Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is set to miss the Blues' FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester City on Saturday, having suffered a hamstring injury prior to Tuesday's Champions League clash with Porto. The Croatian star did not feature in the 1-0 defeat to the Portuguese outfit, but Thomas Tuchel's men still managed to progress to the semi-finals thanks to their 2-0 victory in the first leg. Kovacic will miss Saturday's FA Cup semi-final | Soccrates Images/Getty Images But after the loss in Seville, Tuchel told Chelsea's official website that he'll have to make do without Kovacic for the FA Cup clash with Man City, while he was unable to give an expected date of recovery for the 26-year-old. "Yesterday in training he got a
Neymar sends reassuring message to PSG fans over future
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has stated that he is ready to commit his long-term future to the Ligue 1 champions, admitting he feels 'very comfortable and at home' in the French capital. The 29-year-old's next career move has been debated for months, and with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2022, Les Parisiens have been working hard to tie him down to a contract extension. Neymar is ready to pledge his future to PSG | Matthias Hangst/Getty Images A move back to Barcelona has been mooted, with contrasting reports over the past few months suggesting Neymar hadn't decided what he was going to do next. But after his agent confirmed his intention to stay in Paris, the Brazilian superstar
Mike Ashley closes Newcastle United retail store in potential takeover breakthrough
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is closing the club's official retail store and has made all of his staff redundant, telling employees that it's one of the conditions of their prospective buyers. The Magpies have long been the subject of a potential £300m takeover from a Saudi consortium, although the deal has hit plenty of roadblocks along the way. Ashley has closed the Newcastle United store But the decision to close the Sports Direct owned Newcastle retail store points to a possible breakthrough in the takeover, as the Daily Mail reports that the closure is one of the Saudi's conditions for buying the club. Ashley informed staff members of the decision to close the shop on Monday, making them all redundant in the process.
Andy Robertson reveals Liverpool’s game plan to beat Real Madrid
Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has revealed the Reds plan to press Real Madrid at Anfield as they attempt to overturn a 3-1 Champions League quarter-final deficit, hoping their intensity will disrupt the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos dictating the game. Jurgen Klopp's side were criticised in the aftermath of their first leg clash a week ago for lacking their usual level of intensity. Real Madrid were able to cut through the Reds far too easily, enabling Vinicius Junior to score twice either side of a gifted Marco Asensio goal. Liverpool were guilty of making it too easy for Real Madrid in the first leg | Angel Martinez/Getty Images Klopp admitted after the game that his team made it ‘too easy’ for
Man Utd to ‘explore’ deal for £60m-rated Raphael Varane
Manchester United have been tipped to ‘explore’ a potential deal for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane in their hunt for a centre-back partner for Harry Maguire this summer. Varane has been heavily linked with United on and off for a decade, even before he sealed a high-profile transfer to Real Madrid from Lens while still a teenager in the summer of 2011. But the rumours have come back in 2021 as the Frenchman nears the final year of his contract in Spain. Man Utd are in the market for a centre-back & Varane is proven at the highest level | Soccrates Images/Getty Images There has been no indication that an agreement over a new deal for Varane to extend his Bernabeu stay is
Thomas Tuchel reveals Chelsea’s preferred Champions League semi-final opponent
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he would prefer to face Real Madrid over Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals, having seen his own team reach the last four on Tuesday night by holding onto an aggregate lead against Porto. Mehdi Taremi spectacularly scored the only goal of the second leg , which was played on neutral soil in Spain as a result of coronavirus restrictions, but the stoppage time strike wasn’t enough to hurt Chelsea after they had beaten Porto 2-0 in the first leg. Both @ChelseaFC and @ChelseaFCW are through to the Champions League semi-finals! ? pic.twitter.com/Thmvo8kWQF — 90min (@90min_Football) April 13, 2021 With the knockout bracket already predetermined and the semi-final draw made at the same time as the quarter-final
Hansi Flick refuses to rule out Bayern Munich exit
Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has hinted at a possible departure from the club at the end of the season, with speculation rife that he will succeed Joachim Low as Germany national team coach after this summer’s delayed European Championship finals. Flick has been in charge at Bayern for less than two years after replacing Niko Kovac, initially on an interim basis, in November 2019. He then finished his first season with a spectacular Champions League triumph as Bayern won every game en route to lifting the trophy. Flick guided Bayern to Champions League glory last season | MATTHEW CHILDS/Getty Images But despite Bayern being on course for another Bundesliga title, we revealed earlier this week that there is a feeling Flick could
Northern Ireland qualify for Women’s Euro 2022 with 2-0 win over Ukraine
Northern Ireland booked their place at Women's Euro 2022 on Tuesday night by securing a 2-0 win over Ukraine.Going into the game, Kenny Shiels' side only required a draw on the night after they won 2-1 in the first leg thanks to goals from Rachel Furness and Simone Magill.It is the first major tournament the team have qualified for | Charles McQuillan/Getty ImagesThey nearly took the lead inside six minutes when goalkeeper Kateryna Samson flapped at a corner, but Laura Rafferty narrowly poked wide. Magill then forced Samson into a fairly routine save just before the half hour mark. Ukraine struggled to carve out many chances with the scores level at 0-0 going into the break.Early in the second half,
Twitter reacts as Chelsea & PSG progress to semi finals at expense of Bayern Munich & Porto
Another Tuesday, another night of undiluted Champions League drama.We now know that Paris Saint-Germain will meet either Borussia Dortmund or Manchester City in the semi finals, after they banished the ghosts of last season's final by defeating Bayern Munich.Elsewhere, Chelsea beat Porto in a game that had little for the neutrals to enjoy until the final seconds.ft. WE'RE THROUGH TO THE #UCL SEMI-FINALS! #CHEPOR pic.twitter.com/EmX9uf7377— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 13, 2021ALLEZ PARIS ?❤️? pic.twitter.com/MI8b3UOmi5— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 13, 2021In Paris, things got off to a captivating if not overtly dramatic start. Things really clicked into gear just before the break when Neymar hit the crossbar and then the post in very quick succession.Forget the scoreline. Watching Neymar in this
Paris Saint-Germain 0-1 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as PSG progress despite defeat
Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the Champions League semi finals on Tuesday night on away goals, despite losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich courtesy of an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting strike. In a captivating first half, Neymar hit the crossbar and the post in quick succession just before the break. Bayern made the Brazilian pay for his wastefulness when Choupo-Moting opened the scoring from close range soon after. Neymar waved goodbye to Kingsley Coman before hitting the bar for PSG ? How have PSG still not scored?! pic.twitter.com/mirTscUgK8 — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 13, 2021 After the break things calmed down, although Neymar came within centimeters of sliding Angel Di Maria's cross home early on. Kylian Mbappe then had a goal ruled out for offside with
Chelsea 0-1 Porto: Player ratings as Blues reach semi finals despite Taremi stunner
Chelsea secured the result they needed to take them into the semi finals of the Champions League despite an incredible stoppage time overhead kick from Porto's Mehdi Taremi. An intense opening saw the Portuguese outfit press the Premier League outfit with intensity, but Chelsea soon found their rhythm and midfielders Jorginho and N'Golo Kante performed exceptionally in central midfield to keep their opponents comfortably at bay. ft. WE'RE THROUGH TO THE #UCL SEMI-FINALS! #CHEPOR pic.twitter.com/EmX9uf7377 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 13, 2021 Substitute Taremi got the game's only goal in the 93rd minute, rising highest to acrobatically fire into the top corner, but it wasn't enough to change the overall result of the tie. The Blues are arguably the dark horses of the competition, enjoying
England Women 0-2 Canada Women: Player ratings as Lionesses lose last game before GB squad announcement
Two glaring defensive errors saw England Women lose 2-0 to Canada in the Lionesses' final fixture before interim coach Hege Riise names her Great Britain squad for the summer's Tokyo Olympics.Riise made six changes from the side that lost to France but it was the visitors who took the lead with one of their first attacks of the game, as Demi Stokes dallied on the ball and allowed Evelyne Viens to nip in and fire home.A disappointing night for the #Lionesses against an organised Canada side. Well played, @CanadaSoccerEN. ? pic.twitter.com/HD5j7YU1Yj— Lionesses (@Lionesses) April 13, 2021Returning goalkeeper Karen Bardsley failed to clear her lines late on and allowed Nichelle Prince to close her down practically on the line for Canada's
Tottenham linked with Maurizio Sarri move
Tottenham have been linked with a move for former Chelsea and Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri if Jose Mourinho is shown the exit door.Pressure is mounting on current boss Mourinho after Spurs fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday. This comes after they blew a 2-0 first leg lead against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League round of 16, while their chances of improving on last season's sixth placed Premier League finish are remote.Mourinho is under pressure | Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesSpeculation that Daniel Levy is preparing to give Mourinho his marching orders has increased in recent weeks and the latest name to be linked is Sarri. According to Rai Sports (via the Daily Mail), the Italian is
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s son confirms he has never gone without dinner
Ladies and gentleman, you can stop worrying. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's son Noah has broken his silence and confirmed that his father has never deprived him of dinner.In case you have been out of the loop for the past few days, let us contextualise this massive development.Solskjaer on Son: “If my son stays down like this for 3 minutes and needs 10 mates to help him up, he won't get any food.” [@footballdaily]pic.twitter.com/WKjbagOTo6— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) April 11, 2021The saga began partway through Manchester United's meeting with Tottenham on Sunday. United thought they had taken the lead in the first half only for Edinson Cavani's goal to be ruled out after Son through himself to the ground following minimal contact to
Martinez: ‘Ajax must attack’
Defender Lisandro Martinez said Ajax can’t give Edin Dzeko, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Pedro any space on Thursday. ‘They know how to hurt you’. Ajax travel to Rome for the return leg in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and must turn around a 2-1 defeat to the Giallorossi from Amsterdam. “It’s a pity, we attacked throughout the game,” Martinez told Calciomercato.it. “In the first half we lost to many balls and they caught us off guard, but we only made two real mistakes and paid dearly for them. “In any case, I want to think about the positive side of the performance: the team constantly attacked and created many opportunities, but we failed to materialise. “The penalty would have changed everything but getting it
Hakimi agent rues Inter Euro exit
Achraf Hakimi’s agent maintains if Inter had managed to stay in the Champions League, they ‘would go all the way’ to the Final. The Nerazzurri reached the Europa League Final last season, while this term they finished bottom of their Champions League group. Since that elimination in December, Antonio Conte has been able to focus his attention entirely on Serie A, going 11 points clear in the Scudetto race. “The path to the Scudetto is clear now and the gap means Inter can start thinking about their title celebrations,” agent Alejandro Camano told Radio Kiss Kiss. “Conte deserves a lot of credit and now they are playing good football too. If Inter were playing the Champions League right now, they would go all the
Aguero meets with Barcelona
According to reports in Spain, Juventus transfer target Sergio Aguero is in advanced negotiations for a move to Barcelona. The striker is a free agent after his Manchester City contract ran down, so can make any move he wishes from July. Juve had been heavily linked with Kun Aguero, although Chelsea had been reportedly leading the race. Now El Chiringuito in Spain suggest Aguero’s agent is currently in Barcelona for negotiations with the Blaugrana. It would enable him to reunite at club level with his fellow Argentina international Lionel Messi. Aguero will turn 33 in June and has three goals in 15 competitive games for Manchester City this season. He has been in England since 2011, previously playing for Independiente and Atletico Madrid.
Italian Govt saves Euro 2020 games
The Italian Government has given the all-clear for the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to host at least 25 per cent capacity at Euro 2020. News agency ANSA announces that the letter has been sent by the Minister for Sport, passed on to the FIGC and will then be handed over to UEFA. It was a necessary step by tomorrow to ensure UEFA did not remove the four matches from Rome and Italy, including the opening ceremony on June 11. There were concerns that the CTS (technical scientific committee) was unwilling to commit to 25 per cent capacity when still so far away from the event in June. However, as UEFA considered this an absolute requirement for cities hosting games in the tournament, they were
Why Milan can’t appeal Ibrahimovic ban
Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa explains why they cannot appeal Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s one-match ban by providing audio evidence and the questions raised by the wording. The Swede was sent off during the 3-1 win at Parma and today’s ban describes the reasons for his dismissal as ‘having uttered, with a provocative attitude, disrespectful criticism of the match official.’ This raised a few eyebrows, because these are not words that appear in the code of conduct, so it’s not entirely clear that what he did was technically a red card offence. “The motivation given for the ban is curious, because it admits criticism is a right, but adds an adjective that isn’t really connected to that,” Cantamessa told PianetaMilan.it. “Criticism must be contained, but the adjective
Thuram: ‘Can’t expect too much from Pirlo’
Lilian Thuram insists criticism of Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo is ‘laughable’ because you ‘can’t expect him to be a great coach in his first season.’ While Thuram is trying to stand up for the former midfielder, at the same time, his comments read like criticism of the decision to appoint him in the first place. “I think the criticism of Pirlo laughable really, because I believe he can become a great coach, just as he was a great player, but he needs time,” Thuram told Sky Sport Italia. “You cannot become a great player in your debut professional campaign, nor a great chef or a great journalist, that all takes time. So you cannot expect Pirlo to be a great coach in his