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Liverpool were unbeaten in all competitions the last time they had a game in the Champions League. Since then, they’ve only lost to West Ham but made up for it in an incredible performance that saw the side score four goals against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The Reds remain unbeaten and at the very top of the tree in their Champions League group, with the maximum 12 points and seven points clear of second-place Porto, who coincidentally are their opponents on Wednesday evening.

This unbeaten run in Europe has put Liverpool through to the last sixteen, and for this reason, we expect a much different side to the starting eleven we saw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed in his press conference that we would see changes in tonight’s game;

“We always respect the competition but we have to think about ourselves, our schedule and the situation of our players first,”

With that in mind, here is Football Fancast’s predicted XI for Liverpool vs Porto…

With seven changes to the starting line up, we predict that Liverpool will bring in many players that we only see in domestic cup tournaments, but Klopp will leave an element of first-team experience in each line of play, with Joel Matip, James Milner and Diogo Jota all starting.

The changes will see fan favourites like Sadio Mane, Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah axed from the line up, in an attempt to give them a rest before an important Premier League game against Southampton at the weekend, where Klopp’s side will look for an opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea and Manchester City.

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Taki Minamino will take the place of Mane, and will be hoping to have further impact on Liverpool’s season after he scored the fourth goal of the game against Arsenal at the weekend.

We expect to see some young players get minutes as well this evening, with Ibrahima Konate, 19-year-old Tyler Morton and Neco Williams predicted to join the side. All three will be hoping to make an impact to impress their German coach in the game.

Klopp will certainly not go into this game with the mentality of allowing a loss, so it is likely we could see him strengthen the side with more experienced players like Trent Alexander Arnold or Jordan Henderson in the second half, but only if the starting team is getting eaten alive by a Porto side who are in need of a win to push Atletico Madrid and AC Milan further away from qualification.

In other news: Liverpool must secure new deal for Sadio Mane

Amid Aston Villa’s recent interest in signing Juventus star Adrien Rabiot, Morgan Sanson could well be looking over his shoulder at Villa Park…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that Steven Gerrard’s side had scouts watching him during Juventus’ 1-0 defeat to Atalanta last week ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

And, with claims earlier this year that Villa chiefs have felt they may have made a mistake over signing Sanson, the writing could well be on the wall for the Frenchman.

Bye-bye Sanson

Football Insider revealed that there is a belief behind-the-scenes at Villa Park that the club “haven’t done their homework” on the former Marseille man, and that as well as being difficult to manage, he does not seem to have the technical ability that they had hoped for.

In Rabiot, Johan Lange could find someone who has played at the very highest level, plying his trade for the likes of PSG and Juventus and competing in the Champions League year-in and year-out – it’s no surprise that former Bianconeri boss Andrea Pirlo has waxed lyrical about him.

He said: “He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically. He doesn’t even know the potential for improvement he can have, and we work on the mental side of things to make him understand that he is a champion. He is improving game after game.”

The rave reviews however don’t stop there, with legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who saw him up close for Juventus, hailing the ability that Rabiot possesses, claiming: “He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio.

“He is incredible, extremely strong. He needs to improve his timing when approaching the opponent’s penalty area but he can become a player with 10 goals per season. He’s also a good boy and a great team-mate.”

The £34m-rated star could be exactly the kind of signing that eases the frustration surrounding Sanson, and see the Villa man finally head for the exit door at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, this Villa star had a “rough night” vs Man City…

Celtic ended their Europa League campaign with an impressive 3-2 win over Real Betis on Thursday evening.

Ange Postecoglou rang the changes to his side, however, he still ended up with more injuries to deal with, most notably Kyogo Furuhashi.

Stephen Welsh, Ewan Henderson and David Turnbull grabbed the goals for the Hoops, who will now head into the Europa Conference League in the New Year.

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Opinions may differ, but here at The Transfer Tavern, we’ve looked into the three worst-rated Celtic players as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking.

Liam Scales 6.2/10

Scales was Celtic’s worst-rated player on the night, ending with a score of 6.2/10. The left-back lost the ball a whopping 18 times – more than any Celtic player.

The Irishman also lost six of his eight duels, failed to complete a cross or a dribble and committed two fouls.

Adam Montgomery 6.3/10

Montgomery is next on the list, playing ahead of Scales on the left-wing. The 19-year-old ended with a score of 6.3/10 in what was just his sixth start of the campaign.

He lost possession on 15 occasions in his 65-minute display and failed to complete a successful dribble.

The youngster didn’t attempt a cross or make a key pass and lost nine of his 14 duels overall.

Ismaila Soro 6.6/10

Soro completes the list with a slightly better score of 6.6/10. The holding midfielder was in a three-man midfield alongside James McCarthy and Liam Shaw for his sixth start of the season.

The Ivorian was booked, lost six of his 10 duels, gave possession away seven times and was dribbled past twice.

Soro didn’t have any impact going forward either and completed just 16 passes, making just 32 touches in his display before being replaced.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man reacts as Celtic eye a second Spurs player alongside Carter-Vickers. 

Alan Nixon has dropped a worrying claim on Derby County’s ongoing off-field struggles.

What’s been said?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Sun journalist discussed both Middlesbrough and Wycombe Wanderers’ compensation claims against the Midlands outfit, with the former suggesting that the Rams’ financial irregularities saw them miss out on a play-off place back in 2018/19, while the latter suggest that the Pride Park side’s breaking of EFL rules resulted in their relegation from the Championship last season.

And, in response to a fan asking what his opinion on the claims lodged against Derby, Nixon said: “Up to them. Very dangerous precedent all the same.”

Fans will be terrified

Considering the sheer volume of off-field issues Wayne Rooney’s side are currently facing, with the club still being in administration and no potential buyer appearing close to completing a takeover of the club, the fact that Boro are claiming £45m and Wycombe £6m in compensation from the Rams will certainly have Derby fans terrified about their club’s future.

Indeed, speaking about the duo’s claims against the club, Carl Jackson – one of the administrators working with Derby – suggested that the issue will indeed need to be discussed with the EFL, something that – should the league’s governing body feel the Rams do indeed owe both clubs compensation – could have disastrous consequences for the Championship side.

Jackson said: “The claims are against Derby County Football Club and therefore, principally, those are issues that we have to deal with. It’s fair to say that there have been discussions with the EFL about those particular claims, and what I can say is the EFL will do what they can, working with us, to actually ensure those claims are dealt with properly and are not an impediment to our plans to restructure the club and find a new owner.”

However, as Nixon suggests, if Derby are forced into paying compensation to both Boro and Wycombe, it would indeed appear to create a dangerous president in the wider game, as any club punished by a league or competition’s governing body for breaking financial regulations would then subsequently face claims from any side who feel they were affected by the matter.

Either way, the news is certainly not good for Derby County or their fans, with the future of the Rams looking bleaker by the day.

After Ange Postegoclou fielded an extremely young and inexperienced Celtic side in the club’s incredibly impressive 3-2 win over Real Betis last week, it would very much appear as if the future at Parkhead is a bright one.

Indeed, the 56-year-old handed Celtic debuts to both 21-year-old Osaze Urhoghide and 20-year-old Liam Shaw in the Europa League fixture, in addition to awarding first-team minutes to exciting prospects Liam Scales, Adam Montgomery and Ewan Henderson.

However, it is not only on the periphery of Postecoglou’s first-team squad where there are a number of promising talents, the club’s B team side also looks to be littered with up and coming gems – none more so than 16-year-old Rocco Vata.

Vata could be the next Moravcik

Son of Celtic cult hero Rudi Vata, Rocco put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the Hoops earlier this summer, and the attacking midfielder has been highly impressing in the Scottish Lowland Football League ever since.

Indeed, following yet another spectacular goal in Celtic B’s 1-0 win over East Stirlingshire on Friday – with the teenager turning on the afterburners in order to latch onto Mackenzie Carse’s defence-splitting through ball, before taking a touch and crashing his shot past the opposition goalkeeper off the crossbar – the reserve side manager, Tommy McIntyre, was rather understandably full of praise for the youngster.

McIntyre said: “We got a great goal. I thought it was a fabulous goal. He was probably the best player on the night so he deserved the goal. He’s got to get a lot of credit himself. He’s just natural. He plays and we coach him but he’s got to perform on the day. He’s certainly taking everything on board we’re trying to get out of him. There’s more to come from him, there’s no doubt, but he’s young. What a fantastic goal tonight.”

However, the midfielder’s special strike last week was by no means his first of the current campaign, as, during a Republic of Ireland U17 fixture against North Macedonia back in October, the teenager also bagged a breathtaking goal – turning a helpless defender before unleashing a thunderous 30-yard drive into the far corner of the opposition net.

And, although the youngster who The Celtic Bhoys dubbed a “star in the making” undeniably has a great deal of developing to do if he is to go onto break into the Ange Postecgolou’s first-team squad, there are undoubtedly shades of the Hoops’ former playmaker Lubomir Moravcik about Vata.

Indeed, in an article that could quite easily be describing the 16-year-old sensation, These Football Times wrote of the Slovakian midfielder: “He was one of those players who seemed to have more time on the ball than those around him. He dribbled superbly… and scored many spectacular goals from distance with both feet – a rare talent indeed.”

As such, should Vata be able to maintain his current level of performance over the next year or two, Postecoglou could well go on to unearth Parkhead’s next Moravcik in the youngster – something that would certainly delight the Celtic faithful.

In other news: Major Celtic transfer development emerges that’ll have Ange buzzing

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Jonathan David to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that the LOSC Lille centre-forward is one of the names on David Moyes’ transfer shortlist ahead of the winter window.

However, the insider went on to state that the Hammers’ interest should be taken with a pinch of salt, as the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal are all also keen on the 21-year-old, meaning West Ham’s chances of securing a deal for the Canada international look quite low at this stage.

In his post, ExWHUemployee said: “There has been a lot of talk in the press and on social media in recent days of West Ham making a move for Lille striker Jonathan David. We are interested however this must be taken with a pinch of salt.

“Other clubs also eyeing the Canadian – who is [the] top scorer in Ligue 1 – are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal. So a move to West Ham at this stage is unlikely.”

Fans will be delighted

Despite the insider’s claim that a West Ham deal for David may not be the most realistic in the January transfer window, the confirmation that the Hammers are indeed interested in the forward is sure to have delighted fans nevertheless.

Indeed, the striker has highly impressed over his 18 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, scoring 11 goals and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £45m-rated man average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Jocelyn Gourvennec’s fifth-best player in the top flight of French football.

The £35k-per-week forward has also impressed over his six Champions League outings, bagging a further three goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.88 – with his performances helping his side finish top of their group table, setting up a round of 16 clash with Premier League side Chelsea.

As such, should West Ham manage to pull off a deal to sign the player who has been compared to Luis Suarez this January, it would undoubtedly be a fantastic signing for the club’s board to get over the line.

Not only would David help to fire West Ham to as high a finish in the league as possible this season, he would also appear to be a perfect long-term heir for the Hammers’ current talismanic forward, Michail Antonio.

In other news: West Ham can repeat Lingard masterclass with “unique” £21m beast who’s “irreplaceable”

Steven Gerrard will be hoping to make his impact on the January transfer window to put into place the vision he has for Aston Villa’s future in the Premier League, but one of his prime targets could now be unobtainable in January.

What’s the word?

Aston Villa have reportedly shown interest in former Hearts defender, Aaron Hickey, who currently plays in the Serie A for Bologna, who has become one of the hottest prospects in Europe with his performances this season, that have clearly caught the eye of former Scottish Premiership manager, Gerrard.

Due to rumoured interest from Aston Villa and Manchester City, Bologna’s sporting director, Walter Sabatini, has put a dampener on the hopes of securing the teeanager’s signature when the transfer window in a few days.

As reported by BirminghamLive, Sabatini said;

“Hickey is a Bologna player, and despite the interest of many clubs, he will 100 per cent remain here.

“Last season was a short one for him because of injury but he has already shown us the great qualities he possesses as a player.

“Bologna are betting a lot on him, and he stays with us.”

Hickey has caught the attention of Premier League clubs thanks to his impactful performances in the Serie A this season, scoring five goals from his full back position in the last 20 appearances, and assisting the Italian side defensively to seven clean sheets so far this season.

Gerrard will be fuming

According to Sport Witness via TuttoSport, Gerrard has been “leading the race” in the interest Aston Villa have shown in the 19-year-old Glaswegian and has been keen on the player for some time, so this statement from Bologna’s sporting director will likely leave the former Rangers manager fuming.

It is understood that Aston Villa want to sign the Scottish teenager to push Matt Targett in his position at the club, with BirminghamLive reporting that Hickey is known by Gerrard’s coaches and Villa scouts have even been over to Italy to scout the youngster.

There is no doubt that the £11.7m-rated player would be a great addition to Gerrard’s Aston Villa side, and would certainly help to offer more creativity from the back, with his competitor for the left-back position at Villa Park, Matt Targett, scoring four fewer goals this season than the potential new signing.

Luckily, in football money talks, so if the Villa manager is seriously interested in signing the left-back, he may have a chance but will need to come up with an offer that Bologna cannot refuse, or postpone going in for his target until the Summer, but with the likes of Manchester City rumoured to be interested in the player too, it could be unwise to leave it too long to make a bid.

In other news: Predicted Aston Villa XI after 2022 January transfer window…

After securing a loan deal for Barcelona and former Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho, it seems as though Aston Villa have swiftly moved on and set their sights on signing another big player this month.

What’s the news?

According to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, Villa are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Brighton signed Bissouma back in the 2018 summer transfer window from French club LOSC Lille in a deal worth a reported fee of around £15m.

Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has gone on to make 111 appearances for Graham Potter’s side across all competitions, firmly cementing himself as an important figure for the Seagulls.

With 14 Premier League appearances under his belt so far this season, the Mali international has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.13/10, making him Brighton’s highest-rated player according to WhoScored.

In addition to his impressive overall league performances this season, the midfielder has also shown how much of a useful defensive figure he is for Brighton by racking up an average of 3.6 tackles per game and 1.9 interceptions per game, both higher than any other player in Potter’s side.

This goes to show why Bissouma has previously been described as an “aggressive” player on the pitch in terms of his defensive output by Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers.

With this in mind and the fact that current Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba picked up a serious knee injury last month and will be out of action for a significant period of time, Bissouma could be just what they need to fill the gap left by Nakamba’s absence.

However, with Potter recently saying that he doesn’t expect any of his current players to leave the club this month, it could prove to be quite a challenge for Villa to secure Bissouma’s signature.

Moving forward, with Gerrard apparently looking to sign a midfielder this month, Bissouma would be an ideal candidate that Johan Lange could sign and transform Villa into a more stable team defensively given how they’ve managed to concede 30 goals in 19 Premier League games so far this season.

Although, the likelihood of a deal being made in the coming weeks does feel slim given Brighton’s current stance and Bissouma’s importance to the team.

But if Villa can pull it off, then it could be an even bigger masterclass than their signing of Coutinho.

In other news: Villa could replicate Coutinho swoop with £175k-p/w machine likened to Frank Lampard – opinion

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Lucas Digne to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that David Moyes’ side are the latest team to join the race to sign the Everton left-back, with both Chelsea and Newcastle United also believed to be interested in a move for the 28-year-old this month.

The report goes on to state that West Ham are in continued negotiations with the Toffees regarding a deal for the France international, although it is suggested that the defender’s £100k-per-week wages could prove something of a stumbling block for the Hammers.

Finally, it is claimed that Everton would be willing to part with Digne in the current transfer window, as the left-back has fallen out of favour under the management of Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park, with further reports suggesting that an offer of £30m should be enough to get a deal over the line for the former Barcelona man.

Digne would solve a major problem

With Moyes recently stating that he is unaware when first-choice left-back Aaron Cresswell will recover from his back injury, the left-hand side of the West Ham backline is undoubtedly an area of the pitch the 58-year-old must strengthen in the January transfer window if his side are to have any chance of securing a top-four finish this season.

Indeed, while Arthur Masuaku has impressed in spells while filling in for the stricken 32-year-old – scoring against Chelsea – the DR Congo international’s consistency has always been something of a problem for West Ham. Meanwhile, Ben Johnson – who has also been fielded at left-back this season – is much better suited to playing on the right of a back four.

As such, it would appear a very wise move for Moyes to bring in greater depth in the position this winter, with Digne looking to be an extremely impressive candidate for the role.

Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances last season, the £27m-rated man helped his side keep nine clean sheets, provided seven assists and created an enormous 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.6 key passes per game.

The 28-year-old who Noel Whelan dubbed an “exceptional” player also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of one interception, 2.1 tackles, 2.4 clearances and winning 6.5 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the Frenchman earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Everton’s second-best performer in the league last time out.

As such, Moyes’ issues at left-back would very much appear to be solved with the signing of the Everton outcast, leading us to believe that the West Ham board simply must pay the left-back his wage demands in order to get a deal over the line this January.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Haller as WHU plot January bid for £13.5m-rated “machine”

Speaking to talkSPORT in a video message, reporter Alex Crook has dropped a teasing Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving Wolves star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Traore move…

As reported by multiple sources, Tottenham are firmly in the mix to sign the Spain international with some reports suggesting they are in pole position.

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Matt Law of The Telegraph even believes Traore becoming manager Antonio Conte’s first signing since taking over is actually ‘pretty likely’.

90min, meanwhile, claim Wolves are set to greenlight his exit from Molineux after their boss Bruno Lage personally sanctioned the move – with a price tag set at around £20 million.

In an update, talkSPORT reporter Crook has shared what could be an exciting update.

The Latest: Crook drops update…

Speaking in a video message (via Twitter), the reporter claims that Tottenham are set to make a ‘formal’ bid to sign Traore ‘very soon’ with an offer expectedly imminent.

“Interest from Tottenham in Wolves’ enigmatic winger Adama Traore appears to be hotting up,” he explained.

“Antonio Conte has a cunning plan to use Traore’s pace to turn him into a wing-back.

“We know that Conte loves to play with a back three and now he has the backing of the Tottenham sporting director, Fabio Paratici, who has a long-term admiration for Traore.

“£20m should be enough to prise him away from Wolverhampton Wanderers, I’d expect a formal bid very soon.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

At £20m, the winger could be an absolute coup for Conte and Paratici as the Italians aim to solve Tottenham’s wing-back conundrum.

At 25-years-old, Traore already possesses years of English top flight experience without being too long in the tooth – all whilst proving to be a real threat on countless occasions.

According to WhoScored, the winger has averaged a very impressive 4.5 dribbles per 90 in the Premier League this season – almost double that of Lucas Moura, who is Spurs’ best in that bracket.

If Conte can successfully re-mould the former Barcelona man into a right-wing back, the potential could be limitless in terms of threat from out wide.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.