Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the scoresheet with two goals as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 3-1 to reach the final of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored either side of half-time as Al-Nassr teed up a final clash with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the other semi-final on Tuesday.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star took advantage of an error from opposing goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic to open the scoring 17 minutes in, then tapped home at the second attempt to make it a double shortly before the hour mark.
That goal could have made it a hat-trick for the Portugal star, but he passed up the chance to take a first-half penalty after Ivo Rodrigues handled in the area, Sadio Mane instead stepping up to blast hi…
Bayern Munich travel to Stuttgart this weekend and are ready to rotate their side with the Champions League semi-final second leg at Real Madrid to come four days later, manager Thomas Tuchel said.
The league title has been secured by Bayer Leverkusen, and with the Bundesliga s top five clubs guaranteed Champions League football next season, Saturday s clash between Bayern in second and third-placed Stuttgart is not crucial.
We will give a few players the chance to pick up some rhythm, Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Of course, we will also take a few players out and allow ourselves to adapt the rhythm to Wednesday.
But that doesn t relieve us of our responsibility, that those who play have to fight and show grit there.
…
Former Portugal midfielder Deco believes Jose Mourinho s coaching successes have been much harder than those of Pep Guardiola.
The two bosses clashed on numerous occasions before Guardiola stepped down as Barcelona manager last summer, after losing out on the La Liga title to Real Madrid.
Deco himself enjoyed four years at Camp Nou between 2004 and 2008, but despite his links with the Catalans, he has offered his backing to his compatriot.
Winning in all places as Mourinho has done is harder, he told RTP.
Guardiola is a great coach, but Barcelona went on to say that he did not invent anything. But let s see how he does with other teams and different training methods, then we can make a better assessment.
The Fluminense man also had his say on …
Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from their 2-2 draw with Liverpool as they host Stoke City on Saturday.
The Gunners found themselves 2-0 down against the Merseysiders before goals to Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott secured them a point against Brendan Rodgers side.
A trip to Stoke represents a tough match however, with Tony Pulis men having lost six times in the league the same as Arsenal and is sitting in a respectable 10th position.
However, Stoke haven t won any of their past five league games and have conceded 15 goals through that period with the last league clash a 2-2 draw at home against Wigan.
After a four-match winning streak culminating in the 7-3 thrashing of Newcastle, Arsenal have only won one of their past five matches and have slip…
Suspended UEFA president Michel Platini says he has been kicked in the teeth after being banned from football-related activity for eight years by FIFA.
The Frenchman is to appeal the decision handed down by the world governing body s Independent Ethics Committee on Monday to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The UEFA chief and FIFA president Sepp Blatter were both initially given 90-day suspensions by FIFA in October.
The sanctions relate to an alleged disloyal payment of two million Swiss francs made by FIFA to Platini in 2011.
Both men deny any wrongdoing but the Independent Ethics Committee ruled there was not sufficient evidence to support the legality of the payment, stating the pair s assertions of an oral agreement were not convincing .
A…
Former Manchester United forward Bebe admits he found it hard to believe that the club wanted to sign him back in 2010.
The 25-year-old moved to Old Trafford for a £7.4million fee despite Alex Ferguson admitting he had never watched him in action before.
The former Portugal youth international failed to settle in England and joined Benfica on a permanent deal in 2014 after loan spells with Besiktas, Rio Ave and Pacos de Ferreira.
Bebe himself was shocked to hear of United s interest five years ago but is adamant Ferguson had faith in his ability.
It was a shock for me, too, he told the Daily Mail of his transfer. For the week leading up to it, I thought the whole thing was a joke. I thought they were leading me on.
Then I realised it was se…
Verdict: Away win
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Australia are going through the final details ahead of their participation in the 2017 Confederations Cup that starts this weekend. Meanwhile, Brazil lost against Argentina last week, but their performance was better than expected considering they used an alternative squad. Both sides willl meet this Tuesday in Melbourne, in a friendly game where the hosts are the clear underdogs.
Australia
Australia will be the underdog for both this game and the upcoming Confederations Cup. Even though the team have progressed a lot over the past few years since moving to the AFC, they remain a second-tier team when it comes to the international stage. But having said, there is no doubt the Socceroos are in good form righ…
Barcelona defenders Dani Alves and Clement Lenglet have tested positive for COVID-19, the LaLiga giants have confirmed.
The Spanish top flight is in the midst of its winter break, yet training is continuing as normal.
Neither player will attend Barca s training ground on Tuesday, though, and will undertake a period of self-isolation at home, Barca confirmed in a statement.
Alves re-joined Barca on a free transfer last month following his departure from Sao Paulo in September over a contractual dispute.
The 38-year-old, who played 391 times for Barca in his first trophy-laden spell at Camp Nou, cannot be officially registered for the Catalan giants until the January transfer window opens.
Lenglet, meanwhile, has made 13 appearances across all com…
Market: West Ham win
Odds: 11/10 @
Looking to build off of their eye-catching display earlier in the week, a high-flying West Ham will face off against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday evening.
Starting with the hosts, while Fulham might have managed to put in some resilient displays against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United over the past six weeks, the Cottagers are still sat in pole position to be hit with an immediate Championship return. Last seen getting hit with a deserved 2-0 defeat against Leicester on home soil earlier in the week, Scott Parker s side have failed to land a single Premier League victory since that win over the Foxes back on November 30th. Also crashing out of the FA Cup thanks to a 3-0 drumming at the hands of Burnley at …
Rasmus Hojlund is fit to make his debut this weekend and Erik ten Hag says Sergio Reguilon could feature at Arsenal after his deadline-day loan switch from Tottenham.
Denmark international Hojlund joined United at the start of August for a fee rising up to £74million from Atalanta, but the 20-year-old has yet to feature due to a back complaint.
However, Ten Hag says the striker is fit to face Arsenal on Sunday, when goalkeeper Altay Bayindir – signed from Fenerbahce on Friday morning – and fellow deadline day arrival Reguilon will also be available for selection.
Will Rasmus Hojlund be available for Sunday? ||
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
“Yes (Hojlund will be available),” the United manager said. “He had a good training week so …