Bundesliga
The Bayern stars and Liverpool defender missing from FIFA Best Player nominees
The Best FIFA Men’s Player nominees were announced on Wednesday, with 11 players up for the award: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Ramos, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, and Thiago Alcantara. And, rather unsurprisingly, an angry mob of football’s finest keyboard warriors followed, tweeting “Where’s this/that/whoever?!?!?!” (with slightly less tidy language, admittedly). While the angry mob tends to be uncivilised, maybe they’ve got a point. Maybe there are some who should have been given their place on the shortlist. Here is one player from each position who could, and probably should, have been nominated. Goalkeeper – Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) Neuer had another incredible year In recent seasons, there have ...
Predicted Bayern Munich XI v RB Salzburg Line-up for Champions League clash
Bayern Munich will return to action tonight when they take on RB Salzburg at home in the Champions League, and you can find Champions League live streams here to watch this game and others tonight. The German club will head into the Group A game at the Allianz Arena in Munich on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. The defending European champions are at the top of the Bundesliga table at the moment with 19 points from eight matches, just a point above second-placed Borussia Dortmund. Hans-Dieter Flick’s side are at the top of Champions League Group A as well, having picked up nine points from three matches, five more than second-placed Spanish club Atletico Madrid. Bayern will be looking to book their place in the last-16 stage of Europe’s premier club competi...
FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year Nominees Announced
The shortlist for the 2020 FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year award has been released. Five managers from Europe’s top leagues have been selected for the award, which has been running since 2010. Some of the world’s biggest names have been excluded from the shortlist, including Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho, and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone. Here’s a closer look at the five nominees. Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich) Hansi Flick is the favourite for the award The obvious favourite for the award is Bayern Munich boss Hans-Dieter Flick. The German took over from Niko Kovac in November 2019, with his side in fourth place. After a mixed start, Flick helped turn the Bavarians’ fortunes around massively, embarking on an incredible 32-game unbeaten run f...
Marcelo Bielsa up against Madrid and Bayern – who was the best manager in 2020?
Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp have been named on the five-man shortlist for 2020 FIFA men’s coach of the year. Bielsa and Klopp have joined the elite company of Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich), Julen Lopetegui (Sevilla), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) for this prestigious award. How did they fare last season? Flick guided Bayern to their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title but winning the Champions League will go down as his finest achievement. The German giants were a class above the rest, with their imperious 8-2 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou demonstrating how good they had been. At Real Madrid, Zidane returned once again after brief spells from Santiago Solari and Lopetegui and won the La Liga title for the second time in his managerial c...
Lewandowski ahead of Liverpool and PSG stars in our FIFA Best POTY Rankings
Despite all the troubles of 2020, the past year of football has seen some exceptional stories. Bayern Munich dominated the scene and won the treble, Liverpool finally ended their 30-year wait for a league title, Leeds United made it back into the top flight on the 46281871th time of asking – we’ve seen it all. As is customary, individual awards are handed out at the end of the year, and arguably the most prestigious of them all is The Best FIFA Men’s Player prize. And, with the Ballon d’Or moved to 2021, it’s got even more of an edge to it. But who from the 11-man shortlist deserves the award the most? Let’s take a look. 11) Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich and Liverpool) Thiago was at the heart of Bayern’s success The former Barcelona man was a key player at the heart of Bayern’s midfield,...
David Alaba the focus as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain look to bolster their defence
David Alaba the focus as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain look to bolster their defence – originally posted on Sportslens.com Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are all set to battle it out for the signature of Bayern Munich defender David Alaba this summer. Alaba joined the Bavarians in 2008 and has since made 396 appearances for the club, scoring on 32 occasions. His time at the Allianz Arena has been incredibly successful, winning nine league titles, six DFB Pokals and two Champions League trophies, among others. Bayern completed the treble with a win over PSG in August However, the Austrian has refused to sign a new contract at the German giants, leaving him as a free agent next summer. This has put many top clubs on high alert, knowing that they could snag the 28-y...
Weekend Preview: Liverpool’s challenge, Tottenham’s chance and the Zlatan show
Weekend Preview: Liverpool’s challenge, Tottenham’s chance and the Zlatan show – originally posted on Sportslens.com After a two-week-long international break, domestic football finally returns this weekend, with plenty of live football to stream online for fans. We have two huge clashes in England, with Liverpool hosting Leicester City at Anfield, who currently sit a point above the Reds in first place. Over in North London, Tottenham can potentially move into top spot in England if they can take away three points from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who also desperately need a victory. Over in Italy, unbeaten AC Milan will look to continue their torrid start to the term as they face Napoli, who has impressed thus far under Gennaro Gattuso. In La Liga, Real Madrid...
Ballon d’Or winners if Messi and Ronaldo didn’t exist
Ballon d’Or winners if Messi and Ronaldo didn’t exist – originally posted on Sportslens.com The Ballon d’Or is one of the most prestigious individual awards in the world. Many of the greats have scooped the prize following some of the best years of their career. The last decade has seen two of the game’s titans fight it out for this award. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the scene, winning the Ballon d’Or an incredible 11 times out of the last 12, and are again amongst the forerunners to win the 2021 Ballon d’Or edition. Realistically, very few players have really stood a chance up against these two. But what if they weren’t around? Who would be our players of the year then? Let’s have a look. 2008 – Fernando Tor...
Bayern Munich Opt Not to Extend Jerome Boateng’s Contract
Bayern Munich Opt Not to Extend Jerome Boateng’s Contract – originally posted on Sportslens.com Bayern Munich have decided not to give centre-back Jerome Boateng a new contract. The 32-year-old’s current deal expires in the summer, meaning that he will be free to talk to other clubs about a transfer in January if he doesn’t agree new terms with the Bavarians. However, German publication Bild reports that the former Hamburg man will not be offered a new contract, leaving him as a free agent at the end of the season. Boateng has been at Bayern since 2011 Boateng came to the Allianz Arena in 2011 after a disappointing spell at Manchester City. He has since made 333 appearances for the German giants, scoring on nine occasions. He has won eight Bundesliga titles, five DF...
Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund Preview, Team News and Predicted Lineups
The first Der Klassiker of the season is upon us, as Borussia Dortmund welcome Bayern Munich to the Signal Iduna Park. Lucien Favre’s side have begun the new campaign in fine fashion, winning eight of their opening ten games, scoring 24 goals. They currently sit in second place in the Bundesliga, behind (you guessed it) Bayern Munich. Last season’s treble winners have also made a strong start to the season. The Bavarians have won their previous eight games by an aggregate score of 30-8. Lewandowski relishes this fixture Polish superstar Robert Lewandowski has picked up where he left off last season, bagging 12 goals already this term. The 32-year-old is Der Klassiker’s all-time top goalscorer, having netted on 23 occasions in this fixture during his spells with both sides. The omens are no...
Showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool, Der Klassiker and more to watch across Europe this weekend
Once again, we have a plethora of exciting fixtures on the schedule across Europe’s top five leagues this weekend. In the Premier League, there will be two key matches to keep an eye on. Manchester City will be looking for a much-needed three points when they host league-leaders Liverpool at the Etihad on Sunday. Manchester United meanwhile, will visit Everton at Goodison Park. Over in Germany’s top-flight, the two most successful clubs in the Bundesliga clash as Borussia Dortmund take on Bayern Munich at Signal Iduna Park. In Serie A, there will be two fixtures that are sure to provide some entertainment. Juventus play Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio, while Atalanta face Inter Milan in Bergamo. Manchester City vs Liverpool With City looking to give the Reds a run for their money in the title race,...
What Next for David Alaba?
In the last decade, David Alaba has gone on to cement his place as one of the most versatile players in Europe and in Bayern Munich’s recent history. Since debuting for the Bavarians in 2010, he has won more than 20 titles at the club level among numerous other individual honours. However, all is not well between Bayern and the defender. Alaba is out of contract at the end of the season in July 2021 and is yet to agree to a new deal with the club. The relationship between the player and the club management has hit an all-time low. Set to leave Bayern? After a series of fruitless negotiations, President Herbert Hainer told the public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk that the club had withdrawn its contract extension offer. These comments arrive after Alaba is said to have rejected a third e...
