Jermain Defoe has been tipped for an England recall and Gus Poyet wants him to prove why when Sunderland host QPR on Tuesday.
Gus Poyet has challenged Jermain Defoe to boost his chances of an England recall by continuing his fine form in Sunderland s Premier League encounter with QPR.
Defoe moved to the Stadium of Light in the January transfer window and got off the mark for his new club in a 2-0 victory over Burnley last weekend.
The former Tottenham striker once again showed why head coach Poyet was so desperate to land him from MLS club Toronto when he opened the scoring with a clinical 18-yard finish in Saturday s 1-1 draw at Swansea City.
And Poyet believes that Defoe still has the quality to add to his 55 England caps, the last of which came against…
Turkish giants Galatasaray have confirmed the appointment as Cesare Prandelli as their new coach on a two-year deal.
The Istanbul club last week revealed that they were in talks with the former Italy coach, who resigned after his country s disappointing FIFA World Cup campaign.
Galatasaray issued a statement on their website on Monday confirming that the 56-year-old will replace compatriot Roberto Mancini, who left the club by mutual consent last month.
Prandelli is due to arrive in Istanbul on Monday evening (local time) and sign his contract on Tuesday before holding a press conference.
The experienced Prandelli spent four years in charge of his country after taking over from Marcello Lippi and guided the Azzurri to the final of the 2012 European Champi…
Rob Page says he wishes Wales were not playing a friendly against South Korea on Thursday.
Wales are not in Euro 2024 action until Monday when they travel to Latvia for a crucial Group D qualifying clash.
But UEFA regulations stipulate that nations in odd-numbered qualifying groups must fulfil blank dates in the calendar when group rivals are playing.
Wales filled this date by arranging a Cardiff friendly with Jurgen Klinsmann’s South Korea, but the game has failed to capture the imagination of the Welsh public with only 11,500 tickets sold little more than 24 hours before kick-off.
incoming!
— Wales
…
Argentina-born Italy striker Mateo Retegui reminds Roberto Mancini of the Albiceleste s Serie A great Gabriel Batistuta.
Retegui has been handed a first Italy call-up for this month s Euro 2024 qualifiers, starting at home to England on Thursday.
The Tigre striker, who was born and raised in Argentina, where he has also spent his entire club career, qualifies for the Azzurri through his grandfather.
Strikers travelling between Argentina and Italy is not a new phenomenon, but Retegui is heading for the Italy camp, rather than a Serie A club.
Coming like this from Argentina to Italy, not in a club team, is not so simple, coach Mancini said on the eve of the England game.
It takes some time, but the guy is polite and smart. He is a good striker, yo…
Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre said the Spanish champions are very disappointed and angry with UEFA s decision to overlook Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez for the Best Player in Europe Award, branding the pair s snub as scandalous .
Messi and Suarez were not among the three finalists for the award, with Real Madrid duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, and Atletico Madrid s Antoine Griezmann selected.
Five-time Ballon d Or winner Messi placed fifth, behind team-mate Suarez, leading Mestre to hit out at UEFA.
It doesn t seem the right decision to me at all, Mestre told TV3.
I don t know what criteria UEFA applied, with all respect to the chosen winners, but I disagree [with the choices].
That our players aren t there, such as Suarez or Mess…
James Rodriguez gets more support when playing for Colombia than he does at Real Madrid, according to Carlos Bacca.
After a strong debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2014-15, James found game time limited under Rafael Benitez at the start of last term.
The midfielder was given more opportunities following Zinedine Zidane s appointment in January, but his professionalism and physical condition came in for criticism in the Spanish media.
Despite suffering a shoulder injury, James has scored twice in three Copa America Centenario appearances, and Bacca believes the confidence his Colombia team-mates have in him has been key to his change in form.
James is our captain and always wants to play, even with pain, the striker told Marca.
He works f…
QPR manager Mark Hughes said Marseille defender Stephane M Bia is travelling to London for a medical ahead of a potential deadline day deal.
The Rangers boss was confident that the deal for the versatile Cameroon international would be completed ahead of the transfer deadline late on Friday.
He is en route as we speak, he told a press conference.
Hopefully we will get him in to a medical quite quickly.
A lot of discussion has taken place in terms of his contract and expectations from both sides so that s pretty much been concluded.
So once we get through the medical hopefully we will be able to conclude the deal very quickly. He is another player that can play in a couple of positions. I like that flexibility in players. He is a good age, an…
Gianluigi Buffon feels Juventus Champions League absence in the past two seasons has made them more hungry to prove their worth at the top level.
The Turin giants missed out on qualification for European football s elite club competition in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and the veteran goalkeeper has admitted they have missed being active at the highest level.
My team-mates and I have missed playing in the competition, but the two-year exile has been good for us, because now we’ll fight right until the last bead of sweat in every game, Buffon told Sky Sport Italia.
I ve been forced to spend many Tuesdays and Wednesdays watching it from the sofa at home. I’ve got a decent TV and the picture is good, but being there on the pitch is another thing entirely.
Bu…
Prediction: Sweden to win 3-0
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Sweden and Estonia will lock horns with each other next weekend. The UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group F match between Janne Andersson’s side and Thomas Häberli’s side will be held at the Friends Arena in Solna and is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time next Sunday.
Sweden
Sweden are a major force in European football and are expected to do well in qualifying. They are expected at least come close to qualifying for major competitions, which is why their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group F campaign has been such a disappointment.
The Blue and Yellow are not going to qualify for the the UEFA Euro 2024 finals. Sweden are third in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group F at the moment with seven point…
Moise Kean fired Juventus to a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions with a 1-0 win against Verona at Allianz Stadium.
A relatively quiet game offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, Danilo hitting the frame of the goal in the best chance of the first half.
However, Kean ensured the home fans would have something to celebrate after capping off a fine Juve move.
Though far from a vintage performance, Juve have moved four points behind fifth-placed Atalanta and three behind sixth-placed Roma, who play on Sunday.
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
Verona almost broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, Kevin Lasagna pulling a dangerous cross to the far post for Fabio Depaoli to smash a volley narrowly wide of Wojciech Szczesny …