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Leicester’s key fixtures in Premier League relegation battle

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Brendan Rodgers said ahead of Leicester’s defeat to Chelsea that keeping the Foxes in the Premier League this season would go down as one of the greatest achievements of his career.

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That’s a sad indictment of the 2015/16 miracle-workers who seemed poised to break into the so-called ‘Big Six’ not so long ago as they pursued a Champions League berth.

Public opinion is beginning to turn against the manager who has overseen four league defeats on the bounce. Leicester’s dire run of form has thrust them back into trouble in the context of relegation, and they’ve got some huge games coming up in their fight to stay up.

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Crystal Palace vs Leicester

The international break gives Rodgers and Leicester the chance to reset (again), and reset they must because a huge game awaits upon their return to action.

Crystal Palace, too, are in dismal form and will equally be looking forward to the break. Both sides will be in desperate search of three points to ignite their bid for survival.

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Leicester vs Bournemouth

The King Power hasn’t quite been the unified amphitheatre that inspired the Foxes while they were at their best under Rodgers. Discontent is starting to manifest in the stands, but it’s unlikely that the club will opt for a manegerial switch now.

Rodgers will circle this contest against Bournemouth as a season-defining one. The Cherries have developed into a pesky side to play against, and they’re well-equipped to expose Leicester’s vulnerabilities.

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Leicester vs Wolves

James Maddison

Maddison scored in a 4-0 win at Wolves / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages

Another relegation six-pointer at the King Power. Julen Lopetegui has returned Wolves to efficient functionality, and it’d be a surprise to see them in trouble come the end of the season.

Their away from is indifferent (ten points from 14 games), but Leicester’s home record is the second-worst in the division. Only Southampton (nine) have accumulated fewer points on home soil than the Foxes (12) this season.

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Leeds vs Leicester

This looks like a tricky game for Leicester on paper. While the Foxes’ away record isn’t woeful, Leeds will be well up for this contest.

It’ll be a fervent atmosphere at Elland Road for this midweek clash under the lights that could have significant implications in the relegation scrap.

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Leicester vs Everton

The Foxes open May with Everton coming to town. Sean Dyche’s Toffees are expected to avoid the drop thanks to their form at Goodison Park, but the former Burnley boss will see this as a good opportunity to take points off a relegation rival away from home.

It’ll be the turn of the King Power faithful to create a vintage Monday Night Football atmosphere and guide the hosts over the line.

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Leicester vs West Ham

Who knows what positions both these sides will be in come the final day of the season. However, given Leicester’s downward spiral and West Ham’s European ventures, there’s a genuine possibility the two sides are scrapping it out for a right to stay in the Premier League.

Now that would be something.

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Four straight Premier League defeats have thrust Leicester right back into the dogfight. While they remain out of the relegation zone for the time being, 18th-place Bournemouth drew level with the Foxes on 24 points following their victory over Liverpool at the weekend.

Leicester’s superior goal difference, which is the best among the bottom nine sides, is keeping them afloat for now.

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Position

Team

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Played

Won

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Drawn

Lost

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Goal difference

Points

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12.

Crystal Palace

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26

6

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9

11

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-12

27

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13.

Wolves

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27

7

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6

14

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-17

27

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14.

Nottinghaam Forest

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26

6

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8

12

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-26

26

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15.

Everton

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27

6

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7

14

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-18

25

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16.

Leicester

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26

7

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3

16

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-9

24

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17.

West Ham

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26

6

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6

14

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-10

24

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18.

Bournemouth

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26

6

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6

14

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-26

24

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19.

Leeds

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26

5

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8

13

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-11

23

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20.

Southampton

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26

6

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4

13

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-21

23

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EPL

Harry Maguire suggests he isn’t ‘properly appreciated’ at Man Utd

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Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has suggested that he is not as appreciated at club level as he is for England.

Maguire made the switch to the Red Devils for £80m back in 2019 and has since divided opinion after being named the skipper less than a year later. This season, he was quickly dropped by incoming United manager Erik ten Hag in favour of Raphael Varane and summer signing Lisandro Martinez.

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At international level however, the centre-back has been one of England’s most dependable performers under Gareth Southgate, playing a major role in the Three Lions’ deep tournament runs over the last five years.

Maguire started for England in Thursday’s 2-1 win at Italy in Euro 2024 qualifying. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the Azzurri’s goal but stood tall late on to help grind out the victory.

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Speaking to the media post-match, Maguire was asked if he feels ‘properly appreciated’.

“For England, yes, I do,” he replied. “Obviously, last season was difficult for the club, but, listen, I’ve proven myself to Gareth, who works with a wide range of centre backs. He has the choice of all the English centre-backs in the country and I play, every time I’m available, I’ve been in the team.

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“I’m sure if you ask the rest of the lads they know what I bring to the team. I’m 30 years old but I shouldn’t really need to prove myself at this level. I’ve over 50 caps. I’m England’s top-scoring defender.

“I’ve played nearly 200 times for Manchester United, I’ve captained the club for three years now, but I do also understand that when you’re the captain of Manchester United you do come under the most amount of scrutiny. Last season at club level, my performance wasn’t good enough, alongside everybody else at club level, not just myself struggled. Everyone else struggled.”

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Maguire recognises that he has not always been at his best while wearing a United shirt.

He was an easy scapegoat during their dreadful 2021/22 season in which they recorded their lowest ever points tally in the Premier League era.

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That said, Maguire has also failed to kick on and if anything has taken several steps backwards after what was a promising first half to 2021, emerging as one of the league’s leading centre-backs and playing out of his skin while unfit in England’s run to the Euro 2020 final.

His case hasn’t been helped by his outward need silence critics, notably scoring for England and sticking his fingers in his ears as a celebration amid his decline for United.

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Arsenal lead Rice race; Man Utd eye Ferguson

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90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…

Arsenal remain ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer. The midfielder’s preference is to stay in London amid previous links to Manchester City and Manchester United. (Football Insider)

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New Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel will look to reunite with Chelsea duo Mateo Kovacic and Edouard Mendy when the summer window rolls around. (Calciomercato)

Manchester United are ready to send Amad Diallo back to Sassuolo as part of a bid to sign Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi. (CMW)

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Another player on Manchester United‘s radar is Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. The 18-year-old scored on his debut for the Republic of Ireland earlier this week. (Football Insider)

Liverpool will look to strengthen their defensive ranks with the signing of Dutch defender Perr Schuurs, with current club Torino ready to sell for a fee of €50m. (Tuttosport)

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Ilkay Gundogan is likely to leave Manchester City for Barcelona on a free transfer this summer. His contract expires at the end of the season. (The Athletic)

Real Madrid have joined Barcelona and Liverpool in the race to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. (Fabrizio Romano)

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Meanwhile, Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga would prefer to join Real Madrid over the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United this summer. (Cadena SER)

After failing with a bid last summer, Chelsea are working on another offer to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton. (Football Insider)

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Arsenal and Newcastle are monitoring Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojland, who grabbed a hat-trick on his international debut for Denmark this week. (Tutto Atalanta)

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Arsenal pre-season 2023/24: Fixtures and schedule

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Having reached new heights in the Premier League in 2022/23, Arsenal will soon be beginning their preparations for the new campaign with a pre-season tour to get ready for 2023/24.

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Preparations for last season took place in Germany for Arsenal but with the Covid-19 pandemic a bit more of a distant memory for many, it is expected that more teams will be heading further afield again to either the United States of America or Asia.

Arsenal are yet to announce a full training camp location for their pre-season but they do have one fixture already confirmed which drops a big clue.

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The Gunners are going to be coming up against an MLS All-Star team in Washington D.C. which will be coached by Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney. That takes place on July 19 and it is hard to imagine that Arsenal will only play one game in America.

A semi-regular fixture of Arsenal’s pre-seasons in recent years has been the Emirates Cup, but there has not been any word on whether an edition of that will be taking place or not this summer. If there is, then Arsenal could be splitting their time between America and London.

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All times BST.

As is the case for almost every big club in football now, all of Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies are expected to be televised live on Arsenal.com and their official app with a subscription.

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