Sports

Pep Guardiola does not believe the Manchester derby can be viewed as his side s most important game, at least at this stage of the season.

Manchester City, on the back of a frustrating 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in their last Premier League outing, make the short trip to Old Trafford to take on their rivals on Saturday.

Guardiola has struggled to get the better of Manchester United counterpart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since the Norwegian took over from Jose Mourinho at the end of 2018, with the Red Devils winning three of the five league meetings between the sides in that time.

United have scored six goals in those matches, conceding just three in return. In total, Solskjaer has won four of his eight meetings with Guardiola in all competitions, the best win ra…

Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw

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Iceland and Wales will lock horns with each other in the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B this week. The Group 4 match between Åge Hareide’s side and Craig Bellamy’s team will be held at Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavík and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45 pm UK time on Friday.

Iceland

Iceland have started to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in European football. While they are not yet at the stage where their fans can say that they are among the elite, gone are the days when they were considered European minnows and were expected to lose every single game.

Åge Hareide’s side, though, need to do slightly better in 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B. They are curre…

Barcelona have confirmed the departures of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo.

Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid s record signing, joined Barca on loan last season, while Cancelo, his compatriot, joined from Manchester City on a similar deal.

Joao Felix played 44 times in all competitions for the Blaugrana. He scored 10 goals and provided six assists.

Reports this week suggested new Barca coach Hansi Flick was keen to keep hold of Joao Felix, but for now the attacker will return to his parent club.

Barca confirmed the news on Sunday, the final day of Joao Felix s loan contract.

Cancelo s departure was also announced. Reports suggest Barca are, as it stands, unwilling to meet City s asking price for the full-back.

Both he and Joao Felix are currently re…

Fernando Santos has no regrets over leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench despite Portugal crashing out of the World Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Morocco on Saturday.

Youssef En-Nesyri s header gave Morocco the lead in the 42nd minute, and Santos Portugal side were unable to break through their opponent s resolute defence as they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.

Santos left Ronaldo out of the starting XI for the 6-1 thumping of Switzerland in the round of 16, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat-trick.

The head coach omitted Ronaldo once again against Morocco, but this time Ramos failed to make an impact, as Portugal were dumped out despite Ronaldo s introduction shortly into the second half.

Asked if he regretted not starting Ronaldo,…

Atletico Madrid attacker Angel Correa hopes to start 2016 on a high when they meet Levante on Saturday looking to keep pace with their Liga title rivals.

Diego Simeone s men recorded a hard-fought 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday in their last game of 2015, with Correa and Antoine Griezmann finding the net in the closing stages of the game, and the Argentine youngster wants them to build on their victory at the weekend.

Atletico sit second in the Liga table heading into the game, whereas Levante sit rock bottom after 17 games, but Correa has warned his team-mates they cannot afford to take the match lightly.

We were very happy with the win over Rayo and to end the year on a high, Correa told the club s official website.

We now have to build on o…

Matthias Sammer believes Bayern Munich youngster Joshua Kimmich would be better served by representing Germany at the Olympic Games, rather than the European Championship.

The 21-year-old came under the spotlight after receiving an animated talking to from outgoing Bayern coach Pep Guardiola in the centre circle following Saturday s 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

However, after the match the Spaniard was full of praise for Kimmich, who he has used in a defensive role despite his initial emergence in midfield.

The youngster s impressive displays have led to him being tipped for a spot in the Germany squad for Euro 2016, but Bayern sporting director Sammer believes he would benefit from going to the Games in Rio instead.

He will…

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored his 300th goal in all competitions for the club in Saturday s 4-1 LaLiga win over Valencia.

A penalty just before half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu saw the France international bring up the landmark, before he added a second late on to take his tally to 22 goals in 25 games this season.

Benzema reached the impressive figure in just 584 appearances for Los Merengues, becoming the fourth player to reach that milestone in club s history after Cristiano Ronaldo (450), Raul (323) and Alfredo Di Stefano (308).

The 34-year-old joined Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009, and has won four Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, three LaLiga titles and two Copas del Rey.

Benzema had a fine 2021, getting 30 goals for…

Diego Simeone seemed optimistic despite seeing his Atletico Madrid team fail to beat Espanyol at the Metropolitano, even with a man advantage.

The visitors had Leandro Cabrera sent off after 28 minutes on Sunday after he fouled Alvaro Morata to deny him getting in on goal, leaving Atletico with more than an hour with an extra player.

However, it was Espanyol who took the lead just after the hour through Sergi Darder s volley, before substitute Joao Felix fired in a leveller with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Simeone expressed his gratitude for the love he has received at the club since taking over as head coach in 2011, with some believing him to be under pressure after finishing bottom of their Champions League group and f…

Fernando Torres admits it would be a big surprise to be called up by Spain for Euro 2016 but refused to rule himself out of selection. 

Torres has been one of the most prolific Spaniards in 2016, scoring nine goals since the turn of the year to help Atletico Madrid qualify for the Champions League final and push for the La Liga title. 

The 32-year-old s form has seen him move right back into contention for a spot in Vicente del Bosque s 23-man squad for the Euros in France.

However, with his last international appearance coming almost two years ago at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the two-time European champion remains realistic about his chances. 

It s been two years since I was involved with Spain and it ll be a surprise to be on the list, Torres …

Xavi was disappointed by Barcelona s failure to win moments after they were romped by Clasico rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Camp Nou to fall to a 4-1 Copa del Rey semi-final aggregate defeat.

An Eder Militao own goal in the first leg at the Bernabeu meant Barca headed into Wednesday s return match on home turf with a one-goal advantage.

But a strong first half by Barca ended with a short period of play that would prove crucial, as Thibaut Courtois made a brilliant save to deny Robert Lewandowski before a sweeping counter-attack ended with Vinicius Junior levelling the tie.

Madrid then sealed their progression with a brilliant second half, as Karim Benzema s hat-trick put the 31-time winners out and set Carlo Ancelotti s men up to meet Osasuna in the final on May …