MATCH!の 9 February 2021 の目次

ILKAY GUNDOGAN We reckon Sergio Aguero must’ve lent Gundogan his shooting boots while he was out injured! The classy Germany playmaker scored six goals in six Prem games in December and January, including that epic brace v West Brom at the end of last month. This campaign is already his personal best for goals in a single season! RUBEN DIAS We can’t mention the beastly Portugal defender without also mentioning John Stones! The two solid centre-backs have formed an incredible partnership this season and kept 11 clean sheets from their first 12 matches together in all competitions – including in some really tough games against Man. United and Aston Villa! JOAO CANCELO We think it’s fair to say that Cancelo had a disappointing debut season in the Premier League, but…

Eyes on the ball! Greenwood got distracted by the TV cameras… The Spurs shuffle! Are Winks and Hojbjerg doing some sort of new dance routine? Virtual high-fives! Maddison is the king of socially-distanced celebrations! Guess who? All we’re saying is that he plays for Germany! High foot! We think Salah made a good choice by staying away! Bragging rights! When you’re a Sheffield United boy and score against Wednesday… Mou’s mistake! You just don’t bother challenging Akinfenwa to an arm wrestle… Air bubbles! If he holds that for long enough, he’ll be able to make an air bubble! Snowball! That’s the sort of snowball that’s gonna hurt! Emoji fail! Grant Hanley’s tongue emoji needs some work……

THE GOAL HANGER PRINT! To celebrate Tanguy Ndombele’s fantastic flick v Sheffield United winning MATCH’s January GOTM, we’ve got this ace print from footy designer Goal Hanger up for grabs! Visit thegoalhanger.co.uk for more jaw-dropping designs and follow @the goal hanger on social media! MITRE GLOVES & SHINGUARDS! We’ve teamed up with our mates at MITRE to give away a pair of ace Anza Durable Goalkeeper Gloves and Deflecta Shinguards to one lucky MATCH reader. Get in! For more info and even more awesome footy gear visit mitre.com and follow @MitreSports on social media! HOW TO ENTER! WWW.MATCHFOOTBALL.CO.UK Then click ‘Win’ in the navigation bar on the MATCH website. Full T&Cs are available online.…

EFL CLUB FOCUS THIS WEEK: MIDDLESBROUGH FACTFILE Nickname: The Boro Date founded: 1876 Stadium: Riverside Stadium Capacity: 34,000 Did You Know? Boro played in the Premier League’s first-ever season in 1992! PLAYING STYLE Boro are well-organised and difficult to beat under boss Neil Warnock, which is why they’re chasing a place in the play-offs! They’ve tried out loads of different formations this season, including 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-3-1! NEIL WARNOCK The 72-year-old is the most experienced manager in the league – he’s never going to retire at this rate! He’s been promoted eight times as a gaffer, a record in English football, so he clearly knows how to get the best out of his stars under pressure! BRITT ASSOMBALONGA The 28-year-old remains one of the most dangerous strikers in…

WIN OVER THE FANS! Frank Lampard wasa club legend who was loved by Blues fans, and some supporters greeted the news of his sacking by hanging a banner outside Stam ford Bridge saying “Circus Continues”! Things were made worse when some old quotes came out from Tuchel saying he used to pretend to play for Tottenham as a kid – one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals! LET PULISIC LOOSE! Christian Pulisic was handed his professional debut by Tuchel as a 17-year-old in 2016, and the USA superstar is still mega thankful for the gaffer’s faith in him! The attacker had a really strong end to the 2019-20 season, but has struggled with niggling injuries and form this campaign. Tuchel knows all about getting the best out of him! GET THE GERMANS…

RONALDO’S BACK! Cristiano Ronaldo is back in FIFA’s TOTY after having to settle for being the 12th Man on FIFA 20! CR7’s been scoring for fun again in Italy this season, but he hasn’t been given the 99-rated card we’ve seen in the past. He’s joined by Kylian Mbappe as, for the first time, Leo Messi is just named as the 12th Man! BAYERN BEASTS! We’re not surprised that Bayern Munich dominate FIFA 21’s TOTY! Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Robert Lewandowski were all crucial players and have been given unstoppable cards! FLAMING FERNANDES! It’s been a while since Man. United had one of their players feature in FIFA’s TOTY, but we had a feeling that would change this year! Baller Bruno Fernandes has established himself as one…

THE FUNNIEST! MAYA SAYS: “I would probably say Aileen Whelan! She gets bored so easily so she’s always joking about or others would say “annoying them”, pulling pranks and scaring people! Fliss Gibbons and Victoria Williams would be up there too for the funny things they come out with!” THE BRAINBOX! MAYA SAYS: “I can’t think of anyone who stands out. Maybe Inessa Kaagman – she has some of her qualifications to become a doctor, which is impressive!” THE HARDEST! MAYA SAYS: “I would say Victoria Williams! She’s a strong centre-half you don’t want to find yourself in a 50/50 with! If you do, then you better get to the ball before she does otherwise there could be trouble!” THE LOUDEST! MAYA SAYS: “Megan Walsh is the loudest on the…

WHO AM I? Use the clues to work out the mystery star! I’m 25 years old and play for Wolves! I’ve played for teams in Spain and England! I made my international debut for Spain in a friendly v Portugal last October! TRANSFER TRACKER! Can you fill in the gaps in the career of proper electric West Ham forward Michail Antonio? 2008-12 Reading 2012-14 ? 2014-15 ? 2015- West Ham FLASHBACK! Which total FA Cup legend is lifting the trophy with Chelsea way back in 2009? THE NICKNAME GAME! Match these fifth round teams to their awesome nicknames! SOCCER SCRABBLE Which Man. City midfielder’s name is all jumbled up? SPOT THE BALL! Mark where you think the ball is in this cool third round snap! BEARD SPOTTER! Name the fifth…

NEW YEAR, SAME SKILLS! CHELSEA 1-3 MAN. CITY JANUARY 3 The Germany baller absolutely ran the show a long side Kevin De Bruyne! He drove forward with the ball from deep, was super clever with his passing and made some awesome attacking runs. He even scored the game’s opener – and his first goal of 2021 – by firing a wonderful strike into the bottom corner of the goal! BRIGHTON BOSSED! MAN. CITY 1-0 BRIGHTON JANUARY 13 This was probably his quietest game of the month, but he still managed to show his class! He had 81 touches of the ball – 20 more than the most involved Brighton player – and had a 90% pass completion rate. Even without a goal or assist, he was key in helping his…

1 INTELLIGENCE Lionel Messi We talk so much about Messi's ability on the ball, but one of his best attributes is his decision making! He knows exactly when to dribble, when to pass and when to shoot, without wasting the ball or trying to overcomplicate things. He's a really brainy baller! 2 HEADERS Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano is massively underrated when it comes to heading! Did you see his gravity-defying leap against Sassuolo last month? He got more airtime than most professional basketball players can manage. Outrageous! 3 STRENGTH Romelu Lukaku Lukaku recently claimed that he’s one of the best five strikers in the world right now, but we reckon he’s actually No.1 when it comes to strength! There aren’t many players who can match him physically on full beast mode! 4 WORK-RATE Jamie Vardy…

ALL-PREM CLASH! MAN. UNITED V WEST HAM In their last six meetings, there’s been two draws, two United wins and two West Ham victories – so there hasn’t been too much to separate them. The grim news for Hammers fans is that they haven’t won at Old Trafford since 2007 – when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still playing for The Red Devils! That means the home side are huge faves! MATCH VERDICT MATCH SAYS MAN. UNITED 2 WEST HAM 0 ONE TO WATCH! BARNSLEY V CHELSEA We predicted Barnsley to finish in the Championship relegation zone at the start of the season, but they’ve surprised us by sitting comfortably in mid-table! They got an impressive 1-0 win over a rotated Norwich side in the last round, but they’re gonna be…

WEEKLY TOP 20! Check out MATCH’s league table after Gameweek 21! TRANSFER IN… Here are our biggest signing tips ahead of this weekend’s action! BUKAYO SAKA MF ★ ARSENAL £5.4 MILLION One of the main reasons why The Gunners’ form has improved is due to the performances of the 19-year-old. Snap him up, now! ILKAY GUNDOGAN MF ★ MAN. CITY £5.8 MILLION Given how many points he’s racked up over the last few weeks, we can’t believe the Man. City baller is only £5.8 million! CHRISTIAN PULISIC MF ★ CHELSEA £8.2 MILLION We’re expecting Pulisic to shine under Thomas Tuchel, and a home game v Newcastle should be a great chance for points! TRANSFER OUT… We reckon you should ship these heroes out for this weekend’s action! KEVIN DE BRUYNE…

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury Join Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad on a quest to save the Sprixie Kingdom in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury on Nintendo Switch! Rescue the Sprixie Princess and her followers by yourself or with three other players, then help Bowser Jr. turn his dad back to normal in a bonus adventure – out this week! Price: £49.99 nintendo.co.uk Nintendo Switch Mario Red & Blue Edition To celebrate the new Super Mario 3D World release, Nintendo are also launching an epic Mario-themed Red and Blue Nintendo Switch! It includes the awesome console, charging dock, joy-con and carrying case with screen protector to complete the look. It's-a-dream! Price: £279.99 nintendo.co.uk Top Eleven 2021 The fun footy app has revealed some wicked updates for…