Luis Enrique keeps media guessing over selection plans for Spain-England

Luis Enrique says the media will not be able to guess his Spain team to face England in the Nations League.

Spain have maximum points after two matches in League A Group 4, with the Three Lions visiting Seville on Monday.

Paco Alcacer scored twice on his first international appearance since 2016 as Spain warmed up for England by winning a friendly 4-1 away to Wales on Thursday.

Sergio Busquets, Marcos Alonso, Thiago Alcantara and Marco Asensio were among the unused players in Cardiff, prompting speculation they may be involved against Gareth Southgate s men.

Luis Enrique, though, was unwilling to offer any clues as to the team he may select at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.

Yes, those who haven t played can give some clues, Luis Enrique told a …

Besiktas want Mignolet

Besiktas have contacted Liverpool over the possibility of signing Simon Mignolet, according to and their sources.

Mignolet arrived to Anfield in 2014 in a move by Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool manager at the time) to secure a long-term solution between the posts. However, Rodgers himself was replaced with Jürgen Klopp just over a year later and since the arrival of Loris Karius from Mainz in 2016, Mignolet constantly had to fight for his place. He eventually lost it in January this year, and following Karius s mistakes in the Champions League final, the Reds moved to sign a new No.1 in Alisson Becker.

At this point it seems Karius is set to stay as the Brazilian s understudy which practically means the end of the road for Mignolet, just as it was for Danny Ward who joine…

Melbourne Victory´s first sanctions confirmed after fans´ derby pitch invasion

Melbourne Victory have been hit with a range of attendance-related sanctions following their fans pitch invasion during Saturday s Melbourne derby, though more penalties are to come.

Football Australia s (FA) sanctioning of the club began on Friday with the announcement of restrictions over attendances at all Victory games until January 15 inclusive.

The club will be unable to sell tickets, with only members able to attend the matches.

Additionally, the active supporter bays at both ends of AAMI Park are to be shut, and Victory fans will be unable to attend away games unless they appear on a pre-approved FA list of individuals who can qualify for complimentary tickets, though there will only be 1,000 of those available.

Even more significant punishments a…

Chiesa salutes Mancini and vows Italy are ´here to go all the way´

Federico Chiesa has told Italy supporters they should dare to dream of Euro 2020 glory – because Roberto Mancini has got the Azzurri thinking the same way.

On Sunday, Italy will attempt to make it 30 games without defeat when they tackle Wales in Rome.

Doing so would mean Italy equal their all-time longest unbeaten run, previously achieved between November 1935 and July 1939.

Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but have been revitalised under head coach Mancini, and 3-0 wins over Turkey and Switzerland mean their place in the last-16 of this European Championship is already assured.

The fans are right to dream and we are right with them, Chiesa said in a news conference.  We are here to try to go all the way and to fulfil this great dre…

Bitesize Prediction: Norwich vs Reading – 30/12/22

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 5/6 @

Looking to sign off 2022 with an upset on the road, Reading will make the trip to Carrow Road on Friday night when they meet Norwich.

Starting with the hosts, putting in another worrying display on Boxing Day as they slumped to a 2-1 loss away at Luton, that result was enough to cost Dean Smith his job at Carrow Road. While the Canaries might have been tipped as a leading pick to claim a Premier League return this season, they now find themselves in the midst of a real struggle. Along with heading into the World Cup s winter break with a 2-1 loss at home against Middlesbrough, Norwich have now lost three of their last four Championship contests. Sat 12 points adrift in the top-two chase, Friday s hosts have also continued …

Rice and Nkunku in Europa League team of the season, Eintracht pair scoop player awards

Declan Rice and Christopher Nkunku have joined victorious Eintracht Frankfurt stars in headlining the Europa League s team of the season.

The selections for the competition s end-of-season awards were announced by UEFA on Friday, two days after Eintracht s final shootout triumph against Rangers.

Wing-backs Filip Kostic and Ansgar Knauff earned individual recognition, the former the player of the season and the latter the young player of the season.

But there was no room for Knauff in the best XI, with Rangers captain James Tavernier, the competition s leading scorer, preferred.

Tavernier had two Rangers colleagues in the team in Calvin Bassey and Ryan Kent, yet Kostic was one of four Eintracht players.

Penalty heroes Kevin Trapp and Rafael Borre m…

Besiktas close to signing Demba Ba; Van Aanholt eyes Chelsea exit

Besiktas president Fikret Orman has confirmed the club are on the verge of signing Demba Ba from Chelsea F.C.

According to the Besiktas supremo, Chelsea initially wanted £10 million for the Senegal international but the Turkish Süper Lig side have successfully negotiated a more reasonable fee for the player.

Demba Ba is an excellent player, we have been in talks with Chelsea for a long time over bringing him to Istanbul, Orman said.

Talks are ongoing. Chelsea initially wanted £10 million for Ba but we have negotiated a price we are happy with.

We ll tell the media once the final deal is done.

Ba s imminent exit will help the Blues recover a fraction of the £62 million spent to lure Cesc Fàbregas and Diego Costa to Stamf…

Copa Sudamericana Preview: Penarol start quest to end continental drought

Penarol begin their quest to win a first continental trophy in 27 years when they face Jorge Wilstermann in the Copa Sudamericana.

The Uruguayan giants are one of the most successful teams in South American football having won the Copa Libertadores five times, although they have not won a continental competition since their last Libertadores success in 1987.

Jorge Fossati s men should be favourites to progress from their two-legged first round tie with Bolivian outfit Wilstermann and will look to put the result beyond doubt with a strong showing in the first leg at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on Wednesday.

However, despite the odds being stacked against them, Wilstermann boss Julio Cesar Baldivieso is hopeful his side can pull off a shock.

Baldivieso…

Benedito lodges vote of no confidence against Bartomeu and Barcelona board

Former Barcelona presidential candidate Agusti Benedito has lodged a vote of no confidence against Josep Maria Bartomeu and the club s board of directors.

The 52-year-old, who
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ran for Camp Nou s top job in 2010 and 2015, confirmed his intentions at a news conference on Thursday as he accused president Bartomeu and predecessor Sandro Rosell of mismanagement.

The serious institutional crisis at our club requires that the club s members assess whether the current board still has our confidence, he said.

If you are a club member and believe that to restore the club we love the board should resign, join up with the will of many other fans by signing the vote of no confidence.

It is reported that Benedito requires 15 per cent of the club s members…

Walcott pens new Arsenal deal

that Theo Walcott has agreed a new four year contract with Arsenal.

The England international was about to head into the final year of his previous contract with the Gunners, but is now committed to the club until the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

He now becomes one of the clubs highest earners, with the 26 year old set to earn in the region of £100,000 per week.

Walcott joined Arsene Wenger’s side from Southampton in January 2006, and has since racked up over three hundred appearances for the club, scoring seventy-six goals.

He was part of the squads that won back to back FA Cup’s in 2014 and 2015, while he has also been capped forty times by England, scoring five goals – three of which came in a famous 4-1 World Cup qualifying victory over …