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Rangers’ season hasn’t quite clicked into the gear supporters were hoping for but Sunday presents a fantastic opportunity for Pedro Caixinha to show he is moving the club in the right direction. The Light Blues take on Motherwell in a Scottish League semi-final at Hampden that promises to be a cracking competitive affair.

Caixinha’s side have already beaten Motherwell this season but it was far from an easy task with the Steelmen battling well in a 2-1 defeat at Fir Park.

Stephen Robinson is a popular man with ‘Well supporters right now, inspiring the kind of impressive victories this season that have fans hoping for a top six finish in the Scottish Premiership. They’ve been particularly impressive in this competition, in the last round they thrashed Aberdeen 3-0, putting out a statement that they’ll be hard to beat for any team that has ambitions of lifting the trophy.

Rangers will need to be at their best this weekend if they’re to progress to the final and face either Celtic or Hibernian.

In order to win, they’ll need to be keenly aware of the threats Motherwell pose and we’ve picked out the THREE main danger men they’ll need to shut down…

Chris Cadden

Only centre-back Cedric Kipre has played more minutes for Motherwell this season than Chris Cadden, a testament to the Scottish U21 international’s stamina and desire on the Steelmen’s right flank.

Deployed in a right wing-back role, he’s been absolutely key to Stephen Robinson’s side in both a defensive and attacking sense and all of those skills will be tested against Rangers on Sunday.

The Light Blues will be expected to dominate possession throughout the 90 minutes and Motherwell can expect to be put under serious pressure in long spells throughout. In order to compete, they’ll need to be incisive on the counter-attack and that’s exactly what Cadden brings, along with a blistering pace that can shift ‘Well’s focus from defence to attack in seconds.

The 21-year-old has found particular joy in the Scottish League cup this season, scoring four goals and assist three times in this competition alone. He found the net away to Ross County in the last sixteen and set-up Louis Moult’s killer blown to Aberdeen late on in the quarter final.

That ability to perform well into the latter stages of matches makes him even more dangerous this Sunday and his fitness and stamina could play an important role in a match that could well go to extra-time.

Ryan Bowman

Ryan Bowman has really hit his stride as a Motherwell player this season after a difficult first season of football in Scotland upon joining the Steelmen in August 2016.

He only managed to net twice in all competitions last term, a total he has already more than doubled by October this time around, finding joy supporting Louis Moult in attack either alongside him as an out and out striker or sitting just behind.

With five goals and three assists in 14 appearances already this season, he’s one of the real danger men for Rangers in this Sunday’s semi-final and with Moult likely to attract the attention of the Rangers defenders most of all, Pedro Caixinha’s side will need to guard against Bowman ghosting in himself and exploiting space that could open up in Moult’s wake.

He’s struck up quite the partnership with his compatriot and could well be the one to steal the headlines by the end of the 90 minutes.

Louis Moult

No list of Motherwell’s most dangerous players would be complete with Louis Moult. The striker is one of the most lethal strikers in Scottish football, never mind just at the Steelmen and his form this season has been as impressive as ever.

He’s scored nine times this season so far, with four of those goals coming in this very competition and if anyone can inspire Motherwell to reach their first Scottish League Cup final since 2005 then it’ll be this man.

The Scottish Premiership player of the month in September, he was in lethal form in the quarter final against Aberdeen, scoring twice in their 3-0 victory and propelling them into this Hampden fixture.

If he gets a chance he will likely stick it away and Pedro Caixinha must ensure that they counter his threat first and foremost before his side show the ambition to get the win themselves.

Slaven Bilic is hanging on to his West Ham United job by a thread after suffering another heavy defeat in the English Premier League on Saturday.

This time it was Liverpool who did the business against the Hammers, thrashing them 4-1 at the London Stadium in the top-flight’s late Saturday kick-off.

The Irons just couldn’t cope with the Reds’ rampant attack, who found their goals through Mohamed Salah, Joel Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The West Ham boss admitted to the BBC he was under ‘big pressure’ and in a ‘very difficult’ situation after the defeat, with his side just one point and one position ahead of the relegation zone.

Fans were left fuming with the players first and foremost, many believing they’re letting down the Croatian massively with their performances.

The most stinging criticism was saved for the Irons defence. No team in the top-flight has conceded more than West Ham this season.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Southampton suffered a devastating last-gasp 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, but Saints fans were quick to praise Sofiane Boufal for the impact he made from the substitutes’ bench.The Moroccan forward was dropped to the bench for the trip to the Premier League leaders as Mauricio Pellegrino opted for a more defensive line-up with the pacy duo of Shane Long and Nathan Redmond up top, but he came on to replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the 64th minute following Virgil van Dijk’s own goal just after the break.The 24-year-old set up Oriol Romeu’s equaliser just over 10 minutes later, feigning to shoot from a cross to the back post before taking a touch to the byline and expertly cutting the ball back for his midfield teammate.Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Boufal, and while one labelled him an “absolute genius”, another went a step further by saying he “is twice, if not three times, the player Matt Le Tissier was”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Manchester United recorded a narrow 1-0 victory against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, and Red Devils fans were divided on Juan Mata’s performance.

The Spaniard started on the right side of the attacking midfield trio behind Romelu Lukaku, and he provided the assist for the Belgium international with a fine cross that the 24-year-old headed home in the first half, although he was sloppy in possession on other occasions.

The 29-year-old doesn’t often play the full 90 minutes under Jose Mourinho, but that was the case against the Cherries and perhaps explains why he was looking a little jaded in the closing stages of the encounter.

Man United supporters were quick to have their say on his display via social media, and they were divided with their opinions.

While one went as far as saying “Mata is a better player than Pogba”, another disagreed and said “Mata had a bad game”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Tottenham Hotspur have had a bid of £40million rejected for Lyon midfielder Tanguy N’Dombele according to Paris United.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old defensive midfielder moved to Lyon from Amiens last year on loan and the French club took up the option to make the loan permanent.

The Frenchman made 32 appearances in Ligue 1, assisting 6 goals and the youngster established himself as one of the key players for Les Gones.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Tell us here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

According to the report, Spurs made a bid of £40million for the player which has been rejected by Lyon, and Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus and PSG also interested in the hot prospect.

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Perfect replacement

It looks increasingly like Spurs will be without Mousa Dembele next season with a move to Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan on the cards.

N’Dombele is a very similar player to the Belgian, not only in name but in the way he controls the midfield and has such composure on the ball even when outnumbered by the opposition.

£40million does seem a lot of money for a player valued at £22.5million on Transfermarkt, but if he can replicate his potential predecessor’s form in the Premier League it would be money well spent by Spurs.

The Tottenham fans in and around the Transfer Tavern are worried about the lack of transfer activity that is happening around the club as they want the team to be properly equipped to bid for silverware this season. 

Simply, fans want their stadium move ambition to be matched by having quality players on the pitch. Tottenham, over the last few seasons, have been chasing the top teams in amongst the top four but when it comes down to winning trophies, they’re renowned for bottling the situation and failing at the last moments. One player who hasn’t been used to a lot of failure in his career is Julian Draxler. With a value of £31.5 million on Transfermarkt, he’s a star our punters would like to join Tottenham this summer.

The German attacker was part of their early World Cup exit although he enjoyed domestic success with PSG as they stormed to the French Ligue 1 title. Draxler played his part certainly on their way to a silverware filled season, scoring 5 goals and providing 10 assists in his 47 total appearances. At 24-years-old, Draxler is nearing his peak age, something which could see him viewed as a top player should his form now get even better.

The PSG man predominately plays as a central-midfielder but can also be utilised on either wing or even as a number 10 behind the striker. Tottenham would not only be getting a top German midfielder but one that can be transformed into different positions depending on the opponent and the tactics Mauricio Pochettino wants to embed into the team.

Good move… Let us know!

While the country has been swept up by World Cup fever, Cristiano Ronaldo has completed a sensational transfer to Juventus after nine outstanding years at Real Madrid.

It may only be after England’s involvement in Russia comes to an end that the enormity of that switch actually hits home but it is undoubtedly the biggest deal of the summer so far.

It also brings to an end the Spanish duopoly over the world’s elite players as a genuine global superstar moves to Serie A, and Madrid will doubtless be looking for a high-profile replacement.

Also, Juventus will be looking to make offloads in order to balance the books after a huge outlay on an ageing player, and a transfer triangle including Roberto Firmino and Paulo Dybala could well begin. We’ve taken a closer look…

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Ronaldo to Juventus

As Ronaldo’s legs began to go, the prospect that he would depart the Bernabeu has moved closer but considering he has showed little signs of slowing up, it is still a surprise that it has actually happened.

It was always going to take a huge financial package to lure him away and given that Juve have tended to do things on the cheap in years gone by, it is also surprising that they have been the ones to stump up the £99.2m reported fee.

This raises the prospect of Juventus going one better in the Champions League and finally getting over the line and clinching the trophy with big ears this season.

Paulo Dybala joins Liverpool

Reports following Ronaldo’s arrival at Juventus claim that Liverpool are willing to take Paulo Dybala, which would clear a starting spot and the required money for the Portuguese.

£80m is the rumoured figure, which would go a long way to offsetting the huge outlay Juve have had to make for Ronaldo, raising the prospect that Jurgen Klopp could bring yet another elite forward to Anfield.

It has been clear for a long while that the Reds require greater attacking depth and Dybala would be an outstanding addition given he scored 26 goals last term.

Roberto Firmino joins Real Madrid

As much as Liverpool would be a mouthwatering force with Dybala alongside Mo Salah, Firmino and Sadio Mane, spending £80m in a summer that has already seen them sign Naby Keita and Fabinho may require a sale.

Madrid will also be looking for their Ronaldo replacement and would be adept at filling that left-sided forward role, bringing goals and work-rate.

With Dybala in to replace him, losing Firmino need not be a hammer blow to Liverpool’s title hopes.

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It could turn out to be a very exciting week for Liverpool if transfer rumours are anything to go by.For months now, fans have been urging the club to swoop for a new goalkeeper following Loris Karius’s costly mistakes during the Champions League final in May.The German did not ease any concerns during a pre-season friendly against Tranmere earlier this month as he spilled what should have been an easy save.For a while it seemed that manager Jurgen Klopp was going to stick with his current options rather than recruit a new figure, but according to widespread reports a deal for Roma shot-stopper Alisson could be in the works.According toÂBBC Sport, the Reds have agreed a fee of around £66.8m with the Italian outfit, which means that Alisson will be free to hold talks with the Anfield club regarding a move.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]With regards to Nabil Fekir, there are no concrete suggestions that Liverpool plan to revive their bid for the Lyon playmaker, whose knee problems scuppered the initial deal.However, some fans believe that if both players join Liverpool before the transfer deadline next month, then they will be title contenders.

It is increasingly difficult for players to use the World Cup to be a breakout star, but Diego Laxalt did exactly that by adding dynamism to a sturdy Uruguay defence as the South Americans made the quarter-finals.

The Genoa left-back has pace and defensive solidity to match, which has understandably seen him attract attention from Premier League sides up and down the league.

Former Watford manager Marco Silva has been brought to Goodison Park to overhaul the style of play from the mercifully brief Sam Allardyce era and has reportedly got his eye on Laxalt as a long-term replacement for Leighton Baines.

However, Silva reportedly faces competition for his services from another man who has been brought in to oversee a change in playing style, new West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini.

So, we asked which of the ambitious clubs Laxalt should join and it was clear that the fans think he should link up with the Hammers, who have so far spent more than any other top flight club apart from Liverpool…

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Borussia Dortmund have decided to cash in on outstanding prospect Christian Pulisic for £65m, and Liverpool are in amongst the chasing pack, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s the story, then?

The Mail report that the German giants want £65m for the American starlet and have decided to sell after his stock rose further with some impressive pre-season performances.

They claim that there are a host of clubs in the hunt and that if Jurgen Klopp is to land his former club’s top talent, he will need to get ahead of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Klopp may hope that his Dortmund connections can see him steal a march but the report claims that German champions Bayern are the current favourites for Pulisic’s signature.

One more attacker to add variety would give Liverpool title-winning depth

Much has been made of Liverpool’s need for greater attacking depth, which would allow Klopp to bring in quality replacements when Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino need a rest.

What is not mentioned so much is how a variety of attacking options would help the German unlock the massed defensive ranks the Reds sometimes struggle to unlock, which 12 league draws last season bear out.

If Klopp had the quality of Pulisic and Xherdan Shaqiri in his armoury to take on the myriad challenges the Premier League throws up, it would elevate Liverpool towards being genuine title contenders.

They already look set to make an outstanding start to the season, building on the feel-good factor around the club and the fact that not too many of their key men went deep into the World Cup and Pulisic’s arrival could genuinely create a two-horse race.

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