Rafael Benitez is looking forward to taking his Newcastle United side to Anfield to face former club Liverpool following the Premier League fixtures release on Wednesday.
The Spaniard managed Liverpool between 2004 and 2010, leading the club to Champions League and FA Cup glory during his spell on Merseyside.
Newcastle face Liverpool at St James Park on September 30 before travelling to Anfield on March 3, with Benitez excited by the reunion.
Obviously I look forward to the two games with Liverpool, Benitez told the Newcastle website. Those days will be extra special for me, but really every game is exciting and every game has its own challenges.
It will be nice, too, to come up against Chris Hughton and his Brighton side again this season. This will be…
Mexico captain Edson Alvarez will miss the remainder of the Copa America after suffering a hamstring injury in their opening match against Jamaica.
Alvarez was in tears as he left the pitch just 30 minutes into El Tri s 1-0 victory in Houston on Saturday, having gone down clutching his right hamstring.
It has now been confirmed that the West Ham midfielder will play no further part in Mexico s campaign, which continues against Venezuela on Wednesday.
In a video posted to the team s social media accounts, Alvarez said: I had that dream just like my team-mates but sometimes these things happen in football and I will have to learn and grow from all this.
Incondicionales,, nuestro capitán en esta América, tiene un mensaje para ustedes.
¡Seguimos , …
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain s best position is central midfield, according to his Arsenal team-mate Danny Welbeck.
The 23-year-old has been used in a variety of roles by Arsene Wenger since joining the Gunners from Southampton in 2011, even finding himself playing at wing-back in the second half of last season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium, is believed to favour a central role, a preference endorsed by his fellow England international.
Asked what his colleague s best position is, Welbeck told Arsenal Player: With the quality he has and with his ability on the ball… I d say centre mid.
I feel like he s got the ability. I like it when he gets the ball in central mid, he knows that I can run in behind and h…
England s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has announced his retirement from international football.
The Everton striker, 31, won 119 caps, putting him second only to Peter Shilton, and scored 53 goals since making his debut in February 2003, breaking Bobby Charlton s national record of 49 in September 2015.
Rooney was permanent England captain since replacing Steven Gerrard in the role after the 2014 World Cup.
He last played for his country against Scotland in November 2016 and had not scored for the national side since his strike against Iceland as England crashed out of Euro 2016 at the last-16 stage.
Rooney had been tipped for a recall after scoring twice in his first two Premier League games – taking his top-flight tally to 200 – since returning…
Radja Nainggolan wants a flawless performance from Roma when they attempt to defeat BATE and seal progression to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Rudi Garcia s men sit second in Group E ahead of matchday six with five points from as many games and will book their ticket to the next round with a win at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.
Roma have been struggling to find their best form in recent weeks, though, and Nainggolan is desperate to end their four-game winless streak when the Belarusian side arrive in the Italian capital.
I think the good times will return. We have belief in the squad, we re a strong group and we re just waiting to get back to winning ways, the Belgium international told reporters.
Wednesday s Champions League match wi…
According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Liverpool are said to be interested in Borussia Monchengladbach star Matthias Ginter. The 25 year old has been with the German club since back in 2017, when he made the jump over from Borussia Dortmund. He’s considered to be one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, which is likely one of the reasons why he’s been a featured member of the German national team since debuting in 2014.
The Reds are currently in the midst of a Premier League title battle with Manchester City, but even with that being the case, it’s never too early to look ahead to the summer.
Liverpool are already pretty solid defensively, but the addition of someone like Ginter certainly wouldn’t hurt their cause. He’s wise beyond his years, he’s…
Claudio Ranieri is setting his sights higher than just Premier League survival after being appointed Fulham s new manager.
Former Chelsea and Leicester City boss Ranieri replaced the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic on Wednesday after signing a multi-year contract, with Fulham stuck at the bottom of the table on five points.
Fulham were among the Premier League s highest spenders in the last transfer window, spending approximately £100million to bolster their squad following promotion from the Championship.
Jean Seri, previously linked with Barcelona, was among the eye-catching arrivals, while World Cup winner Andre Schurrle also signed, as well as Aleksandar Mitrovic and Alfie Mawson.
But Jokanovic was unable to muster a winning formula this term, losing his…
Germany centre-back Jerome Boateng considered leaving Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich during the close season.
Boateng, who joined Bayern from Manchester City in 2011, has been a key member of the Bayern side that are on a run of five consecutive Bundesliga titles.
But a thigh injury sustained at Euro 2016 preceded a campaign ravaged by fitness problems last time around, with the 29-year-old restricted to 13 Bundesliga appearances.
In an interview with Kicker, Boateng explained he was left pondering whether it was time for a fresh start and took his concerns to the Bayern board during Carlo Ancelotti s time in charge.
I had a conversation with the directors about how they see me in the summer, I said I was thinking about it [a transfer], he said.
…
Pele is receiving treatment for a urinary tract infection in a French hospital, the former Brazil star s advisors have confirmed to Omnisport.
It was reported early on Wednesday that the 78-year-old had been hospitalised after falling ill in the hours after attending a sponsor event with Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.
It has been confirmed he is on a course of antibiotics and is not likely to be discharged until the infection has completely cleared up.
Pele, who was treated for a similar condition in a Sao Paulo hospital in 2014, is expected to be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The three-time World Cup winner, who spent his club career with Santos and New York Cosmos, is widely considered one of the greatest players in football history.…
Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted his time at Manchester United played a huge role in his development.
The Portugal international joined United from Sporting CP in 2003 and matured into one of the best players in the world at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who eventually left United for Real Madrid in 2009, has now revealed that the guidance of players such as Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs helped him become the player he is now.
Manchester was a huge education for me, Ronaldo told The Times. There were guys who always arrived for training one hour early. Scholes and Neville were incredible examples. Neville was the most professional player I saw. This is why these guys played in the top level for 10 years.
People like Giggsy, too. I learnt from them.…