start

29Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

LALIGA

Kylian Mbappé Advised on How to Overcome Slow Real Madrid Start

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid reacts during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. Kylian Mbappé’s first El Clásico didn’t go as he had hoped, as Real Madrid suffered a disappointing 4-0 defeat to FC Barcelona last Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. While he certainly caught attention, it wasn’t for the right reasons. The match remained scoreless until the 31st minute when Mbappé thought he had given Madrid the lead, but VAR ruled the goal offside. Offside became a frustrating theme for the former Paris Saint-Germain star, who was flagged eight times during the match—more than any player in LaLiga over the past decade, according to StatMuse on X. To make matters worse, Real Madrid watched as Barce...

Bayern Munich predicted XI vs VfL Bochum: Kingsley Coman given a rare start?

26Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich predicted XI vs VfL Bochum: Kingsley Coman given a rare start?

Kingsley Coman left winger of Bayern Munich and France during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Aston Villa FC and FC Bayern München at Villa Park on October 2, 2024 in Birmingham, England. Kingsley Coman, who featured as a substitute in Bayern Munich’s 4-1 defeat against Barcelona, could start against winless Bochum on Sunday afternoon. Vincent Kompany’s side, level with RB Leipzig, top the Bundesliga after seven games, but the Belgian could make several changes for today’s game given the high workload. Bayern Munich will play five games in the space of two weeks with Bundesliga games against Bochum, Union Berlin and St. Pauli, a DFB Pokal tie against Mainz, and a Champions League game against Benfica. As such, Kompany is expected to make at least two chan...

Ansu Fati in line for first Barcelona start in 17 months

15Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

LALIGA

Ansu Fati in line for first Barcelona start in 17 months

It’s been a tough start to life back at Barcelona for Ansu Fati. Despite showing promise during pre-season, a foot injury saw him lose prominence in the eyes of head coach Hansi Flick. However, things could begin to start looking up for the 21-year-old winger. Fati has yet to start for Barcelona since recovery from injury, and he has been reduced to only three cameo appearances (vs Monaco, Young Boys and Alaves). However, with Ferran Torres out for the next 4-6 weeks, his time could be now. Sport say that it will be between Fati and Pau Victor to start on the left wing against Sevilla this weekend. In fact, both could start if Lamine Yamal is unable to feature after suffering discomfort whilst playing for Spain on Saturday. Flick should be able to call upon Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez thi...

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins eyeing England start

14Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins eyeing England start

The Villa striker, who memorably sent his country to the Euro 2024 final with a last-minute semi-final winner against the Netherlands, endured a frustrating Nations League camp over the last week. Despite Harry Kane being injured, Lee Carsley chose not to field a recognised striker in last Thursday’s match against Greece, instead opting to play Jude Bellingham as a false nine, and it backfired as England lost 2-1. Watkins came on as a substitute and teed up Bellingham but was again consigned to the bench when Kane returned against Finland on Sunday. The 28-year-old replaced the captain in the second half in Helsinki and got another assist as he created Declan Rice’s third goal. “People know what I can do,” Watkins said. “Whenever I come on I always try to grab that chance with both hands a...

Ronaldo on target as Portugal maintain perfect start in Nations League

13Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

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...

Injured Harry Kane Won’t Start England’s Nations League Clash With Greece

10Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

NEWS

Injured Harry Kane Won’t Start England’s Nations League Clash With Greece

England interim boss Lee Carsley has revealed Harry Kane will not be in the starting line-up for Thursday's Nations League clash with Greece as his captain recovers from injury. BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: Harry Kane of England talks to Ashley Cole, Interim Assistant Head Coach, and Lee Carsley, Interim Head Coach of England, during a training session at St Georges Park on October 09, 2024 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) Kane suffered the knock in a collision while playing for Bayern Munich in their 3-3 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend. The 31-year-old striker -- England's record goal-scorer -- has been unable to train with the rest of the squad since linking up on Monday. Kane was limited to...

Manchester United’s worst start, Ten Hag walks on thin ice after draw against Aston Villa

7Oct

By Football FlameNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester United’s worst start, Ten Hag walks on thin ice after draw against Aston Villa

Manchester United ground out a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday in an English Premier League game steeped in speculation about the future of the visitors’ under-fire manager Erik ten Hag amid the team’s worst start in the Premier League era. The draw sends Unai Emery’s men into the international break in fifth in the table on 14 points after seven games, while United are languishing in 14th with eight points and still searching for their third win of the season. Their points tally is United’s lowest in their opening seven matches of a Premier League campaign and their lowest in any league season since 1989-90 (seven points), when they went on to finish 13th under Alex Ferguson — his lowest league finish. “It wasn’t perfect, we didn’t probably pass the ball as well as we would have liked t...

Vincent Kompany’s hot start outshines recent Bayern Munich managers

23Sep

By Football FlameNo Comments

BUNDESLIGA

Vincent Kompany’s hot start outshines recent Bayern Munich managers

Due to the lack of managerial experience, Bayern Munich’s hire of Vincent Kompany was met with a fair amount of skepticism. Thus far, Kompany has blown away the competition. Kompany has won all six of his Bayern matches, mostly with a large cushion. Only Wolfsburg has been able to hold a single goal deficit through 90 minutes, while SSV Ulm (DFB-Pokal), Dinamo Zagreb (Champions League) Freiburg, Holstein Kiel, and Werder Bremen have all suffered larger defeats. According to @iMiaSanMia, Kompany’s start at Bayern is the best in nearly a decade. In his third and final season at Bayern, Pep Guardiola won his first ten Bundesliga matches back in 2015/16. Pep’s successor, Carlo Ancelotti, took over the club and won five straight Bundesliga matches.