Europa League
Predicted Rangers XI v Royal Antwerp: Gerrard to make one change, 32-yr-old to start
Rangers take on Royal Antwerp in the Europa League tomorrow and they will be hoping to book their place in the next round of the competition. The Scottish outfit secured a 4-3 first-leg win over the Belgian side away from home and they are firm favourites to go through. Not only do they have the all-important lead in the tie, but they also have four away goals. Steven Gerrard’s side head into this game on the back of four wins in their last five matches in all competitions and are full of confidence. The Ibrox outfit have managed to step up in European games consistently this season and there is no reason why they cannot do the same once again. Meanwhile, Antwerp have failed to win their last four matches in all competitions and they will need a minor miracle to turn this tie around. Range...
Ajax pair will miss out, Lille almost at full strength
Thursday’s Europa League action gets underway at 5.55 pm as Ajax welcome Lille to the Johan Cruijff Arena for the return leg of their last-32 tie. Ajax hold a 2-1 advantage following the first-leg in France last week. All three goals were scored after half-time. Timothy Weah slotted the ball past Maarten Stekelenburg to put the home team in front in the 72nd minute. However, Ajax skipper Dusan Tadic converted a spot-kick in the 87th minute to initiate the comeback. The visitors did not have to wait long to complete the turnaround. Davy Klaassen unlocked Lille’s defence with a pinpoint through ball, with Brian Brobbey poking home from a few yards out. The French giants now have a mountain to climb in Amsterdam. Ajax Preview Ajax have joined the Europa League on the back of their premature C...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms Manchester United trio won’t face Real Sociedad
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that Edinson Cavani, Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay are unavailable to face Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday night. Cavani and Van de Beek have been sidelined for the past few games with calf injuries while Scott McTominay missed the recent league clash against Newcastle United with a knock sustained in the reverse meeting against Sociedad. The trio have returned to training but Solskjaer has ruled out their involvement against the La Liga outfit in the second leg of the Europa League last 32. He told M.E.N: “No. They are still out. Still not trained enough, more or less same squad vs Newcastle.” Meanwhile, Pogba is the other absentee for the Red Devils. The Frenchman is out on the sidelines with a thigh inju...
Tottenham players unhappy with Jose Mourinho methods
Tottenham Hotspur players are reportedly frustrated with Jose Mourinho’s training methods a scenario which has split the dressing room. Mourinho is under pressure following a return of 12 points from Tottenham’s last 12 Premier League games. Spurs were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup at the last-16 stage by Everton earlier this month, though they are still in the Europa League and through to April’s EFL Cup final. However, The Athletic claims that Mourinho is losing support from some key members of his squad due to the way that he works. The former Manchester United and Chelsea boss is said to have drastically altered the approach taken by predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, whom he replaced in November 2019, by easing the workload on his players – something that has not gone down well ami...
‘I don’t know’: Mourinho comments on his relationship with Levy amid reports of job threat
Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League clash against Wolfsberger AC, Jose Mourinho has described his relationship with club chairman, Daniel Levy. Spurs are going through a poor run of form at the moment. Their latest 2-1 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League was their fifth in six matches. The Telegraph covered an Exclusive where they claimed that Mr Levy could make a drastic decision to sack Mourinho if the results do not improve. The report claimed that the Spurs boss has been given the next 12 days to turn their fortunes around. Failing to do so could see the end of the Portuguese’s tenure at the club, with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann emerging “at the top of a list of targets” to replace Mourinho if the dismal run of form continues. However, Mourinho has sai...
RB Leipzig boss emerges as Tottenham’s ‘top target’ to replace Jose Mourinho
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
RB Leipzig boss emerges as Tottenham’s ‘top target’ to replace Jose Mourinho
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has emerged as the likely candidate to replace Jose Mourinho, should Tottenham’s current slump continue. Spurs began the season in excellent form and even topped the table as recently as early December, yet just a few months later, Mourinho’s men find themselves 23 points behind leaders Manchester City and with a real job to do to secure a top-four spot. Their defeat to London rivals West Ham United on Sunday means they are now nine points behind the Hammers in fourth, albeit with a game in hand on David Moyes’ side. Despite a late rally in that game, inspired by half-time substitute Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s defensive woes once again came to the fore, the centre-back pairing of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez looking particularly shaky in recent weeks. With...
Leon Balogun impresses at right back in Europa League for Rangers
Super Eagles center back Leon Balogun impressed in a right-back role as Rangers won in a seven -goal thriller in the Europa League round of 32 clash against Royal Antwerp at Bosuilstadion on Thursday night. With 24 minutes played, the Nigeria international came off the bench to replace Rangers skipper James Tavernier, who was not able to continue due to an injury. The right-back position is not entirely new to Balogun as he has played in that role for the national team, Mainz and Brighton & Hove. In fact, he made his debut for the Super Eagles as a right-back when he replaced Efe Ambrose in the second half of a pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico in March 2014. “I was back to an old role and I was happy I can still play it,” Balogun said at yesterday’s press conference. “I think the ...
Arsenal set unwanted record in Europa League tie vs Benfica
Arsenal set an unwanted record during Thursday night’s Europa League draw with Benfica which ended 1-1 after being caught offside 10 times. A Bukayo Saka equaliser saw Arsenal fight back from a goal down to snatch a draw – and an all-important away goal – in their Europa League last-32 first-leg clash in Rome. Incredibly, the North Londoners were caught offside a staggering 10 times, which is more than any other Premier League side in all competitions this season. Club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was responsible for four of those. The previous record had been held by Manchester United, who were flagged eight times during their goalless Premier League draw with Liverpool last month. Crystal Palace were caught offside seven times in their 7-0 home mauling at the hands of Liverpool in D...
Aston Villa star in awe of what Spurs star did in the Europa League last night
Tottenham Hotspur secured a 4-1 victory over Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger in the first-leg of the Europa League last-32 yesterday, with Heung-Min Son, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius all getting on the scoresheet. It was a straightforward victory for Spurs, and the duo of Dele Alli and Bale provided a timely reminder of their quality. The Real Madrid loanee assisted Son’s opener before scoring a fine goal following a lovely piece of skill, and he might have played his way into Tottenham’s starting XI for Sunday’s trip to West Ham United after his impressive performance. Alli returned to Spurs starting line-up for the first time in over 80 days against Wolfsberger, and while he had no hand in goal, the midfielder was splendid for the whole 78 minutes he spent on the pit...
Arsenal boss hails Manchester City as ‘best in Europe’
Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal team will be facing the best side in Europe when they take on Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. City have won a club-record 17 successive games across all competitions and are 10 points ahead of local rivals Manchester United at the summit of the English top-flight heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Arteta knows City well after working under manager Pep Guardiola in Manchester for three years before returning to manage Arsenal, having previously played for the Gunners. “I think they are the best team in Europe at the moment,” Arteta said of City. “The way they are performing, the football they are playing and the consistency of the results, take all that it and it makes them the best team. “So we have a b...
Key Arsenal player unlikely to be risked, Tottenham star omitted
The Europa League is back with a bang on Thursday as the round of 32 gets underway. Eight clubs have dropped into the competition from the Champions League, joining the 24 who safely navigated through the group phase. Manchester United and Ajax are the biggest names to enter the Europa League at this stage, and both will fancy their chances of making progress. However, with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Leicester City, AC Milan and Napoli amongst a strong line-up, winning the Europa League will not be easy. All four Premier League clubs are on the road for their first leg matches, with Arsenal facing the toughest test against Benfica. The Gunners have been boosted by Kieran Tierney’s return to training, but the defender is unlikely to be included in the starting XI. Spurs will be without Joe...
