Market: Burnley win
Odds: 11/8 @
With a real chance to make an immediate return to winning ways on Tuesday evening, Burnley will welcome Sheffield United to an empty Turf Moor.
Starting with the hosts, while on paper Burnley might have left Elland Road with a 1-0 loss on Sunday lunchtime, that doesn t quite tell the whole story. At the heart of more VAR controversy, Sean Dyche s men missed a string of late chances against Premier League returners Leeds and there is no doubt that the Clarets will be glad to make a return to home soil in midweek. Still managing to find themselves a route out of the drop zone after what was a largely impressive run throughout December, Burnley have gained a reputation for their recent success on home soil. Last seen at Turf Moor w…
Erling Haaland is back in Manchester City training after he missed out on their 4-1 rout against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.
The forward was forced to withdraw from Norway duty last month after he sustained a groin injury heading into the international break.
Ahead of City s return to action against Jurgen Klopp s Reds last week, Pep Guardiola was non-committal on whether Haaland would feature.
Now, in a boost as they look to keep pace with Arsenal at the summit, the striker is back on the training pitch ahead of this weekend s trip to Southampton.
A familiar face returns to training!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
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Kevin De Bruyne encouraged Manchester City to stay true to Pep Guardiola s principles as they seek to disrupt Liverpool s path to the Premier League title.
Champions City beat second-placed Leicester City 3-1 on Saturday to close back to within 11 points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand following their successful trip to the Club World Cup.
Guardiola thanked City s players for following him after the come-from-behind victory and midfielder De Bruyne urged his team-mates to uphold the standards of the past two title-winning campaigns.
We need to go game by game, De Bruyne said. We dropped some points along the way, but I think the reaction of the team has always been really good, the way we play has always been the same and we have played good footba…
Philippe Coutinho will undergo knee surgery on Saturday, Barcelona have announced, as reports in Spain suggest he could be out for several months.
The Brazil international was introduced as a 66th-minute substitute during Tuesday s disappointing 1-1 draw with Eibar at Camp Nou, but was unable to see the game out.
On Friday, Barca confirmed the Brazil international will have an operation on the external meniscus of his left knee, after which a timetable for his return will be revealed.
A club statement read: Philippe Coutinho will be operated on this Saturday for the injury to the external meniscus of the left knee by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau and under the supervision of the club s medical services.
MEDICAL UPDATE | will be operated on tom…
Bayern Munich s Jerome Boateng feels Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are from another world and believes it is very unlikely another player will win the Ballon d Or ahead of the superstar duo.
Boateng enjoyed an impressive 2015-16 campaign and has developed into one of the game s best defenders, but he gives himself little chance of lifting the prestigious individual award come January.
It has been 10 years since Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to win the Ballon d Or. It is really hard as a defender. You would have to win the World Cup, make the team of the tournament and ideally score a few goals as well, Boateng told Sport Bild.
And I am not even taking those two players from another world into account then. It will be very hard for anyone to win the…
After what feels like years of flirting and transfer speculation, Antoine Griezmann is finally a Barcelona player and it is a move that could ruffle a few feathers at Camp Nou.
Griezmann s arrival comes 13 months after the France star committed his future to Atletico in a documentary, rebuffing Barca and signing a new five-year contract at the time.
But, with Atletico s season fading away in May, Griezmann and the Madrid club published a video to Twitter in which the forward confirmed his desire to leave.
Barca s failure in the Champions League and Copa del Rey was proof of a need for Ernesto Valverde s squad to be improved and there can be little doubt his arrival achieves that.
However, there are reasons for trepidation for several of Griezmann s new te…
Last season he struggled a bit with a new club, new ideas, the way we wanted to play, Guardiola confirmed
Alongside Rodri, who arrived from Atletico Madrid for a similar outlay, Cancelo became a poster boy of a failed campaign for many City fans, where a third straight EFL Cup success could not make up for Liverpool romping clear to the Premier League title.
Despite being an ever present in the Premier League this time around, Rodri still seemingly has more to do to convince the masses. However, first when filling in at left-back and more recently at right-back as Walker convalesced following a COVID-19 positive, Cancelo has consistently caught the eye.
Now he has had more time and helps us to do something we need, Guardiola said. He was outstanding all the se…
Manchester United have cooled their interest in French hot-shot Karim Benzema paving the way for the young striker to move to Spain
United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson has been monitoring the progress of the 20-year-old frontman for the last two seasons, but after the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov for £30.75million Ferguson s emphasis will be on other areas of the team next summer.
The Red Devils are still keen to wrap up the permanent signing of forward Carlos Tevez and although Benzema has been firmly shunted down Ferguson s shopping list, the player could still be an option if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves for Real Madrid in the summer.
Benzema has netted 11 goals in 15 appearances this season including three goals in three games in the Champions League and Lyon…
Steve McClaren has left his role as manager of FC Twente after a disappointing second spell in charge of the Eredivisie side.
McClaren returned to the Dutch club in January 2012 but couldn t replicate the success he enjoyed in his first stint in charge, when he won the league title.
Defeat to Heerenveen at the weekend left his side fifth in the league, six points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven with only four points out of the last six games, causing fans to turn on the Englishman.
And after losing the support of the fans and the board, the former England manager decided to walk away from the position despite being contracted until 2014.
A statement from McClaren to the club s supporters read: After the defeat to Heerenveen on Saturday the board of FC Twent…
Lazar Markovic will spend the 2016-17 season on loan at Sporting CP after the Primeira Liga club agreed a deal with Liverpool.
The Serbia international returns to Portugal after making just 34 appearances for Liverpool since arriving from Benfica in 2014.
Markovic – who scored three goals during his time at Anfield – has struggled to break into the first team in the Premier League, and was sent out on loan last season with Fenerbahce.
The 22-year-old arrived at Sporting on the day that striker Islam Slimani departed for Leicester City in a deal worth an initial €30million.
Sporting have been quick to bolster their ranks, though, with midfielder Elias also arriving from Corinthians.
However, they will not get to play alongside Zakaria Labya…