Sports
Team News and Predicted Lineups
Two sides who suffered relegation from the Premier League last season meet in the Championship on Tuesday evening when Southampton host Leicester City.
Hosts Southampton will be led by Tonda Eckert, who has replaced Will Still as interim boss following his sacking last month, and has since impressed the St Mary’s hierarchy by overseeing three wins from his first three in temporary charge.
As a result, senior GIVEMESPORT correspondent Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Eckert “has chances” to become Southampton’s next permanent manager, and the German will be hoping to increase his chances of that by taking all three points against the Foxes.
However, Marti Cifuentes’ side will be hoping for a win themselves to continue their three-match unbeaten run, and here, GIVEMESPORT runs through the latest team news and our predicted starting XIs for the second tier clash.
Southampton Team News
Eckert’s decision to start youngster Cameron Bragg over Flynn Downes against Chartlon Athletic was vindicated by the academy captain’s coming-of-age performance against the Addicks.
20-year-old Bragg made the most tackles (four) of any player, was the most accurate passer (96%) of any player to play 45 minutes or more and won the most duels (eight) in the match, but Eckert may opt for the more experienced head of Downes when Leicester travel to the south coast.
As Downes works his way back to full fitness after suffering an injury before the recent international break, Eckert indicated that the 26-year-old is not ready to start twice in quick succession as yet, suggesting that he would be saved for the inevitably difficult clash against Cifuentes’ side.
Eckert Drops Southampton Team News Update
When discussing Southampton’s team news ahead of the Leicester clash, Eckert confirmed there will be only one change to his squad which hammered Charlton, with Ryan Fraser set to miss the clash due to illness.
Eckert told his pre-Leicester press conference: “Ryan Fraser is having a little bit of a sickness. I assume that he will be out tomorrow. Everything else is as it was.
“The good thing is, and a big compliment to everyone on the recruitment team, that we have a very good squad. It is nice to have the option to change, but I’m also thinking that if things go in a good direction, it sometimes helps to stay a little bit more consistent.”
Southampton Predicted XI vs Leicester
- Southampton Predicted XI: Bazunu; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Stephens; Fellows, Downes, Jander, Manning; Scienza, Azaz; Armstrong
- Southampton Predicted Subs: McCarthy, Bragg, Aribo, Edwards, Quarshie, Welington, Downs, Robinson, Archer
With the Saints boss confirming that veteran winger Fraser will miss out through illness, the Scotsman joins absentees Mads Roerslev, Elias Jelert, Shea Charles and Scottish striker Ross Stewart on the Southampton sidelines.
Leicester Team News
For visitors Leicester, head coach Cifuentes will be unable to call upon the services of left-back Luke Thomas for the Southampton clash after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season during Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Stoke City.
In addition to Thomas, full-back Victor Kristiansen remains sidelined after knee surgery, with fellow defenders Ben Nelson and Caleb Okolo injury doubts for the visit to St Mary’s.
Also, veteran right-back Ricardo Pereira is yet to feature in a midweek match for Leicester this season as a precautionary fitness measure, making his inclusion in the starting XI on Tuesday evening all the more unlikely after the 32-year-old played the full 90 minutes against Stoke.
Attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey and long-term absentee Harry Souttar will also be unavailable for the visit to Southampton, leaving Cifuentes with some selection headaches ahead of the midweek fixture.
Cifuentes Shares Leicester Team News Update
With Okoli’s fitness in doubt and Thomas’ suspension, Cifuentes explained to Leicester’s media ahead of the Southampton clash: “We need to see a little bit and now speak to the medical department to see how everyone is feeling and how the guys who played today (Saturday) will recover.
“Wout [Faes] has played there (at left-back) before but we don’t have many other options at centre-half. We have Bade [Aluko] as well. If we choose him, it’s because we think he is more than ready.
“Silko [Thomas] again got minutes (against Stoke) and all the young guys who are here, we think that they can help us.
“I think we’re waiting for some results for him (Okoli) which will come on Monday and then I will know more.”
Leicester Predicted XI
- Leicester Predicted XI: Begovic; Aluko, Vestergaard, Faes, Choudhury; Skipp, Winks, Fatawu, James, Mavididi; Daka
- Leicester Predicted Subs: Vieites, S.Thomas, Soumare, Monga, Carranza, Decordova-Reid, Ayew
Hosts Southampton sit 16th in the Championship table heading into the clash, with visiting Leicester in tenth as both sides search to continue their respective recent winning streaks.
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
Arguably the most heated storyline in all of modern-day professional wrestling came to a head on Saturday night as ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano defeated ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano in a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match.
The two Superstars have been feuding for months, with many of their battles taking place on WWE Monday Night Raw. However, it is in Mexico where the rivalry has really captured the imagination of fans.
What started out as a parody character on weekly television transformed into a culturally significant figure via the WWE-owned AAA promotion in Mexico.
The El Grande Americano Character Explored
Initially designed as a gimmick to antagonise WWE’s luchadors on Raw, El Grande Americano was positioned as an obnoxious heel who many felt was mocking American culture.
Determined to push the character, WWE gave him a number of high profile wins, including a victory over Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. El Grande Americano then began to appear in AAA where he was pushed as one of the promotion’s top stars.
When the man under the mask got injured in the summer of 2025, though, WWE decided they didn’t want to lose the character from television. As a result, they took the unusual step of recasting the Superstar.
The mask was handed to Ludvig Kaiser, who looked absolutely nothing like the first El Grande Americano. Fans were immediately it on the ‘secret’, but when Kaiser started using the character to geniunely promote Mexican culture, the people took him to their hearts.
As a result, ‘The Real’ El Grande Americano became the most popular Superstar in all of AAA, something that didn’t sit well with the original man under the mask.
Ever since ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano returned at this year’s Royal Rumble, the duo have been on a collision course, with a ‘Mask vs Mask’ match always being the logical conclusion to their feud.
The match was briefly threatened by Kaiser’s recent arrest, but the German-born Superstar was able to get clearance to return to Mexico in order to perform.
‘The Original’ El Grande Americano Unmasked
The high-stakes contest headlined the first night of the AAA Noche de los Grandes special at Arena Monterrey in Mexico. A rabid crowd was in attendance to witness the culmination of the El Grande Americano civil war.
After a heated No Disqualification match, it was Kaiser’s ‘Real’ El Grande Americano who got his hand raised, meaning it was time for ‘The Original’ to unmask.
In what had always been an open secret, the originator of the El Grande Americano character was revealed to be Chad Gable. However, the seriousness with which the crowd and Gable himself treated the moment made it truly special.
Gable had his family by his side as he unmasked, with the crowd immediately chanting his name as soon as his face was visible. The former US Olympian looked highly emotional as he spoke to the fans in Spanish to confirm his true idenitity.
Handing his mask to his opponent, Gable declared:
“I will always be the original El Grande Americano, but, from now on, you are the ONLY El Grande Americano!”
Although he has been unmasked, the success of the storyline is likely to see Gable remain a part of AAA.
Kevin De Bruyne has criticised former manager Antonio Conte, just days after his departure from Napoli.
Conte led Napoli to their fourth Scudetto in his debut season. He didn’t have as much success in his second season, though.
Napoli were unable to retain their Serie A title as they finished second, a distant 11 points behind Inter Milan. They also had a dismal Champions League campaign as they were knocked out in the League Phase.
While they didn’t end the campaign trophyless as they won the Supercoppa Italiana, Conte left the club by mutual consent at the conclusion of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne Criticises Antonio Conte
De Bruyne’s opening season at Napoli didn’t go as well as he would have hoped. The Belgian suffered a serious thigh injury in October, which kept him out of action for four months. He was limited to just 21 matches, recording five goals and four assists.
The 34-year-old has now remarkably called out Conte in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad ahead of this summer’s World Cup. He started:
“Obviously it was difficult for me because Conte has a very different vision of football to mine. In truth, I never had the opportunity to play in my preferred position. In any case, I always tried to give my all for the team.”
De Bruyne then criticised Conte’s style of play and accused him of making false promises. He continued:
“We played very defensively. If you try to win every game by a one-goal margin with a 4-5-1 formation, you play a certain type of football. At the start of the season, we sat back even deeper. Our centre-forward scored just 10 goals, so you know the statistics are not going to be great…”
When asked whether De Bruyne was happy whether Conte had left the club, he replied: “For me, yes. As far as I am concerned, he was not obliged to stay. There were promises made last summer on the way that we would be playing, but at the end of the day not much of it happened.
“I found that a pity. Football needs to be enjoyable, and unfortunately I found that aspect lacking. There’s no point beating around the bush, we have different visions of football. I never got to play in my position under Conte.”
De Bruyne has also said he could leave the club this summer amid frustration about how things have turned out at the Italian club.
“I still have a year left on my contract, but I want to talk about it. There was a lot of talk last year of how we’d play and what we would do, but none of it happened,” he said.
De Bruyne’s attention has now turned to the World Cup. The Manchester City legend has been named in Belgium’s squad alongside the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Jeremy Doku and Thibaut Courtois.
Original El Grande Americano Unmasked as Chad Gable in Mask vs Mask Match
Original El Grande Americano Unmasked as Chad Gable in Mask vs Mask Match
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