#arnason

Arnason happy to exit 'hectic' British game

Iceland defender Kari Arnason says he cannot face any more time in British football due to the physical rigours.

The 35-year-old is preparing for the World Cup as a free agent after finishing his second spell at Aberdeen.

He also spent time at Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United.

“We’ll see what happens after the World Cup,” Arnason told BBC Scotland.…

Iceland defender Kari Arnason says he cannot face any more time in British football due to the physical rigours.

The 35-year-old is preparing for the World Cup as a free agent after finishing his second spell at Aberdeen.

He also spent time at Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United.

“We’ll see what happens after the World Cup,” Arnason told BBC Scotland. “I’m open to anything, apart from British football. I don’t think I’ve got another season in me there.”

Arnason spent time with Malmo in Sweden and played in Cyprus with Omonia Nicosia before returning to Pittodrie on a one-year contract last summer.

He made 24 appearances as the Dons finished runners-up in the Premiership for the fourth successive campaign.

Explaining his desire for a fresh challenge and an exit from the UK, the centre-half said: “It’s just the way football is played; they need to get with the times. They need to pass more and try to keep the ball.

“The teams I’ve played for, it’s been too hectic. It’s just launching the ball forward as far as you can and trying to head the ball as far as you can.

“You can be successful at that, but it takes a lot out of you. At 35, I’m ready for something else.”

Arnason, who also spent the 2011-12 season with the Dons, said: “I enjoyed my time with Aberdeen, but I didn’t really enjoy the style of football.

“We came second in the league, which was positive. I thought I made my contribution to the team and I’m happy with that.

“It is what it is and I played enough games to keep fit for the World Cup.”

‘Messi can make you look silly’

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Iceland will be making their World Cup debut after topping a qualifying section that included Croatia, Turkey and Ukraine.

In Russia, they will face Argentina, Croatia and Nigeria.

“Everyone in the group can steal points from anyone,” said Arnason of a tough-looking group. “It will go down to the wire to see who qualifies.”

Iceland, who reached the last eight at Euro 2016 – eliminating England on the way, open their World Cup against Argentina in Moscow on 16 June.

“It’s an interesting match up, especially coming from the Scottish league where you play against Hamilton Accies, with all due respect to them,” said Arnason about the prospect of facing Argentian forward Lionel Messi.

“It’s a team effort. If you get singled out by him then just about any defender in the world knows how that is going to end up. He can make you look silly, like an absolute amateur.

“We just need to stay solid and see what happens. As a unit, we are very strong.

“At the Euros, we used a rigid 4-4-2. Now we are more adaptable and use different set-up and different tactics for each individual game.

“It’s about how we defend, the way we counter-attack and use our strength at set-pieces.”

BBC Sport – Scottish

Premier League predictions: Lawro v Justin Young & Arni Arnason from The Vaccines

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was criticised for his defensive outlook when his side drew 0-0 at Anfield in October – so will his tactics be the same when Liverpool come to Old Trafford on Saturday? BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson says: “Mourinho will not be as cautious this time – he will get booed by United fans if he is. “So he won’t park the bus, but that does not mean he…

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was criticised for his defensive outlook when his side drew 0-0 at Anfield in October – so will his tactics be the same when Liverpool come to Old Trafford on Saturday?

BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson says: “Mourinho will not be as cautious this time – he will get booed by United fans if he is.

“So he won’t park the bus, but that does not mean he won’t try to get the defensive aspect right to stop Liverpool’s attack, because his side have looked frail at the back recently.

“He just needs to get the blend right and make sure United offer enough of a threat as well.”

Lawro is going for a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. Do you agree?

You can make your predictions now, take on Lawro and other fans, create your own league and try to make it to the top of the table by playing the new-look BBC Sport Predictor game.[1]

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Lawro scored 120 points in week 29, which leaves him in 1,427th place out of more than 400,000 users.

He will be making a prediction for all 380 top-flight games this season, against a variety of guests.

This week he takes on have Justin Young and Arni Arnason from indie rock band The Vaccines.

Singer Justin is a Manchester United fan while bassist Arni follows Tottenham.

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Arni says he became a Spurs supporter by “osmosis” when a friend started taking him to games after he moved to London from Iceland.

“I love everything about the Spurs squad but it feels like this season is a little bit on hold,” he explained.

“I am happy if we stay in the top four but the main thing is that we keep the core of this team together for when we move into our new stadium – then it is going to be incredible.”

Justin says he has similar reasons for choosing United.

“My family supported Southampton and I didn’t want to support the same team as them,” he explained. “I was five, and United were the only other team I had heard of.

“I was lucky enough to start following them when their fortunes had just started to turn – I was 11 when they won the treble in 1999.

“I am a big Mourinho fan and I am also a big fan of being back in the top four. City are uncatchable this year and I know United are getting a bit of flak for the way they are playing, but I am enjoying being back in the race and back in the Champions League places. I am optimistic for next year.”

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Premier League predictions – week 30 Result Lawro Justin & Arni SATURDAY Man Utd v Liverpool x-x 1-1 2-1 Everton v Brighton x-x 2-0 1-2 Huddersfield v Swansea x-x 1-1 2-0 Newcastle v Southampton x-x 2-1 0-1 West Brom v Leicester x-x 0-2 0-1 West Ham v Burnley x-x 1-1 0-1 Chelsea v Crystal Palace x-x 2-0 3-0 SUNDAY Arsenal v Watford x-x 3-0 0-0 Bournemouth v Tottenham x-x 0-2 0-2 MONDAY Stoke v Man City x-x 0-2 0-5

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

LAWRO’S PREDICTIONS

All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless otherwise stated.

SATURDAY

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Man Utd v Liverpool (12:30 GMT)

United will be buoyed by two consecutive comebacks to beat Chelsea and Crystal Palace – which will be absolutely fantastic for their confidence.

Liverpool are flying too, and they are level with Manchester City and Tottenham at the top of the form table with 13 points from their past five games.

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You occasionally get a high-scoring game when these two meet – I remember Liverpool winning 4-1 at Old Trafford in 2009 when Fernando Torres gave Nemanja Vidic the run-around.

But I don’t think we will see anything like that on Saturday, because there is very little between the two teams.

I think we are looking at a 1-1 draw and that is a result they would both take too.

Yes, it means that they both drop points and the teams outside the top four can close the gap, but they both have a bit of a cushion between them and Chelsea in fifth place.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 2-1

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Everton v Brighton

Everton were actually pretty good for the first 20 minutes or so of last week’s game against Burnley. They were proactive when they were 1-0 up and went looking for a second goal.

But once the Clarets got level there was only one team who looked like winning, and the result continued Everton’s hopeless run away.

Brighton’s run-in Home Away v Leicester (31 March) v Everton (10 March) v Huddersfield (7 April) v Crystal Palace (14 April) v Tottenham (20 April) v Burnley (28 April) v Man Utd (5 May) v Liverpool (13 May) v Man City (TBC)

The Toffees are usually a lot stronger at home, however, which is why I am backing them here, despite Brighton’s impressive recent form.

The Seagulls have got a seven-point cushion between them and the bottom three but, looking at their run-in, I think they might need it, because it is very tough.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 1-2

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Huddersfield v Swansea

Swansea manager Carlos Carvalho has had another impressive week, with his side responding to a 4-1 defeat by Brighton with a 4-1 win over West Ham.

Doing that shows how strong they are mentally, because they were able to park that defeat, and Carvalho is showing that he can get the best out of his players.

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Huddersfield are finding things more difficult at the moment and I still worry about how much of a threat they pose because their standard 4-5-1 formation does not see many men getting forward.

The question is, do they change things and go for it a bit more because they are playing Swansea? I don’t think they will.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 2-0

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Newcastle v Southampton

Southampton are not creating enough opportunities to win games, which is why they are languishing near the bottom of the table.

Similarly, Newcastle’s main aim against Liverpool at Anfield last week was to keep the score down.

The Magpies never looked like scoring themselves and the game was over as soon as the Reds went ahead.

But their whole approach will be very different this time and I am expecting an atmosphere to match at St James’ Park because their fans know their home form will be crucial in keeping them up.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-1

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-1

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West Brom v Leicester

I don’t know what has happened to West Brom, who used to be a team that were very difficult to play against.

They are totally the opposite of that now – there is a stench of relegation around The Hawthorns and the Baggies players seem to have accepted their fate.

There is time to save themselves – but at the moment it looks more as if it is just matter of time until they go down.

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Leicester, on the other hand, are still in the race for seventh despite going five league games without a win.

Looking at the way Riyad Mahrez has been playing for the Foxes, I think their manager Claude Puel dealt with that whole situation very well.

Mahrez is playing like someone is watching him – and they probably are.

But Puel has not just got Mahrez back in the team, he has got him back playing well – even if a move away from the club does look inevitable in the summer.

Lawro’s prediction: 0-2

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-1

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West Ham v Burnley

Burnley’s win over Everton last week was a big result for them because it had been so long since their last victory – on 12 December.

West Ham, in contrast, had a very bad day against Swansea and, for their manager David Moyes, it will be vital his side get something from this game.

I am not sure what to expect from the Hammers at the moment, which is why I am going to go for a draw.

Lawro’s prediction: 1-1

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-1

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Chelsea v Crystal Palace (17:30 GMT)

Crystal Palace are on a run of three defeats which has coincided with Wilfried Zaha’s absence with a knee injury, so it is good news for them that Zaha is set to return soon.

I don’t think the Eagles are necessarily playing that badly in his absence – they looked OK when they went 2-0 up against Manchester United on Monday – but it was a worry that they could not hold on to that lead.

Chelsea have had a bad couple of weeks, losing twice in Manchester to United and City, but I am expecting them to be much improved on their return to Stamford Bridge.

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We definitely won’t see a repeat of Antonio Conte’s tactics at Etihad Stadium, thankfully. I do not understand why Conte asked Chelsea to lie down and roll over in that game.

They were damage limitation tactics that you might see from a struggling side scrambling for points – not from the defending champions.

Lawro’s prediction: 2-0

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 3-0

SUNDAY

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Arsenal v Watford (13:30 GMT)

Watford are one of 10 teams to beat Arsenal on the road this season but, at the Emirates, things should be different.

The Gunners will still win games, of course, it is just you always know what is around the corner.

It seems to be almost every day now that little bit of Arsene Wenger’s legacy as Arsenal manager is eroded – as in the Gunners’ defeat by Brighton at the weekend, for example.

Lawro’s prediction: 3-0

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-0

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Bournemouth v Tottenham (16:00 GMT)

I really fancied Juventus before their Champions League win over Tottenham on Wednesday.

Everyone had got really carried away with Spurs’ performance in the first leg but Juve do not have any bad days and they were far too good a team to be written off.

Tottenham still have the right to be disappointed with how that tie went, though, because they did not do very much wrong.

They can take out their sense of injustice on Bournemouth, who I fear might face a bit of a backlash here.

The Cherries were denied victory by Riyad Mahrez’s 97th-minute equaliser for Leicester last week but I don’t think they will find themselves in a similar position this time around.

Lawro’s prediction: 0-2

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-2

MONDAY

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Stoke v Man City (20:00 GMT)

Stoke’s problems haven’t changed – they drew again last week, and they are still short of goals.

I think they would welcome a point against Manchester City, who hammered them 7-2 in October, but that is not going to happen.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost their unbeaten home record against Basel on Wednesday but there is no cause for concern – you get those kind of surprise results in ties when the pressure is off.

Lawro’s prediction: 0-2

Justin & Arni’s prediction: 0-5

Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

How did Lawro do last time?

From the last round of Premier League games, Lawro got five correct results, with two perfect scores, from 10 matches for a total of 110 points.

He lost out to Katerina Johnson-Thompson,[2] who won pentathlon gold in the World Indoor Athletics Championships and also got her predictions spot on.

Johnson-Thompson also got five correct results but with three perfect scores, for a total of 140 points that puts her second on the guest leaderboard (see below).

There was some consolation for Lawro, however. He picked up 10 more points after correctly predicting Manchester City would win at Arsenal on Thursday 2 March, meaning his 50-50 draw with Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, stars of film ‘I, Tonya’, turned into a 60-50 win (Robbie and Janney went for a Gunners victory).

Total scores after week 29 Lawro 2,530 Guests 2,230

Lawro v Guests P29 W16 D3 L10

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+/- DENOTE POSITION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAWRO’S TABLE AND ACTUAL POSITION POS TEAM P W D L PTS +/- 1 Man City 29 24 4 1 76 0 2 Man Utd 29 24 4 1 76 0 3 Tottenham 29 23 6 0 72 +1 4 Liverpool 29 19 10 0 64 -1 5 Chelsea 29 18 6 5 60 0 6 Arsenal 29 13 11 5 50 0 7 Leicester 29 12 5 12 41 +1 8 Southampton 29 11 7 11 37 +9 9 West Ham 29 7 15 7 36 +5 10 West Ham 29 10 5 14 35 +10 11 Burnley 29 8 8 13 32 -4 12 Stoke 29 7 11 11 32 +7 13 Bournemouth 29 7 10 12 31 -1 14 Crystal Palace 29 7 5 17 26 +4 15 Everton 29 6 7 16 25 -4 16 Brighton 29 3 12 14 21 -6 17 Newcastle 29 4 9 16 21 -1 18 Swansea 29 5 3 21 18 -5 19 Watford 29 4 6 19 18 -10 20 Huddersfield 29 1 9 19 12 -5

GUEST LEADERBOARD

SCORE GUEST LEADERBOARD 160 Justin Hawkins, Chris Shiflett 130 James Anderson*, Joe Johnson* 120 Russel Leetch*, Will Poulter, Moeen Ali 110 Aron Baynes* 100 Cesaro & Seamus, Wretch 32 90 Pete Wentz 86 Lawro (average after 28 weeks) 80 John Cena, Darren Campbell 70 Brendan Foster*, Mark Strong 60 Jimmy from Django Django, Will Ferrell, Nish Kumar, Non Stanford, Rick Witter 50 Steve Cram, Michael Dapaah, Channing Tatum, Joe Root, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, Dario Saric, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Bell, 40 Craig David, Ed Lay 30 Rhys James, Felix White 20 Richard Osman, Emmanuel Sanders and Josh Norman

* Shows weeks where Lawro had more than one guest, and only the highest score contributed to the guest total.

Lawro’s best score: 150 points (week eight v Wretch 32 and week 24 v Pete Wentz)

Lawro’s worst score: 40 points (week four v Umenyiora and Bell, week five v Non Stanford, week 21 v Darren Campbell and week 23 v Saric and Baynes)

References

^ the new-look BBC Sport Predictor game. (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Katerina Johnson-Thompson, (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football