Tag: football

Gareth Southgate has pushed the England squad ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against France, challenging his side to create history in Qatar.

The Three Lions progressed past Senegal in the first knockout round to clinch a tie against the defending champions, presenting England’s biggest test so far at the tournament.

Defeat against Didier Deschamps’ side would mark England’s earliest exit from a major tournament under Southgate, who led the side to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia and finished as runners-up to Italy at Euro 2020.

While those improvements are significant, England have fallen at a crucial hurdle against tough opponents in each of those tournaments – losing 2-1 to Croatia in 2018 before a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat at Wembley last year.

Southgate has used that record to issue a challenge to his squad, identifying that winning fixtures away from home against top opposition is something

Jude Bellingham looks close to the complete player for former England defender Gary Neville, after the midfielder sparked a World Cup victory against Senegal.

The teenager nabbed an assist and helped fire Gareth Southgate’s side into the quarter-finals in Qatar with a 3-0 win on Sunday, in another superb individual showing.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham has emerged as a key figure for the Three Lions this tournament, and looks to have staked his place firmly in the starting line-up.

Neville certainly feels it is a place well earned by the 19-year-old, and said he appears to already have a mastery and maturity in an England shirt that few others have.

“It’s very rare you see a midfield player as comfortable in his own half as in the attacking half,” he told ITV. “He looks like he can do absolutely everything.

“Is he a holding player, an attacking player? He’s everything

Verdict: Brazil half-time/full-time

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: Unibet

Looking to avoid a major World Cup upset on Monday night, Brazil will meet South Korea at Stadium 974 in Doha.

Brazil

Starting with Brazil, while the Selecao’s heavily-altered squad might have been hit with a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Cameroon last week, the South American giants should find the mood in their camp at a real high. Cruising their way to the knockout stage of this year’s tournament after clinching back-to-back victories against Serbia and Switzerland, many have tipped Tite’s side as a leading contender this winter. Despite watching their remarkable 17-match unbeaten run come to an abrupt end a few days ago, Brazil should be confident of laying down a marker on Monday night. Continuing to gain a reputation for their rugged displays at the back and just shipping a pair of strikes in any of their

The recent summer window saw Leeds United lose two notable figures in the form of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, with the pair having moved on to pastures new to Manchester City and Barcelona, respectively.

While the addition of Tyler Adams has swiftly eased the loss of Phillips, with the 23-year-old having “stepped right into his shoes” according to pundit Noel Whelan, the void left behind by the aforementioned Brazilian may well prove harder to fill.

The former Stade Rennais man – who made the move to Elland Road back in the summer of 2020 – scored 17 goals and laid on 12 assists in 67 games in all competitions for the Whites during his two-year stay, with such stunning form unsurprisingly leading to his £55m exit to Catalonia.

Amid that exit, reports over the summer had suggested that Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic could

Uruguay head coach Diego Alonso believes his Real Madrid star Federico Valverde is best suited as a defensive midfielder, but that the team will need to perform better as a whole to allow him to “shine more”.

Alonso’s comments came after Monday’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Portugal, leaving Uruguay alongside Mexico and Tunisia as the only teams without a goal through two matches.

Following their failure to score in their 0-0 opener against South Korea, Uruguay were well-handled by the Portuguese, controlling only 40 per cent of the possession, although they only narrowly trailed in expected goals 1.33 to 1.27.

Not short on talent, Uruguay fielded a starting XI that included Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and 135-cap veteran Edinson Cavani up front, while Tottenham’s Rodrigo Betancur partnered Valverde in midfield.

Having played both in central midfield and on the wing for Madrid, Valverde was deployed in the engine room against Portugal,

Verdict: England win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Unibet

In what is a real British battle on Tuesday night, England will meet Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium for their final Group B showdown.

Wales

Starting with Wales, while Rob Page’s men might have opened their World Cup return with the mood in their camp at a red-hot high, the Dragons have failed to make any kind of impact in Qatar. Although the Reds might have managed to snatch a 1-1 draw against the USA last week as they got their Group B adventure underway, they certainly came crashing back down to earth a few days ago. Putting in a downbeat display and suffering last-gasp heartbreak against Iran as they eventually slumped to a 2-0 loss, Wales need a miracle if they’re to somehow find a route to the knockout stage. Enduring a real Nations League nightmare earlier in the

Competition: Spanish Segunda

Market: Levante win

Odds: 11/10 @ 888sport

Looking to extend on their unbeaten run this weekend, Levante will make the trip to a struggling Lugo on Sunday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Lugo might have managed to extend on their Segunda status last season, Hernan Perez’s side find themselves at the heart of a real relegation scrap. Sat three points adrift of safety and knowing that they face a tough task this weekend, the Albivermellos are in the midst of a nightmare run of form. Last seen getting hit with a woeful 4-0 drumming away at Andorra, the one-time Real Madrid coach has seen his downbeat squad pick up just a pair of points from any of their last five second-tier showdowns. Likewise, despite claiming a much-needed 2-0 win against Burgos on October 23rd, that is the only victory that Lugo have claimed from any of

Lucas Hernandez has successfully undergone surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in France’s 4-1 World Cup opening win against Australia on Tuesday.

Hernandez’s club Bayern Munich confirmed he had the operation in Innsbruck on Thursday, with his rehabilitation to commence in Munich in the coming days.

The defender was ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup due to the injury that saw him replaced after only 13 minutes.

Bayern did not provide a timeframe on Hernandez’s recovery but it is expected he will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season.

@LucasHernandez has undergone successful knee surgery.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Lucas! #MiaSanMia

— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) November 24, 2022

Hernandez is the latest injury blow for the world champions, who saw Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku all ruled out before the tournament started.

France head coach Didier Deschamps said after Tuesday’s

Competition: World Cup

Market: Uruguay win

Odds: 8/11 @ 888sport

Looking to open their Group H adventure with an early statement in Al Rayyan, Uruguay will meet South Korea on Thursday afternoon.

Starting with Uruguay, while they might have been struck by a shock 1-0 loss at the hands of Iran back in September, the South American giants have proven that was nothing more than just a minor blip. Last seen signing off their pre-World Cup preparations with an eye-catching 2-0 victory against Canada, Diego Alonso’s men have their sights firmly set on clinching a route out of Group H this year. Booking their ticket to Qatar with break much of a sweat during their qualifying run, Uruguay are enjoying what has been an impressive flurry in 2022. Including a thumping 3-0 win away at Mexico earlier in the year, Alonso’s side have lost just one of their previous nine

Competition: National League South

Market: Worthing win

Odds: 20/23 @ 888sport

Looking to widen their buffer in the play-off places on Tuesday night, Worthing will welcome Tonbridge to Woodside Road.

Starting with the hosts, extending on their FA Trophy adventure over the weekend thanks to a rampant display on home soil, Worthing are enjoying what has been an eye-catching run of form. Eventually coming past Weymouth thanks to an action-packed 4-2 victory against Weymouth, Adam Hinshelwood’s side have their sights set on claiming a shock play-off place this season. Likewise, last seen on sixth-tier duties claiming a 1-0 victory at home against Oxford City, the Sussex-based outfit are unbeaten in each of their previous six matchups across all formats. Opening the midweek fixtures sat in pole position to claim a top-seven finish, Worthing will also be boosted by an impressive record against Tuesday’s opponents. It should be noted, Hinshelwood’s side