Football on the British Isles is one of the most important things so it goes without saying that the fans cannot get enough news about it. A lot of their lives revolve around this beautiful sport and it makes sense that they are always on the lookout for the new goings on in their respective leagues. Nowhere else is that more present than in England and Scotland, two of the powerhouses in terms of the best players coming from the United Kingdom. With national leagues and European club championships in full swing and the international break currently happening, there is a lot of news to cover for both English and Scottish Football.
In this article here, we tackle the latest and examine the upcoming fixtures for the clubs, as well as the England and Scotland national teams. Get that Pie and Bovril snack ready and read more about what is to come. Such previews are especially important for those among you who also enjoy wagering on the outcome of matches. Sports betting enthusiasts should check out Stake.com for all of their bets regardless of competition and club.
League of Nations Results and Fixtures
The biggest news right now comes from the ongoing League of Nations competition where the European national teams battle it out during several windows of play. Currently on the program are matchdays 3 and 4 and both England and Scotland will be playing both of them. England already played their first match, a disappointing 1-2 home defeat against the underdog Greece team. It was Vangelis Pavilidis’ brace that gave the Greeks the much-needed win. He opened the scoring in the 49th minute for 0-1. Jude Bellingham equalized in 87’, only for Pavilidis to stun the Wembley Stadium home crowd in stoppage time, 90 + 4’. As of right now, Greece is first in League B Group 2 with 9 points and all three wins. England is second with 6 points, 2 wins and 1 loss. Ireland is third with 3 points, 1 win, and 2 losses, and dead last is Finland with all three losses.
The next game for England is an away matchup against the worst team in the group, Finland, on October 13, a great chance for online sports betting fans to win. It is a must-win after the disappointing showing at home and both the players and the management know it. The interim boss Lee Carsley says that his attacking approach will not change for the Sunday game despite the Greeks taking advantage of the new formation. His experiment of fielding five attackers without a true striker failed and the Helsinki game is a chance to bounce back. As Carsley stated, nothing will change in his offensive approach. Still, he does not plan to play the trio of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer together. Harry Kane is looking to return so the squad should have a true striker in their starting XI. Jack Grealish could also show up after missing the Greece game. Carsley’s chance to get the job permanently and not just be the interim was ruined, but maybe he has a chance to make it right if a convincing victory is the result in Finland.
For the Scots, it is a much different story in more ways than one. They have yet to play their 3rd game and the matchup is not favorable. They have traveled to Croatia and tonight the Scots take on one of the best teams in recent years. So far, the Scottish team lost both of their games and it does not seem to look good for them. Croatia is currently second with 3 points, 1 win, and 1 loss, and has a lot to prove in front of the home crowd. They need a win if they want to remain in contention to move forward. Portugal is at the top, with 2 wins in the first two games for 3 points. They will be playing Poland who is now third with 1 win and 1 loss, good for 3 points. The second game for Scotland is even harder, a home clash with Portugal on October 15.
Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb is the location and bad news is piling up for Scotland as their winger, the Celtic player James Forrest, is going to miss the important game. Steve Clarke has his hands full at the helm as his boys are looking for their first points in the ongoing Nations League campaign. Forrest joins Angus Gunn, Kieran Tierney, John McGinn, Scott Mckenna, Tommy Conway, and Jack Henry on the sidelines. None of these players will be available for the Portugal game either. Still, Clarke says there is hope and that the team is in good spirits. They could challenge the medalists in the last two World Cups, who are not in the best of form right now, something to take advantage of for sure. Scotland will compete as they always do and can surely come out with at least a point. They will be without Mateo Kovacic which is a big blow for the Croatian side. Luka Modric, the best player in the history of Croatia, says the Scots are a difficult matchup always, praising the team’s passion, toughness, and togetherness. It could be an interesting game to place a few bets on, that is for sure.
Premier League News and Rumors
On to club football in England, there are some interesting news and developments to look at. The league said that they will be taking some time to decide the future of the ongoing legal battle with Manchester City over their commercial deals. Yet again, the team faces certain problems regarding how they conduct business, this time it is about their off-court deals. The arbitration panel came on Monday after City challenged the APT regulations of the league. APT, short for associated party transactions, i.e. the rules in place that ensure sponsorship deals and fair market value, is an important governing body. Some of the team’s complaints were upheld and some were deemed unlawful. In the latest developments and after “constructive and informative feedback”, the league now has to take some time to develop proposals and amendments to rules. When everything is ready they “will circulate them to clubs.”
In other developments, Nottingham Forest has been issued a hefty fine by the Football Association for their VAR incident in the April game against Everton. They lost the game 2-0 but it was not remembered for its score, rather a video assistant referee moment. As the ruling claims, the fine was for an “attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale.” If you can recall, the team took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, five minutes after the Goodison Park game. Anthony Taylor, the referee in question, ignored three penalty pleads including a seemingly obvious handball. Game match officials even stated that a challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi by Ashley Young in the 55th minute was supposed to be a penalty. The club posted, “Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept. Our patience has been tested multiple times.” The VAR in question was Stuart Atwell. Now, they have been punished for it for “egregious, direct and public attack.” Forest stated that they were planning an appeal and that they were “extremely disappointed” with the final ruling. In the ongoing campaign, Nottm Forest is 10th with 10 points coming from 2 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss. Everton is in poor shape and 16th with only 5 points from 7 league games.
For Erik ten Hag, it has been a nightmare opening to the season and everyone is expecting a sacking. Still, there is nothing but silence on his future at Manchester United. There was a monthly board meeting on Tuesday, one that lasted six hours, but only silence and mystery came out of it. The fans still know nothing of the manager’s future with the squad. No official statements are planned, and the question arises, what more does ten Hag (not) have to do to be replaced?
The team is 14th right now with only 8 points in 7 matches. To open the season, they lost the Community Shield against City on penalties. They won the first game at home against Fulham, barely, 1-0. They then lost to Brighton and Liverpool and won in Southampton. A brief bounce back came in the EFL Cup against Barnsley, 7-0, only to draw at Crystal Palace and not win since. Their first two Europa League matches were disappointing draws at home versus Twente and on the road at Porto. Between those, they lost to Tottenham 0-3 at home, a shocking defeat involving a red card. Then, another draw at Aston Villa. The result of it all? The worst start ever to a Premier League season, with two wins in the first seven games. So why is Ten Hag still there? We will have to wait and see.
Scottish Premiership Developments
Do you have your Pie and Bovril ready to go? Good, because the season is going to continue in no time. After the boys come back from their international duty, it is back to club football and the battle for the title. Recently, there has been some important news that could impact the next few fixtures. For Rangers, the latest news was not that great. A penalty that was denied them against St Johnstone was the only VAR mistake that the FA highlighted. The panel claims that Johnstone defender Aaron Essel should have been penalized for that shirt pull on Cyriel Desser. The referee of the game, David Dickinson, did not call it a foul and four out of five panelists suggested that the VAR decision was a mistake. The Rangers did win the game 2-0 but mistakes like this one should never happen at this stage of elite football. The panel did upgrade a yellow card to a red for Ianis Hagi and his challenge on Adama Sidibeh.
In other news, Hearts could move for Kalle Karlsson of Vasteras SK in an effort to make him their next manager. The talks with Per-Mathias Hogmo broke down.
Danilo returns to the Rangers’ lineup which could inspire Cyriel Dessers to get back in form and start producing more.
In Dundee United, a loan signing of Luca Stephenson made it clear that Liverpool wanted to send him to Scotland before last season. This decision was prompted by the big success of his teammates Leighton Clarkson and Owen Beck who made their moves north memorable and productive.
However, Scottish football heads are urging FIFA to stop their young talent from being taken away by bigger English clubs and their sports academies. They give little to no compensation in return and it has only been getting worse since Brexit. Top teams are even eyeing underage players and preparing for their move as soon as possible. FIFA is yet to answer.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are on track to land Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin, while David Moyes is another potential replacement if Gary O’Neal’s results do not turn for the better.
A famous bookmaker has selected the Rangers as the leading favorites to sign Jordan Henderson if he leaves Ajax. The 34-year-old midfielder is not playing a lot in the Netherlands so he would welcome a change of scenery. The Ibrox side will have a problem matching his large salary of 85,000 pounds per week, but they should find a way because he could bolster their team for the rest of the season.
An interesting statistic came about that claims that the Scottish Premiership is the sixth in the world for the number of expatriate players. The list is led by Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, and Italy. The research claims that about 57.4% of all minutes played are done so by players who grew up in different football associations than the one they play in.