Liverpool have gone for a “pepper red” kit for the 2017/18 season.
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On Thursday the Anfield club released their new jersey for next season with New Balance once again their kit suppliers.
The key features of this new kit is a small collar, with a fresh white and red look throughout.
Check out the images and video below.
Mikel Arteta did his best not to give a soundbite that included Mesut Ozil’s name following Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Leicester City in League Cup action on Wednesday.
Ozil, 31, has not played since assisting the lone goal in a March 7 win over West Ham and has since only twice even made the bench (June 20 and 25).
[ MORE: ProSoccerTalk unfiltered, Week 2 ]
Asked six times about the German, Arteta painted in broad strokes before mentioning Ozil in the second set of questions.
Arteta said that Ozil simply hasn’t warranted a place in an 18. This is how he responded when asked if he understood why there are so many questions about a player who has 44 goals and 77 assists in 254 appearances for the Gunners.
“Of course I understand and I respect your questions but I have to try to do my job as fair as possible. I try to select the players that are, in my opinion, in better condition.”
Okay then.
As for Wednesday’s win, the Gunners broke through on a Christian Fuchs own goal before sealing the deal on Eddie Nketiah’s marker just before the final whistle.
Arsenal was outshot 15-10 but both teams were decidedly second-string. Now the Gunners get consecutive affairs at Anfield, as Liverpool is the hosts for a Monday meeting in the Premier League and a League Cup fourth round tie days later.
Arteta was asked how big of a test that will be for the Gunners.
“You can imagine, probably the toughest place to go in Europe or the world. That’s the fixtures, we have to go there. Let’s go first on Monday, let’s prepare well and see how it goes.”
Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in July to deny the Reds a 100-point season, weeks after the Reds clinched the Premier League title. The Gunners again topped Liverpool in the Community Shield one month later.
The atmosphere and stakes will be high again next week. Surely Arteta can’t go 4-0 against Jurgen Klopp, right? Right?
For every team, there’s an indispensible player and it’s difficult to argue against Leicester City’s player being Wilfred Ndidi.
The groin injury that kept the Nigerian out of Leicester’s 2-0 home loss to Arsenal in the League Cup could require surgery, said Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers after the game.
[ MORE: ProSoccerTalk unfiltered, Week 2 ]
One of the game’s top destroyers, Ndidi had played two matches at center back as Leicester opened the season 2-0.
Rodgers could hardly have made the injury sound more painful.
“We’re just waiting to hear more on that but it could be anything between six and 12 weeks,” Rodgers said. “It’s a groin abductor which may have come off the bone, which is quite a nasty one. We’re waiting to see if he needs an operation or not. If he does, it will be at least 12 weeks.”
Leicester missed Ndidi for five-of-six games in early 2020 and went 2D-3L, starting a skid that ended up costing them Champions League football.
The 23-year-old already has 34 caps for Nigeria.
The Foxes have Nampalys Mendy, Hamza Choudhury, and Daniel Amartey amongst their defensive midfield options.
They next face Man City, West Ham, Aston Villa, and Arsenal in Premier League play. Leicester will learn its Europa League group on Oct. 2 before beginning its UEL run the week of Oct. 22.
The UEFA Champions League qualifying playoff round is delivering entertainment, with six first legs dotting the European landscape over the past 27 hours.
[ MORE: ProSoccerTalk unfiltered, Week 2 ]
American coach Jesse Marsch saw his Red Bull Salzburg take a first leg advantage home from Israel, while U.S. right back Henry Wingo and Molde played the game of the round so far against Hungary’s Ferencvaros.
The Austrian visitors were heavy favorites, especially with the hosts dealing with positive COVID-19 tests, but Maccabi took a ninth-minute lead through Dan Biton.
But young Dominik Szoboszlai’s Man of the Match showing began with a goal in the 49th minute and Masaya Okugawan gave Salzburg the lead eight minutes later ahead of next week’s second leg in Austria.
🗣️Jesse Marsch: "It was a tough battle! Managing to get a win here after going behind is extremely important for us. We go into the second leg ahead in the tie, but we still have more to do. It isn't over yet!" #MTVSAL pic.twitter.com/bGqjDAgsfW
— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) September 22, 2020
A thriller in Norway saw the hosts erase a 2-0 deficit only to hand a big away goals advantage to the Hungarian visitors with minutes to play.
Ferencvaros scored early in each half through Franck Boli and Myrto Uzuni. Both goals were set up by Endre Botka and Ferencvaros looked set to cruise through the first leg.
Molde snapped awake through former Manchester United, Cardiff City, and Seattle Sounders man Magnus Wolff Eikrem, who set up Leke James in the 55th minute before scoring a classy goal that was started on the right flank by fellow ex-Sounder and American export Henry Wingo.
Martin Ellingsen gave Molde its first lead in the 83rd, but Ihor Kharatin made it 3-3 four minutes later to send Ferencvaros back to Hungary with three away goals. A draw any less insane would be enough for them to head to the group stage.
COMEBACK SZN ‼️
We’re all tied up as Magnus Wolff Eikrem levels it for @Molde_FK. pic.twitter.com/PosBUmDUJP
— Champions League on CBS Sports (@UCLonCBSSports) September 23, 2020
Gent 1-2 Dynamo Kiev
Olympiakos 2-0 Omonia Nicosia
Krasnodar 2-1 PAOK
Slavia Prague 0-0 Midtjylland
Sept. 29
Ferencvaros v Molde
Dynamo Kiev v Gent
Omonia v Olympiakos
Sept. 30
Midtjylland v Slavia Prague
PAOK v Krasnodar
Red Bull Salzburg v Maccabi Tel-Aviv
There were few surprises to be found in the League Cup, one day after several eyebrow-raising results in the tournament’s third round.
[ MORE: ProSoccerTalk unfiltered, Week 2 ]
The League Two side was absolutely hammered by a Newcastle team who must’ve been read the riot act after a sleepy home loss to Brighton in weekend Premier League action.
It was already 4-0 when Morecambe’s Toumani Diagouraga was sent off. Joelinton scored twice and three players had a goal and an assist (Jamaal Lascelles, Jacob Murphy, and Miguel Almiron).
USMNT defender DeAndre Yedlin started at left back and set up an Isaac Hayden goal, with Matt Ritchie picking up an assist on Newcastle’s sixth of the game. An own goal rounded out the scoring.
A visit to League Two’s Newport County is next, and Steve Bruce’s men would be expected to win and find a spot in December’s quarterfinals. Halcyon days, or something.
A Christian Fuchs own goal finally helped Arsenal onto the scoreboard, though the Gunners were good money for the win.
The Foxes had an excellent goal mouth clearance from Wes Morgan with about 20 minutes to play, but could not find the equalizer.
Eddie Nketiah grimaced that he didn’t get to tap in the pass that Fuchs directed into his own goal, but got his marker in the 90th.
If Liverpool handles its business against Lincoln City this weekend, the Reds and Gunners will square off twice in four days (or less)
Kai Havertz scored his first Chelsea goal and hat trick, all assisted by Tammy Abraham, as the Blues made short work of their Championship visitors.
Havertz’s first Chelsea goal was one of two first-half markers and his second iced the contest.
Kai Havertz scores his first Chelsea goal after a brilliant dummy from Tammy Abraham 👏 pic.twitter.com/qRbBTLgXMR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 23, 2020
Abraham scored in the 19th minute. Eight minutes later, he let Mount’s pass set Havertz up for a classy snap finish.
Ross Barkley scored in the 49th and Abraham got his second assist of Havertz six minutes later. His third came in the 65th minute and was followed by Havertz leaving the pitch to hand Ben Chilwell a Blues debut.
Chilwell didn’t disappoint, setting up Olivier Giroud for the match’s final goal.
Graham Potter’s rotation allowed some talented players to showcase themselves away to a Championship side.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Alexis Mac Allister were the goal scorers as the Seagulls outshot PNE 11-4 to set up a match next week with Manchester United, who they meet this weekend in the PL.
As cagey as you’d expect from these two, with the Premier League visitors’ class a bit too much for the Championship’s Lions.
Josh Brownhill and Matej Vydra scored for Sean Dyche’s men with Matthew Lowton and Chris Wood collecting assists.
Burnley will face Man City or Bournemouth in the fourth round.
It was as tight as you’d expect from two sides who shared Championship scraps last season.
Aboubakar Kamara and Bobby Reid scored in the first 32 minutes to supply the Cottagers a fourth-round date at West London rivals Brentford in a rematch of the promotion playoff final.
Americans Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson both went the distance in the win.
The Championship side had all of the ball and the only goal, as Tyrese Campbell’s 37th-minute marker was enough to clinch a visit to either Bristol City or Aston Villa.
Carlo Ancelotti’s dominant Toffees suffered a brief scare after building a 2-0 lead through a Richalrison double.
Mark Duffy scored in the 48th before Alex Iwobi restored the two-goal lead.
That’s when Jordan Pickford, well, he messed up.
Fortunately for the Toffees, who out-attempted Joey Barton’s Fisherman by a healthy margin, Bernard scored with 17 minutes left to ease any frayed nerves. Moise Kean finished the scoring off a Niels Nkounkou feed.
Everton faces West Ham at Goodison Park in the fourth round.
An @Everton error gives @ftfc hope!#CarabaoCup | #FTFC pic.twitter.com/JuC3RnZtxO
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) September 23, 2020
All times ET
Thursday
Bristol City v Aston Villa — 2 pm
Lincoln City v Liverpool — 2:45 pm
Manchester City v Bournemouth — 2:45 pm
Luton Town 0-3 Manchester United
West Ham United 5-1 Hull City
Newport County 3-1 Watford
West Bromwich Albion 2-2 (4-5 pens) Brentford
Leyton Orient v Tottenham Hotspur — postponed
Lincoln City/Liverpool v Arsenal
Burnley v Manchester City/Bournemouth
Brentford v Fulham
Everton v West Ham United
Bristol City/Aston Villa v Stoke City
Leyton Orient/Tottenham v Chelsea
Newport County v Newcastle United
Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United