April 2023 – Page 24

Marco Reus committed to a new one-year contract with Borussia Dortmund on Thursday as the captain targeted Bundesliga glory.

The 33-year-old Dortmund stalwart wants to begin next season with a championship to defend, having agreed to stay on to the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

It will be his 12th season as a Dortmund first-team player, and possibly his last.

Dortmund-born Reus emerged through the club’s ranks before spending six seasons away at Rot Weiss Ahlen and Borussia Monchengladbach, but since rejoining BVB in 2012 he has been a pivotal figure.

As Dortmund noted when announcing his extension, Reus is 16 short of Adi Preissler’s record of 177 goals for the club, which may be a target.

Reus sent a message to supporters, saying: “As a team, we – just like all of our fans – have a big goal on our minds right now which our full focus is on: we want to become German champions; to do that, we’ll need every single Borusse.

“But beyond that, I still really want to do my best for the club I’ve spent over half my life with. There’s still nothing better for me than scoring goals in front of the best fans in the world in the most beautiful stadium in the world and celebrating victories together.

“That’s why I’m happy I’ve extended my contract for another year, because I’ve always said there’s no other club I’d prefer to play for over BVB in my career.”

Dortmund top the Bundesliga by one point from Bayern Munich, with five rounds of games remaining.

Reus has been unlucky with injuries at times in his career, never more so than when he missed Germany’s triumphant World Cup campaign in 2014 due to an ankle injury sustained just days before the tournament began.

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke described Reus as “supremely ambitious to lead our BVB to its greatest objectives”, while sporting director Sebastian Kehl was delighted to get the deal over the line.

Kehl said: “As a player and a role model, Marco is enormously important for this club – among our fans in the South Stand and in this city, but also beyond the borders of Dortmund and to BVB fans all over the world, too.

“As a long-time BVB player and a Dortmund native, he will not only continue to play an active role in enjoying success on the pitch, but will also use all his experience to advance the development of the younger generation within our squad.”

Kevin De Bruyne claims a “do-or-die” attitude is driving Manchester City on in their treble quest.

City took firm control of the Premier League title race on Wednesday as they thrashed leaders Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

The victory took them within two points of the Gunners at the top and, with two games in hand, they are very well placed to go on and secure their fifth title in six years.

City are also through to the FA Cup final and the last four of the Champions League and have a strong chance of emulating Manchester United’s 1999 achievement of scooping all three trophies.

“I think we’ve been playing well for months, winning most of the games,” said playmaker De Bruyne, who scored twice in an unexpectedly comfortable defeat of Arsenal.

“We’ve been defensively good recently but we know it’s do or die every game. It’s going to be the same on Sunday, we have to win. We can’t win this one and then go to Fulham and not win.

“I think everyone wants to play in games like this. We are very fortunate to have played in these games a lot of times, being in this position.

“It’s great to be fighting for these things. We keep going to the end of the season.”

De Bruyne’s opener came after just seven minutes and he also provided the cross for John Stones to double the lead just before the break.

The Belgian’s second on 54 minutes effectively wrapped up victory and Erling Haaland – with his 49th goal of the season – completed the scoring in added time after Rob Holding had netted an Arsenal consolation.

“I just try to play the best football I can,” said De Bruyne of his outstanding contribution.

“It was fine, picking the right moments to go in behind and I think we really hurt them in that first half on occasions. We could have scored more.”

There is little respite for City with Sunday’s trip to Fulham followed by home games against West Ham and Leeds next week before the first leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.

Talk of the treble is growing but De Bruyne does not know if they have a better chance of achieving it now than in previous seasons.

“It’s hard to say, we’ve come close in other years,” he said. “We won all the cups in England one year but we lost against Tottenham in the last minute in the quarters of the Champions League.

“Things happen. It’s so hard to think about it anyway as the schedule is so tough. We don’t even have the time to think about what can happen in two weeks – because in three days we play again and we need to be 100 per cent ready.

“In some ways it’s good to have such a tight schedule so you don’t have the opportunity to think about it. It’s fun and hard but this is the way we like it.”

– Brighton have won four of their last six PL home games, three with fewer than four goals
– Wolves have lost three of their last four away games, each with fewer than four goals
– Recommended bet: Back Brighton win and Under 3.5 goals

Brighton welcome Wolves to the Amex Stadium on Saturday in a game that will struggle to match the entertainment of November’s meeting at Molineux when the Seagulls triumphed 3-2.

The hosts came from behind to lead 2-1 before the game’s pivotal moment when Nelson Semedo was sent off for hauling down Kaoru Mitoma in what was deemed to be denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

The Brighton winger, who scored and had a role in Albion’s two other goals on only his second Premier League start, was still an unknown quantity back then.

But there is no doubt that boss Julen Lopetegui, who insists Wolves still need “more points” to stay up, will be making plans to stymie the Japanese dribbler in some way this weekend.

Team news

Roberto De Zerbi hopes to have one or two more first-team players back to full fitness before Saturday with Evan Ferguson possibly coming back into the fold after missing the last two games with an ankle problem.

Joel Veltman and Adam Webster were only fit enough for the bench against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday — as was Danny Welbeck, who hurt his right knee in the second half of the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley last weekend.

Adam Lallana (thigh), Jeremy Sarmiento (foot), Jakub Moder (knee) and Tariq Lamptey (knee) are still out.

As for Wolves, Lopetegui will likely have the same squad on duty as on Tuesday night when he made three changes to the side that lost at Leicester.

Ruben Neves, Hugo Bueno and Hee Chan Hwang look likely to keep their places in the team, but three recent outcasts are expected to remain outside the matchday squad.

Raul Jimenez and Rayan Ait-Nouri have not featured since the last international break while Jonny Castro has not made a matchday squad since seeing red against Leeds in March.

Boubacar Traore, Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic are all on the injury list.

The stats

Brighton have beaten Wolves in back-to-back Premier League games after failing to claim a win in any of their previous six meetings (two defeats, four draws).

The Seagulls have scored two or more goals in 12 of their last 19 games in the Premier League.

Wolves have scored the fewest headed goals in the Premier League this season, their only one coming from Adama Traore in a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in October.

Wolves claimed just 10 points from their 15 games of the season (0.67 points per game) but have taken 27 from 18 games under Lopetegui (1.5 points per game).

Prediction

Brighton’s European challenge faltered at the City Ground, but that was probably down to Nottingham Forest catching them a few days after their emotionally and physically draining cup semi-final defeat.

De Zerbi’s side have been superb at home this year, winning six of their eight games at the Amex Stadium in all competitions.

That sequence involves beating Liverpool twice and victories over the two clubs that are neck-and-neck with Wolves in the Premier League standings — West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Three of the Seagulls’ last four home league wins have been accompanied by clean sheets and it is tempting to think that they could record another shutout win against a club that are one of only four in the top flight yet to hit the 30-goal mark this season.

But they have failed to score in only two of 11 away games since Lopetegui took charge and may find a way to break down an injury-hit Albion side on Wednesday.

Back Brighton win and Under 3.5 goals at 6/5 with LiveScore Bet.

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With the season beginning to reach its conclusion, we have come up with five potential goalscorers to keep a close eye on this weekend, with our selections covering players from the Premier League, Championship and Bundesliga.

Back Ivan Toney to score against Nottingham Forest @ 3/4

Ivan Toney has had a fine season for Brentford and he will fancy his chances of getting on the scoresheet once again this weekend when Thomas Frank’s side entertain relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.

The England striker has notched a superb 19 Premier League goals already this term and going up against a Forest outfit who have conceded 10 in their last five outings, Toney will be confident of adding to his considerable tally.

Back Jarrod Bowen to score against Crystal Palace @ 7/2

West Ham’s improved run of form was brought to a halt by Liverpool on Wednesday when they went down to a 2-1 home defeat.

However, the Hammers were always in the game and Bowen was particularly lively for David Moyes’ men. He had a well-taken second-half goal ruled out for offside by VAR and the winger has amassed 11 goals in all competitions so far to prove his worth in the final third.

After guiding the Eagles to three important wins upon his return to the job, Palace boss Roy Hodgson has since overseen a goalless draw with Everton and a 2-0 defeat at Wolves but they should be safe on 37 points and could struggle against a Forest side who, prior to their midweek setback, had been on an unbeaten five-game run.

Back Joe Gelhardt to score against Watford @ 21/10

Joe Gelhardt, who is on loan at Sunderland from Leeds, has started the last two Black Cats games as their main central striker and the 20-year-old scored the opener against Huddersfield earlier this month.

Sunderland have given themselves more than a fighting chance of making the play-offs after embarking on a timely seven-game unbeaten run, in which they have won four times, and they will expect to beat a Watford side on Saturday that has dropped out of contention and have little to play for down in 13th.

Back Sehrou Guirassy to score against Borussia Monchengladbach @ 13/10

Sehrou Guirassy is Stuttgart’s top-scorer this season with seven league goals and they need him to deliver this weekend as the relegation-threatened side host Borussia Monchengladbach.

Sebastian Hoeness’ men are currently in the bottom three in Germany but they are showing signs of life as they battle to avoid the drop as they are on a three-game unbeaten run and take on a Monchengladbach side that are marooned in mid-table with very little but pride to play for.

To further underline Guirassy’s potential to fire this weekend, the Guinea international has taken 24 shots in his last nine games, of which 13 have been on target.

Back Jamal Musiala to score against Hertha Berlin @ 1/1

Jamal Musiala has been one of the players at Bayern Munich this season who has attempted to fill the big void left by Robert Lewandowski’s departure to Barcelona, with the winger impressing with 11 goals and nine assists in the Bundesliga in 2022-23 so far.

In recent weeks, Bayern have been stumbling as they aim to win the title again this season and they have now slipped behind Borussia Dortmund at the top thanks to an unfamiliar run of two defeats and a draw among their last five games.

They will be looking to get back to winning ways on Sunday at home to rock-bottom Hertha and Musiala could well be among the goals if they do pick up a much-needed three points.

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Jarrod Bowen is confident West Ham will bounce back from Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool.

The Hammers missed the chance to move further clear of the Premier League relegation fight, despite taking the lead against the Reds.

A trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday is West Ham’s next assignment and Bowen insists the team will go there in good spirits.

“This game was a kick in the teeth, but we’ll bounce back from that,” he told West Ham TV. “We’ve got a real spirit in this group to bounce back from disappointment, so we’ll do that again.

“It’s also difficult when you go to Selhurst Park with the atmosphere they create.

“But we can go there full of confidence I think, especially with our recent performances and results we’ve picked.”

Cody Gakpo’s long-range effort cancelled out Lucas Paqueta’s opener at the London Stadium before Joel Matip headed home a second-half corner to complete Liverpool’s comeback.

Bowen felt the home side only had themselves to blame with the manner of the goals they conceded.

“The goals were just a disappointment on our behalf,” he added. “One was from a set-piece, which we usually pride ourselves on defensively and offensively, and the other one sees Gakpo shoot, and we probably could have got a bit closer to it.

“We knew they would have a lot of the ball and they are a good team, there is no denying that.

“With the way they play, there were times we had to suffer without the ball and there were times when we had to go and put the pressure on and I think we got the balance right.

“It was disappointing on our behalf, to give them those goals, but there were some positives from this that we can take into Saturday’s game.”

David Moyes’ men went into Wednesday night’s match having scored eight goals in their previous two games, a 4-1 Europa Conference League victory over Gent and a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth, and they had chances to score more against Liverpool.

Bowen had the ball in the back of the net just after the break, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

“The last few weeks we’ve been at it to a better level, closer to what we expect of ourselves,” he added.

“Even (last night), there were times when we could have been better on the ball, but I also thought there were times when we looked dangerous.”

Gakpo’s 18th-minute goal was his sixth in the Premier League since his January arrival at Anfield and the Holland forward feels Liverpool are heading in the right direction.

The win at West Ham made it three victories in a row.

“I’ve not been here so long, so I don’t know how it felt before, but I think we’re getting on the right track,” Gakpo told Liverpoolfc.com.

“I think you have to stay sharp for 90 minutes (against West Ham) because it’s only one moment they can counter and then they get a goal.

“But we did really well defensively – at the end they scored one and we scored two. We did great.”

Paris Saint-Germain were accused by the mayor of the French capital on Thursday of making a “ridiculous” offer to buy the city-owned Parc des Princes stadium.

PSG are 10 years into a 30-year tenancy agreement but have targeted ownership of the stadium before going ahead with ambitious expansion plans.

According to the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, the Ligue 1 giants have proposed paying €38million to buy the site.

PSG are reportedly also interested in acquiring the Stade de France, with L’Equipe claiming the club would formally lodge an expression of interest on Thursday.

They are seeking a home big enough to match their ambitions, and the Parc des Princes, which seats close to 48,000 spectators, does not currently come up to the mark.

Speaking to French broadcaster RFI, Hidalgo said: “We had opened the door to the possibility of selling the stadium to our club.

“It is true that in the economic model of the big clubs, they are almost all owners and of course we have look at this argument.

“To sell, you had to respect the rules, because the stadium belongs to the Parisians, it does not belong to me.

“We are in a state of law, so there are procedures and we have to set prices that must correspond to the good. The club offered €38million. I think ridiculous is the right word. There is no longer any possible path.”

French president Emmanuel Macron has reportedly held talks with football’s world governing body, FIFA, about the possible sale of the Stade de France.

It would be a startling move for FIFA to buy the stadium that was built for the 1998 World Cup but may yet be feasible.

Hidalgo said she does not expect PSG to leave the Parc des Princes and move across the city, adding that it would be “very complicated to give up a stadium, even if the president of the Republic has opened this possibility”.

PSG’s Qatari owners have funded heavy spending on playing and coaching staff to turn the team into France’s dominant side, packed with superstars including Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.

The owners will not find it as straightforward to navigate local rules and regulations, though. Qatar built a host of spectacular stadiums for last year’s World Cup, when it wanted to show itself off to the world, but this is a different story.

Hidalgo said there was “maybe a bit of bluffing or maybe misunderstanding what our democratic rules are” when it comes to PSG eyeing up the Stade de France.

She added: “Yes, it’s true that with us, stadiums don’t spring up like mushrooms, it’s true that you don’t arrive with a bundle of millions and become the buyer of any property for any conditions.”

Manchester City and Manchester United fans are facing serious travel disruption for the FA Cup final after train drivers announced fresh strikes in a long-running row over pay.

Aslef rejected a “risible” four per cent pay offer from the 16 train companies it remains in dispute with and announced union members will walk out on May 12 and 31 and then June 3 when Wembley hosts the all-Manchester final.

The Football Association only confirmed on Wednesday that the final will start at the traditional time of 3pm after Metropolitan Police deemed it a high-risk match, therefore insisting upon a kick-off time no later than 4.45pm.

The earlier kick-off allows for fans to travel back from London via public transport, but Aslef’s planned rail strike has thrown thousands of fans’ plans into chaos.

Both clubs are assessing the situation and will be liaising with the FA, authorities and fans groups, with the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust expressing their frustration at the situation.

“A train strike on cup final day will be a huge inconvenience to the tens of thousands of supporters travelling down from Manchester to London on the day,” MUST said in a statement to the PA news agency.

“We need all modes of transport available to cope with the level of demand and the railways are a key part of that.

“We call on the Government and the trade union to get round the table and find a way to avert this industrial action.”

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at the companies they are in dispute with since 2019.

“Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group,” he said.

“The proposal – of just four per cent – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10 per cent and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.

“The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century.

“Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.

“We are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday May 15 to Saturday 20 inclusive, as well as on Saturday May 13 and Thursday June 1.”

The train operating companies involved in the dispute are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, SWR depot drivers, SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

The May 12 strike will be held the day before the Eurovision final in Liverpool.

A spokesperson for the RDG said: “This is disappointing news for our customers and staff, more strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis.

“Senselessly targeting both the final of Eurovision and the FA Cup final is disappointing for all those planning to attend.”

Neymar was due to have the protective boot on his right foot removed on Thursday after receiving “reassuring results” from tests on his ankle injury.

The Paris-Saint Germany forward underwent season-ending surgery last month after suffering ligament damage during a 4-3 Ligue 1 win over Lille.

PSG revealed Neymar is expected to be sidelined for three to four months.

The Ligue 1 leaders on Thursday provided a positive update on the 31-year-old’s recovering.

A statement released by the club said: “Neymar Jr has returned to the Training Centre, with the members of Paris Saint-Germain’s medical staff and the surgeons who operated on him proceeding with the removal of his protective boot today.

“After receiving reassuring results from his tests, the player will now be able to continue his rehabilitation protocol in Paris.”

Neymar had been enjoying his most productive season for PSG since the 2018-19 campaign, equalling a tally of 34 direct goal involvements (18 goals, 16 assists) in all competitions – joint-second highest in his PSG career, behind the 44 in his debut season.

Frank Lampard hinted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could have a role to play in Chelsea’s run-in after the striker made just his second appearance since February in the loss to Brentford.

The team’s goalscoring woes plumbed new depths at Stamford Bridge as a toothless 2-0 defeat on Wednesday extended their poor run to a single goal scored in the last seven games.

Aubameyang, who was frozen out under former manager Graham Potter, emerged from the bench at half-time and had a noticeable impact on the way Chelsea tried to play, lending their attack a badly-needed focal point.

But it was not enough to prevent Lampard from suffering a fifth consecutive defeat since he was appointed as interim boss.

Chelsea’s starting XI against Brentford have scored only 10 Premier League goals between them this season, and a tally of 30 in 32 games means only four teams in the division have fewer.

By contrast, relegation-threatened Leeds and Leicester have scored 12 and 14 more goals respectively than the Blues.

Lampard, who was unable to select Aubameyang for the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid after Potter left him out of his European squad, suggested there may be chances for him in the run-in.

“Auba has been a tough one for me because I’ve got complete respect for him as a player,” said Lampard. “He’s scored 300 and whatever goals in his career.

“He couldn’t play the two Madrid games for me because he was not in the squad, he came on against Wolves (a 1-0 defeat) and for a number nine particularly, to be sharp and to be playing regularly is key.

“To see him train, when we haven’t had big minutes for training, in the last few days I’ve seen him be able to train, so he was in my thinking for (Brentford) anyway.

“He certainly has the profile of a number nine. We don’t have that elsewhere in the squad. So I did see a difference.”

Chelsea have won seven times in the league since Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel was sacked on September 7.

That run has seen three different managers try and coax results out of the squad assembled by owner Todd Boehly at a cost of almost £600million.

Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be appointed as Potter’s permanent successor in the next week to try and lead a restoration of the club’s fortunes.

Lampard was asked whether he worried about the impact being associated with the club’s current demise might have on his reputation.

“I took (the job) on knowing the jeopardy of what it might be, but I’m very proud to manage here,” he said. “I came here (in 2019) when we had a difficult moment before, and we had big success in my first year. I went to Everton and had a challenge to stay in the league, I stayed in the league.

“People will perceive you in a different way anyway. In the short-term, I’m not worried. I want to win games, that’s clear. But I understand the problems as to why we’re probably not winning games.

“I got asked before about belief and how we’re going to change that. I can’t just say ‘lads, believe’ and they’re going to run out and believe all of a sudden. Those things take time and they take a bit of work, then maybe something goes in your favour. (Against Brentford), nothing went in our favour.”

– Crystal Palace have failed to score in their last two league games
– West Ham have won three of their last six PL matches, two by 1-0
– Recommended Bet: Back West Ham win and under 3.5 goals

Two mid-table clubs led by veteran managers face off in a London derby on Saturday when Crystal Palace entertain West Ham.

Roy Hodgson lifted the Eagles to the relative safety of 12th place with three wins on the bounce after being drafted back in as interim boss, but his side are now two games without a win or a goal.

David Moyes has ridden out some tough times this season and can now look forward to leading his team into a European semi-final for the second consecutive season.

The Premier League points on offer here could still be crucial and Moyes will want all three as he looks to extend his 100% record as a visiting manager at Selhurst Park.

Team news

Vicente Guaita looks set to earn a swift recall between the posts after Sam Johnstone’s late error to give away a penalty at Molineux put his starting role in jeopardy.

Hodgson will make another change in attack if Wilfried Zaha shows no sign of a reaction to his recent groin issue.

He could replace Eberechi Eze on the left with the in-form attacking midfielder dropping back into a more central role.

Cheick Doucoure and Jeffrey Schlupp also look likely to be drafted back into the engine room after Will Hughes, Luka Milovojevic and Albert Sambi Lokonga struggled against Wolves.

As for West Ham, Moyes has reported no new injury concerns after their midweek home defeat to Liverpool.

Gianluca Scamacca is the Hammers’ only confirmed absentee following surgery on a knee issue.

The stats

Palace have drawn 17 times in the Premier League since January 1, 2022 — more than any other club.

The Eagles have also failed to score in ten of their last 20 games in the Premier League.

However, they have had no problems against West Ham with both teams scoring in each of the last 11 meetings between the clubs.

The Hammers became the final team to score a goal in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League game this season when they got their first at Bournemouth.

At the Vitality Stadium, Moyes’ side scored three goals in the first-half of an away league game for the first time since a 4-0 victory at Norwich City on May 8, 2022.

Moyes has won every single time he has taken a team to Selhurst Park, once with Preston, Everton, Man Utd and Sunderland and twice with West Ham.

Prediction

Palace’s improved run of results under Hodgson is now over and they appeared more like their old selves at the end of Patrick Vieira’s reign against Everton and Wolves.

It is beginning to look like Hodgson has not waved a magic wand to change the Eagles’ fortunes and that they were just experiencing a ‘new (old) manager bounce’.

Blunt in attack and still prone to errors in defence, they should be there for the taking on Saturday when a West Ham side that has picked up back-to-back away wins arrives in South London.

The Hammers have won 3-2 on each of their last two visits to Selhurst Park and can prevail once more, albeit with a strong likelihood there are fewer than four goals in the game.

Back West Ham Win and Under 3.5 goals at 11/5 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.

Play LiveScore 6 for free this weekend (18+, UK only). Click here for details on how to get involved.