Wolves head to Slovakia later this evening to face Slovan Bratislava as they look to build on their Europa League triumph over Besiktas last time out.

The hosts currently top Group K after picking up four points across their first two matches.

Domestically, Nuno Santo’s side have turned a corner by going unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.

Are Gareth Southgate’s Aston Villa roots the reason behind the Wolves player in the video below being overlooked?…

Strangely, despite having a stadium ban, Wolves and Slovan Bratislava will battle it out in front of a full house as, under UEFA regulations, children under the age of 14 are allowed free entry with over 15,000 now expected in attendance.

But Nuno faces other worries as an injury crisis has struck following their 1-1 draw with Southampton at the weekend, leaving his squad worse for wear.

Portuguese winger Diogo Jota made his comeback from injury on Saturday as a substitute when replacing Patrick Cutrone just after the hour mark.

Nuno wouldn’t have wanted to rush the 22-year-old back into action, but he may well have to feature at the national stadium.

Both centre-back Ryan Bennett and Ruben Neves were forced off through injury against Southampton, adding to Pedro Neto, Romain Saiss and Morgan Gibbs-White on the sidelines.

Reverting back to the 3-4-3 system would see Wolves cope best in their absence as their only two fit senior midfielders can feature in Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker.

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This also hands a place at right wing-back for Matt Doherty with Adama Traore playing behind Raul Jimenez in the attack.

The Portuguese manager is left with no option but to play Jesus Vallejo and Conor Coady together with Bennett potentially out.

It’s either that or he calls on the inexperience of Max Kilman, which isn’t out of the realms of possibility as the 22-year-old’s only appearance this season was against Pyunik in the qualifiers.

The rest of the squad should remain much the same, provided the players have made the trip unscathed and that everyone has remembered their passport.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

The world is currently at Rodrygo Goes’ feet.

The 18-year-old Real Madrid prodigy bagged his first Champions League hat-trick against Galatasaray and it would be far too easy to succumb to all of these sensations that are following his every step.

However, in a post-game interview with Movistar (via Marca), Rodrygo showed that he is already mature enough to handle the pressure.

What did he say?

We often see young prodigies rise and fly too close to the sun only to get burned and hit the gutters relatively quickly.

And the demands of modern football dictate players get to their best quickly and remain there even at such a young age. Rodrygo’s sudden rise is definitely impressive but now comes the more difficult part – handling it properly.

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But Real Madrid’s faithful can rest easy for now because it seems the 18-year-old is well aware of things moving a bit too fast or rather, faster than he expected at the very beginning of his career at the Spanish capital.

Here’s what he told Movistar after his hat-trick against Galatasaray:

“I’m happy and it’s a very happy night. But I have to stay calm and be relaxed. Everything is going much quicker than what I expected when I arrived [at Real Madrid]. But I’m trying to stay calm and continue working day by day.”

The right mentality

At first glance, this might seem like a generic thing to say.

He bagged a hat-trick and of course the spotlight is his for the time being, but just the fact he recognised his rise is moving at an extraordinary pace that’s not necessarily “normal” for a kid his age is a huge blessing for Real Madrid.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

They really have a big talent on their hands but often that alone is not enough.

But Rodrygo himself has to keep his feet firmly on the ground if he wants to become a big star of the future.

The media will undoubtedly put him on a pedestal and hail him the new legend in making, that much is practically unavoidable after such a glorious display in the Champions League, but that’s exactly what can often destroy young prodigies before they even start moving up and beyond.

Luckily, it seems that the 18-year-old Brazilian is well aware of the hype train that is coming his way and he’s ready to take things nice and slow.

Let’s hope he can stay true to his words, for both his and Real Madrid’s sake.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

QPR missed out on the chance to jump into 2nd place in the Championship table on Monday evening, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to west London rivals Brentford at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Mark Warburton’s men conceded their 24th, 25th and 26th goals of the league campaign after succumbing to the brilliance of Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma – only Barnsley, sat at the bottom of the Championship, have conceded more goals than the R’s with 27 concessions.

Before the match, we outlined how QPR must focus their defensive efforts on the aforementioned duo of Watkins and Benrahma, and it’s safe to say that the R’s simply couldn’t cope with the pair.

How did they perform?

In a word, fantastically.

From the first whistle, the pair set the intensity of the game with attacking directness and inventiveness.

Both forwards had four shots each – more than any other player on the pitch managed – with Watkins getting all of his attempts on target whilst Benrahma had three of his four do the same.

23-year-old Watkins scored twice, firstly opening the scoring with a diving header before putting the icing on the cake with a tap in, whereas Benrahma netted a penalty in between Watkins’ two strikes.

Additionally, the pair of them had 85 touches of the ball on an evening where everything Brentford did going forward went through them.

Simply couldn’t cope

It seemed as if Warburton did actually try to nullify Benrahma’s threat but putting Eberechi Eze on the right flank for only the second time this season, with the QPR boss seemingly wanting some physicality out there to help 37-year-old Angel Rangel deal with the Algerian.

Despite that tactical move, Benrahma still had a fun evening, as did Watkins with two goals to his name. Benrahma showed good feet in the first half to help contribute to the opening goal, while one moment in which he nut-megged Toni Leistner summed up just how much QPR were struggling to deal with him.

In total, Benrahma was fouled three times and also made a key pass to go with his four shots, whereas Watkins also made a key pass to go with his two goals – the pair were inexplicably allowed to run riot by QPR, and Warburton’s side paid the price.

Son Heung-min has been named on the 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or.The South Korea international has been selected alongside Tottenham Hotspur teammate Hugo Lloris.And it will be very interesting to see where the 27-year-old is placed.Son scored an impressive 20 goals in 48 appearances for Spurs during the 2018/19 campaign, in addition to providing 10 assists from a wide position.Mauricio Pochettino’s team famously reached last season’s Champions League final before losing to Liverpool, and Son played a key role in their impressive European form with four goals in 12 outings.Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The attacker also managed 12 goals in 31 Premier League appearances for Tottenham last term, which is an indication of his importance to the team.

The winner of the 2019 Ballon d’Or will be named in Paris on December 2, and the Spurs fans are delighted that Son has been recognised for his impressive contribution.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

أفادت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية، أن نادي ليفربول يسعى لاستعادة هارفي إليوت، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية المقبلة استعدادًا للموسم القادم.

هارفي إليوت يتألق مع فريق بلاكبيرن روفرز في الدرجة الأولى الإنجليزية، رغم معاناة النادي واحتلاله المركز الـ15.

طالع أيضًا.. ماتيب يقترب من العودة إلى ليفربول  

صحيفة “ليفربول إيكو” المقربة من الريدز، أكدت أن يورجن كلوب يفكر بشدة في استعادة هارفي إليوت وعدم خروجه معارًا مرة أخرى.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن كلوب يرى أن هارفي سيساعد الفريق في الهجوم، لأنه متعدد المراكز ويمكنه اللعب في أكثر من مكان كما يريد يورجن.

إليوت لعب من قبل مع ليفربول في الفريق الأول 9 مباريات مع يورجن كلوب، وتمكن من صناعة هدف في مباراة لينكولن.

Newcastle are reportedly interested in Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka but he is a transfer target that some fans aren’t keen on.

The troubled midfielder was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy earlier this week after a dispute with fans in the match against Crystal Palace, and The Times report that he will likely request a move away if he is left out of the next few matches.

It is believed the Magpies would seek a short-term deal as that would suit all parties involved, allowing them to pay just a portion of his £100,000-a-week wage, but despite that supporters still aren’t keen.

Some suggest he wouldn’t be an upgrade on what they currently have, comparing him to the likes Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey.

Interestingly, none raise the point of the bad attitude he displayed against his own fans, and are looking at things merely from a footballing perspective.

Here are some of the reactions from fans to the interest in Xhaka.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by Sky Sports, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has raved over his side’s “exhilarating, attacking football” in their win over Brighton on Sunday.

What did he say?

The Red Devils produced a commanding display at Old Trafford to dispatch Graham Potter’s men 3-1, with the side registering an impressive 21 total shots on goal, with 11 of them on target.

And, speaking after the match, Solskjaer couldn’t contain his delight at his team’s performance going forward, and insisted they should have won by a much larger margin.

He said: “It was a great performance and we should have won by a bigger distance. We attacked superbly – it was exhilarating, attacking football. The boys were so quick and we created chances. We scored three but it should have been six or seven, especially in the second half.

“It’s a young team and you can see they enjoyed themselves. When you have a young team you need to get into the game quickly. We know we’re not in a position we want to be. And we’re far away from where we want to be. We have to keep on improving and challenge for the top four.”

Ruthlessness

As Solskjaer suggests, the Red Devils really could have, and perhaps should have, put the game well beyond Brighton’s side. The fact the Seagulls got it back to 2-1 at one point in the second-half will be a major concern to Solskjaer. United created enough chances to win the game quite comfortably, and will no doubt be disappointed that they didn’t really boost their goal difference on Sunday.

Ultimately, it comes down to a bit of ruthlessness in front of goal. Making the most of clear-cut opportunities, and making the opposition for their mistakes. The Red Devils currently have five wins in their last six, and if they can keep their momentum going, the confidence that their forwards currently have will soar dramatically. And that may just be the added ingredient to turn these more slender margins of victory into something much higher.

Sheffield Wednesday are starting to solidify their claims of being a genuine playoff contender in the Championship since Garry Monk has taken charge.

His side sit fifth in the league and have lost just one game under his stewardship, picking up 15 points from a possible 24.

The 40-year-old was finally appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor at the start of September and has since started his reign better than each of his three predecessors.

Monk has also had to work with a squad built entirely by someone else, but that hasn’t fazed him one bit – some of the players have even been reaping the rewards from his appointment.

Massimo Luongo hadn’t started for the Owls until recently, while left-back Morgan Fox has been reinstated in the starting XI, which has led to many supporters talking up his performances in recent times.

The 26-year-old has started three straight league matches, contributing to two clean sheets, which has led to fans voting him for October’s Player of the Month award.

Many were quick to laud Fox following the announcement on Twitter.

One member of the Hillsborough faithful claimed he was the next Andrew Robertson, while another believed the left-back has looked like a completely different player this season.

A further supporter stated that it was nice to see others notice the graft he puts in with one more calling him the most improved player in the squad.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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…

Aston Villa’s chief executive officer Christian Purslow spoke out in the summer regarding the split in the club’s extensive transfer business that saw 12 new players arrive in a spending spree of over £130m.

Firstly, purchases that represented an immediate benefit to the club, yet also acquisitions that had the potential to “establish themselves in the Premier League and in doing so, grow their value”, according to Purslow.

One player who unquestionably belongs to the category of the latter is former Brentford man, Ezri Konsa.

The centre-back was signed from the west London side in a reported £12m deal, but the 22-year-old has been unable to earn a start in the Premier League so far this season – playing just 15 minutes in a cameo when Villa were 5-0 up against Norwich.

The former England U21 international has been unlucky to not feature regularly in the league, owing largely to the partnership that has formed between Bjorn Engels and Tyrone Mings.

But if Purslow’s comments regarding the potential increase in value of younger prospects are to come true, Villa must give these players the opportunity to perform and impress.

Although Konsa has made three Carabao Cup appearances, scoring one goal, if his rate of development is to continue the centre-back must be afforded more league opportunities in the first XI.

For now, it appears the experience and solidity that Mings and Engels are able to offer aligns strongly to Smith’s primary goal this season in ensuring survival – and rightfully so.

But as January begins to loom and thoughts turn to Villa’s plans for the 2020 summer window, Konsa is a player of such unquestionable potential who must be given opportunities if the club are to retain his services alongside increasing his value as outlined by Purslow this summer. 

Smith has a balancing act to perform in ensuring the West Midlands’ side can retain their Premier League status whilst also giving players the opportunity to perform in the top-flight, but a player such as Konsa is certainly deserving of more game-time.

After all, he was mightily impressive in the second tier last term, particularly with his ball-playing ability – one of the primary attributes a modern defender possesses. He completed 87.7% of his passes and could help bring added composure to Villa.

Despite Purslow’s ambitions, the potential Konsa can bring may have to wait. Either way, Smith faces a difficult decision.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

The Guardian journalist Jamie Jackson has identified Taylor Harwood-Bellis as one to watch for Manchester City this week as they take on Southampton in the EFL Cup.

What did he say?

City will firstly face off with the Saints on Tuesday before they face them at the Etihad Stadium again in the Premier League on Saturday. Pep Guardiola can be expected to make the changes for the upcoming tie given the stature of the competition, and one man Jackson has picked out to step up is Harwood-Bellis.

The teenager made his City senior debut in the last round of the Carabao Cup, playing 90 minutes against Preston North End and keeping a clean sheet.

In an article published by The Guardian regarding young players to watch in the domestic cup this week, Jackson said: ‘When the 17-year-old centre-back made his debut in the 3-0 win at Preston in the previous round the City fan lived the dream of the boy who was at the Etihad to witness Sergio Agüero’s unforgettable late winner against Queens Park Rangers that clinched the 2011-12 title.

‘Pep Guardiola admires Harwood-Bellis’s ball skills and a relish for tackling that the 6ft 2in defender says has only ‘developed in the last four or five years’. Harwood-Bellis, who was composed at Deepdale, is yet to complete his physical development.’

Another chance for him to shine

The Stockport-born defender registered a 7.1 rating in the fixture against Preston – only four outfield players scored higher ratings. In the same game, the youth product looked controlled and confident throughout the entire game, playing 84 passes out from the back at a 93% success rate.

Furthermore, he made 96 touches – only Eric Garcia alongside him had more. This time around, against the Saints, Harwood-Bellis will have the addition of the home crowd on his side, which could add to his confidence.

A positive performance from the youngster may force him into Guardiola’s side a little more often in the future. Injuries to Aymeric Laporte and Rodri have left the defensive spots wide open and, with a good performance on Tuesday, the Spaniard may have be compelled to think about where Harwood-Bellis fits into his long term vision.

This is his chance to show the Etihad faithful what he can do.