Fancy a Pre-Match Poser?
Benfica, Flamengo, Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham Hotspur, Walsall. Why do Fenerbahce follow next in this sequence?
We'll reveal the answer this time next week in the next edition of The Pre-Match Poser – stay tuned for that – but for now, here's the answer to last week's conundrum…
Q. What connects Motherwell, Dynamo Kyiv, Rapid Wien and, strictly speaking, Wolverhampton Wanderers?
A. They’ve all won competitions in other countries. Motherwell were invited to play in the 1927 Copa Del Rey (no, really) and won; Dynamo Kyiv won Soviet titles before the breakup of the USSR; Rapid Wien lifted the German Bundesliga during World War II; and in the summer of 1967, a handful of English clubs went Stateside to compete in a league called, the United Soccer Association (USA), in which the likes of Stoke City and Aberdeen were rebranded as things like ‘the Cleveland Stokers’ and ‘the Washington Whips’ respectively, with a certain Los Angeles Wolves – essentially a Wolverhampton Wanderers squad – winning the championship.
More football quizzes we know you'll love
So you've solved the Pre-Match Poser and feel like peak Pep Guardiola? Well, let's put that level of peripheral vision and raw footballing intellect to further test, with more quizzes about tactical masterminds and global icons: an intriguing new selection of challenges is here for your perusal, courtesy of Kwizly.
We’re heading across the borders to track the English explorers and the Premier League’s most durable African stars. We want you to identify the homegrown talent that found glory on the continent by naming every English player to have played for an overseas European Cup/Champions League-winning club since 1992, before pivoting to the record-breakers of a different continent to name every African nation's record appearance holder in the Premier League. It is a test of international movement and top-flight longevity that separates the true global scouts from the casual viewers.
If your knowledge is more about visual identity or the trusted lieutenants of the Special One, we have two specialised hurdles waiting in the tunnel. You can test your recall of the most reliable foot-soldiers in history by naming Jose Mourinho's 50 most-used players, or see if your eye for detail is world-class by naming which teams wore these 50 shirts.
To wind down after that intensive scouting mission, find a quiet spot for FourFourTwo’s Weekend Crossword 55, featuring clues on champions, classic alcohol sponsors, and free-kick masters. To stay one step ahead of the competition, subscribe to our newsletter for your daily afternoon briefing of hand-picked trivia. You can also claim your spot in the hall of fame by joining The Club: our free membership portal where you can unlock secret hints, collect digital badges for your trophy cabinet, and battle for the number one spot on our global leaderboards.
