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Nutmeg Newsletter #18
⚽️ Derby Weekend 1
Welcome to the Nutmeg, each week, you can expect: Exclusive previews of major football events – Spotlight features on top football creators – In-depth analysis of trending football culture. Delivered as consistently as Beckham’s crosses.
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MUST-WATCH MATCHES
Tottenham Hotspurs vs Arsenal | Sunday, September 15th | 9:00am EST
The Premier League is giving us the North London Derby early this year as Tottenham takes on Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. Arsenal have had the upper hand recently, winning their last two away games against Spurs, and they're looking to make it three in a row for the first time since 1988. Both teams have been hit by injuries, though—Tottenham might be without Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, while Arsenal are missing key players like Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice, which could shake things up.
Tottenham’s season has been off to a Spurs standard–just so so. After a 4-0 thrashing of Everton, they stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle. Their defense has been a weak spot, something Arsenal’s pacey front three—Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and possibly Raheem Sterling—will look to exploit.
Arsenal, despite being held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Brighton before the break, will still be buzzing from Mikel Arteta’s contract extension, and they'll be eager to secure a big win against their bitter rivals.
Expect goals in this one—historically, both teams find the back of the net in these derbies. With Tottenham struggling defensively and Arsenal missing some key players, this match could easily turn into a high-scoring thriller.
Girona vs Barcelona | Sunday, September 15th | 10:15am EST
This weekend’s clash between Barcelona and Girona is a must-watch. Not only is it a Catalan derby, but both teams are in red-hot form. Barcelona is sitting pretty at the top of La Liga, with four consecutive wins under new boss Hansi Flick, and they’re fresh off a 7-0 demolition of Valladolid. Expect goals galore with Lewandowski and Raphinha in attack, and with Barca’s recent dominance, they’ll be looking to extend their perfect run.
On the flip side, Girona has been punching above their weight, currently sitting 5th in the table after an impressive start to the season. They've already racked up seven points and have shown they hold their own against anyone, tacking on a 4-0 win against Osasuna and securing a hard-fought draw against Betis.
Although they’ll be without a few key players like Yangel Herrera, Girona’s attack featuring Abel Ruiz and Tsygankov is not to be underestimated
With both teams playing attacking football, and Girona keen to prove they can hang with Barcelona after last season’s showing.
RONDO
♣️Toni Kroos has started a grassroots football club. And we assume he hasn’t hired any creatives yet because the club is allegedly called “Toni Kroos.” After retiring from the game, he quickly got himself right back in it by setting up his academy in Madrid in collaboration with the Royal Madrid Football Federation and Club Las Encinas de Boadilla. It’s going to be interesting to see how the club coexists with his latest club, Real Madrid.
💰Barcelona are finally done paying. Even though he’s no longer at the club, Barcelona have just finished paying off Dortmund for the 2017 transfer of Ousmane Dembele. The total fee ended up being €148 million. Marred by injuries, he only managed to play 127 games in the six years he was there. If you average that out, it only ended up costing them €1.1 million per match he played for them.
🏛️Mbappe is getting what he’s owed. We mentioned a couple of weeks back that Mbappe had put in a claim that PSG had not paid him a hefty €55 million. Yesterday, PSG was ordered to pay that €55 million to the French striker.
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