Blog (Page 13)

Recent events have only served to heighten the importance of Juventus’ meeting with Napoli on Saturday. Juve saw their 15-point deduction overturned, propelling them back up to third in the Serie A standings. Lazio are just two points ahead in second and the Bianconeri will be desperate to catch them. A further 14 points ahead are Napoli, who remain the runaway leaders even after a recent drop-off in form. It’ll take something enormous for Luciano Spalletti’s side to lose top spot from here, but they really cannot afford to keep dropping points, not least against one of the few sides who could feasibly catch them.Read More →

Barcelona will be forced to snap out of their sleepy malaise when they host Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Sunday. Xavi’s side have followed up their Copa del Rey exit with goalless draws with Girona and Getafe, though they still hold a comforting nine point advantage over nearest rivals Real Madrid. However, Atletico Madrid are one of the form teams in Europe right now, having won their last six straight league games. Diego Simeone’s side are third and haven’t lost since a Copa del Rey defeat to Real in late January. Here’s all the info on a big involving two La Liga giants. BarcelonaRead More →

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is attracting interest from a number of top Italian clubs, amid uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford. Maguire was at fault for the first goal in United’s heavy 3-0 defeat to Sevilla on Thursday night, which confirmed his side’s elimination from the Europa League at the quarter-final stage. The England international has regained his place in the starting team in recent matches, but only due to injuries sustained by first choice centre-back pairing Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. 90min understands that United are prepared to offload Maguire at the end of the season as Erik ten Hag attempts toRead More →

Julian Nagelsmann has pulled out of the race to become the next Chelsea manager, 90min understands. The ex-Bayern Munich boss had been a leading contender to fill the vacancy at Stamford Bridge after Graham Potter’s dismissal at the start of April. But he is no longer under consideration after withdrawing his interest in the role, with sources telling 90min that Chelsea were surprised to learn of Nagelsmann’s decision. Chelsea have always stressed that there has never been a favourite in the process but sources believed Nagelsmann was leading the race to take control of the Blues next season, particularly following the decision to move awayRead More →

Carlo Ancelotti has addressed rumours of a bust-up between himself and Karim Benzema, stating that there are no issues between the pair. The French forward was substituted after 71 minutes in Real Madrid’s recent Champions League victory against Chelsea, leaving the pitch with the score still at 1-0, and he appeared displeased with the decision. Ancelotti clarified that Benzema was suffering from discomfort in his foot, despite the player believing he was fit enough to continue. The Italian dismissed suggestions that Benzema was angry with him for the substitution. “Karim is fine, he had this knock and I took him off him because when IRead More →

Real Madrid’s hopes of securing a Champions League and Copa del Rey double may be dealt a blow as defender David Alaba is facing a race against time to recover from injury. The centre-back suffered a calf problem during the 2-0 win over Chelsea in the quarter-final return leg of the Champions League on Tuesday, and was replaced at half-time by Antonio Rudiger. ESPN report that test conducted on Alaba revealed a small muscle tear in his right calf, which will reportedly keep him sidelined for at least 10 days. Carlo Ancelotti will hope that the defender will be able to recover in time forRead More →

Mikel Arteta says his Arsenal side are determined to put recent slip-ups behind them as their Premier League title battle with Manchester City approaches its conclusion. Recent draws to Liverpool and West Ham have seen the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table shrink to four points, though they can go seven points clear having played two games more if they beat Southampton on Friday night. Arteta says those tricky results at Anfield and London Stadium have stoked an appetite for ‘revenge’ in his squad ahead a crucial run of games. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, he said: “I see a sense ofRead More →

Liverpool are prepared to let Fabio Carvalho leave on loan next season following a quiet debut year at Anfield, 90min understands. The midfielder joined from Fulham for an initial £5m last summer after a deadline day move in January 2022 fell through. He arrived on Merseyside to much fanfare after playing a pivotal role in Fulham’s superb 2021/22 campaign, being named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year after playing a starring role in their title win. Carvalho quickly endeared himself to Liverpool supporters when he scored a 98th-minute winner against Newcastle United at the end of August. But the 20-year-old has played justRead More →

Erik ten Hag faced questions on David de Gea’s Manchester United role after his calamitous performance in Thursday’s 3-0 loss at Sevilla. The Red Devils were dumped out of the UEFA Europa League at the quarter-final stage having been one of the favourites to go all the way in the competition. They led 2-0 in the first leg at Old Trafford, but own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire in the final 10 minutes saw Sevilla draw level. United wilted under the cosh back in Spain. De Gea’s hospital pass to Maguire saw him give the ball away and gift Youssef En-Nesyri an opener,Read More →

Is the Pope a Manchester United fan? In an audience with His Holiness, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham presented Pope Francis with a Manchester United shirt signed by Lisandro Martinez. The attached message from the defender read, “Your holiness, with much love, Licha.” The Pope is known to be a big football fan and, hailing from Argentina, is apparently an admirer of Martinez in particular. With the shirt supplied by the club and ‘gladly’ signed by the centre-back, the opportunity came about as part of an audience with the Pope for an interfaith group from the city at the Vatican. Read the latest Man UtdRead More →