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2025/26 Premier League Power Rankings after Matchday 6

1Oct

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Analysis, Rankings

2025/26 Premier League Power Rankings after Matchday 6

Premier League Matchday 6 saw Liverpool lose to Crystal Palace, Arsenal gain ground in the title race, and Manchester City hammer Burnley 5-1. Let’s look back at these results and the rest of Matchday 6 to see where each club stands ahead of Matchday 7. 20. Wolves (–1) It feels harsh dropping Wolves back down to 20th place after their gutsy 1-1 draw against Tottenham, but someone has to be last, and they are definitely deserving candidates. Vitor Pereira’s side have just one point this season and the league’s worst goal difference through six matches (-9). They’ve pulled off great escapes before, but it’s looking pretty unlikely this season. 19. Burnley (-1) Burnley’s 5-1 loss to Manchester City was the most expected result of the weekend. I guaranteed City would win by two goals in...

2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7

30Sep

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Analysis, Rankings

2025/26 LaLiga Power Rankings after Matchday 7

LaLiga Matchday 7 saw Atlético Madrid destroy Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid Derby, Barcelona jump to the top of the table, and Elche stay undefeated with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. Let’s review these LaLiga Matchday 7 fixtures and rank teams ahead of Matchday 8. 20. Girona Girona managed to scrap out a 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Matchday 7 thanks to a five-save performance from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga. The Argentine was the Blanquivermells man of the match, but the entire defense did their part, holding Espanyol to just 1.08 xG from 20 shots. Offensively, though, Girona really struggled to convert solid opportunities. Of their seven shots in the box, they only managed to get one on target. They missed their only big chance of the game. Results like this draw are why I think Giron...

2025/26 LaLiga picks, score predictions for every Matchday 7 fixture

25Sep

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Analysis

2025/26 LaLiga picks, score predictions for every Matchday 7 fixture

LaLiga had a full set of matches during the week, but the action doesn’t ever stop in Spain. The games pick right back up this weekend, with big matchups like Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid, Villarreal vs. Athletic Club, and Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad. Here are my LaLiga picks and score predictions for these matches and every other Matchday 7 fixture. Girona vs. Espanyol Estadi Municipal de Montilivi, 9:00pm CEST (3:00pm ET), Friday, September 26 Girona unexpectedly found themselves in the relegation fight last season. This year, they look on track to actually go down. The Catalan club have lost four of their six LaLiga matches so far — all of which were by two goals or more. However, they managed to scrape out a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club in Matchday 6. Espanyol finished just t...

2025/26 Premier League picks, score predictions for every Matchday 6 fixture

25Sep

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Analysis

2025/26 Premier League picks, score predictions for every Matchday 6 fixture

Premier League Matchday 6 features a full slate of weekend action, including a clash between new rivals Chelsea and Brighton and a matchup between top-of-the-table Liverpool and Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace. On Sunday, Newcastle will try to jump-start their season at home against Arsenal. Let’s get ready for these big matchups and every other Matchday 6 fixture with our EPL predictions for each match. Brentford vs. Manchester United Gtech Community Stadium, 12:30pm BST (7:30am ET), Saturday, September 27 Manchester United bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City with a 2-1 win at home against Chelsea. As chaotic as that match was, the Red Devils played well and will be coming into this match on a high. Brentford, on the other hand, are feeling as low as they’ve ...

Every La Liga club’s most overpaid player in the 2025/26 season

21Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Every La Liga club’s most overpaid player in the 2025/26 season

La Liga may not have the same figures thrown around or as much money involved as the Premier League, but when you look across the landscape of the Spanish top flight, you'll still find plenty of contracts and wage figures. Using data provided by FBRef.com, let's take a look at the most overpaid player on every La Liga team for the 2025/26 season. Girona Why on earth Girona signed Axel Witsel remains a mystery. I get the idea of a club worried about relegation signing veteran players, but Witsel hasn't been a starting-caliber player in ages and was a disaster for Atletico Madrid. At 4.16 million euros per season, Witsel is Girona's highest-paid player and is 36 years old. He has no real, defined position in 2025/26, and while he was once a top defensive midfielder at the Champions L...

Every 2025/26 Champions League contender’s biggest X-Factor

20Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Every 2025/26 Champions League contender’s biggest X-Factor

The Champions League is the time for all the brightest stars to come out and write their legacies in leading their clubs to victory, as the biggest legends of the modern game like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Toni Kroos, and so many others have taken the opportunity to etch their names in history with remarkable Champions League campaigns. But Champions Leagues are also just as much about the X-Factors who step up in key moments or have career years to defy expectations. This is where the Alvaro Moratas, the Francesco Acerbis, and the John Stoneses of the world make their mark. Who could be the biggest X-Factors in the 2025/26 Champions League campaign? Here are eight players to watch from the ...

Every Premier League club’s most valuable player of the 2020s decade so far

20Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

Every Premier League club’s most valuable player of the 2020s decade so far

Debating "value" can often be difficult, because there are so many ways to ascribe a player's value to a team. It can be because of their brilliance on the field, statistical dominance, scarcity of position, lack of star players in surrounding areas, or by being part of a dominant team. Let's do a fun exercise and look through all the current Premier League teams with experience in the top flight this decade prior to the 2025/26 season (so Sunderland is out) and try to pick out each club's most valuable player from the 2020s decade thus far. Wolves Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto both have strong cases, and I think Rayan Ait-Nouri and Adama Traore merit honorable mentions somewhere in there. But the most recent Wolves star, Matheus Cunha, absolutely has to be considered the best on an indi...

2026 World Cup Power Rankings: The 5 most important players to their country’s success

7Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

2026 World Cup Power Rankings: The 5 most important players to their country’s success

As the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches rage on, it's time to continue our early preview of next year's tournament in North America by narrowing our focus from the key teams to the key individuals that could shape the latest chapter of international football. Although we don't yet know the final field of the 2026 World Cup - and it looks like there are some giants who may not even make it to that point - the most important players to their countries are still going to be pivotal in these qualifying stages. So let's rank the top five players based on their importance to their team's qualification efforts and eventual hopes of World Cup success. Since it's too easy to pick the one star player at a smaller country and because one player can't pull everyone up to success (look at Mohame...

2026 World Cup Predictions: An early ranking of the top 5 projected Golden Boot winners

6Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

2026 World Cup Predictions: An early ranking of the top 5 projected Golden Boot winners

Since the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches are ongoing and it is now less than a full calendar year before the World Cup in North America begins, it's more than fair game to start an early preview of what we can expect at next year's World Cup tournament. There are few players who make more headlines on the international stage than the superstars scoring the goals, so from regulars at the top of the scoring charts to new stars around world football, let's take a look at an early projection of the top five Golden Boot candidates at the next World Cup. 5. Brazil RW Estevao Willian Estevao Willian has been scoring wondergoals for years, even though he's still just 18 years of age, and the new Chelsea arrival has been arguably even better than advertised - and Chelsea fans were already h...

World Cup 2026 Predictions: 5 European giants at most risk of flopping

5Sep

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Analysis

World Cup 2026 Predictions: 5 European giants at most risk of flopping

The 2026 World Cup qualifying matches are in full swing here in September with the 2025/26 league seasons already all under way, and while the "international break" is usually a time when most football fans take a break of their own, these national team fixtures with World Cup stakes on the line have piqued everybody's interest. And if fans weren't already keeping one eye peeled on the international fixtures with the World Cup in North America less than a full calendar year away, perhaps watching perennial disappointments Germany get upended 2-0 by Slovakia turned heads and served as a call for fans to take notice of what's happening in the qualifying rounds. In the spirit of Germany's dreadful defeat to the underdogs, let's look at five national teams that could flop at the 2026 Wor...