Month: April 2023

Manchester United could land Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar this summer if the Glazers successfully auction off the club.

Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani is one of the few parties who have submitted a third bid to purchase the Premier League giants and their transfer strategy would change if he were to be successful.

The Sun report that the Brazilian icon will be allowed to leave the Ligue 1 outfit at the end of the season due to a recurring ankle injury keeping him out of action for much of the campaign.

The 31-year-old has still managed to net 18 times for PSG this term and looks set to pick up another winners medal in France.

With his contract running until 2025, it is likely that United would have to present a reasonable offer to the Parisian club to secure the talisman but this would not be an issue under Sheik Jassim.

Erik ten Hag is keen on upgrading his resources in the final third and Neymar would provide significant attacking flair similar to that of Antony, who was recruited last year.

But with the Glazers valuing the Red Devils at £6billion, it remains unclear whether ownership of the club will change hands in the coming months.

Financial experts have suggested that an offer nearer the £3bn mark would be reasonable, but there seems to be no room for negotiation with the current regime.

In other news

Spanish sources suggest that Jude Bellingham has opted to join Real Madrid this summer but a deal is not finalised yet, with Borussia Dortmund requesting over £120m.

Brighton are lining up a move for Liverpool midfielder James Milner, who is out of contract in the summer, says The Athletic.

Reports from Italy say that Chelsea are looking to sanction an exchange deal with Inter Milan for goalkeeper Andre Onana.

– Liverpool have won four of their last five Premier League home games
– Six of Tottenham’s last seven games have featured at least three goals
– Recommended bet: Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals

Liverpool are almost certainly going to miss out on a place in the Premier League’s top four but they will look to boost their Europa League qualification hopes when taking on Tottenham at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side extended their winning sequence to three games with a 2-1 triumph at West Ham on Wednesday and their clash against Spurs marks the start of three successive home fixtures.

Tottenham head to Merseyside with a one-point lead over their hosts but they have been going through a turbulent period.

Spurs’ caretaker-manager Ryan Mason steadied the ship by steering them to a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United on Thursday, but the result left the Londoners six points adrift of the fourth-placed Red Devils, who have played two games less.

Liverpool vs Tottenham (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Team news

Ibrahima Konate sat out the midweek victory over West Ham but he is expected to resume his defensive partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Stefan Bajcetic and Roberto Firmino remain sidelined for the home side.

Tottenham must continue to make do without Hugo Lloris, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring).

The stats

Liverpool have lost just one of their last 38 Premier League home games and are unbeaten in their last 11 encounters with Tottenham.

The Reds have scored at least two goals in each of their last four league fixtures.

Tottenham have taken just four points from 10 matches against teams in the divison’s top seven.

The Londoners have gone eight league games without a clean sheet and conceded 53 league goals for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign.

Prediction

Liverpool had only two fit available strikers, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, when winning 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November, but they are in a much healthier state in recent times and should have no problems completing a double over the troubled Lilywhites.

Jurgen Klopp can choose between Nunez, Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo when selecting his front three and he should come up with a combination which causes massive problems to Tottenham’s shaky defence.

Tottenham showed some spirit to recover from a two-nil deficit against Manchester United on Thursday but it was noticeable towards the end that they were happy to settle for a point.

With Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son in the side they will always carry a threat going forward, but their porous defence is likely to let them down once again.

Back Liverpool and over 2.5 goals at evens with LiveScore Bet.

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– Celtic have won the last two meetings between the sides
– Just one goal has separated the teams in last two encounters
– Recommended bet: Celtic to win and BTTS

The latest Old Firm clash of the season takes place on Sunday and it could be another epic encounter between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden Park.

The two teams will battle it out to reach the Scottish Cup Final and in Celtic’s case, look to try and remain on course for a sensational treble.

Having already secured the League Cup and currently holding a 13-point advantage in the Scottish Premiership, Ange Postecoglou’s men are 7/10 with LiveScore Bet to win the Scottish Cup.

Team news

Gers boss Michael Beale has a number of injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s showdown, with three key players in a race against time to be fit.

Connor Goldson missed last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Aberdeen and has been sidelined since the start of April, but has returned to training and is being assessed.

Ryan Kent has been missing since the Old Firm clash at Parkhead on April 8 and has also been part of training sessions later in the week, along with fellow midfielder Scott Wright.

Meanwhile, Celtic have been handed a major fitness boost with the news that Reo Hatate is back training with the rest of the Hoops’ squad.

The Japanese ace has been sidelined since late March but could feature at Hampden, while Portuguese forward Jota is also in contention having missed the last couple of games.

The stats

You have to go back to September 2022 for the last time Celtic lost a domestic match, although they did drop points to Motherwell in last week’s 1-1 Premiership draw.

Rangers have lost two of their last three games, with defeats at Celtic and Aberdeen either side of a 5-2 home league success over St Mirren.

It is the Bhoys that have had the upper hand in this season’s head-to-head stats, winning three and drawing one of the four previous meetings.

That run also includes their 2-1 League Cup final success in February. Kyogo Furuhashi bagged both goals that day and the Japanese forward is 13/10 with LiveScore Bet to score at anytime on Sunday.

Rangers have won the last two Scottish Cup meetings, the last of which was a 2-1 come-from-behind extra-time victory in April 2022.

Prediction

Recent Old Firm derbies would suggest Rangers have closed the gap on Celtic, but Postecoglou’s squad has more strength in depth.

After a 2-2 draw at Ibrox in January, there have been two other meetings and there has been just one goal separating the two sides.

It would be no surprise to see an extra half hour needed to separate the teams in this semi-final, with Rangers desperate to end Celtic’s treble bid.

Kyogo has scored five goals in the four meetings this term and the forward could be key to another Celtic success, as they look to reach a 60th Scottish Cup final.

Back Celtic to win and both teams to score at 13/5 with LiveScore Bet.

Win big with LiveScore 6!

Fancy winning up to £100,000?

Simply predict six correct scores from the weekend action for your chance to win, with consolation prizes also on offer if you go close.

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Pep Guardiola believes Kevin De Bruyne is now reaping the benefits from spending some time on the Manchester City bench.

The Belgium playmaker was outstanding as treble-chasing City overpowered Premier League leaders Arsenal 4-1 to seize complete control of the title race on Wednesday.

De Bruyne scored two goals and set up another, underlining his return to form just as their season enters its most crucial phase.

Only last month City manager Guardiola openly criticised the performances of the player, who found himself among the substitutes four times in the space of nine Premier League games.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Fulham, Guardiola said: “He is the same player as a month ago – same personality, same exceptional player, whether I decide he doesn’t play or if he plays.

“But we cannot demand every player – during a career of seven, eight, nine, 10 years – play every three days for 11 months, then rest three weeks, then come back for pre-season and go to Asia.

“Sometimes sitting and not playing is good. It is not to punish. Sometimes you have to see it and realise, to refresh your mind a little bit, let him notice that his standards are so, so high.

“In three days you have another game, another opportunity and you can show how happy you are playing football.”

The statistics suggest the rest did De Bruyne good. The issue is relative of course, as even at the time of Guardiola’s criticisms, the inspirational De Bruyne had registered 17 assists in his first 34 appearances of the season.

Yet such are the high standards the 31-year-old has set in the past that he clearly had another level.

In his eight appearances since he has notched another seven assists and weighed in with four goals.

His figures, though, are eclipsed by those of the remarkable Erling Haaland, with whom he has struck up a formidable partnership.

The Norwegian took his overall goal tally for the campaign to a remarkable 49 by scoring City’s fourth in Wednesday’s win.

He has also now struck 33 in the Premier League, just one short of the record 34 held jointly by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. He also has eight assists in all competitions.

Guardiola said: “Kevin is a master of the assist with or without Erling. Erling scores goals all the time with or without Kevin but, together, they are so dangerous.”

Arsenal are targeting a move for West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice. 

The Gunners are still embroiled in a battle for the Premier League title this term but are already looking to bolster their midfield ahead of next season.

The 24-year-old has been excellent for the Hammers recently, only cementing himself further as one of Europe’s finest operators in his position. 

West Ham prepare to face Crystal Palace this afternoon with the future of their captain firmly in the balance.

Lacking depth

Mikel Arteta’s squad have proven their quality this season — but it is clearly a group lacking depth in central midfield. 

Granit Xhaka was absent for the 3-3 draw with Southampton and Thomas Partey appeared to struggle without the Switzerland international next to him.

Young Belgian Albert Sambi Lokonga was signed to be their understudy but he was loaned out to Crystal Palace in January after struggling to make an impression, only playing 196 minutes in the Premier League for the Gunners this term. 

Adding Rice into their midfield pool would also add some end product alongside captain Martin Odegaard’s contributions.

The Hammers skipper has so far contributed three goals and two assists this campaign.

Dreaming big

Rice admitted when on England duty in Qatar last December that he dreams of playing in the Champions League one day. 

The 41-cap international confessedL “Yeah, 100 per cent I want to play in the Champions League. 

“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. 

“I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. 

“You only get one career and at the end, you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”

Sheringham praise

Former West Ham striker Teddy Sheringham believes Rice is spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing his next club.

Sheringham said: “He can go anywhere. Wherever he goes, he’s going to make that team a better team. 

“Maybe Casemiro is in that role at Manchester United now, so perhaps they don’t need him, but he would definitely make Arsenal a better team. 

“I don’t like to say it but they’re already good enough this season, and I don’t want to see Declan go there because he will make them a better team. But he could walk into any team.”

Midfield general

West Ham have endured a tough season but Declan Rice has still shone in a struggling side.

The academy graduate has been his club’s most accomplished operator in possession, completing 1,546 passes — a team-high total. 

For context, Aaron Cresswell ranks second in the squad for Premier League passes completed with 768. That is less than half as many as Rice. 

The England international is equally effective off the ball, too. 

He has made an impressive 52 interceptions and 72 tackles, both of which are leading figures in the Hammers’ ranks.

Newcastle interest

It is not a one-horse race for Rice, though. Newcastle have also been linked with a summer bid.

The Magpies’ midfield is already packed full of energy and tenacity but Rice could certainly help take Eddie Howe’s men to the next level. 

He has won possession back in the middle third 151 times this term, making him a good stylistic fit for the 45-year-old tactician’s compact and efficient outfit. 

With Premier League safety still to be achieved and a Europa Conference League triumph still within reach, Rice must block out the noise for a little while longer yet.

Ryan Mason is confident Son Heung-min will be key in Tottenham’s efforts to finish a poor season strongly.

Son scored his 13th goal of the campaign in Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United and it was the fourth home fixture in a row where he had found the net.

It has been a difficult campaign for the South Korean, who has been open about his struggles in front of goal and a lack of confidence, but Spurs’ acting head coach talked up the 30-year-old and his desire to never hide in the tough moments this term.

“Sonny is a robust player and pretty much plays week in, week out most seasons. We appreciate him, value him as a player and he is a team player which first and foremost is the most important thing,” Mason said ahead of Sunday’s trip to Liverpool.

“I think Sonny is at his best when he is attacking the line, attacking space. We saw that the goal came from that combination with him and Harry (Kane) and when Harry gets on the ball, Sonny comes alive.

“Sonny’s had many chances this season and probably could have ended up with 20 to 25 goals at this stage of the season if he had been a bit more clinical or had a bit more luck at times.

“The most pleasing thing for me is throughout the season… yes Sonny has been disappointed he hasn’t scored more goals… but ultimately he has always got in the positions and continued to make the runs.

“When you’re an attacking player that is key because at some point your luck will change, the goal will go in and you’ll find rhythm and start scoring again.

“Hopefully Sonny will be key for us in the next five games.”

This weekend’s clash at Anfield will see last season’s joint-Premier League golden boot winners go head-to-head, with Mohamed Salah set to spearhead the Liverpool attack.

Salah also struggled during the first half of the campaign but has been in form since and Tottenham will face a confident Jurgen Klopp team who have not lost at home in the top flight since October.

Spurs’ own record at Anfield is poor, with no victory there since 2011.

Mason admitted: “It’s a difficult place to go, we’re aware of that and as you rightly say I think recent history probably suggests that.

“I don’t think on Sunday years gone by are going to influence the outcome of the match or the mindset we approach it with.

“We’re going to be confident and confident in our ability and if we perform to our best with the ball we can hurt them.”

Tottenham’s top-four hopes essentially ended after last weekend’s thrashing at Newcastle but they do still have Europa League aspirations.

Captain Hugo Lloris will be absent on Sunday with a hip injury and Mason will hope to see more pride restored by his team.

“Every club has its history, its DNA and I think it’s important to tap into that,” Spurs’ third boss of the campaign reflected.

“As a fan of the club, I remember going to the Lane when I was younger and of course people work all week to go and watch their team and be excited.

“We want to give the fans that. In the game (against Manchester United) I hope they went home and felt the team were working for the badge, for each other because I felt the fans were with us from minute one and that’s a big thing for any club.

“As fans you want to watch your team and feel pride. I think we gave them that.”

Stephen Dobbie was left heartbroken after Blackpool’s 3-2 defeat to Millwall at Bloomfield Road confirmed their relegation from the Championship.

Millwall striker Tom Bradshaw scored a fine brace, including a brilliantly worked team goal after just two minutes, either side of Jerry Yates’ penalty for the hosts.

Lewis Fiorini then went from hero to zero for Blackpool after a wonderfully taken goal from outside the box levelled the scores after 67 minutes, only for him to bring down Duncan Watmore for a Millwall penalty eight minutes later which Zian Flemming duly tucked away.

That proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Seasiders and ended their two-year stay in the Championship in the process, something interim manager Dobbie admitted was tough to take.

He said: “Of course we’re hurting, we’re all hurting after that – it’s disappointing because we didn’t really pick it up in the second half.

“I let the lads know at half-time, they’d done OK in the first half, but I felt I needed to remind them just what was at stake.

“It was tough to lose out to a penalty so late in the game, for them to eventually win it like that was a big blow, but overall I just can’t fault any of the lads tonight.

“They were fantastic, just as they have been ever since I took over.

“They’ve been quite unbelievable for me and I’ve really enjoyed it, but I suppose it’s the learning aspect now for the club.

“It’s going to be an interesting summer, there will probably be a turnover of the squad, but that’s for later.

“We’ve still got one game to play, and we owe it to everyone to give it our everything again and we’ve got to give it our all for the fans.”

As is so often the case in sport, the agony felt by those wearing orange was mirrored by pure ecstasy from the travelling Millwall supporters, who now sense a genuine chance at the Championship play-offs.

Victory lifted them up to fifth, and if results go their way they could be guaranteed a spot in the top six before their clash with fellow play-off chasers Blackburn at The Den next Monday.

For manager Gary Rowett though, it was all about getting through the night, something he stressed was difficult against a stubborn Blackpool team.

“I thought we just about handled the game tonight,” he said.

“We knew we’d have to work hard to get a result here tonight against a tough Blackpool side.

“There’s no easy way to get over the line, though. We’ve seen huge clubs like Norwich, West Brom and Watford struggle at different stages this season, so for us to be where we are is testament to all our players.

“I’ve got a real honest bunch of lads here – they always showed a real bit of fight, and that’s what you need.

“We produced some great finishes too, some real quality and I thought we looked really composed.

“We were not necessarily in control, because Blackpool are a decent side, but we got through a bit of adversity.

“We’ll have to see what happens tomorrow now, this puts us in a good position, but we still might need a win next week to make sure of the top six.”

Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason believes Harry Kane’s greatness will only be celebrated when he retires.

Kane helped Spurs respond after last weekend’s humiliation at Newcastle with a superb second-half display to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United on Thursday.

Stand-in captain Kane was at his talismanic best, dropping deep and creating chance after chance before Son Heung-min levelled from his cross to salvage a point after Tottenham had trailed by two goals at half-time.

While the United fans chanted they would see Kane in June, amid ongoing speculation over his future, the majority of rival supporters and pundits alike ridicule the England skipper’s lack of trophies.

But Mason said: “It’s probably natural, I think we say that about all our great players.

“Maybe in 10 years we’ll look back and we’ll say what a great player Harry really was and that we probably should have celebrated him more while we were enjoying watching him play football.

“I’ve always been quite consistent on that. I played with him, I saw it and I felt what kind of player he was.

“At the same time, even as a fan of football, it’s hard not to love and appreciate the type of player that he is.

“It probably doesn’t get spoken about enough but off the pitch, we’re talking about someone who has acted in the right way for over a decade now.

“There have been no problems, no negativity, no scandals and that says a lot for me. I know Harry very well and I know his family very well as well. He’s an example of what I’d want any young kid to look up to.”

Kane wore the armband on Thursday in the absence of Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, who will also miss Sunday’s trip to Liverpool with a hip injury.

Mason talked up his leadership ability and reflected on the growth of the 29-year-old since they came through the Tottenham academy together.

“This country probably doesn’t appreciate how good he is as a footballer. He’s incredible,” Mason added.

“I was fortune enough to come through the academy, we played together and to be on the other side now and watching as a coach, it’s a pleasure.

“I’ve thought that many times in the last couple of seasons. To watch him live, this country should appreciate we’ve got a real special talent.

“He’s our best player, I don’t think I’m out of order saying that because he is our best player and he is a leader.

“There are many different ways as he’s a technical leader, he’s a leader in terms of his mannerisms, how he carries himself, the example that he sets.

“Sometimes we don’t probably speak about that enough because he’s not the most loud and outspoken person, but we know what type of leader we’ve got.

“We know what type of character we’ve got and when you put in performances like he did (against Man United) that can influence games, that’s the best type of leader that you can get.”

Mason’s buzzword ahead of his second spell in caretaker charge was togetherness and he admitted that had been lacking at times this season.

He said: “The focus is on what is best for this club. That is my priority.

“Trying to create togetherness and make everyone feel like we’re together, inside and outside of these walls, is the most important thing.

“At times this season that has probably not been the case and when that is not the case that can affect results on the football pitch and we’ve seen that at times this year.”

Blackpool were relegated from the Sky Bet Championship after a 3-2 home defeat to play-off hopefuls Millwall

The Seasiders twice hit back from a goal down to level in a real thriller, but even a point would scarcely have been enough as they went down with a game to spare.

Millwall, meanwhile, fired themselves back up to fifth in the table as they remain firmly in the play-off shake-up, with Tom Bradshaw notching a terrific brace.

Blackpool’s hopes suffered an early blow at a packed Bloomfield Road as Millwall struck after less than two minutes.

It was a slick move down the right that led to the goal, with Ryan Leonard eventually fizzing a low cross perfectly into the path of Bradshaw, who neatly slid the ball home from 10 yards.

Buoyed by their early strike, the Lions had a clear spring in their step and they almost struck again 10 minutes later.

This time Bradshaw found plenty of space in the Blackpool box, but his shot on the turn drifted inches wide.

The Millwall frontman then fluffed a great chance on the break as he fired wastefully off target after latching onto goalkeeper George Long’s punted clearance.

The hosts were struggling to make any significant inroads, and Millwall struck the woodwork in the 25th minute.

Duncan Watmore lashed in an effort from inside the box that thumped the post before going behind.

Blackpool had been second best, but they levelled matters from the penalty spot nine minutes before the break.

CJ Hamilton was clumsily tripped by Jamie Shackleton, leaving Jerry Yates to slam home the penalty and give the hosts a lifeline.

Millwall threatened first after the restart, with Zian Flemming heading disappointingly off target from inside the six-yard box.

At the other end Rogers charged towards the Blackpool area before curling a shot wide.

Rogers then met a tidy pass from Yates before a shot from the edge of the box only just cleared the crossbar.

The home fans were stunned into silence again just before the hour mark, however, when Millwall went back in front as Bradshaw did the business again, clipping home coolly after he had raced onto Watmore’s perfectly weighted through-ball.

Blackpool were beginning to look down and out, but back they came with a brilliant second equaliser after 66 minutes.

Lewis Fiorini took a short pass from Keshi Anderson before arrowing a 25-yard strike home past Long’s despairing dive.

However, Blackpool’s hopes of going on to force victory were ended when as the Lions regained the advantage for a third time, courtesy of another penalty.

And Flemming slotted home to notch what proved to be the winner in a pulsating clash after Watmore had been tripped by Fiorini, consigning Blackpool to the drop.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will not underestimate the threat Tottenham pose after admitting he thought their capitulation at Newcastle last weekend was a “joke”.

Klopp tuned in last weekend to watch Sunday’s opponents and saw them concede in the second minute but then left the screen to attend to something else and when he returned he could not believe what he was seeing.

“I came home, switched the TV on it was 1-0. I had something else to do and wanted to watch the game a bit later and when I came back and it was 5-0,” he said of the 6-1 defeat which cost interim head coach Cristian Stellini his job after just four matches.

“I honestly thought there was something wrong with the screen. Somebody had made a joke or something.”

New interim head coach Ryan Mason secured a 2-2 draw from 2-0 down to hold Manchester United on Thursday and that is why Klopp is wary this weekend.

“I have no clue what happened at Tottenham. I see Harry Kane, I see Son (Heung-min), I see (Dejan) Kulusevski, I see (Ivan) Perisic, Richarlison, (Pierre-Emile) Hojberg and so on and they all have played exceptional football during their careers.

“We realised this season that we had some problems in moments and maybe other teams thought, ‘oh its a great moment to play Liverpool’ and maybe it was, I don’t know.

“But if I am in the other camp I would never have imagined that Liverpool would show up weak and I cannot think about Tottenham in any other way apart from I expect them to be really strong.

“Give them one ball and it could be the wrong one and they go up in front of your goal and Harry Kane can score from pretty much everywhere.

“They still have this quality and that is the real threat and we have to make sure they cannot show it…

“But that is always the same, in the best Tottenham moments or the less-good Tottenham moments. I respect a lot the quality of their team.”

Klopp has taken issue this season with what he believes are media misconceptions about his team and their problems but he also knows the echo chamber of social media has amplified issues.

“It is good that in this case that we make the decisions and we don’t let the people make the decisions who write on social media,” he added.

“If you go to social media you think, ‘oh my god, there is no bigger problem in the world than our midfield’.

“I understand it 100 per cent. Somebody showed me after the West Ham game a thing on Instagram when people find out our line-up and what they write about it and not a lot of them wanted Curtis (Jones) on the pitch, not a lot of them wanted Cody (Gakpo) on the pitch and when they saw Joel Matip was playing they say, ‘how can they do that?’.

“I understand this season makes people nervous, I understand that we were not ourselves in big parts of the season.

“That’s it but we still have to make good decisions and not panic decisions.

“Where they are saying, ‘that’s it for them, he will never come back, he will never be able to play football’ – that is not how it is.”