Pep Guardiola feels his Manchester City players will need to cool off “in the fridge” after their exertions of the past few days.
City responded to last Wednesday’s draining penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid by digging in for a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
The win, secured by a late goal from Bernardo Silva, maintained their hope of defending the domestic double but Guardiola later hit out at the scheduling of the fixture.
The strike that secured our place in the final!
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
The City boss felt his players should have been allowed more rest after their European game and he now intends to give them a break before they return to Premier League action at …
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Desperate to open this year s World Cup adventure with an early flurry in Al Wakrah, France will meet Australia on Tuesday night.
France
Starting with France, while Les Blues might be desperate to defend their world crown in the Middle East next month, they do have the feel of a side seeking an early statement on Tuesday night. Enduring what was a Nations League nightmare this year, it is no secret that Didier Deschamps finds real pressure on his shoulders. Although the European giants might have just about clung to their League A status during September s international break, they did pick up just a single victory from any of their six appearances. Signing off their pre-World Cup preparations with a 2-0 loss away at Denmark on Septem…
A deal to sign Michael Owen to UAE club Al-Shabab has fallen through.
Owen is a free agent after Manchester United declined him the chance to stay for a fourth season.
After strong links with Stoke City, Al-Shabab claimed on their official Twitter account that they were close to an agreement with the England international, but the club have since backtracked.
Saeed Al Marri, the club’s executive director, told UAE press: The physical demands of Michael Owen does not correspond with the club.
Owen joined United in 2009 following four good seasons at Newcastle, but in each of his three years he has appeared in progressively fewer matches, making 31 appearances in his first term, 17 in his second and just four in the past season.
Injuries have be…
Liverpool have completed the signing of winger Oussama Assaidi from Heerenveen for an undisclosed fee.
The Morocco international passed a medical at Melwood before signing a long-term contract with the club.
The 24-year-old scored 20 goals in 68 appearances for the Eredivisie outfit after joining from De Graafschap in 2009.
I m very happy to play for this big club, he told the club s website.
The first time I spoke to the coach I had a good feeling. I had offers from other big clubs but I ve been waiting for this moment.
The coach gave me a good feeling. It will be a dream to play with these big players and I hope training will help me to be a good player here.
When I watch Liverpool it s always a good atmosphere, the fans are fantas…
Jack Warner threatened to implicate FIFA in involvement in the Trinidad and Tobago elections in 2010.
The former FIFA vice-president was one of 14 people indicted by the United States Department of Justice last week in a move that preceded Friday s FIFA elections in Zurich which later proved futile, when re-elected Sepp Blatter revealed his decision to quit four days later.
Warner, in an address televised on TV6 on Wednesday night, said he has evidence of a link between FIFA, its funding and me, the link between FIFA, its funding and the United National Congress and The People s Partnership Government in general election 2010 .
The 72-year-old also indicated his documents directly implicate Blatter.
It also deals with my knowledge of international transa…
Anderlecht have reached an agreement with Eredivisie club NEC to see central defender Bram Nuytinck join the Belgian side.
NEC announced on their official website that the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee this morning and the 22-year-old has travelled to Brussels, along with his agent, to agree personal terms with the Belgian champions and complete the deal.
The move brings an end to a frustrating search for coach John van den Brom as he looks to strengthen his defence in order to increase his side s chances in the league and Champions League this season.
Anderlecht have been given a tough draw in Group C alongside AC Milan, Malaga and Zenit St. Petersburg.
Van den Brom lost out on signing his top priority Niklas Moisander, who then joined Ajax, as well a…
Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has signed a two-year contract extension running until June 2020, the Ligue 1 champions have confirmed.
Silva s future was a source of mounting speculation over recent months and Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta stated in October that the Brazil defender was of interest to the Serie A champions.
But the 32-year-old maintained that he was keen to renew his association with a club he joined in 2012.
Nine major domestic titles, including four consecutive Ligue 1 crowns followed his switch from AC Milan and the centre-back is convinced more success is on the way despite a patchy first half to Unai Emery s maiden campaign in charge at Parc des Princes.
It s an immense pleasure to extend my contract with Paris…
England have been handed what looks like a comfortable draw in World Cup qualification
The draw has been made for World Cup 2018 and on paper it looks like England have been handed a favourable set of fixtures.
The Three Lions will face old foes Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta in Group F, not exactly the most daunting set of fixtures.
Old Foes
The fixture that will stand out for a lot of people is the games against old foes Scotland. The fixture is one of the oldest in the history of football and it is sure to be a feisty affair.
It is also sure to draw all sorts of analogies about Braveheart and Ye Olde battles.
The truth is though England have a good record against their neighbours and the Three Lions prevailed 3-1 aga…
From zero to 100 real quick. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to make history.
On Wednesday, the Champions League s all-time top goalscorer became the first player to score 100 goals in European club competitions.
Ronaldo – who opened his Champions League account for Manchester United in August 2005 – netted a brace as titleholders Madrid overcame Bayern Munich 2-1 in the first leg of their quarter-final.
The four-time Ballon d Or winner ended his first European goals since September with the 47th-minute equaliser before putting Madrid in the box seat 13 minutes from time.
And Ronaldo used social media to express his gratitude to his team-mates and coaches following another milestone.
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Alex McLeish s second reign as manager of the Scotland national team got off to a losing start, as World Cup qualifiers and 2014 quarter-finalists Costa Rica won 1-0 at Hampden Park. Despite the defeat, however, the 59-year-old will more than likely be satisfied given that the scoreline probably could ve been a lot worse if Costa Rica were at the top of their game.
It wasn t exactly a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination but given the strength and pedigree of the opposition, a 1-0 loss in a friendly isn t the end of the world and it offers McLeish a chance to start building off of what he s seen as he tries to settle into a position he hasn t held for over a decade.
Low crowd
The momentum of a new man being at the helm didn t seem to lead to any renewe…