Football Blog (Page 220)

[ad_1] Paris Saint-Germain have fervently denied leading a smear campaign against wantaway forward Kylian Mbappe. 90min understands that Mbappe has asked to leave PSG as early as January following a breakdown in his relationship with those in charge at Parc des Princes, despite only inking a new contract with the Ligue 1 champions this past summer. The next twist in this saga came as Mediapart published a report accusing PSG of employing a company, Digital Big Brother, to create hundreds of fake Twitter accounts to criticise and abuse Mbappe, among others, to try and paint the club in a positive light – something Mbappe’s motherRead More →

[ad_1] Thursday night saw matchday four of both the Europa League and Europa Conference League group stages, with 32 games across the continent. These fixtures were reverses of those seen on matchday three, with Manchester United hosting Omonia and and Arsenal’s travels to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt among the highlights. Bukayo Saka got Arsenal’s winner in Norway / David Lidstrom/GettyImages Arsenal weren’t at their best in Norway but have extended their winning run in the Europa League to three matches after another victory over Bodo/Glimt. Bukayo Saka scored the scrappy solitary goal midway through the first half, although the Gunners could have been pegged backRead More →

[ad_1] Aston Villa welcome Chelsea to their slice of Birmingham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Steven Gerrard has steered Villa to four matches unbeaten but the scratchy stalemate against Nottingham Forest on Monday – the third draw in this sequence – underlined the struggles for fluency of those in claret and blue. Chelsea, by comparison, have swiftly adapted to life under Graham Potter, coming into the contest on a high after four consecutive victories and three clean sheets on the spin. Here’s everything you need to know about the meeting between this duo. Aston Villa: 1 WinChelsea: 3 WinsDraws: 1 Aston Villa: LDWDDChelsea: DWWWW Villa are expected toRead More →

[ad_1] Newcastle director of football Dan Ashworth has insisted that while the club want to compete at the top of the Premier League table and for major honours, he doesn’t want to splash out on huge transfer fees to get there. The Magpies’ takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund last year made them one of world’s wealthiest clubs overnight, though Financial Fair Play restrictions have so far limited the free-spending that fans will have hoped for. Nevertheless, Newcastle have seen a major turnaround in results since Eddie Howe became boss towards the beginning of PIF’s reign, and Ashworth – highly rated for hisRead More →

[ad_1] Mid-table Motherwell welcome Rangers to Fir Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday lunchtime. Steven Hammell inspired the Steelmen to a strong domestic start after his appointment this summer. However, a grinding sequence of one victory from their last six matches (D1 L4) has punctured the optimism tentatively building in north Lanarkshire. Rangers ended their 12-year wait for a Champions League goal but duly conceded seven against Liverpool in the club’s heaviest-ever home defeat on Wednesday. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are just two points off the pace set by Celtic – who remain the only Premiership side to beat the Gers this season. Here’sRead More →

[ad_1] Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spoken positive about the ‘vibe’ that is developing at the club this season, despite a few rocky moments here and there. Ten Hag became the first United boss in a century to lose both of his first two matches in charge in August and was also on the end of a crushing defeat to Manchester City only recently. But United have actually won five of their last Premier League games and are on a run of two successive Europa League wins ahead of facing Omonoia for the second time on Thursday night. The Dutchman has previously admittedRead More →

[ad_1] CONCACAF nations are gearing up for the World Cup in Qatar later this year hoping to make a mark on the iconic tournament. The USA have produced a number of starlets currently playing in Europe, while Canada provided one of the feel-good stories in qualifying as they reached the World Cup for just the second time in their history. Here’s the skinny on the amount of CONCACAF teams heading to Qatar. There will be four representatives from CONCACAF at the 2022 World Cup. Canada were the standout performers in qualifying, coming through three rounds to end the round in first with 28 points. ThatRead More →

[ad_1] Fulham host Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon in a Premier League meeting between two of the division’s newly promoted sides. The Cottagers claimed the second-tier title last season, finishing two points above Bournemouth. However, the Cherries sit above their hosts in the top-flight’s mid-table, embarking upon a five-game unbeaten run after Gary O’Neil replaced the former Fulham player and manager Scott Parker. Here’s everything you need to know about the reunion of these former Championship foes. Fulham: 1 WinBournemouth: 2 WinsDraws: 2 Fulham: WLWLLBournemouth: DWDDW Marco Silva lamented the officiating which appeared to treat the handball rule as optional during his side’s defeat to West Ham last Sunday. However, FulhamRead More →

[ad_1] Wolverhampton Wanderers host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Both clubs find themselves mired in the relegation zone amid personnel alterations. Former Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui turned down the chance to take charge of Wolves, leaving the caretaker duo of Steve Davis and James Collins at the helm of the side sitting in 18th. Steve Cooper celebrated his contract extension by halting the slide of five consecutive defeats with a draw with Aston Villa last Monday night. After climbing off the foot of the table – all the way up to 19th – Forest dismissed two members of the recruitment teamRead More →

[ad_1] Xavi has admitted being unhappy with his defence and the ‘clear mistake’ made by Gerard Pique in Barcelona’s 3-3 draw with Inter. After losing their first matches to Bayern and Inter, Barcelona really needed to beat the Italian side at Camp Nou to keep their chances of making it to the Champions League knockout rounds alive. They made the ideal start, taking the lead after 40 minutes, but were pegged back at the start of the second half when Pique let a cross go past him, not aware that Nicolo Barella was behind him, allowing the Italian to steal in and score. Inter tookRead More →