Month: December 2024

Andy Carroll has vowed not to celebrate if he scores for Liverpool against boyhood club Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.

Carroll was the subject of one of the most high-profile English transfers last year when the Reds signed him for 35 million pounds at the end of the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old s Anfield career has yet to feature the form that he displayed at Newcastle and he has scored just six goals this season.

I hope I get a good reception from the fans, they ll be getting one from me. I thought I did well for the club when I was there and loved it.

I have some great memories from playing there. I have always had a good relationship with the Newcastle fans and it stems back to playing for them.

The striker came th…

Wolfsburg have completed the signing of Kevin Pannewitz from Hansa Rostock for an undisclosed fee.

The Berlin native has been with Rostock since 2008, winning a youth championship in 2010 and making a total of 74 appearances for the side, who were relegated to the 3. Fussball-Liga for the first time in their history.

However, his career has already been blighted by a series of controversies, having encountered problems with his weight, while he was suspended for alcohol abuse last season.

Speaking about his most recent signing, Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath was adamant Pannewitz could make the step up to Bundesliga level.

Kevin has the potential to play in the Bundesliga, Magath said.

Unfortunately, he has not always dealt with his talent profes…

Carles Alena and Luis Suarez scored as Barcelona took another big step towards defending their LaLiga title with a 2-0 win at Deportivo Alaves.

Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were among the stars named on the bench by Ernesto Valverde, who rested Ivan Rakitic entirely, but Barca eased to victory at Mendizorroza on Tuesday.

Alena and Suarez struck within the space of six second-half minutes to boost Barca ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash with Liverpool next week.

The Catalan giants will be confirmed as LaLiga champions for the eighth time in 11 seasons should nearest rivals Atletico Madrid lose at home to Valencia on Wednesday.

Master and Apprentice!

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN)

Suarez and Philippe Coutinho had early efforts bloc…

Wilfried Bony scored an 81st-minute winner as Swansea City moved off the bottom of the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers West Brom.

The Swans left it late to record their first league victory in eight matches, Bony ramming home a loose ball following a Ki Sung-yueng corner to lift his side above Crystal Palace in the standings.

The striker s second goal in as many games leaves visiting manager Alan Pardew still winless since taking charge of the Baggies, who only remain outside the relegation places on goal difference.

Pardew s last trip to the Liberty Stadium was back in November 2016, when his Crystal Palace side lost 5-4 to their hosts, yet any hope of a pre-Christmas feast of goals looked unlikely between two clubs with a combined t…

With a stacked Saturday schedule from up and down the country this weekend, Boxing Day certainly has the potential to produce a host of eye-catching meetings. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have searched far and wide to find you a handful of helpful tips that are worth taking note of.

Saturday 26th December 

BST 15:00 Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

Starting with Saturday s hosts, putting in what turned out to be a thumping display away at local rivals West Brom last time out, the mood in Aston Villa s camp should be at a real high. Opening up Christmas Day sat in the top-half of the table and still within striking distance of breaking into the European spots, Dean Smith s men have really made a string of improvements af…

Antoine Griezmann says Didier Deschamps knows exactly where to play him after the Barcelona forward was a central figure in France s hard-fought win over Croatia. 

Griezmann scored a superb eighth-minute goal, his third international strike of 2020, as Les Bleus prevailed 2-1 in Zagreb. 

The former Atletico Madrid player was deployed centrally as he worked alongside Anthony Martial and Kylian Mbappe, who netted a late winner after Nikola Vlasic s equaliser.  

While he impressed for France, Griezmann has yet to find form under new Barca boss Ronald Koeman. Playing predominantly on the right flank, the 29-year-old has failed to score or even create a chance in his three LaLiga appearances in 2020-21.

However, he put any club issues to the …

Germany s players protested FIFA s decision to ban Manuel Neuer from wearing the OneLove armband by covering their mouths ahead of their World Cup opener, as the team declared: Denying us the armband is the same as denying us a voice.

Germany were among several European sides to commit to wearing the armband in order to promote an anti-discriminatory message in Qatar, where same-sex relationships are criminalised.

However, the teams backed down ahead of their opening World Cup fixtures after being threatened with sporting sanctions by FIFA, which German Football Association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf suggested were more significant than a yellow card for the affected captains.

After taking to the pitch for their Group E meeting with Japan at the Khalifa Int…

Prediction: Italy to win 3-0

Best Odds:

Bookmaker: 

Italy and Bulgaria will face each other in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C this week. The match will be held at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time on Saturday.

Italy

Italy have made a superb start to their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. Roberto Mancini’s side have picked up nine points from a possible nine.

The Euro 2020 winners beat Northern Ireland in their opening game and then got the better of Bulgaria 2-0 away from home. Italy won 2-0 against Lithuania in their last qualifier in March.

Team News:

Leonardo Spinazzola is a long-term injury concern. Nicolo Zaniolo is back in the fold.

Bulgaria

Bulga…

Football legend Diego Maradona made his way through thousands of football-crazy fans as he arrived in Kannur, India on Tuesday.

The Argentina World Cup-winning captain travelled to Kannur state on a two-day promotional trip.

Maradona, who has been out of a job since he departed from United Arab Emirates side Al Wasl in the off-season, had almost 2,000 police personnel on hand as security to guide him through Kannur International Airport.

Fans travelled from local districts including Kozhikode, Malappuram and Kasargod to catch a glimpse of the 51-year-old.

It is not the first time that Maradona, awarded joint FIFA player of the 20th century along with Pele, has visited India he attended a function in Kolkata back in 2008.

But the Argentine will be…

What the papers say

Liverpool are ramping up their bid for 23-year-old midfielder Cheick Doucoure after missing out of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea this summer, the Independent reports. The price to lure the Crystal Palace star to Anfield is reported to be around £60million, but the Eagles could be hesitant to sell Doucoure after already losing a number of players this summer.

The Daily Mail says Liverpool are also interested in Netherlands international midfielder Ryan Gravenberch. The 21-year-old at Bayern Munich is reportedly open to leaving the club due to a lack of playing time.

Newcastle United are set to pay £30million for 18-year-old full-back Lewis Hall after Chelsea put him up for sale, according to the Telegraph.

West Ham are hoping to …