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FourFourTwo
Sport
Ryan Dabbs

Match of the Day set for first-ever father and son punditry team with Ian Wright and Shaun Wright-Phillips

Ian Wright and Shaun Wright-Phillips on Match of the Day BBC

Ian Wright and Shaun Wright-Phillips are set to make history by becoming the first-ever father and son punditry team to appear on BBC’s Match of the Day on Saturday.

The pair will join the show's host, Gary Lineker, in the studio to review highlights from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright is a regular on the football highlights show, and will be joined by his son and former Manchester City and Chelsea star Shaun Wright-Phillips for the first time. 

Wright-Phillips, 41, retired from professional football in 2019 while playing for Phoenix Rising in the United States. He has since worked in the business world, while also acting as a pundit at various games for the likes of BT Sport, the Premier League and Sky Sports. Saturday is set to be his debut on the UK's flagship football show. 

 Wright, meanwhile, has appeared on Match of the Day since 2001, and even poked fun at his son on the show a few weeks ago, in response to Shaun's taunt on social media after Manchester City had beaten Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad. 

"Hi Ian Wright how's things?" Wright-Phillips tweeted. 'Just checking in... Hope you're OK dad."

Lineker passed on the message live on air during Match of the Day, to which Wright responded: "He's so annoying.

"I taught him how to wee this boy... he still can't reach the toilet now!"

There are six Premier League games being played on Saturday, with permutations at both ends of the table. Leeds United welcome Newcastle United to Elland Road in a fixture which could be crucial for both teams, while Aston Villa host Tottenham Hotspur in a battle for Europe.

Bottom side Southampton will be relegated to the Championship on Saturday if they fail to beat Fulham, with Manchester United taking on Wolves and Chelsea hoping for three points against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. The final game is Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth.

Of course, like always, the running order will depend on the results from the day's games. 

However, unlike usual, Match of the Day will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 22:00 BST on Saturday, with the Eurovision Song Contest taking up its slot on BBC One.

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