Benfica are not afraid of the challenge that awaits them in their Champions League quarter-final tie with Liverpool, according to midfielder Adel Taarabt.
Liverpool enter the first leg of their showdown with Benfica at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday as strong favourites, having won 16 of their past 17 matches in all competitions.
The Reds have also won all four away games in UEFA s flagship club competition this term – only once, between 1983 and 1984 under Joe Fagan, have they won five in a row.
But having finished above Barcelona in the group stage before eliminating an in-form Ajax in the first knockout round, Taarabt does not fear Premier League giants Liverpool.
Of course we can compete with them, Taarabt said at a pre-match news conference on Monday. …
Yet for all his success at club level, it was arguably with Wales that Bale enjoyed his proudest moments, not least reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Bale also played a huge part in ending Wales 64-year wait to qualify for the World Cup last year, with their group defeat to England proving to be his final game as a professional.
As the curtain comes down on Bale s playing days at the age of just 33, Stats Perform breaks down the numbers from a remarkable career.
Bale played 664 matches for club and country and scored 226 goals, the majority of those unsurprisingly coming for Madrid (106).
He also netted 41 times in 111 games for Wales, becoming his country s record goalscorer and cap holder in the process.
The Cardiff-born forward also netted…
According to , Erling Haaland is expected to sign a new contract with Manchester City soon. His current deal still has three years left to run, but the Premier League champions are determined to reward the striker s unbelievable impact since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.
But while it may seem Haaland s new contract would strengthen City s hold over his services, it will apparently include a release clause, devised by his father Alf-Inge and agent Rafaela Pimenta to make the Norway international a master of his own destiny , which is not very common in the Premier League.
Marca s focus in this story is unsurprisingly set on that particular detail, and at the Spanish outlet they believe it will be set within the reach of Real Madrid, should Los Blancos decide t…
Billy Dodds declared Inverness “ready to go” for Saturday’s Scottish Cup final even though they will have had more than four weeks without a match by the time the Hampden showdown with Celtic kicks off.
The Highlanders have not played a competitive game since losing their final cinch Championship fixture at home to Ayr on May 5.
That result cost them a crack at the play-offs and the squad were given nine days off before returning to training to focus on their bid to pull off a ‘miracle’ this weekend.
“It’s not been ideal and it has been a challenge but it’s not been terrible,” said boss Dodds, reflecting on the month-long gap between matches.
“I would have loved to have been in the play-offs having top-notch games going into the final …
Barcelona wrapped up the LaLiga title in style as Robert Lewandowski s double helped the Blaugrana to a 4-2 thrashing of relegation-threatened rivals Espanyol on Sunday.
Xavi s men headed to the RCDE Stadium knowing a derby victory would secure a 27th LaLiga crown, and a superb display saw them put Espanyol to the sword as Lewandowski scored either side of Alejandro Balde s strike to give them a commanding lead at the break.
Jules Kounde added a fourth not long after half-time, which proved late strikes from Javier Puado and Joselu as mere consolations for Luis García Fernandez s underwhelming hosts.
Barca clinch their first league title since the 2018-19 campaign with four games to play, with the success made even sweeter by the added bonus of deepening their f…
Liverpool will be without Fabinho until the new year due to ankle ligament damage sustained during the 1-1 Champions League draw against Napoli, the Premier League leaders have confirmed.
The Brazil midfielder made way after 18 minutes of Wednesday s match at Anfield and must now sit out a potentially pivotal period of the Reds campaign.
Further assessment on the injury has discovered Fabinho will be out of action until the new year, a club statement read.
The Brazilian will begin a rehabilitation programme with the Reds medical team at Melwood as he works his way back to full fitness.
Jurgen Klopp s side will battle across four fronts over the next month, defending an eight-point lead at the Premier League summit.
We can confirm Fabinho suf…
Chelsea could sell Conor Gallagher in the January transfer window, according to . Gallagher has established himself as an important player for Chelsea this season under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Pochettino does not want the midfielder to leave in the middle of the campaign, but his Chelsea bosses could make the final decision.
Gallagher has been on the books of Chelsea since 2008. He has come through the youth system and has established himself in the first team. The 23-year-old has made 115 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. He has scored 13 goals and given 10 assists in those games.
Chelsea could reportedly sell Gallagher for £40 million. Tottenham Hotspur could make a bid for the midfielder. West Ham United were keen on securing the servic…
Suffering a stunning Champions League collapse at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, Manchester United slumped to a remarkable 3-2 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray.
While Erik ten Hag’s side might have opened the scoring in the 17th minute as Rasmus Hojlund produced a clinical header from close range, the Old Trafford support was almost immediately silenced as ex-United star Wilfried Zaha bundled home just five minutes later.
Although the Reds might have felt that they were sat in pole position to claim a first Champions League victory as Hojlund grabbed his second strike of the night 12 minutes after the interval, United then suffered a woeful collapse on home soil.
With Kerem Akturkoglu once again levelling the scoreline just seconds later, Tuesday’s hosts w…
Expansion team St Louis secure MLS history with fourth straight win, Montreal beat Union after VAR d
St Louis City extended their dream start to life in the MLS with a 3-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday making league history as the first expansion team to win its first four games.
The Missouri club powered past the Earthquakes with first-half goals from Nicholas Gioacchini and Joao Klauss, before Tomas Ostrak sealed the win in the 68th minute.
St Louis fourth straight win surpassed the Seattle Sounders three-win start in their debut MLS season in 2009.
The new franchise have scored 11 goals in four games, with Saturday s win marking their first clean sheet, having been forced to come from behind in all three other victories.
The moment made history!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS)
Argentinian midfielder Thiago Almada continue…
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Los Angeles Galaxy FC and Los Angeles FC will lock horns with each other in Major League Soccer this week. The match between Greg Vanney’s side and Steve Cherundolo’s team will be held at the Dignity Health Sports Park and is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 am UK time on Friday.
Los Angeles Galaxy FC
Los Angeles Galaxy FC are one of the biggest and most well-known clubs in Major League Soccer. They have had some wonderful players in the past and have been successful as well. LA Galaxy have won the MLS Cup as many as five times and have also lost the final on four other occasions.
Greg Vanney’s side are second in the Major League Soccer Western Conference table at the moment with 40…