Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid and Roma among clubs interested in £31.5m Arsenal star
Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Roma are all keeping tabs on the contract situation of Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, a report from ESPN claims. Lacazette is currently in his fourth season with the Gunners, and he has had a decent campaign with 13 goals from 34 appearances. His form since Boxing Day has been impressive and he recently played a part in all three goals in the 3-3 comeback draw at West Ham United from three goals down. Despite the positives, Lacazette’s future remains uncertain with his contract expiring in 15 months, and this has apparently caught the eye of multiple European clubs. Atletico are long-term admirers of the Frenchman from his Lyon days, and it is now reported that Sevilla and Roma have joined the pursuit of the 29-year-old. Sportslens view: Lacazette was in-...
Barcelona and Real Madrid hot on the heels of Suarez and co with 10 games to go
With Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid all winning in match week 28, the La Liga Santander title race is well and truly on as the top three enter the final 10 games of the season. With just six points separating Atlético from Real Madrid in third (La Liga table), Sportslens takes a look at each of the title hopefuls’ run-ins, assessing where opportunities and challenges lie ahead. Atlético Madrid Luis Suárez’s 500th career league goal puts him among an exclusive list of players to reach the milestone Atlético provided an immediate response to their disappointing Champions League exit by beating relegation-threatened Deportivo Alavés 1-0 last Sunday. Talisman Luis Suárez scored the only goal of the game, whilst also reaching a career milestone of 500 league goals. The veteran strik...
Luis Suarez’s best moments as he hits 500 goals
Luis Suarez has been one of football’s very best players over the past decade. As brilliant as he is controversial, the Uruguayan hit an astonishing milestone of 500 goals this weekend. Among active players, only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Robert Lewandowski have reached this figure. And what better way to celebrate the occasion than by looking back at the key points of his phenomenal career? Here are Luis Suarez’s best moments (so far). Making his name on the big stage Suarez celebrates against South Korea Suarez came into the tournament off the back of an an astonishing season at Ajax, scoring 49 goals in 48 appearances. So it came as no surprise that he shone at the 2010 World Cup. Playing in his first ever international tournament, he opened his account in...
WCQ: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele returns to France squad
Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been rewarded for his upturn in form with a recall to the France squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since the summer of 2019 but now has the chance to add to his six international caps in matches against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other notable returnees include Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, who hasn’t featured since November 2019, while Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, a member of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is back for the first time in two-and-a-half years. This represents Ndombele’s first international call up since his club-record €60 million (£54m/$68m) move from Lyon to Tottenham. The Frenchman arrived in north London with a reputation as an all-action midf...
Gareth Southgate names 26-man squad for World Cup qualifiers
The latest England squad has been released ahead of the upcoming international break. The Three Lions are set to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the closing days of March. They begin by welcoming San Marino to Wembley before a trip to Albania. Finally, they’ll face Poland at home. Several players miss out on the squad through injury. Leicester City duo James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have been sidelined in recent weeks, while wingers Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish are also unavailable. Regular number one Jordan Pickford misses out after being substituted early against Burnley, while Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez remain long-term absentees. Jesse Lingard has earned a recall to the England setup following an impressive loan spell at West Ham United. John ...
How Atlético Madrid’s tactical missteps cost them huge against Chelsea
With a 1-0 deficit to overturn, Atlético Madrid visited Stamford Bridge to face Thomas Tuchel’s still-undefeated Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash. Coming back from a goal down was not Atlético’s game – they had never won a Champions League tie after losing the first leg. By contrast, Tuchel’s Chelsea were unbeaten in 12 games, winning eight of those. The German tactician would become the first Chelsea manager to avoid defeat in his first 13 games in charge if he kept this run going, so this was quite an important match from the record-keepers’ point of view too. The Blues cruised to a 2-0 victory despite a couple of initial scares, as goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson helped them advance to the quarter-finals. In this analysis, though, we wi...
Ziyech and Emerson strike as Chelsea knock out Atletico Madrid
Chelsea have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge. It was a quiet beginning to the game, with neither side posing much threat on goal. The first talking point of the match came in the 26th minute. Cesar Azpilicueta miscalculated his back pass, almost allowing Yannick Carrasco through on goal. The Chelsea defender subsequently put his arm across the Belgian, who went down under the challenge. Controversially, no penalty or red card was awarded. Not long after, Thomas Tuchel’s men took the lead with a goal created and finished by three summer arrivals. Kai Haverts fed the ball into Timo Werner out on the left, who rolled across to Hakim Ziyech, who slotted underneath Jan Oblak with his weaker right foot...
Atletico Madrid midfielder wants Bayern Munich switch
Spanish midfielder Saul Niguez is seeking a way out of Atletico Madrid this summer, reports Spanish outlet Diario AS. Saul came through the academy at Atletico Madrid, earning his professional debut in March 2012. His breakthrough into the starting XI came in the 2014/15 season following an impressive loan spell at Rayo Vallecano. Under Diego Simeone, the midfielder has won two Europa Leagues, one Copa del Rey, and finished as a runner up in the 2015/16 Champions League, losing to rivals Real Madrid in the final on penalties. He has also earned 19 caps for the Spain national team, scoring three times. Saul has been an important player for Atletico Madrid over the years However, it appears as if his time at the Wanda Metropolitano is set to come to an end this summer, with Diario AS re...
Another injury blow for Liverpool, Barcelona sweating on key player
The Champions League has reached the knockout stage, and the round of 16 features some exciting UCL fixtures. We’ll update this story with reports, results and the latest Champions League highlights as the second-leg games are played. The action is already underway, with Juventus facing Porto while Borussia Dortmund host Sevilla. Juventus XI: Szczesny, Cuadrado, Bonucci, Demiral, Alex Sandro, Chiesa, Rabiot, Arthur, Ramsey, C Ronaldo, Morata. Porto XI: Marchesín, Manafa, Pepe, Mbemba, Zaidu, Sergio Oliveira, Uribe, Otavio, Corona, Marega, Taremi. Can Juve turn around their #UCL last 16 tie? — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 9, 2021 Dortmund take a 3-2 lead into their #UCL second-leg vs Sevilla… Dortmund XI: Hitz, Morey, Can, Hummels, Schulz, Delaney, Bellingham, Dahoud, Reus, Haza...
Boost for Barcelona as Paris Saint-Germain star misses out
The Champions League takes centre stage over the next two weeks as the eight second-leg ties in the round of 16 are played across Europe. The action gets underway on Tuesday with a pair of fixtures that are finely poised. Juventus head into their second meeting with Porto needing to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the first leg. Borussia Dortmund will fancy their chances of reaching the quarter-finals as they hold a 3-2 advantage over Sevilla. Liverpool continue their quest for Champions League glory as they go head-to-head with RB Leipzig on Wednesday. The Reds lead 2-0 after the first leg, and it would be a surprise if they failed to progress to the last eight. Paris Saint-Germain are also well placed to go through as they hold a 4-1 lead over Barcelona. However, PSG star Neymar will miss th...
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid ordered to further tighten belts by La Liga
FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will have to cut down the costs of their squads by more than 35 million euros ($42.14 million) following new salary limits imposed by La Liga on Tuesday to cope with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The figures, published twice annually following each transfer window, dictate how much teams can spend on players, coaches, support staff and their youth teams. They are calculated in line with revenues, which have been obliterated by coronavirus restrictions preventing fans from attending matches for 12 months while depressing the transfer market and reducing income from merchandising. Barcelona are the club most acutely affected by the new limits and will be forced to reduce their costs by an additional 35.7 million euros, to 347 million. League ...
Euro giants reportedly want to sign £70k-per-week Spurs star this summer
La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are reportedly eyeing a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer. According to reports from Mundo Deportivo (they have cited English media as their source) the Rojiblancos are interested in signing the Argentine midfielder. Diego Simeone apparently likes him very much, and Atletico did try to sign him from Real Betis in 2019 before he moved to Spurs. The 24-year-old has managed only four starts in the Premier League this season, scoring one goal. He has also scored twice in the Europa League campaign so far. Lo Celso, who earns around £70k-per-week wages, has slipped down the pecking order although it has to be noted that he has struggled with recurrent injuries. While he has returned to training and could be available...
