’s finest academy graduates, has excelled this season.

He has managed to score 17 goals and provide 20 assists from 55 appearances in all-competitions, while he finally got off the mark for the Scotland national side with a handful of goals.

Now 27, this could represent a watershed season in Forrest’s career, with his development suggesting that he is now a vital player for the national side and his progression could hold the key to Scotland’s success in the coming years.

And his scintillating season has earned him esteemed praise from Sky Sports journalist Charles Paterson.

‘Forrest has continued his evolution into a potent weapon for club and country.

‘Through the autumn he was almost unstoppable, scoring four goals in the first half at St Johnstone in a standout performance, form he continued on the big stage for Scotland in November.

‘The goals have dried up somewhat since then, but 17 in all competitions for Celtic is by far his best return in a season.’

A watershed season for Forrest

The Paradise faithful are firmly aware of the assist-king’s attacking quality and exemplary work-rate, but he has often struggled to mirror his club form on the international stage.

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But the 2018/19 campaign has been a year for change on that front, with five goals in just two UEFA Nations League appearances providing that he now has the mentality to carry his outstanding form for Celtic into a different environment.

The electric winger has made huge strides forward this season and he must now use his seniority and consistency to carry Scotland forward when they need him most.

Paterson is absolutely spot on about the incredibly potent Forrest.