Erling Haaland wishes he was able to play in the World Cup in Qatar, and has named Brazil and England among the teams he thinks could win it.
Haaland will not be present as Norway failed to qualify, finishing third in their group behind the Netherlands and Turkey, so the Manchester City striker will have some time off before domestic football in England resumes in late December.
The 22-year-old has scored 23 goals in 18 games in all competitions for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund earlier in the year, and says he will not overdo his training during the enforced break.
I wished I played in the World Cup of course, but that s the reality now [that] I don t do [that], but I will relax my body and my mind a lot and then I will train, Haaland told Sky Sport…
In the hours after the takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed, Steve Bruce admitted he would not be surprised to lose his job.
The former Manchester United defender has rarely been too popular in his two years at St James Park, and with Saudi Arabia s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and their astonishing financial might now in control of things, fans are expecting a more high-profile candidate to lead the first team.
While Bruce is expected to have talks with the new owners next week, there are suggestions he could leave his role before the home game with Tottenham on October 17.
Who might be chosen to lead the Magpies into their new era of promise? Stats Perform looks at some of the favourites.
Antonio Conte
Having left Inter at the …
Marco Asensio s 20-yard finish helped Real Madrid to a low-key 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Getafe in LaLiga on Saturday.
The Spain international fired home a superb strike with 20 minutes to play at Santiago Bernabeu to keep Los Blancos in the mix for a top-two finish.
With Barcelona poised to claim the league crown imminently, Carlo Ancelotti s priorities have long since shifted to mounting a successful defence of their Champions League crown.
But he will nevertheless be happy to ensure they maintain some unbeaten momentum after seeing off Jose Bordalas struggling visitors.
With a much-rotated side fielded in deference to Wednesday s impending European crunch clash with Manchester City, Madrid shaded a lacklustre first half between the two.
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Hoping to extend their buffer at the top of the Eredivisie table, PSV will welcome Heerenveen to the Philips Stadion on Thursday evening.
Starting with the hosts, while PSV might have been disappointed after eventually settling for a silver medal finish among Holland’s elite last season, Peter Bosz’s men have come flying out of the traps this time around. In the midst of what has been a history-making domestic romp, it is no secret that the Dutch giants are tipped as a standout contender to claim a first Eredivisie crown since 2018. With the mood around the Philips Stadion at a red-hot high, the Lightbulbs have continued to gain a string of plaudits from across Europe. Last seen laying down another marker as they secured a 2-1 victo…
Kylian Mbappe surpassed Edinson Cavani as Paris Saint-Germain s all-time leading goalscorer after netting against Nantes on Saturday.
Uruguayan striker Cavani scored 200 for the club, taking the record from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Mbappe is now out in front.
His record-breaking goal came in stoppage time of PSG s 4-2 Ligue 1 defeat of Nantes on Saturday, slamming home after a clever turn inside the area.
The 24-year-old joined from Monaco on an initial loan deal in 2017 before his stay was made permanent for €180million – he remains the second-most expensive player of all time.
He scored 21 goals in his debut campaign but then reached an altogether different level in the 2018-19 season, scoring 33 in Ligue 1 alone.
Mbappe has continued on a si…
Pep Guardiola has not been surprised by the exceptional style instilled by Vincent Kompany at Burnley, as the Clarets boss prepares to return to Manchester City for an FA Cup quarter-final.
Kompany captained City to four Premier League titles as a player, the latter two coming in back-to-back campaigns under Guardiola in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The former defender has enjoyed a spectacular first season as a coach in England, leading Burnley to a 13-point lead at the Championship summit and to the brink of an immediate Premier League return.
Burnley lead their second-tier rivals for goals (74), average possession share (64.29 per cent) and passes in the opposition half (8,127) this season, with Kompany moving away from the direct approach associated with their lates…
Antonio Conte says there is still plenty of room for improvement from Christian Eriksen but hailed the midfielder s renewed intensity after he sealed a point for Inter on Sunday.
Eriksen looked poised to leave Inter during the mid-season break after the club s CEO Giuseppe Marotta revealed he had been placed on the transfer list.
The former Tottenham man has forced his way back into Conte s plans, though, and secured a 1-1 draw for his side against Napoli after Samir Handanovic s first-half own goal.
His fine strike was his 24th from outside the area in the top five European leagues since he joined Spurs in 2013-14, with only Barcelona s Lionel Messi (59) scoring more in that period.
The result ended the Nerazzurri s 11-game winning streak in Ser…
Pep Guardiola will be cold with his Manchester City players as they jockey for selection ahead of the Champions League final.
City travel to Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday for the penultimate game of their triumphant Premier League campaign, before lifting the trophy in front of their fans against Everton on Sunday.
Sergio Aguero will hope to bid farewell to the Etihad Stadium faithful at the weekend in his last home game before departing in the close season, although the injury woes that have ruined the Argentina striker s final campaign in Manchester have returned and he will not travel to the Amex Stadium.
He has niggles. He s a little bit disturbed in his leg, his adductor, Guardiola said.
He felt something before the Newcastle game. He s still…
Fiorentina have received important offers for Dusan Vlahovic and would even be willing to let him move to rivals Juventus.
Vlahovic is one of the most in-demand players in Europe after a sensational 2021 saw him join Cristiano Ronaldo and Luca Toni as the only players in the past 60 years to score more than 30 Serie A goals in a calendar year.
The 21-year-old has found the back of the net 20 times in 24 appearances in all competitions this season alone, with Ciro Immobile (21) the only Serie A player to have registered more.
Vlahovic will be out of contract at the end of next season and has been heavily linked with Juve, Arsenal and Manchester City.
Fiorentina are open to selling him and have received offers, but the lack of responses from the play…
Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci believes the apparent co-ordinated terror attacks in Paris on Friday have created concerns around Euro 2016, which is due to be held in France next year.
France were hosting Germany in a friendly match when the Stade de France was targeted as part of the attacks that took place across the French capital, with the French Football Federation confirming that three people were killed by a bomb blast at the Gate J part of the venue.
Hundreds of fans remained in the stadium and stood on the pitch long after the final whistle, while French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency across the country as multiple incidents left at least 40 dead, according to numerous reports.
Italy lost 3-1 in Brussels in a match played to m…