Germany and Spain meet Wednesday in Durban for a World Cup final place against a Netherlands side that believes it can succeed where great Dutch footballers and coaches have twice failed.
The four-goal hammerings of England and Argentina in their last two outings have underlined the potency of rejuvenated Germany and their pace, power and clinical finishing has made a strong impression on Spain.
I think Germany are greatly improved since 2008, said coach Vicente Del Bosque referring to the team beaten 1-0 by Spain in the European championship decider.
Their squad has undergone a renewal with important young players coming through but they have maintained the traditional values of German football. They have players of high quality with good technical skills.
South Sudan earned their first ever competitive victory with a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.
The minnows joined the ranks of international football in 2012 and had not found the net since a 3-1 defeat to Kenya in November 2013, but Atak Lual s 52nd-minute strike was enough to seal a 1-0 win in Juba.
The momentous result lifts Lee Sung-Je s side to second place in Group C ahead of Benin’s clash with Mali on Sunday.
There was similar joy for Liberia, who shocked Group A rivals Tunisia with a 1-0 victory despite being without first-choice goalkeeper Nathaniel Sherman, who reportedly suffered a serious eye injury after inadvertently barging into a glass door at the team s hotel.
But a Francis Forkey Doe…
Schalke are readying a shock winter move for Queens Park Rangers winger Junior Hoillet, .
The twenty-five year old has fallen out of favour under Chris Ramsay, with his only appearances this season so far coming in the League Cup.
The Hoops would be willing to let the former Blackburn Rovers man move on as they look to continue trimming their wage bill following their relegation from the Premier League.
Since moving to Loftus Road in the summer of 2012, Hoillet has racked up ninety-three games in all competitions, scoring six times.
During three seasons with Blackburn, he played just one fewer game and scored fourteen goals while he has also had loan spells with German sides SC Paderborn 07 and FC St. Pauli.
He could now be set for a return …
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Looking to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table, Pep Guardiola s Manchester City side will welcome Brighton the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester City
Starting with the hosts, appearing to bounce back from their 2-1 shock home defeat to Lyon in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola s men have once again found their form in the final third. Picking up a 3-0 win over lower league Oxford to book their spot in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, the Sky Blues also impressed in their 5-0 win over Cardiff last weekend. Yet to be beaten in the Premier League since April, the hosts are also the bookies favorites to retain their title. Now scoring 10 in their last three outings, one man…
PSV are keen to hold on to Marco van Ginkel beyond the 2016-17 campaign and are hopeful of either extending the Chelsea midfielder s loan deal or making his stay at the club permanent.
Van Ginkel joined PSV on a temporary basis until the end of the season during the January transfer window, having already spent the second half of 2015-16 in Eindhoven.
The 24-year-old has impressed with a string of fine performances and PSV are ready to open talks with Chelsea over another deal.
We are keen to keep Marco at the club, sporting director Marcel Brands told De Telegraaf.
Both a loan deal or a permanent move could be an option.
We tried to bring him in on an 18-month loan deal in January, but Chelsea told us they wanted to re-evaluate his situation…
Memphis Depay insists he would never regret moving to Barcelona despite Los Cules difficult start to the season.
The Dutch forward moved to Camp Nou from Lyon on a free transfer but never got the chance to link up with Lionel Messi, who left the club amid financial difficulties and joined Paris Saint-Germain.
In the Argentine s absence, Barcelona have underwhelmed, losing both their Champions League group-stage games so far 3-0 to sit bottom of the group and managing just three wins from their first seven LaLiga outings.
Depay, however, is adamant that the privilege of playing for the Catalan giants is more than enough to justify his decision to join, regardless of recent form.
How could you ask [if I regret the timing of my move to Barcelona]? It s Barc…
Freddie Ljungberg has left his role as assistant coach at Arsenal in order to pursue management opportunities.
Ljungberg was appointed interim boss by the Premier League club after Unai Emery was sacked in November 2019.
The former Sweden international, who was part of Arsene Wenger s Invincibles squad at Arsenal in the 2003–04 season, was retained on the coaching staff following Mikel Arteta s appointment.
Ljungberg, who also led the London club s under-15 and under-23 squads, has now decided to move on and take the next step in his career.
The 43-year-old said: I have decided to leave my first-team assistant coaching role at Arsenal to progress my management experience.
I have been involved with this club on and off s…
Rangers will make it a perfect 10 out of 10 if they can defeat visitors Inverness Caledonian Thistle in their Scottish Premier League clash at Ibrox on Saturday.
Last week s 3-1 victory in the first Old Firm derby of the season maintained Walter Smith s side s 100 per cent winning start to their league campaign to set a new SPL record.
The Gers are unbeaten in 15 matches in all competitions this season as they have made their best start to a season since 1921.
However, with a midweek game against away to Valencia to follow their match against Inverness manager Smith is concerned that his small squad will struggle to cope with the demands of competing on both fronts.
The size of our squad may determine ultimately, depending on injury and suspension, how …
Russia s nine-time champions Spartak Moscow play French champions Marseille on Tuesday in a match that will effectively decide who takes the second qualifying spot behind Chelsea in Group F and progress to the knockout stages.
Spartak have not made much of an impression on the Champions League since the mid 1990 s and owe Marseille a dose of revenge as the French side eliminated them in the 1991 semi-finals before the victors went on to lose to Red Star Belgrade in the final.
Marseille put that defeat aside to finally end France s drought in Europe s top club competition when they beat AC Milan in the 1993 final the winners captained that night by their present coach Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps side, though, need to win and better the 1-0 defeat they suffered at…
Gary Neville is still waiting for his first Liga win as Valencia head coach following Saturday s 2-2 draw at home to Getafe.
Pablo Sarabia put the visitors ahead with a free-kick after 10 minutes, but Paco Alcacer blasted in an equaliser just five minutes later.
Victor Rodriguez pounced on an Aymen Abdennour error to set up Angel Lafita to fire home a second for Getafe, but substitute Santi Mina levelled again for the hosts inside the first half.
Danilo and Joao Cancelo both came close to a winner, but Valencia have now drawn three games in a row in La Liga for the first time since February 2012.
Sevilla continued their unbeaten league run away to city rivals Real Betis as a fiercely contested derby clash ended 0-0.
A total of 12 yellow cards wer…