Month: January 2025

Juventus can bounce back from their surprise draw with Verona by continuing their flawless Serie A home record against Chievo on Sunday.

Antonio Conte s side sit nine points clear of Roma at the top of the table, while Chievo arrive in Turin just a point clear of the relegation zone aiming to do something no other team has managed in the league this term avoid defeat at Juventus Stadium.

Juve looked set to record a 20th win from 23 games this season at Verona after a Carlos Tevez double put them 2-0 up, but uncharacteristically sloppy defending saw them concede twice in the second half, including a 94th-minute leveller from Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb.

However, the champions will feel confident of getting back to winning ways against Verona s relegation-threatened local …

Barcelona have confirmed that Eric Garcia will join the club from Manchester City on a free transfer on July 1.

The 20-year-old Spaniard has agreed a five-year deal at Camp Nou that features a release clause worth €400m.

Garcia will sign his contract on Tuesday afternoon before he is presented as Barca s latest acquisition at a press conference.

The Barcelona-born defender is returning to the club whose academy he elected to leave at the age of 16 to join Pep Guardiola at City.

In the four years since, Garcia progressed through the ranks at the Etihad Stadium and forced his way into the first team.

However, his refusal to sign a new contract saw him fall behind Ruben Dias and John Stones in the pecking order in the 2020-21 season.

And …

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski believes he would deserve the Ballon d Or if the award had not been cancelled for 2020.

France Football confirmed in July that the prize would not be awarded due to the disruption of the 2019-20 season caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Lewandowski would almost certainly have been one of the favourites for the men s trophy this year, having scored 55 goals in all competitions to propel Bayern to a treble of Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League titles for the second time.

The 32-year-old insists the Ballon d Or was never on his mind this term, but he thinks he would have been a worthy winner.

I didn t think about it at all. I knew we still had the Champions League, then the Bundesliga restarted after the sho…

Market: Both teams to score No

Odds: 3/4 @

In a showdown that could see chances come at a real premium, Gimnasia will welcome Huracan to the Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo in the early hours of Wednesday.

Starting with the hosts, while Gimnasia might have clinched an eye-catching top-nine finish last season, Sebastian Romero’s men have largely failed to match a similar level this time around. Last seen putting in another toothless display while on Copa Sudamericana duties on June 8th as they had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate away at Brazilian outfit Goias, El Lobo have picked up just a single win from any of their previous five appearances across all competitions. Likewise, opening June with a routine 2-0 defeat at the hands of Union Santa Fe, the La Plata-based…

Lionel Messi sat out Inter Miami’s 3-2 home Major League Soccer defeat to Montreal on Sunday as he was rested.

Messi had played every minute of Miami’s first three MLS fixtures this season since joining up with co-owner David Beckham’s franchise in July, but watched from the stands as they slipped to their first defeat.

Miami’s assistant coach Javier Morales had hinted to reporters on Saturday that Messi could be rested, saying: “We all know Leo and he is a player who wants to play every game.

Tonight’s final

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF)

“I think we will have a conversation with him, see how he feels, see how he is and try to decide what is best for him because he has played 90 minutes every game and we will make the best de…

Eintracht Frankfurt have secured the services of Lucas Piazon on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The Brazilian joined Chelsea from Sao Paulo in 2011, but has failed to break into the first team at Stamford Bridge with any frequency.

His one Premier League appearance came as a substitute in an 8-0 win over Aston Villa in December 2012, and the 20-year-old has had spells out on loan in a bid to experience regular football.

He was loaned to Malaga for the second half of the 2012-13 campaign, where he made 11 La Liga appearances, four of which were starts.

Last season, Piazon was loaned to Vitesse in the Eredivisie, where he scored 11 goals in 29 league showings.

Lucas Piazon has today joined German side Eintracht Frankfurt on a season-long loan, a …

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri insists spending money is no guarantee for success as he focuses on changing the mentality at Stamford Bridge, rather than potential new recruits for January.

After a strong start under the Italian the Blues have triumphed in only one of their last four Premier League outings, a worrying dip in form prior to hosting table-topping Manchester City on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola endured a similarly sticky spell in his first season in England, yet heavy investment in the squad prior to the 2017-18 campaign helped them canter to the title.

Sarri is not against Chelsea signing a player who adds something to the team, yet feels a complete overhaul will not necessarily close the gap to City.

Not always. We need to work, we need to imp…

Samir Nasri insists he did not realise he was breaking any rules when he visited the Drip Doctors clinic for IV treatment.

Nasri served an 18-month ban after he was found to have violated UEFA s anti-doping regulations in 2016.

The midfielder, who posed for a now-infamous photograph at the clinic, was on loan at LaLiga side Sevilla from Manchester City at the time of the incident.

But Nasri continues to protest he did not know he was doing anything wrong when he underwent treatment during a break in Los Angeles.

I was on holiday with my family. I became ill, I had a virus. I did not leave my room, I was suffering from vomiting, big headaches, I was empty, Nasri told L Equipe.

I called a friend and told him to find me a doctor. He couldn t. He …

Julian Nagelsmann revealed he contacted Joshua Kimmich after the Germany midfielder hit the headlines as he admitted he had not been vaccinated for COVID-19.

Bayern Munich, who are preparing to face Borussia Monchengladbach in the DFB-Pokal second round, have been without Nagelsmann after the former RB Leipzig head coach tested positive for coronavirus.

However, it was Kimmich who was the main point of interest after Bayern defeated Hoffenheim 4-0 as the 26-year-old explained he had not been vaccinated because he wanted further research to be conducted first.

Former Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was quick to assure Kimmich should do the responsible thing and get vaccinated, though Nagelsmann attempted to put an end to the saga at Tuesday s pre-match new…

Watford have signed Argentine winger Ignacio Pussetto from Udinese for a fee reported to be in the region of £7million (€8m).

Pussetto, 24, joined the Serie A outfit from Huracan in 2018 and scored five times in 50 appearances including one during last month s 3-1 defeat to Juventus, although he has been used predominantly as a substitute this term.

Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo is the father of Watford owner Gino Pozzo and transfer business between the clubs has been frequent over recent years.

The Hornets scheduled FA Cup third-round replay at Tranmere Rovers was postponed due to heavy rainfall on Tuesday.

Recently appointed head coach Nigel Pearson has overseen a sharp upturn in form at Vicarage Road, with four wins from their past five matches lift…