The Optus Football Podcast

Mark Schwarzer is joined by Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens for the final time this season as they wrap up a dramatic final day of the Premier League season, and dish out their season awards, including: Team of the season - and it may not be who you think! Player of the season Manager of the season Worst manager of the season (!) Shock of the season! Bold prediction for next season Listen to...

Phil and Bridgey reflect on an historic night for Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur and Australian football. --------- Ange Postecoglou features in a special episode of Optus Sport's award-winning limited series: Football Belongs , charting the cultural threads of Australian society through the lens of nine football matches: Acast: https://play.acast.com/s/football-belongs Spotify: https://open....

"...What's going to happen... is the CHAOS..."  Mark Schwarzer, Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens are back to preview this week's final day of the Premier League. Five teams are chasing three spots in Europe. Who will they be? Anfield finally gets to see Liverpool lift the trophy Newcastle, Villa, City, Chelsea, Forest - which of these will make Champions League? Mark recalls a hilarious m...

Schwarzie is joined by Phil and Juls to recap a weekend of Premier League action which saw the race for Europe get even tighter, Everton say goodbye to Goodison Park and Jamie Vardy ending his time at Leicester City in typical fairytale fashion. Juls is also very annoyed at Graham Potter and West Ham, whilst Phil can't hide his nerves ahead of the Europa League final. Every game of the Premier Lea...

Schwarzie, Bridgey and Jay Bothroyd react from Wembley Stadium following Crystal Palace's historic Men's FA Cup victory over Manchester City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"...Not sure what he can do with so much cotton wrapped around him...."  Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens are back to preview this week's exciting FA Cup Final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City, with some enthralling storylines on the way! Can Palace win their first trophy in over 30 years - and their first FA Cup? These teams score GOALS when they meet... will it be another bloo...

Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens brought their shooting boots for this one - much to Juls' frustration - as they dissect a weekend of Premier League action that saw twists in the race for Europe, owners storming the pitch, and Trent Alexander-Arnold getting booed by Liverpool fans. Juls also reflects on the ‘incredible’ Sonia Bompastor leading Chelsea to an unbeaten WSL title, and the guys dis...

"...qualifying for Europe would be, quite frankly, ridiculous ..."  Mark Schwarzer is joined by Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens to preview matchweek 36 of the Premier League AND a massive final round of the WSL with Michelle and Ash! How 'special' it would be if Aston Villa can secure consecutive seasons of Champions League football Why Bournemouth's potential Conference League qualifica...

Schwarzie is joined by Phil and Juls to break down a potentially pivotal Premier League weekend in the race for Champions League qualification. The guys also look ahead to Arsenal’s season-defining second leg against PSG in the Champions League, and share their picks for who’s most likely to win the play-offs and be gracing our screens on Optus Sport next season. Plus, Michelle and Ash round up al...

"...that's an incredible season for them. That's one of their best ever seasons..."  Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens look ahead to matchweek 35 of the Premier League as the race for Europe is massive! FIVE points in between third and seventh for three places - who gets them? Could Bournemouth drag Arsenal into the fight for these Europe spots? Find out which team the lads believe is...

Phil and Juls react to Liverpool romping to their 20th English league title with a comfortable 5-1 win over Ange's Spurs, whose domestic season seems to be going from bad to worse. But can the Europa League save his job? They also chat about the FA Cup semi-finals and whether Crystal Palace can cause an upset in the final against Manchester City. Michelle and Ash also chat WSL and how Chelsea...

Schwarzie, Phil and Juls preview the FA Cup semi-finals as Crystal Palace take on Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest face Manchester City, live on Optus Sport. They reflect on the importance of the competition and the pressure on Villa, Palace and Forest who are desperate to lift a trophy. The team also debate Forest’s priorities: Champions League or FA Cup, whilst everyone picks their FA Cup winne...

Schwarzie, Phil and Juls break down another weekend of Premier League action that felt all too familiar: Manchester United underwhelming again, Leicester losing, and fresh headlines around Liverpool’s contract talks following Trent Alexander-Arnold's winner. The guys also chat about the battle for the Champions League spots and whether Niclas Füllkrug was right to call out his West Ham teammates,...

'My dad always wanted me to sign for Everton!' We move into the final six weeks of the Premier League season, and Phil Kitromilides, Jay Bothroyd and Michael Bridges return for a big weekend preview: Bridgey tells us why he loved playing at Goodison Park, and how he and his old man were 'gutted' he never got the chance to play for the Toffees - and why Liverpool fans loved him! After a massive mid...

Phil is joined by Bridgey and Jay this week to take stock of where we're at as we head into the final throws of the season: five Champions League spots are up for grabs and are Leeds on the cusp of returning to the Premier League? The guys also discuss Mo Salah's new contract at Liverpool and whether or not Alexander Isak will be leaving Newcastle this summer. Every Premier League match is live an...

'Newcastle have had a brilliant exceptional season!' Some mouthwatering fixtures sit ahead of us this weekend in the Premier League, and you can see them all on Optus Sport! Mark Schwarzer is joined by Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens to preview a few picks of the matches: Manchester City and Crystal Palace meet at the Etihad, with a stagnating City and rising Palace promising one of the most...

This week Schwarzie, Phil, and Juls dive into the Meh-chester dull-by - a Manchester derby that lacked intensity and left everyone disappointed. With both teams underperforming, they discuss why this was one of the most underwhelming derbies in recent memory. The guys also reflect on Kevin De Bruyne’s legacy as one of the Premier League’s greatest players following his announcement that he will be...

Schwarzie and Bridgey reflect on another epic weekend of FA Cup action outside the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, and they can't believe Andoni Iraola's men didn't get the job done! The guys also assess the rest of the round and give their tips on who they think will be lifting the trophy at Wembley in May. There's also a ton of midweek Premier League action to look forward to in the coming days...

'Boom, boom, boom, boom...Mateta's in the room!' We are absolutely pumped up for the final EIGHT teams to line up in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this weekend, with the lads Mark Schwarzer, Phil Kitromilides and Julien Laurens discussing: We are so excited that (aside from City!) one side may be able to break a long-standing trophy drought! Fulham and Palace meet in a London derby that, if Pal...

Join Schwarzie, Phil, and Juls as they break down a thrilling night of Nations League quarter-finals action, which featured 21 goals on Optus Sport! The guys are buzzing about the high-scoring drama, but they still end up asking the age-old question: Should Ronaldo be starting for Portugal? Juls takes a bold stance, suggesting that Michael Olise might just be the next Antoine Griezmann for France,...

'... He's like the perfect sperm sample that's ever been created!...' We have Mark Schwarzer, Phil Kitromilides and Michael Bridges as they look forward to a weekend of more than 60 matches across five competitions... in particular the UEFA Nations League and World Cup Qualifiers! Thomas Tuchel's England squad gets put under the spotlight, including ONE very controversial selection. Should fans ge...

It's the morning after the night before and Bridgey is a bit worse for wear following Newcastle United lifting their first domestic trophy in 70 years.  He speaks about what this trophy means to his family, the people of Newcastle and how Eddie Howe's men can now build on this in the future.  Schwarzie reflects on when he played with Newcastle's hero Dan Burn at Fulham, whilst Phil...

'Who would've said at the start of the season that we are talking about Manchester City v Brighton as a six-pointer for the Champions League!...' We have Mark Schwarzer, Phil Kitromilides and Jay Bothroyd on board to look ahead to this weekend's Premier League action! While Jay brings his habitual stirring to the occasion, Mark and Phil have their own big lines to drop on the crew as they look ahe...

Schwarzie and Phil are joined by a riled-up Jay Bothroyd this week, as his beloved Arsenal trail Liverpool in the title race by a staggering 15 points. Jay doesn't hold back, slamming Mikel Arteta as 'tactically inept,' while Schwarzie takes a deep dive into the set-up of the wall for Bruno Fernandes' free-kick. Speaking of Bruno, Jay boldly claims Manchester United would be facing relegation with...

'Arsenal are a WOUNDED ANIMAL right now...' Nothing beats the rampaging return of the Premier League this weekend on Optus Sport, and Michael Bridges joins Mark Schwarzer to run a comb through a few of the mouth-watering fixtures to come this week: Arsenal are smarting, according to the lads, and despite their midweek Champions League boilover, they will struggle against Manchester United! Tottenh...