Aaron Rodgers Odds & TNF Props: Rodgers Lets Loose in Divisional Affair

Mason Greenwood has been included in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s Manchester United XI for the clash with Southampton – along with Donny van de Beek. 

Greenwood has not started for United since the 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal on November 1, though the teenager did come on as a substitute in the 4-1 Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday. 

However, Solskjaer has handed the forward – who has scored just twice in all competitions this term – his fourth Premier League start of the campaign, as he partners Marcus Rashford up front at St Mary s. 

In midfield, Van de Beek gets his first league start since joining from Ajax with both Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay out injured, Solskjaer having stated in his pre-match news conferen…

Jack Grealish believes the VAR is ruining the game after Aston Villa were denied a late equaliser against West Ham.

Having earlier missed a penalty on Monday, Ollie Watkins thought he had made it 2-2 in additional time, only for his strike to be ruled out by the VAR following a tight offside call.

Jarrod Bowen s 46th-minute goal proved to be the winner after Grealish had cancelled out Angelo Ogbonna s opener.

But after further VAR controversy in the Premier League, Grealish said the system was hurting the game.

As for VAR, I ve shared my views before and it s now just getting borderline embarrassing with some off [sic] the decisions, the England international wrote on Twitter.

Ruining the game.

As for VAR, I’ve shared my views before …

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said he is hopeful Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa will play together for a period as doubts linger over his star French forward.

Spaniard Costa is set to complete his return to Atletico when the January transfer window opens having been unavailable for the first half of the season after signing from Chelsea amid the LaLiga club s transfer ban.

Griezmann, meanwhile, continues to be linked with Premier League giants Manchester United after resisting a lucrative move in August, while Barcelona have emerged as a possible destination.

Speaking after Atletico s 3-2 friendly win against Al Ahly in Alexandria Saturday, Simeone said: We have worked hard to bring Griezmann and Costa and hopefully we keep him for a period.

…

Liverpool blew Everton away in the Merseyside derby and Jose Mourinho suffered his first loss as Tottenham head coach on his return to Manchester United.

Jurgen Klopp s Premier League leaders have an eight-point cushion at the top after a 5-2 win at Anfield on Wednesday that increases the pressure on the Toffees beleaguered boss Marco Silva.

Leicester remain the Reds nearest challengers after Brendan Rodgers side saw off his old club Watford 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Jamie Vardy and James Maddison.

Chelsea, Southampton and Wolves completed a clean sweep of home wins with victories over Aston Villa, Norwich City and West Ham respectively.

Divock the derby hero again

Divock Origi and Sadio Mane were the stars for Liverpool a…

Chelsea scout Piet de Visser feels Jose Mourinho is to blame for Eden Hazard s underwhelming performances this campaign as he put too much pressure on the Belgium international by trying to turn him into an improved version of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Hazard was voted played of the season in 2014-15 as he guided Chelsea to Premier League and League Cup glory, but has been unable to replicate that form this term.

The 25-year-old has netted just twice 38 appearances in all competitions for the Stamford Bridge side and De Visser believes his problems are all down to Mourinho s approach.

Eden is a player who has moments of brilliance. Mourinho tried to turn him into an improved version of Messi or Ronaldo, but that is impossible, De Visser told HLN.

…

Tying Ronald Koeman down to a new contract must be Southampton s number one priority in the close-season, according to club legend Matt Le Tissier.

Koeman has impressed since taking over from Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, with the Saints still in with a chance of qualifying for the Europa League for the second season in a row.

The Dutchman s current deal expires in a little over 12 months time, with chairman Ralph Krueger saying earlier this month that talks over fresh terms were progressing well.

And Le Tissier has urged the St Mary s hierarchy to finalise those negotiations sooner rather than later.

He told the Daily Echo: The number one priority for me is to tie the manager down on a new contract.

I hope we get an anno…

Andrei Arshavin was planning to use dirty tactics to convince his club, Zenit St Petersburg to let him join Tottenham for a reasonable transfer fee, but it has now emerged that the player s action has only decreased the possibility that his club will sell him to Tottenham.

Unlike most football teams around the world, Zenit refuse to be bullied around by their own players. In a report in The Independent, the player s agent describes the relation between Zenit and Arshavin:

This is the Russian way. Nothing will change because this is the old Soviet Union way. For the Russian sports establishment the desires of a player mean absolutely nothing. They are the big bosses. It is a dictatorship. He is a slave.

Tottenham had hoped to buy Arshavin for about £19 …

What is it that means whatever happens, we all have no time for the referee? I’m sure they are not bad people and they make it possible for all of us football lovers to play and watch the game. Without them, there would be no football.

They work hard all week and then take to the field in order to try to officiate in a game that is played and watched with a great deal of passion.

At the lower levels of grassroots football referees are subject to verbal and sometimes physical attacks from players, spectators and parents.

At the top level the possibility of physical assault is reduced but the verbal abuse is multiplied greatly. The fans and players are constantly moaning at the referee and accusing him of not knowing the rules or being biased tow…

Competition: Premier League

Market: Manchester United to beat Newcastle

Odds:

The Premier League continues this weekend with yet another enthralling rounds of games that will surely only see more excitement. The teams in both the top and bottom half of the table are separated by so few points that a single win can often see a side rise a number of places. With this in mind, Manchester United travel to face Newcastle on Sunday.

Newcastle have been struggling massively this season and they desperately need to win their next game or they could sink into the relegation zone by the end of the weekend. After 26 games they have won six, drawn seven and lost 13, scoring 24 times and conceding 36 goals. In their last five they have won just one game, wh…

Vincent Kompany hailed Manchester City s work rate in difficult conditions as they swept aside Basel 4-0 in the Champions League.

Kompany – playing his first game in the competition since injury curtailed his participation in the 2016 semi-final at Real Madrid – and centre-back partner Nicolas Otamendi endured some nervy moments early on in the last-16 tie against livewire forward Dimitri Oberlin.

But after Ilkay Gundogan converted Kevin De Bruyne s 14th-minute corner, the Premier League leaders shifted majestically through the gears, as Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero caught out Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik with fine finishes.

Gundogan added a sublime second after half-time, but Kompany s attention turned back towards the foundation City set when it was no…