England boss Sarina Wiegman names her squad for this summer’s World Cup on Wednesday with injuries having been the major talking point in the build-up to the announcement.
Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way on July 20 after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.
Fellow Euro 2022 winner Fran Kirby will also be absent due to a knee problem and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament for that competition, is a serious doubt as she recovers from an ACL injury sustained in November.
Coming soon…
Sarina Wiegman will name her 2023 squad on Wednesday 31 May.
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Market: Kazakhstan win
Odds: 5/4 @
Hoping to lay down another Nations League marker on Thursday afternoon, Kazakhstan will welcome Belarus to the Astana Arena.
Starting with the hosts, last seen back in June putting in another impressive display at the Astana Arena, Kazakhstan should find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Eventually picking up an eye-catching 2-1 victory at home against Slovakia, Magomed Adiyev s men should be smelling the chance to lay down another marker on Thursday afternoon. Marking their return to action sat in pole position to clinch a maiden League B adventure, the Hawks have also gained plenty of plaudits from across Europe. Mustering 10 points from their opening four appearances, the Yellows have also lost just one of their last…
It had long felt inevitable that Xavi would return to Barcelona at some stage and the time has finally come.
The former midfielder will take charge of his first match in Saturday s derby clash with Espanyol after replacing Ronald Koeman during the international break, having embraced both a financial and sporting crisis at Camp Nou that sees the team ninth in LaLiga and more than €1.2billion in debt.
Given his pedigree as a player for the club, where he won 25 major trophies, and the fact he delivered three cups and a Qatar Stars League title during his time in charge of Al Sadd, you would be forgiven for thinking Xavi could have chosen to bide his time and wait for a more opportune moment to take the job.
Yet here we are, with another of Europe s grandest side…
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal as relegation-threatened Everton dented Manchester United s Champions League qualifying hopes with a 1-0 win at Goodison Park.
The Toffees boosted their Premier League survival bid with Gordon s deflected first-half strike sealing consecutive home victories for the first time since September.
United remain three points off the top four, although the deficit could be extended to six should either Arsenal or Tottenham win later today.
Meanwhile, Everton move four points clear of the relegation zone after only a third success in 10 league games under Frank Lampard, who was under pressure following the 3-2 loss to fellow strugglers Burnley on Wednesday.
GORDDDOOONNNN!!!!
1-0
— Everton (@Everton)
Adam Taggart has been rewarded for his goalscoring form with a spot in Australia s squad to face Kuwait in their opening World Cup qualifier.
Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold included former Fulham forward Taggart in his 23-man squad as the Suwon Bluewings star tops the K-League scoring charts with 16 goals.
Taggart – who was in the squad for the 2014 World Cup – returned to the international fold during June s international friendly against Korea Republic.
Uncapped defender Harry Souttar is also in the squad, headlined by Aaron Mooy, Mathew Ryan and Mathew Leckie, for the clash in Kuwait on September 10.
All 23 players in the squad to face Kuwait
Details:
— Caltex Socceroos (@Socceroos)
I have spent the past month in …
Verdict: Wolves win
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
After running away with the Championship last year and almost breaking the 100 point barrier, Nuno Espírito Santo s Wolves side have seen plenty of new faces come through the door at Molineux and will fancy their chances of making an immediate statement in the Premier League. Kicking off their campaign on Saturday, Wolves will play host to an Everton side who endured a torrid pre-season.
Wolves
Starting with Saturday s hosts, after lifting the Championship title with a nine-point buffer over Cardiff, many have Nuno Espírito Santo s Wolves side tipped to be this years dark horses. Most recently adding former Barcelona winger Adama Traore from Middlesbrough in for a fee of around £18million, Wolves have now…
´You need to be excellent all the time´ – De Bruyne proud as Man City hold off Liverpool for title t
Kevin De Bruyne expressed his pride after Manchester City sealed a dramatic Premier League title win on the final day of the season, highlighting how his side had to be consistently excellent in the face of Liverpool s challenge.
City went into their home contest with Aston Villa knowing a win would confirm their fourth top-flight title in five seasons, though things looked desperate for Pep Guardiola s men when Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho gave Steven Gerrard s men a 2-0 lead.
But an Ilkay Gundogan brace, scored either side of Rodri s leveller, sparked jubilant scenes as City retained their crown despite Liverpool s 3-1 victory over Wolves, with De Bruyne providing the assist for the all-important winner.
The win marked the first time City had come from tw…
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne vowed the champions will keep fighting for the Premier League title despite the huge gap to leaders Liverpool even after crushing Arsenal.
The Belgium international scored two goals and provided an assist in City s clinical 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
City are 14 points adrift of table-topping Liverpool and four behind second-placed Leicester City, who they face next weekend.
But while manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged a third straight City championship is not realistic , De Bruyne was encouraged by the response to last week s Manchester derby defeat.
We keep fighting, De Bruyne told Sky Sports. I think every time you lose a game, the only reaction you can show is to win the next one.
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William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes scored first-half goals to secure a 2-0 win for Arsenal over Lyon in the Emirates Cup on Sunday.
The defenders both punished Lyon from corners, while Bukayo Saka missed a glorious chance to make it a more emphatic win.
Mikel Arteta s side showed their intent ahead of the new Premier League season, taking an early lead as Declan Rice s corner cleared everyone at the near post, leaving Saliba with an easy header in the middle.
Lyon were caught out in the same way just before the half-hour mark as Rice sent a corner deep this time, and Gabriel flicked a header into the gap left by Lucas Perri.
Saka should have made it 3-0 in the second half after peeling off the back of the defence to reach Oleksandr Zinchenko s cross, b…
Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died when his helicopter crashed outside the King Power Stadium after Saturday s 1-1 draw against West Ham, will be forever associated with his club s finest hour and one of the most remarkable triumphs in sporting history.
Srivaddhanaprabha s decision to sanction Claudio Ranieri s appointment as manager was met with a lukewarm response after predecessor Nigel Pearson led the Foxes to an unexpected escape from Premier League relegation in 2014-15.
Another battle to retain top-flight status was widely expected but Ranieri s Leicester – inspired by the Srivaddhanaprabha-bankrolled recruits Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N Golo Kante and Kasper Schmeichel – started impressively and kept winning.
Famous victories�…