Rafael eyes long United stay; Van Dijk happy at Celtic

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Looking to build off of their midweek victory, Manchester United will welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United

Starting with the hosts, while Manchester United might have dealt with some very public issues over the past couple of months, they will undeniably be boosted by a much-welcomed victory in midweek. Welcoming former arch-rivals Arsenal to Old Trafford on Thursday night, the Reds picked up a 3-2 victory on home soil in what some were billing as a must-win showdown. Now with their sights set on trying to find a route back into the top-four, United will also welcome a new boss to their dugout this weekend. Finally handed a work visa hours before their win against Arsenal, Ralf Rangnick will be …

With the Championship campaign drawing to a close this weekend, we have another stacked Saturday schedule on our hands. So, for those of you looking to stick on a weekend acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips from across Europe that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday 8th May

BST 12:30 Bristol City vs Brentford 

Starting with Saturday s guests, while Brentford might have been disappointed to have once again missed out on a top-two finish this season, they have picked up some perfect momentum heading into the play-offs. Long since securing their position in the top-six, The Bees have also clinched third-place with time to spare. Still tipped by many as the leading contender to come through Wembley and book a maiden Premier League campaign for ne…

Wayne Rooney is looking forward to an exciting project after he was named head coach of Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth narrowly avoided relegation from last season s Championship, finishing just a point and a place above 22nd-placed Birmingham City.

Incidentally, Rooney managed Birmingham during the campaign, though he lasted less than three months before being sacked.

Having replaced the fired John Eustace with the club sitting sixth in the Championship, Rooney was dismissed in January after winning just two of his 15 matches at the helm, with Birmingham ultimately going on to be relegated to League One.

Absolutely delighted to become the new Head Coach!

— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney)

Though his time at Birmingham was challenging to say th…

AS Roma are interested in signing Mauro Icardi from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Roma head coach Jose Mourinho is a fan of the Argentina international striker and wants to play him alongside Tammy Abraham in attack.

Abraham joined AS Roma from Premier League and European giants Chelsea in the summer of 2021. The 24-year-old England international striker has scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 25 Serie A games so far this season. Abraham has scored six goals in six UEFA Conference League and has scored one goal in two Coppa Italia matches.

Icardi has made 10 starts and 10 substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG so far this season, scoring four goals in the process. The 29-year-old Argentina intern…

Getafe host Atletico Madrid on Sunday in a pivotal La Liga derby that could have big implications for both the title and relegation fights.

Cosmin Contra s Getafe go into the game mired in the relegation zone following a disappointing 1-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Elche last weekend.

And the gloom at Coliseum Alfonso Perez may soon be heightened by an Atletico side who head La Liga following a superb season so far that has seen them lose just three league games.

However, Diego Simeone s men have not beaten Getafe away from home since 2008 a sequence they will need to remedy to make sure they retain pole position in an enthralling three-way title race with holders Barcelona and rivals Real Madrid.

Both Barca and Real also face sides fighting for their top-f…

Liverpool must continue to prove an annoyance in the Premier League title race as they look to pip Manchester City to the post, Jurgen Klopp has said.

The Reds face in-form Arsenal on Wednesday, knowing a win would take them to within a point of Pep Guardiola s side.

City had plenty of opportunities against Crystal Palace on Monday, yet were held to a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, giving Liverpool the chance to close the gap.

Liverpool have won their last eight league matches, scoring 21 goals and conceding just two in return across that run.

That is better than City in both regards, with the reigning champions netting 15 times and allowing five goals in at the other end.

Klopp s team have also created more opportunities, with their 21 goals coming…

Real Madrid are interested in signing Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, according to . The report has claimed that former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Madrid are looking for young talents, and that Sesko is on their radar.

Sesko is one of the best young forwards in Europe and joined RB Leipzig only in the summer of 2023. The Slovenia international has made three substitute appearances in the Bundesliga so far this season, scoring two goals in the process. The 20-year-old has also scored one goal in one substitute appearance in the UEFA Champions League so far this campaign.

Madrid are at the top of the La Liga table at the moment with 15 points from five matches. Meanwhile, RB Leipzig currently find themselves third in the Bundesliga table with nine points fr…

Erling Haaland should leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season, according to former player Ruben Sosa.

Haaland reportedly has a clause in his deal at Signal Iduna Park that will allow him to move for a fee of around €75million at the end of the current campaign.

Sosa  who won the Bundesliga with Dortmund in 1996 believes the Norwegian marksman should be given the chance  with one of Europe s heavyweights, naming Spanish giants Real Madrid as one of several possible destinations.

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, Sosa urged Haaland not to worry about outside criticism if he does leave.

I think that he should be given the chance of going to another team, the Uruguayan said.

Right now, he has given everything, you know. When…

Real Madrid begin the defence of their Champions League crown on Wednesday, having seen off local rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties at San Siro in May.

The concluding set of matchday one fixtures in Europe s elite club competition will feature plenty of battle-hardened teams, but Leicester City make their debut as Legia Warsaw fly an often-absent flag for Poland.

Wembley also returns to the Champions League stage to host Tottenham s campaign, while a global superstar will enjoy a memorable reunion.

Using Opta data, we take a look at the best stats ahead of the concluding eight games in the opening round of group-stage fixtures.

Tottenham train on the eve of their comeback in Group E

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)

BAYER LEVERK…

Lyon enter the home leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie against Viktoria Plzen full of confidence after a six-match unbeaten run.

Remi Garde s men made a poor start to the season, with a failure to qualify from the UEFA Champions League s play-off stage compounded by shocking Ligue 1 form.

After winning their opening two league fixtures, Lyon then won just one of their next nine to heap the pressure on Garde.

But they have rebounded strongly, with Alexandre Lacazette crucial in his side s form revival as the young striker has contributed 18 goals in all competitions this term.

Lyon climbed to fifth in Ligue 1 on Sunday after a remarkable 2-1 win at Bordeaux that saw them saw score twice in second-half stoppage time.

An experiment to play three at …