Blog (Page 237)

Barcelona have confirmed that Jules Kounde has picked up a hamstring injury while away on international duty and is now a doubt to face rivals Real Madrid next month. Kounde played just 23 minutes of France’s 2-0 win against Austria in the Nations League on Thursday before pulling up and being replaced by William Saliba. In a statement released on Saturday morning, Barcelona confirmed that Kounde has undergone tests and is now set for a spell on the sidelines. “Tests on Saturday morning have confirmed that Jules Kounde has a biceps femoris injury in his left hamstring. As a result he is unavailable for selectionRead More →

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that he didn’t have a preferred midfield partner during his two decades at the club but admitted it was a ‘disaster’ playing alongside former record signing Juan Sebastian Veron. Veron was considered one of the best midfielders in the world when he made the £28.1m switch from Lazio in the summer of 2001, bringing additional talent and flair to a golden United side that had already won three Premier League titles on the bounce. But the Argentine, despite showing flashes of his best in a United shirt, never quite found his place at Old Trafford. He was thenRead More →

Argentina extended their unbeaten run to 34 matches with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Honduras in Miami. La Albiceleste are still yet to lose a match – competitive or otherwise – in the 2020s, with their last defeat coming against rivals Brazil in July 2019. Their formidable record continued on Friday night with an emphatic victory against a toothless Honduras side at Hard Rock Stadium. Papu Gomez came close to breaking the deadlock for Argentina after just four minutes, but his solo effort whistled just over the crossbar. They weren’t to be denied much longer, however, as Lautaro Martinez opened the scoring soon after. LionelRead More →

The Canadian Men’s National Team will head into their clash against Uruguay next week full of confidence following their 2-0 win over Qatar on Friday. John Herdman’s side beat the 2022 World Cup hosts 2-0 in Austria thanks to goals from Cyle Larin and Jonathan David inside the opening 13 minutes. The Reds remained in charge throughout the match, managing eight shots on target to Qatar’s two and controlling 60% possession. However, Tuesday’s test against Uruguay – whose current squad includes the likes of Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez, and Rodrigo Bentancur – will be a completely different experience, even if Diego Alonso’s side were humbledRead More →

Friday night saw more action at every level of the Nations League as the 2022/23 group stage nears its conclusion. Some promotions and relegations have already been confirmed, while others have positioned themselves ready for the final round of matches next week. Here’s a summary of everything that happened… England have been relegated from League A for the first time after defeat in Milan against Italy left them too far adrift at the bottom of their group with a game still left to play. Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal of a low quality match in the second half. 19-year-old Jude Bellingham impressed for England,Read More →

Katie McCabe and Jonas Eidevall have both insisted that Arsenal are prepared for Tottenham’s physicality ahead of Saturday’s potentially record-breaking north London derby. The gap between Arsenal and Tottenham has gradually closed during Spurs’ three seasons in the WSL, with Tottenham taking points off their north London rivals for the very first time last term. Arsenal’s last two league clashes with Tottenham have been particularly physical affairs, with a melee breaking out in their last meeting after Josie Green left her mark on Lia Walti with a crunching tackle. “I think even since I first came to the club we’ve seen Spurs over the lastRead More →

Chelsea and Manchester City go head to head in a blockbuster clash at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, as two of the WSL’s heavyweights attempt to get back on track after surprise losses last weekend. Manchester City suffered a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa following their summer of upheaval, before reigning champions Chelsea were beaten by newly promoted Liverpool. Who will bounce back on Sunday? Here’s 90min’s WSL preview ahead of Chelsea versus Manchester City. When is kick off? Sunday 25 September, 16:00 (BST)Where is the match being played? KingsmeadowTV channel/livestream? Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event (UK), FA Player (international)What time does coverage start? 15:00Read More →

Members of the Spanish women’s national team have released a joint statement clarifying that they have not resigned from the national team and have not asked for manager Jorge Vilda to be dismissed. The RFEF announced on Thursday that 15 Spanish players had submitted their resignation via email because the current situation within the national team was detrimental to their wellbeing. A statement from the RFEF vowed to not bow to the pressure of the protesting players, and insisted those who refuse to play for the national team could receive bans of up to five years. Numerous members of the Spanish team – including Barcelona’sRead More →

The United States Men’s National Team suffered a 2-0 loss to Japan in Dusseldorf on Friday in the first of two World Cup warm-up friendlies. Gregg Berhalter’s side were thoroughly outplayed by Japan, who won thanks to goals from Daichi Kamada and Kaoru Mitoma. The USMNT were out-shot 16-4 and didn’t manage a single effort on target, with their lethargic play and disjointed passing proving far too easy to defend against. In the first half alone, the US lost possession a massive 54 times, with even the likes of Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams looking unusually sloppy on the ball. Granted, the US were notRead More →

Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has highlighted the importance of the 50,000 tickets for Saturday’s north London derby being sold as opposed to given away, demonstrating the growing sustainability of the women’s game. The Gunners are poised to break the WSL attendance record against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, with now more than 51,000 tickets sold for the fixture. This would eclipse the league’s existing record crowd of 38,262 set at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a north London derby in November 2019. While previous WSL matches in clubs’ main stadiums have attracted five-figure crowds, this has often been with the caveat of discountedRead More →