Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest in Premier League action
Reuniting just a couple of weeks on from a dramatic FA Cup affair, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest are back in Premier League action at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.
As England boss Thomas Tuchel prepares to name his first Three Lions squad for March’s World Cup qualifiers, Callum Hudson-Odoi – one of his former proteges at Chelsea – stuck his hand up for a call-up with the critical goal to sink reigning champions Man City last weekend.
Lighting up a dull contest otherwise consigned to the back pages of the football annals, Hudson-Odoi beat Ederson at his near post to propel the Tricky Trees to another statement victory, one that ended their three-game losing run in the top flight in breathtaking fashion.
Forest’s top-four credentials may have been called into question after taking just one point from nine on offer before the visit of City, but the Garibaldi remain safe in third place and only have a four-point disadvantage to make up to a striker-less Arsenal in the runners-up position.
The ever-smiling Santo will now take charge of his 50th Premier League match as Forest head coach on Saturday, although recent history suggests that it may not be a memorable milestone for the Portuguese, as the visitors have been beaten in each of their last three top-flight away games.
At the other end, Ipswich Town‘s leaky defence will surely be exposed on more than one occasion, and a straightforward victory for Forest is the only outcome we can envisage here.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Will Southampton drag Wolverhampton Wanderers down with them?
Southampton may be more or less consigned to relegation from the Premier League, but they can do their bit to try to drag Wolverhampton Wanderers down with them in Saturday’s encounter at St Mary’s.
Ivan Juric‘s men are still yet to break the 10-point barrier following their 3-1 loss to Liverpool last weekend, while the visitors held the blue half of Merseyside – Everton – to a 1-1 draw in gameweek 28.
As spirited as Southampton’s efforts were at Anfield, spirit does not put points on the board for the South Coast side, who are now 14 points adrift of safety at the foot of the Premier League standings and remain on course for the worst season in competition history.
If the Saints cannot pick up one more win or draw at least two more games between now and the end of the season, they will break Derby County’s unwanted lowest points total of 11 from the 2007-08 season, and the less said about their St Mary’s exploits the better too.
No team in the Premier League have conceded from more shots than Wolves this season – 15.3% – although Southampton’s measly 7.7% conversion rate is also the worst in the division.
The Saints have also lost six top-flight games in which they have broken the deadlock this season, so even if Juric’s team can strike first, even a Cunha-less Wolves should have enough firepower about them to turn the tide and enhance their survival chances at the expense of their hosts.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Alaves head to Las Palmas for a huge contest today
There is a relegation six-pointer in La Liga on Friday evening, with Alaves heading to Las Palmas for a huge contest.
Alaves, who are 18th in the La Liga table, will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 success over top-four hopefuls Villarreal, while 19th-placed Las Palmas lost 1-0 to Real Betis last time out.
Las Palmas have not been victorious in Spain’s top flight since before the winter break, with 2025 proving to be incredibly difficult for the team thus far, losing eight of their 10 matches in all competitions.
Las Palmas have a record of six wins, six draws and 15 defeats from their 27 league games this season to collect 24 points, which has left them in 19th spot in the table, two points behind 18th-placed Alaves and three from Leganes in 17th.
Alaves were 10th in Spain’s top flight last season, which represented an excellent campaign, but it has been more difficult for the Basque outfit in 2024-25, with the team currently in the relegation zone.
This is a huge game at the bottom of the table, and it will be a fascinating watch considering that both teams are missing important players; Alaves will enter the fixture in a better place, but we believe that Las Palmas will be able to claim a point on Friday night.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Genoa and Lecce fight for Serie A survival tonight
Fighting for their Serie A survival, lowly Lecce will visit Genoa on Friday evening, when the teams meet at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Having let a famous win slip from their grasp last weekend, the Salentini are only three points clear of the drop zone with 10 games remaining; meanwhile, their hosts sit comfortably in mid-table.
For the second straight week, Genoa fought back to secure a precious point last time out, as Maxwel Cornet‘s second-half strike earned them a share of the spoils in Cagliari.
Following consecutive 1-1 draws, the Grifone occupy 12th place in the Serie A standings, with no fears of a relegation fight to haunt them, nor any prospect of qualifying for Europe.
They have lost just one of their last five games as Patrick Vieira‘s quiet revolution continues: since the French coach took charge of a struggling side in November, they have accrued 22 points from 16 league fixtures.
Both teams average under one goal per game this season, and Lecce have only scored in one of their last five.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Saturday
Manchester City 15:00 Brighton
Friday
Las Palmas 20:00 Deportivo Alavés
Saturday
Real Valladolid 13:00 Celta Vigo
Mallorca 15:15 Espanyol
Villarreal 17:30 Real Madrid
Girona 20:00 Valencia
Leganés 13:00 Real Betis
Sevilla 15:15 Athletic Club
Osasuna 17:30 Getafe
Rayo Vallecano 17:30 Real Sociedad
Atlético Madrid 20:00 Barcelona
Friday
Monza 14:00 Parma
Udinese 14:00 Hellas Verona
AC Milan 17:00 Como
Torino 19:45 Empoli
Venezia 11:30 Napoli
Bologna 14:00 Lazio
Roma 15:00 Cagliari
Fiorentina 17:00 Juventus
Atalanta 19:45 Inter Milan
