While Europe’s elite domestic leagues might have only just opened up their respective 2023/24 campaigns, we once again find ourselves at the heart of another international break.
With all of the attention now turning to the latest round of European Championship qualifying fixtures, all of the continent’s heavy hitters will be looking to make another statement and get one step closer to booking their ticket for Germany.
Watching things get back underway on Thursday as the likes of France and the Netherlands steal centre stage, neutrals are treated to a string of intriguing affairs.
Ahead of what could be a pivotal night of qualifying fixtures, there are also a string of eye-catching betting markets that can potentially offer a great return for your Thursday f…
England’s Euro 2024 preparations begin in earnest when they face Brazil in a high-profile friendly at Wembley on Saturday night.
It is one of two matches left before manager Gareth Southgate names his squad for the tournament in Germany as England look to go one better than their penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key talking points ahead of the clash.
Getting shirty
Saturday’s friendly will be the first time the men’s senior team sport the new Nike kit following the backlash that met its release this week. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer were among a hosts of names to criticise the decision to alter the colour of the St George’s Cross on the back of …
Ciaran Clark is leaving Newcastle this month, the club have confirmed.
The 33-year-old defender, who spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, joined the Magpies from Aston Villa in August 2016 and was named player of the year as they won promotion back to the Premier League in his first season.
Clark went on to make 127 appearances during his time at St. James’ Park, which comes to end this month upon the expiration of his contract.
Also leaving is academy graduate Matty Longstaff, but he will remain at the club and continue to receive treatment on an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered towards the end of 2022.
The 23-year-old scored the winning goal on his Premier League debut against Manchester United in October 2019 and went on to play 2…
Antonio Conte registered his 100th win as a coach in Serie A by leading Inter to a 3-1 victory over Napoli on Monday.
Inter boss Conte reached the milestone thanks to Romelu Lukaku s first-half double and Lautaro Martinez s goal after the break at the San Paolo, where the Nerazzurri claimed their first league triumph since October 1997.
The former Italy boss became the fastest manager to reach triple figures for wins among those who made their Serie A coaching debut from 1994-95 onwards.
Conte s first win in the division was a 3-1 success at Udinese during a stint in charge of Atalanta in the 2009-10 season.
After a spell in the second tier with Siena, Conte took charge of Juventus in 2011 and led them to three successive Scudetti.
Inter s victory…
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will make a late decision on whether to play Jude Bellingham in the Champions League clash with Braga.
The England midfielder suffered a shoulder injury in the weekend draw with Raya Vallecano, but he trained on Tuesday and will be assessed ahead of the Group C clash at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham has scored 13 goals and produced three assists in a remarkable start to life at Madrid, but owing to their strong position in the group, Ancelotti may not risk him.
Our squad for the match !
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
“I don’t know if he’ll play,” the Italian told a press conference. “He trained today (Tuesday) which means he’s comfortable. He has recovered well and felt good in all the movements he…
Spain boss Luis Enrique was in a prickly mood as he defended his team s performance after a 1-0 win over Switzerland in the Nations League on Thursday.
Pablo Sarabia scored the lone goal of the match in the 13th minute, getting on the end of Marcos Llorente s driven pass across the penalty area for a simple tap-in after a quick regain of possession.
That Sarabia s goal came in that scenario spoke to the nature of Spain s possession over the 90 minutes, with Switzerland firing just as many shots with 34 per cent of the ball in comparison to La Roja s 66 per cent.
When asked on Diego Llorente s second start in three games, after making only three appearances since 2020 coming into this international window, Luis Enrique went on the front foot both on selection a…
As things stand at moment, there are no talks or plans for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to sign a new contract with Liverpool, according to Fabrizio Romano, and the former Arsenal midfielder is set to leave the Merseysiders as a free agent at the end of the season.
Liverpool brought Oxlade-Chamberlain from North London in the summer of 2017, paying a reported fee of around £35 million. His arrival seemed a big hit at first and his contribution as Jurgen Klopp s team reached the Champions League final the following season was notable, particularly after the departure of Philippe Coutinho in January 2018.
However, Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered a serious knee injury in the semis against AS Roma, and he simply hasn t been the same player since, with further injuries frequently pl…
After nearly two weeks off due to the international break, Premier League football was back this past weekend and it was as intriguing as ever.
A new era began at St James Park, though the outcome of the match was arguably as familiar as ever for Newcastle United fans, while similar could be said of Watford as they began Claudio Ranieri s tenure by being battered by Liverpool.
That game saw Mohamed Salah spectacularly edge closer to Liverpool history, while their next opponents – bitter rivals Manchester United – continued their dreadful run by conceding four to Leicester City.
But Harry Kane got himself back among the goals and Wolves pulled off what of the most unlikely comebacks the Premier League has seen.
Below, Stats Perform delves into some of …
Antoine Griezmann s double ended a five-game winless run for France as they defeated Finland 2-0 in Tuesday s World Cup qualifier.
Didier Deschamps men scored the opening goal for the first time in six matches, Griezmann delivering a stunning left-footed finish to become the fourth player to score 40 goals for France.
Finland were the most recent defeat team to triumph on French soil but rarely troubled in Lyon, Griezmann adding a second after the break to draw him level with Michel Platini in third on the all-time scoring list.
The hosts sit top of Group D and remain unbeaten despite their underwhelming return after a poor Euro 2020, while Markku Kanerva s men have won just two of their past 12 games across all competitions.
Urho Nissila brought the firs…
Erik ten Hag s full focus is on maintaining Manchester United s impressive form on the field, with the Dutchman unable to comment on Mason Greenwood s future at the club.
United forward Greenwood had all charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on Thursday following the withdrawal of key witnesses .
Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 and due to stand trial in November on accusations of attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.
The 21-year-old said in a widely released statement that he was relieved the matter is over, while United said the club will conduct its own process before commenting further.
Ten Hag faced the media on Friday ahead of United s Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace and was ask…