The long wait is finally over as England brace themselves for the opening World Cup match against Italy, with the Three Lions hoping to exact revenge on the Azzurri for the defeat in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Cesare Prandelli s side have experienced all sorts of problems in recent weeks, but their quality and experience usually prevail at these kinds of tournaments.
England haven t even come close to repeating the 1966 success in recent years, and the best they could do is reach the quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006. After crashing out in the group stage at the 2010 World Cup, the Three Lions showed some improvement to reach the last eight at Euro 2012, before they were eliminated by none other than Italy. England now take on the Azzurri knowing that a defeat would…
Arsenal face a challenging examination against Udinese in the Champions League play-offs, while Bayern Munich are set to meet FC Zurich.
Champions League regulars who have lost in the knock-out stages to Barcelona in each of the last two seasons, Arsenal have been forced to qualify after finishing fourth in the English Premier League last season.
And in Serie A side Udinese, they face arguably the toughest opponent of the unseeded teams featured in the League route of Friday s draw in Switzerland.
The first leg of the tie will be played at Arsenal s Emirates Stadium.
Bayern, who finished third in the Bundesliga last season, are also at home after a kinder draw paired them against Swiss club FC Zurich.
Danish side OB have a daunting engagement wit…
It is hard to argue Ronaldo is quite so formidable anymore. With 51 goals in 48 matches for Real Madrid last season, he still operates near a pinnacle most players would never dream of considering, but the sands of time are shifting.
There is a new economy to the 31-year-old s work for club and country not seeking out every pass and loose ball, but judiciously picking the right moments. His simmering temper during Portugal s spluttering Group F draws spoke of a man straining for something that is not quite there.
Against Austria at the Parc des Princes, where a torrid night a concluded with him missing a penalty and having a goal chalked off for offside, Ronaldo raged in the face of a flaccid statement. The Cristiano 3 Zlatan 2 version would have done something about it.…
Emanuele Giaccherini s agent has confirmed a deal to take the Italy international to Napoli is all done .
Giaccherini has endured a largely ineffective three-year spell at Sunderland, struggling to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League, after joining from Juventus in 2013.
Having spent last season on loan at Bologna, the 31-year-old impressed hugely at Euro 2016 with a series of influential displays for the Azzurri.
That sparked interest from Torino, but it appears Napoli have pipped them to Giaccherini s signature.
His agent Furio Valcareggi told Radio CRC: We re almost there, it s all done for Giaccherini, the last few details are being ironed out with Sunderland.
The boy is very happy. It was a choice made by him and his wife.
…
Arsenal are interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to the Mirror.
Paris Saint Germain have also been linked with a move for the Spain international, who’s current deal with the Red Devils is set to expire in the summer.
However, United have no intentions of seeing the former Athletic Bilbao man move on, and it is though that he would prefer to stay.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, the twenty-nine-year old has racked up one hundred and eighty-six appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty goals.
He was part of the squad that won the FA Cup in 2016, and the EFL Cup and Europa League the following year.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side return to action at the weeken…
Hatem Ben Arfa is seeking a reported €8million in compensation from Paris Saint-Germain following his difficult spell at the club.
The midfielder, now at Rennes, is pursuing damages after being frozen out of the team for the final 15 months of his spell in the French capital, according to his solicitor Jean-Jacques Bertrand.
Ben Arfa played his final game for PSG against Avranches in the Coupe de France on April 5, 2017 and did not appear in a competitive match again until his Rennes debut last September, in which he scored in a 2-1 Europa League win over Jablonec.
PSG have yet to respond publicly to Ben Arfa s complaint.
An important part of his contract was conditioned on his performance on the field. So, he is prevented effectively from partic…
Lionel Messi will miss Paris Saint-Germain s Ligue 1 trip to Lorient after suffering from inflammation in his Achilles tendon, but Christophe Galtier expects him to return before the World Cup.
Messi has been in spectacular form during his second season with PSG, recording 26 goal contributions (12 goals, 14 assists) in all competitions this campaign.
With just over two weeks to go until Argentina s World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia, however, a PSG medical update sparked fears over Messi s condition by ruling him out of Sunday s match.
The club said Messi would miss that fixture as a precautionary measure before returning to training next week, and Galtier expects him to be available against Auxerre on November 13.
Messi has inflammation in his tend…
Arsenal are considering the possibility of signing Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg this summer in case they end up parting ways with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to Bild.
The Gunners are in a difficult situation when it comes to the prolific striker they signed from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018. Aubameyang s contract expires next year, and they ve been trying to persuade him to recommit his future to the club, but they ve had no luck so far. It seems the Gabonese is determined to keep his options open for as long as he can, while the clock is ticking from the club s point of view. They will sell him this summer, rather than allow him to leave for free in 12 months.
With 20 goals from 42 appearances in all competitions, Weghorst was Wolfsburg s top scorer in 20…
Dundee’s cinch Premiership meeting with Motherwell will undergo a second pitch inspection at 1pm on Saturday.
The state of the Dens Park pitch has been under intense scrutiny amid heavy rainfall in Scotland, with the Dark Blues having had four home games postponed due to a waterlogged pitch this term.
“Following this morning’s (11am) scheduled pitch inspection the referee has deemed there will be a further inspection at 1pm this afternoon,” Dundee posted on their X account.
Motherwell chief executive Brian Caldwell voiced his concerns this week, calling for the Scottish Professional Football League to postpone the Premiership’s post-split fixtures should their game at Dundee be called off.
Further Pitch Inspection- Motherwell
Following t…
Federico Gatti got the only goal as Juventus edged out Fiorentina 1-0 to strengthen their grip on third place in Serie A.
The Turin side ended a run of four league games without a win thanks to Gatti’s 21st-minute strike to close to within six points of second-placed AC Milan.
Napoli scored four goals in the space of 13 second-half minutes as they came from behind to win 4-2 at Monza.
Milan Djuric had put the hosts in front but Victor Osimhen levelled 10 minutes into the second half, with Matteo Politano and Piotr Zielinski making it 3-1 by the 61st minute.
Those goals
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)
Andrea Colpani got one back for the hosts but Giacomo Raspadori made sure of Napoli’s win.
Nicolas Viola’s…