After a frustrating 45 minutes, it took only two minutes for Belgium to finally get on the board, even if it was a goal sprinkled with magic dust.
Off a partially cleared ball on the right side of the box, Belgium attacker Dries Mertens whalloped a shot that arced over Panama (and former LA Galaxy) goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, giving Belgium a 1-0 lead.
[ LIVE: World Cup scores ]
Premier League injury news: It’s time to take a look at which players might be unavailable for matchweek 8 of the 2022-23 Premier League season, due to injury.
[ MORE: How to watch the Premier League on NBC ]
Prior to every matchweek this season, we’ll update this Premier League injuries page with the latest news and update, so make sure to check back regularly to see how your favorite — or least-favorite — club is getting on.
Let’s check out the latest Premier League injury news, below.
OUT: Emile Smith Rowe (groin), Mohamed Elneny (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Thomas Partey (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf),, Kieran Tierney (head), Cedric Soares (knock), Reiss Nelson (thigh)
OUT: Diego Carlos (achilles), Lucas Digne (ankle), Boubacar Kamara (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Matty Cash (hamstring), Cameron Archer (adductor)
OUT: David Brooks (fitness), Lloyd Kelly (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Joseph Rothwell (thigh), Benjamin Pearson (undisclosed), Ryan Fredericks (undisclosed)
OUT: Christian Norgaard (achilles), Keane Lewis-Potter (knock) | QUESTIONABLE: Ethan Pinnock (knee)
OUT: Jakub Moder (knee), Enock Mwepu (illness) | QUESTIONABLE: Adam Lallana (calf)
QUESTIONABLE: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Edouard Mendy (knee), Marc Cucurella (illness), Carney Chukwuemeka (illness)
OUT: Jack Butland (hand), Nathan Ferguson (foot), James McArthur (groin) | QUESTIONABLE: James Tomkins (undisclosed)
OUT: Ben Godfrey (broken leg), Yerry Mina (ankle), Nathan Patterson (ankle), Mason Holgate (knee), Andros Townsend (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (knee)
OUT: Harry Wilson (knee), Joao Pahlinha (suspension), Manor Solomon (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Antonee Robinson (ankle)
OUT: Rodrigo (shoulder), Stuart Dallas (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Adam Forshaw (ankle)
OUT: Ricardo Pereira (achilles), Ryan Bertrand (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Patson Daka (illness)
OUT: Naby Keita (undisclosed), Curtis Jones (calf), Calvin Ramsay (undisclosed), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Ibrahima Konate (knee), Andrew Robertson (knee), Caoimhin Kelleher (groin)
OUT: Kalvin Phillips (shoulder), John Stones (hamstring), Benjamin Mendy (suspension – MORE) | QUESTIONABLE: Aymeric Laporte (knee)
OUT: Harry Maguire (hamstring), Marcus Rashford (thigh), Brandon Williams (undisclosed), Mason Greenwood (suspension – MORE) | QUESTIONABLE, Donny van de Beek (knock), Martin Dubravka (knock)
OUT: Aleksander Isak (leg), Jonjo Shelvey (thigh), Matt Ritchie (calf), Emil Krafth (knee), Karl Darlow (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Allan Saint-Maximin (hamstring), Chris Wood (ribs)
OUT: Omar Richards (calf), Moussa Niakhate (thigh), Orel Mangala (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Emmanuel Dennis (knock), Morgan Gibbs-White (knock), Scott McKenna (knee)
OUT: Valentino Livramento (knee), Romeo Lavia (undisclosed)
QUESTIONABLE: Hugo Lloris (quad), Dejan Kulusevski (undisclosed), Ben Davies (knee), Lucas Moura (achilles)
OUT: Nayef Aguerd (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Benjamin Johnson (hamstring)
OUT: Raul Jimenez (groin), Sasa Kalajdzic (torn ACL), Nathan Collins (suspension), Chiquinho (knee)
Our ‘Ever Wonder’ series will run throughout the 2022-23 Premier League season and focuses on key stories behind the history, tradition and culture of all 20 Premier League clubs.
[ MORE: Check out our ‘Ever Wonder’ series in full ]
Have you ever sat there and wondered why certain chants became iconic at a club? Why a team has a certain nickname? Why they play in those colors? How they were founded? Yep, us too.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
This season we will be digging deep to tell the stories of the rich history, tradition and culture from around the Premier League and give you the answers to things you want to know more about.
Based in Woolwich in south east London, the club was originally founded in 1886 as a group of workers from the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to set up a club.
They were originally called Dial Square because of a sun dial atop the entrance to the factory. Seriously.
As for the factory itself, it served the British Army with ammunition and explosives research and 80,000 people worked there during the First World War.
Dial Square then became Royal Arsenal and players from Nottingham Forest joined the club, hence the now famous Garibaldi red jerseys which Forest, established 20 years before Arsenal, gave them.
After moving around several stadiums in Plumstead, which was based on the outskirts of London at the time, Arsenal then became Woolwich Arsenal and it stayed that way until 1913.
Struggling financially due to Plumstead being in an isolated area and not easy for people to travel to compared to other London clubs, Woolwich Arsenal were looking for other locations to move to from their Manor Ground home.
During the suffragettes battle for equality for women in the UK, targeted bombings were carried out at high profile venues.
One such bombing occurred at Arsenal’s home stadium, destroying the grandstand at the Manor Ground in 1913 which would reportedly cost over $1,220 to repair.
With a significant bill to pay to repair the stadium and the club once again teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, the largest shareholder of the consortium who bought the club in 1910, Sir Henry Norris, decided to move the club to Highbury in north London in 1913 after a failed attempt to merge Fulham and Arsenal, the two clubs he was chairman of.
Amid uproar from fans in Woolwich and north London, it still happened and famed stadium architect Archibald Leitch built their home ground at Highbury.
That is when the Arsenal we know today was truly born.
They soon became known as ‘The Arsenal’ in 1914 and then dropped ‘the’ to become known simply as Arsenal in 1919 as football resumed in England following the First World War.
In-between then a feud had already bubbled up with Tottenham. Of course it had.
Arsenal were promoted to the first division at the expense of Tottenham amid huge controversy and after a league vote, Arsenal took Spurs’ place in the first division.
Hence a bitter rivalry was born and Tottenham’s fans like to remind Arsenal to, shall we say, ‘head back to Woolwich, please, because north London is ours.’ The real version is obviously less polite.
Financial success, being close to a London Underground station and improved facilities were the main reasons Arsenal moved 12 miles across London to north London in 1913 and it is where they have remained ever since.
London’s most successful team (in terms of the number of major titles and top-flight titles), the decision to move Arsenal across England’s capital city is still bearing fruit over 100 years later.
They’ve come a long way from a team set up in a factory which made explosives for the British Military.
The return of the Premier League from international break brings, as usual, injuries, intrigue, and a load of, “Who’s good at dealing with travel?” to our Fantasy Premier League discussion.
Rather than delve deep into stats that analyze the last part of that, let’s take a look at the first several weeks of the Premier League season and ask: Who’s piling up the points?
[ MORE: Premier League odds, predictions ]
And let’s also look deeper than the obvious answers; Erling Haaland and Gabriel Jesus have been the genuine article for Manchester City and Arsenal, respectively, but who else is consistently dropping decent numbers?
We’ll also ignore some penalty takers, as surely Alexis Mac Allister won’t spend his season heading to the spot with the same regularity he has for Brighton early in it.
Here’s the “All-Fantasy Premier League XI” heading into Week 9, but before that, how about a couple of captain and transfer options?
This week is highlighted by some Bees, who seem to have people forgetting both how unlucky they’ve been and how fortunate their hosts have been in recent weeks…
Add and/or captain Week 9: Ivan Toney, Brentford at Bournemouth, 7.3M
Add, Week 9: David Raya, Brentford at Bournemouth, 4.5M
Add, Week 9: Kyle Walker-Peters, Southampton vs Everton, 4.5M
Add, Week 9: Lucas Paqueta, West Ham vs Wolves, 6.0M
Captain, Week 9: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool vs Brighton, 12.9M
Captain, Week 9: James Maddison, Leicester vs Nottingham Forest, 7.9M
Nick Pope, Newcastle (5.2 million, 38 points): After not facing a single shot in Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Opening Day, the Burnley transfer has made 30 saves over six more matches. He’s twice claimed bonus points
William Saliba, Arsenal (4.9 million, 44 points): Almost as many goals (2) as clean sheets (3) for the CB.
Joao Cancelo, Manchester City (7.2 million, 42 points): A goal, an assist, and three times earning bonus points for his managers.
Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United (5.4 million, 35 points): Same as Cancelo, but with Newcastle.
Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (12.3 million, 45 points): Two matches with multiple goal contributions, the same number as the mere two times he’s been held without one (and one of those was a 21-minute appearance).
Pascal Gross, Brighton (6.0 million, 42 points): Can he keep it up? Seems unlikely, but the midfielder was essentially playing forward for Graham Potter. Will it stay the same under Roberto De Zerbi?
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United (6.6 million, 40 points): Still trading under 7.0 million and listed as a midfielder. Please and thank you.
Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal (6.6 million, 39 points): The quiet gem of Arsenal, he’s showing us why Mikel Arteta kept trotting him out last season.
Alexis Mac Allister, Brighton (5.6 million, 39 points): Pens won’t last forever.
Bernardo Silva, Manchester City (7.0 million, 39 points): And to think he could’ve left for Barcelona…
Erling Haaland, Manchester City (12.0 million, 73 points): An actual monster.
Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur (11.4 million, 50 points): Derby day looms.
Ivan Toney, Brentford (7.3 million, 47 points): How long can Brentford hold onto him? A complete center forward.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (6.9 million, 41 points): Can he keep this up in the Premier League as the focal point for Fulham with a stint as Serbia’s focal point in the middle.
Gabriel Jesus (8.0 million, 39 points): His heroics have been well-covered.
Arsenal vs Tottenham? Manchester City vs Manchester United? The pressure and intensity of derbies make picking who will win Premier League contests even more difficult.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Getting Premier League predictions spot-on has been very tricky this season, made no easier by the fact that the big boys — outside of Manchester City — haven’t exactly stayed on script.
Manchester United underachieved and then started achieving.
Chelsea flipped half its team and then its manager and sits outside the top four.
[ MORE: Watch Premier League live | Peacock Premium details ]
Liverpool’s played pretty well but hasn’t scored or won at its usual rate.
And Arsenal, well, Arsenal’s good.
Let’s dig into the Premier League week ahead.
Considering that winning requires getting the correct result (win, loss, or draw), getting a ‘W’ in picks isn’t all that easy.
The originator of PST’s picks, Joe Prince-Wright, continues his surge up the table by correctly picking the outcome of five-of-seven games to pull into a tie with Andy Edwards, one spot below this humble typist.
STANDINGS
Wk8
JPW 5-2
Andy 3-4
Nick 4-3
Season
Nick Mendola, 32-35
Andy Edwards, 31-36
Joe Prince-Wright, 31-36
Full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet – PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
You can download the NBC Sports Predictor app (below) and play the Premier League Pick ‘Em game yourself to predict the scores and win the prizes.
Odds: Arsenal (+105) vs Tottenham Hotspur (+240) | Draw (+260)
Kickoff: 7:30am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Arsenal 2-2 Spurs
Andy: Arsenal 1-1 Spurs
Nick: Arsenal 2-1 Spurs
Odds: Bournemouth (+230) vs Brentford (+115) | Draw (+240)
Kickoff: 10am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Bournemouth 2-1 Brentford
Andy: Bournemouth 1-3 Brentford
Nick: Bournemouth 0-1 Brentford
Odds: Crystal Palace (+325) vs Chelsea (-121) | Draw (+250)
Kickoff: 10am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea
Andy: Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
Nick: Crystal Palace 0-2 Chelsea
Odds: Fulham (+200) vs Newcastle (+135) | Draw (+230)
Kickoff: 10am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Fulham 2-2 Newcastle
Andy: Fulham 1-1 Newcastle
Nick: Fulham 0-2 Newcastle
Odds: Liverpool (-291) vs Brighton (+700) | Draw (+425)
Kickoff: 10am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Liverpool 4-1 Brighton
Andy: Liverpool 2-0 Brighton
Nick: Liverpool 3-0 Brighton
Odds: Southampton (+115) vs Everton (+240) | Draw (++230)
Kickoff: 10am ET Saturday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Southampton 1-1 Everton
Andy: Southampton 1-0 Everton
Nick: Southampton 1-0 Everton
Odds: West Ham (-105) vs Wolves (+300) | Draw (+240)
Kickoff: 12:30pm ET Saturday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: West Ham 2-1 Wolves
Andy: West Ham 0-0 Wolves
Nick: West Ham 2-0 Wolves
Odds: Man City (-291) vs Man United (+650) | Draw (+450)
Kickoff: 9am ET Sunday
TV/Stream: Watch live on Peacock Premium
JPW: Man City 2-1 Man United
Andy: Man City 2-1 Man United
Nick: Man City 3-0 Man United
Odds: Leeds (+135) vs Aston Villa (+195) | Draw (+240)
Kickoff: 11:30am ET Sunday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Leeds 1-2 Aston Villa
Andy: Leeds 2-1 Aston Villa
Nick: Leeds 1-1 Aston Villa
Odds: Leicester (-136) vs Nottingham Forest (+325) | Draw (+290)
Kickoff: 3pm ET Monday
TV/Stream: USA Network – WATCH LIVE
JPW: Leicester 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Andy: Leicester 2-2 Nottingham Forest
Nick: Leicester 1-1 Nottingham Forest
