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Glasgow Rangers have been hit with an injury doubt ahead of their return to Champions League action at Ibrox tonight…

What’s the latest?

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that central midfielder Glen Kamara may be unavailable to feature in the match after suffering a knock this week.

He played ten minutes in the 4-0 win over St. Mirren in the Premiership at the weekend and could now be forced to watch on from the sidelines for this group stage clash with the Reds.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell Tweeted: “Van Bronckhorst says there are no new injuries for the game against Liverpool, although Glen Kamara is a doubt as he picked up a knock.”

Potential blow

Kamara being out injured could be a blow for the Dutch head coach as his performance off the bench against the Premier League side last week was promising.

The Light Blues struggled in the match as they lost 2-0 to Jurgen Klopp’s side and the Finnish gem offered a bit of quality as a substitute as he made two interceptions and created one chance in just nine minutes at Anfield.

He earned a SofaScore rating of 7.0 for his cameo and Connor Goldson (7.1) was the only other outfield player with a higher score than him for Rangers on the night, suggesting he could have been in contention to start tonight.

No other central midfielder for the Gers earned a score higher than 6.7 and this suggests that he could be an upgrade on the other starting options for this clash at Ibrox.

However, his injury means that he is now a doubt for the game and may not be available to the head coach for selection, leaving Steven Davis, John Lundstram, and Ryan Jack – who were outperformed by the ex-Dundee man last week – to fight for a place in the XI.

Kamara was also a key player for van Bronckhorst in the Europa League last season. He played in all 14 of their matches on the way to the final, starting 11 times, and made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per match whilst winning 56% of his duels – holding his own in the middle of the park.

His involvement in Europe last term shows that the manager trusted him to perform on the biggest stage and his cameo against Liverpool was a glimpse of the quality he is able to provide at the top level.

Therefore, Kamara missing out tonight would be a shame and a blow for van Bronckhorst as his substitute appearance may have been enough to convince the head coach to hand him a start against the English side.

North East reporter for The Daily Mail Craig Hope has revealed that Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered an injury ‘setback’ for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Isak out

Speaking to the media ahead of their match away at Manchester United in the Premier League this afternoon, Eddie Howe has confirmed that while Alexander Isak has made ‘progress’ in his recovery from injury, he will not be available at Old Trafford.

This came after reports that he could make the bench against the Red Devils after a thigh problem.

Now, the St. James’ Park outfit have been dealt another injury blow in the form of Saint-Maximin.

The Latest: Saint-Maximin ‘setback’

Taking to Twitter on Saturday afternoon, Hope has revealed that Saint-Maximin has suffered a ‘setback’ in his recovery from a hamstring injury, and is now ruled out against Erik ten Hag’s side, while he is also like to miss their upcoming fixtures against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur:

“Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered setback in return from hamstring layoff & is out of tomorrow’s trip to Man Utd. Also likely to miss Everton & Spurs over course of next week. Same issue as before, although irritation not thought to be too serious.”

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The Verdict: Big blow

Losing Saint-Maximin for the trip to United, as well as being without Isak, is a big blow for Howe and his team.

The pair have scored three goals and made two assists between them in the top flight so far this season, and rank in their top seven-best performers (WhoScored).

With Saint-Maximin potentially out for the next two games as well, a lot of pressure will now be on Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron to get the goals for the Magpies, who face two of the so-called ‘big six’ in their next three.

Finance expert Daniel Plumley has been reacting to off-field news that will impact Leeds United during the World Cup.

The Lowdown: £189m

The World Cup is fast approaching, with Leeds having just five Premier League fixtures left to fulfil before the break in domestic action.

Jesse Marsch may be without a number of first-team players during the break, but it turns out Leeds and other clubs will receive £9,000-per-day for each player from their squad remaining in the World Cup. FIFA have put aside £189m to help clubs during the tournament in Qatar, and Plumley has given his thoughts to the news.

The Latest: Plumley’s comments

Plumley, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to MOT Leeds News regarding the World Cup payments. He labelled it as ‘a bonus for Leeds’ and news that will be welcomed by Whites chiefs.

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“Every little helps. It’s absolutely a bonus for Leeds in this regard. It’s just a nice little windfall to get and in this example as well, they have the benefit of getting that money from those players who have since moved on and also, they’re not worried about them injured and not being available to play when they get back as they’re at someone else’s club.

“When you look at those numbers, it’s a welcome boost to the coffers and every little bit of revenue you can get is a bonus in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: How many?

Leeds may have a number of representatives at the World Cup, with Rasmus Kristensen, Diego Llorente, Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson almost certain to be on the plane to Qatar with their respective countries. Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Mateusz Klich may also get the nod for their nations, which could result in a nice windfall for Leeds.

You’d expect that Leeds would be happy if players return from the major tournament early, and although squad members making it into the latter stages of the competition will result in a financial benefit for the club, Marsch will simply be hoping none of them come back injured.

Crystal Palace are currently tenth in the Premier League following their victory over Southampton at the weekend, but it appears Patrick Vieira may already be lining up some potential transfer targets for January.

What’s the latest?

According to The Guardian journalist Ed Aarons, Crystal Palace have Monaco left-back Ismail Jakobs “on their radar”.

Aarons told GIVEMESPORT:

“Really top class left-backs are a bit of a premium, but I think Crystal Palace could do with somebody to give a bit of competition to Mitchell.

“Maybe he’s on their radar because the Senegalese link with Crystal Palace is quite strong.”

Imagine him & Guehi

There is no doubt that adding some depth in the backline would be advantageous to Palace in their efforts to climb the table and avoid getting into any difficulty over the second half of the Premier League season.

According to WhoScored, current left-back Tyrick Mitchell is the second worst-performing player in the entire squad of those to start over five times, so adding some competition to his position would not hurt and could inevitably improve performances for the Eagles.

Jakobs ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers in the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions and aerial duels won over the last year, whilst ranking in the top 20% for progressive passes and touches.

Over 28 appearances last season, the young German full-back delivered one assist, created six big chances and won 59% of his duels, as well as averaging 1.1 tackles and one clearance per game.

The 23-year-old talent, who was dubbed “quality” by Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell, could be the perfect player to partner up with Marc Guehi in the defensive line as he is more than capable of providing an attacking threat whilst remaining disciplined with his defensive play too.

Guehi is much weaker at winning aerial duels, ranking in the bottom 33% of his positional peers across Europe, but is much stronger in his dribbling skills compared to Jakobs who ranks in the bottom 23%, meaning they could complement each other well by covering each other’s weaknesses in the deepest roles on the pitch.

With that being said, the signing of Jakobs could be a great piece of business for Crystal Palace ahead of the second half of the season and could even improve the performances of Mitchell in the process.

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva ‘will not sign’ a new contract as a result of wanting to play for Barcelona, according to BBC radio pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: New deal being prepared

The Portuguese ace’s current contract isn’t set to expire until 2025, but in recent transfer windows, he has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou.

The Premier League champions are therefore eager to keep him at the Etihad Stadium, with reports claiming that the Sky Blues are set to offer him a fresh bumper deal worth approximately £46m, which would mark a notable increase from his current £150,000-per-week wage.

The Latest: Campbell’s assessment

Asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on where Silva’s future might lie, Campbell said: “At the end of the day, players want a change of lifestyle sometimes. Barcelona is a lovely place and it would be a lovely place to play your football.

“I am not surprised that Man City want to extend his contract. For the last two windows there has been speculation.

“If he wants to go Spain and play in La Liga, he will not be signing a new deal. Man City is a great place to be but sometimes players want a change. He will not sign if he wants to go.

“It is all going to come out in the wash. Bernardo is that good a player he can almost choose wherever he wants.”

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

Silva has been described as City’s ‘heartbeat’ in midfield by Josh Bunting, and Pep Guardiola’s team would be far worse without him, which is why the manager needs to do everything that he can to convince the Portugal star to stay put.

The Lisbon native has made 106 goal contributions in 270 appearances for his current club, with seven of those coming in just 12 league outings this season.

The 28-year-old is a vital cog in the middle of the park for City, ranking as their fifth-best performer last season according to WhoScored, and it would be a massive coup if he were to put pen to paper and extend his stay at the Etihad.

Considering Aston Villa’s recent form, there are several players at the club whose performances could see them struggle to be picked for the upcoming World Cup.

The unprecedented November start time has brought about a completely new way of approaching an international tournament, and early-season form which can often be repaired now has little room for error. This is exemplified through Villa’s position of 16th in the Premier League table.

With that in mind, players like Tyrone Mings, who were on the fringes of their national team squads, will now likely stand little chance of making the cut for the tournament.

However, with Lucas Digne’s standing in the France squad a little more secure, his performances might draw even more scrutiny, especially given the recent displays from his competitors for the left-back role in Ferland Mendy and Theo Hernandez.

In the blink of an eye, the former Everton defender could have lost his spot on the plane to Qatar.

Having played just eight times this season for the Villans, an ankle injury thwarted what had been a dismal campaign so far for Digne.

The full-back has only been involved in two wins so far in the Premier League, and even his deputy Ashley Young has outperformed him in terms of SofaScore rating.

It seems that, since his move to the Midlands, the 29-year-old has struggled to recapture the form that he showed at Goodison Park.

He was once seen on Merseyside as the “perfect Baines replacement”, as Paddy Boyland claimed, boasting dynamism and a sweet left foot which has seldom been seen at Villa Park.

The 46-cap ace has since only scored once and set up four goals in his 25 appearances for Villa. That is a disappointing output for someone whose game focuses so heavily on their attacking return, with writer Peter Guy highlighting how Digne can often be “poor defensively”.

The £160k-per-week defender has only recently returned from his layoff with a brief appearance in Villa’s thrashing at Newcastle United last week and will hope to make some kind of significant impact in his team’s final three games before the World Cup commences.

It has been a season to forget for the Frenchman, who will be praying that his previous displays have been enough to secure him a place in his national team’s squad for Qatar 2022. Judging by this season, though, he stands little chance of getting the call from Didier Deschamps.

The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland has revealed that both Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye are ‘back in training’ after concerns over their fitness.

The Lowdown: Fitness concerns

The midfield duo were among those not in the squad for the Toffees’ 4-1 loss at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in midweek, after they both came off in the 2-0 defeat at home to Leicester City in the Premier League last weekend.

Frank Lampard confirmed after the match that the pair had fitness issues, but hoped that they would be able to train ahead of their latest trip to the Cherries, who they face in the top flight on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Back in training

Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Boyland has shared that both Onana and Gueye have returned to Everton training after concerns over the duo’s fitness earlier in the week.

The journalist succinctly tweeted: “Onana & Gueye both back in training.”

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The Verdict: Double boost

Having both Onana and Gueye back training and with the squad is no doubt a big boost for Lampard ahead of Everton’s second trip to the Vitality Stadium in a week.

The duo have been mainstays in the middle of the park for the Toffees in the league and rank highly among their team-mates for average tackles, interceptions and passes per match (WhoScored).

The Toffees will likely need both of them fully fit and ready to play if they are to redeem themselves tomorrow against their south coast opponents after the disappointing result in midweek.

Crystal Palace look to have struck gold with the summer signing of Cheick Doucoure, as the midfielder’s value has already doubled since his move to Selhurst Park.

The Malian joined Palace from RC Lens in the summer transfer window in a deal worth £21m and he has quickly established himself as an integral part of Patrick Vieira’s side.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has made 12 appearances in the top flight for the Eagles, averaging an impressive 6.74 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This ranks him as the sixth-best performer in Vieira’s squad, which emphasises just how important he is becoming to the south London side, and at 22, he is only going to get better.

Doucoure’s defensive abilities are already shining through with the Eagles, as he ranks second for tackles per game, third for blocks per game and top for interceptions per game in Palace’s squad.

Vieira testified this earlier in the season after a defeat against Chelsea, saying:

“He is a complete holding midfielder. He can be part of our buildup and, defensively, he is winning a lot of one-against-ones. He’s growing into that role and responsibility and feeling more and more comfortable with each match. Even so, there is a lot more to come from him.”

His impressive start to life in the Premier League certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed, as his market value according to Transfermarkt has rocketed since his Selhurst Park switch.

Just six months ago, during Doucoure’s time in Ligue 1 with RC Lens, his market value stood at just €15m (£13.1m), but now he is rated at an impressive €30m (£26.3m), a 100% increase.

This also ranks him as the joint-fourth most valuable played in Palace’s squad, behind just Marc Guehi, Wilfried Zaha and Joachim Andersen.

Therefore, it seems clear that Steve Parish struck gold when bringing the young midfielder to England during the summer, as they seem almost certain to make a big profit on him should he ever leave Selhurst Park.

Glasgow Rangers have sacked Giovanni van Bronckhorst following a poor start to the season that leaves the Ibrox club with no European football to look forward to after Christmas and a nine-point gap to make up in the Premiership title race.

It was inevitable after the club’s recent run of form and thoughts will now turn to who Ross Wilson is eyeing up as a replacement for the Dutchman.

With several players out of form during the previous few weeks, including Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, a new manager might give them the boost they desperately need.

However, Wilson should be looking for a figure who can bring the best out of youngster Malik Tillman, and Vitor Pereira could be the ideal appointment.

Pereira can unlock Tillman

Tillman joined the club on a season-long loan with an option to buy in the summer from Bayern Munich and has impressed in spells during his time in Glasgow, scoring four goals and grabbing three assists.

His talent is unquestionable, however, Van Bronckhorst struggled to get any sort of consistency from the 20-year-old, especially with his negative style of football.

Pereira, on the other hand, has a penchant for attacking football which could only benefit the American. In 508 matches as manager, the 54-year-old has overseen his team’s score a staggering 922 goals, averaging nearly two a game in this spell.

Mesut Ozil, who played under Pereira at Fenerbahce, lavished praise on him, saying: “In training, it is clear how he wants to play. For example, he wants the team to attack. We want that, because we are Fenerbahce. We want to win against every team. The teacher also advocates this.

“He did a fantastic job in Portugal and he has done a fantastic job in China.”

With four league titles under his belt, the Portuguese manager could also bring a winning mentality to Ibrox, something else which Tillman could benefit from and there’s no doubt the £13k-per-week youngster has the potential to be the focal point of a revived Rangers midfield if Pereira was appointed.

Wilson, it’s now over to you.

Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in their midfield after suffering their worst Premier League start in a decade and now a potential transfer target has been revealed.

What’s the latest?

According to reports coming out of Spain, Liverpool are in the race to sign Barcelona and Netherlands star Frenkie de Jong, having made him one of their ‘new targets.’

As per the report, the midfielder possesses the profile that Jurgen Klopp likes in his team and will compete for his signature if the player is available to sign.

It is claimed that the La Liga giants are keen to sell De Jong in order to free up their huge wage bill and would listen to offers of around €80m (£69m).

Klopp needs him badly

There is no doubt that Liverpool are in a position that needs to be improved as they are currently 6th in the top flight ahead of the World Cup break following an inconsistent run of performances.

One of the key areas of concern in the team is the lack of reinvestment in the centre of the pitch and as time goes on it has become an increasing matter of urgency for the powers at Anfield to bring in midfielders who can make a positive impact.

Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are three Liverpool midfielders who – as it stands – will be out of contract in June 2023, whilst captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are coming to the latter stages of their careers.

As a result, the signing of De Jong would be a major coup for the club as Klopp desperately needs young and hungry high-quality talent in the team to get them back where they belong competing at the highest level in the Premier League.

The £630k-per-week talent ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across Europe for pass completion, non-penalty goals, dribbles completed, touches and shot-creating actions, proving that he is one of the hottest midfield prospects in Europe right now.

De Jong has played a starring role in Qatar at the World Cup for the Netherlands and has continued to show glimpses of his capabilities in his performances.

Over two appearances so far, the 25-year-old – who was hailed “extraordinary” by Xavi – has registered one assist and tallied up an 89% pass completion rate, as well as averaging one key pass, 4.5 tackles, one clearance and a whopping nine duels won per game.

With that being said, the recruitment team and Liverpool manager will surely be watching De Jong’s progress during the World Cup and if they could capture the midfielder’s services he could become a hugely valuable asset at Anfield.