MyTotalline

 Did you know? Chelsea are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League meetings with West Bromwich Albion (W5 D2). The Blues can become the first team in the PL to keep a clean sheet in their first six home matches under one manager. West Brom have conceded just three goals in their last six PL matches. All three of Callum Robinson's PL goals have come against Chelsea. Match officials Referee: David Coote. Assistants: Neil Davies, Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Stuart Attwell. VAR: Chris Kavanagh. Assistant VAR: Peter Kirkup.

 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in good spirits since returning to Arsenal this week. The Gunners captain was one of several first-team players called up for international duty following the 3-3 draw against West Ham United at the London Stadium earlier in the month. And after struggling against the Hammers which saw him substituted just minutes before Alexandre Lacazette scored to complete a dramatic comeback, Aubameyang was back to his best last Thursday evening. Not only did the 31-year-old get on the scoresheet in the 86th minute of a comfortable 3-0 win over DR Congo, but he also claimed an assist for Denis Bouanga. That win sealed Gabon's place at next year's Africa Cup of Nations tournament and mini-break from club action might have been just what Aubameyang needed. Usually, a positive influence at training, he appears to have been in an even better mood this week. The biggest change is a brand new hairstyle - one that caught the attention of teammate Alexandre Lacaz...

  Arsenal and Real Madrid have reached an agreement over negotiations for Martin Odegaard. Odegaard joined the Gunners on loan from Real during the January transfer window and has hit the ground running with a raft of impressive displays. Goal says the two clubs have decided to wait until the end of the season before holding talks over a possible permanent deal involving the 22-year-old. Arsenal are reportedly worried that his parent club will demand a staggering fee of £50million once they return to the negotiation table. The Gunners also fear stiff competition from London rivals Chelsea, who could hijack their star man in the summer. Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be keeping tabs on the Norway international but Real may not be keen on selling him at all.

  England manager Gareth Southgate has allayed fears over Mason Mount's fitness by stating the midfielder should be fit to face Poland in their 2022 World Cup qualifier. Southgate said of the Chelsea player: "No, he didn't warm up with the team but he did the rest of the session with the team.There were doubts surrounding Mount's fitness after he missed part of training on Tuesday. However, the 22-year-old is expected to feature at Wembley in Wednesday's Group I tie. "He should be fine. They are all available as far as we are concerned." Speculation over the future of Three Lions captain Harry Kane has been present throughout this international camp with the Tottenham striker yet to win any silverware with his club side. But Southgate does not expect it to distract Kane, with the European Championship coming up this summer. Southgate added: "I've got no worries about Harry Kane, he's a fantastic professional. He is always focused on the next ...

 Chelsea will face Porto in Seville for both legs of their Champions League quarter final in April. There had been rumours of such a move, and the club today confirmed those whispers with an official announcement. It had previously been suspected that just the Porto “home” leg would be in Spain, but as it’s turned out, perhaps out of fairness or because of the current British-Portuguese flight restrictions, a neutral double header has been elected. In the last round Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid by winning in the “away” leg played in Romania rather than Spain. This time there will be no game at Stamford Bridge. Porto caused an upset against Juventus in the previous round, and will have to upset the odds once again to make it past Thomas Tuchel’s in form team. Chelsea’s “away game” will be on the 7th of April and their “home” leg on the 13th, both at 8pm.

 Malang Sarr is reportedly expected to return to Chelsea in the summer after his loan period with Porto. After signing the defender on a free transfer in 2020, Chelsea allowed the 22-year-old to spend the campaign in Portugal in order to gain regular first-team football. However, the 22-year-old has endured a mixed spell away from Stamford Bridge, making just 14 starts and five substitute appearances in all competitions. According to Record, neither Sarr or Porto have any desire to turn the loan agreement in a permanent deal, subsequently resulting in the player being due back in West London later in the year. While Chelsea may decide to send Sarr to a different club in a stronger league, the player's ability to play at centre-back and left-back could put him in contention for a place in Thomas Tuchel's squad. The Blues are expected to free up a space in defence with the sale of Marcos Alonso or Emerson Palmieri in the summer.

Granit Xhaka has been named as Arsenal’s best player of 2021 so far by the CIES Football Observatory, who developed a unique methodology to determine who performed best irrespective of position. Interestingly, Granit Xhaka was overlooked by his club for the January Player of the Month award, included in February’s listing and then omitted from the running for the March gong. So where has this come from? The CIES Football Observatory specialise in this sort of thing, even if some of the results sometimes can be fairly controversial as they don’t conform to most fans’ viewpoints – Thiago was the highest ranked at Liverpool, for example . As stated by the CIES, they use an algorithm based off of almost every facet of the sport. You name it, they use it. “Several stages are necessary to analyse the technical performance of players in a pertinent manner.” And, interestingly, that has resulted in Xhaka top scoring in 2021 for Arsenal with an 80.9/100 overall score. He’s ranked seventh in the...

 Mavropanos joined the Gunners from Pas Giannina in 2018 and is now on his second loan spell at Stuttgart, following a short stint at Nurenberg. The centre-back has put together a raft of impressive displays for the Bundesliga side, earning an international call-up by Greece manager John van't Schip. The 23-year-old finally made his international debut in Sunday's international friendly against Honduras and played 90 minutes for his country, who won 2-1 thanks to a brace by Willem ace Vangelis Pavlidis. Arsenal fans watched Mavropanos' bow for Greece and were so impressed that they now see him as someone that can improve their error-prone defence next season. One supporter took to Twitter and called on the north Londoners not to cash in on the talented defender: "This is someone we really shouldn't sell." Another fan claims Mavropanos should stay: "We have some assets if we truly want to sell and rebuild in the summer. I wish he stays though." A thir...

 Arsenal could get Lucas Torreira back this summer, if indeed they want the midfielder. Torreira has spent this season out on loan at Atletico Madrid in a bid to get get more regular game time having fallen out of favour at the Emirates Stadium. But the loan move hasn't exactly worked out for the Uruguayan, who has started only three times in La Liga this season, making 22 appearances overall. Torreira could still get a happy ending to his Spanish loan spell with Atletico Madrid top of La Liga and in with a real shot of winning the title. But ultimately, it's very likely Atletico will send Torreira back to North London without trying to sign him permanently. The Spanish club do not have an option to buy, but it's not likely they would have activated it anyway, meaning Torreira could have a busy summer ahead.

 Chelsea FCW return to Kingsmeadow to take on an Aston Villa WFC side who find themselves fighting for WSL survival. The Villans are part of a four-team group at the bottom of the table separated by only four points. They are just one point ahead of currently relegation-bound West Ham United, and have a match in hand. With the end of the league season coming into view in the distance, the visitors will be desperate for any and any and every point. Of course, the Blues are also desperate for each and every point as we look to defend our title. Rivals Manchester City nearly gave that a big boost by dropping points against Reading this weekend, but Lauren Hemp’s late goal keeps the pressure on the leaders. Sandwiched between two titanic matches against Wolfsburg, can Chelsea take care of business? Date / Time: Sunday, March 28th, 2020, 14.30 BST; 9:30am EDT; 7:00pm IST Venue: Kingsmeadow Referee: Sarah Garratt Forecast: Mild, Cloudy points. They are just one point ahead of currently r...

A spectacular volley from Vivianne Miedema helped Arsenal to a crushing victory in the north London derby Full time: Tottenham 0-3 Arsenal Peep peep! A crushing victory for Arsenal, who were dominant throughout and could have won by more. In the end they settled for three goals from Caitlin Foord, Vivianne Miedema and Katie McCabe. Miedema’s volley, from McCabe’s corner, was quite spectacular. Spurs worked hard and never let their heads drop, but they were sadly outclassed. 

  Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will contest the third Barclays FA Women’s Super League North London derby this afternoon when the pair meet at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Gunners have come out on top in the two previous league meetings, although Spurs did record their first positive result against Arsenal when the two sides drew 2-2 in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup at Meadow Park in November. The injury situation at Spurs is beginning to improve and head coach Rehanne Skinner does not have too many concerns ahead of the latest North London derby. Goalkeeper Becky Spencer returned to the side for the 1-1 draw with Bristol City last weekend while Hannah Godfrey was named on the bench. The Scotland international will be pushing for a recall this afternoon following another week of rebuilding her fitness. Full-back Ashleigh Neville is still some way away from a first team return. Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro will welcome defender Leah Williamson back to the side a...

 Arsenal will now be without four players for a month later this year after Nicolas Pepe’s Ivory Coast qualified for the African Cup of Nations, report Football London. As reported by Football London, this edition of AFCON was initially due to take place in the summer, meaning there would be no clash with the Premier League campaign, but the unfavourable situation created by the coronavirus pandemic left organisers with little choice but to postpone it until winter 2021. While by that point we may well be able to see fans back within the confines of football stadiums, it does mean that some of the Premier League’s biggest names, including Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, could be missing for a month for their respective clubs at the end of the year. In fact, as reported by Football London, Arsenal could be without as many as four players now after Nicolas Pepe ensured his qualification for the tournament with Ivory Coast. Aubameyang, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are...

 Martin Odegaard has hit the ground running at Arsenal but a permanent move could be beyond the Gunners. The Norwegian was signed on loan from Real Madrid in January. Mikel Arteta was in need of a creative midfielder and Odegaard has quickly acclimatised to the English top flight. Arsenal are planning to discuss the player's future with his parent club according to football.london. But a permanent switch may hinge on whether Los Blancos are prepared to ignore the player's £301 release clause. Arsenal, when negotiating Odegaard's loan move, did not include an option to buy nor did they settle on any future fee. That is in stark contrast to Chelsea who were smart enough to include a purchase option when they negotiated with the Spanish side in 2018. Mateo Kovacic moved to west London on loan before being signed permanently a year later. Chelsea were able to acquire the player for £40m due to their prior agreement - Arsenal will not have that luxury. Odegaard's future firs...

Happy 39th Birthday to Mikel Arteta How would you rate his first 15 months as Arsenal manager out of ?

 The midfielder tweaked the muscle in the later stages of Les Bleus' 1-1 draw with Ukraine at the Stade de France.  Kante has subsequently been ruled out of France's next two World Cup qualifiers and sent back to Stamford Bridge. France confirmed the status of Kante's injury, claiming scans showed a 'small lesion' in the muscle.  Following the 'clinical and radiological examinations', Kante was sent home to undergo treatment at Chelsea.  The official statement on the French Football Federation website read: 'N'Golo Kante will not take part in the next two matches of the French team on Sunday in Kazakhstan and three days later in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  The Chelsea midfielder felt a pain in the hamstrings of the left thigh at the very end of the match against Ukraine on Wednesday at the Stade de France. He had clinical and radiological examinations on Thursday, which revealed a small lesion. 'In consultation with Doctor Franck Le Gall, national coac...

 Premier League clubs have been told by refereeing chiefs that they will produce a plan to “change and improve” the VAR system ahead of next season. The system is being implemented for the second year in England's top flight, but controversial incidents have been associated with its usage throughout. Clubs were told at a Premier League shareholders meeting today that changes would be passed on to officials so that they could work on them this summer. The plan will revolve around two key issues - consistent decision making and marginal offsides, reports The Times. For almost two years now referees and those at Stockley Park have been accused of lacking consistency when it comes to red cards and penalty calls. Similar incidents have been officiated differently which has caused frustration while several dismissals have been overturned upon appeal. Offsides have perhaps been the main issue, with players pinned for being millimetres the wrong side despite the technology itself not being...

 Chelsea loanee Malang Sarr cannot be prevented from playing against his parent club for Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals, sources have confirmed to The Athletic. Sarr will have the opportunity to help Porto eliminate Chelsea, the club who signed him from Nice on a free transfer last summer before sending him to Portugal, and could make his Stamford Bridge debut as an opposition player in the second leg of the tie on April 13. Loanees are routinely prevented from playing against their parent club in the Premier League, but UEFA prevent similar arrangements being made in their competitions. Chelsea will travel to Porto for the first leg of the quarter-finals on April 7. Why could Sarr have been prevented from playing? It is standard practice in English football for loan players to sit out matches against their parent club, with clauses written into loan agreements sanctioned by the Premier League and Football Association. Chelsea would likely have insisted on the same wi...

  Norway manager Stale Solbakken has said that Martin Odegaard has not suffered a serious injury and the on-loan Arsenal star could be available for the country’s next World Cup qualifier against Turkey on Saturday. Odegaard captained his national team for the first time in his career against Gibraltar, but he could not play the full 90 minutes. The 22-year-old twisted his ankle six minutes before the half-time interval and was substituted at the break. Speaking after the 3-0 triumph, Solbakken said that Odegaard’s injury is not serious and he has ‘big hopes’ of the playmaker returning for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Turkey in La Rosaleda. “It is not a serious injury. I have big hopes that Martin will be fit for the game against Turkey on Saturday,” he was quoted as saying by The Mirror. Meanwhile, Odegaard also provided a positive update and said that he could be fit to face Turkey, who registered a stunning 4-2 win over the Netherlands.  Odegaard joined the Gunner...

 Chelsea emerged victorious in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Wolfsburg.  Emma Hayes' side beat Wolfsburg 2-1 after Samantha Kerr opened the scoring n the 55th minute of the game. Kerr's contribution marked her 17th goal of the campaign. Pernille Harder added to the tally in the 66th minute of the game by sliding the ball into the corner of the net after Kirby intercepted Kiedrzynek’s short goal-kick. Wolfsburg did, however, manage to pull one back with a penalty from Dominique Janssen. 

 The 25-year-old played a major role in helping his boyhood club Villa avoid relegation from the Premier League last season and has continued to excel in the current campaign. Despite missing his side’s last six league games through injury, Grealish has already registered six goals and 12 assists in England’s top flight this term and Villa are said to want around £100million to let their prized asset leave.  Meanwhile, Arsenal are down in ninth place after losing 11 of their 29 games in the league this season and Gunners legend Winterburn has urged his former side to snap up the playmaker He is a terrific player. His ability speaks for itself and he’s the type of player that if we want to move forward then we should be looking to buy. ‘He tends to prefer to play on the left-hand side so we’d need to see how that works with Arsenal’s current set up but I’m sure he could play in that Number 10 role as well. ‘Lots is up in the air with Arsenal, they’re not sure if [Martin] Odega...

 The Champions League draw blessed us with a homecoming for Pernille Harder, who helped guide VfL Wolfsburg to four Frauen Bundesliga titles in four seasons, and two Champions League finals, including last year’s, before swapping wolf-green for Chelsea-blue. But the draw also brought back haunting memories of campaigns past, even as we did well to avoid Lyon, PSG, Barcelona or even Manchester City. Wolfsburg eliminated Chelsea from the Champions League three of the last four times we played in it — 2016 (Round of 16), 2017 (Round of 32), 2018 (semifinals). Chelsea repeated as semifinalists in 2019, losing to Lyon, and did not qualify for last season. But a lot has changed in London since then, with Chelsea strengthening under the watchful eyes of manager Emma Hayes. All that work on and off the pitch has given us full confidence that the third fourth time is the charm. Date / Time: Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 16.00 GMT; 12pm EDT; 9:30pm IST Venue: Ferenc Szusza Stadium, Budapest, Hu...

 Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell slammed the performance of goalkeeper Bernd Leno during the Gunners’ 3-3 Premier League draw at West Ham United last weekend. The Germany international has been the Gunners’ undisputed choice in goal this term, but he has received criticism from some fans for his inconsistent displays. Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Campbell was unimpressed with the German’s showing against the Hammers where he conceded a soft second goal. The Gunners backline switched off for the quick free-kick from Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen went on to beat Leno at the near post from an acute angle. Leno made amends with a good save to deny Declan Rice, but Campbell said that the performance was simply not good enough for an Arsenal number one. He said: “Leno did not have too much to do in the game.” “He produced one smart save from Declan Rice when he broke through but the goal, it was disappointing to say the least. “If I am honest with you, it was simply n...

  MIKEL ARTETA has a huge decision to make over whether Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can lead the line in his starting XI. In my own mind I have been weighing up what he offers in the role and comparing it to what Alexandre Lacazette offers and, in truth, trying to convince myself that our Gabonese talisman edged it. Admittedly the thought process will undoubtedly have been influenced by the fact that the club has committed to Aubameyang and him to them. Meanwhile French forward Lacazette has seemingly not been offered a new deal with his contract to expire in 2022. No Arsenal supporter wants to see another Mesut Ozil situation on the horizon, so I am sure most would love to see a happy Auba, smiling on the pitch and scoring for fun. However, this is perhaps not the player we have at present. Against Tottenham and again in the second half comeback at the London Stadium, Lacazette illustrated quite clearly the attributes required of a sole striker, with excellent hold u...

The Uruguayan forward has been one of the finest attacking players in world football down the years and has given so many of the best defenders absolute nightmares, whether in the Premier League, La Liga, or the Champions League. Still, Suarez has suggested that Silva is a defender he’s struggled against, and there’s no doubt the experienced Brazilian has been one of the most solid defensive players in the world for much of the last decade or so. Silva spent most of his peak years at Paris Saint-Germain, but is continuing to be an important player at Chelsea this season despite being 36 years of age and surely nearing the end of his top-level playing career. This wholesome moment was a welcome change from ‘the expressionless tourists and abusive locals who make up the Stamford Bridge crowd in non-plague times.’ Read more. Suarez paid tribute to the veteran centre half, however, as quoted in the graphic below from ESPN…https://twitter.com/ESPNUK/status/1374279379455504384?s=20

The Englishman only broke into their team a little over two seasons ago and became a mainstay in the side in the last campaign. The Gunners have seen him rise to the occasion of being their top player and he has helped them earn some important wins. His importance to their team hasn’t gone unnoticed and CIES Football Observatory as reported by Mirror Football recently rated him the most valuable player at the club.  The report says the teenage star is currently valued between £103m-£130m. The rating was arrived at after they considered metrics like ability, age, contract length and their respective league and team. His value equates to 20% of Arsenal’s overall playing assets and makes him sixth overall in Europe’s top five leagues. His overall ranking is only bettered by players like Marcus Rashford, Kylian Mbappe, Joao Felix, among others. Saka has just been named in the England team for the latest international matches again. He is arguably the best player to graduate from the cl...

 Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Sunday that the 29-year-old will not be travelling for his side's two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers because of a tooth issue that requires surgery. Mendy did not feature in Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Sheffield United with Kepa Arrizabalaga starting in between the posts. And now Mendy has been ruled out of Senegal duty this month for their matches against the Congo and Eswatini.  Senegal have already booked their place in next year's Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon. 'Mendy will stay because he has an operation on his tooth,' Tuchel told his post-match press conference when asked on the goalkeeper's prospects. 'He needs to see the dentist because it needs to be done. It's why we do it now [so he is fit again after the international break] Tuchel will be desperately hoping his stopper's tooth is sorted by the time Chelsea return to action against West Brom on April 3. Mendy has so far kept 11 c...

 ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has hailed Martin Odegaard after he played a starring role in their dramatic 3-3 draw against West Ham. The 22-year-old was influential in dragging his side back into the game at the London Stadium as the Gunners came from three goals down to nick a point. Odegaard found Calum Chambers twice down the right channel, with the right-back's crosses forcing two own goals through Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson. And he then slipped in Nicolas Pepe in the 82nd minute where the Ivorian found Alexandre Lacazette to head home the late equaliser. The Norwegian playmaker finished the game with a pass completion rate of 93 per cent, which included 37 successful passes out of 41 in the final third. He also created the most chances for his team in the clash against the Hammers, as well as having the most take-ons in the games. Arteta was left singing his praises following the full-time whistle, as he told the Arsenal website: "I think he had an incredible performance...

 Chelsea will play Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The Blues defeated Sheffield United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to book a place in the last four, with a late strike from Hakim Ziyech adding to Oliver Norwood’s earlier own goal to secure our victory. Our semi-final with Pep Guardiola's side will take place at Wembley on either April 17 or 18 and full details for this fixture will be announced in due course. FA Cup semi-final draw Leicester or Manchester United v Southampton Chelsea v Manchester City

 Arsenal fought back from a three-goal deficit to secure a point in a contest with West Ham that thrilled from first minute to last. West Ham came out with purpose and posed a series of questions with teasing deliveries into the box early on. Tomas Soucek was the main aerial threat, but a pair of half-chances went begging as Arsenal struggled to settle into the contest. The Hammers’ early pressure paid off in the 15th minute when Jesse Lingard continued his remarkable purple patch with a sublime strike. Michail Antonio broke free down the left before cutting back to Lingard. Fresh off his recall to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, the 28-year-old controlled before firing into the top corner from the edge of the area. Within a flash their lead was doubled when Arsenal were caught cold by a quick free-kick. With several Gunners stars remonstrating with the referee, the razor sharp Lingard fed Jarrow Bowen who somehow squeezed a low effort through Bernd Leno at the near post. The nig...

Arsenal desperately need a win when we take on West Ham at the London Stadium this afternoon. Bukayo Saka has handed Mikel Arteta a major boost as the young attacker has been passed fit to return from a thigh injury that kept him out of Thursday night’s Europa League game with Olympiacos. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang keeps his place in the Arsenal attack but it looks like he’ll play from a wider position as Alexandre Lacazette returns up front. Nicolas Pepe drops to the bench along with Emile Smith Rowe as Martin Odegaard is recalled. Pablo Mari is also given a recall to start in defence alongside David Luiz so Gabriel drops out. Kieran Tierney keeps his place at left-back while Calum Chambers gets another chance to impress at right-back with Hector Bellerin not involved in the squad. Thomas Partey starts in the Arsenal midfield along with Granit Xhaka so Dani Ceballos and Mohamed Elneny are among the substitutes while Gabriel Martinelli is also an option for Arteta from the bench. These ...