Liverpool
Predicted Aston Villa XI vs Liverpool: Smith to make one change, 26-yr-old to start
Aston Villa take on Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend and Dean Smith’s side will be looking to build on their impressive win over Fulham last time out. Villa have only managed to win one of their last five league games and they need to start putting together a winning run now. The West Midlands club started the season in impressive form but they are currently 9th in the table and the fans will be slightly disappointed with the decline. It remains to be seen whether Villa can finish the season strongly and secure a top-eight finish now. The last time these two sides met in the Premier League, Liverpool were crushed 7-2 and the Reds will be looking to avenge that defeat here. Liverpool are coming into this game on the back of a disappointing defeat against Real Madrid in the Champ...
Liverpool linked with a move for 29-yr-old, could face competition from PL rivals
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Inter Milan defender Stefan De Vrij. According to Corriere dello Sport (translated by Sportwitness), Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the player and are willing to submit an offer. SL View: De Vrij unlikely to join Liverpool There is no doubt that Liverpool need to sign a quality centre-back this summer, and De Vrij would be a superb addition if they manage to pull it off. The Dutchman has developed into a key player under Antonio Conte, and the Italian outfit are eager to tie him down to a new contract. On that basis, it seems highly unlikely that they will cash in on the 29-year-old this summer. The Reds were recently linked with Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig, with some pundits claiming he was close to agreeing a move. ...
Klopp, Nagelsmann and more: 5 managers who could replace Hansi Flick at Bayern Munich
Hansi Flick has done an exceptional job at Bayern Munich, winning the treble in his first season, having taken over from Niko Kovac in November 2019. This season, he has continued in a similar vein, sitting seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with just seven games remaining. However, they have already been knocked out of the DFB Pokal and are up against it in the Champions League after losing the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain. It now appears that Flick is ready to take on a new challenge, with Norwegian reporter Jan Aage Fjortoft claiming on Twitter that he is set to take over the German national team after the European Championships this summer. The 56-year-old previously worked as assistant manager for Die Mannschaft during their most succes...
Liverpool have alternative plans lined up as ‘nothing has been decided yet’ on £34m target
Liverpool may well drop the idea of signing Ibrahima Konate in the summer. The Athletic reported last month that the RB Leipzig defender is heading towards Liverpool this summer. Popular football journalists David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano both have claimed that Konate is likely to join the Merseyside club, with the Reds already lining up a deal for him. RB Leipzig sporting director, Markus Krosche, claimed last month that Konate won’t be sold in the summer transfer window, but they could be powerless to prevent him from leaving if any potential suitor activates his release clause which is around £34.15 million (€40m). It has been claimed that Liverpool currently in the process of finalising a deal for him, as bolstering the defence in the summer...
Manchester United reportedly have joined the race to sign £34m Liverpool-bound target
Manchester United have reportedly joined the race to sign Ibrahima Konate in the summer transfer window. Last month, The Athletic reported that the RB Leipzig defender is heading towards Liverpool this summer, with the Reds already lining up a deal for him. David Ornstein and several other reliable journalists have claimed that Konate is likely to join the Merseyside club, with Liverpool currently in the process of finalising a deal for him, which is reported to be around £34 million. Bolstering the defence is a priority for the Reds, and while the deal isn’t done yet, the suggestion was clear – Konate would be Anfield-bound in a few months. However, there could be a twist in the tale, with the Red Devils now registering an interest in him. United and several other heavywei...
Analysis: Liverpool’s poor pressing and TAA horror show ensured resounding thrashing by Real Madrid
As far as UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties go, they don’t get much bigger than this. Real Madrid hosted Liverpool at the Alfredo Di Stéfano in the first leg of the repeat of the 2018 Champions League final, but a number of key players were missing from both sides. Neither team had either of their two senior centre-backs available, while Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal were also out for Los Blancos. Two depleted defences meant that we certainly had goals in store, and that was just the case as Real Madrid emerged 3-1 winners – just as they had done nearly three years ago. There was no Gareth Bale to bag a brace for Zinedine Zidane’s men, but Vinícius Júnior stepped up more than adequately with a match-winning performance. We will take a look at that and much more as we ...
Leicester City interested in £30m-rated star, Brendan Rodgers is a big admirer
Leicester City are monitoring Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita ahead of a possible move for his services this summer, Football Insider reports. The Guinea international is presently in his third season with the Reds, but he has yet to establish himself as a regular starter. Injuries have hampered his progress in recent years, and the same has been the case this term, missing more than 20 games in all competitions. He has been fit since mid-February, but manager Jurgen Klopp has hardly played him with just 142 minutes across seven matches. Keita was an unused substitute in the recent 3-0 league win at Arsenal, where James Milner got the nod over him after Georginio Wijnaldum was rested. It is now reported that the Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is a big admirer of Keita, and the Midlands outfit ...
Klopp shakes up his starting XI, City boss benches forward again
The Champions League has reached the quarter-final stage and features some mouth-watering UCL fixtures. We’ll update this story with reports, results and the latest Champions League highlights as the first leg games are played. Three Premier League clubs have made it through to the last eight of the competition, and two of them were in action on Tuesday evening. Liverpool face a tough task to reach the semi-finals after losing 3-1 at Real Madrid – Vinicius Junior (2) and Marco Asensio scored for the La Liga giants. Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were on target for Manchester City as they secured a narrow 2-1 home victory over Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea are in action on Wednesday as they face Porto, while Bayern Munich will go head-to-head with Paris Saint-Germain. Champions League Quarter-...
Vinicius Junior hits brace as Real Madrid take commanding lead in first leg
Real Madrid enjoyed a fine evening in the Champions League quarter-finals, winning their first leg tie over Liverpool 3-1. It was a tough first half for the visitors. Karim Benzema fired an early warning shot straight at Alisson, while Vinicius Junior headed wide after some good work down the left from Ferland Mendy. On the 27th minute, Vinicius gave Real Madrid the lead with a real moment of quality. Toni Kroos found the Brazilian with a pinpoint 50-yard pass. The winger immaculately brought the ball down on his chest and fired into the bottom corner with his right foot. Ten minutes later, Los Blancos doubled their lead. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s interception from Kroos’ pass went straight to Marco Asensio, who lifted the ball over Alisson and tapped in from no further than a yard out. It ...
‘Best out of the three’: Neville says Leeds man is actually better on the ball than Liverpool star
Former Manchester United defender turned popular football pundit Gary Neville has showered praise on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Neville, while speaking on Monday Night Football for Sky Sports, has claimed that Phillips is better on the ball than both Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice. The Sky Sports pundit has suggested that Phillips will start for England at Euro 2020 this summer. The 25-year-old midfielder has been arguably the best player of Leeds over the past three years. He has been converted into a holding midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa, and it has changed his career completely. Using his dynamism, energy, passing ability, intelligence, tackling qualities, and ball recovery skills, Phillips has established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders i...
Strong XI for Reds, Man City defender doubtful, Chelsea midfielder out
The Champions League is back with a bang this week as the first leg of the quarter-final ties are played across Europe. The action gets underway on Tuesday, with two Premier League teams hoping to boost their chances of progressing to the last four. Despite still missing some key players, Liverpool will field a strong starting XI for their visit to Real Madrid. Diogo Jota could get the nod in attack after bagging twice as a substitute in the Reds’ 3-0 Premier League victory over Arsenal on Saturday. Manchester City have nearly a full squad to choose from for their game against Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium. Defender Nathan Ake is City’s only major doubt as they get set to face the Bundesliga outfit. Chelsea will be without midfielder N’Golo Kante for their trip to play Porto at t...
‘Paid massive dividends’: BBC pundit raves about Liverpool man who ‘has made one hell of an impact’
Popular football pundit Garth Crooks has showered heaps of praise on Liverpool forward Diogo Jota. Crooks has suggested that Jota has made a huge impact since he joined the Anfield club from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer. The 24-year-old has been outstanding for the Reds, and he has maintained his fantastic form since returning from a long injury lay-off. He impressed for Portugal during the recent World Cup qualifiers and made a strong impact during Liverpool’s 3-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Jota, who replaced Andy Robertson, scored twice during the game as Liverpool sealed all three points to move two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Crooks told BBC Sport: “This player has made one hell of an impact for Liverpool since he arrived at Anfield f...
