Key events
14 mins: A dominant start for Newcastle at Nottingham Forest, where they’ve had 72% of possession, 100% of touches in the opposition penalty area, and the only shot of the game so far.
GOAL! Burnley 1-0 Aston Villa!
8 mins: Burnley are winning a game! Lesley Ugochukwu is given too much space on the edge of the area and has a shot from 23 yards or so. There’s not a lot of pace on it, but it’s well aimed and Emi Martinez can’t hold it, pushing it out to Jaidon Anthony, who thrashes it into the net!
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Everton!
6 mins: An early breakthrough at Selhurst Park, where a corner from the right is flicked on at the near post and drops for James Tarkowski, just beyond the far. He just needs to keep his head and tap it in, and that is precisely what he does.
4 mins: A tasty cross from the right for Newcastle, but nobody gets on the end of it. Here’s the top of the Scottish Premiership as it stands:
The final whistle has blown in the Old Firm game at Celtic Park, where Celtic came from behind to beat Rangers 3-1 and keep the heat on Hearts. The top two play each other next Saturday in their final game of the season, with both also playing in midweek.
1 min: Kick-off!
Before kick-off a minute’s applause in Nottingham in memory of Henry Newton, their former defender, who died last month at the age of 82.
Players are out, hands have been shaken and huddles are currently huddling. Football imminent.
Right, just a few minutes now before our 2pm kick-offs. And, marginally less importantly, I have finished eating my bagel.
Burnley interim manager Mike Jackson explains why he has made six changes for today’s game against Aston Villa:
I just think it needs freshening up a little bit. I think these guys deserve a chance to show what they can do. It’s got nothing to do with performances, it’s just that I think we need to change it up a bit. We want to see intent. We want to see a team with no fear. And a team that competes with no hesitation.
Nottingham Forest coach Vitor Pereira has a chat with Sky:
Different competition [to Thursday’s shellacking by Aston Villa]. Now is the time to forget about the last game. Today we have a big chance to get three points and to have in our hands, our future. It’s about reaching the 13th position because today with a win we can reach 13th position and this is our target today, this is what we have in our mind.
And you’re playing with a back three?
Yes. Because we came from two games in three days. We travelled to London and to Birmingham. It’s important to have organisation but with our ideas to win the game, to fight, to win the three points. There’s a lot of players injured, important players for us. But in the end, we start with 11 and let’s go.
Premier League teams!
And we have some teams! Here they all are:
Burnley v Aston Villa
Burnley: Weiss, Walker, Tuanzebe, Esteve, Lucas Pires, Florentino, Ugochukwu, Tchaouna, Mejbri, Anthony, Flemming. Subs: Dubravka, Hartman, Bruun Larsen, Foster, Humphreys, Ward-Prowse, Amdouni, Broja, Laurent.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Lindelof, Mings, Maatsen, Konsa, Barkley, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins. Subs: Bizot, Buendia, Digne, Torres, Abraham, Sancho, Douglas Luiz, Bogarde, Bailey.
Referee: Anthony Taylor.
Crystal Palace v Everton
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell, Johnson, Sarr, Larsen. Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Pino, Mateta, Clyne, Hughes, Riad, Devenny, Cardines.
Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Garner, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto. Subs: Travers, Patterson, McNeil, Barry, George, Dibling, Coleman, Alcaraz, Armstrong.
Referee: Thomas Bramall.
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Jair Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Anderson, Dominguez, Netz, Bakwa, Igor Jesus, Awoniyi. Subs: Ortega, Wood, Moreira, Lucca, Hutchinson, Yates, McAtee, Whitehall, Sinclair.
Newcastle: Pope, Hall, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Jacob Murphy, Woltemade, Osula. Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Wissa, Gordon, Barnes, Elanga, Willock, Alex Murphy, Ramsey.
Referee: Paul Tierney.
Hello world!
There’s a trio of Sunday afternoonly Premier League fixtures for us to get our teeth into today, which should be enough to keep us busy and is just as well given that there’s not much going on elsewhere in the football world to distract from them. Nottingham Forest, top of a last-six-games Premier League form table, play Newcastle, who would be 16th in that same league, knowing that victory would take them above opponents who were a distant 13 points clear of them as recently as late March – and make them all but safe from relegation. “There’s been no end of season feel to our training ground work, that’s really important,” said Eddie Howe. “While there’s still an opportunity, we’ll try and grab it. We’re prepared for a tough game. It’s always difficult going to the City Ground, a stadium full of good atmosphere and good energy. We’re going to have to be at our very best.”
But not even Newcastle find form tables as depressing as Burnley, who have won only one league game since October and have pocketed a single point from their last six matches. Today they host an Aston Villa side whose own league form is not great and who could do with a point infusion to make their spot in the top five – for all that they still have another route into the Champions League – feel a bit more secure, with Liverpool and Manchester City their remaining opponents after today. Burnley have not won any of their last 13 home games and 14 would equal a club record set across two seasons in 2021. The last time Villa lost to a side that had already been relegated was against Burnley, in 2015. And finally there is Crystal Palace against Everton, a game upon which not a lot rides. Palace have won one (one) of their last 22 (twenty-two) top-flight games against Everton.
Beyond the Premier League the most interesting game the world of football has to offer (so far as I can see) is Cremonese v Pisa in Serie A, in which anything but a win against bottom-of-the-table opponents would surely (but not mathematically) condemn Cremonese to relegation. Plus there’s Fiorentina v Genoa! So strap yourselves in, it’s going to be one helluva ride.
