Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended his decision to leave Donny van de Beek on the bench during Manchester United s dramatic 2-1 win over Villarreal in the Champions League.
The Dutch central midfielder was filmed throwing his chewing gum and having to be calmed down by team-mates as Fred and Jesse Lingard were chosen to come on with the scores tied at 1-1 and one minute of normal time remaining at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old has played just 141 minutes of football this season after being denied the chance to leave the club in the most recent transfer window.
Solskjaer argues, however, that with a squad so stacked full of talent, it is impossible for him to keep everyone happy, and insists that he is satisfied with Van de Beek s professi…
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
Knowing that they must collect three points if they re to stand any chance of a stunning late charge for the title, Real Madrid will welcome Villarreal to the capital on Saturday evening.
Real Madrid
Starting with the hosts, while Real Madrid might have managed to land a 1-0 win away at Athletic Bilbao last time out, it appears that it might be too little too late for Los Blancos. Knowing that they need a minor miracle if they re to somehow leapfrog crosstown rivals Atletico on the final weekend, the defending champions open Saturday s finale sat two points adrift of top spot. Crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Premier League outfit Chelsea earlier in the month, Head Coach Zinedine Zidane faces the prospect of ending…
(GSM) Everton stalwart Johnny Heitinga has dismissed rumours linking him with moves to Wolfsburg and Bayern München.
Reports emanating from Germany have suggested that Wolfsburg and Bayern are eyeing a swoop for the Dutchman during the January transfer window.
Heitinga has established himself as a key member of David Moyes squad since arriving at Goodison Park in the summer of 2009 and Everton are unlikely to be willing to lose the versatile performer.
The 26-year-old admits he is flattered to be linked with Wolfsburg and Bayern, but insists he is not taking the speculation seriously.
Wolfsburg and Bayern? I have heard nothing, Heitinga told voetbal.nl.
Last summer there was interest from Wolfsburg, but not thereafter.
I take that rum…
Napoli beat Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday in the 27th round of the Serie A season by 2-1.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for the home side with a fine volley in the 42nd minute, and when Federico Chiesa restored parity in the 81st, it seemed the Old Lady would return to Turin with a point. However, a reckless tackle from Juventus substitute Joseph Nonge on Victor Osimhen resulted in a penalty for Napoli, and after Wojciech Szczesny saved the Nigerian s spot-kick, Giacomo Raspadori was the quickest to react and win the game for his team.
The game
Napoli mostly dominated and kept the ball in the opposition half from the start, finishing the game with 71% of possession, but in the first period of the contest they were actually lucky not…
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has urged Ryan Shawcross to focus on maintaining his club form, suggesting an international recall from England boss Roy Hodgson remains highly unlikely.
The 28-year-old centre-back made his first appearance of the season last month following back surgery and has fitted seamlessly back into Stoke s side.
However, Shawcross sole international appearance came in the 4-2 defeat to Sweden in 2012 and Hughes does not anticipate Shawcross earning a recall ahead of Euro 2016.
Ryan Shawcross has had a long-term injury that he s just come back from and he s getting up to speed with things, the Welshman told reporters.
From the first time he came back against Chelsea he s been outstanding. He certainly has the ambitions to get int…
AFC Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao are out to make history at the Club World Cup, looking to become the first ever Asian club to make the final.
The Chinese Super League champions are arguably the strongest ever team from Asia to compete in the tournament, but face a tough quarter-final test in CONCACAF Champions League winners America.
Guangzhou are led by World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and boast the likes of Paulinho, Robinho, Elkeson and Ricardo Goulart in their squad.
Paulinho, who was bought from Tottenham for €14million, was part of the Corinthians squad that upset Chelsea in the final in 2012.
But the midfielder knows their quarter-final against America will be a tough game first up.
This is obviously …
Verdict: Southampton
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Hull City travel to St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon to take on Southampton in the Premier League. The Tigers will need to address their dreadful away record if they want to move further away from the relegation zone.
Southampton
Southampton have been suffering with a season of transition since Ronald Koeman and Saido Mane left the club last summer and have failed to set the campaign alight. This was especially evident in the Europa League where they were disappointingly eliminated in the group stages. However, they did manage to reach the League cup final, eventually losing to Manchester United, and in Manolo Gabbiadini, they have found a player who gives them hope for next year. The striker has scored six …
The Italian media report Manchester United have made a £54 million offer for Juventus winger Douglas Costa.
The Brazilian had already been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past and it seems that the Manchester United officials have reignited their interest. Rai Sport suggests Red Devils have already approached Juventus with a bid to get the Brazilian this winter.
Costa made 13 Serie A appearances for Juventus this season and is far from being considered a first-team regular in Turin. The Brazilian has yet to score a goal for Bianconeri this term and is believed to be considering his future in Italy.
The flamboyant Brazilian first broke onto the scene at Shakhtar Donetsk before moving to Bayern Munich in 2016. The 28-year-old spent two years in Munich w…
All Elite Wrestling has a huge PPV coming on Sunday, September 5 which most wrestling fans consider a must-watch event. 2021’s All Out is returning to the Now Arena–formerly known as the Sears Centre–and this PPV marks the in-ring return of none other than CM Punk.
From a high-profile match between CM Punk and Darby Allin to a match where Jericho could retire from wrestling in AEW, the match card is stacked. While the Now Arena is completely sold out, you can still watch the event for yourself, from the comfort of your own home.
The main card will begin at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT on PPV. There will also be a preshow–called The Buy In–which will have a match on it, but at this time, it’s unknown what match that will be because the 21-woman Casino B…
Chelsea forward Mia Fishel has successfully undergone surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained on international duty with the United States.
The striker tore the ligament in her right knee just before the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup, where the USA ultimately beat Brazil 1-0 for the trophy.
The injury also rules the 22-year-old out of this summer’s Paris Olympics, where the United States will be coached by Emma Hayes, who will depart Chelsea at the end of this season to take over the US women’s national team.
I’d like to thank my management and medical teams for a successful surgery today. I want to thank and for their unwavering support during this critical time.
Exciting projects for 2024 are on the way and I look forwar…