Starting with Sunday s hosts, while Manchester United may have endured a worrying end to the season that saw them once again fail to secure Champions League football for Old Trafford, the Red Devils have enjoyed a morale-boosting run during pre-season. Landing a penalties victory over Inter Milan in Wales and making it three wins out of three in the International Champions Cup, Ole Gunnar Solskaer s side won all six of their pre-season appearances and the record-breaking acquisition of Harry Maguire will have United dreaming of landing a top-four return this campaign. Although first choice striking option Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a bright run over the summer and will leading the line on Sunday, fans around Old Trafford will be more than aware of their sides continued defensive issues last season. Failing to win any of their final five games last year, including a 2-0 defeat at home to an already relegated Cardiff in their appearance of the 2018/2019 campaign, United conceded 54 goals last season and recorded just a pair of clean sheets at Old Trafford all year. As for Chelsea, with Frank Lampard securing a dream role as the new man in charge at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have endured an incredibly high-scoring summer. Coming off the back of a 2-2 draw against German side Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend, the Blues are unbeaten in their final four pre-season appearances, including a 2-1 win over Barcelona last month. However, although the Londoners have scored 13 goals on their unbeaten run, there are some glaring defensive issues. Chelsea have shipped eight goals in their last three appearances, including conceding a trio of goals against both Reading and RB Salzburg.
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Vinicius Junior spared Real Madrid s blushes on Sunday as his sublime 85th-minute strike secured a pulsating 3-3 draw against Levante.
Los Blancos kicked off their LaLiga campaign with a 4-1 victory over Alaves last weekend and they looked like they would cruise to back-to-back wins when Gareth Bale gave them an early lead at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.
The hosts had other ideas, though, and went ahead thanks to goals from Roger Marti and Jose Campana inside the opening 12 minutes of the second half.
Substitute Vinicius drew the visitors level in the 73rd minute, yet it appeared Levante would claim a memorable three points when Rober Pier slotted home from close range six minutes later.
However, Brazil international Vinicius ensured a share of the spoil…
English Football League matches will resume on Tuesday and the FA has announced fixtures will go ahead this weekend – though fans are still awaiting an outcome on the Premier League.
Football across the United Kingdom was postponed at the weekend as a mark of respect following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday at the age of 96.
The situation is still impacting the football schedule, with Rangers Champions League clash against Napoli moved from Tuesday to Wednesday and Arsenal s Europa League clash against PSV postponed.
EFL matches will go ahead throughout the week and over the course of next weekend, including fixtures being played at clubs in and around London in the days before the state funeral on Monday September 19.
Queens Park Rang…
The Premier League title race is not over for Manchester City and Arsenal, but ex-player Kolo Toure acknowledged the reigning champions hold the advantage.
Pep Guardiola s side ruthlessly dismantled Arsenal in a 4-1 win on Wednesday, to move two points off the Gunners at the summit with two games in hand.
After dropping points three games on the bounce before their loss to the champions, Arsenal s hopes of a first title since 2004 look to have slipped away.
But Toure, who won Premier League titles with both clubs across his career, feels it cannot be called until the final day of the season, despite City s ascendancy.
It is not over yet, he told Stats Perform. There are still some games. [It was a] big statement from City. They showed their qualities, th…
Sheffield Wednesday have re-signed Sunderland’s Connor Wickham on loan until January,.
The 6ft 3in striker played six times for the Owls during a brief spell at the Championship side last season, scoring his only goal in a 1-0 victory at Leicester City in March.
That strike equals his tally achieved in 33 league outings for the Black Cats, for whom he has made just one top flight start this season.
Steve Bruce took the England U21 international to the Stadium of Light in June 2011, paying Ipswich Town an initial fee of £8m for his services.
He has seventeen caps for the under 21’s, and has scored six goals; his last strike coming in the 6-0 friendly win over Scotland in August.
Wickham is set to go straight in to David Jones’ starting…
Jurgen Klinsmann is unfazed by whether he is liked or disliked after United States failed to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup.
USA were outplayed from the first minute as arch-rivals and CONCACAF Gold Cup champions Mexico qualified for the Confederations Cup in Russia via a 3-2 extra-time play-off win on Saturday.
Klinsmann s future has been cast into doubt following the defeat in California, with pundits and fans questioning whether the German coach is the right man to take USA forward.
The 51-year-old was asked if he should lose his job as a result but Klinsmann is standing firm as USA prepare to host Costa Rica in an international friendly on Tuesday.
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The 37-year-old, who joined LA Galaxy in March 2018, still thinks fondly of his old club and suggests he would consider returning there, reports.
The Swedish striker, who once said that he was a lion and not a human, insists that “the lion still roars” and that he would, despite his age, still be able to play in the Premier League.
“If United need me, I’m here. But Galaxy has me, so I’m sorry,” Ibrahimovic said.
He still watches his old club play and thinks they were unlucky in the match against Crystal Palace, which ended in their 1-2 defeat. Ibrahimovic believes that things would have turned out differently if Marcus Rushford had not missed his penalty.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be in even bigger trouble if Paul Pogba decides t…
Mamadou Fall scored a brace as Los Angeles FC ended their eight-game winless streak with a confidence-boosting 4-0 rout of 10-man Sporting Kansas City in MLS.
LAFC entered Friday s contest having snapped a club-record four-match losing run with a 3-3 draw against LA Galaxy, though it extended the club-record winless streak (D3 L5) – the Los Angeles franchise had previously never gone more than five straight games without a win.
But Fall s double and goals from Cristian Arango and Eduard Atuesta ensured LAFC returned to winning ways at the expense of Sporting KC, who had lost just one of their last 12 MLS matches (W6 D5).
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Milan attacker Robinho is being urged to lower his wage demands if he wants to re-join Santos.
Adriano Galliani, Milan vice-president, confirmed at the weekend that the 29-year-old is keen to return to the club where his career started for a third time.
The Brazil international had a loan spell back at Santos prior to moving to Milan from Manchester City in August 2010.
Discussions between the two clubs are progressing, but Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues has warned Robinho that he needs to be more realistic about the financial package he is seeking if the deal is be completed.
Rodrigues told ESPN Brasil: He is much closer (to joining Santos) now than he was some days ago.
I hope he reduces his demands. We know he is an important asset at Milan, and …
Udinese s coach Francesco Guidolin has signed a two-year extension to his contract at the Stadio Friuli, it was announced on Thursday.
The 57-year-old Italian has a strong history with the club having managed their for the 1998-99 season before rejoining for a second spell in charge in 2010.
Guidolin has since led Udinese to top-five finishes in Serie A in the last two campaigns, and has now been rewarded with a new contract.
The former Verona player s contract was due to expire in June 2015, but he is now committed to the club until 2017.
He is currently guiding the sqaud through their pre-season preaparations, during which they have already beaten ACS Poli Timisoara 4-1 and lost 3-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in friendlies.
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Kasper Schmeichel admits Leicester City have been embarrassing this season and says the team must stand up and be counted if they are to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
For the fourth successive match the reigning champions slumped to defeat on Sunday, as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Manchester United at the King Power Stadium.
The defeat leaves the Foxes perilously close to the bottom three of the table, just one point above 18th-placed Hull City.
Schmeichel who was beaten by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juan Mata in quick succession either side of half-time offered an honest view of Leicester s form this term and acknowledged they will be playing Championship football next season if things do not change.
In the fi…