Germany midfielder Lars Bender is eagerly anticipating Wednesday s international friendly against Lionel Messi s Argentina.
The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder previously took on the Barcelona star in last year s Champions League, when the Argentine netted a stunning five goals in one game.
Nevertheless, despite the memory of Messi s impressive performance last term, the gifted forward will not be the only player Bender will be keeping a close eye on.
Of course, I am really looking forward to this game, Bender told the DFB website.
But not just because we will be facing Messi. He has the ability to single-handedly decide games and has extraordinary qualities.
However, he is only one component of a very strong team. A match against Argentina is som…
West Brom defender Gareth McAuley will set new targets for himself after helping the club to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League.
McAuley signed a new two-year deal with the club on Friday after a season which saw him pick up the Supporters and Players Player of the Season awards.
Speaking to the club s official website, McAuley thanked manager Steve Clarke for helping him stay focussed during the contract discussions and said new goals would now be set over the summer.
I ll now sit down, have a good think over the summer and set myself more targets for the next two years, McAuley said.
I ve achieved pretty much what I set out to do when I came here just little personal things and I ll evaluate that again and be ready to go again.
That keeps me moving forward, kee…
Cruzeiro s Lucas Silva would welcome the opportunity to join Real Madrid, amid reported interest from the Spanish giants.
Real were linked with the 21-year-old midfielder in the Spanish press this week as an ideal replacement for Sami Khedira, who is a reported target for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Silva broke into the first team and made his Cruzeiro debut in 2012, with the Brazil Under-20 international a prominent member of the Serie A-winning side of 2013.
While the central midfielder made no secret of his desire to play for Real, he said he remains focused on his current club.
Of course I d like to play for Real Madrid, it would be an honour, he told Marca.
But, for that to happen, an agreement between the clubs would need to be put in place firs…
Verdict: Under 2,5 goals yes
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St. Mary s Stadium will host Southampton s season opener in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign. The Saints enter this game as slight favourites but they can t take anyone for granted. Burnley have been playing a lot of matches before this one, and have been on good form at the moment thanks to their European campaign. Without a doubt, this one will be a nail-bitting contest between two hard-working sides that project themselves near the middle of the standings once it s all said and done. Kick-off is scheduled at 13:30 hrs (BST) and Graham Scott will be the referee.
Southampton
The Saints have had a mixed bag of results during the pre-season since they won three of their six matches (W3, D1, L2). H…
“The defeat is still only a first-leg defeat. We’re not out of the Champions League. Everyone wants to turn around the mood.
“From my experience, that only happens through work on the training ground, and we tried that yesterday. We’ll definitely give our all to bring the energy to turn things around.”
Leverkusen are five points clear of Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga going into this weekend’s action and up next for Tuchel’s side is a trip to Bochum.
Bayern utterly dominated in the reverse fixture at the Allianz Arena in September where England captain Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick as the Bavarian side emerged with a 7-0 victory.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Matthijs de Ligt, Leroy Sane and Mathys Tel were also on target as Bayern battered…
Seydou Keita is flattered by interest from Liverpool but insists he will not be moving from Barcelona until next season at the earliest.
The midfielder will spend most of January at the African Cup of Nations with Mali, making a mid-season transfer an unlikely prospect.
Liverpool is a great club, it is fantastic to hear that they are interested in me, but you know how I feel about Barcelona, Keita told Sky Sports.
However we are in football and nothing is an absolute, so let s wait until the end of the season.
I want to play more games than last season, playing regularly in a winning team is very good for the player, but the Premier League is very attractive and exciting for any player.
My contract runs until 2014, at the end of the season …
Sloclap has delivered two beloved indie hits in the form of Absolver and Sifu, with the latter in particular being a fan favourite, and it looks the studio will keep its knack for experimentation goSouth Africa sports Bettinging with its third title. Taking the stage at The Game Awards during the pre-show (or the Opening Act, as it’s now known), Sloclap unveiled Rematch, and it’s not what you may have been expecting.
Rematch is a multiplayer football game that will see players diving into 5v5 match, with the game promising “immersive third-person action, skill-based gameplay, and intense online competition”, as the developer describe…
Real Madrid have confirmed David Alaba and Isco returned positive tests for COVID-19.
The duo are the latest Madrid players to contract the virus, taking the total to eight in the space of a week.
Los Blancos revealed last Wednesday that Luka Modric and Marcelo had gone into quarantine after routine testing determined they had the illness.
Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio, Rodrygo and Andriy Lunin then tested positive the following day, along with Carlo Ancelotti s son and technical assistant Davide.
Official Announcement.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
All are absent for Madrid s scheduled trip to San Mames to face Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
Ancelotti s side are six points clear at the top of LaLiga, having collected 43 poin…
Chelsea are interested in signing Artem Dovbyk from Girona in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners are looking for a new striker in the summer of 2024, and that Dovbyk is on their radar.
Dovbyk has been on the books of Girona since the summer of 2023 when he joined from SC Dnipro-1. The 26-year-old Ukraine international striker has been superb for the Spanish club and has played his role in them challenging Real Madrid for the La Liga title this season.
The striker has made 21 starts and four substitute appearances in La Liga so far this season. He has scored 14 goals and given five assists in those games. Girona are second in the La Liga table at the moment with 59 points fr…