Giorgio Chiellini hails 'extraterrestrial' Lionel Messi
LAFC's Giorgio Chiellini praised Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.
2023-09-04 21:21
Jurgen Klopp knows Liverpool must shoulder the burden of Andy Robertson’s injury
Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson is facing three months on the sidelines with manager Jurgen Klopp admitting the defender’s pending shoulder surgery will be “a big loss” for the club. The Scotland captain sustained the problem on international duty against Spain but having been assessed on his return to Merseyside the club have decided an operation is the best solution – even if it means the 29-year-old faces a lengthy absence. “There is a little chance we could try without but talking to pretty much all experts it looks like surgery will be the best thing, especially in the long term definitely, and that means he is out for a while,” said Klopp. “You only see the real extent of injury when you have a look into it, like properly open (up the shoulder) and fix it – but my experience tells me around about three months. “That is a shoulder (injury), usually not a lot of times you say it was earlier but Robbo is a quick healer, that is true. “In this specific case we have to make sure the shoulder structure is stable, because the moment the boy starts all the normal contact stuff again the player has to be ready for that. “I don’t exactly when, but next Wednesday (or whenever he has the operation) we will know more. “In my experience you can train pretty quickly again but not football-specific because you have to be careful of challenges and all these kind of things so he will be out for a while. It is a big loss.” Robertson has played every minute of all eight Premier League matches this season and has been ultra-reliable for Klopp, having missed just five matches in 275 appearances in more than six years for the club. He is out for a while Jurgen Klopp on Andy Robertson It means the Scot’s back-up Kostas Tsimikas, who has made 65 appearances in just over three seasons and many of those as a substitute, could make only his second appearance in a Merseyside derby on Saturday. Other alternatives are the predominantly right-sided Joe Gomez, who has more experience, and 19-year-old Luke Chambers, whose only first team appearance was as an 89th-minute substitute in last month’s Carabao Cup win over Leicester. On the significance of Tsimikas being ready, Klopp added: “It always was like this. “Thank God it is not only Kostas we have for that because for the amount of games we have we would already be a bit short. “But we have Joe Gomez who can play the position, Luke Chambers and other young boys who show up in training quite frequently. “There is a lot of talent in there so you need options and that is clear. Kostas is definitely the most experienced in the position but he cannot play all the games from now on so we need other options as well and we have to make sure we make all of them.” Klopp could also field a midfield with no derby experience – Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all arrived in the summer – but the Reds boss does not believe that is a concern. “It is a special game no doubt but a high pressure game and they all played them. Macca played the World Cup with Argentina, Dom played Serbia recently in a super-important, high-pressure game so they are all used to the kind of game,” he added. “The exact game, not, but I cannot show them a movie of derbies and say that is how they should be. I don’t think we have to make it too big.” Liverpool have lost just one of the last 18 matches against their closest rivals – the behind-closed-doors one at Anfield in the Covid era in February 2021 – but Klopp is not thinking about their record. “It is rather uncomfortable if you tell me about my good record because it doesn’t matter,” he said. “We try to make sure we don’t think about these things but make sure we are ready, we understand the importance of the game and can’t remember one moment when I said ‘weekend derby’ and enjoyed this thought.” Read More Roy Hodgson sympathises with Newcastle over Sandro Tonali betting investigation Mauricio Pochettino believes Mikel Arteta is ‘one of the best’ ahead of London derby New state-of-the-art Bradford venue can help take barriers down, says ECB chief Pep Guardiola believes both Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi deserve Ballon d’Or Tottenham reveal Rodrigo Bentancur injury update as key midfielder nears return Victor Lindelof ready despite ‘exhausting’ experience with Sweden – Erik ten Hag
2023-10-20 22:29
Brett Favre will testify under oath in Mississippi welfare scandal civil case
Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will answer questions under oath about the misspending of federal welfare money in Mississippi
2023-10-05 01:45
Is Toulouse v Liverpool on TV? Channel, time and how to watch
Liverpool can wrap up progress to the Europa League knock-out stages if they pick up a fourth straight win in Group E on Thursday evening. The Reds have beaten each of LASK, Union St. Gilloise and Toulouse and now play the return fixture against the latter, with the French club second in the group on four points and stuttering domestically, sat 14th in Ligue 1 after just two wins in 11 this term. LIVE! Follow the action from Toulouse vs Liverpool with our blog Last time out in Europe, a 5-1 thumping at Anfield saw Darwin Nunez star and Mohamed Salah score off the bench against Toulouse, while Wataru Endo notched his first for the club too. Since then, Liverpool have won twice domestically and salvaged a late draw at Luton at the weekend in the Premier League, to leave themselves third in the table. While the temptation for Jurgen Klopp may be to rotate once more, getting progression wrapped up early will leave two matches where more changes can be made and opportunities handed to fringe players, if the Reds manage to win in France beforehand. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game and all the latest match odds and tips. When is Toulouse vs Liverpool Toulouse host Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday 9 November, with kick-off set for 5:45pm GMT. Where can I watch it As with all Uefa competition club fixtures, the game will be broadcast by TNT Sports in the UK. This game is on TNT Sports 1 and can be streamed on the TNT Sports app for subscribers. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news Zakaria Aboukhal, Denis Genreau and Oliver Zanden are all out injured for the French side. There are unlikely to be too many changes from the team which lost to Le Havre at the weekend, but Moussa Diarra could come in at centre-back and Vincent Sierro will hope for a start in midfield. For Liverpool, Luis Diaz returned to the matchday squad at Luton to score the equaliser so could come into the starting XI here. Changes may come in defence, with Joel Matip and Jarell Quansah returning in the centre and Kostas Tsimikas starting on the left after also coming on as sub at Luton. If available after a minor issue at the weekend, Curtis Jones will start in midfield. Thiago Alcantara, Andy Robertson and Stefan Bajcetic are still missing. Predicted lineups TOU - Restes, Desler, Diarra, Nicolaisen, Suazo, Spierings, Sierro, Casseres, Donnum, Dallinga, Magri LIV - Kelleher, Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Tsimikas, Endo, Elliott, Jones, Salah, Gakpo, Diaz Odds Toulouse 13/2 Draw 17/4 Liverpool 21/50 Full odds here Prediction Liverpool to get the job done in routine fashion, needing just one more win to secure top spot in the group. Toulouse 1-3 Liverpool. Read More Toulouse v Liverpool LIVE: Latest Europa League updates Football rumours: Chelsea and Arsenal leading the race for Ivan Toney Jurgen Klopp impressed by Alexis Mac Allister in Liverpool’s win against Forest 5 standout matches of the Rugby World Cup finals in France 5 standout matches of the Rugby World Cup finals in France Jurgen Klopp excited by Liverpool squad after big European win over Toulouse
2023-11-10 00:49
Joyce vs Zhang rematch set to thwart Tyson Fury fight
Joe Joyce has activated a rematch clause to fight Zhilei Zhang again, thwarting the Chinese heavyweight’s rumoured bout with Tyson Fury. Joyce suffered the first defeat of his professional career in April, losing to Zhang via TKO in the sixth round in London. That result put Zhang in the conversation of potential opponents for Fury’s next fight, but “Big Bang” is now due to box Joyce again. Joyce’s manager Shane Watson told Talksport on Tuesday (9 May) that the Olympic silver medalist had activated a rematch clause, adding: “The first fight was what it was. Joe knows how to put it right. “We spoke about an interim fight, but Joe made it clear he wanted the rematch as soon as possible. This shows how Joe will take any top heavyweight on at any time.” Joyce, 37, stopped Joseph Parker in his previous fight and also holds a stoppage win over Daniel Dubois, but the Briton lost the WBO interim title with his defeat by Zhang. That result has cost Joyce a potential fight with Oleksandr Usyk for the time being. Meanwhile, WBC champion Fury has also been rumoured to take on Andy Ruiz Jr next, before a potential clash with Usyk at the end of the year – a bout that would crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Laureus award winners and Crouch meets Lasso – Tuesday’s sporting social Joe Joyce targets second Zhilei Zhang showdown after activating rematch clause New date revealed for delayed Eubank Jr vs Smith rematch
2023-05-10 17:26
Ohtani, Trout homer to lead Angels past Royals 5-2
Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hit back-to-back home runs to help the Los Angeles Angels defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 in the finale of a three-game series
2023-06-19 05:29
Spain beat Croatia on penalties to win Nations League final
Spain held their nerve to win the UEFA Nations League final by beating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in Rotterdam. Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal converted the winning spot-kick after Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon had saved efforts from Croatia’s Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic. Spain’s triumph saw them seal a fifth major trophy and become the second nation after France to have won the World Cup, European Championship and the Nations League. Manchester City pair Rodri and Aymeric Laporte, who scored and missed for Spain respectively in the shoot-out, have won a fourth major trophy of the season. Croatia, who beat the Netherlands 4-2 after extra time in their semi-final on Wednesday, had been hoping to win their first major tournament. Spain did not have one shot on target in a poor first half of regulation time, while Laporte’s last-ditch tackle thwarted Andrej Kramaric, and Ivan Perisic’s header forced Simon into a diving save. Spain went close in the 58th minute when Marco Asensio headed their best chance up to then just over from the over-lapping Jordi Alba’s cross. Croatia responded through Mario Pasalic’s header, after another ball in from Perisic, before Spain stepped it up, with Fabian Ruiz’s chipped effort and Asensio’s shot on the turn both going close. Spain went closest to breaking the deadlock in the 86th minute when Perisic blocked Ansu Fati’s shot on the goal-line following fellow substitute Mikel Merino’s cut-back. Croatia substitute Majer was also denied by last-ditch defending as his shot after a counter-attack was blocked by Nacho in the first period of extra time. Spain threw caution to the wind in the second period and finished the game on top. Dani Olmo and Asensio had shots deflected for a corner and Rodri’s effort was blocked as the third Nations League final went to penalties, with Carvajal converting a nerveless winner. Earlier on Sunday, Italy beat the Netherlands 3-2 in the third-place play-off in Enschede. Roberto Mancini’s side, who sealed Nations League bronze for the second tournament running, made a flying start as Federico Dimarco and Davide Frattesi put them 2-0 up in 20 minutes. Steven Bergwijn reduced the deficit for the Netherlands midway through the second half, but Federico Chiesa struck Italy’s third four minutes later. Georginio Wijnaldum ensured a nervy finale with the Netherlands’ second goal in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to prevent a third defeat in four games under boss Ronald Koeman, in his second stint in charge. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tommy Fleetwood agonisingly close to slice of major history Ireland boss Stephen Kenny insists he has not sought assurances over his future Northern Ireland’s Paddy McNair has a positive outlook ahead of Kazakhstan clash
2023-06-19 06:48
S.Africa files appeal to avoid Rugby World Cup flag ban
South Africa said on Tuesday it had filed a court appeal against a World Anti-Doping Agency decision that risks seeing the country's rugby team barred from flying their flag in...
2023-10-10 20:50
Arsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlers
Arsenal stung Chelsea with a stunning late fightback as they came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge. Mikel Arteta’s side looked to be heading to a first defeat of the season when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot looped over David Raya minutes after the interval, adding to the lead given to them by Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty. The visitors were far from their free-flowing best and Mauricio Pochettino’s side, inspired by the increasingly influential Palmer on the right of a front three, were for three-quarters of the game good value for what would have been a third straight league win. But the pendulum swung when Robert Sanchez’s careless pass presented the ball to Declan Rice who cut the arrears, before Leandro Trossard stunned the home fans into silence with a close-range finish in the closing minutes to earn Arsenal a draw and move them level on points at the top of the Premier League. For the first time under Pochettino, Chelsea started without a recognised striker, Raheem Sterling instead lining up centrally, flanked by in-form pair Palmer and Mudryk. They took the lead after 14 minutes. Sterling crossed from the right into the six-yard box, and as William Saliba leapt with an arm raised, Mudryk’s header cannoned off it from close range. It took several minutes for referee Chris Kavanagh to be called to the pitchside monitor, but once checked there was little delay in awarding a penalty. Palmer dispatched coolly past David Raya for his second Chelsea goal. Arsenal had started sluggishly and it took until the 20-minute mark for their first opening, Martin Odegaard threading the ball into the left channel for Rice to stride onto, but his awkward right-footed effort clipped towards Sanchez’s far corner zipped wide of the post. Palmer has been one of the catalysts of Chelsea’s sudden ascent to attacking potency under Pochettino, pulling strings whether collecting the ball deep or taking up a more advanced role. His impact was critical in consecutive wins against Brighton, Fulham and Burnley during which the team scored seven goals off the back of three scoreless matches, and here again he was the difference. He had the chance to double the lead when Conor Gallagher, captain again with Reece James fit only for a late cameo, took the initiative and drove through the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, slipping the ball in to Palmer who found room in between Saliba and Gabriel to get off a low drive which flashed inches wide of Raya’s far post. Chelsea might have pulled further clear in the closing minutes of the half, Sterling with a familiar burst down the right, slipping the ball to Malo Gusto who showed the finishing instincts of a full-back and ballooned over. The second half began with a moment to forget for Arsenal goalkeeper Raya. Ben White gave the ball away to Gallagher inside the Chelsea half, and carrying the ball up the left flank he fed the overlapping Mudryk. There seemed to be little on as the Ukrainian assessed options inside the box. Raya was positioned ready for a cross, but in doing so he left too much room behind him into which Mudryk’s ball drifted, sailing clean over the keeper, who flapped helplessly as it landed in the net. Raya’s afternoon was going from bad to worse. Minutes after conceding, he was almost culpable for Chelsea’s third when he rolled the ball recklessly to the feet of Palmer who narrowly failed to nip around the goalkeeper and bury Arsenal. Then, with Arteta’s side looking beaten, fortune turned in their favour. Rice hauled them back into it with 14 minutes to play and it was another goalkeeping error, this time from Sanchez. Chelsea’s summer signing has repeatedly been culpable in recent games of conceding possession with poor distribution. Here, under little pressure, he passed the ball straight to the feet of Rice, who with quickness of thought thumped it first time from 30 yards beyond the stranded keeper. Then the final sting for Pochettino. Bukayo Saka was given time on the edge of the box to shift the ball from right foot to left, and with vision and precision, he picked out the run of Trossard who stole in behind Chelsea with a lunging right leg to divert it past Sanchez. Read More Manchester City back to winning ways as Erling Haaland helps sink Brighton Arteta showing he is ‘one of best in the world’, says Chelsea boss Pochettino Mauricio Pochettino hails Reece James’ leadership and defends captain after ban Chelsea v Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result after late Trossard goal Mauricio Pochettino believes Mikel Arteta is ‘one of the best’ ahead of London derby Mikel Arteta hails career-long support of ‘big brother’ Mauricio Pochettino
2023-10-22 03:18
Hamraoui leaves PSG with 'head held high' after assault
France women's international Kheira Hamraoui said Sunday she was leaving Paris Saint-Germain "with her head held high" at the end of her contract despite feeling "abandoned" by the club following a vicious...
2023-05-29 03:19
The hamstring just snapped – Kevin De Bruyne reveals long-running injury battle
Kevin De Bruyne revealed he was carrying an injury throughout the closing stages of Manchester City’s glorious treble triumph. De Bruyne was not on the field as City capped a stunning season by winning the Champions League on Saturday, having finally succumbed to a long-standing hamstring problem. The inspirational Belgian playmaker was forced off after 35 minutes of a hard-fought final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, which City went on to win 1-0 with a 68th-minute strike from Rodri. De Bruyne said: “I give everything for my team and the people in the club know that. I feel proud that I’ve been able to do what I did. “It’s a shame that it went the way it did for me here, but we go away winning the Champions League so there’s nothing bad towards it. “I felt all right this week, but I’ve been told for two months it was a risk – but, you know, you take it. “I did what I had to do. Obviously I missed some games, but the games like Arsenal, Bayern (Munich) and (Real) Madrid I managed to do it. “I had some personal things happen with my family on top of that and I managed that, but, here, the hamstring just snapped.” I’ve been told for two months it was a risk – but, you know, you take it Kevin De Bruyne It was the second time De Bruyne had been forced off in a Champions League final after he suffered a bad facial injury in the loss to Chelsea two years ago. Yet, after City came through, he did not want to dwell on his personal misfortune. “I don’t look at football that way,” he said. “It is what it is. “I felt the team was able to manage it and do their job. OK, the injury is never nice, but I was there for my team and did what I needed to do. “I felt OK in the 35 minutes I played and I can’t expect more from myself.” Victory fulfilled a long-held ambition for De Bruyne after enjoying considerable domestic success in his eight years at City. He said: “I’ve basically been fighting all my career with my team to win this medal. “I still don’t think it defines my career – I know who I am as a football player and person and I am happy and proud of the person I am – but obviously you want to win.” Much has been made of what the victory could mean for City, both as a platform for the current team and for the status of the club as whole, but De Bruyne feels that is a matter for another day. He said: “That’s not something I’m really thinking about right now. The season is so long we should just enjoy this moment. “We’ve had subdued parties up until now, but now we can really enjoy it for a couple of days, as we should. “We’ve not lost one game in the Champions League this season so I think we deserve it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Josh Taylor says move up to welterweight is ‘imminent’ after first career defeat Manchester City’s Champions League celebrations in pictures Pep Guardiola: Manchester City ‘part of history’ after winning Champions League
2023-06-11 19:46
NBA-Miami gets coveted fourth series win over Boston to reach Finals
The Miami Heat earned a resounding 103-84 away win over the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the
2023-05-30 10:54
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