Playoff Übersicht

Cole Palmer does not “play games” and will be nursing an injury, Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has told GOAL, with the Blues star facing England withdrawal questions. Having been snubbed by Thomas Tuchel for 2026 World Cup duty, the Stamford Bridge talisman has ruled himself out of action after earning a UEFA Nations League recall.

Manchester United boast a “fantastic attack”, Michael Owen has told GOAL, but more transfer “surgery” may be required as head coach Michael Carrick continues his experiment with a ‘false nine’ approach. Matheus Cunha, who is more of a deep-lying forward, has been leading the line this season ahead of established central striker Benjamin Sesko.

Reece James and Emi Martinez have been set a leadership challenge at Chelsea, with Frank Lebouef telling GOAL that the Blues have become “too nice” as a collective. He wants to see senior figures, especially those donning the captain’s armband, ask questions of those around them when individual standards are allowed to slip - with clean sheets proving hard to come by at present.

Gabriel Martinelli opted for a radical change of scenery this summer, snubbing interest from fellow Premier League clubs to complete a lucrative move to Al-Hilal. The Brazilian winger brought his long-standing association with Arsenal to an end after being informed he was surplus to requirements by Mikel Arteta.