Roma
Europa League Round of 32 Draw Announced
The first knockout round fixtures for the Europa League have been revealed. The top two sides from each of the 12 groups progressed to the knockout round, and are joined by the eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage. Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur were drawn against Austrian side Wolfsberger, while North London rivals Arsenal will face Benfica. The most exciting tie of the draw came when Spanish club Real Sociedad were drawn against English giants Manchester United. Serie A table toppers AC Milan will travel to Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade, while Rangers clash with Royal Antwerp. Leicester City were the final British side out of the draw, facing Slavia Prague. The first legs will be played on the 18th of February, and the second legs will be on the 25 ...
Juventus hit back to beat Torino
Juventus came from behind to beat Torino 2-1 on Sunday with US midfielder Weston McKennie among the scorers for the first time since he joined the Italian champions on loan. McKennie’s close-range header on 78 minutes put Juve level after Nicolas Nkoulou had given Torino a first-half advantage. After McKennie’s equaliser, Leonardo Bonucci produced an 89th-minute winner to lift Juve to second in the table, three points behind AC Milan who visit Sampdoria on Sunday. Inter Milan can overtake Juve by beating Bologna in Saturday’s late match. Before the game in Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with a special jersey commemorating his 750th career goal. But Ronaldo played a supporting role for once as 22-year-old McKennie, on loan from German club Schalke 04, scored a first Serie A goal and...
West Ham and Leicester interested in Serie A midfielder
West Ham United and Leicester City are both reportedly showing interest in AS Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato. Diawara joined Roma in the summer of 2019 from fellow Serie A club Napoli. In his first season, he played a fairly important role, starting in 19 games as I Giallorossi finished fifth. Diawara has fallen down the pecking order at Roma However, this term he has found himself on the fringes, playing just 118 league minutes so far. Manager Paulo Fonseca has generally favoured the likes of Jordan Veretout, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Gonzalo Villar. And now it seems like the Guinean midfielder might be on his way out of the Stadio Olimpico soon, with Calciomercato reporting that Premier League sides West Ham United and Leicester City are intereste...
Napoli boss rues Victor Osimhen’s absence
Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso says the absence of Victor Osimhen is being felt within the team despite Sunday’s 4-0 win over Roma in a Series A tie. Osimhen suffered a shoulder injury while on duty for the Super Eagles during the international break, which has seen him miss a couple of games for the San Paolo Stadium outfit. And Manager, Gattuso while reacting to Napoli’s big win over Roma praised his team’s mentality but rues the absence of the Nigeria international. “We have missed Osimhen in recent weeks, remember, he is an important player,” Gattuso said of the Forward, who is gradually returning to fitness having commenced light training and gym work. Osimhen linked up with the Partenopei from French club Lille in a record deal in the summer. He has played a total of six matches for ...
Cristiano Ronaldo double earns 10-man Juventus a draw
Cristiano Ronaldo twice netted an equaliser to give Juventus a 2-2 draw away at Roma on Sunday evening. A cagey opening period to the game was finally blown open on 31 minutes when the home side scored from the penalty spot. It was Jordan Veretout who netted from 12 yards to give Paulo Fonseca’s men the lead. But just before half time the Old Lady were back level, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his own penalty after a handball inside the area. Immediately after that though, Roma got themselves back in front after a stunning counter-attack that was finished by Veretout. Andrea Pirlo’s side then went down to 10 men as Adrien Rabiot was sent off for a late challenge which saw him earn a second yellow card. As has become customary for the Bianconeri though, it was Ronaldo who saved the day, towerin...
Governor Bagudu: President Buhari’s policies yielding fruitful results
Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State says President Muhammadu Buhari’s policies have began to yield the desired results in the country. The governor made this known during a visit to a private rice mill, owned by a business mogul, Alhaji Sahabi Lolo in Kamba, Dandi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state on Sunday. Newsmen report that Bagudu was accompanied by Gov. Muhammed Badaru of Jigawa on the visit. He expressed delight that the policies of the administration were putting the country on a more formidable economic footing. According to Bagudu, the investment derive of the president in the rice value chain in the last few years is also bearing fruits on the economy. ”What you saw here today is one of the so many that have come-up in the last few years under president Muhammad Buhari’s r...
US Republican senators confront Netflix over Chinese sci-fi show
Five Republican US senators have confronted Netflix over the streaming giant’s plan to adapt a Chinese sci-fi book trilogy, expressing concern over the original author’s comments about claims of forced labor in Xinjiang. Liu Cixin’s bestselling “The Three-Body Problem,” which tells the story of humanity’s first contact with aliens, is set to become a major Netflix series co-written by the creators of “Game of Thrones.” In a letter to content boss Ted Sarandos, the senators accused Liu of “parroting dangerous [Communist Party] propaganda” and suggested Netflix was “providing a platform to Mr Liu in producing this project.” They highlighted a New Yorker article from last year in which Liu is quoted defending mass internment in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, where activists say more th...
Paris Saint-Germain sign Alessandro Florenzi on loan from Roma
Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Alessandro Florenzi from Roma, with the defender arriving on a loan deal with an option to buy. The 29-year-old has been contracted to Roma throughout the duration of his career however he spent the second half of last season on loan with Valencia in the Primera Division. The 36-time Italy star will team up with international team-mate Marco Verratti in the French capital. “I’m especially proud and happy to become a PSG player,” he said in a statement on the club’s official website. “It’s one of the biggest clubs in Europe today, as was confirmed with their run to the Champions League final last month. “I’ve got the desire to give my maximum for PSG and the supporters of the club. There are enormous challenges ahead of us this season. It wi...
Napoli president confirms Kalidou Koulibaly, Arkadiusz Milik are ‘on the way out’
In what will come as interesting news to Manchester City, Juventus and Roma, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed that Kalidou Koulibaly and Arkadiusz Milik are both poised to leave the club. Napoli and City have been haggling over a fee for Koulibaly for a number of weeks and it seems a compromise is close to being reached, with Napoli reportedly demanding in the region of €80m for the defender. While Milik has been linked with a move to Roma as a potential replacement for Edin Džeko, or to Juve as a replacement for Gonzalo Higuaín. “Koulibaly and Milik are both on their way out, transfer market permitting,” De Laurentiis told Canale 21 on Wednesday. “So, if the transfer market allows us to sell these two excellent players, we will know how to replace them. If not, then we...
Adrien Rabiot: Juventus still on course in Serie A despite blip
Juventus are still on course for this season’s Serie A title despite a blip in form, insists Adrien Rabiot, who says no “catastrophic” damage has been done. Maurizio Sarri’s side are currently sitting top of the Italian top-flight on 77 points, five ahead of second-placed Inter having played a game less. However, the Bianconeri have been fortunate to maintain their lead after a three-match winless run, which began with a 4-2 defeat against Milan at San Siro on July 7. Juve followed up that result with draws against Atalanta and Sassuolo, but Lazio failed to capitalise, losing their last three games to slip down to fourth in the standings. The reigning Italian champions are currently preparing to come up against Lazio in a crunch encounter at the Allianz Stadium on Monday, and Rabiot is con...
Stefano Pioli: Zlatan Ibrahimovic not ready for Roma
AC Milan coach, Stefano Pioli, has said that Zlatan Ibrahimovic won’t be in the squad for today’s meeting with AS Roma.’ Pioli concedes Milan need victory to keep their European hopes alive. He said, “Every game is different. It also depends on the attitude of our opponents. In this end of the season, it’ll be important to understand the moments of the match. “It’ll be hot tomorrow, so we’ll have to pace ourselves. We’ll have to be aggressive but also careful. “We did well at Lecce and we must also do that against Roma. They know how to defend but could give us space to work in. “Our attackers have always moved around. With Ibra up top, we have different characteristics, but even he likes to come deep for the ball. “Now, we must insist on mobility in attack. We need to make the most of the...
Arsenal’s Bernd Leno names Alisson Becker as Premier League’s best goalkeeper
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno says his Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker is the best in the Premier League. The Brazilian has made a huge impression at Anfield since his record-breaking £65 million ($85m) move from Roma two years ago. Taking over from Loris Karius following his disastrous performance in the 2018 Champions League final, Alisson has helped transform Liverpool’s back line. Jurgen Klopp’s side have only conceded 21 goals in 29 league games this season, with Leicester and Sheffield United the only other sides to manage fewer than 30. Asked by Soccer AM who was the best keeper in the Premier League, Leno had no doubt. “For me it’s clear, it’s Alisson,” the German said. “He’s good at everything and his stats are also very good. “He’s played a number of big games for Liverpool ...
