Lionel Messi finally came to the fore in a game against Chelsea, leading Barcelona to the quarter-finals of the Champions after a 3-0 win over the Blues at Camp Nou yesterday. The La Liga leaders came into the game with the painful exit in the 2012 semi-finals still looming large. On top of that they had not been able to get the better of the Londoners in their last eight meetings – including their 1-1 draw in the first leg where Antonio Conte’s
Manchester United bowed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night after having suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla at Old Trafford. A Wissam Ben Yedder brace sealed the tie for the Spanish side before a goal from Romelu Lukaku brought a glimmer of hope for the Red Devils in the dying minutes. The task of scoring two in the last 10 odd minutes, however, proved to be a mountain too steep to climb for the hosts. The result and
Barcelona will be looking to qualify for the quarter-final of the Champions League at the expense of defending Premier League champions Chelsea on Wednesday night. The La Liga leaders will, however be without three key players according to the club’s official website. The Catalans will welcome the Blues to Camp Nou looking to win the tie after the first leg at Stamford Bridge ended up in a 1-1 draw. The away goal – scored by Lionel Messi – though could prove to be pivotal
Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata is one man that can cause real damage to Barcelona tonight in their Champions League tie according to Barca legend Carles Puyol. The Round of 16 tie is finely poised at the moment after the La Liga leader could only muster a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Stamford Bridge. The first leg saw Conte leave Chelsea’s record signing on the bench. However, Puyol, who made 583 appearances for the Catalan giants remains convinced that the former Real
Real Madrid are set to reward their superstar –Cristiano Ronaldo with a new deal after having reportedly won back their faith with his recent performances. The Portuguese skipper has had a brilliant start to 2018 and his recent showings have been enough to win the heart of the Blacos hierarchy, who are ready to meet his salary demands which will pull him level with Barcelona star and perennial rival Lionel Messi. Ronaldo has been imperious since the beginning of the New Year – scoring
Arsenal would have ended their drought of the Premier League had they signed Luis Suarez from Liverpool in 2013 according to former legend Ray Parlour. The Gunners had bid £40,000,001 in the summer of 2013 – looking to activate what they believed was Suarez’s release clause at the time with the Reds. Liverpool felt the offer to be derisory and dismissed the advances from their Premier League rivals. However, that was not before causing a real stir at Anfield. The Gunners had an
Manchester United have made a firm offer for Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski are said to be in the driver’s seat to clinch the striker’s signature according to reports from Germany. German media outlet Kicker, has reported that Red Devils are indeed in pole position to acquire the Poland international’s services and have made an “approach” to sign the 29-year-old. Manchester United are the only club to have made an approach for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski while Real Madrid dither according to Kicker
Barcelona have more than cope up with the departure of Neymar last summer. Whilst the news of the Brazilian moving to PSG was certainly a blow, the Catalans left no stone unturned and showed in the transfer that they are still on the of the big dogs. The incoming transfers of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele coupled with Lionel Messi’s new contract extension saw Barca spend roughly £350million this season to keep themselves ahead of the pack. This, however, will not deter the side
Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes has had a frustrating at Camp Nou time since his move from Valencia in the summer of 2016. The Catalans paid a fee of €35 million with plus €20 million in add-ons to secure the services of the Portuguese but he has looked a pale shadow of his former self. A star at Valencia, Gomes proves pivotal for his country as they went to win the 2016 European Championships. He, however, has failed to click in the colours of
Former England international and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was caught on camera spitting at the daughter of a Manchester United fan. The unpleasant incident came as aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United on Saturday. A Manchester United fan, who noticed Carragher in his car wanted to remind him of the score. The interaction seemed to have started on a pleasant note as Carragher exchanged waves with the girl’s dad. The victim, however, was not done with that and went
Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker has claimed that his body “is finished” and he would rather prefer to “sit in the stand” as he approaches retirement. The World Cup winner who signed for the Gunners in 2011 has made more than 150 appearances for the North London side finally can no longer take “the burden” of playing professional football any more. The German international has made only 12 appearances for Arsene Wenger’s side in the last couple of seasons. His last game was against
Arsenal star Mesut Ozil became the fastest player to 50 assists in the Premier League beating the record previously held by Eric Cantona. The German international created the record when he set up Shkrodan Mustafi to score as the Gunners defeated Watford 3-0 on Sunday at The Emirates. This Ozil’s third assist in two games after he had set up both goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Milan at the San Siro in their Europa League tie. It took Ozil 141 Premier League
Chelsea star Eden Hazard seems to be Real Madrid’s biggest target this summer and if reports in Spain are to be believed, Zinedine Zidane is ready to offer the services of Gareth Bale to the Blues in order to make this deal happen. There is bound to be a lot of movement in the summer at Real after the Blancos totally bombed in their domestic competitions. Out of all domestic cups and staring at 15-point gap in the La Liga table, the Champions
Lionel Messi penned a new contract with Barcelona a few months ago that will see the Argentine superstar stay at the Nou Camp till 2021. The contract also includes a release clause of €700 million (£625 million) in wake of PSG activating the mammoth €222 million clause for Neymar. However, Barcelona’s corporate director Pancho Schroder feels that Messi’s release clause might just not be high enough. Speaking to Sky Sports recently, Schroder stated, “We set up a clause which we think is
Antonio Conte continues to move closer to the exit doors at Stamford Bridge and any mishap against Barcelona in the upcoming Champions League second leg might well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Italian. Conte delivered the Premier League in his first season in charge of the Blues. The Londoners, however, failed to mount any serious defence of their title and currently are fighting for a place in the Champions League next season. Currently five points off the
Cristiano Ronaldo is inarguably one of the greatest footballers to ever step foot on this planet. The Real Madrid superstar is a phenomenon who was redefined success and set benchmarks on the football field time and again. And one of the biggest reasons behind the success of the former Manchester United star has been his blistering pace. At his prime, Ronaldo was one of the fastest players on the pitch – one who has the ability to brush past any defender owing to
Liverpool have a huge transfer war chest for the coming summer following the mega sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. And according to reports in Spain, the Reds are looking to spend that money with an eye to fortify their backline for next season with Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal looking to be a prime option. Jurgen Klopp already spent a world record £75 million on Virgil Van Dijk in the January transfer window – making the Dutchman the costliest defender ever in world
La Liga leaders Barcelona have confirmed that they will be without the services of their midfielder Denis Suarez for the next two to three weeks. The youngster picked up an injury during their win over Espanyol in the Supercopa de Catalunya on Wednesday. The midfielder is said to have suffered “an adductor muscle strain to his left leg” and was substituted before halftime in the game. Valverde later clarified that the injury shouldn’t keep the 24-year-old out for long following the game. However,
Barcelona take on Las Palmas on Thursday with a chance of stretching their lead at the top to seven points whilst creating a gap of 17 points between them and bitter rivals Real Madrid. Real have had a time in domestic competitions this season. Out of all cup competitions in Spain and currently 14 points behind in the La Liga title, it is safe to say that the Blancos’ only chance of silverware lies in the UEFA Champions League. That theory, however, doesn’t
Barcelona are set to go to war against Liverpool again as the two sides look to sign a player being touted as ‘the next Philippe Coutinho’. The Catalans recently signed Coutinho in the January transfer window after a long drawn out transfer saga coming to an end with the Reds bagging a cool £142 million for the transfer. And now the two giants of football have turned a keen eye towards Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar. The 19-year-old has turned eyeballs with his performances