Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United face a battle to finish in the Premier League s top six next season, let alone challenge for the title, though the Red Devils manager is confident he will be granted time to lead the club back to the summit.
United have not won the Premier League since Alex Ferguson s final campaign in 2012-13 as the Manchester club languish in sixth position this term, 29 points adrift of leaders Liverpool heading into their remaining two matches.
Solskjaer was permanently appointed manager in March, having impressed during his interim spell following Jose Mourinho s December sacking, but United have only won two of their past 10 games in all competitions.
And Solskjaer does not think United will challenge for silverware next season, w…
Hakim Ziyech says Morocco believe they can progress from Group B ahead of their opening World Cup clash with Iran in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Both Morocco and Iran could be forgiven for feeling hard done by when they were pitted against 2010 winners Spain and reigning European champions Portugal in the group stage.
The turmoil in the Spain camp following the sacking of Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament and Fernando Hierro s appointment for the duration of the event may give hope to both sides.
Morocco are playing in a World Cup for the first time since 1998, when Iran claimed their sole win in the history of the tournament, and Ziyech says confidence in the camp is high.
Ziyech told KweseESPN: If we don t believe that we can progress, what is …
Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez has been accused by the Barcelona public prosecutor of evading more than €900,000 in tax, according to a report in Spain.
Sanchez, who played for Barcelona for three years from 2011, is alleged to have defrauded the Spanish Treasury by an amount totalling €983,443 in 2012 and 2013.
According to El Peridodico de Catalunya, a criminal complaint has been raised against the 27-year-old by prosecutor Miguel Angel Perez de Gregorio over a failure to pay tax on image rights.
It is claimed that Sanchez simulated the transfer of those rights to Numidia Trading, a company listed as being based in Malta, and failed to declare his earnings in full.
According to the report, the prosecutor s official complaint accuses Sanchez of simu…
Market: Spain win to nil
Odds:
Spain face Morocco on Monday evening knowing a last-16 place is in their hands but top spot could be a lottery.
For the 2010 World Cup winners, coming off the back of their dramatic 3-3 draw with Group B running mates Portugal, Spain s hard-fought 1-0 win over Iran in their second outing means they must better Portugal s result if they want to secure top spot. Coming up against a Morocco side who have failed to find the net at all this tournament, it s hard to see them testing a Spanish defense who saw both Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique pick up their 100th caps. Spain are also un a 22 match unbeaten run that has also seen them score at least once in each content.
As for Morocco, while very few expected The Red s to make …
Best Odds: 2/5
Bookmaker:
Seeking a crucial boost when they return from November’s international break this weekend, AC Milan will welcome Fiorentina to the San Siro on Saturday night.
AC Milan
Starting with the hosts, while AC Milan might have opened up the 2023/24 campaign in the midst of a major purple patch, it is fair to say that the Italian heavyweights have come crashing back down to earth. Heading into November’s international break with a real missed opportunity as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate away at Leece, Stefano Pioli appears to have come mounting pressure on his shoulders. Although the Rossoneri might have claimed a thrilling 2-1 win against French icons PSG while on Champions League duties earlier in the month, that is th…
Juventus are interested in signing Jeremy Doku from Rennes in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that former Serie A winners Juventus are among five clubs who are keen on securing the services of the 20-year-old winger.
Doku has been on the books of Rennes since 2020 when he moved from Anderlecht for €26 million. The winger has established himself as one of the best young players in his position in France and has been doing well for Rennes. Doku has made one start and five substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season. The youngster has also played 12 minutes in the UEFA Europa League this campaign.
Last season, Doku made four starts and 10 substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for Rennes, scoring one goal and providing two assists i…
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has respect for Zlatan Ibrahimovic as one of the best players despite their tempestuous year together at Barcelona.
Guardiola moved Ibrahimovic on to AC Milan on loan after the pair failed to see eye-to-eye at Camp Nou during the treble-winning 2009-10 season.
The 34-year-old former Sweden international took his rejection to heart, if subsequently labelling Guardiola as a spineless coward and not a man is anything to go by.
Ahead of Saturday s Manchester derby, Ibrahimovic s outspoken agent Mino Raiola chimed in with criticism of his own, but Guardiola praised the striker at his pre-match news conference.
I have a lot of respect for what Zlatan has done for football, he said, acknowledging Ibrahimovic s impact of four g…
Jordy Gaspar has left Lyon for Monaco, signing a three-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions.
Defender Gaspar, a France Under-20 international, made just three appearances for Lyon last season, one of which came in the Champions League.
The 20-year-old joined Lyon s youth ranks in 2008 and spent three campaigns with the B team before stepping up last season.
Monaco vice-president and chief executive Vadim Vasilyev said: We are pleased to announce the signing of Jordy Gaspar to AS Monaco.
He is a young French prospect recognised for his potential and who will find all the conditions to progress here under the orders of Leonardo Jardim.
L’AS Monaco est heureux d’annoncer la signature de Jordy Gaspar jusqu’en 2020 !
— AS Monaco (@A…
Carlo Ancelotti and Mikel Arteta watched new clubs Everton and Arsenal play out a low-quality 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Ancelotti s appointment was confirmed by Everton just over an hour prior to kick-off and the former Real Madrid and Chelsea head coach will likely have been happier than new Gunners boss Arteta by what he saw.
Interim Arsenal boss Freddie Ljungberg named a young starting line-up, leaving Mesut Ozil out of his squad entirely, but they failed to provide service to isolated captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Ljungberg s Everton counterpart Duncan Ferguson, who had secured four points from two games against Chelsea and Manchester United, will now step aside as Arteta and Ancelotti take charge for the next round of league games on Decem…
French government ´sad and sorry´ for Champions League chaos, as interior minister repeats fake tick
The French government has said it is sad and sorry for the disruption faced by Liverpool fans at last week s Champions League final in Paris, though interior minister Gerald Darmanin has refused to back down on claims the use of fake tickets caused the chaos.
The Champions League final was twice delayed as Liverpool fans struggled to enter the Stade de France, while social media footage showed Reds supporters being targeted with tear gas and pepper spray by local police.
On Monday, UEFA announced an independent investigation into the events after both Liverpool and the UK government via culture secretary Nadine Dorries called for a probe into the organisation of the match.
The French government has faced severe criticism since the contest, with Liverpoo…