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Glasgow Rangers travel to Lisbon to take on group leaders Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Steven Gerrard’s side are enjoying an incredible run of form, having won their past 18 games in a row in all competitions, as they started their Europa League Group D campaign with two wins from two away to Standard Liege and at home against Lech Poznan respectively.

After a bright start to the season, Benfica were beaten 3-0 by Boavista on Monday, but they have also made a perfect start to top Group D by beating both Lech Poznan and Standard Liege as well.

Gerrard will be well aware that his side will have to be at their very best if they are to best the Portuguese giants, who have become Champions League regulars in recent years, and last won the league title in 2019.

Here’s Football FanCast’s prediction for the starting line-up, which sees Gerrard make four changes to the team that travelled to Kilmarnock at the weekend.

Gerrard is likely to make several changes to the side that won at Rugby Park, particularly in the midfield.

Both full-backs Borna Barisic and James Tavernier pick themselves, along with Connor Goldson, but questions remain over who plays in the heart of the defence, as he could change Filip Helander for Leon Balogun to form the rest of the back four. The Rangers manager has so far rotated his centre-back options this season, so Balogun will be hoping to get the nod after Helander played in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

This means that Glen Kamara and Steven Davis could start in the midfield alongside Scott Arfield, which would see Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack drop to the bench. South Africa international Bongani Zungu has been training with the first team ahead of the away fixture but the loan signing may have to settle for a brief cameo as a substitute in the second half.

In attack, Alfredo Morelos should lead the line, with Ryan Kent to one side and Ianis Hagi the most likely option to start out wide on the right in place of Cedric Itten. £4m-rated Hagi has started two games out of two in the Europa League this season, having scored two goals and supplied one assist in the competition last term, via Transfermarkt.

As we’ve previously discussed, we think that Kent is long overdue a well-deserved rest, but it’s hard to imagine Gerrard giving him a break against Benfica with so much at stake.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers defender George Edmundson faces uncertain future at Ibrox…

Sheffield Wednesday were given a twelve point deduction for the 2020/21 campaign by the EFL for breaking spending rules, however it seems like the Owls are not taking this decision lightly and many fans of the club are reacting as the club have released a statement on the matter.

In their statement, Wednesday revealed that they will appeal the decision made by the EFL following them publishing written reasons why they received the deduction.

They also believe that the hearing of the appeal will be taking place in ‘Autumn 2020’. The rules they breached were around their sale of the Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri and their decision to include it in the financial year covering the 2017-18 campaign.

In the statement following the written reasons being published, Wednesday said: ‘The Club was disappointed with some of the decisions of the Disciplinary Commission and respectfully disagrees with both the finding that it was in breach of the P&S rules for the 2017/18 season and the sanction of a 12-point deduction to be applied in the 2020/21 season.”

It now leaves fans of the club again unsure as to how they will start next season and whether they will still have the point deduction or not.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Let us know down below!

Celtic have signed no fewer than five players this summer and it appears their business is not done just yet…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Scottish champions are working on a deal to sign Queens Park Rangers winger Bright Osayi-Samuel on a pre-contract agreement but they face a ton of competition for one of the Championship’s most in-demand stars.

They claim the Hoops are putting together a package for the 22-year-old ahead of the January transfer window where he would be free to join another club providing he doesn’t sign an extension to his current deal.

Rangers are also interested in the 5 foot 9 attacker whilst Leicester City, Fulham and Brighton have been keeping tabs too.

Hammond coup

Osayi-Samuel saw a £5m move to Belgium fall through just two months ago, so to be able to clinch him on a free transfer – albeit not for another year – would be quite the steal.

His Rs teammate Eberechi Eze often took the plaudits in west London so the young Englishman has been left rather underrated despite an impressive campaign himself.

Per WhoScored, the 22-year-old provided five goals and eight assists whilst averaging 2.9 dribbles, 1.2 key passes and shots, and drew 1.9 fouls per game too.

QPR boss Mark Warburton believes the wide man is a “real handful” who has “sheer pace which terrifies defenders” and this is perhaps something Neil Lennon currently lacks in James Forrest and Moi Elyououssi.

To add weight to that argument, Osayi-Samuel has been described as a “lively, powerful and energetic dribbler” who’s an “absolute nightmare” to play against, as per the PFSA.

Neither of the aforementioned Bhoys duo have averaged more than 0.8 dribbles per game this term, so that sort of exciting threat is clearly going amiss at Parkhead.

Nick Hammond is surely onto a winner with the QPR sensation.

AND in other news, Hoops could land themselves a “diamond” in EFL starlet…

Borussia Dortmund have grown tired of Manchester United’s mind games and have issued the Red Devils an ultimatum.

Just days after Sky Sports revealed Man United will not pay more than £50m for Jadon Sancho, Dortmund have given the club a deadline to get a deal sorted out.

Sancho has told Dortmund he wants to return to England and play in the Premier League, via ESPN.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted the winger remains his top priority amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

However, BVB are unimpressed by United’s antics as they believe the Red Devils are playing hardball, according to reports in Germany.

German publication Waz, as relayed by The Daily Express, claims the Bundesliga challengers will not sell Sancho once next season starts.

Ed Woodward now has two months to try and reach an agreement with the Yellow and Blacks, which has put him under a lot of pressure.

The executive vice-chairman has copped a fair amount of stick over the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Indeed, Woodward spent heavily on Marouane Fellaini, and missed out on signing Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale instead.

Similarly, he was blamed for the club’s failure to sign Erling Braut Haaland, who linked up with Sancho at the Signal Iduna Park.

Woodward will not want to repeat his previous mistakes and will surely be looking to make amends for some dreadful decisions in recent years.

It would be a bitter blow for Solskjaer if he fails to deliver, as the club legend has made it clear that Sancho is at the top of his list of transfer targets.

As it stands, United are refusing to give in to Dortmund’s demands, and newly-crowned champions Liverpool could seek to exploit the situation, as they will receive a bumper payday for their efforts.

United fans, do you think the board will sign Jadon Sancho in the summer? Let us know down below!

Tottenham face a transfer battle with Everton to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, according to Sport 1.

This isn’t the first time that the Premier League rivals have locked horns in the transfer window, as the Toffees have tried to thwart Tottenham’s attempts to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton, but to seemingly no avail.

It is understood that Leverkusen are demanding £36m for Bailey as the Bundesliga side brace themselves for an exodus of attacking players in the summer.

Peter Bosz has insisted that Bailey’s Leverkusen teammate Kai Havertz remains committed to the club despite intense speculation surrounding a potential transfer to Chelsea.

Bailey has scored seven goals and supplied three assists in all competitions this season, having battled his way back from injury and suspension.

Spurs are reportedly keeping close tabs on the six-cap Jamaica international as the £36m-rated Bundesliga ace is apparently ‘dreaming’ of a move to the Premier League. Interestingly enough, he is represented by Aidy Ward from Colossal Sports Management, who are responsible for the likes of Kingsley Coman and Raheem Sterling.

Jose Mourinho will be happy that the Lilywhites clinched a sixth-place finish in the league following the conclusion of the campaign but he will have his sights set on getting Spurs back into the Champions League.

The Lilywhites will need to strengthen if they want to challenge for a spot in the top four and Bailey has shown he is a top-class dribbler, known for cutting in from the wing, so he could provide the cutting edge Mourinho that needs to rebuild the midfield.

Spurs are surely a more attractive option than Everton at the moment, as several players like Hojbjerg have already expressed their desire to work with Mourinho, while the Toffees finished six places lower than Tottenham in the league.

Coupled with the fact the north London club would be able to offer Europa League football, Carlo Ancelotti could have a tough task on his hands to try and persuade him to move to Goodison Park instead.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Leon Bailey? Let us know your views in the comments below!

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…

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has cleared up the mystery surrounding Kevin Danso while speaking to the media ahead of Saturday evening’s game against West Ham.

The 21-year-old defender – who arrived at St Mary’s in the final hours of the summer transfer window on a season-long loan deal from Augsburg – has made just six Premier League appearances this season, with only three of them coming as starts.

In recent weeks, Danso hasn’t played a single minute of action since the 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on November 2nd, and failed to make Hasenhuttl’s squad for the games against Arsenal, Newcastle and Watford.

However, the former RB Leipzig boss has now explained why.

What did he say?

Hasenhuttl told The Daily Echo: “He must develop his game and we will help him. He would like to play more but we have now found a first XI that has played the last four games.

“The automatism they are building is the reason we didn’t rotate even though we had three games in a week. They did it well three times, so we stayed with the same squad and did it well three times.”

Aside from the fact that the backline is currently settled, Hasenhuttl also explained that Danso is struggling fitness-wise.

He said: “Last game he had problems with his knees, so he wasn’t in the squad. This week he could train and hopefully he stays fit.”

Has cleared up the mystery

Before The Daily Echo released these quotes on Friday, there had been no news on Danso, nor had there been any update on his fitness or reason for his absence.

That prompted us to write a piece outlining how it appears as if Hasenhuttl had gone cold on his fellow Austrian, despite previously speaking quite highly of the former MK Dons youth player before the 1-1 draw against Manchester United earlier in the season.

“He showed from the first day he was here that he knows how to defend. He knows how to play football and, physically, has very good options. He is very quick and also good at jumping for headers. At this age, he is very experienced because he played a lot of games in Germany and this signing was a really good one.”

However, we can all now rest assured that the real reason behind Danso’s absence is, quite simply, because of fitness issues as well as the fact that Hasenhuttl has settled on a back four which has merited some decent results in recent weeks, with wins over Norwich and Watford and a draw away to Arsenal.

At last, the mystery is over.

In other news, take a look at the XI that we think Hasenhuttl should start with against West Ham on Saturday…

Sheffield Wednesday left-back Matt Penney has signed a new deal and committed his future to the club.

According to Dom Howson, the 22-year-old will be staying in Yorkshire after agreeing new terms. He broke into the Wednesday senior team in 2016 after graduating from the youth setup. After two loan spells, Penney was given a new contract, taking him up to this year (via BBC Sport).

Many Wednesday fans are delighted with the news that the left-back has committed his future to the club once more. He is currently on loan with second tier German side FC St. Pauli and could be utilised in the upcoming season if Garry Monk is to suffer a summer exodus.

One fan has generously replied to Howson’s update saying that he is “full of good news”. The Owls have suffered a tough season and could see a total of 17 senior players leave in the transfer window. This little nugget of good news has left many Owls fans ecstatic, as per these replies:

How do you feel about Penney’s new deal, Owls fans? Join the conversation in the comments below! 

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…

Gareth Southgate has hailed Dele Alli’s return to form in his favoured position for Tottenham Hotspur, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

Alli has been excellent for Spurs since Jose Mourinho’s appointment as manager, scoring three goals in three games, including a brace against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

The performances come after he was left out of Southgate’s last two England squads, while Sky reports that Mourinho asked him, upon his appointment, if he was the real Alli or merely an imposter who was actually his brother.

And with the Three Lions boss preparing for Euro 2020 next summer, he has admitted that the 23-year-old’s form is good news for his club and his country.

He said: “Jose has played him as a No 10 and that’s his best position, having the freedom to run on into the box. That has been very clear for a long time.

“So it’s great he’s back on the scoring trail.”

Spurs, of course, have a number of English players, including Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Eric Dier and Southgate is hopeful they will be in fine form come the end of the season.

He added: “At the moment they are fighting to get into Tottenham’s team and pleasing their manager there, so if the consequence of that is that they are in form for us then for sure (playing at the Euros) will be in the players’ minds, but at this stage of the season they are thinking about their clubs.”

Interesting analysis

It appeared clear to everyone but Mauricio Pochettino that Alli’s best position was in the No.10 role behind Kane.

Mourinho can see it and has reverted Alli into that role, while Southgate can too.

While there are a number of options there for Southgate – the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Ross Barkley, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Leicester City’s James Maddison can all be deployed in that No.10 role – Alli is perhaps best equipped for it.

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He has experience and form; he has travelled to two major tournaments already, playing at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup and has 37 caps to his name.

If he is fit and firing, he will surely be in Southgate’s plans; if he keeps up this scoring rate, he may well be the first name on the team sheet.

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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…

It has been a long old decade, and what a ten years it has been for Southampton.

The Saints have gone from a Championship side to one that enjoyed a run in the Europa League and an appearance in the Carabao Cup final, while seeing some players who can now be regarded as some of the world’s best come and go.

Let’s take a look at who should make up the south coast side’s Team of the Decade…

Fraser Forster – The 6 foot 7 glovesman is almost certainly the best Southampton shot-stopper of this decade, having broken Paul Jones’s top-flight record for the longest period of time without conceding a goal, reaching 708 minutes – over 11 hours! Forster also made 125 appearances for the club, before things went downhill in recent seasons.

Nathaniel Clyne – What a full-back this man was. Signed from Crystal Palace, Clyne went on to play for England and made 104 appearances for the Saints, contributing to some of the finest moments in the club’s recent history.

Jose Fonte – The Portugal international made almost 300 appearances for the Saints during his time at the club, and was integral during Southampton’s rise to European football. Fonte captained the side during their golden period this decade, before leaving for West Ham.

Virgil van Dijk – Forget how it ended, if you can, and just admire how good of a player this man was. After arriving from Celtic, van Dijk make 80 appearances for the Saints while scoring seven goals, and made things look downright easy at the back for years.

Ryan Bertrand – It was a close call between Bertrand and Luke Shaw for the left-back role, although the current Southampton man takes the prize due to the fact that he was a mainstay in the side that qualified for Europe and finished just three points off the Champions League positions in 2015/16. The England international has made 181 appearances for the Saints, scoring seven goals and setting up 19 more.

Morgan Schneiderlin – What a classy midfield operator this man was. Schneiderlin made 257 appearances for the Saints, and like many in this side, played a crucial role in qualification for the Europa League in 2016 before departing for Manchester United.

Victor Wanyama – There simply is no other option in midfield, Wanyama was that good. The Kenyan colossus was a vital presence in the middle of the park for years at St Mary’s, making just short of 100 appearances for the club before being poached by Tottenham.

Steven Davis – One of few in this side who wasn’t nabbed by a larger club, Davis kept things ticking over nicely in midfield for years with his energy and composure. He made making a whopping 226 appearances for the Saints during a lengthy period at the club, and gets the nod over 2019 Ballon d’Or nominee, Dusan Tadic.

Sadio Mane – Scorer of the Premier League’s fastest-ever hat-trick while at Southampton, Mane is now one of the best players in Europe. The Senegal star netted 25 goals in 75 appearances for the Saints, and is arguably one of the finest forwards to have ever graced the St Mary’s turf.

Rickie Lambert – Nobody else was taking this spot, even if Graziano Pelle was a real fans’ favourite. Lambert is a bona-fide Southampton legend, playing a leading role in getting the Saints to the Premier League with 27 Championship goals in 2011/12, while continuing to perform in the Premier League as well. In total, Lambert scored 115 goals for the club before, unsurprisingly, Liverpool poached him.

Adam Lallana – The Southampton academy graduate, another player who departed for Liverpool, made 261 appearances for the Saints. Lallana helped carry the torch in the club’s early days as a Premier League side after promotion, scoring some wonderful individual goals along the way.

In other Southampton news, Hasenhuttl must keep reiterating this message he uttered before the Watford game…

A few Aston Villa fans were left questioning their club’s decision to keep Tom Heaton and Bjorn Engels injuries under wraps ahead of facing Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

There is also growing uncertainty among the Villa Park faithful over Jack Grealish’s fitness after the Villans captain was forced to sit out another Premier League fixture after failing to shake off the knock to his calf suffered at Manchester City.

Dean Smith was without Heaton and Engels for Sunday’s clash with Wolves after the pair sustained calf and hip injuries respectively, and were replaced by Jed Steer and Ezri Konsa.

Heaton’s injury has seen the former Burnley goalkeeper withdraw from the England squad for the Three Lion’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers, and is expected to see his place taken by Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson.

Smith’s injury woes were not over once the ball began to roll on Sunday, either, as Villa lost back-up ‘keeper Steer in the seventh-minute when the shot-stopper developed an Achilles issue while clearing the ball and needed help leaving the field.

The Villans would again be forced into a first-half substitution through injury, when Matt Targett was replaced shortly before half-time after going down following a blow to the face from Matt Doherty.

Villa now have the international break to nurse their ever-growing injury list back to full fitness, before facing Newcastle United on November 25.

Here are some of the messages shared from concerned Villa fans when news broke of Heaton and Engels’ injuries…