RB Leipzig are determined to wrap up a top-four Bundesliga finish, despite fifth spot possibly earning a place in next season s Champions League, the club s chief business officer said on Thursday.
Leipzig, who host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, are fourth on 59 points, two ahead of Dortmund with four games left in the season. A win would put the Saxony club firmly in the driving seat for a top-four finish.
The top four qualify automatically for the Champions League group stage, although Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA s coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.
That (potential fifth spot) involves a lot of data and statistics, said Leipzig CBO Johann Plenge in a media call. We…
The FIFA World Cup is well underway with a parade of intriguing games taking place thus far, especially on Tuesday.
However, it was a day that also brought with it the first two goalless draws of the tournament, with the second being played out by Mexico and Poland. Today, we re going to run through a few takeaways from a disappointing afternoon at Stadium 974.
Worst game so far
We re just going to come out and say it this was the worst game of the 2022 World Cup so far. Tunisia and Denmark also drew 0-0 but provided great entertainment, whereas Netherlands vs Senegal was incredibly dull but featured two goals. Mexico and Poland just never really seem to get going which is strange, considering there was quite a lot on the line in their opening game.
Lewandowski s …
Esteban Granero was glowing with pride after wearing the captain s armband in Real Madrid s 5-1 friendly victory over Oviedo on Tuesday.
The midfielder was awarded the captaincy in the absence of players such as Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, and felt honoured to lead his team-mates, even if it was just a warm-up game.
It is an honour to be captain of Real Madrid, even though it was only a pre-season match, the midfielder said.
It was a typical pre-season match but we were very focused in the way we played. We did not like that we conceded a goal but we played at a good level.
Granero noted the performance of the youngsters who were given a chance to prove their worth, adding he is keen to lend them a helping hand.
The guys from Castilla are…
FC Barcelona right-back Dani Alves has revealed that French giants PSG were interested in signing him during the summer transfer window, .
They made contact in the summer after everything that had been said in the media, confirmed Dani Alves.
I know that they contacted a lot of players and are building a great side.
They did talk to my representatives about the possibility of a move but that was low because my price is very high and they quickly moved on to talk to others.
Since Paris Saint-Germain did not meet the Catalans valuation of Alves, Les Parisiens eventually signed Holland international full-back Gregory van der Wiel from his boyhood club Ajax Amsterdam.
Van der Wiel has started one French Ligue 1 match for PSG in 2012…
Raphael Varane has revealed he rejected the chance to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2011 because he was not convinced by the heavyweight Ligue 1 club s project .
The France international was one of the most sought-after youngsters at the time following an impressive season with Lens.
In addition to PSG, Manchester United and Real Madrid were also believed to be interested in signing him and he eventually opted to make the move to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
He will now take on his former suitors when Madrid visit Laurent Blanc s French title-holders in the Champions League at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
PSG were interested in signing me, but we never entered negotiations, Varane told Le Parisien.
The Qatari project at the club was all still …
Felipe Melo has insisted he did not leave Galatasaray for Inter for financial reasons, claiming that he earned twice as much at the Turkish giants as he makes at the Serie A club.
The Brazilian midfielder enjoyed a successful spell with the Istanbul side between 2011 and 2015, winning three Super Lig titles.
Nevertheless, he opted to return to Italy ahead of the 2015-16 campaign as he felt he needed a new challenge.
I felt that a cycle had come to an end. I said that I wanted to make history and win trophies when I joined Galatasaray. I did just that. We won a lot and I feel my time at the club ended in the best way possible, the 32-year-old told Trt Spor.
It is a lie that I left Galatasaray for the money. I am not even making half as much money at Int…
Suspended FIFA vice-president Michel Platini has launched an urgent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after his 90-day ban was upheld by the Ethics Committee of world football s governing body.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Platini were banned in early October over a disloyal payment made to the Frenchman in 2011, though both deny any wrongdoing.
The FIFA Appeal Committee announced on Wednesday that it had rejected appeals from both figures over their suspensions from football, but Platini has opted to take his decision to CAS.
Confirming Platini s move, CAS said in a statement: In his appeal, Michel Platini has also requested that the current provisional suspension be stayed until a final decision of FIFA on the merits of this case…
Liberian Football Association president Musa Bility has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over his exclusion from the FIFA presidential election.
Bility was ruled out of the race last month after failing an integrity check a decision he described as unfortunate .
But on Wednesday, CAS announced that Bility has appealed his case, in the hope the decision will be overturned and he can run to replace the outgoing Sepp Blatter.
Musa Hassan Bility has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee s decision of 12 November 2015 in which his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election was refused, a CAS statement read.
The FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee noted that Mr Bility had…
Real Madrid icon Raul is taking the first step towards starting a coaching career.
The former Spain striker retired from the game in 2015, going down in history as one of Europe s most devastating poachers.
Raul won six LaLiga titles with Madrid, as well as a trio of Champions League crowns, and now serves as an executive at the club.
But the 40-year-old could soon be ready to join former team-mate Zinedine Zidane in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout, as he is working towards his coaching badges.
We have started the first year of the A and B licence, Raul said.
It s a first step to train and be a coach at least up to youth level, and within a year we will be able to do the UEFA pro, which allows us to train any team.
Now the important thing…
Mohamed Salah inspired a first-half blitz as Liverpool seized control of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City with a stunning 3-0 win at Anfield.
As expected, the first leg of the all-English tie provided plenty of goals, albeit few predicted Jurgen Klopp s side would score three without reply against the Premier League champions-elect.
Salah broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, grabbing his 38th goal of a prolific season after Roberto Firmino had capitalised on Kyle Walker s failure to clear the danger.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled Liverpool s advantage with a blistering drive from distance, while a third arrived just after the half-hour when Sadio Mane headed home Salah s delivery from the right flank.
Sensational in the…