Looking for Soccer News?

Blog Posts and Articles that give you up to the minute news and information about the world Leagues, Teams, Players and Updates.

Conte on Spurs injury woes: I might need to play

The international forward put up an impressive performance to help the Rossoneri return to winning ways at home

Zenatha Coleman shone brightly as the Namibia women's national team defeated Angola 1-0 in the second leg of their international friendlies on Saturday.

The Brave Gladiators have had to wait for over 21 months since they featured at the Cosafa Women's Cup in South Africa in August 2019.

The 27-year-old striker had an impactful display in the 4-0 first-leg win at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Wednesday, grabbing a brace to eventually notch the Player of the Match award.

Coleman was handed her second start against Angola and she delivered an eye-catching performance. She starred in her attacking role, inspiring a narrow victory with her assist at the same venue.

With a first leg advantage, the Southern Africa side was keen to complete the double over their Central African visitors but failed to find the back of the net from several chances in the first half.

After the restart, the hosts stepped up their quest to silence their opponents and they eventually found the matchwinner in the 76th minute when Coleman's cross was headed by Emma Naris.

With a 5-0 win over the two-legged international ties, the Gladiators were rewarded with gold medals and a trophy while Angola got silver medals.

For an individual prize, Sevilla star Coleman clinched the Player of the Match for the second time and went home with a smartphone courtesy of Nambia Telcom and a plate of honour.

After two enterprising games, Coleman, who scored twice and provided an assist, will reunite with her Spanish club, where she also gave an assist in a 4-2 loss to Sporting Huelva before the break.

Coleman has scored four times and provided three assists this season for Sevilla and she will be aiming to continue her fine showing in front of goal at home, against Atletico Madrid on April 18.

Original author: Samuel Ahmadu

Sources: Romeo Beckham trains with Brentford B

The Nigerian football great has revealed he wants the Italy based forward to exceed the mark he achieved in Europe

Fifa legend Yakubu Ayegbeni is rooting for Simeon Nwankwo to exceed his prolific goalscoring haul in Europe to become the new Nigeria record-holder.

The Crotone striker was among the goalscorers as his relegation-threatened team crumbled 3-2 to Spezia in Saturday’s Serie A encounter.

In the five-goal thriller, Nwankwo gave his team a 2-1 lead at the Stadio Alberto Picco after profiting from an assist from Niccolo Zanellato.

As a result of his latest strike, he now boasts 16 goals in the 2020-21 campaign to move closer to Ayegbeni’s European league mark of 17 goals in a single, top-five European League campaign by a Nigerian.

‘The Yak’ achieved this mark in his maiden season at Blackburn Rovers during the 2011-12 campaign, after joining the Riversiders from Everton.

Needing two more goals to overtake his benchmark, the former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Leicester City star is backing the 28-year-old, while praising him for his awe-inspiring exploits for Serse Cosmi’s side.

“Records are always meant to be broken. I hope he breaks it and I wish him all the very best in his quest to do that. Also, I want to say well done to him for his goalscoring form this season,” Ayegben told Goal.


After a remarkable spell at Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa, the bulky forward joined Portsmouth initially on loan; however, he completed a permanent switch after helping Harry Redknapp’s team earn an English top-flight berth.

In his maiden English top-flight outing, he featured in 37 of Pompey’s 38 games in 2003–04, scoring 16 goals which made him the club's leading goalscorer, and the joint-sixth highest scorer.

The Nigerian scored 28 Premier League goals between two seasons which makes him Portsmouth's highest-ever scorer in English top-flight history.

‘The Yak’ joined Middlesbrough for a £7.5 million record fee before making stops at Everton, Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers before heading for China, where he teamed up with Guangzhou R&F Football Club and then, Qatar's Al-Rayyan.

It is worthy of note that he is the third-highest goalscoring African in the English elite division history with 95 goals behind Emmanuel Adebayor (97 goals) and Didier Drogba (104 goals).

Nwankwo - who has now overtaken Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) and Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) on the Italian topscorer’s chart - would be hoping to continue his impressive goalscoring when Crotone try Udinese for size on April 17.

Original author: Shina Oludare

How can Wrexham get promoted into the English Football League?

The forward has regained fitness and form and is said to be close to a three-year extension on his current deal

Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele is feeling confident about his future at Camp Nou, as reports suggest he is preparing to sign a new deal with the Spanish giants.

Dembele has suffered horrendous luck with injury since arriving at the club, and is out of contract in June 2022. 

But Barca have reportedly offered the France international a three-year extension, and he has recently enjoyed a promising run of games in the first team since returning to full fitness. 

What was said? 

"My future ? I still have a year of contract left. There hasn't been a discussion with the club yet, I'm happy, and I feel good," Dembele explained to BeInSports. 

Then there is the new president who has arrived and whom I do not know too well, but he is very close to the players. We'll see how it goes."

Dembele's injury woes

The forward moved to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017, but a series of injury setbacks have restricted his playing time - most notably in 2019-20, when he managed just nine appearances in all competitions.

"I always kept a smile, even after an injury," he added.

"I was very devastated after that in Dortmund. but five, 10 minutes later, I was already starting to smile and talk with friends.

"I told myself that this is life. There are trials in life, you have to overcome them and then work."

"Healthy living is just people talking. The injuries aren't because of that. You don't stay at Barca for four years with a poor lifestyle.

"I feel good since my return. Yes, it's true that I stand up more to opponents. Clement [Lenglet] teases me by the way, telling me that I have to throw more punches!"

Further reading 

Original author: Goal

PSL Wrap: Cape Town City hammer SuperSport United, TTM beat TS Galaxy

Matsatsantsa’s defeat down in the Mother City was a big blow to what were already fairly slim hopes of mounting a serious title challenge this season

In Saturday’s two PSL league clashes, Cape Town City ended an eight-match winless streak with an emphatic 3-0 win over SuperSport United at the Cape Town Stadium while TTM got the better of TS Galaxy in a 2-0 victory.

In Johannesburg, Tokelo Rantie marked his first start in the PSL since the 2011/ 12 season (his previous three appearances for TTM this season have come off the substitutes bench) with an assist in his side’s 2-0 win over TS Galaxy at the Emirates Airline Park (formerly Ellis Park).

The former Bafana Bafana marksman was involved in the opening goal, which came in the 42nd minute, as he got clear down the left wing before squaring the ball to Brandon Theron, who did well to evade a couple of defenders before scoring against his former Milano United teammate Westen van der Linde in goal for the Rockets.

With the result still in doubt, the visitors made sure of the win in the 81st minute when Thabo Rakhale combined cleverly with Miguel Timm and Thabo Mnyamane before firing the ball home.

The hosts did however have chances to get back in the game, but it wasn’t to be their evening as Wayde Lakay had a goal ruled out for off-side – which replays suggested should have been given, and then also had a 91st-minute penalty saved by TTM keeper Washington Arubi, after Nico Lukhubeni had tangled with Luckyboy Mokoena.

The win takes Tshakhuma out of the relegation zone – above Chippa United and up to 14th spot.

In the earlier afternoon game, Cape Town City finally ended an eight-game winless league run, at the expense of SuperSport United.

Fagrie Lakay gave the Citizens a 35th-minute lead, beating his former SuperSport teammate Ronwen Williams from the penalty spot.

The second goal came 20 minutes into the second half as former Orlando Pirates midfielder Mpho Makola scored, with Thabo Nodada providing the assist.

Citizens striker Tashrique Morris compounded SuperSport’s woes when he scored in the 85th minute. The defeat leaves Matsatsantsa on 35 points - eight points adrift of log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns while having played three more games than their Tshwane rivals. City are in seventh spot, with 30 points.

'Are you not entertained?!' - Alexander-Arnold's priceless reaction after Liverpool winner

The Reds right-back has endured a testing few weeks on international and continental stages, but delivered on the domestic front against Aston Villa

Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a priceless reaction to his doubters after firing Liverpool to a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, with the Reds defender grabbing the most dramatic of winners at Anfield.

The 22-year-old has endured a testing few weeks on international and continental stages, with a high-profile England snub followed by a costly error in a Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold was back to his best, though, against Villa – with Gareth Southgate watching on from the stands – and was quick to revel in his heroics on social media.

What has been said?

In an obvious nod towards those who have been quick to write him off of late, Alexander-Arnold channelled his inner Gladiator when quoting Maximus Decimus Meridius on social media.

What did Jurgen Klopp have to say?

Liverpool’s manager needed a flash of inspiration from somewhere in order to bring an eight-match winless run on home soil to a close.

Alexander-Arnold provided that as he curled home a stoppage-time strike from the edge of the box.

Klopp told Sky Sports afterwards: “We can stop that chat about Trent, everyone agrees that he is an outstanding player.

“It's Gareth Southgate's decision what he does for the squad but we don't have to talk about it every week. We don't have to justify the players' status every week.”

Veteran Reds midfielder James Milner added to BBC Sport: “It says a lot about his character. People forget how young is he, such a young age.

“He's been very fortunate in his career so far, so being left out of the England squad is probably one of his first disappointments.

“But he's got a massive goal at the end, it was a great position he took up in midfield just just before. We're delighted for him.”

The bigger picture

Liverpool, who remain in the hunt for a top-four finish, had found themselves trailing to Villa when Ollie Watkins opened the scored.

Mohamed Salah restored parity from close range, after Roberto Firmino had seen another controversial offside call from VAR go against him, and Alexander-Arnold wrapped up the points to secure a first win for Liverpool at Anfield since December 16.

Klopp added: “We dominated the game but we made one mistake and concede a goal. Then we score the equaliser but it's ruled out for offside.

“At half-time it wasn't the best mood, you can imagine but the words were OK. I didn't have to lift them too much, they knew if we continue to play like we did we would create chances again.

“We dealt with their game really good. It was massive, it felt massive to win. A real relief.

“We were there, we defended well, we were constantly in the creating mood without having 20 clear-cut chances. We needed that win today, these three points feel big.

“We have to put the other teams under pressure. Everyone knows that when we get on a run we are dangerous.”

Further reading

Original author: Chris Burton

USWNT legend Lloyd earns landmark 300th cap against Sweden

Only two players in history have made more international appearances than the veteran goalscorer

United States Women's National Team legend Carli Lloyd reached a triple century of appearances on Saturday as she started for her nation against Sweden. 

Lloyd continues to form a key part of the reigning World Cup champions' plans even at the age of 38. 

And she is now part of one of international football's most exclusive clubs after earning her 300th cap. 

Three hundred and counting

The Gotham City forward received the nod to lead the line up front for the USWNT in Saturday's friendly at home to Sweden. 

It was her 300th game for the side at senior level, a milestone that only two other players in history have reached - both former team-mates of Lloyd's. 

Kristine Lilly holds the record in both the women and men's game with 354 caps, the last of which came in 2010. 

Christie Pierce then follows in second having accrued 311 appearances between 1997 and 2015. 

Lloyd also ranks sixth in all-time international goals scored with 124 to date.

In men's football, Egypt idol Ahmed Hassan holds the record for most caps with 184 for the north African country. 

That mark looks set to fall at some point in the coming months, though, as three active players - Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait (181), Oman's Ahmed Mubarak and Spain star
Sergio Ramos (both on 180) - follow in close pursuit. 

More to come?

While Lloyd is set to turn 39 in July, she has no plans to hang up her boots just yet. 

“I’ve never felt this fit in my career,” Lloyd told the LA Times prior to Saturday's clash.

“When I have my back up against the wall, coach benches me, things aren’t going we well on the field with the team, that’s where I take it two to three notches higher,” she said.

“Some people crumble under the pressure but I absolutely love it.

“I just love proving people wrong. I love defying odds.”

“I’ve never felt this explosive. My game has evolved over the years and I’ve become smarter tactically as well.”

Further reading 

Original author: Goal

LIVE: Strasbourg vs PSG

That is all from this Ligue 1 fixture, until next time!

Pochettino's thoughts will now turn back to the Champions League, where PSG face a second-leg quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The visitors then return to Ligue 1 action by hosting Saint-Etienne next Sunday. Strasbourg, who sit 14th in the league, next travel to Nimes on the same day.

PSG started in emphatic fashion, scoring three first-half goals through their attacking trio of Mbappe, Sarabia and Kean. In the second half, Sahi pulled a goal back for Strasbourg with a smart finish past Rico before Sarabia produced an inch-perfect free-kick to restore the visitors' three-goal advantage. Pochettino's men run out 4-1 winners on the road but they still remain three points behind league-leaders Lille.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: STRASBOURG 1-4 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

90' + 2' OFF THE POST! Simons nicks in front of Prcic and slides in Sarabia. Kone comes across to tackle the PSG forward and pokes a clearance off Sarabia's shin and the ball goes towards goal. Sels can't get there to stop it but fortunately for the hosts, the deflection cannons into the right-hand post and goes out for a corner.

90' + 1' Sarabia sees his long-range effort blocked by the legs of Guilbert as the fourth official announces there will be three minutes of added time.

87' Gueye races up from midfield to pressure Sels, forcing the goalkeeper to rush a clearance long down the right. Strasbourg do regain possession but their move breaks down on the left as Sahi runs into Danilo and the centre-back wins the duel.

85' Sarabia and Mbappe look to link-up once more and the former wins a corner on the right-hand side. Sarabia then goes short from the resulting set-piece and the chance fades away.

84' Mbappe does well to drift inside and drill a right-footed strike towards the near post. Kone, however, quickly steps in and diverts the Frenchman's effort before Sels is called upon.

83' Strasbourg have won two of their last four games in Ligue 1 (L2), after winning only one of their previous seven (D4 L2). Barring a miracle here, they aren't going to carry on their good run of form against PSG.

79' Mbappe dances around Mitrovic before the centre-back drags him down to offer the visitors a free-kick, centrally 25 yards from goal.

78' Prcic swings a pass down the right flank for Guilbert to chase. The right-back is never getting there and pushes Bakker as the full-back ushers the ball out of play. Bakker responds by going into the face of Guilbert but the referee quickly intervenes before any further issues.

76' Guilbert roams down the right, making it to the byline before looking for Chahiri in the area. He finds the substitute, who can only head well over Rico's goal from near the penalty spot.

73' Aholou slides through for the run of Chahiri, who dances around Kimpembe before being dispossessed by Danilo's sliding tackle. If Strasbourg can grab another goal here that will ramp up the pressure on the visitors.

71' WIDE! Sahi drifts into the right-hand channel and opts to pull a pass back towards the edge of the area. Bellegarde fakes a shot, moving out the way for the midfield behind him to run onto. Prcic obliges, curling a right-footed shot towards the bottom left corner. Rico scrambles across but Prcic's shot goes just wide to the left of goal.

70' SAVE! Mbappe does all the hard work himself, taking the ball off of Guilbert and cutting inside to shoot. The Frenchman sends his right-footed strike towards the far corner but Sels is there to produce a smart stop with his left hand.

69' Paris have eight defeats after 31 games in Ligue 1 2020/21 (W20 D3), their highest tally at this stage of a season since 2009/10 (12, finishing 13th that campaign).

67' CHANCE! Sarabia finds acres of space on the right-hand side, bringing down a long pass and pulling back towards the penalty spot. Kean has timed his run to perfection and strikes a first-time effort towards the front post. Kone, however, gets in the way which makes Sels' follow-up save much easier.

65' Bakker races down the left flank, reaching the byline and standing up a cross towards the near post. Kean looks set to test Sels but Kone intervenes and heads clear.

60' SAVE! Kean hooks down a pass over the top and goes one-on-one with Sels. The Italian looks to shoot with his second touch, firing to the right of goal but Sels gets down well to parry away before collecting the rebound.

60' Paredes looks for the forward run of Bakker in the left-hand channel but Bellegarde recovers and plays back to Sels. After a bright start to the half, this game has hit a bit of a dry patch as neither side are playing with any real intensity.

57' Bellegarde angles a cross towards the penalty spot and Diallo's diving header goes just wide of Rico's goal. None of it would have counter either way, as Diallo was flagged for offside by the assistant on the far side.

55' Paris have lost their last three games following a Champions League fixture, after being unbeaten in their first five such fixtures this season (W4 D1). They look set to correct that poor record here.

54' Mbappe nearly goes through one-on-one with Sels after a Sarabia throughball but the goalkeeper rushes off his line to sweep away any potential danger.

52' Kean switches play to Mbappe, who cuts inside and floats a right-footed strike high and wide of Sels' goal. It will be interesting to see how long Pochettino leaves Mbappe on before resting him for Bayern Munich in midweek.

50' Caci throws inside for Thomasson but their attacking move breaks down as the latter is adjudged to have handled the ball. Strasbourg have started this half the same way as the first, repeatedly looking to exploit the flanks and cross in but to no success as of yet.

49' Danilo is forced into intervening in front of Diallo after Guilbert had sent a good cross towards the near post. The hosts get a corner, which Lienard takes but his set-piece once again gets cleared.

47' Sarabia thinks about roaming down the right-hand channel but sensibly opts to play backwards as PSG start this half by dominating possession.

46' Referee Pignard gets the second half underway!

With PSG's three-goal advantage, Pochettino may look to the bench in order to rest some of his stars for their midweek clash against Bayern Munich. Laurey, in contrast, will have to chase this game and may be wondering how to change things in the second half.

Pochettino's men produce a wonderful first-half display to go in 3-0 leaders at the break. Mbappe opened the scoring with a smart, low finish past Sels. Sarabia then doubled the away side's lead before Kean extended their advantage with a powerful strike on the stroke of half-time. The hosts have battled hard and Thomasson nearly opened the scoring with a strike that hit the post, however, PSG look good value for their lead.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: STRASBOURG 0-3 PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

43' Thomasson, who has arguably been the hosts' most creative player this half, sneaks in behind Danilo but the centre-back manages to clear. None of that would have counter either way, however, as the assistant has flagged against Thomasson for offside.

42' WIDE! Mbappe and Kean fail to exchange a one-two and the loose ball falls to Rafinha. The Brazilian stands up a cross, which Kone heads away as far as Mbappe, who attempts an acrobatic right-footed finish near the penalty spot. Sels slides across and watches the Frenchman's strike trickle out for a goal-kick.

41' Paris have won their last four away games in Ligue 1, the longest current such run in the division. PSG last embarked on a longer run of consecutive away victories in the competition between November 2019-February 2020 (6).

40' Despite Pochettino's men dominating the opening stages of this game and taking a two-goal advantage, Strasbourg have grown into this game and have been the better team in the last ten minutes. However, they have nothing to show for their hard work as of yet.

39' Laurey's side remain intent on working it down the flanks and crossing towards the target of Diallo inside the area. Guilbert once again drives down the right and gets a similar result as he sees his cross comfortably claimed by Navas.

38' Sissoko rolls out to Guilbert, who swings in a cross towards Diallo at the near post. Kimpembe misses the first headed clearance but Danilo is there to cover his team-mate inside the visitors' area.

37' Lienard's second consecutive set-piece again doesn't beat the first man. PSG look to counter-attack through Sarabia but Guilbert intervenes and removes any potential danger.

36' Lienard has another chance to deliver from a corner and on this occasion his left-footed cross doesn't beat the first man. Danilo, however, does give away another corner to the hosts.

35' Sarabia leads the away side's counter-attacking charge, carrying it over the halfway line before trying a throughball to Mbappe. The Frenchman sprints after the pass but Kone is there to usher it out of play before Sels is required.

34' Sissoko goes up against Kimpembe but the centre-back wins the duel, clearing to the right-hand side. Caci then looks to pull back a cross to Thomasson, however, Paredes hooks a clearance long.

32' Kean is down holding his hip after a collision with Mitrovic in the middle of the park. The game stops briefly to allow the Italian forward some medical attention. After a minute or so, Kean gets back up and returns to the pitch.

31' CLOSE! Guilbert works some space in the right-hand channel, driving forward before crossing towards the far post. Kehrer looks to clear but Diallo gets there first, attempting to redirect a header back towards the far corner. Navas remains motionless but Diallo's effort falls just wide of the right-hand post.

29' The away side look like they could score every time they go forward. With PSG taking such a commanding early lead, could this give Pochettino the opportunity to remove Mbappe and rest him before the Champions League in midweek?

26' Referee Pignard goes and has a rather animated conversation with Laurey on the touchline before resuming play with a throw-in. Given the lack of big decisions in this game, it appears unclear what the home side's manager is unhappy with.

25' Mbappe exchanges a one-two with Rafinha before dancing around a couple of Strasbourg defenders. The Frenchman tries to shoot but the numerous bodies inside the hosts' area manage to block in front of Sels' goal.

23' Mbappe has been involved in 16 goals away from home in Ligue 1 this season (13 goals, 3 assists), more than any other player. He has scored in each of his last four away games in the top-flight (6 goals), after failing to do so in his previous four.

22' Caci's corner finds the head of Aholou, who can only head well wide of Navas' goal to the right. Down the other end, Kehrer can't race around Caci and the full-back does well to defend in the channel.

21' Diallo slides in Thomasson, who evades Danilo before attempting to cross at the front post. The visitors stand firm, however, and concede their first corner of the game.

20' Kehrer overlaps Sarabia, who ignores his full-back and looks to cross towards the back post. Mbappe has got in behind Guilbert but the cross sails over his head and races out of play.

18' Thomasson feeds Caci as the hosts look to immediately respond but Kehrer is there to produce a smart tackle to stop the full-back's progression in the left-hand channel.

15' CLOSE! Paredes slides in Bakker in the left-hand channel and the left-back sneakily fires a shot towards the near post, despite looking like crossing initially. Sels is alert to the danger, racing across to parry a save around his near post.

14' Danilo gets himself in a bit of a tangle under the pressure of Thomasson but the defender manages to recover and play back to Navas. The visitors, as has been the case for most of the opening stages, then work possession from side to side as they remain patient with the ball at feet.

13' Sarabia's set-piece finds Paredes at the back post but the midfielder misses the ball completely as he looks to hook a shot towards Sels' goal. The Argentinian was unmarked there and may feel he should have done better.

12' Mbappe releases Sarabia down the right-hand channel and he looks to cross towards the near post. Kone gets across, however, and concedes the first corner of the game.

11' Strasbourg have lost 51.7% of their games against PSG in Ligue 1 (30/58), only against Sedan do they have a higher loss percentage in the top-flight (52.6% - 20/38).

10' POST! Diallo draws a foul on the edge of the area but the referee plays advantage as the forward finds a pass to his right. Thomasson, who looks to capitalise on the referee's advantage, unleashes a right-footed strike towards the bottom left corner. Navas scrambles across and can't get anywhere near it but the strike hits the post and cannons away from danger.

9' Caci stands up a cross looking for Bellegarde at the far post but the left-back's delivery is poor and quickly goes out for a goal-kick to the visitors. The hosts are getting their full-backs forward and crossing in but to no success at the minute.

7' WIDE! Rafinha dances inside, evading two tackles before poking a pass to his left. Sarabia receives the ball, opting to shoot with his left foot but he miscues his strike just wide of Sels' goal to the left.

6' Guilbert crosses towards the front post, where Thomasson gets underneath the ball, which allows Navas to pounce and clear away any danger.

5' With Bakker the more offensive option out of the full-backs, he is pushing up and overlapping Kean at any opportunity, while Kehrer sits a little deeper on the far side. For now, however, Caci and Guilbert are dealing with their opposite men in the opening stages.

4' Diallo sneaks in behind Danilo to chase after Caci's pass over the top but the forward is flagged for offside. Navas takes the resulting free-kick short as the visitors look to remain patient to carve out an opening.

3' Kean strides past Guilbert before crossing towards the back post. Mbappe and Sarabia make a dash for the area but they can't make it to the Italian's cross and the hosts regain possession.

2' Mbappe nearly latches onto Sarabia's throughball early on but the pass races out for a goal-kick to the hosts.

1' Referee Jeremie Pignard gets this Ligue 1 fixture underway!

Strasbourg have lost just one of their last six home games against Pochettino’s team in Ligue 1 (W2 D3), after losing five of their previous six (D1).

Mauricio Pochettino, perhaps with one eye on the Champions League, makes seven changes from midweek. Kean leads the line with Sarabia and Rafinha coming in behind him. The duo of Herrera and Paredes start in midfield, while Kehrer and Bakker are the other two changes at full-back. Neymar misses out through suspension but Mbappe starts after his commanding performance against Bayern Munich.

Thierry Laurey opts for just the one change from the hosts’ victory against Bordeaux. Ludovic Ajorque drops out up top and Bellegarde is the man to replace him. This change means Lienard will move further forward to partner Diallo in attack.

SUBS: Kenny Nagera, Julian Draxler, Angel Di Maria, Idrissa Gueye, Colin Dagba, Sergio Rico, Edouard Michut, Xavi Simons, Timothee Pembele.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas; Thilo Kehrer, Danilo Pereira, Presnel Kimpembe, Mitchel Bakker; Ander Herrera, Leandro Paredes; Kylian Mbappe, Rafinha, Pablo Sarabia; Moise Kean.

SUBS: Eiji Kawashima, Lionel Carole, Mahame Siby, Kevin Zohi, Mehdi Chahiri, Abdoulaye Ousmane, Adrien Lebeau, Sanjin Prcic, Dion Moise Sahi.

STRASBOURG (4-3-1-2): Matz Sels; Frederic Guilbert, Lamine Kone, Stefan Mitrovic, Anthony Caci; Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Jean Eudes Aholou, Ibrahima Sissoko; Adrien Thomasson; Habib Diallo, Dimitri Lienard.

With Lille grabbing a crucial 1-0 victory at Parc des Princes last weekend, the visitors sit second in the French top-flight, three points behind the league-leaders. Most recently, the Parisians travelled to Germany, where they ran out 3-2 winners in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich.

Strasbourg are 13th in the league but they have taken points off both league-leaders Lille and third-placed Monaco recently. Last time out, the hosts took an early three-goal lead against Bordeaux and managed to clinch a 3-2 victory, collecting just their second win in their last six Ligue 1 games.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Ligue 1 fixture between Strasbourg and Paris-Saint Germain.

‘Finally!’ – Relief for Salah as Liverpool earn first win at Anfield since December 16

The Reds got back to winning ways on home soil when edging out Aston Villa 2-1, with their Egyptian forward on target once again

Mohamed Salah has aired his relief at seeing Liverpool get back to winning ways at Anfield, with a first success on home soil since December 16 secured when edging out Aston Villa 2-1.

It looked like being another frustrating afternoon for the Reds when they fell behind to Ollie Watkins’ opener, while Roberto Firmino saw a controversial offside call deny him a leveller.

Salah eventually restored parity just before the hour mark, before Trent Alexander-Arnold crashed in a dramatic stoppage-time winner, and Jurgen Klopp’s side can breathe a little easier after ending an eight-game winless run.

What has been said?

Salah told Sky Sports after helping to pick up three priceless points: “Finally! It was a great game, tough game but we won the game and that was the most important thing.

“We have lost a couple of games here and mentally it was like 'oh no, not again' but we did a good job second-half.

“It's hard not to win at Anfield for a couple of games, we also missed a couple of chances in the first half and we were thinking 'not again' but the second half we managed to play good.

“It's really important to win. I think there are only seven games left? So it's really important.

“We want to play Champions League next year but we just need to focus on each game and try and win them all and hopefully, we can be in that fourth place.”

What about the match-winner?

Alexander-Arnold has endured a tough couple of weeks after being left out of the England squad and making a costly mistake in Tuesday's 3-1 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

The 22-year-old has never looked to hide, though, and offered the perfect response to is doubters when curling home a vital late strike against Villa.

Salah said of the confident right-back: “I think he just needs to push himself. He's been training well and he's played really well the last couple of games.

“He just needs to try and keep focused - don't listen to anyone, just try as hard as you can and it will come.”

The bigger picture

Liverpool kept themselves in the hunt for a top-four finish with a much-needed win and will welcome Real to Anfield on Wednesday with confidence restored.

They have seven games left to take in during the 2020-21 Premier League campaign, with the reigning champions looking to finish with a flourish after experiencing a testing season for all concerned.

Further reading

Original author: Chris Burton

LIVE: Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

Goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Kurt Zouma have given Chelsea a commanding 3-0 lead at Selhurst Park. It has been a dominant performance from the Blues, who could have pulled further ahead but for good goalkeeping from Vicente Guaita.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: CRYSTAL PALACE 0-3 CHELSEA

45' We are going to have a single minute of stoppage time at the end of this first half.

42' At the other end, Ayew looks to make something happen for Palace. But Azpilicueta reads the situation well with the Chelsea skipper showing good strength to see the ball behind for a goal kick.

40' Chelsea going through the motions as we enter the last five minutes of the first half. They seem quite satisfied to see their three-goal lead through to half-time, and who can blame them?

38' Mr Oliver choosing to keep his cards in his pocket on that occasion, but he has not been afraid to brandish them in recent times. In fact, he has shown 15 yellow cards in the last four matches he has officiated, while he recently sent off Tottenham's Erik Lamela against Arsenal.

36' A brief altercation breaks out between Mount and Zaha in the centre of the field. However, the situation is quickly defused with both players receiving a stern telling from Mr Oliver.

34' OFF THE LINE! Almost another for Zouma, who rises to powerfully head a corner towards goal. But Van Aanholt is well-placed on the line to deny his former club.

33' GOOD REFLEXES! But for Guaita, this could be a lot worse for Palace. Mount exchanges passes with Hudson-Odoi before unleashing a powerful strike that the goalkeeper just about manages to block.

32' The highest-scoring defender in the Premier League, Zouma now has five goals this season in the English top-flight.

26' Can Palace hang on? Chelsea have forced another corner and are not looking like slowing down in their quest to kill this game off. The hosts must maintain their concentration levels.

24' It may have taken Havertz a while to settle since his move to Chelsea, but he certainly appears to have found his feet here. But for Guaita's intervention, he would have doubled his tally in this game.

22' Good save! That was brilliant from Havertz! Latching onto a lofted ball forward, the German flicks it over the head of Van Aanholt before Guaita somehow keeps out his volley. What a goal that would have been.

20' It already looks like a long way back for Palace as the Blues continue to dominate proceedings and push for more goals.

18' Meanwhile, Chelsea arrived on the back of six consecutive Premier League victories over Palace - their best winning league run in this fixture. Already, it appears that span will continue today.

16' Coming into this game, Palace were looking to record a fourth successive clean sheet at home in the Premier League for the first time. But the events of the opening 15 minutes here have quickly put paid to that.

14' These are potentially exciting times for Chelsea. Well in the hunt for a top-four finish, the Blues hold a 2-0 lead ahead of facing Porto in their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday. Four days later, they take on Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals. Should results go their way, Tuchel will have a great chance of landing his first silverware at Stamford Bridge.

12' Two goals in quick succession mean Palace already have a mountain to climb at Selhurst Park. But take nothing away from Chelsea, who have been ruthless during these early stages.

9' The Blues' dominant start is highlighted by the fact that they have enjoyed a whopping 86 per cent of possession so far at Selhurst Park.

7' Mount is one of Chelsea's joint-top scorers in the Premier League this season with six goals. That tally is matched by Jorginho and Tammy Abraham.

5' Another good move by the visitors with Hudson-Odoi cushioning Jorginho's diagonal ball into the path of Mount, who is unable to keep his volley down.

3' A positive start by Chelsea, who quickly take control of possession. A neat move down the right results in Van Aanholt doing well to block Hudson-Odoi's cross.

1' Referee Michael Oliver blows his whistle and Palace get the match underway.

The players are out and kick-off is imminent.

Can Thomas Tuchel become only the second Chelsea head coach to avoid defeat in each of his first six Premier League away games? The last Blues boss to achieve the feat Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2008.

As for Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel makes five changes from last weekend's defeat by West Bromwich Albion. Kai Havertz starts in the false number nine role, while there are also recalls for Antonio Rudiger, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount. Timo Werner, Marcos Alonso, Reece James and Hakim Ziyech drop to the bench. Thiago Silva is suspended following his red card against the Baggies.

For the third match running, Roy Hodgson names an unchanged starting XI for Palace. James McCarthy is back on the bench following his return to full fitness, while 18-year-old Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is involved in a senior matchday squad for the first time. Michy Batshuayi is ineligible to face his parent club.

SUBS: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcos Alonso, N'Golo Kante, Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner, Olivier Giroud, Hakim Ziyech, Reece James, Emerson.

CHELSEA (3-4-3): Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell; Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic.

SUBS: Jack Butland, Scott Dann, Andros Townsend, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jeffrey Schlupp, James McCarthy, Tyrick Mitchell, Martin Kelly, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Vicente Guaita; Joel Ward, Cheikhou Kouyate, Patrick van Aanholt; Jordan Ayew, Luka Milivojevic, Jairo Riedewald, Eberechi Eze; Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha.

Chelsea can move into the top four with what would be a seventh consecutive league win over Palace, who will pass the 40-point mark should they take the spoils here.

Hello everyone and welcome to live text coverage of the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park.

Uganda's Okello: Why Paradou AC is my European career gateway

Following his strike against Spezia, the Pythagoreans’ striker is one goal shy of his compatriot’s mark in the top five European leagues

Crotone striker Simeon Nwankwo is fast closing in on Yakubu Ayegbeni’s European league mark with his recent effort against Spezia.

The towering striker was on target on Saturday, albeit, the Pythagoreans were subdued 3-2 by the Little Eagle in an Italian elite division outing.

With the scores tied at 1-1 at the Stadio Alberto Picco, Nwankwo put his team ahead with a 78th-minute strike thanks to Niccolo Zanellato’s assist. Even at that, they forfeited all three points as late goals from Giulio Maggiore and Martin Erlic handed Vincenzo Italiano’s side victory.

Thanks to his effort, he now boasts 16 goals in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign. Only one goal separates him from Ayegbeni – who is Nigeria’s top scorer in a single top-five European League campaign in the 2000s.

After completing his loan spell at Leicester City, ‘the Yak’ joined the Riversiders for an undisclosed fee. In his maiden season at Ewood Park, he became an instant hit – scoring 17 English top-flight goals in 30 appearances.

His best performance came on December 3, 2011. There, he scored all four goals as Blackburn silenced Swansea City 4-2. That was his first Rovers hat-trick and his first four-goal game since the last day of the 2003-04 season for Portsmouth against Middlesbrough.

Sadly, Ayegbeni’s heroics could not rescue Steve Kean’s men from getting demoted to the English Championship after they finished in 19th place. To date, his 17-goal feat is yet to be surpassed by any Nigerian featuring in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

Should red-hot Nwankwo score at least two goals in his club’s remaining eight matches left, he will surely overtake his compatriot’s mark that has stood for a decade.

Crotone’s 23rd defeat of the ongoing term sees them remain at the base of the log after accruing just 15 points from 30 matches – which makes them a sure candidate for relegation to Serie B.

For their Nigerian import who has now overtaken Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli) and Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) on the topscorer’s chart, he would be hoping to continue his impressive goalscoring run when Udinese visit Stadio Ezio Scida on April 17.

Original author: Shina Oludare

LIVE: Liverpool vs Aston Villa

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nathaniel Phillips, Ozan Kabak, Andy Robertson; James Milner, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota.

It was a high-scoring match between the two in the reverse fixture, with Villa coming out on top in a 7-2 win. The visitors have won just two of their last eight games coming into today (D3 L3), though one of those wins came last time out when they beat Fulham 3-1. As for Liverpool, they've won their last two Premier League outings, but have lost their last six matches at Anfield in the competition. They also come into this meeting on the back of a loss after being beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield!

LIVE: Manchester City vs Leeds

That is all from this Premier League game, until next time!

The Whites climb up to ninth in the league and they next host Liverpool at Elland Road. Guardiola's side are in Champions League action against Borussia Dortmund in midweek before an FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea. The hosts, who sit top of the league, then travel to Aston Villa for their next Premier League game.

Leeds remarkably run out 2-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium to make it three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time in 18 years. Dallas' first-half goal had given the visitors the lead before Cooper's dismissal overshadowed their first-half performance. Torres then responded for City in the second half with a right-footed equaliser. With the hosts pressing on for a winner, Dallas grabbed a second goal in the 91st minute to secure a memorable three points for Bielsa's men on the road.

90' + 7' FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 1-2 LEEDS UNITED

90' + 4' Cancelo crosses into the arms of Meslier and that will surely be the end of the game here. Raphinha is down on the far side, still struggling from Fernandinho's earlier tackle and Leeds' physios rush onto the pitch.

90' The hosts left it late against Dortmund in midweek, will they once again find a late goal at the Etihad Stadium today? They have another three minutes of added time as Meslier collapses on Silva's weak headed effort to waste some time.

88' WIDE! Silva gets isolated one-on-one with Alioski and drifts inside the area onto his left foot. The Portuguese midfielder whips a left-footed strike towards the top left corner and Meslier remains motionless. Fortunately for the visitors, Silva's strike goes wide of the target and the scores remain level.

87' Cancelo nips in in front of Alioski and fires a right-footed cross across the face of goal. Despite the Portuguese's inviting cross, none of his team-mates can get on the end of it and the ball races out for a throw-in.

86' CHANCE! Phillips releases Raphinha down the right-hand channel and Fernandinho as the last man can't intervene. Raphinha finds himself one-on-one with Ederson and attempts to round the goalkeeper. Ederson produces a wonderful sliding tackle to stop Leeds' Brazilian from grabbing what would have likely proved to be the winning goal.

85' Foden sneaks in behind Ayling and then hooks an optimistic cross towards the back post. Alioski, however, wins the initial header before City regain possession on the edge of Leeds' area.

82' Fernandinho ignores the shooting options for once and slides in Cancelo, whose cross from the right gets turned behind for a corner. The hosts play it short as they look to intricately carve out another opportunity.

81' Cancelo needlessly fouls Costa in the left-hand channel, which offers Leeds a rare chance to get men in the box. Struijk and Koch make their way up but Zinchenko heads away a clearance inside the six-yard area.

80' The hosts have gone unbeaten in each of their last 41 Premier League games against newly promoted sides at the Etihad Stadium (W36 D5), since a 0-2 loss to Reading in February 2007 under Stuart Pearce. Their remarkable record looks set to continue here.

79' Stones exchanges a one-two with Jesus and unleashes a wild, right-footed strike from range. The centre-back ends up falling over off balance and his shot ends up in the stand behind Meslier's goal.

78' Fernandinho again is offered the chance to shoot outside the area and this time he miscues a right-footed effort well wide of Meslier's goal.

73' CLOSE! Cancelo cuts in off the right-hand side and whips a low, left-footed strike towards the far corner. There are a lot of bodies in front of Meslier but the French goalkeeper manages to cling onto a save, despite the initial effort taking a couple of deflections on the way through to him.

72' SAVE! Fernandinho is invited to wander forward and he duly obliges before unleashing a right-footed strike from 30 yards out. Meslier watches as the Brazilian's shot dips and swerves and opts to parry over the bar.

71' The Whites are camped on the edge of their own area, protected by the screen of Phillips, Dallas and Koch in front of them. City remain intent on crossing from wide at the minute and Leeds appear happy to keep winning their aerial duels before clearing long.

69' Another corner comes for the hosts and Zinchenko eventually delivers after initially going short to Silva. As has been the case all half, however, Meslier holds firm and claims the ball inside his area with real authority.

67' OVER! Cancelo takes the set-piece but fails to find his intended target of Stones. The visitors clear to the edge of the area, where Gundogan rifles a left-footed volley just over Meslier's goal. The French goalkeeper scurried across, however, the German's strike never looked like beating him from that sort of angle.

64' Fernandinho glides past Phillips but then hits his low, right-footed shot straight at Struijk. The visitors will be content with their performance so far, as they have largely limited the hosts to long-range efforts.

63' Slide tackles are flying in all around the pitch as the Whites attempt to regain possession. Despite their best efforts, namely through Dallas and Costa, they fail to win the ball back and City remain in search of an opening to test Meslier.

62' Guardiola has registered at least one win over 75 of the 77 opponents he has faced in his top-flight league managerial career – Leeds are one of the two he hasn’t beaten (P1 D1), along with Middlesbrough (P2 D2).

61' WIDE! Stones once again drills a right-footed strike from range but his effort gets blocked. Gundogan misses the initial follow-up and the rebound falls to Silva, who takes a touch before volleying wide of goal to the right. Marriner, however, awards a corner as he suggests Llorente has deflected behind at the near post.

60' For the time being, Zinchenko has also dropped deeper into a left-back role, allowing Mendy to operate further forward as more of a left winger. Stones then shoots from range but Meslier catches with ease.

58' Raphinha dances inside and runs into the chest of Fernandinho but referee Marriner sees it differently and allows play to go on. Jesus then breaks down the left, however, he has ventured offside and the opportunity goes amiss.

57' Leeds have started this half well and surely it will soon be time for Guardiola to call upon the riches on the host's bench. De Bruyne, Gundogan and Mahrez all watch at the moment on as the hosts work the ball down the right-hand channel through Ayling.

56' Dallas is far too enthusiastic and drags down Ake in the left-hand channel. Zinchenko wanders across but this time opts to play the free-kick short, despite some inviting set-piece deliveries earlier.

55' Jesus twists and turns, eventually playing to Cancelo, who crosses to the near post. Llorente doesn't get the final touch but he does enough to put Sterling off and the Englishman fires wide of Meslier's goal with a poked effort.

54' SAVE! Stones once again goes roaming forward, evading the attentions of Phillips and playing to his left. Zinchenko takes one touch outside the area, smashing a low strike towards the far corner. Meslier dives to his left, parrying the first effort before collecting the rebound in front of Sterling.

53' Mendy and Jesus play intricately through the left, with the Brazilian reaching the byline and drilling across for a team-mate. Phillips, however, intervenes as he turns behind for another City corner.

52' Zinchenko lifts an inviting delivery towards the far post and Alioski does excellently to nod a clearance behind, despite the presence of Torres behind him.

51' Costa looks for the run in behind of Raphinha but Ederson spots the midfielder's run and comes flying off his line to intervene. Despite being down to 10 men, Bielsa's side aren't going to stop attacking here.

50' City have won just one of their last 13 Premier League games when trailing at half time (D2 L10), going winless in their last nine such fixtures since a 2-1 comeback victory against Southampton in November 2019.

49' Sterling and Zinchenko stand over the free-kick and the latter takes it, sending his left-footed strike straight into the wall. Leeds clear down the pitch and Alioski loses out in the left-hand corner after a decent run.

48' Stones carries the ball half the pitch, reaching the edge of the area before going down under the pressure of Phillips. The contact looks minimal but Marriner awards City a free-kick, 20 yards from goal in a good central position.

47' Ake immediately goes long in search of Mendy but the Dutch defender's pass is slightly overhit and races out of play.

46' Referee Marriner gets the second half underway!

Cooper's dismissal has of course put Bielsa's side on the back foot and they will be hoping the introduction of Struijk will firm up their defence. Guardiola will be disappointed with his team's performance so far and he could call upon the wealth of options he has off the bench soon, such as Foden, Mahrez or De Bruyne if required.

After a fairly quiet opening, this fixture came to life courtesy of Dallas' low strike beating Ederson via the post to open the scoring for the visitors. The first half, however, didn't go entirely to plan for Leeds as they saw their captain, Cooper, dismissed for a reckless challenge on Jesus. Referee Marriner originally cautioned the Scot before consulting VAR and overrturning his original decision. Nevertheless, the Whites go in 1-0 up at the break at the Etihad Stadium.

45' + 6' HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 0-1 LEEDS UNITED

45' + 5' WIDE! Zinchenko whips in the resulting set-piece and finds Stones, who is unmarked in the middle, but the centre-back can only head wide to the right of Meslier's goal. Jesus also returns to the pitch after receiving treatment for Cooper's foul.

45' + 1' While Jesus is receiving treatment, VAR sends Marriner over to the touchline to review Cooper's tackle. Could the Leeds captain be going off here?

45' The City players are furious with Cooper's tackle as Jesus receives treatment on the floor for the earlier challenge.

44' Cooper smashes into Jesus with a sliding tackle and becomes the first Leeds man in referee Marriner's book. VAR, however, wants to have a look at this before play can resume.

40' Phillips loses out to Jesus on the halfway line, which offers the hosts the chance to attack. The Brazilian forward carries the ball all the way to the edge of the area on his own before seeing his left-footed strike blocked by Cooper.

39' WIDE! Fernandinho goes on a surging run from deep, making it inside the area before passing towards the penalty spot. Sterling manages to lose Ayling but then drills his first-time right-footed shot wide to the left of Meslier's goal. The Englishman should be testing the Leeds goal from that sort of position.

38' Zinchenko plays to Jesus, who is in an unusually wide position on the left, and the Brazilian crosses towards the near post. None of his City team-mates are on the same wavelength, however, and Meslier collects.

36' Sterling moves in from the left-hand side and fires another right-footed strike over Meslier's goal. The Englishman has tried that a few times this half but hasn't tested Meslier as of yet with his long-range efforts.

35' Ake goes on a rare forway forward and falls down under the pressure of Roberts. Zinchenko swings in the wide free-kick and Torres heads over. The Spaniard found space in behind Ayling but then made too good of a connection with his headed effort.

34' City have kept a league-high 17 clean sheets in the Premier League this season, just three behind their best tally of shutouts in a Premier League campaign (20 in 2018-19). Indeed, since the turn of the year, the Citizens have kept a clean sheet in 10 of their 17 league games, conceding just nine goals in the process (W16 L1).

32' Stones finds Fernandinho to the right of goal and the Brazilian drives across the face of goal. Meslier pokes away a clearance with his left leg and Leeds remove the danger on the edge of the area.

31' Costa plays to the feet of Raphinha, who looks for the run of Bamford through the middle. Despite the English forward's intelligent run, the throughball races through to Ederson once more as the visitors lack that final bit of quality to cut open the home side.

30' Much like Phillips' first set-piece, Raphinha's corner fails to beat the first man but the visitors do win another corner from Torres' clearance. Ayling glances Phillips' second corner but City manage to eventually clear.

29' Raphinha skips past Mendy with ease, reaching the byline and drilling a right-footed cross towards the near post. Ake is once again on hand to turn away for a Leeds corner.

27' The hosts regain possession high up the pitch, courtesy of Llorente's wayward pass. Sterling drives into the area, putting Ayling on the floor with a fake shot before seeing his right-footed strike blocked by the chest of Cooper.

26' Roberts finds space in between City's defensive lines, receiving the ball unmarked on the halfway line. The Welshman attempts a throughball for Bamford, however, he gets it all wrong and the pass races through to the feet of Ederson.

25' Costa steals possession from Cancelo and goes sprinting inside the left-hand channel. The midfielder then looks for the forward run of Bamford but Stones produces a last-ditch sliding tackle to intervene before the English forward can capitalise.

24' Leeds’ total of 42 points from 30 Premier League games is their best tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 2001-02 (51 pts), when they finished fifth. Indeed, their total of 47 goals is their highest return at this stage of a Premier League campaign since 1999-00 (49).

23' Roberts throws himself to the floor but referee Marriner isn't having any of it. This offers City the chance to break down the left-hand channel, however, Llorente does excellently to recover and divert the ball out for a throw-in.

22' BLOCK! Zinchenko's corner misses Ake at the near post but falls to Torres, who chests down before unleashing a left-footed volley towards the far corner. Cooper, who is on the floor from the initial corner, pulls off a remarkable block to stop what looked like a certain goal.

21' Fernandinho goes more direct in his approach, clipping over the top for the run of Jesus. Llorente comes flying across to produce a headed clearance away for another corner to the hosts.

20' SAVE! Fernandinho slips through the left-hand channel for the run of Sterling. The City forward has numerous passing options in the middle but he instead drifts inside and drills an effort towards the near post. Meslier, however, sees it all the way and saves Sterling's shot comfortably.

18' Prior to Sterling's shot, the Englishman caught Raphinha with a strong tackle on the right and the Brazilian now requires some medical attention. After a brief pause, Raphinha receives treatment and returns to the pitch.

17' Cancelo's initial cross looking for Jesus gets headed away. Sterling collects the loose ball, cutting in and firing a wild right-footed effort well wide of goal.

16' CLOSE! Roberts sneaks in in the right-hand channel and the Welshman prods a low ball across the six-yard area. Stones and Ake can't intervene and the chance falls to Bamford, who overruns the cross and misses the ball entirely. The first chance of the game goes amiss for the visitors.

15' Raphinha once again gets in behind Mendy and Ake is forced to come across and deal with the Brazilian. Raphinha is repeatedly finding space behind the French left-back and Guardiola may be a little concerned if Mendy keeps failing to deal with his opposite man.

14' Zinchenko goes surging forward and looks to head down to Jesus. Llorente is aware of the danger, however, and turns away for the hosts' first corner of the game.

13' Jesus comes deep to receive the ball and Llorente smashes through the back of him in the middle of the park. City get the game back underway with a short free-kick as they continue to remain patient and look for an opening.

11' Stones asks far too much of his centre-back partner Ake as he sends a wayward pass out of play. The visitors work the throw-in down the right, with Ayling eventually crossing straight into the hands of Ederson at the back post.

10' Leeds have only won one of their seven away Premier League matches against City (D4 L2), a 4-0 victory at Maine Road in January 2001 with goals from Eirik Bakke, Lee Bowyer and a Robbie Keane brace.

9' Ayling overlaps Raphinha and wins the first corner of the game, courtesy of a block from Mendy inside the area. Phillips sends in the set-piece but his delivery doesn't beat the first man at the front post.

7' Jesus slips and clatters into a sliding tackle with Cooper. After a brief pause in play, the Brazilian returns to his feet without requiring any further medical attention.

6' Torres arrows a cross in from the right after dancing around Alioski with ease. Mendy misses an easy opportunity at the back post but it would not have counted either way as the assistant has their flag up for offside.

5' Bamford comes deep and dispossesses Fernandinho before looking to launch a counter-attack. The English forward finds Alioski, however, his attempted throughball for Costa is poor and Cancelo regains possession.

4' Raphinha goes racing down the right-hand channel, reaching the byline and cutting back a pass towards the penalty spot. Bamford overruns the ball and the chance fades away as Silva intercepts inside his own area.

3' Sterling drifts inside and looks to chip a delicate pass through for Torres, however, Cooper intervenes before the Spaniard can progress towards Meslier's goal.

2' With Mendy operating at left-back, Zinchenko gets a rare chance in midfield, where he sees a lot of the ball in the first minute or so. For the opening stages, the hosts work possession around the back as they try and negotiate through Leeds' press.

1' Referee Andre Marriner gets this game underway!

City remain unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games when kicking off at 12:30 (W11 D4), since a 1-3 home defeat to Chelsea in December 2016. In contrast, the Whites have never won a Premier League game when kicking off at 12:30 (P5 D2 L3).

With Jack Harrison, who has scored seven times this Premier League campaign, ineligible to face his parent club, Bielsa makes one change as he introduces Costa on the left. Rodrigo also misses out the squad entirely due to a minor injury issue.

Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy remains in operation as he makes seven changes from midweek. Ake, who had been out with a muscular injury, starts for the first time since Boxing Day and Sterling returns after his two-game absence from the starting line-up. Mendy, Fernandinho, Torres, Jesus and Zinchenko, who will operate in midfield instead of left-back, are the other five that come in.

SUBS: Ian Poveda-Ocampo, Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez, Joe Gelhardt, Kiko Casilla, Gaetano Berardi, Robin Koch, Jamie Shackleton, Pascal Struijk.

LEEDS UNITED (4-1-4-1): Illan Meslier; Luke Ayling, Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper, Ezgjan Alioski; Kalvin Phillips; Helder Costa, Tyler Roberts, Stuart Dallas, Raphinha; Patrick Bamford.

SUBS: Rodrigo, Kevin De Bruyne, Eric Garcia, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Zack Steffen.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Benjamin Mendy, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres.

Last weekend, Leeds’ triumph over Sheffield United meant they had collected back-to-back Premier League wins for just the fourth time this campaign. With the daunting task of league-leaders City today, the Whites then face Liverpool and Manchester United in the coming weeks. However, Marcelo Bielsa’s men sit in 11th and their hopes of a top-half finish remain a possibility.

The hosts remain in search of an unprecedented quadruple as the end of the season approaches. In midweek, Phil Foden’s late winner guided them to a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. Most recently in the Premier League, the Citizens dominated against Leicester City as they ran out 2-0 winners, extending their lead at the top of the league to 14 points in the process.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Leeds United.

Matchday LIVE: Man City vs Leeds, Real Madrid vs Barcelona & all the big match action across Europe

Join us for coverage of all the goals, incidents and talking points of Saturday's action across Europe

Mame Diouf double not enough as Hatayspor lose against Nwobodo’s Goztepe

The Senegal international scored twice, notwithstanding, the Star of the South suffered a defeat at Hatay Ataturk Stadi

Mame Diouf scored a brace while Obinna Nwobodo featured as Hatayspor lost 3-2 against Goztepe in Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig game.

Diouf has been delivering impressive performances since he left Stoke City to team up with the Star of the South last summer.

The Senegal international was handed his 31st league start of the season and made the most of the opportunity to increase his tally while his teammate and Nigeria’s David Akintola was also in action.

Nigeria midfielder Nwobodo also featured prominently for Unal Karaman’s side in the encounter to ensure they secured all three points.

Goztepe started the game impressively, dominating proceedings, and deservedly found the back of the net when Adis Jahovic beat goalkeeper Munir Mohand Mohamedi at the half-hour mark to give his side the lead.

Eight minutes later, Jahovic was again on the scoresheet after he was set up by Senegal’s Lamine Gassama to ensure the Goz Goz continued their flying start.

Hatayspor attempted a fightback after the restart of the second half when Diouf pulled one back for his side to reduce the deficit in the 64th minute.

Jahovic, sealed the victory for the Gursel Aksel Stadium outfit with a fine individual effort, despite Diouf completing his brace at the death, to help his side continue in winning ways after their victory over Rizespor last time out.

The 33-year-old Senegal forward featured for the duration of the game along with Akintola and Gabon international Aaron Boupendza.

Nwobodo also played throughout the game and had 40 touches on the ball as part of his contribution in the encounter.

With the result, Hatayspor dropped to the seventh spot on the Turkish Super Lig table after gathering 49 points from 32 games.

The Gursel Aksel Stadium outfit, meanwhile, moved to ninth on the table after taking their points tally to 46 in 33 outings.

Diouf has now scored 14 goals and provided five assists in 31 appearances across all competitions in the current campaign.

The forward will hope to continue his eye-catching performances when Goztepe take on Galatasaray in their next league outing on April 17.

 

Original author: Gbenga Adewoye

Ancelotti addresses Everton’s links to Koulibaly as raid on former employers at Napoli is mooted

The Toffees boss worked with the highly-rated Senegalese centre-half in his native Italy and has seen a reunion in England speculated on

Everton are among the Premier League clubs seeing a move for Kalidou Koulibaly mooted, but Carlo Ancelotti says a centre-half that he considers to be a “good player and a “good friend” is not part of his summer transfer plans.

A big-money switch to England for the highly-rated Senegal international has been speculated on for some time, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United reported to be long-standing suitors.

The Toffees are said to have joined the chase, with Ancelotti having previously worked with Koulibaly at Napoli, but the man in charge at Goodison Park claims to be happy with a centre-half crop that already includes Michael Kean, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate.

What has been said?

Ancelotti has told reporters when quizzed on the Koulibaly to Everton talk: “Honestly I have a lot of good memories of Koulibaly.

“He was a good player, a good guy, a good friend.

“But if you see our squad there, we are well covered because we have good centre-backs who are young with a lot of talent.

“For this position we are well covered for the future.”

Any other business at Everton?

The Merseyside outfit are in the process of piecing together their plans for the summer window.

Ancelotti has admitted that he hopes to be in a position to further bolster his ranks after putting Everton in contention for European qualification this season.

Josh King is one option for him to mull over, with the Norwegian striker having been snapped up from Bournemouth on a short-term deal over the winter.

No extension has been put in place as yet, with the 29-year-old forward taking in eight substitute appearances for the Toffees so far.

Asked if talks have been held with King, Ancelotti said: “We didn’t talk about the future, no, because we are not talking about that at this moment.”

Everton will be back in Premier League action on Monday when they take in a trip to Brighton.

Further reading

Original author: Chris Burton

LIVE: Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin

9' Union look very up for this. Promel darts down the left and tries to beat Boateng who pokes the ball out for a Union throw-in.

7' Kimmich gets caught in possession and Union spring forward on the counter. Boateng steps out of the backline to intercept and stop the attack.

6' Bayern see away the corner. That's good early intent from Union who don't look cowed by their illustrious hosts. Nor should they be.

5' Endo bursts down the Union left and whips a low cross into the Bayern penalty area. Martinez goes safety first and puts it out of play for a Union corner.

3' The match starts slowly as the two teams figure each other out. Musiala fires over from a difficult angle on the right. Sarr wins a free-kick in his own half as he's closed down too eagerly by Endo.

1' The referee blows the whistle and this game gets under way!

The two sides are out on the pitch at the empty Allianz Arena. Bayern are in their usual all-red home kit. Union are in their all-white away garb.

Union haven't won any of their three Bundesliga games against Bayern to date, drawing one and losing two. However, Bayern have only scored five goals against them in those three meetings, a poor return by Bayern's high standards. This could be a tricky game for the hosts. Will Bayern bounce back from their midweek defeat or will Union compound their misery here?

Injury-hit Bayern make six changes from their 3-2 loss to PSG in the Champions League midweek. Their 11 has a sprinkling of youth with Stanisic, Dantas and Musiala all starting. There are three changes to Union's 11 from their 1-1 draw with rivals Hertha Berlin last time out.

SUBS: Nico Schlotterbeck, Sebastian Griesbeck, Christian Gentner, Cedric Teuchert, Florian Hubner, Marcus Ingvartsen, Joel Pohjanpalo, Julian Ryerson, Loris Karius.

UNION BERLIN (4-2-3-1): Andreas Luthe; Christopher Trimmel (c), Marvin Friedrich, Robin Knoche, Christopher Lenz; Grischa Promel, Robert Andrich; Marius Bulter, Max Kruse, Keita Endo; Petar Musa.

SUBS: Dimitri Oberlin, Tanguy Kouassi, Christopher Scott, Benjamin Pavard, Remy Vita, David Alaba, Leroy Sane, Alexander Nubel.

BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1): Manuel Neuer (c); Josip Stanisic, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez, Bouna Sarr; Joshua Kimmich, Tiago Dantas; Jamal Musiala, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman; Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Bayern's visitors today Union Berlin remain in the hunt for a top-seven finish and with it European qualification. The side from Kopenick are nine points ahead of where they were at this stage last season, and need just two more to equal their 41-point total from that campaign. A point or three here for Urs Fischer's team wouldn't go amiss.

Bayern's five-game winning run has taken them seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, making them almost certain to end the season as champions once again. While no side has ever blown a lead this big this late in the season, Hansi Flick's men still need to get the job done between the two legs of their Champions League quarter-final with Paris Saint-Germain.

Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin at the Allianz Arena, Munich.

'Oh Gary!' - Rodgers responds to Neville claim he could be next England boss

The ex-Liverpool boss has rehabilitated the Foxes' status as silverware challengers once more, and admits that he would like to manage internationally

Brendan Rodgers played coy when asked by Gary Neville if he would like to manage England one day, but the Leicester City boss did not rule out an international future while insisting his loyalty lies at the King Power Stadium.

The former Liverpool and Celtic trainer has restored the Foxes to top four contender status five years on from their Premier League title campaign under Claudio Ranieri, and looks set to guide them back to the Champions League this term.

Such pedigree has seen his name mooted as a potential replacement for Gareth Southgate down the line, as England prepare for a gruelling 18-month schedule - but Rodgers has now played down any immediate suggestion from the ex-Manchester United stalwart that he could step into the Three Lions hotseat.

What has been said?

"Oh Gary," the Northern Irishman laughed when asked ahead of his side's top-flight clash with West Ham, before sobering on the topic.

"Listen, I want to manage at international level at some point in my career, I've always said that. But I'm very, very happy here.

"For me, being at Leicester City is the absolute perfect place. I can develop players, I've got great relations with the board and the hierarchy here, and I still feel there are a lot of improvements we can make.

"Gareth, he's done a great job since he's been there. England have an exciting generation of players, not only now but the ones for the next decade or so. They're going to be competitive but I look no further from where I am at the moment."

Rodgers' record so far

The Foxes have flourished once more since the ex-Hoops boss succeeded Claude Puel in early 2019, restoring them to their place as the Premier League's prime challengers to the so-called top six.

Last season's fifth-placed finish handed them a ticket this term to the Europa League - and now, Rodgers has Leicester on the cusp of a return to the continent's biggest competition.

They previously competed in 2016-17 under Ranieri and then Craig Shakespeare, ultimately besting the rest of their English rivals to reach the quarter-finals.

The bigger picture

While Rodgers will need to secure victory against West Ham - another major rival at the top end of the table - to further strengthen his hand, he will likely have a keen eye on his side as several players jockey for England selection under Southgate.

James Maddison and Harvey Barnes may ultimately fall victim to a surplus of talented players in their position, as the Three Lions attempt to juggle a multi-generation pile-up of talent ahead of this summer's rearranged Euro 2020.

Any players who miss the cut won't have long to wait for another bite of the cherry, however, with Southgate then seeking to guide England back to World Cup success at Qatar 2022, four years after an unexpected semi-final finish at Russia 2018.

Further reading

Crystal Palace confirm signing of midfielder Naouirou Ahamada

Wekundu wa Msimbazi fell 1-0 against the Red Devils to record the first loss in Group A on Friday night
Original author: Seth Willis

New injury problems for Orlando Pirates while Jele returns - Zinnbauer's squad update

The Buccaneers travelled to Libya with a severely depleted squad last week and could face the same situation in this weekend's home assignment

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer welcomes back captain Happy Jele ahead of Sunday's Caf Confederation Cup Group A match against Al Ahli Benghazi at Orlando Stadium but the Soweto giants still face an injury crisis.

Left-back Bongani Sam has become the latest injury casualty but Innocent Maela and Thembinkosi Lorch are still out.

Terrence Dzvukamanja was injured in the away 0-0 draw against Al Ahli Benghazi last Sunday and will have to undergo a late fitness test together with the likes of Deon Hotto, Thabang Monare and Thabiso Monyane who did not make the trip to Libya last week.

"Lorch is not available, Maela is not available. There is a question mark on Dzvukamanja and Sam is also not available," Zinnbauer told the media.

"The other players I hope they come back in the training session latest tomorrow [Saturday]. The right-back situation is bad and we have not had good performances in that position. You know [Abel] Mabaso was out for a long time injured. He came back two weeks ago and waits to get a chance in the next games.

"That is the reason you have to start with full conditioned players in good shape also in this position and if you have to change during the game and it's [Siphesihle] Ndlovu who is very flexible to play, then he can play. But at the moment he performed well and that was the reason he had to play as a right-back against Benghazi.

"I don't know what will happen at the weekend but we have to see what happens in training and then make a decision about which players are available for us for this position."

Ntsikelelo Nyauza, Ndlovu, Monyane and Wayde Jooste have been exchanged as right-backs by Zinnbauer this season.

It is not yet clear if goalkeeper Richard Ofori is back from injury as well as forward Jean-Marc Makusu.

Pirates enjoy an impressive home record in the Confederation Cup, having last tasted defeat in that competition as hosts in 2015 when they lost 1-0 to Zamalek before going for six matches without losing in Johannesburg.

"We played the away game [against Benghazi] and it was more of a home game for us because we controlled it," said Zinnbauer.

"Now we are stronger at home, we know we don't lose at home. It has been a long time now without losing at home. We know what we can do at home. We have to lead this game going forward."

With the way they are performing in this competition, captain Jele feels that they stand a good chance of reaching the final. 

"Ja‚ we can go through to the final. We’ve got a good team‚ everyone now knows how to win trophies‚” Jele told the media

“And you can even see the way they play in this competition, they put a lot of effort‚ and there’s a lot of playing for each other. And the results show that we never lost a game away and we won the games at home. So it shows that they are capable of getting to the final.

“But as well we have to start by competing this weekend‚ and the following games as well‚ so that we go to the quarter-finals. That’s the most important thing - let’s not talk about the final yet. But the most important thing is to go through to the next round. What I can say is that we are capable of going to the final.”

Having yet lost a game in this campaign, Pirates are second in Group A, just a point behind leaders Enyimba.

Original author: Michael Madyira

'It's always tough' - Banyana Banyana coach Ellis expects difficult match against Zambia

The South Africans have enjoyed dominance over their Cosafa rivals but the manager is still worried about the threat the visitors can pose

Desiree Ellis is aware of the tough test the South Africa women's team has awaiting them on Saturday in Johannesburg against Zambia.

Banyana Banyana welcome Zambia to the Bidvest Stadium in their first April international friendly. After the Tokyo-bound Copper Queens, South Africa then face Botswana on Tuesday.

 

Ellis' side has not lost to the Copper Queens since 2012, winning four times and drawing twice and are eager to extend their fine run over their Cosafa rivals in the seventh meeting in all competitions.

The tactician is expecting a difficult match in Milpark but is confident Banyana can start their preparation for the Africa Women's Cup of Nations on a high since the Cosafa triumph last November.

"It's been a long time since the Cosafa Cup but it's great to be back on the field doing what we love," Ellis told Goal.

"We have lost a whole year of football and these friendlies are the beginning of the process to prepare for the 2022 Awcon qualifiers. 

"We want to make sure that when the qualifiers take place that we are very close to where we were when we played at the World Cup.

"It's always tough when you play Zambia. Zambia are maybe farther ahead in the preparations as they will compete at the Olympics."

On Tuesday, Spanish side Eibar duo Thembi Kgatlana and Noko Matlou returned to the Banyana fold for the first time since they last featured against Japan in a friendly in November 2019. 

On having the Spain-based duo back in her side, Ellis shared her excitement and further stressed the importance of the foreign pros.

"We are really excited to have Thembi, Noko and Amanda and, unfortunately, the others were not available," she continued.

"You can see the professionalism shining and they have definitely raised the level. I go back to the 2016 Awcon when we played Cameroon and Nigeria. 

"You could see how the foreign-based players raised the level of their teams. We are hoping for similar experiences."

Original author: Samuel Ahmadu

FutPost.com