Brazil head coach Dorival Junior insists his side must learn to play without Vinicius Junior following their 1-1 draw with Colombia in California.
Junior was shown his second yellow card of the tournament for a challenge on James Rodriguez, and will miss their quarter-final match against Uruguay on Sunday.
The Real Madrid forward, who has scored twice for Brazil at the Copa America, will be available for their semi-final fixture, should they beat Marcelo Bielsa s side.
Unfortunately, we have already lost a key player like Neymar for a long time, he said.
And we have to learn that in certain moments, we will not have important players in a game. Others will have to step up. And I think that is the way. We will have a difficult game against Uruguay.
Celtic will look to get to the bottom of Reo Hatate’s fitness issues as they wait to learn the extent of the midfielder’s latest lay-off.
The in-form Hatate is facing several weeks on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury early in Celtic’s 2-2 Champions League draw against Atletico Madrid.
The Japan international had a six-week spell out with a similar problem towards the end of last season and missed a month with a calf injury earlier this term.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Hibernian, manager Brendan Rodgers said: “We don’t have a definitive timeline but he will definitely be out for a few weeks. We are just waiting for it to settle down and waiting for the result and we will see where he’s at but it looked quite a bad one.<…
Steven Bergwijn has agreed a move to Eredivisie champions Ajax from Tottenham in a €31.25million (£26.5m) deal.
The Netherlands forward made the switch to England from PSV in January 2020 and made an immediate impact with a goal on debut in a 2-0 win over Manchester City.
But Bergwijn failed to command to a regular spot in the team and was included in the starting line-up of only four Premier League matches last season.
The signing of Richarlison from Everton pushed Bergwijn further down the pecking order and, with a World Cup on the horizon, he has opted for a switch back to the Netherlands, with Ajax confirming he has penned a five-year deal.
Head coach Alfred Schreuder told the club s official website: It is indicative of Steven s ambition that he c…
The Football Association will “seek police guidance” if players use the phrase “from the river to the sea” in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The governing body’s statement comes following a now-deleted social media post on X, formally known as Twitter, from Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury.
The phrase, which refers to land between the Mediterranean Sea and River Jordan, is often used in support of Palestine but some interpret it as antisemetic.
— Hamza Choudhury (@HamzaChoudhury1)
The Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights group, describes the phrase as: “An antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”
The FA con…
Newcastle United are set to flex their financial muscles during the January transfer window.
The Magpies are struggling in the Premier League drop zone even after claiming a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
But following a change of ownership they have funds available to bolster their squad.
TOP STORY MAGPIES KEEN ON BARCELONA S UMTITI
Cashed-up Newcastle are considering a move for Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti according to The Sun.
The 2018 World Cup winner has fallen out of favour at Barcelona, who are looking to offload players due to their financial issues.
Eddie Howe s side have conceded a league-high 42 goals and want to shore up their backline to aid their case to avoid relegation.
Newcastle line up £17m transfer fo…
Mario Balotelli has gone through much more at his age of 27 than most professional footballers go through their entire careers.
Turbulent Ride
Once nothing more than a talented youngster who caught the eye of Serie A giants Inter Milan back in 2007 after only a couple of matches for one of Italy’s minnows A.C. Lumezzane, Mario Balotelli went on to become the joint top scorer at the 2012 European championship but also one of the worst signings in entire history of Premier League giants Liverpool in just two years’ time.
Less than 12 years into his professional career which started in the depths of Lombardy, in Serie C1, and after a rollercoaster ride across some of the world’s biggest clubs such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool, Mario Balote…
According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Chelsea are in talks with Edouard Mendy’s representatives over a new contract.
The word being used is ‘improved’ to describe the offer they’re seeking but as it stands, there’s a notable gap between what the Blues are offering and what Mendy’s team want for him. He currently has three years left on his contract following on from his initial signing in 2020 and while he’s been an integral part of the first team up to this point, it’s also worth noting that the Blues haven’t been above digging their heels in with regards to this kind of situation in the past.
Mendy is easily one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and Chelsea are more than capable of making a push for the title in their own right th…
With the FA Cup taking center stage this weekend, we have another stacked schedule from across Europe. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday February 5th
BST 14:30 Augsburg vs Union Berlin
Starting with Saturday s guests, while Union Berlin might have only just missed out on a top-six finish last season, the Reds have once again gained a host of plaudits from across Germany. In the midst of what could become a famous campaign in Köpenick, Urs Fischer s men were last seen heading into the brief winter break with an eye-catching 2-1 win away at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Marking their return to action sat fourth in the table and with a stunning …
Lionel Messi is set to make his first appearance in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain after being included in the squad to face Club Brugge on Wednesday.
The Argentina superstar made a shock move to the Parc des Princes on a free transfer last month after Barcelona were unable to meet LaLiga s financial requirements to offer him a new contract.
So far, Messi has played only 24 minutes of football for PSG, that coming as a substitute in the 4-0 rout of Reims before the international break.
It remains to be seen if Messi will start against Brugge but he is in the travelling party for the trip to Belgium.
Le groupe parisien pour !
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside)
Messi is one of the most decorated players in C…
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.
…