Celtic travel to Dundee to take on Paul Hartley’s high-flying side in the marquee fixture of the fifth round of the 2015 Scottish Cup, while Glasgow Rangers face a difficult afternoon when they host Raith Rovers.

Rangers are still reeling after the bitter loss against arch-rivals Celtic in the League Cup, and with issues surrounding the club off the pitch—the squad is making more headlines with the Dave King takeover than their actual performances, per BBC Sport—Sunday’s match comes with some serious upset potential.

Dundee have been more than solid since winning promotion to the SPFL last season and caused the upset of the fourth round by eliminating Aberdeen back in November, so cup favourites Celtic will be warned. Here’s the full schedule for the fifth round:

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Celtic Will Struggle But Survive against Dundee

Scottish champions Celtic unsurprisingly lead the SPFL standings, having yet to lose a match in 2015, and look primed to add several trophies to their impressive collection of silverware in 2015.

The Hoops were among the more active teams during the winter transfer window, highlighted by the signing of Dundee United duo Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven, per Sky Sports:

The Old Firm may no longer carry the same meaning as it did before Rangers’ liquidation, but it’s still arguably one of the highlights of Celtic’s season. A relatively easy 2-0 win on Sunday means the visitors will travel to Dundee with plenty of momentum.

Despite all of that, fans shouldn’t expect a walk in the park on Saturday. The Dees sit well outside the relegation zone, so the Scottish Cup is likely the club’s main objective right now.

Manager Hartley told BBC Sport he knows Saturday’s clash won’t be easy, but after a strong first season back in the top flight, he’s confident of Dundee’s chances:

We know it’s going to be an extremely hard game but it’s one we’re really focused on and looking forward to.

We’re six games unbeaten, so we’ve been consistent over the last few weeks and we need to try and keep that going.

We’ve got a chance to progress to the quarter-finals and supporters always look forward to a good cup run.

Celtic will play Partick Thistle and St. Johnstone in the league before the highly anticipated Europa League fixture against Italian heavyweights Inter Milan, and with the Nerrazzuri struggling in Serie A, it’s all too easy to get carried away with the club’s current streak of good fortune.

Reuters’ Jamie McGeever is just about on cloud nine right now:

Going into Saturday’s match with that mentality could result in disaster, and fans better hope the players are taking this clash a little more seriously. Dundee are unbeaten since the derby against Dundee United on New Year’s Day, and the hosts should not be taken lightly at all.

Controversy Will Doom Rangers against Raith Rovers

As if the Dave King takeover didn’t provide Rangers with enough distractions, even more controversy broke out on Thursday. Chief executive Derek Llambias was forced to hold a press conference to deny claims the board is influencing team selections at Ibrox, per BBC Sport’s Chris McLaughlin:

Those comments came in response to caretaker manager Kenny McDowall, who told reporters he is being forced to play five loan signings from Newcastle United, a club owned by Rangers shareholder Mike Ashley, via BBC Sport.

McDowall has already resigned from his post and is currently in charge of the squad on a 12-month notice period. To call the current situation at Ibrox “unhealthy” would be an understatement.

Sporting Life’s Gavin McGrane is predicting an upset at the hands of Raith Rovers on Sunday, and it’s easy to see why:

Rovers are built for a deep cup run, playing the kind of feisty, defensive football that can drive opposing teams mad. Last weekend, Hibernian spent the bulk of the second half trying to kill Raith off, only to watch striker Christian Nade score in injury time to conserve a point for his team.

Hibs were frustrated by Rovers’ defensive resiliency throughout the match despite leading for the majority of the second half, and the result at Easter Road will give the visitors plenty of confidence ahead of their trip to Ibrox.

Add Rangers’ struggles, question marks regarding McDowall’s motivation, the controversial loan signings and the emotional impact of the loss to Celtic, and you have a recipe for disaster for the home side.

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Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho continues to be showered with praise for his excellent stretch of matches, and his compatriot Neymar became the latest to express his admiration for the 22-year-old on Thursday, claiming that he will one day be the Premier League’s best player.

As reported by the Daily Mirror‘s David Anderson, the Barcelona star believes fans and pundits are finally starting to see what his good friend can do:

He can be the star player in England. This season I think everybody in England is seeing how talented he is—and I know he has a lot more to show.

We have been good friends since we were 16. Not only is he a fantastic player, he is a good guy to have in the dressing room, always positive and making jokes.

The midfielder put in another fantastic performance for the Reds in their 2-1 FA Cup win over Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday, scoring a stunning goal to seal progression to the next round, per the FA’s official Twitter feed:

In the wake of that match, the young Brazilian was widely hailed as one of the Premier League’s fastest rising stars. The Daily Mail even believes he has the potential to emulate Barcelona legend Ronaldinho:

Team-mate Jordan Henderson told Liverpool’s official Twitter feed his job becomes a whole lot easier when he has guys like Coutinho and Raheem Sterling around him:

Coutinho has now scored three goals and handed out four assists in the Premier League and FA Cup, via WhoScored.com, and everyone seems to agree that this is only the beginning for the Brazil international, who joined the Reds from Inter Milan in 2013.

Liverpool’s 2014-15 campaign has been predictably inconsistent in the wake of Luis Suarez‘s departure for Barcelona, but Brendan Rodgers’ young squad has turned things around in the past two months, and the Reds currently sit just four points outside the Premier League top five.

Per Goal, Rodgers believes Coutinho has the potential to replace the Uruguay international:

While it’s tempting to get carried away with all the praise following Coutinho’s strong run of matches, it’s important to remember the Brazilian is just 22 years old. There are bound to be some struggles in the future, and putting too much pressure on his young shoulders now could hurt his development.

In many ways, Coutinho perfectly represents the current Liverpool squad: heaps of potential and the promise of a bright future, as long as people are willing to be patient.

All signs point to even bigger and better things for Coutinho, and if the youngster continues his rapid progression, the Reds should return to the Premier League title conversation in the 2015-16 season.

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Arsene Wenger managed to provide Arsenal with the much-needed defensive reinforcement of Gabriel Paulista during the January transfer window, but it’s fair to say the Gunners’ squad is still a few players short of challenging for the Premier League title.

Most obviously, a behemoth defensive midfielder needs to be attained.

French newspaper L’Equipe reports that Morgan Schneiderlin is set to leave Southampton at the end of the season (h/t Jack De Menezes of The Independent). De Menezes believes he will “snub” Tottenham and Manchester United “in order to join Arsenal.”

Wenger is reportedly eyeing a new contract for Francis Coquelin, reported by Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia, so he may step in more permanently if Schneiderlin cannot be lured. Krystian Bielik’s arrival may also see the combative midfield role filled in the future. B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey believes Arsenal missed a trick when failing to land Schneiderlin in January, however:

Eurosport suggests Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk, who continues to be linked with Wenger‘s side, “appears happy to stay until the summer.” Another potential target is Edinson Cavani, who Arsenal are reportedly ready to “wait” for, according to Lee Hurley of the Metro.

Wenger worked well to address squad concerns during January, noted below:

Lukas Podolski‘s departure is likely to be followed up with a permanent move, reported by James McNicholas in his article for ESPN FC. The German forward has made it clear he doesn’t intend on returning, saying, “I knew I had to move” after scoring two against Galatasaray and then being benched earlier in the season, per Sky Sports.

He rarely received the opportunity to play in his favoured central attacking role while at the Emirates. The summer arrival of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck indicated Podolski was surplus to requirements and perhaps only maintained while Theo Walcott battled with injury. He is yet to score in six appearances for Inter Milan, per WhoScored.com, but is at least getting a consistent run of playing time.

This is also the thinking behind the temporary departures of Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo, two potential stars who need to challenge themselves against the best. Wenger did well to secure a Premier League loan for the latter, who has the potential to be an excellent acquisition for Crystal Palace.

Questions continue to be asked of Campbell, however, as he embarks on a fourth loan stint away from the Premier League in as many years.

Arsenal supporters will likely be pleased with the side’s winter work. Wenger‘s signings certainly outpoint last year’s only deal, which saw an injured Kim Kallstrom head to the Emirates on loan. Arsenal’s play continues to improve, highlighted by the win over Manchester City and thrashing of Aston Villa, so the squad is in an excellent position to be successful this season.

A deep run in the Champions League and third in the domestic division would amount to a fantastic year for the side. Wenger has plenty of work to do in the summer—plugging that midfield remains a priority—but his January groundwork has Arsenal moving in the right direction.

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Super-agent Mino Raiola has verbally attacked Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola for his previous treatment of one of his star clients, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Guardiola purchased the mercurial forward for Barcelona during his tenure at the Camp Nou, but the Swede did not see his career get off the ground whilst working for Guardiola, leading to Raiola‘s criticism of the Spaniard.

The controversial agent is often outspoken, and in an interview with Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, Raiola slammed the Bayern manager for his previous dealings with Ibra, per AS: “He [Pep Guardiola] is a nasty piece of work as a man, but a great coach. Guardiola was the man who took Ibra to Barcelona and later he treated him very badly.”

Ibrahimovic joined the Blaugrana from Inter Milan in 2009 but only lasted one season before Pep sent the striker out on loan.

The player has previously called Guardiola “a spineless coward” in his autobiography, serialised by the Daily Mail, in reaction to the manager’s treatment of him during his spell with Barca.

He also said the coach was a “brick wall,” concluding their relationship made him think, “Every hour with the club [Barcelona] I wished I could be out of there.”

Despite the problems between the two egos, Ibra‘s record at Barca was statistically good. He scored 16 goals and created seven assists in his 23 La Liga appearances, per ESPN FC, but the world did not get to see the full potential of Zlatan coupled with the brilliance of Lionel Messi.

The 33-year-old has since gone on to prove he is one of the greats of his generation but has been a nomad in terms of his footballing geography.

However, it is difficult to truly criticise Guardiola‘s handling of Ibrahimovic considering the success that followed for Barca.

The Swede may not have liked his treatment under the Spaniard’s care, but Pep’s first concern needed to be for the team—and Zlatan did not fit into Barcelona’s pressing style.

Guardiola‘s collective would defend from the front and make it difficult for their opposition to gain territory or possession. Although Ibrahimovic was skillful enough to play Barca‘s short passing style, he certainly did not have the work rate needed to fulfil Guardiola‘s vision.

His signing was a strange one when considered in the cold light of day, with the striker not suited to certain styles of football.

At Paris Saint-Germain, Zlatan is the planet which all other moons orbit around, and the superstar needs to be in this kind of environment to play his best game. 

Raiola is a typical agent in terms of publicly defending his players, but his words will do him no favours if he wishes to do business with Guardiola or Bayern in the very near future.

However, Raiola did also call Guardiola a “great coach,” so damage limitation was also clearly in his thoughts.

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Manchester United have been linked with endless stars throughout the transfer window, but as of yet, none—bar free-agent Victor Valdes—have walked through the Old Trafford doors.

Manager Louis van Gaal spent heavily in the summer getting his squad up to scratch, but the team’s quality on paper hasn’t reflected on the pitch—meaning that the next few days could be incredibly important for the Red Devils’ season.

Here’s a look at the latest players rumoured with making the switch to United before deadline day, starting with a key addition to the defensive line.

Aleksandar Dragovic

After Nemanja Vidic departed Old Trafford for Inter Milan, the opportunity presented itself for any one of United’s defensive young guns to demonstrate their credentials to be the new leader.

However, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Marcos Rojo have been struggling to produce the goods in the heart of defence, which has led Van Gaal to look elsewhere for his defensive stalwart.

Standing elsewhere is 23-year-old Aleksandar Dragovic, who is rumoured to be close to making the switch to Old Trafford—reported by Jamie Sanderson of Metro.

Sanderson writes (h/t Tutto Mercato Web) that Van Gaal is ready to put an £11.2 million bid on the table to land the Dynamo Kyiv centre-back, but is he the right man to fill the boots of Vidic?

Well, his style of play certainly suggests as much.

Dragovic is the kind of defender who’s comfortable on the ball and reads the game brilliantly, with his intelligent style of play leading to a number of important, last-ditch tackles.

He’s a deep-lying defender who acts as a sweeper behind his partner, which would bode well for teaming up with any member of the existing United rearguard.

To put it in journalist Fabian Zerche’s words, per Sport Witness: “Dragovic isn’t the dominant and commanding tackling beast, but more of a smart defender who is able to anticipate dangerous situations.”

United are missing that kind of player at the moment. Jones and Rojo are reasonable on the ball, while Smalling and Evans defy being Premier League footballers at times.

With Dragovic in the setup, Van Gaal can resort to his old faithful formation of playing three at the back, as the Austrian is far more positive moving forward than any currently in the squad.

It’s all a case of whether Dynamo Kyiv will accept the £11.2 million offer from the Red Devils, but Sanderson writes that it should be enough.

Leading the back line at a club such as Manchester United won’t be easy for a player who’s still young, but Dragovic has the credentials to do just that.

Kevin Strootman

United’s transfer saga with Kevin Strootman has been running for months and months, but it could well reach a conclusion in the coming days.

The Dutchman was a favourite of Van Gaal’s during his time as Netherlands manager, and his lust for the midfielder hasn’t faltered since taking to the Old Trafford hot seat.

Strootman has been linked with United throughout January, but progress on a transfer looked to have stalled after 24-year-old was forced to undergo knee surgery.

However, Simon Mullock of the Daily Mirror writes that Strootman is still United’s top target, and a big-money bid could be in the pipeline.

That’s all it’ll take to lure the Dutchman to Old Trafford too, with Roma president James Pallota exclusively telling Bleacher Report that only an astronomical offer would tempt him into letting his star man go:

My view is that I don’t want Kevin to go, for example, but if someone offers a huge amount, you at least have to listen to them. You’re running a team, so you have to look at what’s best for everyone, not just one individual. That’s the way the world works.

Strootman is set to be sidelined for upward of six weeks with his latest injury, so he’s unlikely to be the man to save United’s season if Van Gaal makes an offer, but the future would be bright with him in the squad—the man himself took to Twitter to reveal the extent of his layoff:

The injury won’t force Roma into panic selling, but it’ll be a thinking point should United put an offer on the table.

Whether they can afford to stump up enough to land Strootman remains to be seen, but the ambition to bring in another world-class central midfielder is a cause for optimism for the United faithful.

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal knows he could still lose star goalkeeper David de Gea to Real Madrid. He also knows he may have to bide his time before restocking a defence in need of new blood, after proposed target Aleksandar Dragovic reportedly began negotiations with Inter Milan.

Van Gaal is also switching targets in his proposed bid to shore up the base of midfield, following yet another injury for long-term target Kevin Strootman.

Starting with De Gea, Van Gaal has confirmed United remain anxious for the gifted 24-year-old stopper to agree a new contract. But the Dutchman acknowledged a move to Real Madrid remains a possibility, per Manchester Evening News reporter Stuart Mathieson: “Everything is possible in the world of football. We want to keep him.”

De Gea only has 18 months left on his current contract. There have been reports Los Blancos will wait 12 months before offering De Gea a free transfer next January, according to Mark Ogden of The Telegraph.

United’s counter to that idea will be to offer De Gea £140,000 per week, according to Daily Mirror writer David McDonnell. That contract would certainly seem worth it considering De Gea‘s emergence as a match-winner for an inconsistent United side this season.

However, there are one or two dissenting voices who believe United may be best served cashing in. They include Manchester Evening News writer James Robson.

He believes letting De Gea get to his final year at Old Trafford still without a long-term deal in place would make little business sense. Robson also suggested United could use De Gea as a makeweight to possibly land Los Merengues‘ forward Gareth Bale.

The Red Devils have reportedly set aside €150 million to try to tempt Real into selling Bale, per AS reporter Manu Sainz (h/t Daily Star writer Alex Harris). Robson thinks United would be wiser using De Gea to significantly reduce Bale’s fee.

That’s not an unreasonable argument. However, sections of the club’s support may baulk at the idea of selling a key part of the team’s spine for yet another attacker.

Quality goalkeepers the right side of 30 are tough to come by. They are certainly worth keeping around when you find one.

United are already more than well-stocked in attack. Van Gaal‘s squad boasts forward-thinking talent the calibre of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria and Juan Mata.

What the current team really needs is to be underpinned with a strong foundation that runs from back to front. De Gea can be a crucial part of that structure. So can a more physical holding midfielder.

That’s the cue for United’s interest in AS Roma enforcer Radja Nainggolan. Van Gaal is reportedly considering a bid for the fast-rising Belgian star, per French publication Le10Sport (h/t IBTimes.co.uk’s Naveen Ullal).

United are apparently prepared to pay €40 million for a player still part owned by both Roma and Cagliari. That’s certainly a hefty investment. However, Van Gaal‘s midfield needs balance and he already looks set to miss out on one prime target.

Strootman would be top of Van Gaal‘s list of potential midfield recruits. But the tough-tackling, smart passer just can’t stay fit.

The Netherlands international has suffered a setback in his bid to rebound from a serious knee injury, per ASRoma.it (h/t Manchester Evening News reporter Simon Bajkowski). Strootman is now out for at least four weeks.

Van Gaal has his own injury woes in central midfield, concerning versatile veteran Michael Carrick, per the club’s official Twitter feed:

Meanwhile, fellow experienced battler in the middle Darren Fletcher is inching closer to a move to West Ham United, according to BBC Sport. These factors could accelerate any move Nainggolan.

United need help in midfield, but the squad also needs a few talented bodies a little further back. Van Gaal needs quality centre-backs to make his 3-5-2 formation work.

But the Dutchman may have to count out Aleksandar Dragovic being one of them. The Austria international is still on United’s radar, but he is currently negotiating with Serie A side Inter Milan, per Daily Star reporter Alex Harris.

United had been considering moving for 23-year-old Dragovic, provided Van Gaal believes he could handle the Premier League pace, per Manchester Evening News writer David Lynch. Now it seems as though the decision will be taken out of the United chief’s hands.

Van Gaal may be stressing he doesn’t intend to sign new faces during the final days of the winter window, per ManUtd.com writer Mark Froggatt. But injuries and defections in midfield could change his mind.

If nothing else, the Old Trafford hierarchy may begin negotiating some summer deals now, while keeping a very close eye on De Gea‘s contract situation and Madrid’s intentions.

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