OptiNews - Friday 08 to Thursday 14 September 2017

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#SaintsFC are back in action tomorrow, and we’ve been getting the thoughts of manager Mauricio Pellegrino ahead of… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/906137163322019841

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/09/2017 13:19:50

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| No new injury concerns for SaintsHARROWTIMES |
| | Saints Can End Goal Drought With Defence Becoming First Form Of Attack - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
| | Southampton and Stoke City interest reference again, as player presentedSPORTWITNESS |
| | Ex-Manchester City explains why Costa and van Dijk will suffer | FutnSoccerFUTNSOCCER |
| | The Saints All Clear On The Injury FrontVITALFOOTBALL |

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Blogs – Fresh Saints

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| Preview: Southampton vs Watford | With the international break finally over, Premier League football returns to St Mary’s this weekend, as Southampton … 08-09-2017 |

Older content…

| Loan report: Olufela Olomola2 days ago |
| Review: The Ins and outs of Southampton’s summer transfer window8 days ago |
| The same old story13 days ago |
| Hoedt’s transfer to Southampton confirmed as imminent18 days ago |
| Preview: Southampton vs West Ham21 days ago |
| Southampton bid €17M for Lazio’s Wesley Hoedt23 days ago |
| Review: Southampton 0 Swansea City 0a month ago |
| An insight into Mario Leminaa month ago |
| Preview: Southampton vs Swansea Citya month ago |

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

Check out our in-depth match preview as #SaintsFC prepare to host #WatfordFC at St Mary’s tomorrow: http://sfcne.ws/PreviewWFCH17

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/09/2017 14:20:03

| | 24housing » News » Association with focus on homelessness in merger talks24HOUSING |
| | Saints boss happy to welcome Van Dijk back to senior training set-upBELFASTTELE |
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| Southampton vs. Watford: Preview and predictionsFANSIDEDSAINTSMARCHING |
| | TV ! Saints V Watford Predicted XI - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |

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Southampton v Watford preview: Virgil van Dijk unavailable but Wesley Hoedt could feature

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Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk is short of match fitness but new signing Wesley Hoedt could make his debut when Watford visit St Mary’s on Saturday.

Saints successfully kept van Dijk over the summer despite his transfer request and interest from Champions League clubs and the Dutchman has since returned to first-team training.

But he has not played a competitive match since January due to a long-term ankle injury and Mauricio Pellegrino is yet to make a decision on when to reintroduce him into the match-day squad.

The Southampton head coach expects visitors Watford to provide stiff opposition, saying: "Every team in the Premier League is really tough. In one second you can lose or you can win and we have to prepare for these moments.

"Watford are really tough, an intelligent team. They have a good rhythm, dangerous attacking players and big players at set-plays.

“In counter attack they are very fast, very quick, and we need to be there 100 per cent to have our chances. I think we will compete.”

Hoedt, a summer arrival from Lazio, could make his first appearance for his new club, who have won one and drawn two of their opening three Premier League games.

Watford have an identical record after they earned a goalless draw at home to Brighton in their previous fixture before the international break.

Marco Silva could hand a first league start to captain Troy Deeney after he played 45 minutes in a 4-2 victory against Millwall in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week.

“We are happy with him, he’s our captain,” said Silva. "We want to get him to a good level to help the team, like he did last season.

"He’s happy to stay here, to compete and play in our team. He worked hard in the break like the other players. We did a friendly match to get some minutes in their legs.

“His physical condition starts to go up. It’s our job to put him into a good level to help the team.”

Pellegrino has reported no fresh injury worries ahead of Watford’s visit.

Hoedt could make his debut having been an unused substitute in the goalless draw at Huddersfield before the international break following his move from Lazio.

Watford could be boosted by the return of Younes Kaboul and Daryl Janmaat for their Premier League trip to Southampton.

The defensive duo were both injured in the club’s opening-day draw against Liverpool. Sebastian Prodl will be assessed on Friday after he limped off in Austria’s World Cup qualifier against Wales.

Miguel Britos (suspended), Craig Cathcart and Mauro Zarate (both knee) are unavailable.

Southampton are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches against Watford (W3 D2), since losing their first PL encounter, 2-3 at Vicarage Road in December 1999.

Watford have used 21 different players in their opening three Premier League games of 2017-18, more than any other team in the competition.

Southampton have failed to score in eight of their last 11 Premier League matches, including two of their three games so far in 2017-18. In fact, since the start of 2015-16, Southampton have recorded more 0-0 draws than any other Premier League team (12).

This will be the fifth consecutive league meeting at St. Mary’s between these sides in which a different manager has been in each dugout - Aidy Boothroyd and Jan Poortvliet in October 2008, Sean Dyche and Nigel Adkins in October 2011, Quique Flores and Ronald Koeman in January 2016, Walter Mazzarri and Claude Puel in August 2016 and Marco Silva and Mauricio Pellegrino this season.

Marco Silva will be looking to win back to back league away games as a manager for the first time since April 2016, whilst boss of Greek side Olympiakos.

In their 0-0 draw with Brighton on MD3, Heurelho Gomes kept his 50th Premier League clean sheet; the first South American goalkeeper to reach this landmark.

Nathan Redmond has had a hand in five goals in his last three Premier League games against Watford, scoring four goals and assisting one.

Watford did well against Brighton last time out because playing with 10 men for that long in the Premier League is not easy. I watched them rip Bournemouth apart - they’ve started the season really well.

However, Southampton are a difficult side to beat at St Mary’s and home advantage should make all the difference, helping Pellegrino’s side to their second win of the season.

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How far each club’s players travelled during the international break revealed and ranked

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The Premier League is back this weekend, with players reporting back to club duty following the two-week international break.

Stars from every top flight club were dotted around the globe representing their countries with the hope of qualifying for next year’s World Cup, but now they have returned to these shores, ready to perform at the domestic level this weekend.

One problem with the number of international stars at Premier League clubs is that they have to travel miles and miles to play for their countries, with some players heading halfway across the world and back in such a short time frame.

But which club’s players travelled furthest throughout the international break? With data supplied by The Times, you can see how many miles each club’s players flew over the past fortnight by clicking the right arrow, above…

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Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino praises ‘intelligent’ Watford

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Mauricio Pellegrino has described Watford as ‘an intelligent team’ and has warned his own Southampton players to remain focused at all times when the two teams meet this weekend.

Southampton entertain the Hornets on Saturday, and the Saints boss is well aware of the threat they face: "They are a really intelligent team, with a good reading of all the different moments.

"Watford have dangerous players in attack and big players on the set plays, with really quick players on the counter

"So we need to be there 100 per cent to have our chances, but I think we will compete.

"I know that it will be really tough, but we have to try to manage the game in our way.

“If we can put the ball on the floor and keep possession then I think we will have our chance.”

As for his own team’s chances going forward, Pellegrino added: "We have a squad which is really young, with quality and I think we can give another step this year.

"We have to understand how to read some situations, but I am happy with the spirit of the team, to be open minded, to be humble and to learn.

“In the Premier League, every single team is very tough, in every second you can lose or you can win, so we have to prepare for these moments.”

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City and Liverpool betting tips and odds plus Chelsea in a 77/1 treble

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It’s been a long two weeks as football fans took a little detour down the road to Russia but the Premier League is back with a bang and the game of the weekend kicks things off.

Manchester City vs Liverpool should live up to its billing - there’s about as much chance of this one finishing 0-0 as there is of Wayne Rooney being allowed out for a couple of pints with his pals on Saturday night.

City spent more than £200million in the summer and while most of that went on defenders it’s their attack that, before a ball was kicked in anger, had most punters and pundits tipping them for the title.

They’ve yet to hit the goal trail like their neighbours from Old Trafford but after two wins and a draw they’re handily placed – just like Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp also has a front-loaded arsenal at his disposal but at the other end, despite two clean sheets in a row before the break, his side did ship three goals at Watford to kick off the campaign and let in three over two legs against Hoffenheim.

Home supporters will be confident of avoiding defeat - City have lost just one of their last 23 Premier League games at the Etihad - while those making the short trip from Merseyside will travel without fear thanks to Klopp’s record against his rivals at the top of the table. The German has lost just one of 22 top-flight matches against the teams who finished in the top seven last term. His record away from home in these matches is played nine, won five and drawn four.

Never one to back down against the big boys, he won a fight with Barcelona over Philippe Coutinho but Klopp says the Brazilian, who represented his country twice over the past week and scored against Ecuador, needs more time to get up to full speed.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, however, could make an appearance. The £35m deadline-day signing is likely to start on the bench and if you believe in fairytales, he’s 17/1 (Paddy Power) for the last goal and 11/2 (Unibet) at any time. Betway offer 11/10 he has a shot on target and 8/13 he doesn’t.

City’s Sergio Aguero heads the betting for the opener (7/2) and at any time (evens), just ahead of Gabriel Jesus (9/2 and 11/10).

Both sides to score is no better than 1/2 while City are 21/10 to take the points with both teams hitting the net, Liverpool are 5/1 (widely available) in the same market and any score draw is 15/4 (Bet Victor and 188Bet).

A win for either and they’ll top the table as leaders Manchester United are not in action until Saturday’s late game when their former striker Mark Hughes and his Stoke side are the hosts.

United haven’t won in their last four league visits there (two draws, two defeats) and Jose Mourinho’s recent record against them isn’t great, no wins in any of his last four.

But his start to the season – three wins from three with 10 goals scored and none conceded – mean United are 8/15 (Sporting Bet) to take the points and 29/20 (Bet Victor) to win without letting one in. Stoke, who have already beaten Arsenal at the bet365 Stadium, are 13/2 (several firms) for victory and the draw is 17/5.

Things only got worse for Arsenal after losing in the Potteries – a 4-0 thumping by Liverpool was followed by a farcical deadline day - but this weekend provides them with the perfect opportunity to get back on track as Bournemouth, one of three pointless teams in the division, are at the Emirates.

The Gunners haven’t lost three league games in a row since 2012 - Bournemouth did just that last month, with West Brom, Watford and Manchester City taking advantage. This must go down as a home win and the Gunners are 21/20 to be winning at half-time and full-time.

As expected, Harry Kane opened his account for the season as soon as we had seen the back of August and after scoring for England last week he’ll be looking to do the same for Tottenham to bring up his century (all competitions).

Kane is 5/4 to score at any time at Everton but Goodison is a ground where Spurs have won just once in their last 10 trips (they’re as ropey there as they are at Wembley) drawing six times and losing the other three.

A home win is 11/4 (several firms), Spurs are slightly better than evens in most places and the draw, the best bet here, is 23/10. Any score draw is 39/10 (188Bet).

Southampton against Watford also has the look of a stalemate while Chelsea and West Brom are worth backing on the road. The only thing Chelsea do to Leicester more than nick their midfielders is beat them – 11 times in their last 13 meetings – and Antonio Conte’s men, with Alvaro Morata back from Spain duty with a couple of goals to his name, are 4/5.

The Baggies are at Brighton and should hand debuts to Grzegorz Krychowiak and Kieran Gibbs. A shade better than 2/1 is worth taking for a team with two wins and a draw from their three games. Both of those wins were 1-0 and the same again is 7/1. Low is the way to go on total goals as the Seagulls have drawn a blank in every game while West Brom have only managed seven in 12 games since April.

Burnley and Swansea should enjoy home comforts on Sunday, against Crystal Palace and Newcastle respectively, while West Ham are at home for the first time this season on Monday night with Huddersfield the visitors to the London Stadium.

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

#SaintsFC, in partnership with @virginmedia, is proud to announce the opening of a new Sensory Room at St Mary’s: http://sfcne.ws/SFCSensory

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/09/2017 15:20:16

| | Here’s why Alexis, Coutinho and Van Dijk will be welcomed back to their clubs101GREATGOALS |
| | Mauricio Pellegrino urges Southampton to be wary of WatfordBELFASTTELE |

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Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino wary of Watford

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Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino warned his team they cannot afford to switch off against Watford if they are to maintain a positive start to the Premier League season.

The Saints remain unbeaten in their opening three league games, although they did crash out of the Carabao Cup at home to Sky Bet Championship side Wolves.

With Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk now being reintegrated into squad after the club fended off any suitors during the transfer window, Pellegrino is determined to move the group forwards.

‘It is a really competitive squad. We can always improve and have to be prepared for the future,’ Pellegrino said at a press conference.

'We have a squad which is really young, with quality and I think we can give another step this year.

'We had to learn from every single game, to improve in all of the different aspects, the limit of this team we can improve a lot.

'We have to understand how to read some situations, but I am happy with the spirit of the team, to be open-minded, to be humble and to learn.

‘In the Premier League, every single team is very tough, in every second you can lose or you can win, so we have to prepare for these moments.’

Like Southampton, who replaced Claude Puel with Pellegrino over the summer, Watford are looking to move in a new direction with Marco Silva now in charge.

The Hornets opened the new season by battling to a 3-3 draw at home against Liverpool and remain unbeaten, although they too failed to progress in the Carabao Cup after a much-changed side went down 3-2 against Bristol City.

Pellegrino has been impressed by the approach of Watford under the Portuguese, who just fell short in keeping Hull up last season.

‘They are a really intelligent team, with a good reading of all the different moments,’ the Southampton manager said.

'Watford have dangerous players in attack and big players on the set plays, with really quick players on the counter, so we need to be there 100 per cent to have our chances, but I think we will compete.

‘I know that it will be really tough, but we have to try to manage the game in our way. If we can put the ball on the floor and keep possession then I think we will have our chance.’

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Video: Pellegrino on Watford

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It’s another full house! :raised_hands:

Tickets for tomorrow’s game with #WatfordFC have now sold out. Thanks for your superb s… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/906178258131177472

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Southampton v Watford

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Southampton have no new injury worries and defender Virgil van Dijk could play for the first time this season after failing to secure a summer move away.

Watford should be boosted by the return of defenders Younes Kaboul and Daryl Janmaat from injury.

Jose Holebas is available after suspension but Miguel Britos is banned after his red card against Brighton.

Roberto Pereyra will face a fitness test, and Sebastian Prodl is also a doubt because of a hamstring strain.

John Roder: "Southampton and Watford come into this fixture with identical starts of one win and two draws apiece.

"Will Virgil van Dijk return to the Southampton defence or might fellow Dutch international Wesley Hoedt make his debut? However, it’s in attack where Saints haven’t convinced, failing to score in two of their three league matches.

"In contrast, Richarlison is an exciting forward who I saw score in Watford’s win at Bournemouth, and Peru international Andre Carrillo could make his first start, having previously played under Marco Silva at Sporting.

“Both teams have kept two clean sheets so far, meaning a repeat of March’s seven-goal thriller at Vicarage Road may not be on the cards - we can hope though!”

Southampton manager Manuel Pellegrino: "Watford are a really intelligent team, with a good reading of all the different moments.

"They have dangerous players in attack and big players on the set plays, with really quick players on the counter, so we need to be there 100% to have our chances, but I think we will compete.

“If we can put the ball on the floor and keep possession then I think we will have our chance.”

Watford head coach Marco Silva: "Now the market is closed, I don’t want to talk much about it, but the last week was not the best for us.

"It’s different than what we tried to do, but different things happen. What we planned for last week and achieved is different. You want the best things and you can’t achieve that in the last week.

“That’s not the best thing for me or Watford, but that’s life. I expected something different, it’s true.”

I fancy Southampton here. They got back among the goals at St Mary’s in their previous home league game against West Ham, after a run of five games without scoring there at the end of last season.

Follow Match of the Day on Instagram for the best photos from the world of football.

SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale at the University of Liverpool and is used to predict the outcome of football matches.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 08/09/2017 16:20:31

| | Pellegrino faces clean bill of healthCLUBCALL |
| | Saints V Watford The Preview - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |

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Read Southampton

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| Three Key Saints: Watford (H) | After two weeks off on international duty, Saints return to St. Mary’s in the Premier League against Watford. Saints … 08-09-2017 |

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| Southampton team news: Watford (H)2 days ago |
| Gomes or Forster? Take a look at our combined Saints and Watford XI2 days ago |
| Southampton predicted XI: Watford (H)2 days ago |
| Writers’ monthly awards: August2 days ago |
| Who do you think Southampton should play in central defence?3 days ago |
| Four Southampton players that deserve upgrades on FIFA 183 days ago |
| Grading Southampton’s summer signings4 days ago |
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Opposition View: Watford

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Previously injured trio Younès Kaboul, Daryl Janmaat and Roberto Pereyra have all returned to training this week, while new recruits Orestis Karnezis, Molla Waguè and Marvin Zeegelaar all signed on transfer deadline day.

Club captain Troy Deeney is approaching full fitness, but Player of the Year Sebastian Prödl is a doubt after hobbling out of Austria’s World Cup qualifier in Wales with a hamstring problem.

“I believe Kaboul and Janmaat will be ready for the match and we’ll see what the situation with Pereyra is,” said Silva.

“We have one more training session and after that I will make a decision.”

The return of Kaboul is particularly timely. Fellow defenders Miguel Britos (suspended) and Craig Cathcart (knee) are definitely out, while Waguè still had not returned from international duty yesterday.

Silva, who declared his disappointment at losing Nordin Amrabat to Leganes on loan, insisted Deeney remains part of his plans despite last season’s top scorer not yet starting a Premier League game this term.

“We want to get him to a good level to help the team, like he did last season. He’s happy to stay here, to compete and play in our team,” he added.

The Watford head coach is wary of the opposition and sees the Saints’ familiarity as a major strength.

"It’s always difficult to travel to a good team with good players in the Premier League, but they have big individual quality,” Silva continued.

"Some Southampton players have been together for a lot of time. It’s easy to see the team they played in the first three games – they only made one change from the team of last season.

“What’s most important to us is what we do, but we respect our opponent and the match.”

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Every Premier League owner ranked from worst to first on current performance

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The Premier League is watched the world over, so it is no surprise the majority of owners are not from these shores.

There are a few local fans who have hit the big time and decided to help out their respective clubs, but there are more foreign billionaires ranging from Chinese businessmen to UAE royalty and US investors.

But who is the best owner in the Premier League? Things can change pretty fast in football, and the flavour of the month can soon go out of favour with supporters if results take a turn for the worse.

Likewise, a good run can change perceptions completely, but we’ve taken a look at the people in charge, and ranked them from worst to best as it stands.

You can see talkSPORT’s entire ranking of all 20 Premier League owners, listed from worst to best, by clicking the right arrow above.

Disagree with our list? Comment below.

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Manchester City to beat Liverpool, according to Premier Predictor

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Manchester City to beat Liverpool, according to Sky Sports Premier Predictor

Manchester City will beat Liverpool live on Sky Sports this Saturday, according to the Sky Sports Premier Predictor.

The algorithm suggests City have a 44 per cent chance of winning at the Etihad and a 30 per cent chance of losing.

On Super Sunday, Frank de Boer is set to lose his fourth successive game as Crystal Palace boss against Burnley, while Newcastle will suffer their third defeat of the season at Swansea.

West Ham are predicted to claim all three points when they host Huddersfield on Monday Night Football to lift the Hammers from bottom of the table.

Elsewhere, Arsenal have the best odds for victory with a 65 per cent chance of beating Bournemouth, while Chelsea, Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham are also tipped to win.

The Premier Predictor is unable to forecast a winner between Brighton and West Brom, forecasting a 35 per cent chance of victory for both sides.

See predicted outcomes of this weekend’s games below and scroll down to see the predicted table…

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