The Guardian

Premier League  The Guardian

Thomas Frank speaks to Sky Sports. “Micky [van de Ven] is a super-important player … but this is the fourth game in ten days … we make sure to keep the freshness … the players have never been fitter in the last three years than they are now … we are positive … we believe we can get something from the game and win up here … it demands a top performance against a super-good team … we need to bring the energy … bravery … composure on the ball … I expect a super-tight game … it will be at times quite open but I expect a super, super-tight game.”

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Newcastle make two changes to their starting XI after the 4-1 win at Everton. Sandro Tonali and Jacob Murphy come in for Anthony Elanga and captain Bruno Guimarães, who both drop to the bench.

Spurs make four changes to their starting line-up following the Fulham fiasco. Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and captain Cristian Romero return; Archie Gray, Richarlison, Micky van de Ven and João Palhinha are benched.

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Preamble

After that debacle against Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and their insta-beleaguered boss Thomas Frank are in desperate need of a spirit-replenishing result. We wish them all the best with that tonight, as they’re about to face a Newcastle United side high on life after walloping Everton, in a fixture they’ve recently lost 2-1, 4-0 and 6-1. Throw in the fact that Newcastle have won five of their last six in the league against Spurs, and that they’ve not lost a midweek league match at home since 2021, a run that stretches back ten games, and Spurs are up against it all right.

Rhythmically, and in search of balance, this would be the point at which we trot out some stats to offer Spurs hope. But they’re in short supply. While Newcastle tend to enjoy midweek league fixtures, Spurs most signally do not: they’ve won just one of their last 13, losing the last seven on the bounce. And then there’s Eddie Howe’s personal record against Frank: he’s won six of eight. But hey, personal hoodoos are there to be broken – Howe did exactly that himself against Pep Guardiola the other week – so rule nothing out. And despite all the negative mood music accompanying Spurs, when it all comes down they’re still ahead of the Toon in the Premier League standings. All to play for, then. Kick-off at St James’ Park is 8.15pm GMT. It’s on!

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Newcastle have just won 4-1 at Everton; Rob Smyth has the details of that rout. Everton’s failure to take at least a point means Spurs remain in the top half of the table going into tonight’s match, though they’ve been nudged down into 10th by Brentford’s earlier 3-1 victory over Burnley. Fulham remain where they started the day, in 15th position. That’s where they’ll stay whatever happens tonight, but Spurs can go fifth with a win, seventh with a draw.

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To Be Fair dept. While the preamble suggests both teams will go into battle tonight more in hope than expectation, there are scraps of comfort to be had. Fulham are coming off the back of that aforementioned win over Sunderland, and that was their second Premier League victory in three games. They’ve also won two of their last three Premier League games against Spurs, drawing the other. Spurs meanwhile can take succour from a far better performance against PSG than the no-show at Arsenal, and the fact they’ve outperformed their xG (11.2) by nearly nine goals (20) this season. Admittedly that stat isn’t quite as impressive when you take into account some of their absurdly low xG totals – 0.1 against Chelsea and 0.07 against Arsenal are the two lowest totals of any club so far this season – but when things aren’t clicking, you take whichever positives are on offer, no matter how small.

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Tottenham make four changes to the side that started the 5-3 Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain. Kevin Danso, João Palhinha, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus come in for Djed Spence, Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur, who drop to the bench, and captain Cristian Romero, who misses out altogether through suspension.

Fulham make one change to their starting XI following their 1-0 home win over Sunderland. Samuel Chukwueze replaces Kevin in attack.

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Updated at 20.29 CET

Preamble

Good evening and welcome to another evening of living high on the Champions League hog. We have nine games for you, all of which kick off at 8pm GMT unless stated. We’ll concentrate on the bleeding obvious but keep an eye on the cognoscenti’s choice as well. It’s on!

Arsenal v Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid v Internazionale

Copenhagen v Kairat (5.45pm)

Eintracht Frankfurt v Atalanta

Liverpool v PSV

Olympiacos v Real Madrid

Pafos v Monaco (5.45pm)

PSG v Tottenham Hotspur

Sporting v Club Brugge

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Is North London Forever the worst song in football? It’s in the bottom one.

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Email! “It’s the first time in ages that I’ve seen Glenn Hoddle on TV – now looking like an elder country and western star, though with a pleasingly thrown-together wardrobe look, begins Charles Antaki. “Analysis as penetrative as one might expect. He’s partnered up on TV with Ian Wright, who talks sense as ever, but rather effortlessly wins on the threads. Not sure what that augurs for the game; classy but tight?”

Not sure I can see it being classy if it’s tight – Spurs aren’t at that level yet. I’m hoping for lots of things that no one wants to see.

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Out come the teams! There’s a massive tifo behind one goal, Arsenal’s tracky tops evoking this classic kit – modelled by a young Chris Whyte.

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At Elland Road, Villa came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1, with Morgan Rogers scoring a deft flick and lovely free-kick. He is a player.

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Talking of Kevin Danso, I saw him out recently; I say I, but it was actually my wife, who has no interest in football, but recognised him from seeing him interview Black Sherif – whose concert we were at. Well, in similar vein – Blacko’s Iron Boy album is the best I’ve heard this year – I’m currently enjoying Party for Ghana, the latest from my guy Ekow Saxx.

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Updated at 17.22 CET

Frank says his team can be more aggressive in 3-5-2 and gives them greater set-piece threat – Danso has the long throw but is also helpful defending the box. He thinks the team that is better at restarts has a good chance of winning the game.

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Captaining Arsenal today is Bukayo Saka. I mentioned earlier that maybe Arteta would consider three wingers when Madueke is match fit, if Gyokeres is out for much longer, but what I really wonder is if Saka might get a go as an attacking midfielder when that happens. Remember the summer before last, Arsenal tried to sign Raphinha, which presumably would’ve sent their talisman inside; I’d still love to see it.

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Back to the tactical battle and as for Spurs, I’m sure Frank will want his strikers to gang up on Hincapie, with Kudus and Spence looking to get after Calafiori who, though he has many virtues, isn’t a left-back. Sky think, though he’s not playing a 3-5-2 but a 3-4-2-1; if so, that suggests he’s almost ceding midfield control and looking top penetrate on the counter with free runners from midfield.

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Arteta speaks, explaining that he went for Hincapie because he thinks this is the best partnership available to him in the absence of Gabriel. Odegaard and Gyokeres aren’t far off he says, and he expected to face a back three as Frank has done it against Arsenal before and they’ve planned for it.

“It’s a massive and a beautiful day,” he concludes. “So many people you can make happy.”

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Where is the game? For Arsenal, now it’s obvious. They’ll hope to dominate midfield, but the space will be behind the Spurs wing-backs and down the sides of the outside centre-backs. That’s exactly the areas in which Saka and Timber on the right, along with Calafiori and Trossard on the left, look to play in – and I’d also expect Rice and Eze to make the third point of the triangles. The question is whether Merino will give them a near-post and cut-back option.

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I didn’t expect Spurs to go with a back three, but it makes sense that they have. Against the better teams, Frank’s Brentford often switched from 4-4-3- to 3-5-2 and they’ll want the safety in numbers in defence. But more than that, two central strikers gives Arsenal’s centre-halves a problem they don’t often have and, with Kudus breaking from deep, they might be able to create the overloads so painfully absent from their play last time out.

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Arteta didn’t have too many decisions to make. Mosquera has been impressive so far, but in a game of this magnitude, it’s no surprise to see the more experienced Hincapie preferred. And given Merino’s scoring record when deployed as a striker, it makes sense that he continue in the role – though I wonder whether there was a temptation to try a winger through the middle. We don’t see it often, but Palace did it quite successfully in the middle of the last decade with Wilfried Zaha, Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie, and when Mark Hughes was suspended for a crucial game at Norwich in 1992-93, Alex Ferguson resisted the temptation to play an extra midfielder, instead going with Lee Sharpe, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis – with devastating results.

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Frank, meanwhile, changes his formation from 4-2-3-1 to, I think, 3-5-2. Coming in are Kevin Danso, the third centre-back andMohammed Kudus, back from injury, while Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur and Wilson Odobert are also selected; Pedro Porro, Pape Sarr, Brennan Johnson, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani are all benched.

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Updated at 17.00 CET

Arteta opts to replace Gabriel with Piero Hincapie, rather than Christhian Mosquera, while up front, Mikel Merino continues deputising for Victor Gyokeres. Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke are both on the bench having been out injured.

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I’ll write these down, then we can discuss what they mean.

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Teams!

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Merino, Trossard. Subs: Kepa, Mosquera, White, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman.

Tottenham Hotspur (3-5-2): Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Spence, Palhinha, Bentancur, Kudus, Udogie; Richarlison, Odobert. Subs: Kinsky, Gray, Porro, Sarr, Bergvall, Simons, Johnson, Tel, Kolo Muani.

Referee: Michael Oliver (Ashingtom)

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Updated at 16.46 CET

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Preamble

Mikel Arteta would make a good assassin. Reserved and meticulous, bellicose and monomaniacal, his remorseless relentlessness is exactly what you’d not want on your case if someone put out a contract on your life.

Yet, paradoxically, Arteta’s Arsenal lack killer instinct, unable to find in themselves the unbridled cruelty that wins league titles. Where champions find a way, so far they have faltered.

There are various reasons for this, insufficient verve and depth most obviously culpable. But there’a also a sense that Arteta’s intensity – the very thing that would make him such an effective contract killer – saps his team of the freedom they need to merrily mass-murder the Premier League.

And they will be feeling the pressure this afternoon, top of the table and leading Chelsea and Manchester City by three and four points respectively, with today’s game in hand. If they can win it, they will take a huge step towards claiming a first title in 22 years; if they cannot, all the old doubts will resurface.

But there is also pressure on Tottenham who, last time out, were devoid of attacking imagination, needing two deflections for their two goals before conceding a late equaliser in typically spursy fashion. There is no sense that Thomas Frank is on the cusp of something.

On the other hand, though, Tottenham have the best away record in the league and a burgeoning set-piece prowess that, especially in the absence of the injured Gabriel, makes them a threat in this match. Moreover, the North London derby is the country’s most reliably wild fixture and, just as Arteta is a precise and focused danger, so Frank is a windmilling dervish able to inspire in his players focused aggression previously considered beyond them. This is going to be good.

Kick-off: 4.30pm BST

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Above all, for most there was a kind of comfort, familiarity, the sense that this could be both a way back to where they were and a new beginning. The Camp Nou rebuild is not done: only three sides of the lower two tiers are open, allowing for a maximum 45,401 of the 105,000 it will eventually hold, and at times, in truth, the day of fiesta was a little flat, quiet and underwhelming, but Flick said “it’s a really good feeling to be back here”, and back is the word.

Suzanne Wrack spoke to Arsenal’s Alessia Russo.

“When you get to where we are, there is so much that comes with it, pressures and highs and lows. Doing something like this is a real switch-off from that and it’s something we’re all passionate about as players. We all know the growth of the game is happening really fast, but we also know where we all started. That’s what’s really unique about the women’s game, because we’re all looking at what we can do to leave it in an even better place.”

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Preamble

Welcome to coverage of the north London derby, with the action taking place out east at Brisbane Road, home of Leyton Orient. It’s a battle of fourth v fifth, the European champions needing an away win to stay in touch with the top three. They face a much improved Tottenham team, lifted by Martin Ho’s arrival as coach. Spurs can leapfrog their rivals if they win.

Kick-off is at 2.30pm UK time. Join me.

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The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust praised last season’s Europa League prices as ‘sensible’ and has asked the club to make ticketing fair

‘Unaffordable’ tickets the reason for declining atmosphere at Spurs, says supporters’ trust

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Championship: Ipswich go ahead at the Liberty Stadium as Jack Clarke dribbles past three Swansea defenders before firing a low shot past Lawrence Vigouroux into the bottom corner.

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GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Burnley (Flemming 35)

Premier League: Zian Flemming scores with a fine header, connecting with a cross to the back post and sending it back across the face of goal and past Alphonse Areola. His effort survives a VAR check for offside and West HJam are behind once again.

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West Ham 0-0 Burnley: Loum Tchaouna, who scored an absolute worldie against Leeds a couple of weeks ago, tries his luck from distance once again but his effort is deflected wide.

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Championship: Birmingham City restore parity against Middlesbrough after the ball breaks to Demarai Gray from a goalmouth scramble and he fires home. It’s 1-1 at the Riverside.

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Updated at 16.38 CET

Championship: Two down after 17 minutes, Sheffield Wednesday have pulled a goal back at Southampton courtesy of Manchester United loanee Harry Amass’s first goal as a senior professional. Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu got a finger to his low shot towards the bottom corner but was unable to keep the ball out.

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Everton 0-0 Fulham: Having been on the back foot early doors, Fulham are growing into their game against Everton, whose best chance has been headed over the bar by Thierno Barry.

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West Ham 0-0 Burnley: Scott Parker’s visitors are dominating proceedings but have yet to trouble the scoreboard operator at the London Stadium, where Lucas Paqueta has just been booked.

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Updated at 16.34 CET

Championship: Boro skipper Dael Fry sends his side in front of Birmingham City with a right-footed shot. Meanwhile at St Mary’s, Finn Azaz has just doubled Southampton’s lead against Sheffield Wednesday.

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West Ham 0-0 Burnley: Kyle Walker’s cross-field diagonal is sidefooted back across the West Ham six-yard box by Quilindschy Hartman but despite stretching every sinew, Zian Fleming is unable to prod the ball past Alphonse Areola.

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Championship: Casper Jander has given Southampton a one-goal lead over Sheffield Wednesday at St Mary’s, where Tonda Eckhart is in the technical area for the hosts in a caretaker manager capacity.

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Updated at 16.22 CET

Everton 0-0 Fulham: Everton have started well in their match against Fulham at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Thierno Barry has just headed a good chance wide after good work on the flank by Iliman Ndiaye. That’s Everton’s season in a nutshell right there.

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Championship: At the Riverside Stadium, where Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards is a conspicuous absenteee after being given permission to talk turkey with Wolves, Birmingham City midfielder Seung Ho Paik has just been forced off with what looks like a serious shoulder injury. He’s replaced by Marc Leonard.

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Match report: Arsenal Women 1-1 Chelsea Women

WSL: Alessia Russo’s late equaliser did at least keep her side’s slim hopes of remaining in the title race alive but Arsenal’s players left the field at the Emirates feeling very aggrieved after having two goals disallowed. Suzanne Wrack reports from the EMirates Stadium …

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Premier League: “Seb Hutchinson said on Football Weekly that for the teams at the bottom, survival is secured by winning three o’clock matches when nobody’s paying attention,” writes Kári Tulinius. “These are both those kinds of fixtures.”

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Match report: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Man Utd

Premier League: “How to make sense of a match that, so low on quality for the majority, swung in every conceivable direction in its final 15 minutes?” Nick Ames makes a damn good fist of it doing exactly that from his perch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium …

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John Brewin

West Ham: Last week’s defeat of Newcastle has not quelled the insurrection among West Ham fans, judging by the scenes outside the London Stadium. At the entrance where co-owner David Sullivan’s car usually enters the campus, a few thousand fans have gathered - 12,000 is one estimate, 4,000 is another - with a number of fans speaking to a cheering crowd. The black balloons are out, and the flags, and the song I heard ringing out was “we sold our soul for this shithole”. Should they lose to Burnley, then more will follow. Nuno Espirito Santo has selected the same team that beat Newcastle.

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Championship: Derby County have beaten Blackburn 2-1 at Ewood Park to go ninth in the table, while Millwall have been held at the Den by Preston, whose goalkeeper Daniel Iversen gifted the home side an equaliser with a blunder he won’t forget – or be allowed to forget – in a hurry. At the MKM Stadium, Hull City have come from behind to beat Portsmouth 3-2 in a match where Joe Gelhardt scored the decisive final goal.

View the Championship table

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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Man United (De Ligt 90+5)

Premier League: An unmarked Mathias De Ligt has converted a corner-kick with a back post header deep in injury time and it’s finally all over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Over to you, Tim …

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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Man United (Richarlison 90+2)

Premier League: A clever flicked header from Richarlison has completed the Spurs turnaround at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tim De Lisle has the latest …

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GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Man United (Tel 84)

Premier League: A deflected shot from Mathys Tel has levelled proceedings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with just six minutes of normal time remaining. Follow the action with Tim De Lisle …

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Updated at 15.23 CET

West Ham v Burnley line-ups

West Ham: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Diouf, Fernandes, Potts, Lucas Paqueta, Bowen, Wilson, Summerville.

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Igor, Luis Guilherme, Rodriguez, Magassa, Soucek, Irving, Golambeckis.

Burnley: Dubravka, Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Hartman, Cullen, Florentino, Tchaouna, Ugochukwu, Anthony, Flemming.

Subs: Weiss, Bruun Larsen, Foster, Edwards, Ekdal, Lucas Pires, Broja, Mejbri, Laurent.

Referee: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)

Those teams: West Ham’s team is the same as the one that came from behind to beat Newcastle last weekend. Burnley make one change, with Loum Tchaouna coming into the side. Josh Laurent drops to the substitutes’ bench.

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Everton v Fulham line-ups

Everton: Pickford, Iroegbunam, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye, Garner, Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish, Barry.

Subs: Travers, McNeil, Beto, O’Brien, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Rohl, Aznou.

Fulham: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Lukic, Berge, Kevin, Wilson, Iwobi, Jimenez.

Subs: Lecomte, Rodrigo Muniz, Cairney, Traore, Cuenca, Chukwueze, Castagne, King, Smith Rowe.

Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)

Those teams: Tim Iroegbunam comes into the Everton side, with Jake O’Brien dropping to the bench in a state of affairs that suggests James Garner will start at right-back. Fulham manager Marco Silva has brought Sasa Lukic in for Josh King.

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Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Manchester United: A perfectly placed header from Bryan Mbeumo shortly after the half-hour mark separates the sides at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Follow the action with Tim De Lisle …

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Rob Edwards to Wolves: Middlesbrough have agreed to let their head coach hold talks with Wolves over their managerial vacancy, with a deal for the Boro head coach expected to be completed within the next 48 hours. Ben Fisher reports …

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Updated at 15.19 CET

West Ham v Burnley – early team news

Niclas Fullkrug and Konstantinos Mavropanos remain out for West Ham, whose list of lame and halt also includes Oliver Scarles, George Earthy and Lukasz Fabianski. Following his bravura performance on his first start for West Ham last weekend against Newcastle, Freddie Potts looks a certainty to start again.

While Nuno Espirito Santo has warned Hammers fans not to get to excited with the 22-year-old on the strength of one performance, leaving him on the bench today would almost certainly prompt serious unrest in the stands of the London Stadium.

Burnley are without the hamstrung Jordan Beyer, while Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni are also out. Lyle Foster is available for selection after missing last weekend’s match against Arsenal through illness.

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Everton v Fulham – early team news

Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson remain sidelined for Everton, whose coach David “Hobson’s Choice” Moyes will once again have to decide whether to start Beto or the similarly ineffectual Thierno Barry up front.

A cynic might argue he should try starting both in the hope that, between them they can do the job of one half-decent striker. Iliman Ndiaye is fit for duty, despite being forced off shortly after the hour mark in Everton’s Monday night match against Sunderland with what looked like cramp.

Antonee Robinson is Fulham’s only absentee having missed the entire month of October with a knee injury and the USA international is not expected to return to action until after the international break.

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Championship fixtures

Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Derby (R)

Hull City 3-2 Portsmouth (R)

Millwall 1-1 Preston (R)

Middlesbrough v Birmingham City

Norwich v Leicester

Sheffield United v QPR

Southampton v Sheffield Wednesday

Stoke City v Coventry City

Swansea City v Ipswich Town

West Brom v Oxford United

Wrexham v Charlton Athletic

View the Championship table

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Updated at 15.54 CET

Premier League fixtures

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Man United (L)

Everton v Fulham

West Ham v Burnley

Sunderland v Arsenal (5.30pm GMT)

Chelsea v Wolves (8pm GMT)

View the Premier League table

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Updated at 14.56 CET

Saturday clockwatch

With just the two Premier League matches kicking off at 3pm today — West Ham v Burnley and Everton v Fulham — today’s top flight clocko action may be a little limited in volume, but we’ll be keeping a very keen eye on all the latest from the London Stadium and Goodison Park.

We’ll also be casting our gaze down the divisions, with a full fixture list in the Championship promising plenty of drama and talking points to track alongside any other big news from across the afternoon’s football action.

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Premier League  The Guardian