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.
Vitinha’s comments about Arsenal are being widely shared following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final on Saturday afternoon.
PSG came from a goal down at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, to retain their title.
Ousmane Dembele’s second half penalty cancelled out Kai Havertz’s early opener. PSG then held their nerve in the penalty shootout to lift the Champions League trophy for the second consecutive season.
Vitinha played the full game and was named Player of the Match for his all-action display in the middle of the pitch. After the match, he spoke his mind about Arsenal’s style of play.
Vitinha Speaks Out About Arsenal’s Time Wasting
Following the match, Joao Neves criticised Arsenal’s style of play, saying that ‘PSG were the only team that wanted to play.’
His partner in crime in the middle of midfield, Vitinha, also spoke out about Arsenal’s style of play, claiming that they ‘waste a lot of time.’
He told TNT Sports: “You have to be patient when you’re up against a team like that. We knew it was going to happen, but even more so after Arsenal’s goal, since you really have to be patient.
“It’s difficult because you see the clock ticking away, it’s a final, you want to win and they waste a lot of time on everything: throw-ins, goal kicks, everything. And it’s very difficult because if you fall into that trap… you lose your cool.
“So, a lot of patience, two very compact lines, sometimes with six at the back, and it’s difficult because you want to make a decisive pass, you want to break that down, and you can’t because that’s exactly what they want, so you have to go wide, make runs without the ball.
“And that’s what the coach talked about at halftime, and I also think there was a little more space in the second half, and we took advantage of that very well, we got the penalty, and after that, the game was ours.”
He added: “We expected it, we really did. We knew it would turn out this way, especially after Arsenal scored so early. Like I said, we had the patience, waited for the right moment, and had other chances that could have sealed the game. I think we’re the deserved winners.
“Arsenal is a very good team, very competitive and tough, but based on what we did today and throughout the Champions League, we deserve to win.”
Luis Enrique: PSG Deserved to Win
PSG manager Luis Enrique was complimentary of his opponents but thinks his side deserved to win the match. He told TNT Sports:
”The match started the best way for them, they scored in a lucky action, and after that it was a pleasure for them as they know how to defend, so it was very tough.
”We are used to attacking in that way with a lot of players behind the ball. We deserved to draw the match, and in the end we’re happy to win the trophy.”
On how he felt during the shoot-out, Enrique continued: ”I’ve tried to just enjoy it, because you need luck to win on penalties, but I thought we showed great quality in terms of our penalty kicks as well as from the goalkeeper.
”It’s amazing. I think we deserved [to win]. I think today both teams deserved to win, but the way we’ve played the whole season I think we deserved to win the Champions League. We are very lucky and very happy and we’ll try to be there next season. Why not?”
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.
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