Ronald Koeman believes Netherlands defensive stars Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt can shackle Cristiano Ronaldo when they take on Portugal in Sunday s Nations League final.
Hosts Portugal booked a return to Estadio do Dragao, where they beat Switzerland 3-1 on Wednesday, thanks to a stunning Ronaldo hat-trick – the 53rd treble of his professional career.
Van Dijk brought an element of calm to the Dutch s error-strewn semi-final against England, which also ended 3-1 after extra time.
De Ligt erred to give away the penalty from which England took the lead but he responded by powering home a second-half equaliser.
The Ajax youngster enjoyed success against Ronaldo s Juventus in the Champions League this year and, with plenty of focus on the heavyweig…
Christophe Galtier says Kylian Mbappe is not above the club after he made the difficult decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe had looked set to join Real Madrid when his contract expired at the end of last season, but instead signed a new three-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions.
It was reported last month that the France international wants to leave PSG in January despite only committing his future to the club in May.
Galtier says Mbappe, who is currently preparing to play for the defending champions at the World Cup in Qatar, embodies the project at the Parc des Princes but is not more important than any of his team-mates.
The PSG head coach said during an appearance on Rothen ignites on RMC: He embodies the project, there can be no doubt.
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has urged integral defender Robert Huth to commit his long-term future to the Britannia Stadium club.
The German international has just over a year left on his existing deal after negotiations broke down earlier this year, and Pulis is determined not to lose a key asset.
Talks over a new deal are said to be imminent, with the club s board preparing to re-open discussions within the next couple of weeks.
We are desperate to keep Robert at the club and hopefully we can reach an agreement with him soon, Pulis told the Daily Mirror.
He’s been an integral part of what we’ve done here and it’s always important to look after the players.
The former Chelsea man has featured 44 times, in all competitions, this seaso…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has described Manchester City s form this season as absolute madness and will have no complaints if they pip his side to the Premier League title.
City moved back above the Reds into top spot on Sunday after Sergio Aguero s goal clinched a 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Two games remain for City as they look to retain their title, against Leicester City and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively, with Pep Guardiola knowing two wins will be enough to see off Liverpool s challenge.
While Klopp believes the title race will go to the final day of the season, he concedes that City s consistency this season means they would be worthy winners.
I would just like to win our own games and then we will see what happens, he told DAZ…
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has been left out of Spain s squad for their triple-header of September fixtures.
Thiago made four substitute appearances for Spain in their run to the semi-finals of the European Championship finals, but the 30-year-old – who has just nine minutes of Premier League action under his belt this term – has been overlooked for selection.
Pedri is another notable absentee from Luis Enrique s 24-man squad, though that was expected as the Barcelona midfielder has been given a rest following his participation at Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics.
Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal and Pau Torres, three other members of Spain s Olympic contingent, will also be given a breather over the first international break of the season.
Fabia…
Raphinha and head coach Xavi both saw red as Barcelona got their LaLiga title defence under way with a goalless draw at Getafe in a tempestuous affair that saw both sides finish with 10 players.
Raphinha came close to breaking the deadlock when his shot was saved by David Soria before rebounding off Stefan Mitrovic and on to a post, but the Barcelona winger was given his marching orders soon after.
Having been booked for dissent moments earlier, the Brazilian was given a straight red after appearing to use his forearm in an off-the-ball clash with Gaston Alvarez, prompting uproar from Getafe’s bench.
The incident on the stroke of half-time left Barcelona a man down with more than half the game to go but the sides were evened up just before the hour when Jaime M…
Stoke City have announced plans to expand the Britannia Stadium to the 30,000 mark.
The club are looking to obtain planning permission to fill in the area between the Seddon Stand and the Marston s Pedigree Stand as they watch their supporter base continue to grow since their establishment as Premier League regulars after promotion in 2008.
Chief executive Tony Scholes said the decision to expand the stadium came after several years of careful consideration .
The atmosphere generated by our sellout crowds since promotion to the Premier League has undoubtedly played a huge part in the club s continued success and we have to be mindful of the fact that any expansion could have an effect on that, he told the club s official website.
We have always said th…
AC Milan are weighing up January move for Parma forward Jonathan Biabiany, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Rossoneri are desperate to reinforce the squad in the winter following a disappointing start to the season, and they are already identifying targets.
La Gazzetta dello Sport understands that Milan are preparing an official bid for Parma star Jonathan Biabiany.
Despite the player’s Inter links, Milan vice-president is a keen admirer of the winger and will attempt to lure him to San Siro in the January transfer window.
Biabiany is currently owned by Parma and Sampdoria, meaning the Rossoneri will have to negotiate with both clubs.
After coming through the youth ranks at Inter, the Frenchman had spells with Modena and Parma before f…
Jose Mourinho insists he will not make mistakes in his second season at Manchester United now that he knows the club better from the inside.
United could still end Mourinho s first campaign at Old Trafford with two major trophies if they can defeat Ajax in the Europa League final next Wednesday, having already won the EFL Cup.
But they have struggled in the Premier League and will finish sixth regardless of their result in Sunday s home match against Crystal Palace – meaning the Europa League represents their last chance to reach next season s Champions League.
Mourinho stressed that the first season at any new club is always difficult, but is more optimistic about 2017-18 after what he has learned this term.
I try to analyse the realities before I arr…
Sevilla have announced Julen Lopetegui has signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract as the Europa League champions head coach.
Lopetegui was appointed by Sevilla at the start of the 2019-20 campaign and led them to a fourth-place finish in LaLiga as well as the club s sixth Europa League/UEFA Cup crown.
The Basque coach had previously seen his reputation take a hit.
He was sacked by Spain just before their 2018 World Cup campaign was due to begin as a result of accepting an offer to take charge of Real Madrid after the tournament, and he only lasted until October with Los Blancos before being dismissed again.
Juntos a por más, míster
— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC)
His first season at Sevilla saw the Andalusians finish in th…