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After battling to win the Premier League title with Arsenal and Manchester City on Saturday, Aston Villa will face a tough challenge at Chelsea.

Brighton is the host of The Gunners, which is on the top of the Christmas tree, while Pep Guardiola’s City will visit Nottingham Forest.

After Alexander Isak fractured his leg, Liverpool manager Arne Slot is dealing with a striker crisis, and Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes also has to watch from the sidelines.

In order to prepare for the holiday season, AFP Sport examines three important points:

Rogers leads the Villa Charge.

Even though they are just three points adrift of leaders Arsenal, Unai Emery’s third-placed Villa remain regarded as rank outsiders for the Premier League title.

Villa won their 10th straight victory at home against Manchester United, marking their first top-flight team victory since 1914, with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

Morgan Rogers, an England midfielder, has been a key contributor to their recent success, and one of his best qualities is his form, which he failed to score in in his first seven games in all competitions.

He has made 11 goals in his last 15 appearances, and his goals have been of a high caliber.

Just 2.86 expected goals, a metric used to determine a player’s likelihood of turning a chance, have been the only seven Premier League goals this season by Rogers.

However, according to football analysts Opta, Villa has only 5% of the chance to win the English title for the first time since 1981.

When Emery’s men take on fourth-placed Chelsea, the match will follow a game at Arsenal a few days later.

Slot’s headache relates to goals

Arne Slot probably had first-choice attackers Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak in mind when they first started the season.

The Liverpool manager now has neither, with Salah and Isak both participating in the Africa Cup of Nations while Isak is expected to spend at least two months on the sidelines after breaking his leg against Tottenham.

After a shocking run of six defeats in seven Premier League games that tore Liverpool’s title defense apart, Slot has stabilized the team.

The reigning champions have won three league games and drawn two more, but concerns will surround where the goals will come from in preparation for Wolves’ trip to the bottom.

Hugo Ekitike will be under more pressure due to Isak’s absence.

The Premier League signing’s summer signing has scored eight goals, more than Salah and Cody Gakpo combined.

Fernandes’ blow to Man Utd

During Manchester United’s recent lean years, Bruno Fernandes has been a shining light and practically ever present.

However, Ruben Amorim, the manager who left his talisman with an apparent hamstring injury and pulled up against United with a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, will have to make plans for a time without him.

Even though the outcome is uncertain, Amorim has already ordered Fernandes off of United’s Friday home game against Newcastle at Old Trafford, with the Portuguese manager urging the rest of his squad to “step up” in the face of his “impossible to replace” captain.

Diogo Dalot, a defender, called it “massive”. We don’t know how bad it is, but we are aware of how tough he is when he plays.

For inconsistent United, who are also without top scorer Bryan Mbeumo while playing Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, playmaker Fernandes has five goals and seven assists this season in the Premier League.

EPL Fixtures :

Friday

Newcastle vs. Manchester United (2000 GMT)

Saturday (unless otherwise specified) 1500 GMT

Nottingham Forest face Manchester City at the weekend in 1230, followed by Brentford face Brentford at the weekend, Brentford face Brentford at the weekend, Burnley face Everton at Burnley, Liverpool face Wolverhampton at West Ham, Fulham face Fulham at West Ham, and Chelsea face Aston Villa at Chelsea (1730).

Sunday

Sunderland v Leeds (1400), Crystal Palace v Tottenham (1630)

Amad Diallo scored for the Ivory Coast on Wednesday to start their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 1-0 victory over Mozambique in Marrakech.

After 49 minutes, Diallo led the three-time champions, who faced rivals with rankings that were 60 places below them in Group F.

Ivory Coast will face Cameroon and Gabon in one of their other group games in order to become the first African country to successfully defend the title since Egypt did so in 2010 against Egypt.

Since their 1986 debut, Mozambicans have drawn four games and lost 12. They have had long, long-awaited hopes for an AFCON victory.

At the age of 42, winger Elias “Domingues” Pelembe became the second-old player to compete in an AFCON after 44-year-old Egypt goalkeeper Essam El Hadary when he retired from the Mozambique bench.

READ MORE: Mahrez Leads Algeria to AFCON Cruise Against Sudan

Yan Diomande, an ivorian teen, drew the first threat and dribbled past several opponents before slipping into the box when poised to shoot.

The title-holders were immediately alarmed as the 19-year-old, who scored a Bundesliga hat-trick for RB Leipzig this month, fell awkwardly and needed medical attention.

Diallo had a chance midway through the first half from a free kick he received just outside the area, but he hit the defensive wall with the ball.

Diomande, who was wearing a protective mask, attempted to break the deadlock with a volleyed cross that was headed in front of goal, but it was tipped over by goalkeeper Ernan Siluane.

With a wide shot from close range, Ivory Coast’s defenseman Ghislain Konan wasted a golden opportunity to lead the country. He is a survivor of the 2024 AFCON team.

At the end of the first half, the Elephants had a better chance when Franck Kessie headed goalwards from close range before Siluane, who was well-positioned, got the ball.

After the break, the teams received a welcome rain that has fallen at numerous AFCON matches throughout the kingdom since the tournament’s debut on Sunday.

Diallo fired past Siluane from inside the box after a cross was headed his way, putting an end to the brave, well-organized resistance of the Mozambicans very early in the second half.

Kessie had a chance to increase the lead as the match approached the hour mark, but she only managed to cross the goal.

The Ivory Coast’s repeated attacks severely limited Mozambican’s chances of finding an equalizer with the clumsy lead.

In their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, Algeria, the 2019 champions, defeated 10-man Sudan 3-0 with the help of captain Riyad Mahrez in each half.

The Algerian fans, who made up the majority of the 16, 115 crowd at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium, were delighted to see Mahrez score the opener after just 82 seconds.

The former Manchester City winger, who is currently with Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, scored Algeria’s second goal shortly after the hour mark, and Ibrahim Maza put the best possible finishing touches on the night to seal the victory.

Zinedine Zidane, a legend of France and his family from Algeria, and his son Luca, a star for the Desert Foxes, were among the spectators in the Moroccan capital.

Algerian supporters will have been delighted to see their team put on a strong performance with his appearance on big screens in the ground.

Read more: Senegal, Nigeria, and Tunisia Contenders Start 2025 AFCON Campaigns With Wins

“I’m pleased that I received three points. The main goal for us was to win today because it has been a long time since we did that at the AFCON,” Mahrez said.

We want to reach the final as a team. We’re not bringing the numbers here.

He continued, “We need to keep our feet on the ground because this is only one match.”

Algeria broke the deadlock against the group outsiders despite being eliminated in the first round without winning either of the previous two AFCON competitions.

When Hicham Boudaoui’s back-heel from Mohamed Amoura crossed the penalty box to tee up Mahrez, the match was barely more than a minute old. Before entering, he took a second.

Then, Zidane did well to save Algeria from Yaser Awad Boshara, who had defeated them.

Goals compiled

Six minutes before the break, Salaheldin Adil was sent off for a second booking for slicing down Rayan Ait-Nouri, severely reducing Sudan’s chances of regaining their composure.

Ramy Bensebaini’s goal was later disallowed for offside, but Mahrez equaled 2-0 with a lovely outside-of-the-boot assist from Amoura on 61 minutes.

At his sixth AFCON appearance, Mahrez has now eight goals for Algeria, which is a record. Fans ovated him late in the game.

With five minutes left, substitute Maza of Bayer Leverkusen scored Algeria’s 100th AFCON goal from Baghdad Bounedjah’s knockdown to make it 3-0.

Since winning the Cup of Nations in 1970, Sudan has only won once in 17 of its matches.

In Casablanca, Burkinabe defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-1 thanks to two goals from two goals deep in injury time.

Equatorial Guinea’s Basilio Ndong was immediately dismissed just after half-time, but Marvin Anieboh, a substitute, headed in with 85 minutes.

Georgi Minoungou equalized just before Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba scored a stunning winner in the 98th minute.

When Aston Villa take to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca anticipates both Liam Delap and Estevao to be available.

Delap is recovering from a shoulder injury that he suffered on December 6 in the £30 million ($40) draw against Bournemouth. A lengthy layoff for the $5 million striker is possible.

Since leaving Ipswich in the summer, the 22-year-old has missed roughly 10 weeks of the season, most of it with a groin problem he experienced on his first home debut in August, scoring his first Premier League goal since then.

Maresca has more options now thanks to Estevao’s return, who hasn’t started since coming on as a late substitute in the December 13 win over Everton.

Estevao and Liam Delap are both available, according to Maresca. We were unsure of Delap’s exact length of time. Very pleased with both. ”

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Morgan Rogers of Villa and Cole Palmer of Chelsea will square off in Saturday’s match as two of England’s top 10 players square off against one another in an effort to advance their international rankings ahead of the World Cup of next year.

Although Rodriguez has been excellent this year for third-placed Villa, Maresca was content to support his man, saying: “I love Cole and Cole is my player. Thomas (Tuchel), the manager of England, has a good choice, but ultimately he makes his decision. ”

Reece James has impressed for fourth-placed Chelsea after a number of poor campaign injuries, helping them overcome a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2 with Newcastle.

When Maresca inquired whether James was acting the way he wanted, she responded, “Absolutely, yes. He is developing in terms of leadership and playing more minutes. Because he can be a leader first, and then because he can be in charge, we are happy.

Following his crucial contribution to the penalty shootout victory over Crystal Palace, Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is looking forward to seeing Chelsea eliminated from the competition.

Following a 1-1 draw with Palace at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners advanced to the semi-finals on Tuesday after Kepa saved Maxence Lacroix’s spot-kick.

Before moving to north London in the offseason, Kepa could now prevent his former side from placing in the first major final of the current campaign. He spent seven years with the Blues.

Kepa, who has made three of his three League Cup appearances thus far, said: “We have to fight against good teams right now, and that’s what we want.”

Both semi-finals are significant matches, and it will be difficult, but we will do it well, and we will be prepared.

The first of two legs will be played at Stamford Bridge on January 14 and the second will be played at the Emirates on February 3.

Before Marc Guehi’s late equalizer, the Gunners were on course to advance to the semi-finals for the third time in the Premier League leaders’ defense had been breached in or after the 90th minute.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Can Qualify For League Cup Semi-Finals After beating Crystal Palace 3-0

We’ve conceded in a few games in the last minute, so we need to take that into account,” Kepa, who is serving as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, said.

The 31-year-old Spaniard continued, “But we are in the next round and we’re happy. We put in a lot of effort. In the first half, we ought to have scored a couple. Our performance was excellent. The second half ended up being more like 50-50.

They were incredible penalties, thanks to the guys. They kept us engaged and gave me the chance to save.

You must be strong and focused emotionally because, after the penalty is awarded in the final second, you must focus entirely on your penalty takers and save. Therefore, it required a shift in perspective, and it succeeded.

Senegal’s eagerly awaited Africa Cup of Nations bid was highlighted by Nicolas Jackson’s 3-0 victory over Botswana on Tuesday, while Nigeria’s Super Eagles made their opening match against Tanzania harder by coming home with a 2-1 victory.

As Morocco’s first round of group games continued, often in torrential rain, Tunisia and the Democratic Republic of Congo both won.

Morocco’s chances of capturing the title on home soil are perhaps greatest, but Senegal, who won it in 2022, are in doubt. The Lions of Teranga defeated Botswana in their Group D opener in Tangier.

Jackson, who is currently a loanee at Chelsea’s Bayern Munich, scored either side of half-time, with Cherif Ndiaye completing the score late in the second half.

Given that Senegal is 119 places above Botswana in the world rankings, the outcome of both teams’ first match of the tournament was predictable.

The 75, 000-seat stadium, which is the biggest by number of the nine being used for the tournament in Morocco, was greeted by heavy rain as the teams entered the stadium.

Before the opening goal at 40 minutes, Iliman Ndiaye, Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye, and Sadio Mane, who were all two-time African players of the year, were all on par to break Senegal’s deadlock.

Ismail Jakobs, who was born in Germany, and Jackson, who is from Germany, combined for the goal, with the latter pulling the ball back after the latter finished.

Jackson doubled Senegal’s lead just before the hour mark thanks to a flowing midfield move and quick, crisp passing that followed. Cherif Ndiaye put the finishing touches on the cake with a smart finish at the conclusion of another excellent team move.

“The players performed the job,” he said. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw remarked, “We know how crucial it is to start well in a tournament.”

“You could see how desperate the young people were for victory,” the lads said. They did a fantastic job.

At Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Senegal and DR Congo, who defeated Benin 1-0, are tied for third place overall.

A Cedric Bakambu effort was later dismissed for offside early in the second half, but Spartak Moscow’s Theo Bongonda pounced to score the winner 16 minutes later.

[/url],]AFCON 2025] Six Important Takeaways From the Nigeria vs. Tanzania Game

cruise to Tunisia

It was a very challenging match, according to the source. Although I had no idea what Benin was like, Bongonda remarked.

DR Congo qualified for the 2026 World Cup if they beat New Caledonia or Jamaica in a play-off in March, where they were semi-finalists at the previous competition. They also hope to qualify.

The teams now renew their rivalries in Tangier on Saturday, while Botswana and Senegal will look to open their accounts as they face off in the same day as they do so, having defeated Senegal to top their group for World Cup qualifying.

The 2024 AFCON runners-up got off to a winning start in Fes despite being wasteful in front of goal. Nigeria came to Morocco to make amends for their World Cup defeat.

Victor Osimhen, a star striker, was one of the ones who scored but could have scored a hat-trick with better finishing.

Akor Adams hit the crossbar before Semi Ajayi, a three-time African champion, nodded in Alex Iwobi’s cross-bar in the closing minutes of the game.

Soon after half-time, Tanzania’s opponents Charles M’Mombwa scored the winning goal, but they were unable to build on that to claim their first-ever AFCON victory.

Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African player of the year, did not disappoint, as his rising shot from just outside the box made it 2-1.

Tunisia, who have won the group stage 3-1 against Uganda at the Rabat Olympic Stadium, will host Nigeria’s next Group C game on Saturday.

The 2004 champions’ Elias Achouri scored twice for FC Copenhagen, either side of half-time. Denis Omedi’s late consolation for Uganda was Denis Skhiri’s early lead, while Ellyes Skhiri had given them an early lead.