Bayern Munich 17/20 to win against Borussia Dortmund in tonight’s DFB-Pokal final

Competition: DFB-Pokal
Market: Bayern to win against Dortmund
Odds:

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund lock horns in the DFB-Pokal final for the third time in five seasons, and Bayern are hoping to claw back their trophy from holders Vfl Wolfsburg with a win over their long-standing rivals.

Bayern beat Werder Bremen in the semi-final to make it to their sixth final in eight years, and face a Dortmund side who just cannot get the better of their rivals in any competition of late. Bayern took four points off Thomas Tuchel’s side in their two league meetings, and beat them in their previous two cup final clashes.

Coming off the back of eight wins from their last nine league games, Bayern have momentum ahead of their cup final, and will give manager P…

Copa America Centenario: Gabriel set to step out of Neymar´s shadow

When Barcelona agreed the deal to sign Neymar from Santos in 2013, the fans of the Brazilian club were distraught at losing the star who had brought them the 2011 Copa Libertadores, three Campeonato Paulista titles and Copa do Brasil glory in 2010.

Gabriel Barbosa nicknamed Gabigol due to his prolific record in the youth ranks  was tipped as his natural heir, the club buying into his potential by handing him his debut on the same day Neymar bid farewell – a 0-0 draw against Flamengo in May 2013.

Despite the expectation on his shoulders, Gabriel has since blossomed into an instinctive, technically gifted striker – another success story of a youth academy that has helped produced the likes of Pele, Clodoaldo, Diego and Robinho.

The Santos forward is a diffe…

Cahill fit to play as defiant Postecoglou ignores scrutiny

Australia coach Ange Postecoglou has brushed off yet more scrutiny about his future and cleared Tim Cahill to play against Honduras in their decisive World Cup qualifying showdown on Wednesday.

The Socceroos earned a valuable 0-0 draw and were unfortunate not to score at least one away goal in the first leg of the inter-confederation play-off in San Pedro Sula last week.

The fate of the two teams will come down to a tense encounter at Sydney s ANZ Stadium, as Australia attempt to reach their fourth successive World Cup finals.

But Postecoglou s uncertain situation has threatened to overshadow the team s preparations in recent months, with the 2015 Asian Cup-winning coach reportedly considering an exit regardless of whether his team advances. 

Addressing…

Ligue 1 Preview: Paris Saint-Germain v Nice

Paris Saint-Germain will be out to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table when they welcome Nice to the Parc des Princes.

Laurent Blanc s men have not lost a home league game since November 2012 and sit in a commanding position at the top of the table following their 4-0 rout of Lorient last Friday.

PSG are two points clear of nearest challengers Lille, who moved ahead of Monaco in the table after dealing the big-spending principality club their first defeat of the campaign.

Despite their underwhelming 1-1 draw with Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, the defending champions should be confident of cementing their position at the top of the division.

Nice s last victory in the capital came back in 2009, and Claude Puel s side will need t…

Avoiding relegation is the first objective – Mazzarri

New Watford manager Walter Mazzarri says avoiding relegation is the primary target ahead of his first season in English football.

The 54-year-old, who led Napoli to their first major trophy in more than two decades by winning the 2011-12 Coppa Italia, replaced Quique Sanchez Flores in the Vicarage Road hotseat this summer and will be aiming to build on the club s impressive first season back in the top flight.

However, the former Sampdoria and Inter coach, Watford s seventh manager in just five seasons, admits that securing survival will be the main aim for his first managerial appointment outside of his native Italy.

The first objective is to stay in the Premier League, Mazzarri said via a translator in his pre-match news conference ahead of Watford s opening…

French midfielder reveals Liverpool interest

Liverpool have enquired about Lyon midfielder Arnold Mvuemba, according to the player s official representative.

The 28-year-old has largely struggled to prove his worth since joining les Gones from Lorient and he continues to be linked with a move away from the club.

The former Portsmouth midfielder has failed to make a single league appearance in over three months and chances are he will be leaving Stade Gerland in the January window.

According to his agent, Premier League high-flyers Liverpool are one of the sides showing interest in Mvuemba.

“Arnold played for Portsmouth, even won the Cup and is well known in the English league, where he left a good impression,” agent Fleury Di Nallo explained to Progres.

“The Liverpool chairman showed …

Salihamidzic promoted to Bayern Munich board

Hasan Salihamidzic is to be promoted to Bayern Munich s executive board from July 2020, the club have confirmed.

The former Bayern midfielder was appointed as the club s sporting director in July 2017 and he was influential in the signings of Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard and Alphonso Davies.

Bayern s supervisory board met on Monday and an official statement Die Roten s official website confirmed Salihamidzic is to be board director for sport.

At today s meeting, the Supervisory Board of FC Bayern Munchen AG considered the personnel matter of Hasan Salihamidzic, the statement read. 

Hasan Salihamidzic has been the FC Bayern Sporting Director since summer 2017 and has done an outstanding job during this time. 

This applies not only to first…

Bolt admits to nerves ahead of Mariners debut

Usain Bolt said he was not used to the changeable pace of top-level football as he prepares to play his first game for Central Coast Mariners.

The eight-time Olympic gold medallist sprinter is on an open-ended trial at the A-League club and he is set to make his first appearance when the Mariners take on a local amateur team on Friday.

Bolt, who played a friendly during a trial with Norwegian side Stromsgodset earlier in the year, admitted he would be nervous as he took another step towards his dream of being a professional footballer.

There will be nerves, the 100m world record holder told reporters.

First team training and press conference with the

— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt)

It s not like it is a charity game anymore, …

Manchester City 5 Leicester City 1: De Bruyne inspires as Aguero scores four

A three-day rest clearly did the trick for Manchester City, as they thrashed Leicester City 5-1 thanks to four goals from Sergio Aguero and a treble of Kevin De Bruyne assists to go 16 points clear at the Premier League summit.

Much of the build-up was dominated by Riyad Mahrez s return to Leicester s squad after missing 10 days of training in response to not securing a move to the hosts, but he was benched as City – who were afforded a few days off beforehand – ultimately cruised, with De Bruyne and Aguero stealing the show.

Although City enjoyed an electric start, going ahead in the third minute thanks to Raheem Sterling s 15th league goal of the season, they appeared to lack a little sharpness in the first half.

And a Nicolas Otamendi error 24 minutes in …

Mancini says Italy must ´reflect´ and ´work towards the future´ after World Cup heartbreak

Roberto Mancini says Italy must take some time to reflect and work towards the future after they failed to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup.

The Azzurri will not feature in the tournament in Qatar this year after suffering a sensational 1-0 play-off defeat to North Macedonia on Thursday.

Italy won Euro 2020 by beating England on penalties in the final at Wembley last July, but suffered heartbreak in Palermo this week.

Mancini s future has been called into question in certain quarters, but the head coach says it is important to look at where his side felt short and put the agony behind them.

He posted on Instagram: Sometimes football can be a ruthless metaphor for life.

Last summer we were on the top of Europe after having completed on…