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2018/19 Football League > 31st August - 1st September


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Friday, 31st August, 2018
Leeds United vs Middlesbrough

Saturday, 1st September, 2018
Birmingham City vs QPR
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
Hull City vs Derby County
Preston North End vs Bolton Wanderers
Reading vs Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United vs Aston Villa
West Brom vs Stoke City
Wigan Athletic vs Rotherham United
Millwall vs Swansea

Sunday, 2nd September, 2018
Bristol City vs Blackburn Rovers
Ipswich vs Norwich

 

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Saturday, 1st September, 2018
Accrington Stanley vs Scuthrope United
Barnsley vs Gillingham 
Burton Albion vs AFC Wimbledon
Coventry City vs Rochdale
Fleetwood Town vs Bradford City
Peterborough United vs Doncaster Rovers
Portsmouth vs Plymouth Argyle
Shrewsbury Town vs Bristol Rovers
Southend United vs Charlton Athletic
Sunderland vs Oxford United
Walsall vs Blackpool
Wycombe vs Luton

 

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Saturday, 1st September, 2018
Bury vs Morecambe
Cheltenham Town vs Colchester United
Crewe Alexandra vs Macclesfield Town
Exeter City vs Lincoln City
Grimsby Town vs Yeovil Town
Mansfield Town vs Carlisle United
Northampton Town vs Tranmere Rovers
Notts County vs Forest Green Rovers
Oldham Athletic vs Crawley Town
Port Vale vs Newport County
Stevenage vs Cambridge
Swindon vs MK Dons

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  • The title was changed to 2018/19 Football League > Matchday 6 - 31st August - 1st September

PORTSMOUTH home to Plymouth Argyle

This needs to be a comfortable win. While Plymouth, like Bristol Rovers, were a team I expect a lot more of early on, they are absolutely getting battered and are currently sitting bottom of the table. There are only a few teams in the league with a better defense than us, and so Jackett needs to press Plymouth out of the gates and get the first goal, and preferably a second. I don't think this Plymouth side as it is can score twice on us so that 2nd goal will be massive.  This is the start of 3 consecutive home matches, and we can't afford to be dropping points and losing the momentum that we started off with this year. These next 3 home matches are all winnable (Plymouth, Gillingham, & Shrewsbury), and we need to make sure to play our game, and take the 9 points available here. 

Look for Pittman to get his first goal of the year soon, and I would also expect to see Chaplin come on and start getting some playing time UNLESS it's true that he is in the dog house/on the way out. 

My Prediction: Portsmouth 3-0 Plymouth Argyle

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Also, excited for Friday's match-up between Leeds and Middlesbrough. Two quality teams that are currently tied for the top of the table in the Championship. I have watched bits and pieces of both teams this year, and I'm much more impressed with Leeds, and I think if they can get 3 points here, the confidence and statement made to the rest of the league really sets themselves up for an automatic promotion campaign. Lose, and we might start hearing, 'Same old Leeds', again, and then who knows what happens. 

I probably won't be working on Friday so it'll be nice to be able to watch this at home and not having to work. 

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5 minutes ago, Eco said:

@Lucas - Are you going on Friday? 

No mate, I will be working although I should hopefully be in a position to watch it at least if I'm not too busy.

Big game early doors. Clash of two different styles. Friday night, so the atmosphere will be special for a night game. Definitely wet's the appetite. Plus Middlesbrough are quite bitter towards us for some reason so it will be played with a bit of an edge.

Pulis being Pulis will set up to contain us, I'm sure of it. He'd be silly not to really because if we come flying out the blocks, score an early goal with that crowd behind us, Middlesbrough won't know what's hit them. They should play to their strength really because defensively they are one of the strongest sides.

Personally, I feel like that game has a 1-1 written all over it. I think we may struggle to open up Boro as much as we have other sides. They have good quality on the counter too so it's a big test for us.

Would love Bamford to come off the bench and grab the winner mind. That would rub salt in the wound.

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Tough game away at Bristol City on Sunday (no idea why it's on a Sunday as it's not on TV) so I'd take a point now but we are more than capable of winning, and playing away from home probably suits us better. Bristol City aren't the team they were during their cup run last season after losing key players this summer. Our team selection will be interesting - it sounds like Armstrong is the most likely of the injured players to return with Dack probably being rested until after the international break just to make sure he is 100% fit. Brereton and Reed should come into the squad but sadly Samuel looks like he is out for the season.

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7 minutes ago, roversgirl said:

Tough game away at Bristol City on Sunday (no idea why it's on a Sunday as it's not on TV) so I'd take a point now but we are more than capable of winning, and playing away from home probably suits us better. Bristol City aren't the team they were during their cup run last season after losing key players this summer. Our team selection will be interesting - it sounds like Armstrong is the most likely of the injured players to return with Dack probably being rested until after the international break just to make sure he is 100% fit. Brereton and Reed should come into the squad but sadly Samuel looks like he is out for the season.

@Eco hadn't even put the Sunday games down, which includes the big East Anglian derby xD 

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You have to hand it to Pulis, he knows how to shut down a good footballing team. 'Bielsaball' was largely ineffective tonight.

We struggled to create anything clear cut tonight. Infact, the closest we came was one effort off the line but the keeper had nothing to do which was most disappointing. Granted, we had the blow of losing Pablo Hernandez today who has been absolutely key for us to date. He is pivotal to the creativity side of our game so his absence was badly felt. But still, you need to make the most of home advantage and we couldn't do that.

That said, Boro's defence was rock solid. Credit where it's due. They weren't conceding tonight under no circumstances. They reduced us to causing the odd threat from set pieces which isn't really our game given the size of our players so no surprises we didn't really look dangerous from that. They are a very experienced Championship team, a lot further in their development than we are, and they will be up there based purely on how solid they are.

We are a team new in development and progression. We are learning a new style of football under a new coach and teams are changing the way they play to try and combat us which is flattering. We have one gameplan, we are very rigid in terms of how we keep the shape/personnel, and Bielsa is a firm believer in if it doesn't work, we simply have to do it better rather than go to plan B, plan C etc.

Sometimes we will have games like this, it's not always going to be about us opening teams up with nice football. 

We are still top, unbeaten in the league. We have played Stoke, Derby, Swansea and Middlesbrough. Four sides all tipped to compete for promotion and come away unscathed. Early days but we can go into the International break relatively pleased, well rested (which is ideal given the way we play) and ready to go again in two weeks time.

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My father after the World Cup in 2006 said to me that football is a revolving cycle. You can have your Ronaldo's and Ronaldinho's but an effective Italy will eventually win a World Cup. Unfortunately Bielsa against Pulis tonight showed that.

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