Dundee United v Motherwell – Match Preview
Dundee United welcome in-form Motherwell to the City Of Discovery as Jim Goodwin aims to get back to winning ways. The last time the two sides clashed was at Fir Park as the Steelmen ran away 2-0 winners in October with goals from Maswanhise and Elliot Watt for Motherwell. The Steelmen have won in four of their last five outings in this meeting with Jim Goodwin’s side last win in this tie coming back in February in a 1-0 victory where Sam Dalby netted the only goal of the game. Since their fourth place finish last season, it hasn’t been all the same for the Tangerines. Dundee United sit 8th after a poor start to their Scottish Premiership campaign. The hosts for Saturday haven’t been able to pick up any win in their last six fixtures with their last win being in a 3-1 win over St Mirren back in October. Jim Goodwin’s side have won once in the last 10 as well as 5 draws and 4 defeats. Motherwell have had the exact opposite as the Steelmen are on fine form this season. Motherwell sit third, just six points off of Celtic in second place. The hosts of course haven’t won in six whereas Motherwell, they haven’t been defeated in six with their last loss being their 4-1defeat at Hampden Park to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup Semi-finals. Since then, the Fir Park outfit have certainly kicked on and become strong prospects of giving the top four a tough battle. Despite the poor form, Jim Goodwin’s men haven’t been shy of a goal, scoring four goals in five for the Tannadice side. Their defensive side have shown to be fragile with no clean sheets in their last 10 outings. Motherwell have been on good form in front of goal, scoring eight times in their last five matches. The Steelmen have been awarded the most league penalties this campaign, being given a spot-kick on six occasions. Motherwell star-man, Maswanhise, has been a standout this season, netting eight times so far this season where the attacker is currently the league’s top goal scorer. Pairing Max Watters and Julius Esekesen both return to the side while Keresztes will be out through suspension. Dario Naamo and Pan Camara sit out with a hamstring injury as well as Pappoe and Kucherenko also remain out. For Motherwell, Andy Halliday isn’t quite ready for action yet with Stuparevic, Oxborough, Nicholson, Robinson, McGhee and Sule all remaining absent. While speaking about the game, Goodwin described Motherwell as “the most in-form team in the league”. “It’s only natural when you’re on the type of run that we’re on that your confidence is going to take a bit of a hit,” Jim Goodwin said. “But we believe in what we’re doing. We are going through, probably, the toughest period that I’ve experienced during my time as United manager. “Football is not a bed of roses all the time, you’ve got to find a way to get through these difficult periods.” “It’s quite a remarkable transformation and he deserves a huge amount of credit,” the Tannadice boss quoted. “Given results, and where Motherwell are sitting in the table, I imagine there’s people all over Europe taking notice. “Motherwell are the most in-form team in the league. The new manager has been incredible in terms of their playing style and they’re as difficult an opponent as you can face at this moment in time. “But we have to believe we’re capable of winning the game. We didn’t do ourselves justice at Fir Park, the second half was a lot better from us, so we have to make sure we start this game the way we did in the second 45 over there.” Jens Berthel Askou believes it’s “extremely satisfying” seeing how his side plays in his style. “In general it’s been pleasing that players that some would have maybe written off and said, ‘no, that type of football is not for him’, that they have managed to actually be really, really good and strong players in what we’re doing,” Askou said. “That has been extremely fulfilling and satisfying for them as individuals, but especially for us as a club and as a group, that a lot of the players who were already here have been thriving in this, which means we don’t have five, six, seven players that have been left behind by the development. “There’s always one or two that might be caught on the wrong side of the competition, who need to move on when the next window of opportunity comes, and then we’ll see. “But it’s very, very few, and it’s not like we have players who have not done well. When they have played or when they are in training, they all look comfortable and really good, and I think that has been extremely satisfying.” Motherwell are now unbeaten in eight Premiership games and sit third before Saturday’s trip to face Dundee United. The Steelmen boss said: “The key thing is not to dwell on that and think we’re fantastic because we’ve had a good run. “It’s going to be harder and harder to win games the more you win, and we also know that the team we are playing on Saturday is a very good team who have not had the results that I think they’re worth as a group.”
Livingston vs Dundee – Match Preview
The bottom two will go head-to-head on Saturday as both look to pick up much needed points. The last meeting between these two came in September of this year, where Dundee won 3-2 courtesy of a last minute penalty from Callum Jones. Dundee have had the better of Livingston in each of their last four meetings. The last time Livingston beat Dundee was back in May 2022, when Andrew Shinnie and Alan Forrest both scored late on. Livingston have struggled on their return to the top flight. David Martindale’s side sit bottom of the table on eight points, winning one, drawing five and losing nine of their fifteen matches, which is the fewest by any side at this stage of a Scottish Premiership campaign since Falkirk back in 2009-10, who also won one. Livingston’s one and only win so far came in their second game of the campaign, where they beat fellow promoted side Falkirk 3-1 at home. The Lions come into this fixture off the back of a 3-0 loss against Motherwell at Fir Park. Dundee have also had a difficult start to their Premiership campaign. Steven Pressley’s side sit in 11th place on twelve points, winning three, drawing three and losing ten of their sixteen matches. Dundee’s last win came against St Mirren on November 29th at Dens Park, where Alexandros Gogic scored an own goal, Drew Wright and Joe Westley both found the net in a 3-1 home win. Despite their dismal start to the season, The Dark Blues have picked up some notable results so far this season, drawing 1-1 against Rangers at Ibrox in their second game of the Premiership campaign and beating Celtic 2-0 at home, however, despite that, their league position does not lie, but a win on Saturday could see them climb up to 10th, should Kilmarnock fail to beat an inform Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday. Both of these sides are right at the bottom in terms of clean sheets. Livingston have kept the fewest, only managing to keep one in sixteen Premiership matches, while Dundee have only kept two in sixteen matches. Dundee have scored the fewest goals in the Premiership so far, only scoring thirteen in sixteen matches, which is an average of 0.80 goals per game. Livingston have enjoyed a slightly better start in front of goal, scoring fifteen in fifteen matches. David Martindale’s reaction to defeat against Motherwell: “We shot ourselves in the foot, we were playing too narrow. They hit us with a couple of counters. “Second half I didn’t think there was a lot in it and we give away a penalty. I’ve not had a chance to look at it back, i’m not interested in that to be honest. Then the game becomes difficult.” Steven Pressley’s pre-match thoughts: “This weekend is a big game for us and Livingston, very much so. “I said before St Mirren that the position of the teams heightened the importance of the game and this one is the same. Both teams know they have to try to get something from it. “Going into this time of the season is always really important and we’d love to do it with some momentum. “Our run of games has been really difficult but over the Christmas and New Year period we play a lot of the teams around us. “That’s a good thing but it also heightens the importance of each game.”
Club Brugge vs Arsenal – Match Preview
Arsenal travel to Belgium to face Club Brugge in the Champions League. Ivan Leko’s side go into this clash off the back of a 3-2 defeat in the league against St.Truiden. That result means that Club Brugge now sit in 3rd place , behind St.Truiden on 33 points and behind the league leaders Union St.Gilloise, who sit on 37 points. Arsenal also goes into this encounter off the back of a narrow defeat, losing 2-1 to Aston Villa courtesy of a stoppage time winner from Buendia. Arsenal remains top of the Premier League despite defeat; however, the gap has now shrunk significantly. Manchester City now sit 2 points behind the Gunners and Aston Villa are now only 3 points behind. Club Brugge were defeated in their last Champions League encounter, losing 3-0 to Portuguese outfit Sporting CP. The Belgian outfit have played 5 matches so far in the Champions League, winning 1, drawing 1 and losing 3, with their 1 win coming against Monaco in a 4-1 win. Arsenal have enjoyed the perfect start to their Champions League campaign. Mikel Arteta’s side have won all 5 of their Champions League fixtures, including a 3-1 win against Bayern Munich. Furthermore, the North London outfit have scored 14 goals and only let in 1, which is the best defensive record in the competition thus far. Following defeat in their previous league encounter, Club Brugge announced the sacking of Nicky Hayen. Nicky won 52 of his 88 matches across all competitions, drawing 16 and losing 20. His successor, Leko, has experience managing Club Brugge. The Croatian managed the Belgian side from June 2017 until June 2019, in that spell he won the Belgian League and the Belgian Super Cup. Arsenal have confirmed that Max Dowman has been removed from the Champions League squad through injury. Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus replaces him. In continuation, Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba were not spotted in today’s training session. However, youngsters Josh Nichols, Louie Copley, Marcell Washington and Marli Salmon were all involved.
Aberdeen AGM update
Aberdeen tonight held their AGM, covering key points within the last 12 months. Dave Cormack began to praise the Dons’ support for their excellent support in helping out fans engagement in which saw a rise of 35% in attendances at Pittodrie over the last year. The average age groups heading to Pittodrie went from 48 to 35 also. Cormack went onto speak about the famous Scottish Cup win calling the fans out for their “amazing” and “unrelenting support” as Aberdeen won their first Scottish Cup in 35 years following a penalty shootout win over Celtic. The chairman then went on to speak about the new stadium project suggesting he was very disappointed with the false information on Aberdeen’s financial side of things when looking towards to the new stadium at Aberdeen beach. Dave said they hadn’t made it obvious of the “3.2billion economic upside” of the potential new ground at the beachfront. Cormack did confirm he and Chief executive, Allan Burrows will come together with Aberdeen City Council co-workers to hopefully progress in talks. The Dons’ are also setting sights on a covered pitch at their training ground, Cormack Park after a few months ago, stakeholders handed £8million to put into Aberdeen Football Club. Jimmy Thelin spoke about in the future, they may look into bringing in a set-piece coach but stated Aberdeen “educate our own coaches at it using connections with other clubs” and also said the squad are “working on it a lot. Another key talking point was Dante Polvara signing a new deal. Thelin confirms Dante is “quite happy right now” as well as “he’s talking with his people” as the Dons’ look to get the contract signed soon. New sporting director, Pfannenstiel suggested a possible recall despite being unlikely in January on Findlay Marshall after impressing so far on loan at Scottish Championship side, Arbroath. Pfannenstiel said he’s “definitely a vert talented player who trains in Cormack Park every day in front of our eyes”. Jimmy was also asked why new signings Frame, Bilalovic and Kjartansson weren’t being played. Jimmy is going towards the youth more than recent additions with Dylan Lobban and Jack Milne playing week in, week out while making great progress. Jimmy said his plan is to “keep working with the squad so when the players move the next one is ready”. He added: “The idea is to bring them in as early as possible” also adding “You are buying their potential”. Thelin provided a small summary of what to expect in the upcoming window: “We have a clear idea of what we want to do – as little as possible, but strengthen the squad”. The dons’ boss added “We have a good squad, but we need to adjust some parts” There has been some talk of late about players who may see the exit door such as Kusini Yengi who has only scored once since arriving in the summer and Leighton Clarkson who has dropped down the pecking order as the former Liverpool man searches for game time. They wrapped up on VAR after chairman, Dave Cormack suggested VAR should be limited to just 60 seconds while speaking to BBC on Saturday. Dave said “Almost nine minutes of VAR checks against the Dons side against St Mirren” Cormack said VAR was “brought in for clear decisions” and “if it takes four-and-a-half minutes, it’s nae clear and obvious”. The game lasted up until just after the 100 minute mark and the club figured out in the 3-3 draw with the Buddies’ last week, the ball was on the pitch for just over 50 minutes all down to the lengthy VAR checks and other issues causing to run down the clock.
Jimmy Thelin believes last night was the ‘maybe our best performance this season’ following a 3-3 draw with St Mirren
Jimmy Thelin fully believes that the draw at home to the Buddies was their best performance of the season so far. The dons drew 3-3 at Pittodrie yesterday evening despite being 3-2 up last on, Richard King suffered a big blow to take one point back down to Paisley. St Mirren had taken the lead after 55 minutes after a lengthy VAR check in which lead to a penalty where Marcus Fraser dispatched. A very high-scoring fixture as both sides shared the points. Aberdeen have lately been praised for their defensive work but it is safe to say, their defensive work wasn’t at their best last night, conceding three to Stephen Robinson’s men however have also had issues in the scoring side which is one positive to take. Ahead of Dundee on Saturday, Jimmy said: “Of course, after a game it’s a lot of emotions and you play maybe our best performance so far this season. “You score three goals, you are one down and you come back and then 2-2, and then you score another one, and then you lose a goal in the last second of the game – of course, it’s tough. “But it’s another game on Saturday and I think the team performed really well the whole game better on what we talked about before this game – the creativity and the goals we scored, the chances we created in both halves. “Sometimes this is football. Of course, you want to win and losing a goal in the last second of the game is tough. “But the players performed really well today.” Jimmy was in full praise in the attacking side by the Paisley outfit. A very last minute goal by the Buddies sealed a point for the struggling St Mirren side which will only boost confidence. Thelin said: “To be fair to St Mirren, they did well in the situation they created in the end and take the opportunity. “Of course we can learn and do something better, how we come closer to the opponents in the last minute of the game and these kind of things. “So it was disappointing, the result – but the performance was good. You probably should have been goals up at half-time again. “We have another game on Saturday and I think the team and the players are growing. So the result today and when the goal comes, there can be a lot of emotions on that one. “But we need to stay focused that we actually did a good performance. “I know football is always about winning, but our last period now has been good in results and also now the performance was really good. “So we have to focus on the right things and recover again and take the next challenge on Saturday.” Jimmy Thelin later spoke on the referee and VAR as roughly nine minutes were added following lengthy stoppages. Jimmy said: “The referees are the referees and we focus on other things.” He added: “It’s a lot of minutes (at the end), especially when you have a lot of… I think it was 10 or 11 minutes, something. “And then you play so many games, it’s a lot of extra minutes. “But that’s the rules and we have to follow the rules and then we have to adapt and grow.” Aberdeen decided to see the game out and make defensive changes but Gavin Molloy who was only just on was soon forced off with an issue leaving Aberdeen with ten men. The dons boss stated: “Let’s see. “That’s one of the most important things now. But this just happened so we need to assess him and then maybe we’ll know tomorrow. “I hope everything is fine.”
Crystal Palace star man on a potential move to Italy
Jean-Philippe Mateta has made his feeling known as the striker is keen on making a switch to Serie-A. Mateta could be on his way out this winter as AC Milan are set to be interested in the Palace man. The FA Cup and Community Shield winner is hoping in making the French world cup team as he eyes up the move abroad to increase those chances. Mateta’s deal in London expires in 2027 but hasn’t penned a new deal with the Selhurst Park side. Mateta has a high chance of being called up to the France national side after scoring on two occasions in three. AC Milan sit at the top of the Italian division and look to add to their attacking options with Mateta being listed. Mateta’s most recent goal for Palace came just five days ago in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mateta has nine so far this campaign for the London side which includes a hat-trick against AFC Bournemouth in October in a three all draw. The striker is the top goal scorer at Selhurst Park sitting on 9 with Sarr just one goal behind the forward. Mateta has featured in all games this season for Palace (22) with the French International starting 21 of those fixtures. If Mateta is to leave, they may be done with a second blow as key player, Guehi could also be set to depart with his contract set to run out this summer. The English International was heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool last window but fell through in the final few hours of the window. Just like Mateta, Guehi has also featured in every game so far, netting once providing three assists along the way. If both Mateta and Guehi are to exit, this will show to be costly and difficult to replace especially with Guehi possibly leaving on a free.
Arsenal injury update ahead of Wednesday
Mikel Arteta on Kai Havertz: “Kai Havertz is still weeks away.”“We are all desperate to have him. I mean it is a player that, personally, I love so much for what he brings to the team – his character, his personality. I see him suffer, being outside.” His playing record, he’s phenomenal, he’s been always available and I can’t wait to have him back around the team playing now because I think it’s going to be a massive push for the team.” The German International has been out since picking up a knee injury against Manchester United back in August.The Spaniard also gave an update on Brazilian defender Gabriel: “Gabriel Magalhães is doing very well, but it will take weeks to see him back”. The 27-year-old picked up a muscular injury in a Friendly against Senegal last month. Arteta on Saliba’s injuries: “The ankle one, it was a really random and very unlucky action that kept him out for a few weeks. He was uncomfortable, and he had to stay away, and this one as well, very bizarre, but hopefully will be a matter of days.” Belgian forward Leandro Trossard should also be back in a “matter of days.” The 30-year-old has had a solid start to the 2025/26 campaign, scoring 5 and providing 5 assists in 16 matches. Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s injuries: “This season has been the worst in some areas, especially in the front line, and now what’s happening with the back line. But yeah, we learned and we were able to put that together, a squad that is much more reliable and has more options. “We learned from the past as well that we have to use players in different positions, and they have to be able to fulfill different roles if we want to compete at this level.“
Jimmy Thelin states “we have to win” as the Dons welcome Armenian Champions, FC Noah
The Dons are back on the European stage tomorrow evening as they host FC Noah who were founded just eight years ago as Thelin says “we must win” to keep European dreams alive. The Dons sit 33rd in the Conference League as a defeat tomorrow night may seal their European fate with a win needed for Aberdeen. Ahead of the game, Dons boss said: “If you see the table and the games we have left, to give us an opportunity to go through, we have to win tomorrow – that is clear,” “It is still going to be a difficult game. Noah are a good team with a good manager. They have four points and had some good results, so it is a difficult team to play.” If Noah were to run away winners, the dons will need to pick up two wins out of their remaining two games against both Sparta Prague and Strasbourg. Noah are struggling in their respective league season, sitting mid-table in Armenia. FC Noah, the 2017 founded side have four points compared to Aberdeen’s one point in the Conference League. Noah competed in last year’s Conference League where they finished on 4 points in 31st with a noticeable 8-0 defeat along the way in London against Chelsea. The Swedish boss still reckons his side are in for a “tough game” ahead of tomorrow night’s showdown in the Granite City as the Dons boss believes his side “is growing” after an increase in better performances as the Dons defeated league leaders, Hearts on Sunday to end their unbeaten run. “We still have the long term to play better, but when it is not working, sometimes when the opponents are better in general, there are still opportunities to win a football game and there I think the players have grown a lot in this mental capacity,” Jimmy said. Noah boss, Sandro Perkovic was full of praise for Aberdeen as the Croatian boss says “Aberdeen is one very strong team with a lot of quality individuals. It will be a really hard match for us.” The Noah gaffer also stated “In my opinion, no team in the Conference League can be favourites here in this stadium.” suggesting Pittodrie is a very tough place to go to and his side are in for a tough night in Scotland.
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich Preview
Arsenal return to Champions League action as they welcome German giants Bayern Munich to Emirates Stadium in what promises to be a blockbuster clash between two of the best sides on the planet. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of a comprehensive 4-1 home win over their North London rivals Tottenham. Trossard netted and Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick, the first one between the two sides since 1978, in a comfortable evening at Emirates Stadium. That’s now 15 games in a row without defeat in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side, who now sit 6 points ahead of 2nd place Chelsea and 7 points ahead of Manchester City in 3rd, who were defeated 2-1 at St James’ Park. Bayern Munich come into this fixture off the back of an impressive 6-2 victory against Freiburg. The Bundesliga outfit did find themselves 2-0 down after 17 minutes, but after 17-year-old Lennart Karl found the net just after 20 minutes, they didn’t look back. Michael Olise scored a brace, and also provided 3 assists, Dayot Upamecano netted, and so did Harry Kane and Nicolas Jackson. Vincent Kompany’s side remain comfortably on top of the Bundesliga table on 31 points, ahead of RB Leipzig by 6 points after 11 matches. In that run, Bayern have scored an outstanding 41 goals and only conceded 8. The last time these two sides met came in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in 2023/24, when Joshua Kimmich scored the only goal in a 1-0 win after the sides drew 2-2 in London in the first leg. Arsenal couldn’t really have asked for a better start to their Champions League campaign. The Gunners have played 4, won 4, scored 11 and haven’t conceded a single goal, the only side in the competition who are yet to concede in this year’s Champions League. Last time out in the UCL the North London outfit faced Slavia Prague away from home, winning 3-0. Bukayo Saka scored from the penalty spot and Mikel Merino netted a brace. The Bavarians have also enjoyed an impressive start to their Champions League campaign. The Munich outfit have played 4, won 4, scored 14 and conceded 3. Last time out in the UCL Bayern defeated European Champions PSG away from home. Luiz Diaz scored a first-half brace and also got himself sent off, and as a result will not feature against Arsenal. Joao Neves scored for the hosts with just over a quarter of an hour to play, but it wasn’t enough as they were defeated 2-1. Mikel Arteta on Eze’s stellar display against Spurs: “He could have scored four or five. He’s a big player who can create magic moments which unbalance a team. I’m so happy for him, because since the day he came he brought something else to the team. It’s a joy, it’s an aura that this team needed and hopefully it will give him a lot of confidence that at any moment he can win us a game.” “When he picked up the phone, I remember last summer, he said he wanted to play for us and wanted to be part of this team. You can really sense that.” Vincent Kompany on Arsenal: They’re the best team in Europe at set pieces. I think it’s a good challenge. I don’t know if there are many better teams than Arsenal in Europe at the moment. We’re looking forward to the game. Arsenal have plenty of players that can hurt Bayern, one of those being Eberechi Eze. The English attacking midfielder will be full of confidence following his derby day hat-trick. Another player that could potentially hurt Bayern is Leandro Trossard. The Belgian has had a very bright start to his 2025/26 campaign, scoring 5 and providing 5 assists in 15 matches, including a goal and 2 assists in 3 Champions League outings. Bayern Munich have numerous players that Arsenal should look out for, including one familiar face in Harry Kane, who loved to score in a North London Derby. The 32-year-old has enjoyed an incredible start to the 2025/26 season, scoring 27 goals, 5 of those coming in 4 Champions League games, and providing 4 assists in 23 matches. Another player Arsenal need to nullify is Michael Olise. The Frenchman has 12 goals and has provided 10 assists in 23 matches. The 23-year-old will go up against former teammate Eberechi Eze, who he enjoyed a brilliant partnership with at Crystal Palace.
McGregor’s late strike the difference in Paisley.
It was the hosts who started off the more threatening. And on 7 minutes they should have been ahead. Declan John did brilliantly and played a ball across goal towards Conor McMenamin, who failed to convert from close range, on the stretch. In the 15th minute, Sebastian Tounekti cut inside onto his right foot and got a shot off, but his curling effort went over the bar. In the 28th minute, Declan John’s corner was cleared by Celtic, but only as far as Conor McMenamin, who found space on the edge of Celtic’s box, but his brilliant left-footed effort came crashing off the post. In the 43rd minute, St Mirren managed to keep the ball alive following a long throw, the ball fell to Miguel Freckleton, who blazed his shot over the crossbar with Kasper Schmeichel on the deck. HT: St Mirren 0-0 Celtic After 50 minutes, Daizen Maeda looked to be through on goal, but Alexandros Gogic made an incredible sliding challenge to deny the Japanese forward. A bright start to second period from the Champions. After 64 minutes, Keanu Baccus found space outside the box, but his shot was comfortably saved by Kasper Schmeichel. In the 69th minute, St Mirren put the ball in the back of the net. Celtic defender Liam Scales was stretching for it and put the ball in the back of his own net, however, St Mirren’s number 10 Conor McMenamin was in an offside position and deemed to be interfering with play, therefore the goal was disallowed. With just under a quarter of an hour remaining of normal time, Celtic were awarded a free kick right on the edge of the St Mirren box, but Arne Engels’ effort came crashing off the wall. On 79 minutes, Liam Scales played a brilliant ball into the box, Daizen Maeda flicked it on towards the back post, but no Celtic player was there to convert. In the 83rd minute, Declan John took a shot from a tight angle, with Jonah Ayunga free at the back post, and his shot was easily saved by the Danish keeper. Deep into stoppage time, Celtic found the breakthrough. Callum McGregor worked some space on the edge of the box, and his sensational strike found the top corner. A vital strike from the Celtic skipper, which puts the pressure on Hearts going into their clash against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.
