Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and Coventry counterpart Mark Robins have criticised the decision to scrap FA Cup replays, as the teams prepare to meet in the competition’s semi-finals this weekend. The FA and Premier League have reached an agreement to scrap FA Cup replays from next season, with England’s top flight instead agreeing to provide extra funding to the football pyramid. The decision comes amid concerns over the congested calendar, though Ten Hag said that while ‘inevitable’ the decision is ‘very sad for the British football culture’.   “It’s very sad for the British f ..read more

The weekend schedule brings a big double gameweek in the world of Fantasy Premier League. Seven teams are in action twice in Gameweek 34, including title-chasing Arsenal and Liverpool. This weekend will be a popular one for managers to use their remaining chips, so ensure your squad selection is on point. Ahead of a crucial round of Premier League football in the run-in, we’ve looked at four FPL assets you should be targeting ahead of the Gameweek 34 deadline. FPL GW34 Deadline: Saturday, April 20, 13:30 BST. Join our FPL league: xugc83 Fantasy Premier League: Four transfers to target ..read more

Six talking points ahead of the Premier League weekend, featuring renewed focus for the title challengers, Everton’s defining week, and Aston Villa’s chance to up the pressure in the top-four race. All eyes on the Premier League for title contenders It was a disappointing week of European football for the Premier League. Four quarter-final exits mean no English teams are remaining in Europe’s top two club competitions, with Manchester City and Liverpool out despite starting the round as Champions League and Europa League favourites respectively. That each of the three title contenders, Arsena ..read more

The PFA Player of the Year award appears the most open race for several seasons, with several stars in contention for the Premier League’s most illustrious individual honour. Being voted as the Premier League’s finest footballer by your fellow professionals is the ultimate recognition of a special season, but who will join the list of iconic names to have won the accolade? As we reach the run-in, we’ve ranked the current five favourites to win the PFA Player of the Year award. Cole Palmer – Chelsea (14/1) Cole Palmer’s odds of being crowned the PFA Player of the Year have tumbled in recent we ..read more

Kylian Mbappe extended his wonderful record in the UEFA Champions League this week, as the French forward scored twice in Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-1 win at Barcelona. Mbappe’s double decided the tie and booked PSG a place in the semi-finals, with the Parisians in pursuit of a maiden European crown. The 25-year-old is the leading scorer in the Champions League this season with eight goals and has now entered the all-time top 10 goalscorers in the competition’s history. Mbappe dumping Barcelona out of the Champions League, before joining Real Madrid at the end of the season. You couldn’t write ..read more

Four things we learned from the Champions League quarter-final second legs, featuring the English outcasts celebrating memorable nights, the Premier League’s wipeout, and are the football gods beginning to draft a football masterpiece? English outcasts celebrate memorable nights It’s funny how things work out. In a week when England’s representatives exited Europe’s top competition, there were success stories for forgotten faces from the Premier League. Eric Dier, unwanted at Tottenham earlier in the campaign, will now compete in a glamour semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, two ..read more

FA Cup replays have been scrapped in changes to the competition’s format ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The news comes amid concerns over the congested nature of the football calendar, with all replays to be removed from the first round. Previously, there had been no replays from the fifth-round onwards. Football League sides had opposed the abolishment of FA Cup replays with the potential to miss out on high-revenue ties against clubs higher up the pyramid, though the chances come alongside an agreement between the FA and Premier League for greater support of the lower leagues.   Premie ..read more

England’s hopes of securing an additional place in next season’s Champions League look all but over after falling behind Germany in the coefficient rankings. Manchester City and Arsenal exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals this week, while German representatives Bayern Munich – who beat the Gunners over two legs – and Borussia Dortmund progressed to the last four. The knock-on effect appears to be the end of England’s hopes of an additional Champions League place next season, with two ‘European Performance Spots’ awarded to the nations with the best performance in this season’s c ..read more

Who is the most underrated player in the Premier League? The term underrated can be a point of contention, with multiple calls for one unsung hero perhaps contradictory to the point. However, there are a number of stars who continually fly under the radar, failing to receive the plaudits their performances deserve. The Football Faithful team took to the streets recently to ask the public their thoughts on a variety of Premier League topics, including who they believed was the most underrated player in the division. From fan favourites to calls for Arsenal to splash £100m on one under-appreciat ..read more

Release clauses are commonplace in football contracts, a pre-determined transfer fee that allows players to leave without having to kick up a fuss. Some hugely attractive release clauses will become active across Europe’s top five leagues in the summer and we’ve looked at five talents we believe will attract considerable interest. Five football release clauses we expect to be triggered this summer: Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad) Spanish football requires release clauses in contracts and that rule could see Real Sociedad stripped of their midfield metronome this summer. Martin Zubimendi has ..read more