Gareth Southgate is relishing renewing acquaintances with Croatia after England were drawn to face the side that beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup at Euro 2020.
Mario Mandzukic s extra-time winner sent Zlatko Dalic s men through to the final in Russia at the expense of the Three Lions.
England gained a measure of revenge for that loss by edging out Croatia to reach last season s Nations League Finals.
They have since progressed to Euro 2020 courtesy of a free-scoring qualifying campaign with a youthful squad, although Southgate believes any suggestions Croatia s experienced generation led by Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic is on the slide are premature.
I thought that maybe 12 months ago but they recovered really well in their group, he tol…
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has vowed to return Manchester United to “the very top of English, European and world football” after agreeing a £1.25billion deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club.
The Old Trafford outfit announced on Christmas Eve that the chairman of INEOS, who will assume delegated responsibility for football operations, had entered into an agreement, which is “subject to customary regulatory approvals”, which will also see him invest US dollars 300million – more than £236million – to refurbish the debt-laden club’s infrastructure.
However, it is boyhood fan Ratcliffe’s promise to put United “back where we belong” which will excite fans who have been in open revolt against owners the Glazer family, who launched a strategic review of the b…
Manchester United are interested in signing Jose Maria Gimenez from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Barcelona and Real Madrid are also keen on the 28-year-old Uruguay international centre-back.
Jose Maria Gimenez has been on the books of Atletico since 2013. The 28-year-old centre-back has been superb for the Spanish club over the years and is at the top of his game now at the age of 28. The Atletico no. 2 has made two starts and two substitute appearances in La Liga so far this season and has also played 45 minutes in the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United are 10th in the Premier League table at the moment with nine points from seven matches, seven points behind Liverpool in fourth place. Meanwhile, Atlet…
Nashville SC interim head coach Rumbani Munthali aims to get a more recognizable look about the team as he prepares for his second game in charge against CF Montreal.
Gary Smith, who led Nashville for seven years, made a shock exit following their 2-0 win over Toronto FC on May 16, with Munthali stepping up from player development coach to take his place.
Nashville’s first game under him ended in a 1-1 draw with Atalanta United on Saturday, leaving them 11th in the Eastern Conference.
With little time to put his stamp on the team, Munthali believes being able to welcome back injured players will help to get them back on track.
I think as you see players come back into the team [from injury], you see that we re starting to be a little more recognizable …
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Having failed to win any of their last three Premier League matches, defending champions Manchester City travel to Birmingham on Tuesday to face Aston Villa, who have arguably been the surprise of the season in the English top flight under Unai Emery, even though their last game, away to relegation-battlers Bournemouth, ended also in a draw.
This will be a match between teams currently sitting fourth and third, respectively, in the English top flight, with no more than a point between them.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa s impressive four-game winning streak across all competitions came to an end last weekend as they managed no more than a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, twice recovering from being …
Charlotte FC must embrace the challenge of facing the best team in MLS when they take on Inter Miami on Saturday.
That is the view of full-back Nathan Byrne, who this week penned a new contract with Dean Smith s team.
Charlotte head south this weekend to play Miami, who are in the hunt for the regular-season points record in MLS.
A win for Charlotte could see them clinch a playoff spot,
If we want to win things this season, then you have to play against the best teams and the best players, he said.
It s just another challenge and we are going to go into it with full confidence.
Reflecting on his new deal, Byrne said: Charlotte is a place I have really enjoyed my football over the last two years, and there is no place I d rather continu…
Brighton s unbeaten start to the Premier League season continued, but they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Ipswich Town and inspired goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.
The Seagulls could not make their dominance count as their newly promoted opponents showed spirit and resilience to earn their first away point back in the Premier League on Saturday.
Muric kept Ipswich in the contest with a series of excellent saves to deny Brighton in a one-sided first half.
Ipswich carried more of a counter-attacking threat after half-time, and Liam Delap nearly shocked the Amex Stadium when his strike hit the post following a powerful run.
Brighton kept pushing for a breakthrough goal at the other end, but Ipswich held on and are just outside of the relegation zone,…
Winger Juan Cuadrado has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract extension at Juventus, the Serie A champions have confirmed.
The 31-year-old Colombia international joined Juve initially in August 2015, in the first of two consecutive season-long loans from Chelsea.
A permanent €20million switch was finally secured ahead of the 2017-18 season.
Cuadrado has won the Scudetto in each of his four seasons in Serie A, along with three Coppas Italia and a Supercoppa Italiana.
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The former Fiorentina man has 15 goals and 28 assists in Juve colours, although he has generally been more concerned with defensive duties this season.
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Despite the Netherlands claims to the contrary, Denmark should offer few surprises or little resistance to the Dutch at Euro 2012.
The Netherlands have been keen to boost Denmark s profile before the Group B clash between the two sides on Saturday.
Dutch defender John Heitinga has claimed that Denmark could surprise in the opening game of Group B, while the Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk believes his Danish counterpart Morten Olsen knows everything about his team, stating we have no secrets .
But no matter what the Dutch say, Denmark s should be a relatively simple hurdle for the 2010 World Cup runners-up.
Van Marwijk has a wealth of world-class players to choose from including Robin van Persie of Arsenal, Bayern Munich s Arjen Robben and Inter Mil…
Footballers may not have the hardhitting nicknames of the boxing fraternity such as Tommy The Hitman Hearns or Smoking Joe Frazier but there are many who will perform at Euro 2008 who have interesting ones to say the least.
The world of the arts and showbusiness are well represented in diverse forms as Italian striker Alessandro del Piero earned the monniker of Renaissance artist of Pinturicchio (Bernardino di Betto) from Juventus late owner Giovanni Agnelli, himself known as The lawyer , a man not unknown for handing down great artists names to his best players as Roberto Baggio also known as the Pony-tailed Buddha was branded Raphael .
Hollywood gets a look in as well as Greece s Euro 2004 goalkeeping hero Antonis Nikopolidis has earned the nickname Clooney after he…