Freddie Ljungberg refused to criticise his inheritance from Unai Emery at Arsenal – hailing the departed head coach as a great leader .
Ljungberg took charge of his first game as interim Gunners boss at the weekend, where they twice came from behind in an eventful 2-2 draw at Norwich City.
It meant Arsenal remained without a Premier League win away from home since the first weekend of the season, while their previous top-flight triumph of any description came on October 6 against Bournemouth.
Brighton and Hove Albion will be the next team that look to prolong that slump when they visit Emirates Stadium on Thursday, but Ljungberg defended Emery, who led Arsenal to the final of the Europa League last season before promoting the former Sweden international to hi…
An injury-time equaliser from Nicolo Barella denied Slavia Prague a famous Champions League win over Inter at San Siro on Tuesday.
The champions of the Czech Republic were not expected to escape from a daunting Group F that also contains Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona but looked on course for a deserved victory in Milan through Peter Olayinka.
Slavia could have added to their tally and were punished in second-half stoppage time, as Barella s shot bounced through a crowded box and into the left-hand corner to ensure the game finished 1-1.
Inter started slowly until Stefan de Vrij headed over when unmarked six yards out, before Lautaro Martinez fired narrowly wide.
Danilo D Ambrosio s header was denied by Ondrej Kolar, who was then lucky not to give away a…
Jamie McGrath has targeted a positive finish to Aberdeen’s doomed Europa Conference League campaign as they prepare for the penultimate game against HJK in Finland.
The Dons are third in Group G with two points from four games, with Eintracht Frankfurt and PAOK uncatchable in the top two places.
In October a Bojan Miovski header gave Barry Robson’s side a draw after Bojan Radulovic had put the Finnish champions ahead but McGrath is looking for three points in the return game in freezing Helsinki on Thursday and in their final game against Eintracht Frankfurt at Pittodrie on December 14.
The Dons are off to Helsinki
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC)
The Republic of Ireland midfielder told RedTV: “Of course you want to finish off the group with…
Jose Mourinho thinks fans in France should be happy Zlatan Ibrahimovic chose to leave Paris Saint-Germain because now they have a league .
The 35-year-old joined Manchester United on a free transfer ahead of the 2016-17 season, ending a glittering four-year stay with PSG that saw him win Ligue 1 in every campaign.
Ibrahimovic has impressed for United, scoring 16 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions.
But his manager Mourinho thinks French fans should be grateful for his exit, rather than rueing the loss of a great talent.
First of all I think people in France have to be happy that he left because now you have a league, Mourinho said to SFR Sport.
With him – no league. With him [the winners are] Paris and Paris and Paris. [They won th…
Luis Enrique laughed off suggestions Paris St Germain lack a cutting edge ahead of a tricky Ligue 1 trip to stingy Le Havre.
PSG registered 31 shots during their midweek Champions League clash with Newcastle but required a controversial late penalty from Kylian Mbappe to salvage a 1-1 draw.
The reigning champions are the highest scorers in France’s top-flight, having recorded an impressive 34 goals in just 13 games.
Luis Enrique visited the studio ahead of
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
Head coach Enrique called for perspective in the wake of a frustrating midweek meeting with the Magpies and insisted he would be more concerned if his team were not creating chances.
“This is very funny,” the Spaniard replied with a bemuse…
The seemingly never-ending 2021-22 season may be ongoing, with a number of big international fixtures still to be played this month, but plenty of focus is already on the next campaign.
This month s conclusion will mark the end of an era for many players as their contracts come to an end – though for some it will provide a much-needed opportunity to begin a new chapter elsewhere.
For others, becoming a free agent simply provides more bargaining power when negotiating fresh terms with their current employers, at a time when most clubs cannot spend as frivolously on new players as they once could.
While some big-name freebies have already moved clubs, and others are reported to have signed pre-contract agreements elsewhere – such as Franck Kessie and Andreas …
Thomas Muller s first-half brace ensured Vincent Kompany got off to a winning start at Bayern Munich as they beat Ulm 4-0 in the DFB-Pokal first round.
Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane came off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat against a dominant Bayern side.
The hosts did almost cause an early shock though, as Maurice Krattenmacher was left unmarked at the far post, but he could not adjust quickly enough and turned his first-time shot wide.
Joshua Kimmich then unlocked Ulm s defence with a throughball into Stanisic, who did brilliantly while off-balance to set up Muller for his first of the game.
And just two minutes later, the forward had his second – Christian Ortag was drawn to Serge Gnabry s run, leaving Muller…
The Baltimore Ravens trip to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday s Wild Card clash presents both franchises with the opportunity to improve upon their postseason records in the first playoff clash between the teams.
While the Bengals marched all the way to the Super Bowl before a narrow 23-20 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams last year, the 2021 season marked the first time in 30 years that Cincinnati celebrated a victory in the playoffs – having lost seven Wild Card clashes in a row previously.
Meanwhile, the Ravens have won just two playoff clashes since their victory in Super Bowl XLVII a decade ago, losing four of six postseason clashes since.
Home field advantage for the Bengals will not matter to Baltimore, however, who stand as the only franchise in NFL h…
Best Odds: 21/20
Bookmaker:
Hoping to open the 2022/23 Premier League campaign with a statement in east London, Manchester City will make the trip to West Ham on Sunday afternoon.
West Ham
Starting with the hosts, while West Ham might have eventually failed to secure back-to-back top-six finishes last season, the Hammers have gained a host of plaudits. Continuing on what has been an impressive rise since bringing David Moyes back to the club in 2019, the Londoners also reached the semi-finals of last season s Europa League. Likewise, with a Conference League adventure on the cards for later this year, the one-time Manchester United boss is desperate for his side to keep up that momentum. However, while West Ham might face a huge task when they open the 2022/23 …
Best Odds: 1/2
Bookmaker:
Two sides who who will be looking to make it back-to-back Premier League victories on Saturday lunchtime, Brighton will welcome Manchester United to the American Express Stadium.
Brighton
Starting with the hosts, while Brighton might have limped their way over the finishing line last season as they eventually had to settle for a bottom-half finish, the Seagulls certainly made a real statement when opening the 2024/25 campaign. Officially getting Fabian Hurzeler’s tenure off to a stunning start as they stormed their way to a 3-0 romp away at Everton, the former St. Pauli boss will be calling on his squad to use last weekend’s performance as a platform to build on. Despite winning just one of their final 10 Premier League appearances…