OptiNews - Friday 09 to Thursday 15 March 2018

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Premier League predictions: Lawro v Justin Young & Arni Arnason from The Vaccines

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was criticised for his defensive outlook when his side drew 0-0 at Anfield in October - so will his tactics be the same when Liverpool come to Old Trafford on Saturday?

BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson says: "Mourinho will not be as cautious this time - he will get booed by United fans if he is.

"So he won’t park the bus, but that does not mean he won’t try to get the defensive aspect right to stop Liverpool’s attack, because his side have looked frail at the back recently.

“He just needs to get the blend right and make sure United offer enough of a threat as well.”

Lawro is going for a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Do you agree?

You can make your predictions now, take on Lawro and other fans, create your own league and try to make it to the top of the table by playing the new-look BBC Sport Predictor game.

Lawro scored 120 points in week 29, which leaves him in 1,427th place out of more than 400,000 users.

He will be making a prediction for all 380 top-flight games this season, against a variety of guests.

This week he takes on have Justin Young and Arni Arnason from indie rock band The Vaccines.

Singer Justin is a Manchester United fan while bassist Arni follows Tottenham.

Arni says he became a Spurs supporter by “osmosis” when a friend started taking him to games after he moved to London from Iceland.

“I love everything about the Spurs squad but it feels like this season is a little bit on hold,” he explained.

“I am happy if we stay in the top four but the main thing is that we keep the core of this team together for when we move into our new stadium - then it is going to be incredible.”

Justin says he has similar reasons for choosing United.

“My family supported Southampton and I didn’t want to support the same team as them,” he explained. "I was five, and United were the only other team I had heard of.

"I was lucky enough to start following them when their fortunes had just started to turn - I was 11 when they won the treble in 1999.

“I am a big Mourinho fan and I am also a big fan of being back in the top four. City are uncatchable this year and I know United are getting a bit of flak for the way they are playing, but I am enjoying being back in the race and back in the Champions League places. I am optimistic for next year.”

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless otherwise stated.

United will be buoyed by two consecutive comebacks to beat Chelsea and Crystal Palace - which will be absolutely fantastic for their confidence.

Liverpool are flying too, and they are level with Manchester City and Tottenham at the top of the form table with 13 points from their past five games.

You occasionally get a high-scoring game when these two meet - I remember Liverpool winning 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2009 when Fernando Torres gave Nemanja Vidic the run-around.

But I don’t think we will see anything like that on Saturday, because there is very little between the two teams.

I think we are looking at a 1-1 draw and that is a result they would both take too.

Yes, it means that they both drop points and the teams outside the top four can close the gap, but they both have a bit of a cushion between them and Chelsea in fifth place.

Everton were actually pretty good for the first 20 minutes or so of last week’s game against Burnley. They were proactive when they were 1-0 up and went looking for a second goal.

But once the Clarets got level there was only one team who looked like winning, and the result continued Everton’s hopeless run away.

The Toffees are usually a lot stronger at home, however, which is why I am backing them here, despite Brighton’s impressive recent form.

The Seagulls have got a seven-point cushion between them and the bottom three but, looking at their run-in, I think they might need it, because it is very tough.

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalho has had another impressive week, with his side responding to a 4-1 defeat by Brighton with a 4-1 win over West Ham.

Doing that shows how strong they are mentally, because they were able to park that defeat, and Carvalho is showing that he can get the best out of his players.

Huddersfield are finding things more difficult at the moment and I still worry about how much of a threat they pose because their standard 4-5-1 formation does not see many men getting forward.

The question is, do they change things and go for it a bit more because they are playing Swansea? I don’t think they will.

Southampton are not creating enough opportunities to win games, which is why they are languishing near the bottom of the table.

Similarly, Newcastle’s main aim against Liverpool at Anfield last week was to keep the score down.

The Magpies never looked like scoring themselves and the game was over as soon as the Reds went ahead.

But their whole approach will be very different this time and I am expecting an atmosphere to match at St James’ Park because their fans know their home form will be crucial in keeping them up.

I don’t know what has happened to West Brom, who used to be a team that were very difficult to play against.

They are totally the opposite of that now - there is a stench of relegation around The Hawthorns and the Baggies players seem to have accepted their fate.

There is time to save themselves - but at the moment it looks more as if it is just matter of time until they go down.

Leicester, on the other hand, are still in the race for seventh despite going five league games without a win.

Looking at the way Riyad Mahrez has been playing for the Foxes, I think their manager Claude Puel dealt with that whole situation very well.

Mahrez is playing like someone is watching him - and they probably are.

But Puel has not just got Mahrez back in the team, he has got him back playing well - even if a move away from the club does look inevitable in the summer.

Burnley’s win over Everton last week was a big result for them because it had been so long since their last victory - on 12 December.

West Ham, in contrast, had a very bad day against Swansea and, for their manager David Moyes, it will be vital his side get something from this game.

I am not sure what to expect from the Hammers at the moment, which is why I am going to go for a draw.

Crystal Palace are on a run of three defeats which has coincided with Wilfried Zaha’s absence with a knee injury, so it is good news for them that Zaha is set to return soon.

I don’t think the Eagles are necessarily playing that badly in his absence - they looked OK when they went 2-0 up against Manchester United on Monday - but it was a worry that they could not hold on to that lead.

Chelsea have had a bad couple of weeks, losing twice in Manchester to United and City, but I am expecting them to be much improved on their return to Stamford Bridge.

We definitely won’t see a repeat of Antonio Conte’s tactics at Etihad Stadium, thankfully. I do not understand why Conte asked Chelsea to lie down and roll over in that game.

They were damage limitation tactics that you might see from a struggling side scrambling for points - not from the defending champions.

Watford are one of 10 teams to beat Arsenal on the road this season but, at the Emirates, things should be different.

The Gunners will still win games, of course, it is just you always know what is around the corner.

It seems to be almost every day now that little bit of Arsene Wenger’s legacy as Arsenal manager is eroded - as in the Gunners’ defeat by Brighton at the weekend, for example.

I really fancied Juventus before their Champions League win over Tottenham on Wednesday.

Everyone had got really carried away with Spurs’ performance in the first leg but Juve do not have any bad days and they were far too good a team to be written off.

Tottenham still have the right to be disappointed with how that tie went, though, because they did not do very much wrong.

They can take out their sense of injustice on Bournemouth, who I fear might face a bit of a backlash here.

The Cherries were denied victory by Riyad Mahrez’s 97th-minute equaliser for Leicester last week but I don’t think they will find themselves in a similar position this time around.

Stoke’s problems haven’t changed - they drew again last week, and they are still short of goals.

I think they would welcome a point against Manchester City, who hammered them 7-2 in October, but that is not going to happen.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost their unbeaten home record against Basel on Wednesday but there is no cause for concern - you get those kind of surprise results in ties when the pressure is off.

From the last round of Premier League games, Lawro got five correct results, with two perfect scores, from 10 matches for a total of 110 points.

He lost out to Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who won pentathlon gold in the World Indoor Athletics Championships and also got her predictions spot on.

Johnson-Thompson also got five correct results but with three perfect scores, for a total of 140 points that puts her second on the guest leaderboard (see below).

There was some consolation for Lawro, however. He picked up 10 more points after correctly predicting Manchester City would win at Arsenal on Thursday 2 March, meaning his 50-50 draw with Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, stars of film ‘I, Tonya’, turned into a 60-50 win (Robbie and Janney went for a Gunners victory).

  • Shows weeks where Lawro had more than one guest, and only the highest score contributed to the guest total.

Lawro’s best score: 150 points (week eight v Wretch 32 and week 24 v Pete Wentz)

Lawro’s worst score: 40 points (week four v Umenyiora and Bell, week five v Non Stanford, week 21 v Darren Campbell and week 23 v Saric and Baynes)

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 00:50:31

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| Key Change In Attack: Predicted 4-2-3-1 Southampton Lineup To Face Newcastle UnitedMADABOUTEPL |
| | What happened when Southampton last travelled to Newcastle?READSOUTHAMPTON |

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 01:50:45

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| Ciderspace News Page : Southampton Loanee Barnes Returns To The Training GroundCIDERSPACE |

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@ChrisDHWaugh - Chris Waugh

Positive words from the #NUFC skipper ahead of tomorrow’s huge match against #saintsfc https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/well-proper-go-them-jamaal-14382488

Retweets: 5

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Guido Carrillo: ‘Juan Sebastian Veron told me about the Premier League’s intensity and all the beautiful things I am now starting to see’

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It was when conversation with Southampton’s new record signing, Guido Carrillo, had turned to South America and why they still produce most of the world’s best strikers that the rarefied status of Lionel Messi among even his peers became so strikingly obvious.

Carrillo had been describing his own upbringing near Buenos Aires, how he was “born with a ball under my arm” and his family “breathed football” while he honed his skills day and night in the local Magdalena square before joining Estudiantes de la Plata when he was 12.

“There are great strikers everywhere but South America are the top,” he said, before reeling off a convincing list of familiar names. “Agüero, Higuaín, Suárez, Cavani, Falcao.” But what about Messi? “Another level,” he said, shaking his head. “He’s from a different league.” Carrillo then recalled getting the chance to train with a teenage Messi when he was first breaking into the Argentina team in 2005.

“We were young and he was just starting with the national team,” he said. “We could see that he was going to do great things. What was different about him? Mentality. Everything. He is complete - just a miracle player.”

At 6ft 2ins tall and with a strong physical presence – “I quite like playing with the ball in the air” - Carrillo’s own style actually has more in common with the stereotypical English striker than some of his South American friends. His decision to move from Monaco to the Premier League followed discussions with the former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Juan Sebastián Verón.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 08:26:00

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| Southampton: Davis and Yoshida confirmed absences for NewcastleFANSIDEDSAINTSMARCHING |
| | EMIRATES FA CUP QUARTER-FINAL WITH SOUTHAMPTON NOW ON GENERAL SALE!WIGANATHLETICAFC |
| | Southampton Fan View: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg deserves startYAHOOSPORTUK |
| | TV ! Saints At Newcastle Preview - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
| | NUFCBLOG |
| | Pellegrino to make 2 changes – Predicted 4-2-3-1 Southampton lineup to face Newcastle United – SoccerSoulsSOCCERSOULS |

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Read Southampton

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| Southampton morning news round-up – 9th March 2018 | The news cycle surrounding Southampton never stops and as such, it can be difficult to keep up to date with … 09-03-2018 |

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:ticket:

Tickets for #SaintsFC’s trip to #WAFC in the #EmiratesFACup are now on sale to all Season Ticket holders: http://sfcne.ws/Wigan180318

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 09:26:30

| | Jamaal Lascelles reveals why Newcastle MUST have a ‘proper go’ at SouthamptonTHESHIELDSGAZETTE |
| | ‘We’ll have a proper go’ - Lascelles reveals NUFC will attack SaintsCHRONICLELIVENEWS |

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Nitwik Football

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

#SaintsFC’s @Westquay Store is set to undergo a major refurbishment to improve it for supporters. Find out more: http://sfcne.ws/WQRefurb

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

Get up to :seven::zero: per cent off in the special sale at #SaintsFC’s @Westquay Store, ahead of its refurbishment: http://sfcne.ws/WQSale

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 10:27:10

| | Southampton Striker Gets Republic Of Ireland CallVITALFOOTBALL |

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:innocent: 2-0 :wolf:

#OnThisDay in 2003, #SaintsFC booked a spot in the FA Cup semi-final with a 2-0 success against #WWFC:

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 11:27:22

| | Bonus - Watch Newcastle v Southampton live TV - Global channel listings | NUFCTHEMAG |
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| Martin Dubravka highlights perilous position of NewcastleNINETYMINUTESONLINE |
| | Newcastle could secure their survival if £9m-rated midfielder makes shock start tomorrow | | Where football transfer …THETRANSFERTAVERN |
| | Rafa Benitez will regret it if he doesn’t make 2 big changes to his XI vs SouthamptonFOOTBALLFANCAST |
| | Southampton morning news round-up – 9th March 2018READSOUTHAMPTON |
| | Newcastle United: Previewing Southampton with Saints MarchingFANSIDEDNEWCASTLETOONS |
| | Southampton fans have a negative reaction to the club’s throwback tweetFOOTBALLFANCAST |

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 09/03/2018 12:27:35

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| Southampton boss will regret it if he doesn’t make 2 big changes to his XI vs NewcastleFOOTBALLFANCAST |
| | NUFC will have to show some attacking intent against SouthamptonCHRONICLELIVENEWS |
| | No ifs, no buts, Newcastle United must deliver the goods against SouthamptonCHRONICLELIVENEWS |

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:movie_camera:

Mauricio Pellegrino has been looking ahead to #SaintsFC’s #PL trip to #NUFC:

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Westquay Store set for major refurbishment

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The changes will create a much-improved store, which will be able to display more product ranges, offer a full shirt-printing service and which will also have an increased number of tills.

It will mark the biggest refurbishment of the Westquay Store since it opened in 2000, and it follows on from the significant enhancements made to the Stadium Store in 2016.

Head of Retail Leighton Mitchell said: “We are delighted to be making these enhancements for our supporters and we believe this will significantly improve their experience in our Westquay Store.”

The store will close on Saturday 24th March, and it is anticipated it will be shut for about a month.

An exact reopening date will be confirmed once it is known, as well as details of some exciting events planned after its relaunch.

Remember that, during the refurbishment, the Stadium Store will remain open, with free parking at St Mary’s, while the club’s full range of merchandise is also available at store.saintsfc.co.uk.

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