Month: November 2024

Verdict: Half-Time Draw/Full-Time Home Win

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With less than two weeks to go before the World Cup 2018, the Spanish national team kicks off the preparations for Russia with a friendly international against another World Cup participant, Switzerland. The game will be played on Sunday night (21:00 CET) at El Madrigal.

Spain

The World Cup 2010 winners Spain have a big point to prove as they prepare for Russia. Following back-to-back disappointments at the European Championship in France and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, La Roja will be keen to get back to their imperious best.

Julen Lopetegui seems to have stabilised the squad by finding the perfect balance between youth and experience. Six years after their last major success …

Antonio Conte will bring a winning mentality to Chelsea, according to former Blues goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

Conte will leave his current role as coach of Italy after Euro 2016 and has signed a three-year deal to take over at Stamford Bridge as head coach.

Chelsea are currently 10th in the Premier League under interim coach Guus Hiddink, and Cudicini hailed his countryman s preparation and passion as his main attributes.

He is a coach with a winning mentality who demands a lot from his players, Cudicini told Goal prior to the Italian s appointment being confirmed. He is a very passionate manager and is very detailed in his preparation of his team.

He is mechanical, in the way he makes sure he knows everything about his team behind the scenes, and the…

What the papers say

Striker Ivan Toney will demand a transfer release clause if he is to sign a new contract with Brentford, according to The Sun.

Kylian Mbappe has agreed on a deal with Paris St Germain to forgo significant bonuses, according to the Daily Mail. But the France striker, 24, is still to sign a new contract.

Manchester City will compete with Liverpool to re-sign Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sane, 27, reports The Sun.

Social media round-up

Understand Juventus are closing in on new deal for Gleison Bremer — as Brazilian centre back’s doing fantastic this season.

Told final terms of new deal have been decided: Bremer will sign contract valid until June 2028.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano)

…

Gerard Pique says Barcelona feel as though they have won La Liga twice this season after they recovered from a bad run to clinch the title on Sunday.

A Luis Suarez hat-trick sealed a 3-0 win over Granada to secure Barca s sixth domestic crown in eight seasons, with Real Madrid finishing a point behind after their 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Barca suffered three straight defeats in April to surrender a nine-point lead at the top, before winning their final five matches in emphatic style, scoring 24 goals and conceding none.

And Pique, who describes the club s domestic success since 2009 as unique , admits it felt like they had won and lost the title before they were able finally to lift the trophy.

I m happy that we keep winning the league. We re li…

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has declared he is in no rush to select a first-choice goalkeeper between Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy.

Mendy had been long established as the club s number one prior to Potter s arrival at Stamford Bridge, playing a key role in the Champions League success in 2020-21, but has been absent from the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss first two games in charge due to injury.

Kepa has stepped up in his place and Potter hailed the Spaniard s performance in Saturday s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace, his first win since taking charge.

Ahead of the Champions League clash against Milan, Potter was quizzed on who will be his first-choice option between the sticks but left the door open for both players to stake their claim.

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Ronaldinho told Paris Saint-Germain fans they should be careful what they wish for as he mounted a defence of the club s under-fire superstars.

Neymar and Lionel Messi have faced a backlash from supporters in recent months, with Kylian Mbappe the only member of the much-vaunted forward trio seemingly immune to their criticism.

It helps that Mbappe has enjoyed another spectacular season for PSG, scoring 35 goals and adding 19 assists, while Neymar and Messi have struggled to live up to their lofty reputations.

Many supporters have been unimpressed by the team s performances this season, despite a costly recruitment drive that brought a raft of big names to the Parc des Princes.

Messi, an all-time great, arrived from Barcelona, while the likes of Italy goa…

Manchester City all-but secured a top-four spot in the Premier League with a stylish 3-1 win over West Brom as the Etihad Stadium faithful came out to honour departing club great Pablo Zabaleta.

City announced over the weekend that Zabaleta would end a nine-year spell in Manchester when his contract expires at the end of this season and Tuesday s final home match of the campaign was soundtracked by chants paying tribute to the Argentina international.

Manager Pep Guardiola did not stay entirely on message, naming the right-back among the substitutes, but a flowing first-half performance, featuring two goals in quick succession from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne, headed off any potential discontent as Sergio Aguero led the line superbly.

Yaya Toure, another c…

A disabled Manchester City fan was left lying alone in her own urine in a hospital bed after breaking her femur in two places amid the chaos at last month’s Champions League final in Istanbul.

Clare Watson, who is ambulant disabled following the collapse of her three lower vertebrae, travelled to Turkey with her grandchildren for the showpiece game on June 10, but suffered an accident on the way to the match which has forced her to miss six weeks of work.

Watson described her experience as “atrocious” after she and her grandchildren were forced to get out of the taxi they were travelling in to the Ataturk Stadium by police due to a road closure.

She recalled walking over “building site rubble” and tripped as she tried to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

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Arsenal head coach Unai Emery admitted Nacho Monreal could leave the Gunners before the transfer window shuts in Europe.

Monreal has been linked to LaLiga side Real Sociedad, who have reportedly agreed a two-year contract with the Spanish full-back.

The 33-year-old, who joined Arsenal from Malaga in 2013, started Saturday s 3-1 Premier League loss to Liverpool.

Amid speculation over Monreal with the LaLiga window set to close on September 2, Emery told reporters: He made a very big match and he s a very big professional for us.

This is one issue we need to speak in the next few days because in Europe they don t finish the transfer window yet, but we are going to speak about all the situations and the possibilities. It s the reason I was speaking about it…

Mauricio Pochettino said Paris Saint-Germain felt like a real team after they edged out Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

With geniuses such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria, there has never been any doubting the quality of the individuals in the PSG ranks.

They reached last season s Champions League final, and on Tuesday they completed a revenge mission against the Bundesliga giants who beat them in that Lisbon showpiece match.

A 1-0 home defeat saw the Ligue 1 outfit through on away goals following their 3-2 win in Munich last week.

It was a real tough match, Pochettino said on BT Sport. I m really happy because the players deserve big credit. I m so happy for them, the club, the president, for [sporting director] L…