Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has warned his players not to take Germany lightly in their Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday.
World Cup winners in 2014, Joachim Low s side offered a meek title defence in Russia as they bowed out at the group stage, and they were subsequently relegated from the Nations League top tier having finished bottom of a group featuring Netherlands and France.
Low caused controversy earlier this month by dropping Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels from his squad, while Die Mannschaft were booed off at half-time in Wednesday s 1-1 friendly draw with Serbia in Wolfsburg.
Koeman, who saw his side stretch their unbeaten run to five matches with a 4-0 win over Belarus in their opening Group C game on Thursday, is adamant that Low s m…
Mason Mount pointed to tired minds, tired bodies as he assessed the mistakes that cost Chelsea in their 3-2 Premier League defeat at West Ham.
Jorginho s poor back-pass played Edouard Mendy into trouble, leading to the goalkeeper conceding a penalty which Manuel Lanzini converted, before the shot-stopper made another error late on, allowing Arthur Masuaku s cross to sneak inside the near post.
Mount, who scored a superb volley to make it 2-1 to the Blues shortly before half-time, hinted the fact Chelsea have already played 23 fixtures across all competitions is starting to catch up with them.
We have had a difficult week and the game midweek [a 2-1 win against Watford] we came away with three points where maybe we shouldn t have, Mount told the BBC.
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Marcus Rashford marked his 100th Premier League appearance with the only goal as Manchester United saw off Leicester City 1-0 on Sunday.
The England striker finished clinically from Paul Pogba s pass to earn United an eighth win in nine league games under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Their winning run had been halted by Burnley on Tuesday, when the Red Devils fought back from 2-0 down to claim a dramatic 2-2 draw, but the three points rarely looked in much doubt after Rashford s 10th top-flight goal of the season.
Rashford somehow headed over from barely two yards out within the first five minutes, but he soon made amends, controlling Pogba s lofted pass expertly and drilling beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
United eased off after taking the lead and …
Sergio Ramos has assured Spain supporters that the squad is fully united as they prepare to defend their European Championship crown.
Spain, champions in 2008 and 2012, have been rocked by allegations of a sex scandal involving goalkeeper David de Gea claims the Manchester United man has strenuously denied while there remains doubts as to the sincerity of the relationship between players from arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But Madrid skipper Ramos, who will lead Spain out at the Stade de Toulouse if De Gea is preferred to captain Iker Casillas, insists everyone is pulling in the right direction.
He said of De Gea: It wasn t a very good piece of news to receive. But when you re with a team-mate, he has the whole support of the group.
We re not goi…
Sweden have reached the women s football final at the Olympics for the second successive time after beating Australia 1-0 through Fridolina Rolfo s solitary second-half strike.
Peter Gerhardsson s side, seeking to go one better than Rio 2016 when losing to Germany in the final, will face the United States conquerors Canada in Friday s gold medal match.
USA, who had won 36 games in a row against Canada prior to their surprise 1-0 loss earlier on Monday, will now take on Australia for the bronze medal.
Sweden will face Canada in the Gold Medal Match
s solitary second-half strike leaves Australia to battle USA for bronze | |
— FIFA Women s World Cup (@FIFAWWC)
Rolfo was on target twice when Sweden ran out 4-2 winners against Australia…
Jurgen Klopp claimed last season s Champions League final showed why only the result matters as Liverpool prepare for another life-changer .
The Reds have reached European football s showpiece match for a second consecutive season and face Tottenham in Madrid on Saturday.
But Liverpool fell short against Real Madrid a year ago, losing a final in Kiev in which star man Mohamed Salah went off injured and Loris Karius made two dismal errors though it was later revealed the goalkeeper had suffered a bout of concussion during the contest.
Klopp insisted he recovered quickly from that setback yet pointed out that the nature of that defeat showed the result this weekend has far greater importance than the Reds performance.
I actually decided that nig…
Pep Guardiola wants his Manchester City players to treat Sunday s EFL Cup final against Arsenal like an exhibition game so they can leave Wembley without regrets.
Guardiola boasts a supreme record in finals as a club coach, triumphing three times in the Club World Cup and twice apiece in the Champions League, Copa del Rey and DFB-Pokal.
Indeed, the only time over 10 showpiece encounters in the dugout the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss tasted defeat was when Cristiano Ronaldo settled the 2011 Copa del Rey final in extra time at Barca s expense.
Last season at City was the first time in his coaching career Guardiola finished a campaign without silverware, although the manager of the runaway Premier League leaders did not speak like a man fearing reputation…
Jurgen Klopp claims Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will always be an outstanding player but suggested any expectation for the Liverpool midfielder to immediately rediscover his best form following injury is really dumb .
The former Arsenal man missed the majority of the 2018-19 season, playing only twice in the Premier League, following a serious knee injury sustained in the prior campaign s Champions League semi-finals.
Oxlade-Chamberlain s previously impressive form was widely considered to be somewhat steadier last term as he played a part in Liverpool s title success, and another knee blow in August has delayed his involvement in 2020-21.
But Klopp considered Oxlade-Chamberlain s early 2018 form the best moment of [his] career and so disapproves of ranking last seas…
Roma are getting close to completing a deal for Pau Lopez of Real Betis, according to .
Apparently, the talks between the two clubs have been ongoing for a while and Roma already had an offer rejected, but they ve now submitted a higher one €22 million, which leaves the difference in valuation of the goalkeeper very small indeed as Betis reportedly want €24 million. It is believed the deal could be agreed today (Friday).
By moving to the Italian capital, Lopez should be earning significantly more than before, and apparently enjoy more favorable tax rates in Italy that those in Spain.
The 24-year-old shot-stopper has apparently left Betis training ground Ciudad Deportiva Luis del Sol where the squad had been doing medical tests as part of the pre-season pr…
Verdict: Home win
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Having all but secured seventh consecutive Serie A title, Juventus are now looking to make it four domestic doubles on the trot, which would be a remarkable achievement indeed. AC Milan, on the other hand, hope to get revenge on the Bianconeri for the extra time defeat in the 2015/2016 Coppa Italia final and win their first major title since 2011.
Juventus
Even though very good Napoli side gave them a real run for their money, Juventus ultimately managed to emerge victorious and secured yet another league trophy, recovering well from the shock defeat to the Azzurri to record back to back wins over Inter Milan and Bologna. Heading into the final two games six points clear of Napoli with a superior goal difference…