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The Premier League have dealt Steve Bruce a worrying piece of news, after they announced that Andre Marriner will officiate Newcastle United’s trip to Liverpool on Saturday for their televised encounter with the current league leaders.

Liverpool go into the weekend encounter as the only side to have won each of their opening four Premier League games, in which they have also scored the second-most goals of any side, while Newcastle have taken four of a possible twelve points.

Marriner has so far officiated three top-flight encounters this season, after the Birmingham-born referee oversaw Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 0-0 draw in the opening weekend, before holding the whistle as Liverpool beat Southampton and during Manchester City’s win at Bournemouth.

From those encounters, the 48-year-old has called the third-least fouls per game and the 12th-most fouls per tackle of the 17 officials called on by the Premier League thus far, according to data collected by WhoScored.

Marriner has been keener than some to brandish a yellow card, however, as the West Midlands resident has issued three per game on average – treble that of Chris Kavanagh, the official to have issued the least cautions after refereeing three top-flight fixtures.

Marriner, who first officiated in the Premier League during the 2004/05 season, has also shown a tendency to caution the away side more than the home team this term by a ratio of 2:1.

Assistants Scott Ledger, Simon Long and fourth official Andy Madley will join Marriner at Anfield, while Mike Dean will be in charge of the VAR with Dan Robathan his assistant.

Marriner’s appointment as the referee for Newcastle’s trip to Anfield will spell bad news to Bruce, as Newcastle have lost their last four games with the 48-year-old in the middle (TransferMarkt).

Liverpool, on the other hand, head into the Magpies encounter having last lost a game with Marriner in charge back in October 2017 when Tottenham Hotspur beat them 4-1. Since then, the Reds have played eight, and won five while scoring 17.

One of the Merseyside outfit’s triumphs with Marriner in possession of the whistle also came against Newcastle last season, when Divock Origi struck an 86th-minute winner for Jurgen Klopp’s men at St. James’ Park in May.

Newcastle held Liverpool to a two-all draw the last time the two sides met at Anfield with Marriner in charge, however, although that fixture came in April 2016.

Newcastle fans, does Marriner’s appointment affect your expectations of the Liverpool encounter? Let us know in the comments below…

Andres Iniesta is a living legend for Barcelona and their fans.

The now 35-year-old icon spent 22 years in Catalonia, winning nine La Liga titles, as well as four Champions League trophies and six Copa Del Reys.

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But last summer, he decided to call it a day, or rather, decided he had to make a change and ride towards the sunset of his Barcelona career.

He made the move to Japan but, on Tuesday, he celebrated a very special landmark.

It all began 23 years ago on a day that’s very dear to Iniesta and many Barcelona fans.

The Spaniard posted a brilliant video on Twitter as a tribute to his first steps in what turned out to be a brilliant career, and many Barcelona fans were touched.

Some of them quite clearly miss their captain and others were just showering him with huge compliments in the comment section below the post.

You can see some of their replies in the collection of tweets down below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Ahead of 2019/20 there was a dilemma at left-back for Leeds.

Stuart Dallas ended last term brilliantly with two goals in the playoffs against Derby as he stepped in for Barry Douglas astutely. The Scot became an option again heading into the new season but Ezgjan Alioski and Leif Davis were also in the frame.

Douglas looked in good form against Wigan, putting in a performance which earned him an average rating of above 7 via WhoScored. But aside from that he hasn’t managed to achieve anything above 6.55.

With that in mind, it would make sense if Marcelo Bielsa stuck with Alioski, even now Douglas is back and fully fit.

On the chalkboard

After that match against the Latics, it looked as though Douglas was on his way to providing a solution to Leeds’ pre-season dilemma.

He looked comfortable and was able to provide two key passes, as well as winning two aerial duels.

But since the left-back’s time on the sidelines, Alioski has come in and been a revelation, thus making it incredibly difficult to drop him.

Douglas is the more senior of the two at 30 and that perhaps suggests why he started over the North Macedonian at the beginning of the term.

He spent a period out and came back against Stoke in the Carabao Cup. He then missed out the weekend after possibly over a lack of match fitness.

But he’s now had the international break to fully recover and get himself in gear, thus making him a viable option against Barnsley.

However, Alioski was in fine form for the Whites before the international break, contributing to two clean sheets in three games. He won five aerial battles in the process, per WhoScored, so if there is a decision to be made he is the right choice.

Against Swansea last time out the 27-year-old made a massive six tackles, as well as having three shots. Versus Brentford, he created the most goal scoring opportunities of any Leeds man with three key passes.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Those outings provided evidence that he can cope in defensive and attacking scenarios. The latter will likely come in handy against a Barnsley side who have conceded nine and scored just four. Douglas is yet to score this season so that presents another reason as to why Alioski should play against a more defensive opposition.

The 5 foot 8 Leeds man can be used as a traditional full-back or even as a wing-back and after producing the goods for his country last week, claiming an assist, he should still be trusted. That’s despite his main competition for that role in the side now being fully available once again.

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Wolves’ form is starting to become a worry.

Last year, they were very impressive, and the £101.03m they spent on new arrivals appeared to look like sound investment. By finishing seventh, they qualified for the Europa League, and almost found themselves in the F.A Cup final.

This term, though, it is a very different story. Nuno Espirito Santo and co are yet to win a game in the Premier League and, although they made it to the group stage in Europe, they lost their first match against Braga at Molineux. On Sunday, they once again failed to win, drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Whenever a team goes through a poor run of form, the manager’s future always seems to be under pressure. Although the Portuguese boss led the team so magnificently last season, he will need to improve results sooner rather than later if he is to breathe easy again.

And some Wolves fans – albeit a small minority – are already calling for him to be relieved of his duties at the club.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino came out fighting in his Southampton pre-match press conference on Thursday, and it was a welcome change that was exactly what was needed after a tough couple of weeks for the north London outfit.The Argentine had criticised his players for failing to respect the game-plan in their 2-2 draw against Olympiacos, also saying post-match that he didn’t believe this current squad is the best he’s had.That was further elaborated on when he hinted that changes needed to be made in January – and next summer – following the shock Carabao Cup exit to Colchester United on Tuesday, even though it has only been a few weeks since the previous window closed.

It is hardly surprising given the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are all out of contract next year, and Pochettino has often cut quite a desolate and forlorn figure both during and after their previous three fixtures – the other a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City.

A #PochOut Twitter campaign shows how some of the Spurs faithful are feeling right now, with many other fans already eyeing up potential replacements for the 47-year-old if he goes – including a man whose team are currently top of the Bundesliga, described as “young and hungry like Poch was at the start” by one supporter.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, there was a welcome change from the former Southampton boss ahead of the meeting with his ex-employer on Saturday, as his demeanour was noticeably different and he appeared more relaxed and less agitated.

He said he was happy with his “united” squad, as per Football London, while he said he had a positive meeting with Daniel Levy in Milan earlier this week.

The 47-year-old also said that he believes he is the man to take Tottenham to the next level – a positive for those fans who may have been worried he was considering walking out.

Pochettino seemed to have a new energy about him on Thursday, and it is exactly what was needed from him following all of the question marks that have arisen about the club in the previous 10 days or so.

Real Madrid fans took to Twitter to call for Thibaut Courtois to remain away from the first-team picture, with many of them appearing to have been disappointed by the latest update from the club.

The club’s post on their social media account provided a medical update on the Belgian shot-stopper after he was unable to complete the Champions League match against Club Brugge earlier in the week.

The 27-year-old was forced to withdraw at the half-time interval with what has been confirmed by the club as an “acute case of gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance” but is understood to be responding well to treatment.

Real Madrid had acted swiftly to stamp out the rumours that Courtois was replaced by Alphonse Areola for the second half because of an anxiety attack and stated those suggestions were completely false.

Although it was good news for the player and the club in general, it would appear many of the fans on Twitter had a different view of things and subsequently decided to mock the announcement.

Plenty of them had hoped the “Official Announcement”, or “Comunicado Oficial” as has become famous with football fans, was to inform them that Courtois would either be out of the season or had been told to leave the club at the next available opportunity.

Here are just some of their reactions…

Real Madrid fans, do you share the same views? Let us know by joining the discussion in the comments section below!

Barcelona beat Sevilla 4-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Goals from Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi proved decisive in the Liga encounter, as Ernesto Valverde’s men recorded a crushing weekend win.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Overall, it was a good performance by the whole team but once again, it was Vidal who caught the attention of the Blaugrana fans.

Barcelona were quick to share some impressive stats, stating that in 23 games in La Liga when Vidal was in the starting lineup, they are yet to be defeated once.

As a result, many of the fans were absolutely gushing over their Chilean midfielder, calling him their best signing in recent years and even urging the club to start him ahead of Sergio Busquets.

It seems that Vidal is well and truly one of the fan favourites at the Camp Nou.

You can see some of their reactions and comments down below:

Ryan Fredericks is more than just a very good right-back.The West Ham man may be a very solid player, but he’s also one of the funniest characters in the Premier League these days.Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, the defender is a goldmine for hilarious content, as West Ham often call on the Englishman when they’re looking to have a bit of fun on social media.

To celebrate the former Fulham man’s 27th birthday, the Hammers posted a compilation of Fredericks’ best moments from both on the pitch and off it.

In between footage of a couple of Fredericks’ goals for the Hammers, we’re treated to some golden moments from the birthday boy.

The right-back tells a fan whose girlfriend supports Tottenham to dump her, and we also get to relive his hilarious shocked reaction after finding out Declan Rice’s FIFA rating last year.

Many West Ham fans will love this video as it highlights all the best things about Fredericks’ time at the London club.

Harvey Elliott has been banned from domestic football for 14 days after mocking Harry Kane, and some Liverpool fans can’t quite believe the news.

The 16-year-old admitted to using derogatory language about the Spurs striker in a video he posted on social media, which has been judged as an aggravated breach of the FA’s rules.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It is a ban that is not often seen in football, prompting some Reds to question the FA and whether it was really necessary, but according to one supporter the winger’s actions are unlikely to sit well with Jurgen Klopp.

The positive for Liverpool is that he will be back in time for their League Cup clash against Manchester United, a tie he could play in after impressing on his debut for the Reds in the third round match at MK Dons.

Here is some of the mixed reaction from the Anfield faithful, with some refusing to take the fine seriously and many shocked by the FA’s action to ban him.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The more you think about it, the more questions become of it.

According to a report from Football Insider, Leeds United are set to open negotiations over a new contract with 34-year-old Pablo Hernandez.

Hernandez got off to a great start this season with two goals and two assists in the first five games of the season, however that form has slowly died away and he has been hampered with an injury for the few games before the international break.

Given the lack of return that the likes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa have brought so far this season, scoring just once in the league between them, it seems as if Marcelo Bielsa is being forced to go with someone who he knows can produce at this level in his system in this division.

This deal just smacks of a lack of imagination and desperation for Leeds. If they are willing to give a new contract to someone who is 34 going on 35, it just shows how little Marcelo Bielsa has in the rest of the squad.

With the amount of money, a potential £170m, that will come next season should Leeds get promoted, you’d think that they’d be able to expand the team somewhat and bring in some new players.

Is this just a contingency plan so that Leeds will have some players for the Championship if they don’t end up getting promoted? It could well be.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

One thing that is hanging over all of this, which should not be ignored, is the prospect of the 5 foot 8 winger retiring at his boyhood club CD Castellon too.

As was documented by Phil Hay last month, Hernandez has dreamed of finishing his career there, and whilst it is always possible that he plays past 40, it should be worth noting that time is running out if he wants to fulfil that dream one day before it’s too late.

This might be a cynical way of approaching it, but it is entirely possible that Leeds are giving him a new contract purely so that they can command a fee from the Spanish side rather than losing him for nothing.

That is the only way that this whole thing makes sense.