Author: zidane

# Hansi Flick Plans Bigger Role for Gabriel Jesus After Raphinha Injury Barcelona are preparing to increase Gabriel Jesus’ role as Hansi Flick searches for answers to Raphinha’s absence, with the Brazilian forward scheduled to start against Getafe.According to SPORT, Barça utilized the international break to condition Jesus for a heavier schedule after his late arrival in the transfer window meant he lacked the physical readiness to play consistently.AdvertisementAs a result, the next match may signal if that preparation is beginning to deliver results.Significantly, Flick has already confirmed Raphinha will miss the Getafe fixture and the match versus Galatasaray.With Barcelona…

# Atletico Madrid Mocks Real Madrid After Federico Valverde’s Early Return Atletico Madrid has launched another attack on Real Madrid, this one targeting Federico Valverde’s surprisingly fast comeback from an ankle injury that once looked likely to sideline him for several weeks.The Uruguayan midfielder went down during the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano after a challenge from Lee Kang-in.AdvertisementAlthough the match official and the VAR team did not consider the tackle red-card worthy, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) later admitted the South Korean player should have been dismissed.The episode resurfaced as a topic of discussion once Valverde resumed training…

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says the club’s titles are “absolutely not” tainted after they were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League.Maresca reiterated his faith in the club’s owners and belief that they will win their appeal against the verdict during a news conference on Friday dominated by questions on the matter.AdvertisementThe Italian, notably relaxed as he offered his responses, rejected the suggestion City’s titles have been tainted by the ruling, as he knows “exactly the effort that the club put in to achieve” them.An independent commission found Manchester City…

Europe’s Sleeping Giants: Ten Former Top-Flight Clubs Eye a Return Deportivo, Parma, and Hamburg are not simply choices for a football enthusiast’s bucket list; they represent former headline-grabbing clubs that have recently returned to their top divisions.Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Schalke, and Malaga also belong in this group.AdvertisementHowever, with such footballing royalty back in the big time, where can you find Europe’s current sleeping giants? Which one-mighty sides are still snoozing?We first need to establish some criteria – history, heritage, fanbase, stadium. Clubs with huge potential who currently exist outside the top flight.Calling a big city home helps, but it…

Real Madrid Face Mounting Pressure Ahead of Villarreal Match at Santiago BernabeuReal Madrid experienced an eventful international break, although not for the reasons fans anticipated. The media have successfully kept the club in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and it is evident that the pressure is now increasing.After two seasons without a major trophy, this was intended to be the campaign where Los Blancos got back on track and felt their presence on the global stage once more.AdvertisementHowever, they have not yet taken a single step toward that goal, securing three points only by scraping through game after…

Martin O’Neill Sets Out Predicted Celtic Lineup Ahead Of Motherwell Test Before the international break, Celtic need to bounce back from consecutive Old Firm losses. They will face Motherwell on Sunday lunchtime. This fixture at Fir Park will not be easy, even though the Steelmen have struggled recently with three straight league defeats and are failing to keep up with last season’s standard.The Hoops secured an edgy victory back in May thanks to an injury-time goal from Kelechi Iheanacho. Still, they went down 2-0 on New Year’s Eve, and gaffer Martin O’Neill must prevent them from staging another surprise result…

England take comfortable first-leg lead over Greece in Women’s World Cup play-off semi-final England will carry a comfortable lead into the second leg of their Women’s World Cup play-off semi-final after they recorded a 3-1 victory over Greece in Crete.Sarina Wiegman’s team will aim to close out the tie when both sides meet in the return leg at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday, with the winners going on to face either Slovakia or Ukraine in the next round for a place at next summer’s tournament.AdvertisementLauren James believed she had opened the scoring but was ruled out through offside before…

Liverpool Look to Barcola While Isak and Gakpo Miss Manchester CityLiverpool face their most important match of the season with a problem that is easy to explain but hard to solve. Andoni Iraola has ruled out both Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo for the visit of Manchester City, which leaves him short of recognised firepower and forces a rethink in attack.AdvertisementThe situation matters because Isak is the only senior specialist No. 9 currently available to Iraola while Hugo Ekitike continues his recovery from injury. Gakpo had looked like the most obvious alternative, the natural deputy who could step in and…

Chelsea Push for Long-Term Josh Acheampong Deal as Liverpool Interest EasesChelsea intend to protect a top young asset, with TeamTalk reporting that Josh Acheampong will receive a substantial new contract at Stamford Bridge.AdvertisementThe 20-year-old defender has attracted praise from across the Premier League and Europe, but Chelsea’s stance looks increasingly clear. The club wants to reward his progress, strengthen their position and show rival clubs that a summer move is impossible.Acheampong can play at centre-back or right-back and is held in high regard at Stamford Bridge. Officials view him as an important part of Xabi Alonso’s future plans. This assessment…

# Barcelona face tough test against Getafe as season enters demanding phase FC Barcelona return to action tomorrow after a lengthy international break, beginning a demanding stretch in the season ahead. Over the coming month, Barcelona take on Getafe, Galatasaray, Real Betis, PSG and Real Madrid among other opponents, with the fixtures growing tougher as the period progresses. Advertisement Tomorrow’s match serves as a fitting start to this run, as they face Getafe—a team that has caused problems in recent years through a compact, defensive game. The regular Barcelona-Getafe encounter pits two sides with different footballing styles against one another,…