A clean sheet in football is a term used when a goalkeeper along with the other outfield players help a team not concede a single goal during the whole duration of a match. 

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.�?/span>

Any team that consistently keeps clean sheets is more likely to win games and claim championships.

The Premier League is considered to be the most competitive football league in Europe. The goalkeepers play a pivotal role in helping teams keep clean sheets in the Premier League.

Following the conclusion of the league every year, the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets is awarded the Premier League Golden Glove.

Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea registered the most clean sheets in the Premier League last season. He recorded 17 clean sheets for Manchester United and won the Premier League Golden Glove last season. 

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and Liverpool custodian Alisson Becker shared the Premier League Golden Glove award in the 2021-22 season. Both the goalkeepers recorded 20 clean sheets.

Interestingly, Ederson has won the Premier League Golden Glove twice before in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, while Alisson bagged the award in the 2018-19 campaign.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and ex-Manchester City keeper Joe Hart hold the record for the most Premier League Golden Glove awards. Cech and Hart have won the award on four occasions each.

In fact, Cech has the most clean sheets in Premier League history (202), while David James is second on the list with 169. 

The likes of Ederson, Alisson, and Arsenal new boy David Raya will be in contention for the Golden Glove race. Know the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the Premier League 2023-24 season.

Most clean sheets in Premier League 2023-24

Player	Club	Clean Sheets
David Raya	Arsenal	16
Jordan Pickford	Everton	13
Bernd Leno	Fulham	10
Ederson	Manchester City	10
Andre Onana	Manchester United	9
Alisson Becker	Liverpool	8
Emiliano Martinez	Aston Villa	8
Mark Flekken	Brentford	7
Neto	Bournemouth	7
Guglielmo Vicario	Tottenham Hotspur	7

Photo credit: Alamy

One of the biggest fixtures in the English football calendar, Liverpool are all set to square off against Manchester United in the Premier League 2022-23 on Sunday, March 5. The match will kick off at Anfield from 10:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

The two of the most decorated teams in English football will be raring to get one over the other when they square off in this clash. The earlier fixture between these two teams in the league this season at Old Trafford ended in a 2-1 win for Manchester United.

The two sides have met 238 times across all competitions with United boasting a superior head-to-head in matches between the teams with 90 wins. Liverpool have emerged on top in 80 matches while 68 encounters between the teams have ended in draws.

LIV vs MUN Dream11 prediction for Premier League 2022-23

While form doesn’t count for much in this fixture, there’s no doubting the fact that United will head into this match with momentum on their side. The Red Devils currently find themselves in third position in the standings with 49 points after 24 games. 

Liverpool, on the other hand, are in sixth spot in the standings 10 points adrift of United  having claimed 39 points after 24 matches. They will have the backing of the home crowd on Sunday and will know that the visitors haven’t enjoyed the best of times at their ground in recent years. 

United’s last win at Anfield came in 2016 in the league. However, they will be confident of getting something from this contest, which means the smart money on this game could be put on a draw between the teams.

LIV vs MUN Dream11 team tips for Premier League 2022-23

Top tip: Best forward - Marcus Rashford

The in-form player in world football at the moment, English forward Marcus Rashford is enjoying his best-ever campaign so far having scored 25 goals and provided nine assists in all competitions. He scored the winner against Liverpool when they met earlier this season and will be confident of being on the scoresheet once again, making him a wise forward pick for your football fantasy team.

Top tip: Best midfielder - Bruno Fernandes

Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes has gone from strength to strength as the season has progressed. He has been at the heart of everything good for United, notching up seven goals and 11 assists along the way. Fernandes�?ability to unlock defences and pick out key passes makes him a no-brainer for the midfield spot in your football fantasy team.

Top tip: Best defender - Luke Shaw

A defensively sound option, Luke Shaw is enjoying a fine season for the Red Devils. He’s robust at the back and will be hoping to earn a clean sheet against Liverpool having been a part of a cohesive backline for United which has produced quite a few shutouts in recent times. A threat in attack as well, Shaw has one goal and four assists from the back this season.

Top tip: Best goalkeeper - Alisson Becker

In goal, Liverpool’s Alisson Becker makes for a prudent option for your fantasy football team. He’s a great shot-stopper and has already pulled off several spectacular saves in the ongoing campaign. Alisson is likely to be under the cosh against United’s attackers, meaning his saves could help you earn a lot of fantasy points.

 

Photo credits: Alamy

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has made changes to the original schedule for Copa America 2021, with nine-time champions Brazil playing their Group B match against Venezuela in the opening fixture on June 13 (June 14 in India).

Postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition will have 10 teams participating after Australia and Qatar withdrew due to fixture congestion. The competition was originally set to be jointly hosted by Argentina and Colombia, but the CONMEBOL announced that Brazil will now host the entire competition.

Argentina was removed from hosting Copa America 2021 owing to the rising coronavirus cases in the country. Earlier, Colombia had to be axed as a host due to ongoing protests in the nation.

The fixtures were rejigged as well. Hosts Brazil will feature in the opener at the Mane Garrincha Stadium. The Copa America 2021 final will be held at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium.

The last edition of the tournament was also held in Brazil in 2019.

With the revised structure, the 10-team Copa America will have two groups of five teams each. The first group comprises Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia while the second group includes defending champions Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Watch Copa American live in India!

Eight teams will advance to the quarter-finals, which means only one team from each group won't move on to the knockout stages.

Football superstars like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are expected to take part in the competition. The squads for the national teams are yet to be announced.

Copa America 2021 schedule, fixtures and live India match times

All times in Indian Standard Time (IST)

GROUP STAGE 

Matchday 1

Monday, June 14: Brazil vs Venezuela - 2:30 AM IST

Monday, June 14: Colombia vs Ecuador - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 2

Tuesday, June 15: Argentina vs Chile - 2:30 AM IST

Tuesday, June 15: Paraguay vs Bolivia - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 3

Friday, June 18: Colombia vs Venezuela - 2:30 AM IST

Friday, June 18: Peru vs Brazil - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 4

Saturday, June 19: Chile vs Bolivia - 2:30 AM IST

Saturday, June 19: Argentina vs Uruguay - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 5

Monday, June 21: Venezuela vs Ecuador - 2:30 AM IST

Monday, June 21: Colombia vs Peru - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 6

Tuesday, June 22: Uruguay vs Chile - 2:30 AM IST

Tuesday, June 22: Argentina vs Paraguay - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 7

Thursday, June 24: Ecuador vs Peru - 2:30 AM IST

Thursday, June 24: Colombia vs Brazil - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 8

Friday, June 25: Bolivia vs Uruguay - 2:30 AM IST

Friday, June 25: Chile vs Paraguay - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 9

Monday, June 28: Brazil vs Ecuador - 2:30 AM IST

Monday, June 28: Venezuela vs Peru - 2:30 AM IST

Matchday 10

Tuesday, June 29: Uruguay vs Paraguay - 5:30 AM IST

Tuesday, June 29: Bolivia vs Argentina - 5:30 AM IST

Copa America 2021 knockout stage schedule

Copa America quarter-finals

Matchday 11

Saturday, July 3: 2B vs 3A - 2:30 AM IST

Saturday, July 3: 1B vs 4A - 5:30 AM IST

Matchday 12

Sunday, July 4: 2A vs 3B - 3:30 AM IST

Sunday, July 4: 1A vs 4B - 6:30 AM IST

Copa America semi-finals

Tuesday, July 6: WQF1 vs WQF2 - 4:30 AM IST

Wednesday, July 7: WQF3 vs WQF4 - 6:30 AM IST

Third and fourth place

Matchday 13

Saturday, July 10: LSF2 vs LSF1 - 5:30 AM IST

Copa America final

Saturday, July 11: WSF2 vs WSF1 - 5:30 AM IST

Where to watch Copa America 2021 live in India?

The Copa America will be telecast live on the Sony TEN 2 and the Sony TEN 2 HD TV channels in India. Sony TEN 4 and Sony SIX will broadcast matches in regional languages.

Live streaming of Copa America in India will be available on the SonyLiv platform.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is super excited, and it’s all for Alisson Becker. And the lanky Indian custodian doesn’t mind doing a Becker sometime soon.

Alisson Becker, the Liverpool FC goalkeeper came off his line to head home the match-winner against West Bromwich Albion, the 2-1 victory keeping Liverpool’s chances of making it to the UEFA Champions League alive.

“I just can’t stop watching his header again, and again. Maybe it just happened �?the ball fell in place and out of pure commitment he glided the ball �?and what a header! But if he is doing that regularly in practice, then we have to admit that he is extra special,�?he opines.

 

Do you want to emulate him?

“Not that I am desperate to do it, and I hope that I don’t have to do it ever. Obviously, there have been quite a few times that I have gone up for my club Bengaluru FC, and also during my stint with previous clubs,�?he mentions.

“But if the team requires it as per the situation, who knows? But I would rather leave it to Sunil Chhetri. He is much better at it than me,�?Gurpreet’s laughter almost breaks the ceiling. “I have to work on me attacking the ball, and on my heading. But I don’t mind it,�?he smiles again.

“For a modern-day goalkeeper, the importance of being good with your feet is paramount. Gone are the days when a goalkeeper was just a shot-stopper,�?Gurpreet, an Arjuna Awardee, adds.

“Personally, it was an exciting challenge to undergo the transition phase. When I started professionally, the trend was more to save shots. The first instructions which I received were to kick the ball back to where it came from. But it’s changed now,�?the first Indian player to feature in a Europa League (for Norwegian side Stabaek FK) match expressed.

“The goalkeeper needs to initiate the attack, help the team build up on the possession. His distribution has to be impeccable. However, I am still a student of the game and working on the same. There is a long way to go,�?he expresses.

“And now I know, a goalkeeper needs to head it perfectly too,�?he laughs again.

 

Featured photo: AIFF

Over the years, the Premier League has been home to players from 111 different nationalities, consistently living up to its billing as a truly global league.

The league’s foreign exports have been setting the stage on fire since the inception of the Premier League and players from abroad have been subjects of some high-profile switches over the years. 

The Premier League has a rich history of talent from Brazil and clubs haven’t shied away from paying top dollar to acquire some Samba magic. Below, we take a look at the five most expensive Brazilian signings in the league’s history: 

Alisson Becker �?75 million euros

After Loris Karius�?blunders cost them the 2017-18 Champions League final, Liverpool decided to get a massive upgrade in the goalkeeper position and they did so by signing Alisson Becker from Roma for 75 million euros. 

Alisson’s signing proved to be a masterstroke as the Brazilian has been a key part of Liverpool's Champions League and Premier League-winning campaigns. He won the golden glove in his Premier League campaign and was the man of the match in the 2018-19 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Fred �?59 million euros

After a stellar season with Shakhtar Donetsk, Fred signed for Manchester United for 59 million euros in the summer of 2018 and the jury is still out on whether the midfielder is another one in a long list of South American flops at Old Trafford.

• Fred: An underappreciated jewel of Manchester United

After a difficult first season, Fred was initially frozen out of the side at the start of the 2019/20 season, however, injuries to Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic gave Fred the opportunity to feature heavily in United’s starting XI and the Brazilian strung together a good run of performances. However, the signing of Bruno Fernandes and the return of Paul Pogba from injury has seen Fred’s playing time diminish yet again, and despite having a solid second season, it’s no secret that the Brazilian has really been worth the price Manchester United paid for his services.

Fabinho �?45 million euros

The same summer that Fred moved to Manchester United, Liverpool signed the Red Devils�?long-time midfield target Fabinho in a surprise deal from Monaco.

Like Alisson, Fabinho has been terrific for the Reds. The 26-year-old has been a constant fixture in Liverpool’s starting XI and dictates play from midfield at just the exact tempo that coach Jurgen Klopp demands from his side. Fabinho’s knack of scoring spectacular long-range goals have made him a fan-favourite at Merseyside and the Brazilian has been a huge part of their success over the past 24 months. 

Joelinton �?44 million euros

After a decent season with Hoffenheim in 2018-19, where he bagged seven goals and seven assists for the Bundesliga side, Joelinton was signed by Newcastle United for an eye-watering 44 million euros.

Newcastle raised a lot of eyebrows with this move and fast-forward 12 months later, it’s evident why there were questions raised about Newcastle’s decision to acquire the Brazilian. Joelinton struggled to make any sort of impact in his debut campaign in the Premier League, scoring just two and assisting a couple in 38 appearances, a terrible return.

While there’s plenty of time for the 23-year-old to bounce back and prove everyone wrong, as of today, Newcastle’s decision to sign the striker is proving to be a bad investment. 

Robinho �?43 million euros

Having been linked with a move to Chelsea, Robinho surprised the world by swapping Madrid for Manchester and joining City as the first huge marquee signing of the Sheikh Mansour era. 

Robinho was outstanding in his first season in the Premier League, scoring 14 and assisting five, however, the Brazilian left the club in January 2010 for Italy on loan after failing to settle in the country. Robinho then made his move to Milan permanent in August 2010, ending his brief, but expensive spell in England.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Mike Egerton, Paul Ellis