The Significance of the Reds Taking on the Spurs

Come June 1st, we will be taking a close look at Liverpool and Tottenham fighting in the 2019 Champions League Final. After the surprising achievements in the semi-finals by both teams, lucky punters and underdog lovers were very likely scrambling around their promotional codes and apps, like Betin, in the hopes of predicting what happens next.

What Will Happen?

As of yet, there are no clear favorites between the Reds and the Spurs. Both of the teams made amazing comebacks after each of them had been defeated in the first leg of the semi-finals. Spurs are rumored to have Harry Kane in their arsenal, though this is still unconfirmed, considering his injury and the two months he spent away from the game. Additionally, it would stand to reason that the Spurs use Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva, the man of the match in the semi-finals when he made a hat trick against Ajax.

Liverpool will also have to choose their own lineup carefully, though Divock Origi has more than proven himself. If he’s not in the first lineup, it would be a shame not to have him ready to play as soon as things go south. Roberto Firmino should have also recovered by now, as well as Naby Keita, though we can’t say whether they will see any action first-hand.

In the Past

Liverpool beat Tottenham in the past during the Premier League. The difference wasn’t anything astounding, but a small reminder where the Reds stand. The last time was in September 2018, and the Reds were taking flight at the time, while the Spurs lost two games in a row, something which had not happened to them for a few years.

Both times Liverpool faced against Tottenham in the season, the score ended up 2-1 for the Reds. The only hope that the Spurs have is to recreate the success of 2017 when they defeated the Reds with 4-1. If we look at their history and all of the previous clashes, it is clear that Liverpool has mostly dominated the matches, with over 80 wins, while the Spurs had only about 50.

What’s the Prediction?

It is going to sound terrible, but there really isn’t a reliable way to tell who it is that is going to win this one. The styles of play are similar, the teams, at their best, have similar capabilities, and both sides have aces up the sleeves that have proven themselves in the past, but might not be there in the final at all.

One of the reasons it is so hard to come up with a concrete answer as to who the winner will be is the fact that they were both underdogs in their previous matches. Tottenham and Liverpool, each in their own way, succeeded in overcoming their disadvantage and winning.

Though…

If we had to lean either way for whatever reason, we would say that Liverpool has a very slight edge over the Spurs. Their lineup and style of play are not the key factors here, however. It has to do more with the previous encounters with their rivals, where they have shown moderate superiority over the years, as well as the magnitude of their success in the semi-finals when compared to that of the Spurs. The final results in the semi-finals show the degree of Liverpool’s dedication to make this work.

The State of Football in Malaysia

Did you know that football is actually very popular in Malaysia? There is over a dozen stadiums, three big competitions, and an amazing league. Whether you are a hardcore fan, a pundit with a nose for offers like bonuscode.my, or just enjoy football casually, we believe you would want to know more about the state of football in Malaysia.

History

After the colonization of Malaysia, a fair number of cultural marks found their way into the country as well. One of those marks was football, though it was disorganized, to say the least, and no official rules, regulations, and competitions were in place until the early 1900s.

In 1921, the Malaya Cup was created as a sort of friendly, yet prestigious, football competition between the British Navy and the locals. The first match of the cup was a definite win for the Brits. The Selangor Club defeated Penang with 5-1. Less than 30 years later, another cup was born – the Malaysia FAM Cup.

It took some time for football to properly develop to something more than just a pastime. In the 80s, the sports was ruled by amateurs. The semi-professional league found its way into existence between ’89 and ‘93, and the rest of the 90s finally welcomed professional football. At the turn of the millennium, they upped the stakes yet again.

Malaysia Super League

The Malaysia Super League is super indeed. It is commonly referred to as the M-League and 12 teams compete in it. It is the biggest football league in Malaysia, though it is fairly younger than some of the other leagues in the world – it has been around only since 2004. There are currently three tiers to Malaysian football, and the M-League is at the top.

Double-robin format is the preferred mode of the competitions. In other words, each club plays against every other club at home and away. This means that there are, in total, 132 matches every season. Now, while some countries can’t live without football and organize their entire lives around it, Malaysia knows that there are other responsibilities to be considered as well, which is why most of the games take place over the weekend, though there is an occasional match on weekdays.

Notable Players

Malaysia has produced many talented footballers. This section deals with two of its greatest stars – Indra Putra Bin Mahayuddin and Mohamad Ashari bin Samsudin.

Indra Putra Mahayuddin

Still playing for Kuala Lumpur, Indra Putra started his career in football as a teenager, playing in the Perak Academy. He is known for playing a winger and a striker, though he is capable of quickly adjusting to the situation as needed. He has played for several different teams and in that time has been awarded several honors. He scored over 90 goals and even won the Golden Boot in 2004, while he was playing for Pahang.

Ashari Samsudin

Ashari is a very versatile player who is currently playing for Terengganu. He has been very loyal to the club, with one small exception – in 2017 he spent a year playing for Pahang. He has scored around 80 goals, which isn’t as many as Indra Putra, but he is still one of the best scorers in Malaysia. He also won the Golden Boot in 2010.

England’s Best Soccer Players of 2018

England is one of the most passionate countries when it comes to soccer. The fans are sometimes more passionate about soccer than parts of their own lives. There are plenty of fans who support their favorite teams and players, even. If you wondered who are England’s top soccer players, however, then read on and find out. Here are the players considered to be the best, at least as of this moment.

Kieran Trippier

Kieran Trippier was regarded as one of the best players who played on the World Cup 2018. He scored his first goal for England in the match against Croatia, in the semi finals. It was from a free kick and in the extra time. He was injured so England had to play the rest of the match with 10 players.

He was regarded as one of the best playmakers on that World Cup. He was compared to David Beckham due to his crosses and dead-ball delivery. He is also regarded as the most creative player who played on that World Cup. He’s currently playing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Jordan Pickford

He’s a keeper who also played on the 2018 World Cup. He had his first clean sheet in England’s victory over Sweden in the quarterfinals, making that the first year England reached a World Cup semi finals since 1990. He helped England win a match against Columbia where they won 4-2 in penalties. He saved a penalty shot from Carlos Bacca, earning England a victory and sending the team into their quarterfinals. He was regarded as one of the best players to have played on that World Cup. He’s currently a player for Everton.

Harry Maguire

This young player also took part in the 2018 World Cup, representing England, of course. He helped Harry Kane score the winning goal against Tunisia. He scored his first England goal on 7 July 2018 after Ashley Young sent the ball his way for a 2-0 win against Sweden in the quarterfinals. His position is a center back and he plays for the Leicester City club.

Harry Kane

Not only does he play the striker position for the Tottenham Hotspurs, he is also the captain of the England national team. Naturally, he was also a part of England’s World Cup team. Prior to his World Cup appearance, he also had many international appearances, including the UEFA Euro 2016. He scored both goals against Tunisia in their 2-1 victory. Against Panama, he scored a hat trick, bringing the total score to 6-1.

These are England’s current best soccer players. These things might change over time, yet at the moment, they are the best ones. In the next season, the picture might be a little bit different.

Naby Keita Proves His Worth Against West Ham

Naby Keita could not have picked a better time to make debut in Liverpool than in their 4-0 win against West Ham. The performance he showed proved that he brought something fresh and different to the team.

How Crucial is Naby Keita to Liverpool

Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, expressed doubts that Liverpool might not have enough skill in the middle of the field. At the time, he also added that he hoped Naby Keita could bring the necessary craft back to his old team.

His estimates proved to be right during Keita’s debut against West Ham. Only 46 seconds into the game, Keita produced a skilful flick, but the action that led to the first goal in the 19th minute really proved how good of an investment the £52.75 million were. It appears now that Liverpool has much more creativity in the middle of the field.

Keita Played a Key Role in the Opening Goal

The opening goal could not have happened if it had not been for Naby Keita, and who knows how the rest of the game would have developed from there if West Ham’s net was not shaken at this point.

Keita took the ball in the small opening in the space between West Ham’s center and defence and sent a perfect pass to Andrew Robertson who took it from there. This made it easy for the left-back to pass the ball to Mo Salah, who had a clean opportunity to score and took it.

It was clear that the goal would not be possible if it weren’t for Keita’s perfect second-assist pass.

Keita Has a Unique Style of Play

One of the high points of Naby Keita’s play is that you never know what his next move is going to be. Players who guard him are never sure whether he is going to pass the ball quickly to a teammate or take it forward and tackle the opponent directly.

Even though this style of play might make problems for Liverpool as well, who might lose some certainty by gaining creativity, they are bound to get more than they lose. Keita is not an inexperienced player, he has already played this style of football at RB Leipzig, which has proven to be a big success. There is lots of evidence that shows the same will happen during his time in Liverpool as well.

Keita’s Best Moments

1’ – Produces a nonchalant pass to Robertson

6’ – Shakes West Ham with a fast one-two action with Firmino

19’ – His action with Robertson and Salah leads to a goal

25’ – Creates a chance for Wijnaldum

37’ – Creates another opportunity for Salah

52’ – Dribbles Antonio and gets cheered by the crowd

Premier League 2017/18: Week 25 Predictions

Lots of excitement is in store for us with a packed midweek Premier League schedule. Three matches are played on Tuesday and another seven on Wednesday. Here we give you the preview of the major matches along with the expert predictions to help you bet on these games. 888sport Welcome Bonus can help too, giving you £30 of free betting money if you make an initial deposit of £10.

One of the biggest clashes this week is expected to happen in United’s match versus Tottenham. United is currently second on the table, 12 points behind Manchester City and they need this victory to try to close the gap and stay in the race for the title. However, a win would bring Tottenham, currently fifth on the table, just five points away from Manchester United. United need to be careful, because Spurs are in excellent form and they are known for suddenly gearing up and moving up the table as the finals are coming closer. United will have to look out for Harry Kane, who continues to set new standards with his goal scoring. On the other hand, the Red Devils have just completed the most high-profile deal of the January transfer window, bringing in Alexis Sanchez as their new attacking talisman.

It’s hard to say who will win this game, but it is going to be a major clash. With such amazing scorers in front lines, there is no way that the match will end goalless.

Turning to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, Liverpool probably still need to recover from the shock of being defeated by Swansea 1-0 last week. They play against Huddersfield on Tuesday and it’s essential they don’t make similar mistakes. Given how shaky Huddersfield are after losing three games in a row, Liverpool will probably use them as a punching bag to boost morale and keep their top four ambitions alive.

Although on the bottom of the table, after defeating Liverpool, Swansea will be hoping for more as they prepare for the match against Arsenal on Tuesday. They have a reason too: they are unbeaten in five games. However, the odds are still on the Gunners’ side who might be planning to test their new midfielder, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was signed as a part of the deal that saw Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United.

However, Swansea shouldn’t get their hopes too high, as Arsenal are more than ready to crush them.

Finally, João Mário will join West Ham squad in a game against Crystal Palace scheduled for Tuesday. Both teams stuttered at the beginning of the season and chose to change managers. With David Moyes and Roy Hodgson bringing positive change, both sides will be hoping for the victory that would push their team in the top half of the table. It is possible that the game ends in a draw.

Upcoming games:

Tuesday, January 30

7:45 p.m. Swansea City vs. Arsenal

7:45 p.m. West Ham United vs. Crystal Palace

8 p.m. Huddersfield Town vs. Liverpool        

Wednesday, January 31

7:45 p.m. Chelsea vs. Bournemouth

7:45 p.m. Everton vs. Leicester City

7:45 p.m. Newcastle United vs. Burnley

7:45 p.m. Southampton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

8 p.m. Manchester City vs. West Bromwich Albion

8 p.m. Stoke City vs. Watford

8 p.m. Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United

England faces Brazil – no goals scored

On November 14th, 2017, England played against Brazil at Wembley. It was just a friendly game, but it doesn’t mean the teams did not play tooth and nail to score a victory. Unfortunately, not only that nobody won but no player managed to score a single goal.

After the 0-0 draw with Germany, England’s manager Gareth Southgate made several changes to the team, allowing defender Joe Gomez a full debut and introduced Dominic Solanke. This decision gave Gomez the chance to prove his worth in the team’s central defence. Moreover, goalkeeper Joe Hart had an awesome performance in the second half when he saved shots from Coutinho and Paulinho.

Gomez and Rashford were definitely the ones that shone during this match. Rashford showed his willingness and ability to keep running at Brazil’s defence with courage and determination. There were moments when he even demonstrated footwork skills you’d normally see in Brazilian players. As for the visitors, they definitely put on a show at Wembley, taking the breath away from both Brazilians and British fans on multiple occasions.

If you take a look at match stats, Brazil had dominated the game in terms of possession: 66% over 34%, and Southgate admits it saying they “couldn’t get hold of the ball and keep it.” However, the manager is proud of his players who showed resilience, courage and had a great defence.

Stats show that Brazil had 13 shots out of which only 3 were on target whereas England had just 4 shots but 2 of them were on target. If you take a look at percentages, one could say England managed to direct half its shots toward the target while Brazil only about a quarter of them. The game had just 2 corner shots, both belonging to Brazil. In terms of fouls, England made 5 more than Brazil: 20-15.  Anyway, all these didn’t count toward the end result: England 0-0 Brazil.

Watch a game in Walkabout, Bournemouth

Bournemouth, the large resort town on the south coast of England is a popular holiday destination. There are lots of pubs and clubs here, but one of them stands out: Walkabout on 156-164 Old Christchurch Road. It was designed with sports fans in mind.

Believe it or not, this great pub actually has an Australian theme, but after all, they do share the same queen, don’t they? So, what can you drink here? The most unusual thing about this pub is that it lacks beer altogether, which can be quite sad for ale enthusiasts.  The only beer you’ll find here is made of ginger. Anyhow, there is a wide selection of Aussie cocktails, shooters and bombs, for those who don’t plan on staying sober for much longer.

As for food, there are some delicious snacks such as crispy battered chicken strips, onion petals and sweetcorn fritters with maple bacon. Vegans will love mushroom bruschetta and Tempura Veg with Thousand Island dip.

If you want something more, you could try duck wings with hot sauce topped fries. Still, the main attractions are the Roo burger with salsa sauce and the Mega Wafflewich consisting in a beef burger between two giant waffles with a few more ingredients.

The pub is very student friendly offering a lot of discounts and epic parties. They organize live events quite often, but a big part of their success is due to broadcasting football games, especially those in the Premier League. They also focus on boxing matches, rugby and even Formula 1 races. Whenever there’s a big sports event, you can watch it at Walkabout in Bournemouth.

Moreover, every Tuesday is Stupid Tuesday, meaning huge discounts at shots and ridiculous competitions you learn about once you go there. Also, every Friday is Fest Friday when you should expect live CO2 shows, free glowsticks and festival inflatables only to prepare you for Selfie Saturday.

As you can see this pub caters to all sorts of clients, including those who want to dance and those who’d rather stay around a table watching a sports game. The lack of beer is indeed sad but the overall atmosphere easily makes up for it.