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GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 10 - Bookmakers are already paying out Arsenal’s title win, it’s 500 days until the Women’s World Cup in Brazil, and everything else you need to know. Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
KEY FIXTURES
Premier League MD26 (Feb 10): Chelsea vs. Leeds, 19:30 GMT / 14:30 ET. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League home games against Leeds. However, Leeds won the reverse fixture 3-1 in December and are looking to become just the second promoted side to complete the Premier League double over Chelsea since Charlton Athletic in 2000-01. Tottenham vs. Newcastle, 19:30 GMT / 14:30 ET. This is the most played fixture never to finish 0-0 (61 times), while it’s the fourth-highest scoring fixture in the competition’s history (196 goals) after Liverpool v Spurs (209), Arsenal v Liverpool (199) and Liverpool v Newcastle (198). West Ham vs. Manchester United, 20:15 GMT / 15:15 ET. West Ham have won each of their last three home league games against Man United, and the visitors have won just one of their last nine mid-week away games in the league. That said, the Hammers have won just four of their last 20 Premier League games, with three of those coming against newly promoted sides. See the Premier League Matchday 26 fixtures here.
Results…
Championship: Sheffield United 1-2 Middlesbrough (Table)
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TOP TALKING POINTS
Early Title Deciders
A bookmaker has paid out early on the Premier League title race, declaring Arsenal as champions, despite more than a third of the season left to play. Mikel Arteta’s side are six points clear of Manchester City after 25 matches—see the Premier League table here.
Arsenal are 90% favourites to win the title, according to Opta’s prediction model, with Man City given just a 8.15% chance. These sides face each other at the Etihad in Matchday 33 (April 18) in what could be a key title-deciding match, though they’ll meet earlier in the EFL Cup final on March 22.
The same bookmaker that has declared Arsenal as winners did the same on Celtic to win the title in Scotland after just two games into the season. However, the reigning champions currently sit third on 48 points, behind leaders Hearts (54) and Rangers (51), though they have a game in hand. While it’s a marketing stunt by the bookmaker, they’d be forced to payout twice if Arsenal or Celtic don’t win the title—once to the original bettors and again to the people who bet on the actual winner.
Editor’s note: Route One does not support gambling in any capacity. We will never work with gambling-related sponsors.
500 Days Out
It’s exactly 500 days until the start of the Fifa Women’s World Cup, hosted by Brazil, and it will be the first time the competition is held in South America. To mark the occasion, Fifa commissioned eight Brazilian female artists — one representing each host city — to create a series of 32 total illustrations. See the artwork and artists here.
The 2027 edition will maintain the expanded format introduced in 2023. It is confirmed to be the final time the tournament uses this specific 32-team structure before expanding to 48 teams in 2031. Fifa has selected eight stadiums for the tournament, all of which were previously used during the 2014 Men's World Cup—see a stadium guide here.
Fans can now register interest to receive information on applying for tickets on Fifa’s website here.
Dive deeper into the history of the Women’s World Cup here.
Barcelona’s Presidential Elections
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has resigned in order to seek re-election, launching a 35-day countdown to elections set for March 25. This is a procedural resignation, as Barcelona presidents serve five-year terms before having to win an election involving around 100,000 eligible members (socios) who vote.
While Laporta remains the heavy favourite, the race against rival Victor Font is already sparking controversy over voting accessibility. Unlike the 2021 election (where pandemic restrictions allowed over 20,000 members to vote by mail) this year’s ballot will be strictly in-person. This decision has drawn criticism (in Spanish) from opposition camps who argue it disenfranchises the club’s 100,000 socios who live outside the city.
The election comes at a pivotal moment for Barcelona. With the Camp Nou rebuild ongoing, finances still under pressure, and a young squad leading La Liga’s title, the next five-year mandate will shape how the club navigates its post-crisis era.
POLL
Should Manchester United keep Michael Carrick on as manager beyond this season?
ON THE BALL
Europe
> Head coach Eddie Howe says he would step aside if he did not think he was still the right man to lead Newcastle United (More)
> Real Oviedo captain Santi Cazorla has said that La Liga is “light years” away from the Premier League after their match at Rayo Vallecano was postponed at the last minute (More)
> Championship side Watford have appointed Edward Still, Will Still’s brother, as their head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract (More)
> Eni Aluko has called Ian Wright "childish" after he did not accept her apology following her accusation that he was "blocking" the broadcasting pathway for women (More)
Americas
> CONCACAF has released its competition calendar for the next four years, building up to the 2030 World Cup (More)
Rest of the World
> Al Nassr are hopeful Cristiano Ronaldo will return for their Asian Champions League Two fixture on Wednesday (Feb 11) (More) | Four-times champions Al-Hilal dropped their first points of the league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite (More)
> Jhon Duran has signed for Zenit St Petersburg from Al Nassr on loan, his sixth club at the age of 22 (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Is it a good idea for national teams to refuse call-ups to players who leave their home country before signing a pro contract there?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (35%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (60%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (5%)
Your punditry takes:
👍 S.D: “Foreign clubs are cherry picking the best in South America, and those clubs deserve compensation. If this is what they need to get just compensation, then I am for it.”
🙅♂️ F.W.D: “Seems like a classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. With the packed schedules these days, I wonder if some clubs might consider this a bonus, knowing that the player won't get called up for national duty.”
🙅♂️ J.C: “Nations should put themselves in the best possible position to succeed on the international stage. This potentially harms success.”
✍️ P.J: “For a developing football country like Ireland, it's probably a double-edged sword. If an Irish-born player leaves the academy to play in Europe, they would likely be a strong contender for a spot on a national team that struggles to qualify for the World Cup. But for a perennial high-seeded country like Argentina, they have a much deeper player pool and can rule out a player that signs to a foreign club out of the academy without handcuffing themselves.”
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What do you get for winning the EFL Cup?
GAME FACE ON
Question: Name the four players with over 600 Premier League appearances.
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
The reality is that La Liga is light-years away from the Premier League in every way.
Answer
Gareth Barry (653). James Milner (652). Ryan Giggs (632). Frank Lampard (609).
