Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial will be fit for Sunday’s game against Liverpool.

Lingard suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat by PSG

Lingard, 26, injured his hamstring in the Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain 10 days ago and was expected to be out for up to three weeks.

France forward Martial, 23, could also return from the groin injury he picked up in the first half against PSG.

“Jesse is looking OK. I hope with Anthony,” said Solskjaer.

“Anthony’s was a different muscle, so we think he might be ready and hope that Jesse will.

“We’ve got two more days so they’ve got to get through these two sessions. They’ve not been part of training yet but they’ve been doing some recovery work.”

Source – BBC News

Mohamed Salah has credited Jurgen Klopp for formulating a tactical plan at Liverpool that gets the best out of the Egyptian international and his forward partners Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Mohamed Salah, middle, has found his best form under the management of Jurgen Klopp, left. Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

With 17 goals, Salah is the Premier League’s joint-top scorer, while Mane has netted on 12 occasions and Firmino has nine. The potent trio combined to score 91 goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool reached the final of the Champions League and secured a top-four finish.

“I think he [Klopp] build the team, he made the team now fighting for the Premier League. Last season we fight for the Champions League, so I give him more credit,” Salah said in an interview with ESPNBrasil.

“He made the game maybe easier for us. He knows how to rotate the positions a lot. I play No. 9 sometimes, I play on the wing, I play on the left side. We have a good connection together. We are a front three and we know how to play with each other.”

The forwards enjoy a close relationship on and off the pitch, which was evidenced when Salah allowed Firmino to take a penalty that completed his hat trick in a win vs. Arsenal in December.

“He sits next to me in the game, dressing room,” Salah said of Firmino. “He doesn’t talk English much to the players. But we talk together maybe everyday. In the game I think we played together for one year. He gave me, I think, the most assists of the team and I gave him the same. We play close to each other, we know how to play.

“I think when football players play with each other they know how to play. It doesn’t matter about the language, it doesn’t matter how to talk to each other. But we know each other, we expect the movement from each other.”

The play of Salah, Mane and Firmino has been a significant factor in Liverpool’s push for the title; ahead of Sunday’s visit to Manchester United, they trail reigning champions Manchester City only on goal difference and possess a game in hand.

Excitement is widespread across Merseyside as Liverpool seek their first league crown in nearly three decades, but Salah insists the pressure is not getting to him and his teammates.

“There is pressure because you want to win the Premier League,” he said. “But now it’s more because you’re just close to the end, so there is more pressure. But at the end of the day, the next game, the three points, is very important, like the first game of the season.

“But the people don’t take it like that. They take it like: ‘OK, there’s a pressure now’. But in the beginning of the season you need to win the game to get the three points to be here now. So now you are top of the table or second and you have one game in hand, so you just need to be calm and play football.”

The former Chelsea and Roma player acknowledged how much a title would mean to Liverpool fans and added: “It’s a dream, to be honest. It’s one of my dreams when I came [to Liverpool]: To win the Premier League. I said that last season.

“Maybe the people were saying it was crazy, but it was in my mind always to come here and win the Premier League. I said it last season, I said it at the beginning of the season and now we are close. I hope we are going to win it. We do our best to win it.”

Source – ESPN

The English Football association has also been hit with a fine and given six months to improve practices surrounding the acquisition of minors.

Photo by: Getty Images

FIFA has banned Chelsea from signing new players in the next two transfer windows after breaching rules relating to the registration of players under 18.

The ban relates to cases involving 29 young players, with the Blues having been accused of committing “several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players”.

An official statement released by FIFA reads: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the English club Chelsea FC and The Football Association for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.

“Chelsea was found to have breached art. 19 of the Regulations in the case of twenty-nine (29) minor players and to have committed several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players. The club also breached art. 18bis of the Regulations in connection with two agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer-related matters.

“The Disciplinary Committee sanctioned Chelsea with a ban on registering new players at both national and international level for the next two (2) complete and consecutive registration periods. This ban applies to the club as a whole – with the exception of the women’s and futsal teams – and does not prevent the release of players.

“Additionally, the club was fined CHF 600,000 and given a period of 90 days to regularise the situation of the minor players concerned.”

In addition to Chelsea, the English FA has also been sanctioned, although both parties will be able to contest the decision with FIFA’s Appeal Committee.

“The Football Association was also found to have breached the rules in connection with minors,” the statement continues. “It was fined CHF 510,000 and given a period of six months to address the situation concerning the international transfer and first registration of minors in football.

“The protection of minors is a key element in FIFA’s overall regulatory framework relating to the transfer of players and effective enforcement of these rules is paramount, as also confirmed on various occasions by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“The decisions issued by the Disciplinary Committee were notified today and can be contested before the FIFA Appeal Committee.”

The signing of Christian Pulisic – who will link up with his new team at the end of the season – will go some way to easing the Blues’ concerns, but with Eden Hazard’s future up in the air the news will be far from welcome at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have since announced their decision to appeal the ban but, if they are unsuccessful, they will likely have to turn to their large pool of loanees and youth products – players Maurizio Sarri has so far been unable to put to good use.

As revealed by Goal, Sarri’s future in charge of the Blues is in doubt following a poor recent run of results, with the Italian having been given three games to save his job.

Source – Goal.com

The Santiago Bernabeu saw two talismanic figures depart in the summer of 2018, with those in control of the club accused of contributing to the losses.

Photo by: Getty

Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid because he was unhappy with the club’s links to Neymar and Florentino Perez’s reluctance to offer him fresh terms, claims former president Ramon Calderon.

The Portuguese superstar took the decision to depart the Spanish capital in the summer of 2018, with a stunning switch made to Serie A champions Juventus.

It has been suggested that a deal was several months in the making, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner having taken the decision to make a fresh start long before a deal was done.

Calderon says transfer speculation regarding a Brazil international on the books at Paris Saint-Germain contributed to that call, along with the stubborn approach of the man currently overseeing events at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The ex-Blancos supremo told Radio Villa Trinidad: “Cristiano asked for a raise after winning the Champions League and Florentino denied it. Cristiano also got angry because he heard that Madrid would be willing to pay a lot of money for Neymar.

“Florentino told him that if he brought in a cheque for 100 million euros he would let him go and that’s how it was.”

Calderon added: “Florentino did not accept that Cristiano was a signing of mine.

“I don’t deny that he has been a great president for Madrid, but he does not accept well the inheritances that he receives. The same thing happened to him with [Iker] Casillas, Raul, [Arjen] Robben and [Wesley] Sneijder.”

Calderon says transfer speculation regarding a Brazil international on the books at Paris Saint-Germain contributed to that call, along with the stubborn approach of the man currently overseeing events at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The ex-Blancos supremo told Radio Villa Trinidad: “Cristiano asked for a raise after winning the Champions League and Florentino denied it. Cristiano also got angry because he heard that Madrid would be willing to pay a lot of money for Neymar.

“Florentino told him that if he brought in a cheque for 100 million euros he would let him go and that’s how it was.”

Calderon added: “Florentino did not accept that Cristiano was a signing of mine.

“I don’t deny that he has been a great president for Madrid, but he does not accept well the inheritances that he receives. The same thing happened to him with [Iker] Casillas, Raul, [Arjen] Robben and [Wesley] Sneijder.”

Perez has also been told that he must shoulder some of the blame for Zinedine Zidane walking out on Madrid at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

The Frenchman, who was a club legend from his playing days, stepped aside after landing a third successive Champions League crown.

Julen Lopetegui lasted only a matter of months as his successor, while Santiago Solari has faced questions of his reign despite helping to establish some stability.

Calderon claims Zidane could have been kept on had his demands been met by the Blancos board.

He said of the managerial situation: “Now, as coach, he’s [Solari] doing what he can. He’s not the one to blame for this bad situation we’re in. He’s struggling with what he’s been given.

“He took the team, after another coach was fired, after Zidane left because he clearly knew what was going to happen.

“It is clear that Zidane asked Florentino Perez for something that was not granted.

“One of the demands was that Cristiano never leave.”

Source – Goal.com

Sami Khedira did not travel to Spain with Juventus ahead of their Champions League match with Atletico Madrid after tests discovered an irregular heartbeat.

At his pre-match news conference, Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed Paulo Dybala will start Wednesday’s match against Atletico but did not disclose any details on Khedira, saying the club would later issue a statement on his condition and only revealed that the midfielder had stayed in Italy to undergo tests.

Following the news conference, the club released a statement on their website confirming that an “atrial arrhythmia” had been detected.

Sami Khedira in action versus Sassuolo

“Sami Khedira has stayed in Turin for medical tests, from which emerged the opportunity to perform an electrophysiological study and eventual treatment of an atrial arrhythmia which appeared today [Tuesday].”

Khedira had trained as normal on Monday and Tuesday, with the former Real Madrid player posting a picture from Tuesday’s session on his Twitter feed.

The 31-year-old has made 15 appearances for Juventus this season and played in their last two fixtures against Sassuolo and Frosinone.

Source – Sky Sports

Brazil striker Neymar says he cried for two days after breaking a metatarsal bone in his right foot in late January.

Neymar watches PSG’s game against Bordeaux at the Parc des Princes at the start of February

The Paris St-Germain star is out until April, having sustained the problem in a French Cup game against Strasbourg.

It is the same injury he suffered in February last year which put his World Cup in doubt, but this new blow “is more complicated”, Neymar said.

“This time I had a tough time getting over it,” the 27-year-old told Brazilian TV channel Globo.

“I spent two days at home crying.

“The first time I hurt myself I said, ‘I’ll have an operation, it has to be fixed as quickly as possible’. I wasn’t sad.”

Last year, Neymar was out for three months after surgery, returning just in time to play in the World Cup where he scored twice in Brazil’s run to the quarter-finals.

This time, PSG’s medical staff has decided on conservative treatment of the fracture rather than another operation.

PSG said that Neymar will be out for around 10 weeks, meaning he will miss their Champions League last-16 tie against Manchester United, which the French side lead 2-0 after last week’s first leg at Old Trafford. The second leg is in Paris on 6 March.

Source – BBC News

The goalless draw at Anfield surprised plenty – but the Reds will fancy their chances of finishing the job in Germany.

Photo by: Getty Images

So that’s Niko Kovac’s new nickname sorted.

‘The Jinx’, we can call him.

“We probably won’t see 0-0,” the Bayern Munich coach had suggested on the eve of this Champions League last 16 clash.

It was a reasonable assumption in fairness, given the attacking quality on display from both sides.

Funny old game though, football. And after 90 absorbing but ultimately scoreless minutes, we will head to the Allianz Arena in three weeks’ time with this tie still very much in the balance.

Advantage Liverpool? If it is, the margin could not be slimmer. This is not a team used to celebrating goalless draws at home, but given the defensive issues which had dogged them heading into this game, they can look upon it as a useful result. Certainly, Jurgen Klopp will fancy his side to score in Munich.

“It was not the result or the game we dreamed of,” Klopp admitted, though he would go on to point out that 0-0 was “the best draw you can have.”

Virgil van Dijk’s absence through suspension here was always likely to challenge the Reds. The Dutchman is a totemic presence at the back, and his calmness, communication and aerial presence would have been hard to replace even if Dejan Lovren had been passed fit, which he wasn’t.

As it was, Liverpool began with midfielder Fabinho partnering Joel Matip at centre-back. An untried, makeshift partnership against Robert Lewandowski, one of the world’s premier centre-forwards – the Champions League’s top scorer this season, no less.

A worry, yes, but give credit where it is due. Liverpool handled Lewandowski, and just about everything else Bayern could muster, excellently. The Bundesligachampions have still to score at Anfield.

What a superb signing Fabinho is proving to be for the Merseysiders. Having started slowly, and taken time to find his feet following his summer transfer, the former Monaco man is emerging as a key figure for Klopp’s side – wherever he plays.

“He’s like a lighthouse,” assistant manager Pep Lijnders told Goal recently, and here he looked as in control as he does when playing further forwards. He looked, in fact, like the senior centre-back compared to Matip at times.

There were notable interventions – one challenge on Lewandowski in the second-half, in particular, was perfectly-timed in the penalty area – and rarely did Fabinho look fazed by the pressure of playing out of position in such a high-stakes encounter. Bayern, in truth, rarely looked like scoring aside from a nervy opening 15 minutes or so, when Liverpool’s desire to play out from the back got them into trouble. Alisson Becker, in particular, raised the pulse of the Kop with his hesitancy.

Liverpool looked the likeliest scorers as the game wore on, but were unable to cause Manuel Neuer too many problems themselves. One late save, low to his right from a Sadio Mane header, ensured the game ended in stalemate. At the other end, Alisson was protected superbly by Fabinho and Co, with JordanHenderson outstanding in midfield for the home side.

And so we head to Germany with everything still to play for. Bayern, naturally, will consider themselves favourites given they have home advantage, and Kovac’s team is used to being in the latter stages of the Champions League. Since 2011, they have only failed to reach the semi-final stage once.

“I can’t remember that many clubs that have not lost and not conceded at Anfield,” said Kovac afterwards. “Liverpool, they are a sensationally-good team.”

He’s right, of course. Bayern were impressive at times with their composure and experience, particularly when Liverpool threatened to build up a head of steam. They certainly were not cowed by the Anfield atmosphere. They defended well and could welcome back Leon Goretzka and Arjen Robben for the second leg, though Joshua Kimmich will miss out through suspension. They’re still a formidable team.

They will, however, surely view this as a missed opportunity. Liverpool’s chin was exposed tonight, and Bayern failed to land a blow. If the Reds, with Van Dijk back, can show the same resilience in the Allianz, it will be they who progress to the last eight.

Source – Goal.com

The veteran No.9 is enduring a horrible run of form in the competition and the Blaugrana need him to start scoring fast if they are to go all the way.

Photo by: Getty Images

No matter which way you put it, it doesn’t look good for Luis Suarez.

Having proven himself as one of Europe’s best strikers, nobody would accuse the hitman of lacking bite, but Suarez’s teeth have been blunted.

The striker has not scored in his last five games, which is bad enough when leading the line for Barcelona, but his malaise looks far worse in a European context.

Suarez is scoreless in the Champions League this season and has just one goal in his last 17 games in the competition.

Indeed, he hasn’t found the net away from home in the Champions League since September 2015. That’s well over a thousand minutes, sliding over 24 hours as Barcelona drew 0-0 at Lyon on Tuesday in the last 16 first leg.

With 15 goals in La Liga this season you cannot write Suarez off completely, although his declining performance levels have been masked by playing alongside one of his best friends – and the finest player in the world – Lionel Messi.

The Argentine forward has set up Suarez on numerous occasions and even if the Uruguayan is at his profligate worst, he will eventually find the net.

With some of the chances Messi designs and delivers for him, it would be harder not to.

That said, on Saturday in a narrow 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, Suarez came on as a substitute for the last half-hour and spurned four clear chances created for him by Messi.

Perhaps those glaring misses were weighing on the Argentine’s mind as he ran through in the first half, seeing Suarez open but ignoring his pal, eventually seeing his shot blocked.

Too often attacks came to die at Suarez’s feet, with the striker looking out of his depth at the Groupama Stadium.

Having scored in the final against Juventus as Barcelona won the competition in 2015, we know that’s not the case, but his form is slumping.

In the second half he spurned Barcelona’s best two opportunities, sending one effort wide of goal when well placed, and heading wide from close range when Messi’s volley unexpectedly flew his way.

And such wastefulness was nearly punished, with Lyon no mugs and looking to hit Barcelona on the break whenever they could.

Martin Terrier struck the crossbar early on, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen tipping his vicious effort against the woodwork.

Ferland Mendy probed on the left flank, Tanguy Ndombele greatly impressed in the middle and former Manchester City defender Jason Denayer continued to marshal Suarez.

The Barcelona striker has lost a half a yard – or perhaps a whole one – during his time in Catalonia, and physically was bested by the Belgian.

Of course, Suarez still has his wiles and Leo Dubois discovered that when he was booked for making minor contact with the forward – who got a few rolls in on the turf – to the disdain of Lyon’s fans.

Curiously the closest Barcelona got was through defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets, who had an effort narrowly off-target in the first half and another tipped over by Anthony Lopes near the end.

Perhaps the goal-shy midfielder was fed up of watching those in front of him invent new ways not to put the ball in the back of the Lyon net.

While a goalless draw away from home isn’t the worst result in the world and Barcelona will be confident they can progress at Camp Nou, a draw could suit Lyon. Another nil-nil takes it to extra-time, any other tie and the French side progress.

Even if they progress as expected, if Barcelona are to move beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in three years then they need Suarez to find his shooting boots away from home – or the same story will repeat itself again.

Source – Goal.com

Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United have been fined £200,000 by the English Football League for watching opponents train before matches.

Marcelo Bielsa took over Leeds in the summer and has seen them contest top spot in the Championship this season

A member of Leeds’ staff was found acting suspiciously outside Derby’s training ground before the fixture between the two sides on 10 January.

Boss Marcelo Bielsa said he had sent a member of staff to watch every team they have played this season train.

The EFL found Leeds breached rules over treating teams with “good faith”.

Leeds have also received a formal reprimand from the EFL, which is bringing in a rule to prohibit clubs from viewing their opposition training in the 72 hours preceding a game unless invited to do so.

The EFL said in a statement that Leeds’ conduct “fell significantly short of the standards expected” and it “must not be repeated”.

EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey added: “The sanctions imposed highlight how actions such as this cannot be condoned and act as a clear deterrent should any club seek to undertake poor conduct in the future.

“We will now look to move on from this incident and commence the discussions about introducing a specific regulation at a meeting with all clubs later this month.”

The Football Association has also issued a formal warning to Leeds, Bielsa and a club video analyst.

“The FA will take appropriate action should further evidence of this nature come to light in the future,” a spokesman said.

In an extraordinary news conference in the week after Leeds’ match against Derby, Bielsa said he “observed all the rivals we played against and watched the training sessions of all opponents”.

That led to widespread criticism, though there is no specific rule stopping teams from observing opponents training.

During Bielsa’s briefing, he showed journalists how much preparation and analysis he and his staff carry out on each opponent before every game.

Leeds said in a statement: “We accept that whilst we have not broken any specific rule, we have fallen short of the standard expected by the EFL.

“We apologise for acting in a way that has been judged culturally unacceptable in the English game and would like to thank Shaun Harvey and the EFL for the manner in which they conducted their investigations.

“Our focus can now return to matters on the field.”

Frank Lampard (right) was far from happy Bielsa had his team watched in training before their match

Leeds beat Derby 2-0 in their match last month, and Rams boss Frank Lampard called the Whites’ conduct in the build-up to the game “unethical”.

“I’ve never heard of going to a training ground on your hands and knees with pliers trying to break into private land to watch,” he added after the match.

Swansea City boss Graham Potter said he had “no problem with it” but Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert said the incident was “not right”.

Analysis

BBC Radio Leeds’ Leeds United commentator Adam Pope

It is important to stress that no specific rule has been broken, but rather than of ‘acting in good faith towards other clubs’.

This is something Bielsa has done throughout his time in South America and in Europe, and never has he been reproached for it, in fact it has been accepted.

This is not, for me, a man who has set out to cheat or bend the rules, but rather try and work within the rules to use every avenue available for him to leave no stone unturned to try to win a football match.

He has dedicated so much time and effort into studying the Championship and English football that he may have embarrassed chairmen of other clubs that their employees are not doing as much as they could in their quest to improve their fortunes.

However, it is a relief to fans who feared a points deduction as this was such a grey area in terms of sanction.

Source – BBC News