Sports

Putting in what was a professional performance on Sunday afternoon, Manchester United claimed a thumping 3-0 victory against West Ham at Old Trafford.

With the red-hot Rasmus Hojlund opening the scoring midway through the first half and notching his fourth strike in as many appearances, Erik ten Hag’s side will take plenty of positives away from a gritty display on home soil.

Although the Hammers might have dominated possession over large spells, United were at their clinical best as Argentina ace Alejandro Garnacho bagged a second half brace.

Now collecting seven points from their previous three Premier League outings, Sunday’s 3-0 win also helped the former champions skyrocket their way back into the top-six.

Although West Ham might have secured an…

Prediction: Slovan Bratislava to win 2-1

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Swift Hesperange and Slovan Bratislava will lock horns with each other in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Qualifying First Round this week. The match between the club from Luxembourg and the team from Slovakia will be held at Stade Alphonse Theis in Hesperange and is scheduled to kick off at 7pm UK time on Wednesday.

Swift Hesperange

Swift Hesperange are a modest club in Luxembourg. They do not have a rich history or a massive fanbase. Their stadium, Stade Alphonse Theis, holds just over 3000 spectators. Dany Theis’s side, though, did do something remarkable last season they won the 2022–23 Luxembourg National Division title.

Dany Theis’s team picked up as many as…

Ousmane Dembele is considering a move away from Barcelona, but Joan Laporta hopes the winger will decide to stay put. 

Barcelona paid an initial €105million to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and the five-year contract he received is set to run out next month.

Bayern Munich and Chelsea are reported to be keen on the World Cup-winning winger, who could be available on a free transfer.

Laporta acknowledged that Dembele is intrigued by the interest being shown in him, but the Barcelona president believes he could well choose to stay at Camp Nou.

He wants to stay but is very tempted by other options that offer conditions that may be considered better than ours, Laporta told Radio Catalunya.

The offer has been on the table for some t…

“I think the players will be focussed on the football side because they are used to it.”

Iraola has no doubts Lockyer will receive a warm welcome at the Vitality Stadium.

“Since the first seconds (after) it happened, everyone was very clear that the most important thing that mattered was for him to recover,” the Cherries boss said.

“The most important thing is he is much better. He has recovered well and I am happy to know that he is doing well.

Love him already

— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth)

“It will be amazing if he comes and we can see him. I am happy to know he is doing well.”

Bournemouth fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Sheffield United on Saturday with a stoppage-time equaliser from E…

Veteran Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti admits he is nervous ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Manchester City.

The record 14-time winners host the current holders in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

It is the third season in succession the two clubs have met in the knockout stages, with Real claiming a remarkable comeback victory in the 2022 semi-finals but City avenging that loss in emphatic fashion 12 months later.

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

The game will be Ancelotti’s 200th as manager in a competition he has won a record four times, but he recognises it will not be straightforward.

The Italian, whose side are eight points clear at the top of LaLiga, said at a press …

Joan Laporta has promised to do everything he can to persuade Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona, as well as offering an assurance to head coach Ronald Koeman amid speculation over his future.

Laporta was officially unveiled as Barca s new president at a ceremony on Wednesday, having seen off competition from Victor Font and Toni Freixa during an election staged on March 7. 

It will be his second time in the role at Camp Nou; his previous stint from 2003 and 2010 saw the club win LaLiga on four occasions, as well as the Champions League twice.  

However, he returns now with Barcelona dealing with financial issues off the field and great uncertainty over the future of their best player, the talismanic Messi. 

The club s all-time leading scorer …

Germany head coach Joachim Low has insisted no final decision has been made on possible recalls for Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller and Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels.

The experienced pair have not played for their country since being told by Low in March 2019 that they, along with Jerome Boateng, had no future with the national team.

Low s decision to focus on younger talent has not always paid dividends, though, and last November s 6-0 demolition by Spain prompted loud calls from the likes of Mesut Ozil to bring those senior players back into the fold.

A report in Kicker claimed Muller and Hummels are set to be handed places in Low s Euro 2020 squad, which will be his last major tournament in charge before he steps down after 15 years in the role.<…

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is confident Joao Felix will continue to improve his all-round game as he backed the young forward to thrive in a more reserved position.

The Portugal international scored twice in an impressive display to rescue his side a 3-2 win against Salzburg in Tuesday s Champions League clash.

At 20 years and 352 days, he became the second-youngest player to score a brace for Atletico in the Champions League after Sergio Aguero (20 years, 106 days) against PSV in September 2008.

He has started five games for Atleti in all competitions this term and been used just off main striker Luis Suarez in each of them, scoring three times in total.

The ex-Benfica attacker is averaging 4.94 touches of the ball in the opposition box in LaLiga…

Mohamed Salah is aiming to make the gap bigger between himself and Steven Gerrard after the Egyptian overtook the Liverpool legend as the Reds Champions League record goalscorer.

Salah netted his 22nd goal in the competition – excluding qualifiers – for Liverpool in the opening minute of Wednesday s clash with Midtjylland.

It saw him surpass Gerrard s record of 21, with the former Liverpool captain having won the Champions League in 2004-05.

Liverpool s opener was also the quickest strike in their Champions League history, with Salah having intercepted a loose back-pass to prod home after just 55 seconds.

Midtjylland fought back to draw 1-1 in contentious fashion, with the Danish side scoring from a penalty awarded after a long VAR check.

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AC Milan are close to completing a deal to sign Mike Maignan from Lille, according to Sky Sports.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper started his football journey and came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain, where he made it into the senior squad in 2013. However, he never made a first-team appearance for the club and moved to Lille two years later.

His status at the new club gradually grew over the following seasons, and he established himself as the regular No. 1 between the posts in 2016-17. In 2020-21, he stood between the posts in all 38 Ligue 1 games, as well as eight in the Europa League and two in the Coupe de France.

Milan could be saying goodbye to Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose contract is about to expire and whose services have reportedly been offere…