Prediction: Senegal win
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The Africa Cup of Nations has been as enthralling and unpredictable as many would ve hoped and as we look ahead to the next few days, something tells us that trend will only continue. We re down to the final four with the semi-final stage being upon us and today, we re going to take a look at what should be a fascinating clash between two long-time bridesmaids: Burkina Faso and Senegal.
Burkina Faso
While it may not be a team that is well known on the world stage, Burkina Faso has been in the African limelight a great deal over the course of the last decade. In this tournament, in particular, many wouldn t have thought they could come close to emulating their 2013 success and yet they ve done brilliantl…
Former Chelsea and England defender Gary Cahill has announced his retirement from football.
Cahill made 22 Championship appearances for Bournemouth last season, but the last of those came in January and he was released following their promotion to the Premier League in May.
Having made his name during spells with Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers, Cahill enjoyed a successful seven-year stint with Chelsea, making 191 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
Cahill won eight major trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League – starting in Chelsea s final win over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in 2012.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Cahill wrote: Football is a game that has given me so mu…
Kylian Mbappe will always put the team first and is ready to lead from the front as France prepare to open their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria, says Didier Deschamps.
Having scored 44 goals in his final season with Paris Saint-Germain before sealing his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, Mbappe will captain his country at a first major tournament, following Hugo Lloris international retirement.
Les Bleus are among the favourites but the same was true when they crashed out in the last 16 at Euro 2020, losing to Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out.
Mbappe failed to score at that tournament, but his coach is certain he is in top condition ahead of Monday s game in Dusseldorf.
He is always at the centre of things. That won t change, Deschamps told The Ath…
Prediction: SC Internacional to win 2-0
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Gremio and SC Internacional will lock horns with each other in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A this weekend. The match between Renato Portaluppi’s side and Eduardo Coudet’s team will be held at Arena do Grêmio and is scheduled to kick off at 9:30 pm UK time on Saturday.
Gremio
Gremio are one of the most well-known and most well-supported clubs in Brazil, but they are having a tough time at the moment. Imortal Tricolor had a very good 2023 campaign, but things are going rather badly for them right now.
Tricolor dos Pampas finished second in the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and won the 2024 Campeonato Gaúcho campaign. Renato Portaluppi’s side are second from bottom…
Nuno Espirito Santo hailed the importance of Morgan Gibbs-White after he inspired Nottingham Forest to a vital 3-1 win over Fulham.
Gibbs-White put in a virtuoso display in a golden first half which saw Forest cruise into a 3-0 lead.
After setting up Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opener, he watched as Chris Wood made it 2-0 before completing the scoring with a fine finish on the stroke of half-time.
“Morgan is a very special player for us,” the Portuguese said.
“Very important, talented, the work rate on the pitch, but to allow Morgan to have these moments a lot of things happen behind, hard work by the boys and this is very important.”
That sublime opening 45 minutes laid the foundations for just a second league win of 2024 for Forest and the fi…
Paris Saint-Germain will be expected to make a winning start to their Ligue 1 title defence, while each of the newly promoted teams will receive a tough examination of their credentials on the opening weekend.
It may not be clear who will be managing PSG when the new season starts, but PSG know the identity of their opponents, with the champions set to travel to face Clermont Foot on the weekend of August 6 and 7.
That same weekend will see Auxerre, the 1995-96 champions back in the top flight after 10 seasons in the second tier, visit the team PSG deposed, Lille.
Toulouse are back after two seasons away and will open their campaign at home against Nice, who finished fifth last season.
Fellow new boys Ajaccio, playing at this level for the first time sinc…
Seattle Sounders face Los Angeles FC on Saturday in what Brian Schmetzer has described as a game between two of the biggest clubs in MLS.
Reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC head to Lumen Field with two wins under their belt from their two games this season – they are second in the Western Conference, one place ahead of Seattle, who are also on six points but lost at FC Cincinnati last time out.
LAFC were beaten by Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday but have still progressed in that competition thanks to a 3-0 win in the first leg.
And Schmetzer knows the Sounders will have to be at their best to end LAFC s winning start to the MLS season.
This feels like a game between two of the biggest clubs in the league, said Schmetzer.
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UEFA has reaffirmed its commitment in placing safety and security at the centre of its organisational plans for Euro 2016 following Tuesday s attacks on Brussels.
Thirty-four people have been killed, according to the latest official figures, after two bombs were detonated at Zaventem Airport and a further device went off at Maelbeek metro station in the Belgian capital.
It has brought safety and security at Euro 2016 into sharp focus with the tournament set to kick-off in France in a little over two months time.
UEFA say the SAS venture they set up alongside the French Football Federation is continuing to work to ensure a safe event for players and spectators alike.
A UEFA statement released on Tuesday read: Following today s events in Brussels, …
Barcelona are back; back in form, back in the Champions League places in LaLiga and back looking forward to facing neighbours Espanyol again.
After a 4-2 win against Atletico Madrid last time out, following a transfer window widely considered to be a success, the Blaugrana are on the up.
Still a huge 15 points off the pace set by bitter rivals Real Madrid, there will be no title tilt, but Barca can this week focus on their local foes.
A few short weeks ago, Espanyol might have wondered if this could be their opportunity to turn around a dismal run in their biggest fixture.
Now, Xavi – whose coaching career at Barca began with a 1-0 home win over Espanyol – takes his team to Cornella-El Prat with the players full of confidence, as Stats Perform finds.<…
Lionel Messi says Diego Maradona would be super happy after he overtook the late Argentina great as his country s most capped player at a World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Messi played a full part in Wednesday s 2-0 win over Poland that secured Argentina top spot in Group C and a last-16 tie with Australia.
Messi, who had a penalty saved by Wojciech Szczesny with the game level, was making his 22nd appearance in the competition – one more than his former coach Maradona.
I only learned about this record recently, Messi said when told about his latest achievement. It s a pleasure to be able to continue achieving these kinds of records.
I think Diego would be super happy for me because he s always showed me a lot of affection. He was always happy …