Captain Jordan Henderson hopes Liverpool have put a season of injury struggles and inconsistency behind them as they begin a potentially pivotal run of fixtures at Augsburg in the Europa League.
England midfielder Henderson, who has been restricted to 16 appearances this term due to a chronic heel problem, completed 90 minutes as Liverpool romped to a 6-0 Premier League win at lowly Aston Villa on Sunday.
The result left Liverpool eighth in the table nine points behind fourth-place Manchester City, who they face in the League Cup final on February 28 before City visit in Anfield in the league three days later.
The most realistic route to Champions League football for Jurgen Klopp and his players is going all the way in Europe s second-tier competition, and …
Jose Mourinho defended Manchester United s players following the Red Devils 3-1 loss at Liverpool, reiterating that he has the full backing of his squad.
Two goals from substitute Xherdan Shaqiri condemned United to defeat on Sunday, and Mourinho s side now sit 19 points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Mourinho left several star players, including Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba, on the bench, with the latter not brought on despite United attempting to haul themselves back into the contest late on.
However, when asked whether he had the full support of the United players, a frustrated Mourinho claimed the question suggested that his squad were dishonest.
Are you calling the players dishonest? Mourinho told Sky Sports.
I believe they …
Alexis Sanchez has been passed fit for Chile s second Confederations Cup Group B game against Germany on Thursday.
An ankle problem meant the Arsenal star could only manage a second-half appearance in their 2-0 opening win over Cameroon but head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi says he has been given the all-clear by the medical staff.
Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo remains short of fitness following a calf issue, however, and will not return to the side.
Alexis is available, Pizzi told a news conference. He showed he could play without problems and he recovered after a couple of days. He trained and didn t have any pain.
The doctors and physios are the ones who decide whether the players can play or not and they ve said he can play.
Claud…
UEFA has rejected a request for Germany to light up the Allianz Arena in rainbow colours for Wednesday s Euro 2020 clash with Hungary because of political reasons.
Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter said on Sunday that he has asked UEFA for permission to illuminate the stadium in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Reiter made the request after Hungary passed a law that prohibits the sharing of content in schools that could be deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change.
However, while UEFA understands the gesture, European football s governing body has proposed alternative dates for the stadium to be lit up, rather than on the day of the Hungary game.
Racism, homophobia, sexism, and all forms of discrimination are a stain on our societies – and represen…
Borussia Dortmund are set to sign Emre Can from Juventus with the two clubs in talks at the moment, according to Sky Sports who quote their sources in Germany on the matter.
Since his arrival from Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, the midfielder has utterly failed to impose himself for a place in the team at the Old Lady, and this season, under the command of Maurizio Sarri, he has been a member of the starting XI in only two Serie A games. On top of that, he wasn t even named on the 25-man list of players registered to play in the Champions League in the first half of the season.
Apparently, the 26-year-old is now extremely worried about his place in the Germany squad for the upcoming European Championship this year, and he is willing to do whatever i…
Prediction: Mexico to win 2-1
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Mexico and Qatar will lock horns in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup next week. The Group B match between Jaime Lozano’s side and Carlos Queiroz’s team will be held at Levi s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and is scheduled to kick off at 2am UK time on Monday.
Mexico
Mexico are one of the strongest teams in the CONCACAF region and are one of the favourites to win the 2023 edition. El Try did extremely well in the last edition. They reached the final and scored nine goals in six matches.
Jaime Lozano’s side are doing well at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup as well. Mexico are at the top of Group B at the moment with six point from two matches. They have already booked their place in the next ro…
Market: Port Melbourne Sharks
Odds: 8/15 @
Hoping to clinch back-to-back NPL Victoria victories this weekend, Port Melbourne will travel to a struggling St. Albans on Friday morning.
Starting with the hosts, at the heart of a relegation scrap last season and only just about clinging to their NPL Victoria status, St. Albans are once again looking over their shoulder at a looming bottom-two scrap. While the Dinamos might have claimed a much-needed 3-0 victory against Hume City last month, Kruni Razov’s men have come crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion. Last seen putting in another downbeat performance as they slumped to a 2-0 loss at home against Bentleigh, the Victoria-based outfit have lost each of their last three straight NPL Victoria showdowns…
Malaga striker Ruud van Nistelrooy admits he will not celebrate if he scores against former club Real Madrid in Saturday s La Liga clash.
The 35-year-old Dutchman is preparing for battle and hopes to help his side rediscover winning ways following Sunday s 3-0 defeat at Levante.
Van Nistelrooy played for Madrid between 2006, when he joined them from Manchester United, and 2010, when he left for Hamburg.
But talk of any goal celebrations is out of the question if he finds the target against the Spanish giants.
If I score against Madrid I will not celebrate, van Nistelrooy told Marca.
I am not really thinking about this (scoring). We just want to prepare well for the game.
Playing against his former employers means a lot to the veteran f…
Thailand striker Teerasil Dangda says his experiences at Manchester City made him a better footballer despite never playing for the first team.
Dangda, 23, endured a frustrating time at City where he never gained a work permit and spent time on loan with Swiss club Grasshoppers.
The forward is now with Thai champions Muang Thong United and is also playing a key role for Thailand, who have started their third-round 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in fine style to sit second in Group D after three games.
Dandga told FIFA.com his experiences with City and Grasshoppers, despite never making a first-team appearance for either club, had helped him take his game to a new level with the results being seen now.
The time at City was helpful for me as I ga…
Former Everton boss has been appointed as the Belgium head coach
I could not quite believe my eyes when I read that Roberto Martinez has been appointed as the new head coach of Belgium.
Is this the same Roberto Martinez that completely and utterly failed to get the best out of a supposedly talented group of players at Everton?
Is it the same Roberto Martinez who continually had Wigan in a Premier League relegation fight, before actually getting them relegated?
It seems it is and Belgium expects him to succeed with their highly rated squad.
Martinez is all show and no substance
The Spaniard does produce an attacking brand of football, but it is at the expense of any sort of defensive solidarity. His Belgium team will win a lot of games, si…