Club Friendly: Manchester United are Back to Square One
Manchester United vs Leeds United
After a one-month hiatus, Manchester United will open their preseason series against Premier League clubs, starting with a Club Friendly against Leeds United at the Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden, this Saturday.
The Red Devils are back to square one after a horrendous 15th-place run in the English top-flight standings last term, which was their worst-ever finish. Ruben Amorim will look to right the ship, despite the club’s underwhelming summer transfer window thus far, by building some momentum this preseason.
On the other hand, Leeds United are ecstatic to be back in the Premier League after a two-season hiatus. Daniel Farke’s men are having a productive summer transfer window (in contrast with Manchester United), and the Whites will likely use the preseason to gauge how they can stack up among England’s finest teams.
The SBOTOP Club Friendly 2025 odds expect Manchester United to win, but they don’t have a large margin for error.
Talking Points
Onana unavailable for Manchester United
Fans will finally get to see Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon suiting up for Manchester United for the first time this weekend, and for sure, they will provide them with a healthy dose of Club Friendly 2025 highlights. Other players such as Bruno Fernandes, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund, and Amad Diallo will also do the same. Diogo Dalot will wear No. 2 on his jersey for the first time, and Lisandro Martinez is back at full strength after his leg injury.
However, the audience won’t get to see Andre Onana in action, as the Cameroonian goalkeeper recently sustained a hamstring injury. Amorim expects Onana to be out for much of the preseason, so he’ll choose between Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton to be the man between the sticks. The manager could also play youngsters like Elyh Harrison, Radek Vitek, or Dermot Mee.
Andre Onana celebrates after Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund scored during their Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen
Onana has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this season, as Manchester United were named as a possible transfer destination for Emiliano Martinez, who just left Aston Villa. However, no move between the two parties is imminent, so Onana remains the team’s first-choice.
Another thing to watch for Manchester United’s preseason is how Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia fit into the team’s plans. Mainoo has been an odd fit to Amorim’s tactics thus far, while Garnacho, Sancho, Antony, and Malacia are on the team’s sell list this summer.
Leeds United could feature the new recruits
Leeds United have been busy in the transfer market, acquiring the likes of Jaka Bijol, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bournauw, and Felix Nmecha, and they could feature against Manchester United. The Whites also recruited Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United, though Saturday could come too early for his Leeds United debut. Jack Harrison will also get his chance after two straight years on loan at Everton.
Joel Piroe and Willy Gnonto will take charge of the scoring for Leeds United, with Largie Ramazani and Patrick Bamford as their off-the-bench options. Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka will operate in the middle of the park in a double pivot, while Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu will link up again at centre-half.
History
As mentioned, Manchester United are coming off their worst Premier League finish following their 15th-place run in the English top-flight standings with only 42 points. This means that the Red Devils won’t play in Europe for the first time in a long while, although this could be a blessing in disguise for Ruben Amorim and co. schedule-wise.
Meanwhile, Leeds United are back in the Premier League after they were relegated at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. After losing to Southampton in the play-off last year, the Whites secured their English top-flight return after finishing at the top of the EFL Championship table in 2024-25 with 100 points.
Manchester United and Leeds United have one of the biggest rivalries in English football, called the Roses rivalry. Since 1923, these two teams have faced off in 113 matches, with the Red Devils notching 50 wins and the Whites registering 37 wins and 26 draws.
Club Friendly: Will Sevilla be Too Hot for the Black Cats?
Sevilla vs Sunderland
Premier League newcomers Sunderland are in warm-weather training in preparation for their return to the English top-flight, and the Club Friendly between Sevilla and Sunderland is the first chance for the Black Cats to see how they compare in the world of elite football.
They could hardly have picked a hotter place to test themselves as they head to the Algarve in Portugal, where they will play a double header, firstly against La Liga side Sevilla and then against Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.
The Algarve is a popular holiday destination for golfers and beach lovers, but Sevilla and Sunderland are there to put in some hard work, and both have plenty on their plates before the new campaign begins.
Talking Points
Can Almeyda sort Seville?
After a 17th placed finish in the Primera Division last term, Sevilla moved to make yet another change in the dugout. And in the biggest Club Friendly 2025 news to emerge from Andalucia this summer, they appointed Argentine manager Matias Almeyda following the departure of Xavier Garcia. In his last role at AEK Athens, he led the Greek side to its first domestic league and cup double since 1978, and Sevilla fans hope he can restore some pride to their team.
Remarkably, Almeyda is the club’s eighth manager in three seasons, which reflects the turmoil in Seville, with the memory of five Europa League triumphs in a sparkling decade up to 2023 beginning to seem distant. It appears the board wants to instill some passion and discipline into the squad with this appointment.
Almeyda’s approach is said to be heavily influenced by his former manager and countryman Marcelo Bielsa, with a high-intensity, attacking style of play, and he also incorporates a Japanese Samurai code of conduct in his coaching, with a heavy emphasis on courage, respect, honesty, duty, and loyalty.
Sevilla’s Rafa Mir celebrates after scoring a goal during their La Liga match against Real Madrid in 2023
As a player, Almeyda was a tenacious defensive midfielder, a terrier with stamina and a superb work-rate and tough tackling, earning him the nickname “The Little Tractor”. And his new bosses hope he can instill those qualities in his new team.
Two players are back from loan spells. Striker Rafa Mir is back from Valencia and winger Adnan Januzaj has returned from Las Palmas, and it will be interesting to see how quickly Almeyda can get a tune out of these and others.
Bellingham departure prompts a Sunderland spending spree
As my SBOTOP colleague Jordan writes, Sunderland were on a bad run before they beat Sheffield United in the play-off final, but they pulled off the win, which stunned the Blades, who had expected to earn automatic promotion until they too suffered a run of losses to leave Leeds United and Burnley to head off into the distance.
It was an unexpected promotion for the Black Cats, but they started the season with a superb run of wins, and that was enough to carry them through to the play-offs. Under head coach Regie Le Bris, Sunderland played attractive, fast-passing football. But much of the play went through Jobe Bellingham, who starred for Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup after switching to the Bundesliga side immediately after the end of the season, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jude.
After guiding the team to an impressive fourth-placed finish, Le Bris has been backed by his board of directors who have sanctioned a €100 million spending spree, which they hope will help their manager defy the odds that predict the Black Cats to finish bottom.
21-year-old midfielder Habib Diarra has arrived in a £30 million switch from Strasbourg, while Ivorian winger Simon Adingra has moved from Brighton for £20 million, the same as the fee to make another winger,
Enzo Le Fe’s loan move from Roma is permanent. The 25-year-old played 15 games for the Black Cats following his arrival in January, scoring one goal, and the mandatory option to buy at £20 million was triggered on promotion.
Defensive midfielder Noah Sadiki has arrived in a £17.5 million move from Union Saint-Gilloise, while another young winger, Chemsdine Talbi, has been transferred from another Belgian side Club Brugge for a cool £19 million. Except for Adingra, there is no Premier League experience among this young group, and that will be a huge challenge for Le Bris when he starts life in the toughest league in the world.
The Black Cats had a run out last week against National League North side South Shields, winning 4-0 as Wilson Isidor, another star of Sunderland’s 2024-25 promotion, opened the scoring. And the Club Friendly 2025 odds know it’s on to a tougher test for Sunderland in a hotter country, where Le Bris will learn a whole lot more.
Club Friendly: Arsenal and Milan on an Eastern Adventure
Arsenal vs AC Milan
The Singapore Festival of Football is set to kick off this week when Club Friendly: Arsenal vs AC Milan is the fare on offer for the locals… and any lucky travelling fans.
It’s the second of the Singaporean football jamborees and to have the giants of European football in the city-state is a great way for Arsenal and AC Milan to spread their commercial appeal as well as upping their match-fitness levels in preparation for the new domestic campaigns.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are hoping to add to their 13 Premier League titles, after coming so close in recent years, while Massimiliano Allegri’s reign as AC Milan manager starts with high expectations. I Rossoneri are 19-times Scudetto winners and, after an eighth-place finish last term, the Serie A betting odds predict a top four place and maybe more, as they will have quieter fixture lists than their competitors.
Gunners’ search for a striker goes on
Here at SBOTOP we’ve followed Arsenal’s search for a striker for almost 12 months now and, while the Gunners do seem to be getting closer they still haven’t got a proven goal scorer through the door. Sporting Lisbon striker Victor Gyokeres has been the main target during this transfer window, but there appears to be a risk of that deal collapsing, despite the Swede’s keenness to head to North London.
The latest Premier League news suggests the deal is still close, but there is work to do to iron out differences in the two clubs’ expectations around add-ons, both are looking at a figure of around 10m Euros but with differing structures. The fee is £55m but the add-ons are an important aspect and the Gunners will be keen to get it sorted, with Manchester United also circling. Arsenal have spread their search and have been watching 20 year old Mainz 05 striker Nelson Weiper, a strong and powerful figure who, at 6ft 3in, would be able to cope with the rigours of Premier League football.
Arsenal have already made some summer purchases, bringing in Martin Zubimendi to support the excellent Declan Rice in the centre of midfield, while winger Noni Madueke has signed from Chelsea; though the 22-year old has been left at home since his arrival at the Emirates having starred for Chelsea in the Club World Cup.
This is a squad dripping with talent and Gunners fans will hope that Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz can stay fit and firing this summer, while a 20 goals a man striker remains the priority.
Milan looking to add to Modric and Ricci
The Big Boys in Serie A are jockeying for position and the 2025/26 Scudetto race looks like becoming an exciting prospect already. The recruitment of Allegri as head coach has signalled I Rossoneri’s intent and the club has already made some astute signings. Box to box midfielder Samuele Ricci has arrived from Torino in a 23m Euros switch and, with ten Azzurri caps already he is a much admired player, technically gifted with an excellent vision and passing range. At the other end of his career, the evergreen Luka Modric has transferred in after 13 glittering campaigns at Real Madrid. The 39-year old Croat will get plenty of game time but Allegri will use him carefully.
Real Madrid star Luka Modric in action during their 2025 Club World Cup match against PSG
Milan are closing in on a deal to sign right back Pervis Estupinan from Brighton and Hove Albion and Marc Pubill from Almeria, two moves to strengthen the Rossoneri’s defensive unit and they too are in the market for a proven striker. Juventus goal-getter Dusan Vlahovic has been the subject of constant transfer speculation in recent weeks and his time at Juventus must surely be coming to an end after three years in Turin in which he has scored 43 goals in 104 appearances. The 25-year old Serb has an impressive track record with 44 goals in 98 appearances for Fiorentina before he moved to Turin in 2022. To get close to a one in two ratio in the Italian top flight is some achievement over five campaigns… and Vlahovic is yet to reach his prime.
With 12 months left on his contract, Vlahovic will be on the move this summer you’d expect and, if so, he may well rock up at the San Siro where he would get plenty of service from the likes of Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and Rafael Leao. But, in Italy, the big deals are rarely straight forward and that is sure to be the case with Vlahovic. Juventus are yet to receive an offer and it seems to be a game of chess between the selling and buying clubs, with the player’s wages no small issue.
Club Friendly: Liverpool and AC Milan at the Kai Tak
Liverpool vs AC Milan
Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park is open after 13 years in planning, and five years later than scheduled, but on Saturday it will host two of football’s greatest ever teams when Club Friendly: Liverpool vs AC Milan is the blockbuster clash at the 50,000 seater stadium.
This is the first football club match to be played at the stadium Kai Tak after it was christened on 10th June when Hong Kong beat India 1-0 in a 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification clash. Liverpool and AC Milan will contest the Standard Chartered Trophy on the 20th anniversary of their epic Champions League final in 2005, which Liverpool won on penalties after coming back from a half time three goal deficit.
Liverpool and Milan have history and they are about to get it on again in the newest and shiniest stadium on the planet.
Liverpool’s new signings on show
Arne Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager little over 12 months ago and very few Reds fans could have dreamt just how well it would go. But the Dutch master worked wonders as his team stormed to the title in superb style, and the SBOTOP Premier League 2025 betting odds back them to do it again. So it’s no surprise the board at Anfield have backed their man and he has already strengthened significantly.
The Reds have been pursuing Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak recently, but without enough encouragement from the Swede they have moved to bring in Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Etikite, a big and quick player who will fit perfectly in the Premier League. The Frenchman arrived in London on Tuesday for a medical and looks set to complete a £79m move which will bring Liverpool’s summer spending to a cool £300m. Etikite will be the Reds’ fifth big signing of the summer, the marquee capture being that of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. He was followed from Germany by wingback Jeremie Frimpong, another flying fullback Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth and Georgian keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia.
Florian Wirtz is one of Liverpool’s signing before 2025-26 season begins
All four will be in the party for Hong Kong, as will midfield ace Alexis MacAllister and winger Luis Diaz, but there will be no sign of Federico Chiesa who the club says has an injury currently being assessed…but the Italian has been linked wit a move away from Anfield after just one season at the club.
Milan’s season of renewal
Among the Serie A big boys, Milan are the only ones without the distraction of European football next season, though their fans and club owners may not see it that way. With Napoli, Inter Milan, Atalanta and Juventus in the Champions League, AS Roma and Fiorentina in the Europa League and Lazio in the Conference League, all of I Rossoneri’s rivals with have much busier schedules. And new manager Max Allegri knows how to take advantage of any edge his teams have. In his first stint as Rossoneri manager he delivered the Scudetto in 2010 and he went on to win five more as manager of Juventus, where he also picked up five Coppa Italias. This is a manger who knows how to win and he is building a squad of players who will follow his philosophy of calmness and tactical intelligence with total commitment and a steely focus on the prize.
Serie A 2025 results is what Allegri is all about and he needs men on the pitch who can deliver week in, week out.
With European football off the agenda there was bound to be some players happy to leave, and forward Tijjani Reijdners has gone to Manchester City while wingback Theo Hernandez has signed for Al Hilal, managed by former Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi. Through the in door there was the eye-catching signing of Croatia and Real Madrid legend Luka Modric and another couple of smart recruits.
23 year old midfielder Samuele Ricci has arrived from Torino and he looks to be a superb signing. After winning Player of the Season at his first club Empoli he signed for Il Toro where he played 106 matches in three campaigns as well as picking up ten Italy caps. At the other end of his career 35 year old goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano has arrived from Fiorentina and he’ll be a fine back-up for club captain Mike Maignan.
Modric won’t be lining up against Liverpool as he, alongside Mexican forward Santiago Gimenez, is not in the camp but there will be plenty of stars on show. In front of Ricci, Allegri is likely to field a strong creative unit, led by USA star Christian Pulisic and with Rafael Leao, Yunus Musah and Alexis Saelemaekers all capable of winning matches with their own individual skills. At the other end of the pitch Allegri will build his rearguard around a centre back partnership of Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia, in front of Maignan, and we could see the majority of his Serie A starting line-up in Hong Kong.
Club Friendly: Cross Pennine Trip for Parker’s Clarets
Huddersfield Town vs Burnley
Burnley’s pre-season preparations continue on Saturday when they cross the border from Lancashire into Yorkshire to take on Huddersfield Town.
The Clarets have been on warm weather training in Portugal where they played out a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and now they return home to continue their approach to another Premier League campaign. Club Friendly: Huddersfield Town vs Burnley will be followed by a trip to Stoke and then a tasty home clash with Serie A giants Lazio before the serious business starts on 16th August when Scott Parker’s men visit Tottenham Hotspur in their season opener.
Huddersfield Town will start their 2025/26 promotion campaign with a new man at the helm as former goalkeeper Lee Grant becomes the Terriers’ seventh manager since the beginning of 2023. The last time the two teams met, in 2023, the Clarets ran out 4-0 winners as they marched towards promotion while the Terriers narrowly avoided relegation. And the following year, Huddersfield were relegated to the third tier, where they stayed last term with a tenth place finish.
It’s not one of the glamour pre-season friendlies but Burnley and Huddersfield are two northern clubs with rich histories and mutual respect, and this is always a great game for the fans.
Burnley aiming for a solid start
The pre-season Premier League 2025 betting odds, here at SBOTOP and across the market, predict a tough campaign for the three newcomers, Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland. And the Clarets are hoping to learn from their disastrous campaign under Vincent Kompany in 2023/24 when they were relegated with a paltry 24 points, and the fewest number of victories in a season in the club’s 143-year history.
Between 2016 and 2022, the Clarets had six consecutive campaigns in the Premier League under Sean Dyche with an average position of 13th and a foray into the Europa League in 2018. After another promotion with a 100 points tally, that type of run is what Parker and the club’s owners are aiming for and, while the top clubs have their own aspirations and are spending big, there is no shortage of ambition in the small East Lancashire town. It’s all about Premier League 2025 results and the club is working hard to equip itself to get off the mark quickly, with a home game against Sunderland following the trip to Spurs.
Kyle Walker has inked a two-year deal with Premier League newcomers Burnley
Centre back CJ Egan Reilly has transferred to Olympique Marseilles and it looks likely keeper James Trafford may be on his way back to Manchester City. But, among a number of impressive signings, including Netherlands international wingback Quilindschy Hartman and centre back Axel Tuanzebe, Kyle Walker has been the eye-catching recruit.
Just a year ago Walker was a key part of Manchester City’s 2024 league winning team and is four caps from being an England centurian and he will be a huge figure in the Clarets’ campaign. And, if Trafford does head to the Etihad we may well see another player or two coming the other way.
Huddersfield Boss goes down Memory Lane
This is Terriers boss Lee Grant’s first job in management after spending three years in Kieran McKenna’s coaching group at Ipswich Town. Being a coach and being the gaffer are two entirely different things but Grant is undaunted after signing a three-year deal. The 42-year-old said: “There are no guarantees, and I think anyone who has been in the game long enough has seen the full raft of decision-making processes and the wide-ranging results of those decisions. What I’m pleased with about is Huddersfield Town and me have a huge alignment of what we think has got a really good chance of working for us this year.”
Grant might meet a few old friends in the Clarets’ entourage when they arrive in Huddersfield. He played 114 games for the Clarets during Burnley’s last stint of more than a year in the second tier of English football, and he will be pleased to seeing his old team thriving. But not at 2pm on Saturday!
Terriers fans will hope to see their new big signing, Alfe May, playing against Burnley after he switched from Birmingham City to Huddersfield when the Blues returned to the Championship following promotion in May. He scored 16 goals for Birmingham last term though May was close to signing for Huddersfield before the 2024/25 campaign began.
Now Grant hope May can help him plan to emulate Birmingham’s success and bring some stability to the club, in the hope they can establish themselves as League One contenders. He will get some idea where his squad sits when it meets Premier League opponents at the weekend.
Premier League Summer Series: Toffees and Cherries Should Give Fans a Sweet Treat
Luton Town vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will continue their preseason preparations under new head coach Thomas Frank, as they will visit Kenilworth Road this Saturday to face Luton Town in their next Club Friendly. The Spurs are fresh from a 2-0 win against Reading, and they’re hoping to build more momentum with another road victory.
The Spurs’ youngsters took the spotlight against Reading, but Frank is expected to field more senior players against the Hatters. Either way, the pregame Club Friendly 2025 odds expect Tottenham to breeze past Luton Town.
The Tottenham match is Luton Town’s final preseason game before they have a few days to rest ahead of their opening League One contest against AFC Wimbledon. Matt Bloomfield’s men are coming off a 3-0 win over Boreham Wood, and back-to-back 2-0 results over Gillingham and Southend United earlier this week, and they will fancy their chances against their Premier League counterparts.
Without further ado, here is today’s match preview, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Talking Points
Luton Town face uphill climb
As mentioned, Luton Town are undefeated this preseason, which is a step in the right direction. After consecutive relegations in the past two seasons, head coach Matt Bloomfield is on a mission to rebuild his squad to make it back to the English top-flight. Bloomfield replaced Rob Edwards at the helm last January, and this is his first full summer with the Hatters.
Following their relegation to League One, several players have left Luton Town, including Carlton Morris and Thelo Aasgaard. However, they signed nine players in return, including Nahki Wells, Hakeem Odoffin, Gideon Kodua, and Nigel Lonwijk. The Hatters also managed to keep Tom Lockyer, Teden Mengi, Marvelous Nakamba, Tahith Chong, Jordan Clark, Shandon Baptiste, and Elijah Adebayo.
In their most recent club friendly against Southend United, Luton Town won 2-0, courtesy of goals from Cauley Woodrow and Lasse Nordas. However, the Hatters left Roots Hall anxious, as centre-backs Teden Mengi and Mads Andersen were forced off the pitch after some nasty collisions. Bloomfield will unlikely play them against the Spurs, which will likely compromise their backline.
Tottenham youngster making a good first impression
Tottenham won their first preseason match against Reading last weekend, as youngsters Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic found the back of the net early in the second half after the starting XI had gone scoreless.
Vuskovic has been the talk of the town in North London for his Man of the Match-worthy performance with his goal and assist for the Spurs. The 18-year-old centre-back is expected to go out on loan this upcoming season, but with a performance like that, Thomas Frank and co. might change their minds, especially if he creates new Club Friendly 2025 highlights against Luton Town.
Mohammed Kudus warms up ahead of the Premier League football match at the London Stadium
Summer signing Mohammed Kudus had an encouraging cameo for Tottenham against Reading, and he might be featured in the starting XI against Luton Town. Kudus was signed from West Ham United, as it was rumoured that Tottenham are open to selling Richarlison, who has yet to play for them this preseason. Meanwhile, Tottenham has yet to sort out their transfer saga involving Morgan Gibbs-White and Nottingham Forest.
History
Saturday marks the 83rd matchup between Luton Town and Tottenham, and the latter has the edge in the overall head-to-heads. The Spurs have 35 wins, whereas the Hatters have accumulated 22 wins and 25 draws. Their first-ever matchup was a 2-2 draw in December 1894 during the FA Cup. In their previous two Premier League encounters in 2023-24, Spurs completed a league double over the Hatters via an aggregate tally of 3-1.
Luton Town secured their promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 1992 when they beat Coventry City in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium, winning 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation. However, their English top-flight run didn’t last long, as the Hatters finished 18th in the English top-flight table, resulting in relegation back to the Championship.
The Hatters suffered their second consecutive relegation after finishing 22nd in the Championship standings last season, and they will aim to redeem themselves in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign in League One.
On the other hand, Tottenham are fresh from one of their worst Premier League finishes in recent memory, when they ended up 17th in the table with only 38 points last season. Despite this, the Spurs secured their spot in the Champions League after defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final for their first trophy since the 2008 EFL Cup. However, that wasn’t enough for then-head coach Ange Postecoglou to keep his job.
Club Friendly: When Eagles Meet Villans in Kentucky
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Aston Villa
Pre-season is in full flow, folks, and following the completion of the Club World Cup, the best teams in Europe’s top leagues are comparing their progress in face-offs with their peers. The Club Friendly tiff between Eintracht Frankfurt and Aston Villa is a fascinating clash to take a look at.
Dino Toppmoller’s Eagles finished third in the Bundesliga last term and will take their place in the 2025/26 Champions League, while Unai Emery’s Villans finished sixth in the Premier League and will settle for a spot in the Europa League. That is a bitter pill for the Midlanders to swallow after they performed so well in Europe’s elite competition last term and missed out after a highly controversial loss to Manchester United on the final day of the season.
Eintracht and Villa will get it on at the Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, at 7pm local time on Saturday (midnight in the UK), so let’s take a look at where the two clubs are right now and the pre-match Club Friendly 2025 odds.
Frankfurt prepare for life after Ekitike and Marmoush
After a third-place finish last term, the Eagles will hope to compete among the elite again this season. But the latest betting odds at SBOTOP say Toppmoller’s team will find it difficult to break through the big four of Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig. And following the departure of striker Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool, it is entirely reasonable to come to that conclusion, particularly following the transfer of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City just six months earlier.
Ekitike and Marmoush scored the goals that propelled the Eagles into the top four, with the French striker taking up the mantle with 15 after Marmoush had bagged 15 before he left in January. To lose your two matchwinners in the same calendar year is quite a blow, though the Eagles have already made some preparation with the signing of Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt for €21 million, a fraction of the fees received for Ekitike and Marmoush.
The 24-year-old certainly deserves his chance in the Champions League after he scored 18 goals in 29 league games last season to make him the top-scoring German player, with only Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy, and Patrik Schick scoring more. A Mainz youth product, Burkardt has moved on after 11 years at the club, and the Eagles may just have found their new hero.
Villa fans will recognise ex-Premier League stars Michy Batshuayi and Robin Koch, while the player to keep an eye on is Mario Gotze. The 33-year-old is still a class act, with nine goals in 86 games for the Eagles and 17 in 66 full internationals, and will be a fine mentor for Burkardt.
A big three weeks ahead for Villa
Ollie Watkins may not play in Villa’s Club Friendly clash against Eintracht Frankfurt
Emery’s Villa are yet to make waves in the transfer market, and that will be more difficult without Champions League football to offer the best players who are looking for a move. They’ve had negative Club Friendly 2025 results thus far, losing to League Two neighbours Walsall and third-tier German team Hansa. Now they face one of the Bundesliga’s finest, and Emery will be looking for progress with just three weeks to go before they play their Premier League opener.
Villa will be competing with the likes of their first opponents, Newcastle United, for a place in the leading group again this term, and it was the Magpies who benefited from the final day controversies to finish fifth and grab that last available Champions League place.
Emery is yet to make a big signing this summer and has some work to do to keep his more saleable assets at the club. Young forward Zepiqueno Redmond and backup keeper Marco Bizot have arrived at Villa Park, and there have been no major outgoings so far, though big-spending Chelsea have been circling, with an eye on Morgan Rogers.
You’d think the Blues have their fill of attacking midfielders, but the Londoners’ appetite for new players is insatiable, and Villa fans will be pleased to hear that Chelsea have turned their attention to RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons in their attempt to sweep up the available talent.
Emery will target a fast start to the new campaign, with Premier League results significantly better than his pre-season so far. As well as bringing new blood in, the manager will be looking to the likes of Rogers, star striker Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen, and Matty Cash to reach their peak within the next 20 days, ready for the season ahead.
He will get a good idea of where his squad is on Saturday night, and that goes for Toppmoller too.
Club Friendly: This is a Big Year for Amorin and Potter
Manchester United vs West Ham United
Manchester United and West Ham United are set to meet in the 2025 Premier League Summer Series on Saturday night at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Club Friendly: Manchester United vs West Ham United is the first bout in a four way contest, with Everton and Bournemouth making up the quartet. This is not the sort of company Red Devils fans are used to keeping, those out of their teenage years that is. Until recently Manchester United’s peers were the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal… but last season was somewhat different.
Bournemouth were the highest finishers of this foursome in the 2024/25 Premier League at ninth, while Everton, West Ham United and Manchester United ended up 13th 14th and 15th. That the Red Devils were the lowest ranked of these four teams shows just how big a job Ruben Amorin has in his first full campaign as Manchester United boss and you can say the same for Graham Potter at West Ham. The former Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea manager arrived in January following the departure of Julen Lopetegui, but he failed to lift the Hammers above the 14th place they were in when he arrived.
The next six months are absolutely crucial to both managers; Amorin is under pressure to make a fast start and pick up some positive Premier League results from the off, while Potter is expected by his club’s owners and fans to bring attractive and successful football to the London Stadium… but I fear the Hammers may struggle.
Both need to get it right during pre-season and they have three more weeks to do just that. The Red Devils have had one outing, drawing 0-0 with Leeds United, while West Ham beat Swiss team, Grasshoppers, 3-1.
A first outing for Mbeumo?
Manchester United fans are understandable nervous after a dreadful campaign last term, which started badly and just seemed to stumble from one disappointment to the next, culminating in a Europa Final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. But, despite the Premier League 2025 betting odds saying United will find it very difficult to break into the top four, now is the time for the loyal Red Devils to look forward; and there is some cause for guarded optimism, following the arrival of forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Bryan Mbeumo has moved from Brentford to Manchester United in a blockbuster transfer
Manchester United’s goal output was pitiful last term as skipper Bruno Fernandes jointly top scored with winger Amad Diallo on eight league goals, while strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee had four and three respectively. Meanwhile Mbeumo scored 20 goals for Brentford while Cunha bagged 15 for Wolverhampton Wanderers and, if they can get 35 between them next term, the Red Devils should certainly be a top six contender, and the SBOTOP odds say that is well within Amorin’s reach.
Cunha made his debut in the goalless draw with Leeds and I expect Mbemo to appear in the USA.
Challenging for the Premier League title is currently a pipe dream at Old Trafford; Liverpool will be hard to beat, Manchester City and Chelsea will be very strong and Arsenal have recruited well and have greater depth in their squad. The Old Trafford faithful want to be in that company…but for now they’ll settle for West Ham.
Hammers need more firepower
While Manchester United have been tooling up in the goal scoring department, West Ham find themselves a little short of goal scorers and, if they are to challenge in the Premier League next term they need a 15 goal man at least. For too long the Hammers have relied on the goals of captain and winger Jarrod Bowen and, following the departure of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham and the release of Danny Ings, they are left with just one senior striker in their group to face the Red Devils, and that is 32 year old Germany international Niclas Fullkrug who spent much of last season injured. 20 year old Academy prospect Callum Marshall scored against Grasshoppers and he has travelled to the States. He scored nine goals on loan with Huddersfield Town in League One last term and, while he has plenty of promise, Marshall is not yet the answer Potter needs.
Elsewhere in the squad, midfield ace Edson Alvarez will join his team-mates after helping Mexico win the CONCACAF Gold Cup. And two new wingbacks could be on show against the Red Devils. Senegalese star El Hadj Diouf looked lively in his first appearance, against the Grasshoppers, while Kyle Walker Peters could make his Hammers debut after completing his move from Southampton.
Club Friendly: Portugal Welcomes Back Favourite Sons
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham
Two of Portugal’s finest Premier League managers will meet in a Club Friendly this weekend and, fittingly, it will be in their homeland. The Portuguese city of Faro is ready for Club Friendly 2025 highlights as Fulham and Nottingham Forest step up their preparations for next season.
The work of Marco Silva and Nuno Espirito Santo has mightily impressed this SBOTOP observer in recent years, and they are, once again, quietly going about their business this summer, not to mention trying frantically to keep hold of their top talents.
Talking Points
Fulham, the only top-flight side who have not made a signing yet this summer, have enjoyed their pre-season outings to date.
First, they put four past the Scottish Cup winners Aberdeen with Harry Wilson bagging a brace, then Emile Smith Rowe grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 triumph over West Brom on Tuesday.
Silva has refused to be drawn on rumours linking Reiss Nelson with a move back to Fulham this summer. The Arsenal winger spent last season on loan at the Cottagers, making 13 appearances in all competitions before suffering a hamstring injury in December that ruled him out for the rest of the campaign.
And while he is part of the Gunners’ pre-season squad, even impressing off the bench against AC Milan in midweek, don’t be surprised if he returns to West London now he is back to full fitness.
Forest’s on-field activity has not set the world alight either, and the team has played out two goalless friendly draws so far, against League Two side Chesterfield and French club Monaco respectively.
More importantly, they have managed to fend off Spurs’ advances for Morgan Gibbs-White, with the playmaker now in Portugal with his teammates and expected to be involved again this weekend after playing the first half of the stalemate with Monaco. This certainly provides a big boost in their Club Friendly 2025 odds.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White leaps over Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui during a Premier League match
Although Forest had a somewhat anti-climatic ending to last term, it should be remembered that Forest finished 17th the previous season, the place immediately above the drop zone.
Few, if any, could have envisaged what has followed in “Robin Hood” country. Certainly, no one expected them to be in the running for Europe. They tailed off towards the end and a failure to beat Everton, Brentford, and relegated Leicester at home meant they came up just short, but to still be in contention for a Champions League place going into the final day of last season spoke volumes. Ultimately, Santo took a team from 17th to seventh, within a point of qualifying for UEFA’s premier competition.
And what memories they had along the way. They inflicted the first defeat of Arne Slot’s Liverpool reign, more impressively doing it at Anfield. After that first win at Liverpool since 1969, a first win at Manchester United since 1994 and a first league victory over Manchester City in 28 years duly followed.
Everyone loves Nuno at Forest, where he has built something very special, making people forget about the chaos that came before him. One of his great skills is to get his players to work for one another and he gets the best out of the individual and collective.
Though they ran out of steam, the potent counterattack of Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga (now at Newcastle), Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Gibbs-White was one of the best in the league.
Faro football fans will be delighted to see such talent in action and for two of their country’s most respected managers in the dugout once again. A warm welcome awaits both men.
History
Fulham have won seven of their last eight meetings with Nottingham Forest.
It was a 5-0 thrashing of them 19 months ago, which prompted the sacking of Steve Cooper as Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez both netted twice, and Tom Cairney added the other.
Fulham enjoyed a league double over Forest last term, which badly damaged their, albeit unlikely, Champions League bid.
A Jimenez penalty was the only goal at the City Ground last September, and that was followed up in west London by a 2-1 home win when Smith Rowe and Callum Bassey were the goal-getters with Wood replying for Forest.
Until a few seasons ago, they had not met in the top division since a 2-2 draw at the City Ground in April 1968 in League Division One.
The scorers that day were Barry Lyons and Ian Storey-Moore for Forest and Les Barrett and Allan Clarke for Fulham.
Fulham have won 10 of their last 13 clashes. Overall, Fulham have beaten Forest 47 times compared to 33 successes for the Midlanders and 28 draws.
Their inaugural match-up came in a second-round FA Cup tie in 1905, which Fulham won by a solitary goal at Craven Cottage.
Club Friendly: Absent Friends on the Mind in Singapore
Arsenal vs Newcastle United
Now let’s not pretend this is a high-octane Premier League encounter.
Without trying to dampen the enthusiasm of any SBOTOP fans who are hugely excited about the club friendly meeting at the National Stadium in Singapore, it is realistically going to provide us with very few, if any, clues into what will happen when the real action gets underway in three weeks’ time.
Yet friendly highlights may still be forthcoming as Arsenal and Newcastle fine-tune and ensure players’ fitness continues to improve ahead of the big kick-off.
Talking Points
As it stands, all the focus is on one player who is not even in Singapore.
The news that Newcastle’s star frontman Alexander Isak is open to a move away from Tyneside after three successful seasons in the North East will come as a blow to the Toon Army faithful.
This is a player who netted 27 times in 42 appearances in all competitions for the club last season yet, the official line from the club for his absence from the 30-man squad for the pre-season tour of Asia, is that the Swedish striker is missing out with a minor thigh injury.
The reality is that Isak appears to have been unsettled by interest from elsewhere and the fact it seems a number of Europe’s top clubs are aware the frontman is now looking to take the next step in his career.
At the same time, many of them will realise Isak can not be prized away from Newcastle United for anything less than a king’s ransom.
Of course, the club does not need to sell him, would be mad to sell a player who was as good as any forward in English football last term and will be needed as his team prepares to juggle Premier League and Champions League exertions (for the second time in three years) next season.
One of his admirers is Newcastle’s opponents this weekend who, presumably, would love to bring him to London.
With Isak out of reach though, Arsenal have set their focus on another scoring sensation, this time one from Portugal.
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has been excluded from the squad facing Arsenal in the Singapore friendly
Viktor Gyokeres has been a sensation at Sporting Lisbon, scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances. Having signed for £20.5 million from Coventry just two years ago, the 27 year-old helped Sporting to the league title in each of his seasons with them – plus the Portuguese Cup in the last one.
He is the latest pending arrival in a spending spree for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his sporting director, Andrea Berta, who have already overseen the arrivals of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (from Chelsea), Martín Zubimendi– the Spanish midfielder who turned down Liverpool last term – from Real Sociedad, Christian Nørgaard (the former the Brentford captain) and Noni Madueke (also from Chelsea) for a combined £118.5 million.
Then there’s Cristhian Mosquera who has travelled to Singapore to link up with the squad on their pre-season tour. The 21-year-old, who represented Spain at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship, has signed a five-year contract with the option of a further year.
All in all, it should mean Arsenal are better protected from a repeat of the injuries that firstly damaged their credentials last autumn and then ended any chance of a recovery in late January/early February.
With no Isak or Gyokeres in Singapore, many thoughts will be on absent friends this weekend and, make no mistake, the result of the game does not matter.
However, given it’s a contest between two big money Premier League clubs with sky-high ambitions for the upcoming season, it still should be compelling fare.
History
What a rich history these two clubs have, dating back to their first ever meeting in 1893.
Traditionally, Arsenal have the edge with 86 wins to the Toon’s 72 and a further 39 draws.
However, in recent years it has been one-sided as Arsenal have actually won 21 of their last 26 meetings.
That was until last term.
They lost out 1-0 in the North East in early November when the in-demand Isak scored the only goal of the contest just 12 minutes in.
And, of course, they were 4-0 winners in their two-legged League Cup semi-final.
Isak and Anthony Gordon were on target in North London before Jacob Murphy and Gordon again scored the goals in the second leg.
Newcastle have only scored in six of their past 15 meetings with the Gunners. In the league fixture on the penultimate weekend of last season, Declan Rice notched the only goal of the contest to seal their place in next season’s Champions League.
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18-Jul 2025 Friday
5:13 PM (7 days ago)
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