Month: September 2024

18Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

Champions League

Liverpool kick off UEFA Champions League with 3-1 win over AC Milan

Liverpool celebrated their return to the UEFA Champions League after a one-season absence with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start with goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai. MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool FC embraces Tammy Abraham of AC Milan at the end of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD1 match between AC Milan and Liverpool FC at Stadio San Siro on September 17, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) The Reds got off to an awful first few minutes in the battle between the two European heavyweights, as Christian Pulisic fired the Rossoneri in front at home following a quick counterattack in the third minute, aided by L...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool boss Arne Slot accused of ‘making mistake Jurgen Klopp would never have made’

Richard Keys believes Arne Slot underestimated Nottingham Forest at the weekend - something former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp would never have done. The Dutchman, who succeed Klopp in the summer, tasted defeat for the first time since taking the top job at Anfield as the Reds fell to a shock a 1-0 loss against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. Liverpool named the same XI that beat Manchester United 3-0 prior to the international break, though they had been on international duty beforehand. And Keys reckons that was a sign of naivety from Slot, whose predecessor would have known better. Writing for his blog, Keys said: “It’s been suggested Slot got it wrong because he picked 11 starters who’d been on international duty. If it was an error I don’t think Klopp would’ve made it. H...

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17Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Jorginho: Arsenal unfazed by Haaland’s form

Arsenal players are unfazed by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland's goal-scoring rampage, midfielder Jorginho said vouching for the north London side's confidence ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with City. City have had a perfect campaign in the league so far, while Arsenal secured three wins and a draw. Fresh off nine goals in four league games, including two hat tricks, Haaland has scored 99 goals from 103 appearances for City across all competitions. The Norway striker will aim for his century in Wednesday's Champions League clash against Inter Milan, while Arsenal begin their European campaign at Atalanta on Thursday and prepare to meet City at the Etihad on the Sunday. "Erling scoring again ... it is starting to make us laugh," the 32-year-old Italian said. "We look because...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

BUNDESLIGA

Leon Goretzka could leave Bayern Munich this winter

Leon Goretzka’s prospects at Bayern Munich for this season are not looking too good at all. From the club’s first four competitive matches of the season, the German midfielder has only recorded a total of one minute of action, when he came on as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over SC Freiburg at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga. He was not in the squad for the most recent 6-1 win at Holstein Kiel, nor was he in the squad for the 4-0 win over SSV Ulm in the first round of the DFB-Pokal last month. Goretzka was heavily linked with a move away from Bayern during the summer transfer window, but nothing wound up materializing despite Max Eberl making it clear to the player he really is not in Vincent Kompany’s primary plans for this season. Both SSC Napoli and Atletico Madrid has loosel...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

LALIGA

Ansu Fati continues to impress Hansi Flick

As Barcelona prepare to face Monaco on Thursday in the Champions League, the Blaugrana are taking stock of their current performances in LaLiga and have to love what they are seeing. Although Xavi did indeed do a strong job of setting the foundation for Barcelona, Hansi Flick has, as anticipated, taken the club to new heights from a tactical perspective and has done a significantly better job of working with the attacking players, especially young standouts. This past summer, there was concern that Ansu Fati could leave the club permanently after failing to get on the pitch long enough at Brighton, failing to answer the concerns that led to him temporarily leaving Barcelona in the first place. But instead of giving up on Fati, Flick is backing the 21-year-old, who was once, like Lamine Yam...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Newcastle United midfielder ruled out until October following surgery

Newcastle United midfielder Jamie Miley, currently on loan at Newport County, has been ruled out until October. The 20-year-old joined the League Two side during the final week of the summer transfer window and made his debut in a 2-1 defeat against Cheltenham Town in EFL Trophy. He limped off 20 minutes before full-time, however, and missed the 4-1 loss versus Port Vale a few days later. Newport boss Nelson Jardim hoped the injury was “nothing” but has since confirmed Miley will be sidelined until next month after having surgery on a hernia. Miley uploaded a photo to Instagram from a hospital bed on Thursday night captioned “surgery done, back on the mend”, although the exact nature of his injury wasn’t known until Jardim’s update on Saturday. With younger brother Lewis sidelined because...

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17Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

How Manchester United should line up in Carabao Cup fixture vs Barnsley

Manchester United will kick off their Carabao Cup campaign when they welcome Barnsley to Old Trafford in the third round of the competition on Tuesday night. Following back-to-back defeats, United got back to winning ways on Saturday, beating Southampton 3-0 at St Mary's. Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho all scored to secure United their first win since the opening weekend of the season. For the first time this season, attention now temporarily switches to one of the two domestic cup competitions. United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the fourth round stage last season and will be determined to go much deeper into the competition this time around. Regarding the team news, Erik ten Hag did not report any fresh injury concerns at his pre-match press conferen...

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17Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

TRANSFERS

Liverpool transfer news as $56m-rated winger Karim Adeyemi becomes a target

Liverpool is among three Premier League clubs that are monitoring Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi ahead of a possible swoop next summer. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans who want to see the club sign Adeyemi, the report comes from notoriously dubious Spanish transfer website Fichajes. Adeyemi, 22, has emerged as a key player for Dortmund in recent times, and it's claimed that Liverpool, as well as Manchester United and Newcastle United, is interested in signing him. Adeyemi was valued at €50 million ($56 million) last summer, with Juventus said to be interested in him but unwilling to meet Dortmund's demands for the youngster. Meanwhile, Inter Milan is being linked with a surprise move for Jarell Quansah. The defender broke into the Liverpool team last season but has not figured f...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

Champions League

Official: Real Madrid squad list to face VfB Stuttgart

Real Madrid are all set to kickstart the defence of their UEFA Champions League crown tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu when they take VfB Stuttgart in their first fixture of the newly-introduced ‘League phase’. Ahead of Tuesday night’s contest in the Spanish capital, manager Carlo Ancelotti has announced the list of players who will be available at his disposal. The big news is that key midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham are back in the squad after spending some time on the sidelines due to injury. It is likely that both are put into the starting XI right away by the manager. Meanwhile, Eder Militao also makes the squad list despite reports suggesting that the Brazilian would miss tomorrow’s game after he missed training today. Tomorrow’s game will see Kylian Mbappe mak...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Brentford handed huge injury blow ahead of Spurs and West Ham with ‘real threat’ bagsman to miss out

Brentford are set to be without talisman Yoane Wissa for upcoming Premier League fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and beyond after the 28-year-old picked up a serious injury against Manchester City over the weekend. The Bees' star opened the scoring at the Etihad Stadium after just 22 seconds but the London outfit eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Champions with the prolific Erling Haaland bagging a brace. Wissa already has three Premier League goals to his name this season and has impressed in filling the boots of Ivan Toney. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Yoane Wissa of Brentford in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Brentford FC at Etihad Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu F...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Report: Newcastles top January target is also wanted by Spurs and Liverpool

According to The Sun, Newcastle United may be plotting a move for Lille midfielder Angel Gomes, who is also wanted by Tottenham Hotspur. Angel Gomes is having a great year Gomes’ contract with Lille runs out next summer and a number of clubs in the Premier League, including Spurs, are thought to be monitoring the midfielder’s situation. HITC suggested at the start of this month that the Lilywhites are willing to offer the 24-year-old a route back to England as he fits the profile of number eight that Ange Postecoglou wants to add to his squad. The Sun have now also backed up Tottenham’s interest in Gomes, revealing that the North London club were one of many clubs who sent representatives to Wembley to watch the Lille star in action for England in their Nations League win over Finland. New...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

BUNDESLIGA

Kalas and Højlund back in team training

FC Schalke 04 started a new week of training on Monday morning (16/9). Lino Tempelmann is back in Gelsenkirchen training individually after working on his recovery from injury in Munich. Tomas Kalas and Emil Højlund are both back in team training. Their workload will be increased throughout the week. Taylan Bulut is training on his own after returning from Germany U19 duty with pain in his heel. Janik Bachmann is currently missing from training. The 28-year-old suffered a painful blow to his knee on Friday night at Karlsruhe. Paul Seguin, meanwhile, is receiving treatment for his ongoing groin problems.

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16Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

SERIE A

Nesta: ‘I would have signed up for a draw against Inter before the match’

Alessandro Nesta expressed mixed feelings after Monza’s 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Serie A. The Monza coach was pleased with his team’s performance but admitted there was a tinge of regret given how close they came to victory. “I’m happy with the performance because the players are committed,” Nesta said in his post-match interview. “If someone had told me before the match that we would draw 1-1 with Inter, I would have signed for it, even though there’s obviously some disappointment. I see the team improving and I’m confident.” Nesta felt Inter’s equalizer had an element of luck to it: “Their goal was a bit fortuitous because if the cross hadn’t been deflected, the ball wouldn’t have ended up there. The players were unlucky.” The coach also explained his limited use of substitution...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel2 Comments

SERIE A

Lukaku, Meret, Anguissa, Conte: Napoli verdicts after 4-0 win vs Cagliari

Italian media praised Napoli after a 4-0 win against Cagliari, and even if he didn’t get his name on the scoresheet, Frank-André Zambo Anguissa was the MOTM, according to Gazzetta. Napoli are the Serie A leaders after four rounds. Sunday’s 4-0 away win in Cagliari allowed Antonio Conte’s men to go one point clear of Inter, Juventus, and Torino, who were held to stalemates over the weekend. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Romelu Lukaku and Alessandro Buongiorno scored in Cagliari, but according to Gazzetta, the best player on the pitch was Cameroon international Anguissa. Lukaku, Meret, Anguissa, Conte: Napoli verdicts after 4-0 win vs Cagliari ‘He put in a high-level performance, consistent and dominating, which included 12 recoveries,’ wrote Gazzetta. Anguissa was rated 7.5/10...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Unbeaten Newcastle stage second-half comeback to record Wolves win

Newcastle United fought back from a halftime deficit with two long-range strikes in the space of five minutes to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux on Sunday and move into third place in the Premier League. Fabian Schar’s speculative effort took a deflection to draw Newcastle level after Wolves captain Mario Lemina’s 36th-minute goal had put the hosts ahead at the break as they chased a first league success of the season. But while there might have been an element of fortune about Schar’s 75th-minute goal, there was no luck involved as Harvey Barnes thrashed home a spectacular winner five minutes later. Both efforts came from outside the penalty area and dramatically turned around the outcome after struggling Wolves had dominated most of the encounter.Wolves remain in the bottom ...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

SERIE A

Marseille have ‘agreement’ in place to sign Rabiot

Marseille have reached an agreement in principle with France midfielder Adrien Rabiot to join the club. "The player will join OM subject to the results of a medical," the nine-time French champion said Sunday. The 29-year-old Rabiot has been a free agent after he declined to extend his contract with Juventus, where he spent five seasons. Rabiot previously played for Marseille's bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain. Born in the Val-de-Marne region of Paris, he joined PSG's academy at age 15. Rabiot has made 48 appearances for France. He played at Euro 2024 where France lost to Spain in the semifinals. The terms of any deal were not announced by Marseille, but l'Equipe newspaper said Rabiot is expected to sign a two-year deal.

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

BUNDESLIGA

Barcelona, PSG Target Shines with Impressive Stat in Bayern Munich’s Win over Holstein Kiel

During the summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain showed interest in Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich. However, the experienced midfielder chose to stay with the Bavarian club for the final year of his contract. Kimmich demonstrated precisely why both clubs hold him in such high regard this weekend. If Kimmich doesn’t sign a contract extension this season, he’ll have the freedom to decide his next move and could leave Bayern as a free agent next summer. Mundo Deportivo recently reported that Barcelona has set its sights on Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah and Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich as part of their 2025 plans to bolster both the midfield and defense. WhoScored spotlighted an impressive stat in Bayern Munich’s win this past weekend. According to the stats outlet, Kimmich won possession...

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16Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Brahim out for three months after suffering an injury vs Real Sociedad

Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz is set to miss three months of football following an injury to the ‘long abductor of his right leg’, Real Madrid announced in an official statement: “Following tests carried out today on our player Brahim Díaz by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the long abductor of his right leg. Pending evolution.” Brahim started for Real Madrid in their most recent fixture against Real Sociedad, but had to be subbed off early in the first half for Rodrygo following the injury. According to Arancha Rodriguez, and a lot of other reports from all over Spain, Brahim is going to be out for three months. He could miss a total of 18 to 20 games for Real Madrid, which is a massive blow for him and the team. Brahim was enjoying a great start to...

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16Sep By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Ferran Torres sends message to Barca fans after being sent off

Ferran Torres has sent out a message to Barcelona fans after being sent off in Sunday’s 4-1 La Liga win over Girona. The Shark came on in the second half but lasted just 17 minutes after being hit with a red card after an ugly challenge on Yaser Asprilla. Torres took to social media after the win to apologise for his sending off. He wrote on Instagram: “We won, which is the most important thing, but I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the team, the fans and the rival player. The desire has played a hard game on me. Thursday starts a new challenge.” The referee’s report noted that Torres was handed his marching orders “for making a tackle using excessive force on an opponent in the dispute for the ball.” Torres will now miss Barcelona’s next La Liga game against Villarreal on S...

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16Sep By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

NEWS

Argentina legend drops huge 2026 FIFA World Cup prediction for Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was back in action on Sunday, and scored a brace in Inter Miami's 3-1 win vs Philadelphia Union. Before this match, the attacker was on the sidelines, having sustained an ankle injury during Argentina's win against Colombia in the Copa America final, on July 14. With Argentina set to defend their FIFA World Cup title in 2026, many fans have been left wondering about the former Barcelona's star's availability, as he is already 37-years-old. Messi's former teammate and Argentina legend Juan Roman Riquelme feels that the Inter Miami star will feature in the tournament in 2026. Speaking on AZZ channel, he said, "Messi is reinventing himself. You never know what he can do. And I have no doubt that he will play in the next World Cup, he has to play. We will all be rooting for him...

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