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[ad_pod ]Sheffield United and Leeds United both face a potentially season-defining clash on Saturday when they meet at Elland Road.The Blades and the Whites are both in the running for automatic promotion to the Premier League, and as things stand only two points separate them in the Championship table, with Sheffield United in third place and Leeds in second.Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…Chris Wilder will know that his side will have to be at their best to secure a win over Leeds on Saturday and eclipse them in the table. Marcelo Bielsa’s side are a formidable opponent though, which the Blades boss has made no qualms about.

What he said

In his press conference, as quoted by respected journalist Richard Sutcliffe, Wilder said: “We are up against arguably the best team in the division for the past eight months. Whether that can continue for another month is to be seen.â€

Sending messages

Wilder has shown Leeds a lot of deserved respect with these comments, but he has also taken the time to serve up a reminder that the race isn’t over. There is still plenty of football to be played, and with things still so tight at the top anything could still happen regardless of Saturday’s result.

The boss is also being quite coy, perhaps learning from the Sir Alex Ferguson book of mind games in allowing Leeds to feel like the favourites for both Saturday’s clash and the promotion race in Âgeneral, heaping more pressure on the Yorkshire outfit.

Wilder’s own squad ought to pay attention to their manager’s words too. They must take this as a warning that Saturday will likely be the biggest test they face all season.

Despite the lack of consistency throughout the campaign so far, Everton claiming four points against Liverpool and Chelsea will do the world of good for Marco Silva and his team.

With a nice gap between their next game, the Toffees have time now to refocus and try to achieve a European spot, no matter how unlikely it seems to be. For all their efforts to improve their situation in the summer, the club currently find themselves worse off compared to last season, something that will be disappointing for all concerned.

So, this summer represents a massive opportunity to re-write the wrongs from this season and aspire to achieve a high-placed finish, with Marcel Brands at the heart of it.

To do that, some of the games brightest stars need to arrive at Goodison Park, of which realistically, one could be Eden Hazard’s brother, Thorgan.

Hazard, (who is valued at £40.5 million on Transfermarkt) is a top player that has really come to life this season for Borussia Monchengladbach, being the main man behind their Champions League dream. The 25-year-old has been instrumental for them, providing 12 goals and 11 assists in all competitions and those are statistics that will surely not go unnoticed this summer.

Everton though, must do their best to fight off competition in order to acquire a genuinely game-changing signing, who could play anywhere from attacking-midfield to the wing.

Thorgan Hazard will not be short of summer options but the project at Everton is something that cannot be looked past. Having been linked with Nabil Fekir, this would be an exciting alternative.

Marco Silva is a young manager looking to really stamp his authority at Goodison Park, plus with the players they already have, it will only take the capture of a few top players like Thorgan Hazard to promote them to European contenders once again.

Do you agree… Everton fans let us know by commenting down below!

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Liverpool fans on Twitter have been busy sharing their views on Raheem Sterling, a player who used to divide opinion around the club given the manner in which he left Anfield for Manchester City back in 2015 – now, however, he appears to have stolen plenty of hearts.

The Reds academy graduate swapped Merseyside for Manchester when the Citizens snapped him up in a deal worth £49m, and he has since gone on to become one of the deadliest forwards in the league and a player who is currently in world-class form.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

It isn’t all that simple, however. Sterling left Liverpool after the club decided to cancel contract negotiations with the attacker, following a number of incidents involving his agent, Aidy Ward, that didn’t sit right with the Reds fans.

Ward slammed club icon Jamie Carragher and said that Sterling wouldn’t sign a new contract at Anfield even if he was offered £900,000-a-week.

These acts from Sterling’s agent somewhat tainted his reputation amongst the Liverpool fanbase, and he was quickly labelled as a ‘money grabber’ by many.

However, following his recent fine form and his work in actively fighting racism in football, we are seeing a far more mature figure and one who has got the Liverpool fans on Twitter reflecting on his departure in a more measured light.

Here’s what they’ve had to say…

After eight months of dismal football at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield Town’s fate was finally confirmed at the weekend.

A 2-0 loss at Crystal Palace was compounded by victories for Burnley and Southampton which resulted in the Terriers becoming the first side to be relegated from the Premier League this season, bringing an end to their two-year stay in the top flight. In what has surely been a harrowing campaign for the club’s supporters, it could be that their drop to the second tier may see boss Jan Siewert give some opportunities to players from the academy.

With nothing to lose between now and May, Huddersfield may benefit in the long-term from fielding their homegrown talents as they will only get better from playing against the best that the Premier League has to offer.

The success of the Terriers’ Elite Development Team has seen two players make their first-team debuts this season already with Demeaco Duhaney starting against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aaron Rowe making his bow in a 2-0 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth earlier this month.

If this pair are given more chances to impress in Huddersfield’s final six fixtures, there is no reason why they cannot go on to replicate the careers of Tommy Smith and Philip Billing who have both established themselves as key players for the club since graduating from the academy.

Whereas a continuation of fielding the players who have put the Terriers in the position that they currently find themselves will do nothing to boost the morale amongst supporters, Siewert could lift the spirits at the Yorkshire-based club if he decides to hand debuts to youth players.

In what has a been a season to forget for Huddersfield, they could still salvage something positive if just one of the academy graduates establishes themselves a regular starter in the years to come.

What do you think Terriers fans? Should Siewert give your youth players a chance of experiencing what the Premier League has to offer over the next few weeks? Or is too much of a gamble to take even though you have been relegated? Let us know below.

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Watford meet Wolves at Wembley this weekend, where they will be hoping to dominate the midfield in the manner they did when the two sides met in October.

Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue smothered Wolves’ own pairing of European countrymen with ease and since then Nuno Espirito Santo has often opted to include some physical support for Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in the form of Leander Dendoncker.

That performance was far from a one off – the Hornets’ French duo have gone on to become one of the most frightening pairings in the league, and Javi Gracia thinks they are at the pinnacle.

Speaking ahead of the FA Cup semi-final clash, the Spaniard said:

“I said it a long time ago, for me Capoue and Doucouré are the best midfielders in this league. They have a good balance, score goals, they cover a lot of space, they help defending, they help attacking, are very organised and are clever. I think both are playing at a very high level.”

High praise indeed, although something Paul Pogba, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and co may have something to say about. There is no mistaking, though, the incredible displays registered by Gracia’s giants – they stop attacks with ease, pass coolly and accurately, cover every blade of grass on the pitch and score goals too.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

What do you think, Watford fans? Is Gracia right in his assessment of Doucoure and Capoue? Let us know in the comments below…

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West Ham United suffered their third Premier League defeat in their last four matches at Stamford Bridge on Monday night as Eden Hazard scored twice in a 2-0 Chelsea win.

The Hammers had some bright moments, particularly in the second period, but were unable to stop the home side from collecting all three points.

Mark Noble again skippered West Ham from the middle of the park, but it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters were not pleased with his performance.

According to WhoScored, the 31-year-old only made one tackle during his 70 minutes on the field at Stamford Bridge, which is not really good enough.

There is absolutely no questioning the 5 ft 11 ace’s desire, but a number of the West Ham fans appeared to lose patience with the Englishman for his uninspiring display.

It is a difficult period of the season for the London club, who now face a trip to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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The past month at West Brom has been an absolute whirlwind. The club has gone from sacking Darren Moore and seemingly having no plan of action to now finally settling on a verdict of keeping James Shan until the end of the season.

The caretaker manager has done a steady job since replacing Moore and although there still remain doubts beyond this season, they still remarkably look set for a play-off place.

There has been turmoil off the pitch but on it one player has looked reborn since the sacking of Moore, not least because he’s now playing more football but he seems to be thriving off the responsibility he’s been afforded under new management.

Chris Brunt is the man in question. The Baggies skipper has been a consistent figure down the years and even if West Brom fans think he has too much influence in the dressing room, his performances on the pitch since Shan was given the reins have been phenomenal.

Previous comments from the Northern Irishman may have left some West Brom supporters disgruntled but since then, he’s let his performances do the talking and hit back at those who had something to say about him.

Before Shan took over, Brunt’s numbers were incredibly disappointing but he’s had a new lease of life in the five matches he’s played. The only game he didn’t feature in was their horrendous 3-2 defeat against Bristol City where they found themselve 3-0 down after the opening quarter of the match.

That shows just how big a miss he is when he doesn’t play.

At 34, what is most impressive about Brunt is his work rate. He’s been having a huge influence at both ends of the pitch, symbolised in his stats.

Was Darren Moore’s sacking unfair? The Pl>ymaker FC squad name which Championship bosses should have gone instead in the video below…

He’s picked up three assists and a goal in the five games he’s played whilst the number of key passes he’s managed in that time is mightily impressive. The highlight of them all was a curling ball from deep against Preston last Saturday, as he rolled back the years with a phenomenal delivery for Dwight Gayle to rifle home.

To put things into context, Brunt managed just three key passes in total in the five games prior to Moore’s dismissal.

He may split opinion, but if he continues to play like he is at the moment, then there is no better man to help lead West Brom through the play-offs.

Ouasim Bouy, remember him? Leeds United certainly haven’t missed him this season, and he’s the first piece of dead wood who Marcelo Bielsa should cut from his wage bill in the summer.

The Whites are hoping to be a Premier League team next season, and they’ll need all the money they can get if they reach the top flight again. They’ll need to invest to buy the players capable of keeping them up and re-establishing themselves for the future.

What they can’t afford is to have players like Ouasim Bouy weighing their wage bill down. He was underwhelming to say the least before he was shipped out on loan to Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle, and despite a solid season there, he’s still nowhere near Leeds quality in the Championship, never mind if they get promoted.

The 25-year-old has played 15 times for Zwolle this season in defensive midfield and has found his feet again after a tough last few years. He excited fans when he completed the free transfer from Juventus to Elland Road in August 2017, but he’s never lived up to that expectations.

Football Insider claim he’ll be one of the first senior players shipped out of the club in summer, with Whites’ board hoping to find a permanent buyer as soon as possible. They’ve tried to sell him for the last three consecutive windows, according to the report, but they really do need to get rid this time.

Even if they accept a bid of his Transfermarkt valuation, £540,000, then at least he’s off the wage bill and they can bring in players capable of keeping Leeds in the Premier League over the next 10 years.

Leeds fans, who do you think your side needs to sign in the summer if they’re promoted this season? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Leeds United have made an approach for Forest Green Rovers star Reece Brown, according to Football Insider.

The Whites are reportedly hoping to lure the midfielder to Yorkshire on a free transfer, but what would that mean for Marcelo Bielsa’s men?

Who is he?

Brown has been somewhat of a revelation in League Two this season. His club have gone from relegation contenders to promotion candidates in just 12 months, and a lot of that is down to an upturn in form from the midfielder.

He had previously scored just two career league goals before becoming deadly in front of goal this term.

The midfielder has netted 10 league goals this season whilst also providing 14 assists for Rovers.

Klich replacement?

If Reece Brown is to slot into Bielsa’s squad, then the logical switch would be a straight swap for Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich.

Klich started the season in electric form he netted eight goals whilst providing eight assists for teammates. But the Pole’s form has dried up as he has contributed to just two goals in his last 13 appearances.

Brown would be a midfielder in the same ilk as Klich as he can score as well as create chances, but he has been doing it at a much higher rate than the Leeds man in recent weeks. His arrival could potentially see the 28-year-old lose his spot.

League Two is, of course, a lower standard than the Championship but recent seasons have proven that it can be a useful place to look for emerging talent with the likes of Ollie Watkins and Kemar Roofe showing they can make the step up in recent seasons.

If Brown’s form can translate in the higher division, then Leeds could be about to complete a real coup signing one of the most dangerous and creative midfielders in the Football League.

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Sunderland were on course to take the fight for automatic promotion to the final day as they led Fleetwood Town for 44 minutes during their League One clash at Highbury on Tuesday night, but a late collapse ensured they were officially consigned to the play-offs.

Defeat for Portsmouth on the same night meant that the Black Cats had the perfect chance to jump above the south coast club in the table and still have something to play for this weekend, even if they needed a win and a goal difference swing.

However goals from Paddy Madden and Ashley Eastham in the final 17 minutes ensured that wasn’t going to happen.

Sunderland fans have suffered a lot of heartache over the years but one fan manages to pick his ultimate low in the video below…

The latter found the net in the 94th minute to rub salt into the visitors’ wounds, with Jack Ross’ men struggling for form and only taking only two points from the previous nine available ahead of their trip to Southend United on Saturday.

Midfielder Lee Cattermole is known for his committed performances – and yellow cards – on the pitch, and you may have expected that he in particular would have been furious after the late goal that ensured the Mackems would return to Wearside with no points.

However, the 31-year-old instead cut a forlorn figure as you can see from the photograph above, which indicates the lack of confidence he and his teammates have right now.

Sunderland need to pull themselves together in the coming days and weeks if they are to secure an instant return to the Championship, especially given they could face either Pompey or an in-form Charlton Athletic in the play-off semi-finals.