Cole Palmer admits it will be “weird” going back to Manchester City on Saturday as a Chelsea player.
Palmer makes a first return to the Etihad Stadium since moving to west London in a surprise switch at the end of the summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old cost Chelsea an initial £40million with an additional £2.5m in possible add-ons, but the deal has proved value for money as Palmer tops the Blues’ scoring charts with 12 goals.
“I have been surprised by how well it’s gone here so quickly, but I always back myself to succeed,” Palmer told the club’s official website.
“I’m looking forward to going back to the Etihad. It will be strange, a weird feeling, but I’m looking forward to it and the team’s looking forward to it.
“I’m very excited to be honest, even though it will be strange.
“Obviously I played against them at Stamford Bridge, but I think going back to the Etihad will be even stranger.”
The two teams produced a remarkable 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge in November when Palmer equalised from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Ten of Palmer’s Chelsea goals have come in the Premier League and his form has catapulted him into contention for a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer.
“When I made the decision to come down here with my family it was a really tough decision to leave,” said Palmer, who joined City at the age of eight and began the season by scoring for them in the Community Shield and Super Cup final.
“But I felt like I was ready to play week in, week out and showcase my ability.
“So thank you to the club and everyone who has supported me.
“It’s down to the manager (Mauricio Pochettino) giving me the freedom, the club giving me the opportunity and the lads, who have been great with me since I came in.
“I’ve settled fast so I’m enjoying it here.”
Chelsea have had an inconsistent season under Pochettino and are currently 10th in the Premier League, 20 points behind leaders Liverpool and 18 adrift of City.
But successive 3-1 wins at Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, the former coming in the FA Cup, have ensured that Chelsea take on Pep Guardiola’s English, European and FIFA World Club champions with growing confidence.
Palmer said: “The manager helps us all every day. Little conversations telling us what to do.
“We have meetings and he believes in us and we believe in ourselves.
“Everyone’s going to talk when you’re not doing well, but we just need to try and block it out and focus on ourselves.”
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Celta Vigo: De Paul stunner keeps Simeone's side on course for Champions League
Rodrigo De Paul scored a brilliant late goal to snatch a 1-0 home victory for Atletico Madrid against relegation-threatened Celta Vigo, as they consolidated fourth spot in LaLiga on Sunday.
The Argentina midfielder controlled a clearance from a corner just outside the box before unleashing a breathtaking shot into the top-right corner with just six minutes remaining.
The win leaves Atletico with 70 points from 35 games – eight points ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao – while Celta are 16th with 34 points, five points above the drop zone.
Diego Simeone's hosts had launched a late offensive effort but remarkable saves from Celta goalkeeper Vicente Guaita kept them at bay until De Paul's stunner clinched three points.
Atletico can secure a spot in the Champions League next season with victory away at Getafe on Wednesday.
Skinner lauds 'history-makers' after Man Utd lift Women's FA Cup
Marc Skinner lauded his Manchester United Women side as "history-makers" after their first FA Cup triumph in history on Sunday.
The Red Devils swept aside Tottenham Women with a 4-0 victory at Wembley Stadium as Ella Toone and Rachel Williams were on target before Lucia Garcia's second-half double.
United missed out in the final of the Women's FA Cup last season, losing to Chelsea 1-0, but produced an emphatic response to secure the first major trophy in their history.
Having lost in Champions League qualifying, suffered group-stage elimination in the League Cup and sitting fifth in the Women's Super League, Skinner was delighted with his side's response in the capital.
The United boss told BBC One: "We are obviously not where we want in the league, right? But we are history-makers for Manchester United.
"I didn't need to remind the owners of that, they know. There is a lot of support and love for our team and the growth.
"We want to compete for titles but you all know how important adding that first piece of silverware is. We've got nothing but growth ahead."
Toone provided the first moment of magic with a rocketed right-footed finish into the top corner from the edge of the area, setting the tone on the stroke of half-time after a dominant opening 45 minutes.
"In all honesty, I felt that first half was just frustration because we didn't score, I thought we offered more of a threat, we controlled most of their threat," Skinner added.
"As much as I am exhausted now, it is a magical feeling. Tooney scored one of those goals at Leicester but it is another thing to do it at Wembley.
"I told her on the podium you have to feel it, remember it because it comes and goes too quick, and that is what she did. Congratulations to her and the team, we are FA Cup winners."
Williams added the second with her headed finish after 54 minutes, though the United forward admitted this season has been far below usual standards.
"We don't like to admit it but it does mask over the issues we've had," Williams told BBC One.
"We have had some ups and downs this year. That's for Marc [Skinner] and the backroom staff to be like 'right this is what we have to do in the summer'.
"We are going to have change things next year. We have had some injuries, three or four ACLs, at the start of the season. That's football, teams go through transition.
"You have a good year, you have a dip. Next year we might just come back bigger, better and stronger and who knows we might just be lifting the league."
Klopp in awe of 'incredible' Emery ahead of Villa Park showdown
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised the "incredible job" Unai Emery has done during his time at Aston Villa ahead of Monday's contest between the sides.
Emery guided Villa into the Europa Conference League in his first campaign in charge, where they made it to the semi-final stage.
The Villans' Euro campaign was ended by Olympiacos on Thursday, but they are one win from securing a Champions League spot for next term.
Emery's men, who lost 1-0 at Brighton last time out in the league, can get themselves over the line with a game to spare when Liverpool visit Villa Park next up.
"He's done an incredible job," Klopp said. "Emery is one of the best we have in the business, 100 per cent. Wherever he was, he had success.
"Sometimes clubs were not ready to wait for it, maybe. If you look back probably these clubs would have made different decisions.
"The job he is doing is absolutely exceptional. We all know how important it is for a club to qualify for the Champions League, how difficult it is."
Liverpool enter the contest third in the Premier League, 11 points better off than Villa, with their title hopes now officially over.
While there may not be a great deal on the line for the Reds on the face of it, this will be Klopp's final away game as Liverpool manager.
The German is departing after next week's home match with Wolves, and Villa skipper John McGinn says he will be missed.
"The league has been very lucky to have Klopp," McGinn said. "He has obviously got an identity and a really strong team. He will be missed.
"I think everyone knows what we think of our own manager. We are very lucky to have him and his staff. They work endlessly to make us better."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Aston Villa - Ollie Watkins
Watkins has failed to score in back-to-back games in all competitions for Villa, with his blank against Brighton leaving him one short of the 20-goal mark in the Premier League this season.
The last Villa player to reach that mark in a top-flight campaign was Peter Withe in 1980-81.
The omens are certainly good, as only against Brighton (six) - ironically - has Watkins scored more goals in the competition than he has against Liverpool (five).
Liverpool - Mohamed Salah
Salah returned to the Liverpool starting line-up last weekend and both scored and assisted in the 4-2 win over Tottenham.
The Egyptian has now both scored and assisted in four different Premier League games this season - only Chelsea's Cole Palmer (five) has done so more often.
Across his entire Premier League career, Salah has done so 31 times in total, with that a tally only Wayne Rooney (36) and Thierry Henry (32) can better.
MATCH PREDICTION - LIVERPOOL WIN
Villa lost 1-0 to Brighton in their most recent league game, but they have not lost successive Premier League matches since May last year.
Liverpool were 4-2 winners against Tottenham last time out, meanwhile, and have lost just one of their past 26 league games played in May.
This is a fixture the Reds tend to do well in, however, as they have lost just once and won 10 times in their past 12 league games with Villa.
Indeed, Liverpool have won more Premier League away games against Villa than they have any other opponents (16).
Historically speaking, meanwhile, Liverpool have lost only one of their eight final away league games under Klopp, last doing so in 2018.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Aston Villa - 27.1%
Draw - 27.7%
Liverpool - 45.2%
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