Topic: Premier League Fixtures 24th - 26th February

[Barneylfc∗]

SATURDAY 24TH FEBRUARY

Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest 15:00
Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton 15:00
Crystal Palace v Burnley 15:00
Manchester United v Fulham 15:00
AFC Bournemouth v Abu Dhabi 17:30 skysports
Arsenal v Saudi Arabia 20:00 TNT SPORTS

SUNDAY 25TH FEBRUARY

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United 13:30 skysports

MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY

West Ham United v Brentford 20:00 skysports

[Malaysian Kopite]

Any chance Bournemouth get something here, City haven't travelled in a few

[Barneylfc∗]

Any chance Bournemouth get something here, City haven't travelled in a few

I expect comfortable wins for Abu Dhabi and Arsenal.
Bournemouth had a very good run of form towards the end of the year but have been shite in 2024 with 3 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 games.
Saudi are crap. They'd a decent win at Villa, but have dropped points at home to both Luton and Bournemouth.

[thaddeus]

I expect comfortable wins for Abu Dhabi and Arsenal.
Bournemouth had a very good run of form towards the end of the year but have been shite in 2024 with 3 draws and 2 defeats in their last 5 games.
Saudi are crap. They'd a decent win at Villa, but have dropped points at home to both Luton and Bournemouth.

They are crap but a game where they can time waste and spoil is better suited to them than trying to take the game to Luton or Bournemouth.  If Arsenal don't score early then Newcastle are quite capable of digging the proverbial trench.  The same fixture last season was the goalless draw where only 51 minutes of football were played and was the start of Arsenal's bad run.

[Redley]

Not sure Arsenal could hope for an easier game this weekend. Shitload of injuries for Saudi Arabia and they've conceded a shitload of goals to poor teams over the last few weeks. It should be a slaughter.

[Tokyoite]

Arsenal could be knackered after the CL game so Saudi has a chance to get something there imo, doubt it's an easy game for Arsenal.
I fancy Fulham to take a point too!

[Stevo79]

Schar fit for Saudi and potentially Isak and Willock back.

[oojason]

.



Premier League matches being shown live on UK TV : www.live-footballontv.com/live-premier-league-football-on-tv.html

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60+ stream sites: www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=345769.0 (the 'Some useful info for following the footy | TV | Streams | Highlights & Replays' thread)

Also decent - www.sportshd.sx/soccer : www.vipleague.im : https://streambtw.com : https://reddit.sportshub.stream : www.soccerstreams.football : https://crackstreamsfree.com : https://nizarstream.com : www.soccerstreamlinks.com : https://footysaga.com (use search bar) : https://live.sport365.stream/soccer : www.crackstreamsfree.com : www.dlhd.sx : www.techclips.net/schedule : https://tv.fsl-stream.im : www.hesgoal1.com : www.footybite.to : https://1stream.me : www.rsoccerstreams.net : www.redditsoccerstreams.org


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Info: https://twitter.com/premierleague : www.premierleague.com : www.youtube.com/premierleague : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_Premier_League


Match Highlights: https://ourmatch.me & https://hoofoot.com & https://footyfull.com & https://fullmatchsports.cc & https://old.reddit.com/r/footballhighlights/new

[The Final Third]

Why are so many goals being scored in the Premier League this season?

Boxing Day, 1963. English football shorthand for the sort of entertainment you just don’t get anymore. Or so we thought.

On that day, 66 goals were scored across 10 games in the English top flight. Chelsea beat Blackpool 5-1, Fulham scored 10 times against Ipswich Town and West Ham United conceded eight against Blackburn Rovers.

But that Christmas goal fest wasn’t a particularly odd day for that season. There were 19 occasions of a team scoring six or more goals in a game, and the 1963-64 season averaged 3.4 goals per game, a rate that hasn’t been achieved since.

But this Premier League season is edging ever closer to that magical figure. High-scoring games such as Manchester City’s 4-4 draw away to Chelsea, Luton Town’s identical result against Newcastle United and the latter’s 8-0 victory against Sheffield United comes to mind.

This is English football's golden age

It’s not only about these results, though. The constant flow of goals in every game has meant that, in 250 Premier League games this season, there have only been eight goalless draws. That leaves us with an average of 3.23 goals per game this season — the highest rate in England’s top flight since 1964-65, which saw 3.34 goals per game.

For the majority of the Premier League’s audience, more goals equals more entertainment, but it’s not a proportional relationship.

An increase in the number of goals could be due to multiple thrashings occurring because of the gap between some teams and the rest of the league. Another reason behind a high goals-per-game ratio could be the lack of any defensive organisation — and few people watching football want to see a basketball game. Besides, for some, there is a certain pleasure in tactical 0-0s and narrow victories.

So goals per game are up this season, but why?

Firstly, a focus on timewasting from the game’s authorities around ball-in-play time has seen an increase in added time in the Premier League this season. On average, each game has 11 minutes and 42 seconds of added time this season compared to an average of six minutes and 54 seconds in the last 10 seasons. The average added time in the second half alone this season (seven minutes and 29 seconds) is greater than the overall average added time in the last 10 seasons. Let that sink in.

More goals, more drama - the increase in added time is more than a box-ticking exercise

More playing time increases the probability of goals, especially with teams throwing everything at opponents towards the end of the games and tired legs coming into play. But that can’t be the only reason for that jump in the rate of goals per game.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have scored in every Premier League game they’ve played this season (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

The playing style of multiple teams outside the ‘Big Six’ has evolved towards a more proactive approach. You could even include Tottenham Hotspur among those teams. The arrival of Ange Postecoglou has seen Spurs play a more expansive type of football that has seen them reach a goalscoring run of 37 consecutive Premier League games — the second-longest run of scoring in consecutive Premier League games any team has put together.

In divisions containing 20 or more clubs, only one top-flight team — Arsenal in 2001-02 — has scored in every league game in a single campaign. Postecoglou’s Spurs are 13 games away from emulating their rivals.

“We just want to score more goals than everyone else,” Postecoglou told Hudl’s High Performance Insights in 2020. “Winning 4-3 is more exciting than winning 1-0.”

Tottenham's 36-game goalscoring run: How have they done it and what does it tell us?

Brighton’s move towards being a proactive team under Graham Potter has been followed by significantly more goals under Roberto De Zerbi, Villa’s fortune has turned under Unai Emery, who is leading them in the battle for Champions League qualification, while Newcastle are trying to maintain the successes of last season under Eddie Howe.

All of these sides have transitioned to teams that are looking to dominate the game — on and off the ball — regardless of the opponent.

At the other end of the table, Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United are conceding goals at an unprecedented rate in the Premier League for teams occupying the bottom three positions. On average, they have conceded 2.3 goals per game — the highest rate in Premier League history for teams in the relegation zone.

Sheffield United have been conceding goals at a rate of 2.6 per game this season — more than any side in Premier League history, even more than Swindon Town’s century of goals conceded in 1993-94 (2.4 but across 42 games) and Derby County’s notorious 11-point season in 2007-08 (2.3).

Despite Luton’s successful attempts at being proactive in certain situations and thriving on set pieces, it’s fair to say that there is a gap in player quality between the bottom three teams in the Premier League this season and the rest of the league.

The intensity of Rob Edwards’ side fits a certain trend in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons: more teams are willing to press up the pitch and try winning the ball there. “It’s risky but it’s also entertaining and it gives us a better chance of winning. We want to entertain. We want to try to be good to watch,” Edwards recently told The Athletic. “It suits us as a football club as well. Yes, there’s a risk, but the reward is greater than the risk.”

If you hear other Premier League managers talking about the risk and reward of pressing, then don’t be surprised. Most teams in the Premier League want to win the ball higher up the pitch, whether that is in the form of pressing the opponent’s build-up or counter-pressing shortly after losing the ball.

Since 2018-19, the average amount of possession regains in the attacking third in a Premier League match has risen by 37 per cent — from 7.6 to 10.4 this season.

This increase has consequentially seen more goals scored from winning the ball in the final third. The average number of goals scored per game from possession regains in the attacking third this season (0.30) is more than twice the rate of 2018-19 (0.13). Quite simply, more goals are coming from transitional situations high up the pitch due to the Premier League’s focus on pressing and counter-pressing.

Even counter-attacks that start from deeper positions have been on the rise, which is notable in the direct attack numbers. These are defined as possessions that start in a team’s own half and result in either a shot or a touch inside the opposition penalty area within 15 seconds.

The rate of 5.4 direct attacks per game in the Premier League this season is the highest since 2019-20.

The transitional nature of the Premier League this season is one of the reasons why the goal rate has increased. Contrary to controlled matches, a game full of transition is unpredictable and leaves more space to attack.

One side that has been riding this wave are Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s team have reverted back to an older version of themselves. This Liverpool side thrives on transitions and in a transitional version of the league, it’s not surprising to see them at the top of the table. However, there are other ways to sustain a title push.

“We don’t like to play the counter-attack, but we have to use it,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola last December. City and Arsenal — the two teams battling it out with Liverpool for the title — focus more on controlling games than entering transitional duels. But that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer goals. Arsenal have scored 21 goals in their last five league games, while City have scored three or more goals in 11 of their games in 2023-24.

All of this means there are explicable reasons why the Premier League’s leading contenders, the chasing pack and the strugglers are all experiencing games laden with goals this season.

Whether it’s a temporary blip or a genuine return to the scoring rates of the 1960s remains to be seen — but it will be entertaining to find out.

https://theathletic.com/5292045/2024/02/24/why-so-many-goals-premier-league/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=twitterfc&source=twitteruk&access_token=5770476&redirected=1

[Schmarn]

While City and Arsenal will likely win, they are not easy games. If we imagine we were playing either game we’d have some trepidation albeit confident we’ll win in the end. Both Bournemouth and Saudi are capable of hitting on the break with pace and skill which is the Achilles heel for both clubs.

I don’t buy into Arsenal’s chances of winning the league and the loss of Porto showed to me they don’t have the squad for the grind of playing twice a week. They fell apart when they lost Saliba last year, imagine how they’d cope with even half our injuries.

City remain the threat and if they could slip up either today or against the Mancs before we play them, there is a chance to push them out of contention. They are more vulnerable this time and would not survive an injury to Rodri or KDB.

[jillcwhomever]

No early kick off again. It just shows how you don't have to arrange an early kick off just after an international break. 

[elsewhere]

Expecting both Newcastle and Bournemouth to get something today.

[[new username under construction]]

No early kick off again. It just shows how you don't have to arrange an early kick off just after an international break. 

any 3pm game could have been 12, wonder why

[Phineus]

Would like to see Saudi go full Atletico tonight on Arsenal, more shithousing against them after that Porto loss would be a test of mentality. Hard to see them getting anything without a striker on pitch though.

Think City will steamroll Bournemouth to be honest, they’re in a poor run.

Fulham could get something against Utd so long as they don’t gift them something early so they can just rely on counter.

[Mister Flip Flop]

Expecting both Newcastle and Bournemouth to get something today.

Abu Dhabi will smash Bournemouth im afraid. Saudi Arabia have more or less nothing to play for and know Howe is going to be replaced in the summer with a real manager so i can see their players not being arsed for the remainder of the season.

[Crosby Nick]

Would like to see Saudi go full Atletico tonight on Arsenal, more shithousing against them after that Porto loss would be a test of mentality. Hard to see them getting anything without a striker on pitch though.

Think City will steamroll Bournemouth to be honest, they’re in a poor run.

Fulham could get something against Utd so long as they don’t gift them something early so they can just rely on counter.

Feels like United have been scoring early in all their games recently. And then hanging on grimly rather than ever looking good for the points.

I’d settle for just one of Arsenal or City dropping points today. I think the odds are on them both winning but they could have to work for it.

[Dim Glas]

Expecting both Newcastle and Bournemouth to get something today.

of course they’ll get something, very likely a good beating.  Newcastle have been awful for weeks.

[Crosby Nick]

of course they’ll get something, very likely a good beating.  Newcastle have been awful for weeks.

They won at Villa didn’t they? They’re inconsistent but their games are less frequent now so a chance to rest a few of their big physical lumps before this one.

First goal crucial kind of game you’d think. If Arsenal get it then they’ll probably be quite comfortable, but hopefully the recently aggro between the teams and benches will continue. Jason Tindall’s time to shine.

[Nick110581]

United playing some youth kid called Forson over Antony today.

The criticism of him is non existent.

[oojason]

.
The 3pm kick offs...


Villa XI: Martínez; Cash, Lenglet, Torres, Moreno; Bailey, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey; Tielemans, Watkins.
Forest XI: Sels; Williams, Felipe, Murillo, Niakhate; Domínguez, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.

^ https://streambtw.com/iframe/ch1.php & https://vipleague.im/football/aston-villa-vs-nottingham-forest-streaming-link-1 & https://dlhd.sx/stream/stream-17.php
& https://reddit3.sportshub.stream/event/%D0%B0st%D0%BEn_v%D1%96ll%D0%B0_n%D0%BEtt%D1%96ngh%D0%B0m_f%D0%BEr%D0%B5st_194212272



Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Igor; Groß, Gilmour; Adingra, Buonanotte, Welbeck; Ferguson.
Everton XI:  Pickford; Godfrey, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Garner, McNeil; Doucouré; Calvert-Lewin.

^ https://streambtw.com/iframe/ch2.php & https://vipleague.im/football/brighton-hove-albion-vs-everton-streaming-link-1 & https://dlhd.sx/stream/stream-153.php
& https://reddit3.sportshub.stream/event/br%D1%96ght%D0%BEn_%D0%B5v%D0%B5rt%D0%BEn_194212271



Palace XI: Johnstone; Ward, Andersen, Richards; Munoz, Lerma, Wharton, Mitchell; Ayew, Edouard, Mateta.
Burnley XI: Trafford; Assignon, O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor; Gudmunds­son, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert; Fofana, Amdouni.

^ https://streambtw.com/iframe/ch3.php & https://vipleague.im/football/crystal-palace-vs-burnley-streaming-link-1 & https://dlhd.sx/stream/stream-417.php
& https://reddit3.sportshub.stream/event/%D1%81ryst%D0%B0l_%D1%80%D0%B0l%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5_burnl%D0%B5y_194212270/



Tax Dodgers XI: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Lindelöf; Mainoo, Casemiro; Forson, Fernandes, Garnacho; Rashford.
Fulham XI: Leno; Castagne, Tosin, Bassey, Robinson; Reed, Lukić; Wilson, Andreas, Iwobi; Muniz.

^ https://streambtw.com/iframe/ch4.php & https://vipleague.im/football/manchester-united-vs-fulham-streaming-link-1 & https://dlhd.sx/stream/stream-414.php
& https://reddit3.sportshub.stream/event/m%D0%B0n%D1%81h%D0%B5st%D0%B5r_utd_fulh%D0%B0m_194212269

[zero zero]

Expect nothing from Bournemouth or the Saudis.


All I've got is to hope Brighton get their league campaign back on track.

[Dim Glas]

They won at Villa didn’t they? They’re inconsistent but their games are less frequent now so a chance to rest a few of their big physical lumps before this one.

First goal crucial kind of game you’d think. If Arsenal get it then they’ll probably be quite comfortable, but hopefully the recently aggro between the teams and benches will continue. Jason Tindall’s time to shine.

yep, that was the one blip! They have been in poor form, leaking goals, not just to us, but the likes of Luton, Bournemouth and Forest too. Arsenal are scoring for fun at the moment (in the league at least!), and will be sticking a few past em today I reckon.

[RobbieRedman]

Villa 1-0

[disgraced cake]

Fucking hell, what was Pickford doing there. Very lucky not to go behind.

[oojason]

Aston Villa [1] - 0 Nottingham Forest; Ollie Watkins on 4‎'‎ - https://dubz.link/v/ra51np & https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1761407304698822923

[Cesar]

Fulham comfortably the better team against the mancs so far

[Gerry83]

Fulham have scuffed a few decent chances so no doubt the mancs will open the scoring with their first shot on target somehow…

Most likely assisted by the officials

[disgraced cake]

Adingra looks good. Not seen a lot of Ferguson recently, not sure if he's been injured but feel he hasn't been able to build on his goalscoring last season/early this season. Goes to show why teams spending so much on 18 year olds isn't the brightest move. Needs to establish himself in this side first.

[WorldChampions]

Fulham comfortably the better team against the mancs so far

Manc spawny win incoming then, as is tradition.

[Nick110581]

Adingra looks good. Not seen a lot of Ferguson recently, not sure if he's been injured but feel he hasn't been able to build on his goalscoring last season/early this season. Goes to show why teams spending so much on 18 year olds isn't the brightest move. Needs to establish himself in this side first.

Adingra was really good against us in the League match.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

any 3pm game could have been 12, wonder why

Arsenal vs Newcastle was supposed to be but couldn't because Arsenal played in Europe on Wednesday.

[oojason]

Aston Villa [2] - 0 Nottingham Forest; Douglas Luiz on 29‎'‎ - https://dubz.link/v/sp4kpk & https://twitter.com/FootColic/status/1761413383734112629

[Nick110581]

Villa are a decent side.

I know they had a little blip but were always going to pick up again.

[Cesar]

Manc spawny win incoming then, as is tradition.

You're probably right,  Fulham hit the post now

[disgraced cake]

Villa are a decent side.

I know they had a little blip but were always going to pick up again.

They'll get top 4 unless the referees try and give it to United

[Zlen]

Fulham dominating United at Old Trafford. What times we live in.

[Gili Gulu]

Good honest challenge by Tarkowski on Welbeck there.

Well according to Dyche anyway.

[Nick110581]

Burnley down to ten.

United will probably still win. Luckiest team in the PL.

[Robinred]

Good honest challenge by Tarkowski on Welbeck there.

Well according to Dyche anyway.

Said it before, I’ll say it again - thug

[RobbieRedman]

Poor from Trafford for Burnley, cost Brownhill a red card.