Erik ten Hag confident Man Utd will be stronger when players return from injury

Erik ten Hag is expecting an upturn in Manchester United’s fortunes in the new year as Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Mason Mount close in on a mid-January return.

This has been a bumpy second season in the Old Trafford dugout for the Dutchman, whose side have been eliminated from Europe and seen their Carabao Cup defence ended early.

United’s Premier League title chances are all but over before Christmas and Ten Hag’s side need to build on last weekend’s dogged 0-0 draw at high-flying rivals Liverpool when they head to West Ham.

The absentee-hit Red Devils are dealing with several doubts ahead of the Saturday lunchtime clash, but Ten Hag expects their injury problems to ease over the coming weeks.

Erik has issued a timescale on when we can expe…

Maradona open to Argentina return amid Gimnasia La Plata reports

I want to clarify that I did not receive or reject any proposal from Argentine teams, as they are saying, Maradona wrote.

I had no official contact with any club. I am in good health and of course it would be an honour for me to lead in my country.

I always liked the challenges. I send a hug to everyone.

Maradona joined Dorados in September 2018 and led the club to the final of both the Apertura and Clausura, but lost on both occasions to Atletico San Luis, therefore missing out on promotion to Liga MX.

Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Maradona s playing career saw him represent Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell s Old Boys.

Maradona – who led Argentina at the 2010 World Cup – al…

Kompany set for new Manchester City deal

Vincent Kompany is set to sign a new one-year deal at Manchester City, according to the Mail Online.

The Belgium international is currently in his eleventh campaign with the Citizens, having signed from Hamburg in the summer of 2008.

Since then, he has racked up three hundred and forty-seven appearances in all competitions, scoring nineteen goals while he has been part of the squads that won the league title in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

He also has three winner’s medals in the EFL Cup, and he lifted the FA Cup in 2011 while he was named the club’s Player of the Season in 2012.

Internationally, he has been capped eighty-seven times for his country, with five of those outings coming at last summer’s World Cup finals last summer, where Belgium finished…

Maresca: Chelsea on right track despite Palace draw

Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea are on the right track despite being pegged back to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

Nicolas Jackson scored during a dominant first half for the Blues, but they had to share the points after Eberechi Eze s stunning long-range strike.

Dean Henderson s work in goal also frustrated Chelsea, who got seven of their 13 shots on target, creating 2.27 expected goals, but they struggled to recreate the clinical showing they put on at Wolves last weekend.

Despite still searching for their first Premier League home win of his tenure, Maresca was proud of his team s performance.

We completely deserved to win the game, Marseca told Sky Sports. We had many, many chances.

The most important thing was t…

Jones dedicates Liverpool goal to grieving Alisson

Curtis Jones dedicated his goal at Sheffield United to Liverpool team-mate Alisson, whose father died in tragic circumstances in Brazil.

Alisson was not included in Liverpool s squad as the reigning Premier League champions stopped their slide with a 2-0 win over the struggling Blades on Sunday.

It was reported that Jose Agostinho Becker drowned on Wednesday while swimming close to his holiday home. The 57-year-old was declared missing and, following a search, his body was found.

Jones scored the opener at Bramall Lane, with Kean Bryan s own goal then securing a much-needed victory for the Reds.

It s been a difficult time for myself and the rest of the team, but I m happy that I got on the scoresheet and I d like to take this time to say that this goal i…

Milan´s problems not fixed by one victory – Pioli

Milan may have secured a late victory over Parma on Sunday, but head coach Stefano Pioli admitted their problems have not been totally resolved yet.

Left-back Theo Hernandez struck two minutes from time in Sunday s clash at Stadio Ennio Tardini to end the Rossoneri s three-match winless run in Serie A.

Milan, 11th in the table, have won only two of their seven matches since Pioli replaced Marco Giampaolo last month, and the ex-Fiorentina boss acknowledged there is still work to do.

The team was aware of the importance of this match, he told Sky Sport Italia. We have had some good performances without having collected anything.

We knew what we had to do today and we deservedly won against a strong and organised Parma side.

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Prediction: Newcastle vs Manchester City

Best Odds: 4/6

Bookmaker:

Desperate to make up some ground in the title chase this weekend, Manchester City will travel to St. James’ Park when they meet Newcastle.

Newcastle

Starting with the hosts, managing to extend on their FA Cup adventure last weekend as they secured a routine 3-0 romp away at local rivals Sunderland, Newcastle will be hoping to use that performance as a platform to build on. However, while the Magpies might have made real history last season as they secured a top-four finish, it has been suggested that there is some mounting pressure on Eddie Howe’s shoulders. Crashing out of the Champions League last month, the former Bournemouth boss has seen his squad come tumbling down the table. Opening 2024 with an action-packed 4-2 loss at the…

Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Houston Dynamo

Prediction: Vancouver win

Best Odds: 

Bookmaker: 

The Euros and Copa America have officially come to an end and in its place, major European leagues across the continent are set to get underway shortly. However, there are a couple noteworthy top tiers that are already deep into their campaign already including Major League Soccer. All clubs are pushing for a place in the playoffs and today, we ll be previewing what should be an intriguing battle of styles between struggling Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Ever since becoming the first team from the Great White North to qualify for the playoffs back in 2012, things have gone a bit stagnant for the Whitecaps. They aren t the prominent, rising force they once were and instead…

Robben keeping options open amid Inter links

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben said he is keeping his options open as he prepares to leave the Bundesliga champions.

Robben will end his 10-year association with Bayern when he departs at season s end, having arrived from Real Madrid in 2009.

The 34-year-old – who is recovering from a thigh injury – said he has received offers amid links with Serie A outfit Inter.

I m very proud, happy [to have received offers], Robben told reporters. It was quite busy the last few weeks, especially for my dad who is my agent but it s nice to hear you know that clubs are interested.

For me, the future is still open, I m still waiting, I want to wait as well. I need to focus on getting fit and getting back into football again and I don t know when but of course I …

Bitesize Prediction: Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix – 02/02/24

Market: Wellington Phoenix draw no bet

Odds: 21/20 @

Hoping to extend their buffer at the top of the A-League table, Wellington will travel to Lang Park when they meet Brisbane on Friday morning.

Starting with the hosts, while Brisbane might have claimed a much-needed 3-2 victory against Newcastle on January 14th, it appears that was nothing more than a minor boost for the Roar. In the midst of another A-League nightmare this season, Ben Cahn has a real job on his hands at Lang Park. Last seen putting in another downbeat display as they slumped to a routine 2-0 loss at the hands of Central Coast, the Queensland-based outfit have now lost seven of their previous eight domestic appearances. With that extended crisis stemming all the way back to December 10th, Bris…