Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
Two sides who find themselves seeking a real Premier League boost this weekend, Tottenham will welcome Manchester United to north London on Saturday.
Tottenham
Starting with the hosts, managing to pick up what was a much-needed EFL Cup boost in midweek, Tottenham will be desperate to build off of that momentum. While Spurs might not have been at their best once again at Turf Moor, Nuno Espírito Santo s side did claim a 1-0 win on the road as they booked their spot in the quarter-final of this year s tournament. However, last seen on Premier League duties getting hit with a worrying 1-0 loss away at London rivals West Ham, the former Wolves boss is calling on his side to desperately find some stability. Coming under more scrutiny aft…
Ali Daei congratulated Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo for equalling his long-standing record for international goals.
Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot to move onto 109 goals for defending champions Portugal as they secured passage to the knockout stages of Euro 2020 with a 2-2 draw against France on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old Ronaldo now needs just one more goal to surpass Daei, who chalked up his remarkable tally for Iran between 1993 and 2006.
Daei was quick to mark the achievement on social media and predict that he will not jointly hold the record for long.
…
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has made it clear Fernando Torres will have to earn his place in at Euro 2012 with good performances for Chelsea.
The striker netted the winner in Spain s 1-0 win over Germany in the final of the 2008 European Championships, but has been struggling to find his best form at club level since leaving Liverpool for Chelsea in January 2011.
And Del Bosque has now insisted that his selection for next year s tournament will be based on actual performances rather than on achievements from the past.
There will not be any privileges for anyone. There is a lot of competition for places and we have to be fair, Del Bosque said at a press conference ahead of Tuesday s Group I qualifier at home to Scotland.
Fernando Torres has a great h…
Conor Bradley was “absolutely buzzing” after his first Northern Ireland goal was enough for Michael O’Neill’s side to beat disappointing Scotland 1-0 in a friendly at Hampden Park.
A deflected shot from Bradley in the 32nd minute put Northern Ireland in front against the run of play, and despite having more than 80 per cent possession, Scotland could not find a way back as their winless run stretched to seven games to leave big questions over their Euro 2024 preparation.
For Bradley, it was yet another big moment in a breakthrough season as the Green and White Army enjoyed their first win at Hampden Park in 50 years and the 20-year-old became the first Liverpool player to score for Northern Ireland in 110 years.
“I’m absolutely buzzing,” Bradley tol…
Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale has backed former coach Francesco Guidolin to jump into the Italy hot seat vacated by Cesare Prandelli.
After four years in charge, Prandelli new coach of Galatasaray resigned following Italy s failure to qualify for the knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Italy finished third in Group D behind Costa Rica and Uruguay after losing to the South Americans in their final fixture last month.
With the national team on the lookout for Prandelli s successor, Di Natale has thrown his support behind Guidolin, who stepped down as coach of Udinese at the end of last season a position he had occupied since 2010.
After a 30-year career he would be a good man for the Nazionale, Di Natale told reporters of the 58-year-old It…
New Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri understands the scepticism surrounding his appointment but is determined to win over the fans.
Allegri was appointed on Wednesday following the departure of Antonio Conte, who left Juve by mutual consent 24 hours earlier.
The 46-year-old takes over following a mixed spell with Milan, which saw him win the Serie A title in his first season in charge in 2010-11 before a downturn in fortunes.
Allegri was sacked by Milan in January with the 18-time Italian champions languishing in 11th place in the top flight.
However, he has now been given a chance to restore his reputation with a Juve team that will be looking to win a fourth straight Scudetto in 2014-15.
And, although he was surprised by the offer, the job r…
Verdict: Both teams to score yes
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Liverpool will start their 2017 UEFA Champions League campaign against a tough opponent. One that most teams in the competition wanted to avoid during the first round. The Reds will host Sevilla in their UCL opener and even though the game will be played at Anfield Road, it appears to be a complicated fixture for Jürgen Klöpp s men. Kick-off is scheduled at 7:45 PM BST, and Danny Makkelie will be the referee.
Liverpool
The Reds are coming off a disastrous performance where they lost 0-5 against Manchester City. However, things were not as bad as the score line indicated. Liverpool matched toe-to-toe with City until Sadio Mane was sent off, and they simply couldn t adjust to play with 10 men aft…
Andriy Shevchenko says in-form Ukraine are up for the challenge of facing world champions Germany at Euro 2016.
Ukraine s first match of the tournament is a daunting assignment against the 2014 World Cup winners in Lille next Sunday.
Mykhaylo Fomenko s team have won both of their two warm-up friendlies against fellow finalists, beating Romania 4-3 and Albania 3-1.
And assistant coach Shevchenko, who captained his country as a 35-year-old on home soil at Euro 2012, feels there is plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the meeting with Joachim Low s side.
We have done well in the friendlies against Romania and Albania, he said.
The lads are in good shape, we played great football. Now we wait for the day, on the 12th, when we will play against Ge…
Neymar is not for sale and Real Madrid and any other potential suitor for the Brazil superstar can forget about signing the forward, says Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Rumours of a return to LaLiga with Madrid or former club Barcelona began circulating shortly after he made the move to the Ligue 1 champions in a record €222million deal from the Blaugrana in August 2017.
The speculation has refused to dissipate despite constant reassurances from PSG s hierarchy that their prized asset, who is sidelined with a foot injury, will stay at the Parc des Princes.
But Al-Khelaifi was unequivocal when asked by Marca about the long-term future of Neymar, who has 13 goals in as many Ligue 1 appearances this season.
Neither Real Madrid nor any o…
The Mirror understands that Arsenal are considering making a move for Barcleona midfielder Arda Turan when the transfer window reopens in January.
The thirty year old is ready to consider his options after failing to appear in any of Barca’s opening eleven games this season with Galatasaray in his native Turkey also monitoring the situation.
Turan moved to the Nou Camp from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015 and racked up fifty-five appearances in all competitions across his first two seasons at the club, scoring fifteen goals.
All but two of those strikes came last season when he helped the Catalan club retain the Copa Del Rey.
Internationally he won his one hundredth cap for his country in a goalless draw with Turkey back in June but hasn’t…