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Another Juventus injury concern after USA 2-0 Panama

13Oct

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SERIE A

Another Juventus injury concern after USA 2-0 Panama

Juventus could have another injury situation to deal with, as midfielder Weston McKennie was an unused substitute during the USA’s 2-0 win over Panama in the early hours of Sunday morning. McKennie concern for Juventus after USA absence The 26-year-old has reportedly played the last few Juventus matches wearing a protective shoulder brace, but that has not had an impact on his game-time until this international break. According to updates from Gianluca Di Marzio, McKennie reported for Mauricio Pochettino’s first training camp with some fatigue and minor discomfort. He could also be a risk for the USMNT’s upcoming friendly against Mexico on Tuesday night. Additionally, as USA-Mexico will end in the early hours of Wednesday morning in European time, and given that Juventus will be in acti...

Liverpool handed major double boost ahead of Chelsea clash as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk return early

13Oct

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool handed major double boost ahead of Chelsea clash as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk return early

Liverpool have been handed a major double fitness boost ahead of their clash with Chelsea after Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were released from international duty early. Salah and van Dijk will both return to Liverpool from the start of next week to begin preparations for the Chelsea game at Anfield on Sunday. Egypt have allowed Salah to sit out Africa Cup of Nations qualifier away to Mauritania on Tuesday due to concerns over playing on their artificial pitch. Van Dijk has also been released from the Netherlands squad following his red card in their 1-1 draw with Hungary in the Nations League on Friday. Given Van Dijk is suspended for their trip to Germany on Monday, the Dutch have allowed him to return to Liverpool. A statement from the Egyptian FA read: “The technical staff of Egyp...

‘I did not apply for England manager’s job’ says Lee Carsley

13Oct

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NEWS

‘I did not apply for England manager’s job’ says Lee Carsley

Interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed he did not formally apply to become permanent England manager. The English Football Association turned to the 50-year-old former Ireland international for autumn’s Nations League fixtures after Gareth Southgate called time on his reign following July’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. Carsley has frequently sidestepped questions about whether he wants to become England boss on a full-time basis, including saying he will “hopefully” be returning to his role with the under-21s. The former midfielder swerved follow-up questions about whether he wants the senior job after Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Greece and was probed further before Sunday’s clash in Finland. Asked if he had applied for the job, Carsley told talkSPORT: “No, I didn’t formally apply for it.”...

Real Madrid targetting former player as a strategic signing

13Oct

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TRANSFERS

Real Madrid targetting former player as a strategic signing

Recent reports from Fichajes have suggested that Rafa Marin could be on the verge of making a surprising return to Real Madrid sooner than anticipated. The young defender transferred to Napoli for approximately €12 million during the summer transfer window. However, his time in Italy has not unfolded as expected, and the circumstances at Napoli have proven to be less than favourable for him. So far this season, Marin has struggled to establish himself within the Napoli squad. He has not yet made his debut in the Italian Serie A and has only managed to play a mere 90 minutes in the Coppa Italia. This lack of game time is far from what both the player and the Napoli management envisioned when they decided to bring him on board. The limited opportunities have raised concerns among Marin’s s...

Barcelona continues to monitor €18m Arsenal player to reinforce pivot positon

13Oct

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TRANSFERS

Barcelona continues to monitor €18m Arsenal player to reinforce pivot positon

FC Barcelona has dominated the free-agent market in recent years. Driven partly by financial constraints and partly by the remarkable opportunities available, the club has managed to secure several high-profile signings in recent seasons. Players like Andreas Christensen, Ilkay Gundogan, and Inigo Martinez have made a significant impact at Barcelona. Franck Kessie even generated a profit for the club from his sale after just one season with the team. The jury is still out on Eric Garcia, while there have also been some misses, such as Marcos Alonso. The Catalans are once again targeting the free-agent market and have been linked with several high-profile players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the season. One notable name that emerged last month is Thomas Partey. Now, as hi...

Ronaldo on target as Portugal maintain perfect start in Nations League

13Oct

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NEWS

Ronaldo on target as Portugal maintain perfect start in Nations League

Portugal's Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo scored first-half goals in a 3-1 win on the road against Poland in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday, as the Group A1 leaders continued their perfect start to the competition with three wins from three games. Silva put Portugal in front after 26 minutes, finding the net off a header from Bruno Fernandes, before captain Ronaldo tallied his 133rd international goal when he doubled the lead 11 minutes later with a first-time shot after Rafael Leao hit the post. Piotr Zielinski pulled a goal back for Poland in the 78th with a powerful strike into the roof of the net, before teammate Jan Bednarek surrendered an own goal in the dying minutes. Portugal continue to set the pace in League A Group 1 with nine points, three points clear of Croatia, wh...

12Oct

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Curtis Jones departs England camp

Curtis Jones has departed from the England camp amid the ongoing October international break due to a personal matter. The Liverpool midfielder was a late addition to Lee Carsley’s senior squad for this month’s round of UEFA Nations League fixtures, and was an unused substitute in Thursday’s meeting with Greece at Wembley. Jones, however, will not travel to Finland for the Three Lions’ second game of the break on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Netherlands have announced Reds captain Virgil van Dijk is to depart their camp. A red card against Hungary on Friday night means he is suspended for the next Dutch fixture.

Jamaica make hard work of Nations League

12Oct

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NEWS

Jamaica make hard work of Nations League

Romario Williams’ 69th-minute tap-in sealed a 2-0 success for Jamaica in Nicaragua last night, for the Reggae Boyz to return to top spot in CONCACAF Nations League A Group B. Despite being outplayed overall inside the Estadio Nacional de Futbol in Managua, the Boyz picked up precious points thanks to a first-half own goal and Williams’ close-range strike. Honduras, Jamaica’s next opponents, had temporarily taken over as table-toppers following their 3-2 triumph in French Guiana. That result would have surely helped inspire the Boyz to try and record a win. Jamaica coach Steve McClaren swapped things around in a bid to halt Nicaragua’s 14-game unbeaten, leaving in-form veteran striker Michail Antonio to warm the bench with his 4-2-3-1 formation that was spearheaded by Indy Eleven forward Wi...

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka ruled out of England’s match against Finland

12Oct

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NEWS

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka ruled out of England’s match against Finland

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of England’s Nations League game against Finland on Sunday after sustaining an injury against Greece. The winger limped off during the second half of Thursday’s humiliating defeat to Greece at Wembley and is not fit for the match in Helsinki. He will now return to Arsenal for further assessment ahead of their Premier League clash with Bournemouth next weekend. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is also out of the trip as he has a personal matter to deal with. Jones was a late addition to the England squad ahead of the Greece game but was an unused substitute. Harry Kane was one of 22 players who trained on Saturday, increasing hopes that the captain will be fit after missing Thursday’s game. Kane could not overcome a knock picked up playing for ...

Barcelona loses court case to get bonus from Zenit

12Oct

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LALIGA

Barcelona loses court case to get bonus from Zenit

FC Barcelona has lost a court case that would have resulted in a payment from Zenit St. Petersburg of almost half a million euro. Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal against a FIFA ruling last year in a dispute over the transfer of Malcom to the Russian club. Zenit bought him in 2019 and agreed to pay 490,000 euros every time it qualified for the UEFA Champions League in a season where Malcom played at least half the domestic league games. Zenit won the Russian league title in the 2021-22 season, which would’ve normally qualified them for the Champions League. However, UEFA banned them and all Russian teams from playing in UEFA competitions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. FIFA ruled that Zenit did not have to pay the bonus since they were never granted Champions League ...