Continuity is key for Julian Nagelsmann, as the Germany head coach revealed he would make minimal changes for their Nations League encounter with the Netherlands.
Nagelsmann, who watched on as his side swept aside Hungary 5-0 last week, confirmed he will be without Euro 2024 hero Niclas Fullkrug, though.
The 31-year-old scored two goals at the European Championships and was again on target for the Nationalelf in their Nations League opener.
Fullkrug was replaced in the 60th minute by Maximilian Beier, registering an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.11 to Germany s 3.71 total against Hungary.
However, Nagelsmann confirmed the West Ham United striker suffered an Achilles tendon injury that will rule him out of Tuesday s fixture in Amsterdam.
It is…
Hansi Flick says there is still room for Mario Gotze and Mats Hummels to force their way into his Qatar 2022 World Cup thinking after they were omitted from Germany s final pre-tournament squad.
The duo were the headline absentees for September s final Nations League group stage games against Hungary and England, while Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap earned his first call-up.
With Germany s World Cup opener against Japan just over two months away, Gotze – scorer of the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final – and Hummels are facing a race to make the cut.
But head coach Flick stressed there remains time for players to prove their worth as he referenced Gotze s impressive performances for Eintracht Frankfurt.
The coaching team are …
Brazil forward Rodrygo has signed a new deal with Real Madrid to keep him at the club until 2028.
The 22-year-old has made 179 appearances in all competitions for Real since joining from Santos in 2019 and it has been reported his new contract has a one billion euros release clause.
The club said in a statement: “Real Madrid C.F. and Rodrygo have agreed a contract extension for the player, who will remain at the club until 30 June 2028.”
Official Announcement: Rodrygo signs extension until 2028. |
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Rodrygo, capped 18 times by Brazil, has scored 39 goals during five seasons in Real’s first team, including two in last season’s 2-1 Copa del Rey final win against Sevilla.
He has won seven other maj…
Plans to found a European Super League are purely about money and the breakaway competition would cause smaller clubs to disappear if it ever came into being.
That is the view of Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhiy Palkin, who believes the vast majority of European clubs are united in their support for UEFA.
The threat of a Super League has never fully gone away despite fierce fan and media opposition causing the competition s attempted 2021 launch to fail in spectacular fashion.
Real Madrid and Barcelona remain committed to the project, and in late 2022, A22 Sports Management was enlisted to oversee its revival, with a plan for a three-tier competition featuring promotion and relegation with no permanent members made public last year.
Those plans we…
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over fro…
Wesley Fofana was thrilled to make his first appearance in over a year for Chelsea after featuring in their pre-season friendly against Inter at Stamford Bridge.
The defender played 69 minutes in Chelsea s 1-1 draw with the Serie A champions, in which a late goal from Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Marco Thuram s 26th-minute strike.
Fofana has made only 20 appearances for Chelsea since signing from Leicester City in 2022.
He suffered a cruciate ligament tear last summer which ruled him out of last season, but feels he is now fully recovered.
I m feeling very good, I m very happy after a long time. I felt a bit stressed but I enjoyed the moment. It is good to be back at home, Fofana told Chelsea s media channels.
It is hard [waiting for this mome…
Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne admit winning the Champions League has become both a dream and an obsession for Manchester City.
City stand on the brink of glory as they prepare to face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on Saturday.
Guardiola’s side are strong favourites for a game that could not only see them crowned European champions for the first time but complete the treble.
The Premier League winners are hoping to put years of frustration behind them after several near misses in their pursuit of the prize they covet most.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
De Bruyne gave his feelings on the matter when he was asked if victory was a “dream” or an “obsession” as City held a pre-match press conference at the …
Australia will play at the 2020 Copa America after accepting an invitation from CONMEBOL.
The Socceroos are set to feature during next year s tournament in Argentina and Colombia, Football Federation Australia (FFA) confirmed on Friday.
The 2019 Copa America, which kicks off in Brazil on Friday, includes guests Japan and Qatar and Australia will follow suit for the first time in 12 months.
The Copa America is a highlight of the football calendar and we can t wait to get there, said Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold.
We crave these opportunities as players and coaches. The experience we will gain from playing in this tournament will be incredible and I know by speaking to our players, they are equally excited about being part of one of the world s most …
While Alan Smith accepts Liverpool have every right to be hurt by the VAR error which cost them in Saturday s loss to Tottenham, he thinks Jurgen Klopp s team have no choice but to move on.
PGMOL, the body responsible for match officials in English football, admitted a significant human error was committed when the decision to disallow Luis Diaz s first-half strike – which was flagged offside – was not overturned.
The audio recording of the decision-making process surrounding the incident was made public on Tuesday, revealing VAR Darren England misunderstood the nature of the on-field decision when clearing the check.
Diaz s wrongly disallowed effort occurred when the game was goalless, with Liverpool down to 10 men following Curtis Jones straight red card.…
The 2016 European Championship is nearing closer by the day and with national team coaches finalising their squads for the tournament finals, this feels like the right time to present you what we believe are the best outright bets for Euro 2016. Rather than backing the favourites at short odds, we have taken extra time to find markets where the bookmakers may have made a mistake, and we feel the bets featured below should give punters the best value for their money.
1.) France to reach semi-final
Odds:
Having already won two major trophies on home soil, we can safely say that home advantage could be a major factor for France, who would certainly be among the main candidates for the trophy even if playing away from home. Les Bleus have been hit with several late…