Credit: Twitter | naijasoccer1
Real Madrid are already without Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos for the La Liga clash with Ronaldo now left out by Zinedine Zidane
Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the Real Madrid squad for their crucial clash with Deportivo. Los Blancos dropped to second in the La Liga table on Sunday following their dramatic El Clasico defeat to Barcelona.
Real return to action on Wednesday night but will be without their talisman.
Ronaldo was not named in Zinedine Zidane’s 19-man squad, despite Real Madrid already without Gareth Bale through injury and Skipper Sergio Ramos who won’t make the trip either after being sent off against Barca. Toni Kroos has also been left out of the squad by Zidane.
Marco Asensio, who has impressed off the bench in recent weeks, is likely to come into the starting line-up, alongside James Rodriguez.
Real Madrid squad
Navas, Casilla, Yanez, Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Danilo, Tejero, James, Casermiro, Kovacic, Modric, Asensio, Isco, Benzema, Lucas Vasquez, Mariano, Morata.
More reactions trail the Enyeama Super Eagles-Return debate and the latest by NFF Technical Committee member, Paul Bassey takes the case to a whole new level.
The much anticipated fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko is this saturday. And as we build up to the fight. Here’s one to wet your appetite. Wembley promises to be lit. Enjoy!
Newcastle players were left stunned on Wednesday morning as their Darsley Park training ground was swarmed by HMRC officers.
Newcastle United managing director Lee Charnley has been arrested after a raid on St James’ Park by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs following an investigation into the club’s finances.
It is understood that West Ham have also been raided as part of the investigation and HMRC have made several arrests for suspected income tax and national insurance fraud. It has been confirmed that French authorities are assisting HMRC.
The news comes just two days after Newcastle sealed promotion to the Premier League.
Charnley, 39, is the club’s former secretary who has been promoted to the role of managing director under owner Mike Ashley.
A statement from HMRC said: ‘180 HMRC officers have been deployed across the UK and France today. Investigators have searched a number of premises in the North East and South East of England and arrested the men and also seized business records, financial records, computers and mobile phones.
‘The French authorities are assisting the UK investigation, have made arrests and several locations have been searched in France.
Sunderland manager David Moyes has been charged by the Football Association after telling BBC reporter Vicki Sparks she might “get a slap”.
Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham have no intention of selling Dele Alli to Manchester City despite Xavi’s claims Pep Guardiola is interested in the player.
The Spurs boss, Pochettino has described Xavi as someone he regards as an “enemy” from their days as opponents in La Liga.
Barcelona great Xavi praised Alli as “one of the best in Europe” and said his friend and former manager Guardiola would like to bring him to the Etihad this summer.
“He’s in a period when he loves to talk, he’s in Doha [playing for Al Sadd] and listen, he was Barcelona player, he’s my enemy,” said Pochettino of Xavi ahead of his side’s trip to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
“He tried to destroy our focus to win because he hates me because he’s Barcelona – player, fans, you know.
“I know him [Xavi] very well, I played against him a lot and when I was a manager [at Espanyol].”
Pochettino recounted a story from the playing careers of both men to illustrate his distrust of Xavi, when he won a penalty which Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored to give Barcelona a 1-0 win over his Espanyol side in a match in December 2009.
“Yesterday there was Thierry [Henry] here and we remembered the game that he [Xavi] cheated the referee,” said Pochettino.
“He fell down, it wasn’t a penalty, but Ibrahimovic scored for Barcelona and they won the game.
“The marking man was Raul Baena, Xavi fell down and said ‘penalty’, they gave a penalty.
“After, in the video, it was very funny because no one touched him and everyone in the media was saying no, no trust me – it was a penalty. Come on. It goes from lie to lie to lie.
“He is working for Manchester City, maybe? He wants to help Guardiola”
The invitation of new players to the Super Eagles by Gernot Rohr is to give the Technical Adviser more options in the team and not an attempt to phase out players.
Only one Nigerian club, Rivers United FC, is left in the 2017 inter CAF club competition this year.
The Pride of Rivers is one of 16 clubs in the hat for the CAF Confederation Cup group stage draw which will be conducted in Cairo, Egypt today.
Technical manager of United, Stanley Eguma says he is clam ahead of the draw for the 2017 Caf Confederation Cup group stage.
“This is a very big competition, no Nigerian club has ever won it before and we are looking to make history,” Eguma told our official website,www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
“Of all the clubs that have qualified for this stage, we are the least experienced as we are less than two years old.
“However, we have beaten more experienced sides in the past both in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup so we will not be fazed,” he said.
United will definitely draw one of four sides in the shape of TP Mazembe, Zesco United, FUS Rabat and CS Sfaxien who have all been seeded.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’ will also face two of 11 other sides in pot two of the draw.
Eguma says he would have liked to avoid some of the big guns at this stage of the competition but knows facing and tripping storied opposition is a pre-requisite for respect to be earned.
“If we had our way, we would have liked to avoid the big sides like TP Mazembe, Zesco United and FUS Rabat.
“However, we want to win the Caf Confederation Cup title.
“And to be the best, you must beat the best,” he added.
Caf Confederation Cup qualified teams
Pot one
TP Mazembe (Congo DR)
CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
Zesco United (South Africa)
FUS Rabat (Morocco)
Pot two
Smouha (Egypt)
Recreativo de Libolo (Angola)
MC Alger (Algeria)
CF Mounana (Gabon)
Horoya (Guinea)
Platinum Stars (South Africa)
SuperSport United (South Africa)
Al-Hilal Al-Ubayyid (Sudan)
Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)
Club Africain (Tunisia)
KCAA (Uganda)
Rivers United (Nigeria)
Diego Costa has now scored 50 Premier League goals for Chelsea – and is the eighth quickest player in the Premier League’s history to reach that landmark.
He scored Chelsea’s third and fourth goals in their 4-2 victory over Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.
Although Diego Costa has been beaten in the race to 50 goals by the likes of Sergio Aguero ,Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry, the Chelsea striker has managed to reach the feat in one game fewer than former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.
Conte’s side now need four victories from their remaining fixtures to become champions, although that is supposing Tottenham maintain winning form during their trickier run-in. Spurs have no leeway and the leaders will watch events at Selhurst Park on Wednesday with interest, but they can sense the title edging ever closer. “We must be confident about the future,” added Conte. “We only have to think about ourselves.”