Football
Bundesliga: RB Leipzig knock Bayern Munich from top after romp at Freiburg
RB Leipzig climbed top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 3-0 romp at Freiburg to replace previous leaders Bayern Munich, who later host Dortmund in Germany’s ‘Klassiker’. Christopher Nkunku, Alexander Sorloth and Emil Forsberg scored the goals in Freiburg which lifted Leipzig one point ahead of Bayern, who are at home to Dortmund (1730GMT). “That was a mature performance,” Leipzig sports director Markus Kroesche told Sky. “Anything is possible,” he replied when asked if Leipzig can stop Bayern winning a ninth straight league title this season. Leipzig impressed in their final tune-up before facing Liverpool in Budapest next Wednesday in the last 16 of the Champions League having lost the first leg 2-0. Leipzig took the lead at Freiburg after a first-half blunder by home goalkeeper Flori...
Arsenal provide update on Smith Rowe ahead of Burnley clash
Arsenal have this evening revealed a late update on the fitness of Emile Smith Rowe, ahead of their showdown with Burnley. Mikel Arteta’s men are set to return to action tomorrow afternoon, in a Premier League meeting with the Clarets. The Gunners will of course head into the Turf Moor clash with their tails up, on the back of a morale boosting pair of wins over the last couple of weeks. First, a last-gasp Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang header saw Arsenal get the better of Benfica, to book their spot in the Last-16 of the Europa League. And this was followed last weekend by a hugely impressive 3-1 downing of Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The news, as a whole, proved of a positive nature, with only two players – including 3rd-choice goalkeeper Alex Runarsson – struggling as things st...
Liverpool’s centre-back crisis worsens as manager confirms Ozan Kabak injury
Kabak was brought into Anfield during the January transfer window following a series of injuries at centre-back for Liverpool. The 20-year-old has not made an ideal start to life in the Premier League. His debut came against Leicester City, where his mix up with goalkeeper Alisson allowed Jamie Vardy to tap home to put the Foxes 2-1 ahead late on. After a victory in the Champions League over RB Leipzig, the Turkey international was once again under fire after the 2-0 home defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This was followed by a victory at Bramall Lane, before a 1-0 loss against Chelsea. Kabak is now believed to be a doubt for the visit of relegation strugglers Fulham, as reported by Times journalist Paul Joyce on Twitter. The extent of his problem is currently unknown. The loanee ...
Mesut Ozil nightmare continues after being stretchered off in Fenerbahce tie
Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is having a tough time in Turkey having been taken off on a stretcher in Fenerbahce’s match with Antalyaspor. Since arriving at Fener in January, Ozil has not scored for the Turkish giants and hasn’t provided an assist for any teammates. Fenerbahce ended up drawing 1-1 with Antalyaspor, with Ozil missing a brilliant chance to bag his first goal, before being injured. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet revenue.
AFCON: NFF confirms date of final qualifying matches for Super Eagles
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took to the official Twitter account of the Super Eagles to officially confirm the dates and kickoff times for the final stage of the senior men’s national football team’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. For Matchday five, the Super Eagles will meet the Squirrels of Benin Republic on Saturday, March 27, in Porto-Novo, the capital of Republic of Benin, for a 1600 hours (GMT) kickoff. The next fixture against the Crocodiles of Lesotho, which will be the last of the series, will take place on Tuesday, March 30, in Lagos at 1600 hours (GMT) as well. At this point of the qualifiers, Nigeria has eight points from their first four Group L games and a draw from either of these matches will earn the Super Eagles the point they need ...
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid ordered to further tighten belts by La Liga
FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will have to cut down the costs of their squads by more than 35 million euros ($42.14 million) following new salary limits imposed by La Liga on Tuesday to cope with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, published twice annually following each transfer window, dictate how much teams can spend on players, coaches, support staff and their youth teams. They are calculated in line with revenues, which have been obliterated by coronavirus restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for 12 months while depressing the transfer market and reducing income from merchandising. Barcelona are the club most acutely affected by the new limits and will be forced to reduce their costs by an additional 35.7 million euros, to 347 million. League ...
Leon Balogun doubtful for Rangers vs Livingston clash with injury
Nigeria defender Leon Balogun is a doubt for Rangers’ trip to Livingston on Wednesday due to injury. Balogun was replaced by Nathan Patterson at half-time during Rangers’ Europa League home win against Royal Antwerp last Thursday after picking up the injury. Rangers manager Steven Gerrard confirmed the versatile defender will be assessed ahead of the game billed for the Tony Macaroni Stadium. 🎙️ “Leon Balogun has a quad issue so will be a doubt for tomorrow,” Gerrard told a news conference on Tuesday morning. The 32-year-old has made 17 league appearances for Rangers this season. The Gers top the table with 82 points from 30 matches. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating shou...
2021 U-17 AFCON: Victor Ikpeba upbeat about Golden Eaglets chances
Former Super Eagles forward Victor Ikpeba says the Golden Eaglets will be the team to beat at the U-17 Africa Nations Cup in Morocco. Ikpeba stated this during the Monday Football programme on Supersports, where he also warned that most African countries have come of age when it comes to age-grade football. Recall that Nigeria has been pitted alongside Congo, Tanzania, and Algeria in Group B. However, the former Africa Footballer of the Year recipient appealed to the technical crew to allow the players to express their God-giving talent. “Yes, we should forget about history if we are looking at history. But the truth of the matter is that the Golden Eaglets are the team to beat at the Africa U-17 Nations Cup. You can count out Congo, Egypt, and Ivory Coast. “Mind you, these days we are not...
Manchester City in bizarre spat with Opta
Manchester City are in another battle with stats boffins Opta over Pep Guardiola’s managerial record. But Opta acknowledged Saturday’s 2-1 win over West Ham as the moment Pep reached his double ton. The Athletic report that City officials made the case in a meeting with Opta. The report adds that games that are decided on penalties are what’s causing the stats imbalance. Opta and City also held differing views over their incredible winning streak. The stats experts said that the win against Swansea made it an English record of 15 wins in a row in all competitions. But City think they already hold the record when they won 20 in a row during a dominant 2017-18 season. However, one of those games was won on penalties against Wolves in the Carabao Cup. Opta stats recorded that as a draw, which...
Manchester United rages at penalty talk as team draw another blank
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United was furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. “It’s all these outside influences. That’s influencing referees,” said an unusually irate Solskjaer. “We’ve ...
Ademola Lookman thrilled to play for Fulham
Ademola Lookman says he is enjoying his time with Premier League club Fulham. Lookman linked up with the Whites on a one-year loan deal from German club RB Leipzig last summer The 23–year-old has been one of the key performers for the Cottagers, contributing four goals and three assists in 22 league appearances. “I’m enjoying my football here, that’s the most important thing,” Lookman told the club website. “For me, it’s just all about improving every single day I can, learn as much as I can off the gaffer and off the coaching staff.” Lookman has urged the Craven Cottage outfit to give their best when they square off against Roy Hodgson’s men at Selhurst Park. “We need to be at the top of our game also but we’ll definitely be going there to get the three points like in any game that we are...
FIFA favours Patrice Motsepe for CAF presidency
FIFA have asked three candidates to back South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe in the upcoming Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential election, a source close to one of the candidates told AFP. The previous incumbent Ahmad Ahmad was banned for breaches of FIFA’s ethical code, but has had the ban suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. World body FIFA are keen for a fresh start in Africa, the source said. Motsepe is a South African mining billionaire and owner of reigning domestic champions Mamelodi Sundowns. According to the source, Augustin Senghor of Senegal and Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania are open to the idea of backing Motsepe and becoming vice-presidents themselves. Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast would be offered a roll as advisor to Motsepe. “Motsepe is FIFA’s preferred ...