Tag Futebol

David Moyes is hopeful that goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski will be fit to make his return from injury when West Ham United host Leeds United a week on Monday.

The Poland international sat out Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to title-elect Manchester City with an issue in his arm, after being stood on during training late in the week while making a save.

Republic of Ireland international Darren Randolph stood-in for the ex-Arsenal and Swansea City shot-stopper at the Etihad Stadium, though he aggravated a prior thigh strain in the defeat.

Randolph’s kicking was impacted by his injury but he remained on the field to play out the full 90 minutes, as he earned only his second Premier League appearance of the campaign so far.

The 33-year-old had returned to the bench at home to Tottenham Hotspur six days prior after missing three weeks with a thigh issue, but Moyes is hopeful that both he and Fabianski will both be fit for selection when Leeds visit the London Stadium on March 8.

“Fabianski was injured today,” Moyes said following the loss to Manchester City on Saturday. “Unfortunately, somebody stood on his arm in training as he made a save.

“It was an accidental collision, and I don’t think it’s too bad.

“Darren Randolph has been out in recent weeks with a bit of a thigh strain. He’s been back in training for a week or two, but I think he felt the effects of his thigh again.

“Thankfully, we got him through to the end of the game. We were ready to make a change, but we found a way for him not to have to take the kicks. Hopefully, he’ll get over it and we’ll also get Lukasz back.”

While Randolph may argue he could have done little to prevent either of Manchester City’s goals on Saturday, the £2m-rated outcast proved he was not the one Moyes’ needs to stand-in for Fabianski on a longer-term basis.

The Citizens only struck three of their 10 shots on target with West Ham blocking five efforts and two missing the mark, per WhoScored, but made those rare chances count to deal the Irons only their second defeat in 12 Premier League games.

Manchester City’s chances were not of a high-calibre, either, with Pep Guardiola’s side only boasting an expected goals score of 0.6 to the Hammers’ 1.6, per FBref.

That is also the Sky Blues’ worst rating during a top-flight fixture all term, taking the benchmark down from the 0.9 recorded in defeat to Leicester City in September and in a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace last month.

Randolph now has an average of just 0.5 saves from shots taken inside the box per league game this season, as well, while Fabianski stops 1.46 of efforts taken in the penalty area, per SofaScore.

Potentially having Fabianski back fit to face Leeds a week on Monday will be a huge boost for Moyes and West Ham, who will not want to rely on 33-year-old Randolph too often.

AND in other news, West Ham have been given a potential boost in hopes to sign a 19-goal striker this summer…

As Celtic’s Albian Ajeti claimed a ball from Scott Brown, turned his man and then buried an opportunity last Tuesday, he looked every bit a £4.5m player.

Truth be told, that’s very rarely been the case for the striker since he signed from West Ham last summer.

Though, just as he finds his shooting boots again, he’s been ruled out of this weekend’s clash by the dreaded Scottish FA.

Ajeti felt contact from Kilmarnock goalkeeper Colin Doyle and went down inside the area. Odsonne Edouard stepped up and slammed home the resulting spot-kick. However, the Scottish FA have now retrospectively banned the Swiss striker after a panel watched back the footage.

They believe that the forward conned referee Kevin Clancy in the way he fell to the ground. Celtic sources are reportedly astonished by the turn of events and for Neil Lennon, he is also aggrieved.

He reacted to the news by saying: “The keeper has made contact, he has gone down, the referee has given a penalty. I don’t see any simulation. Simulation is where there is no contact. There is obvious contact, you can see that quite clearly.”

The Hoops have appealed against the ban and will fight his cause in a hearing next Monday. However, he will miss their clash with Motherwell this afternoon.

It leaves Lennon with quite the dilemma. Ajeti earned a rare start on Tuesday and took it with hands. He was particularly lively and not only did he win the penalty, but he scored a tremendous fourth for Celtic.

Thus, it will represent a hefty blow for the Bhoys as they strive to bridge the gap to Rangers. The manager will now have to decide whether to bring Leigh Griffiths back into the fray or play Edouard up top on his own.

Lennon has fluttered between both systems in recent weeks. Griffiths and Edouard struck up a solid partnership in the 2-0 win over Hamilton – both scoring – but the former played just 45 minutes when they suffered defeat to St Mirren.

The Scot was on the bench when Celtic beat Killie but didn’t play any part in the game. Whether he returns to the starting XI is firmly in Lennon’s hands. He now has a big decision to make.

AND in other news, £7m Celtic brute could become a real star if Desmond hires “very demanding” 62 y/o…

اختتم منتخب مصر مساء اليوم استعداداته للقاء السودان ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العرب والمقامة في قطر.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر أمام السودان ضمن لقاءات الجولة الثانية للمجموعة الرابعة من البطولة الدولية.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشكيل منتخب مصر أمام السودان في كأس العرب.. تغييرات بالجملة

شارك في المران جميع اللاعبين، بينما تابعه من الملعب حمدي فتحي “لاعب الأهلي” الذي تغيب عن المران وتم استبعاده من قائمة المباراة تنفيذا لبرتوكول التعامل مع حالته.

طالع | أحمد حجازي: دفاع منتخب مصر غير مهزوز.. وسنحاول إضافة صفحة جيدة في تاريخ كيروش

وكان حمد فتحي قد تعرض لإصابة قوية خلال مباراة مصر أمام لبنان مما استدعى تغييره أثناء اللقاء ومشاركة مهند لاشين بدلًا منه.

وكان منتخب مصر حصد أول ثلاث نقاط، في البطولة بعد الفوز على لبنان في الجولة الأولى بهدف دون رد.

James Tavernier once again underlined his importance to Glasgow Rangers as Steven Gerrard’s side routed Ross County to extend their lead over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

A goal from Kemar Roofe gave the Gers the lead before the club captain finished from close range, Callum Morris diverted the ball into the back of the net, and Jermain Defoe added the icing with a lovely finish on the turn to mark his 800th senior appearance in his professional career with a goal.

Whilst Roofe opened the floodgates, Tavernier was the real standout, as the Bradford-born right-back has defied the critics to establish himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side, which has coincided with their resurgence in form since the start of the season.

Once again, the club captain produced another near-perfect performance, having scored his ninth penalty of the season against Standard Liege in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday night.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old was given a high grade of nine out of ten for his efforts against Stuart Kettlewell’s side, as Rangers largely dominated proceedings from start to finish.

Tavernier’s penchant for scoring goals from right-back has led to some, including legendary Ibrox gaffer Walter Smith, describing him as one of the most impactful full-backs in the world, as he has bagged 10 times and 7 assists in 16 games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.

But it is his defensive contribution that cannot be ignored as the Gers restricted the Staggies to just one shot on target in the entire game, as Harry Paton’s powerful strike was comfortably saved by wily goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

Tavernier, who currently earns wages worth £14,000-per-week, played the full 90′ minutes and he did not disappoint, as he won three out of his six ground duels, won both of his aerial duels, and made one tackle, whilst he wasn’t dribbled past at all, which implies that he put in a defensive shift.

The free-scoring full-back looked comfortable in possession and confident on the ball, as he took 96 touches in total, made one key pass, produced 47 out of 62 passes (76%), created one big chance and took one shot on target, two shots off target and had one attempt blocked.

As is often the case, the Rangers skipper found himself on the scoresheet once again, as he took advantage of a deflection to register his 16th goal of the season. The monster defender then had a cross deflected in by Callum Morris to cap off an impressive performance.

It’s fair to say that if he can continue his current run of form, it’s hard to see his understudy Nathan Patterson getting a chance in the starting line-up anytime soon, as the captain has started every single game in the Premiership so far this season.

With both Borna Barisic and Tavernier bombing up and down the flanks, Gerrard’s side are looking like a force to be reckoned with at this moment in time.

AND in other news, Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield can fulfil the role Gerrard has wanted for so long…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Chris Kirkland has suggested that Liverpool should target Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutch international was ruled out for a significant period after suffering an injury in the Merseyside derby draw against Everton earlier in the season, which has left the Reds a little short of centre-back options.

Dejan Lovren departed for Zenit St Petersburg during the summer and Fabinho, who filled in at centre-back in the first few games following Van Dijk’s injury, recently picked up a hamstring injury of his own.

This has led to youngsters such as Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams featuring at centre-back in recent fixtures, as Jurgen Klopp is often forced to do without the injury-prone Joel Matip.

In the exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kirkland suggested that the Reds should try and sign Tarkowski to add to their centre-back options, saying:

“Obviously there was a lot of talk about Tarkowski at Burnley. I like him, I think he’s decent. You can’t go, ‘well will he do what Van Dijk does?’ Because that’s impossible, nobody does that.”

Kirkland suggests that there was ‘a lot of talk’ about Liverpool potentially signing the England international, perhaps referencing Liverpool’s reported interest in the defender in January of last year.

At the time, Burnley manager Sean Dyche suggested that the rumours linking his centre-back, who earns £50,000-a-week according to Spotrac, with a move to Anfield were “bizarre” but considering the 27-year-old was described as ‘Burnley’s Virgil van Dijk’ in an article for The Athletic – perhaps he would be the ideal replacement for the former Southampton man while he recovers from injury.

Despite the Turf Moor outfit’s disappointing start to the 2020/21 Premier League season, the Englishman has still averaged an impressive 6.95 rating for his performances in the top-flight so far, so perhaps Liverpool should target the £25.2 million-rated centre-back in January.

Plenty of Everton fans have been flocking to a tweet from Dominic Calvert-Lewin reflecting on his goal for England against Wales.

The 23-year-old headed in from a cross by Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish after his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team by Gareth Southgate.

After sharing a highlight video of the goal on his Twitter profile, Calvert-Lewin captioned it as “the most incredible feeling” as he scored on his senior international debut.

The striker will now look to add to that goal if he is given the chance by Southgate in England’s UEFA Nations League games at home to Belgium and Denmark respectively, as he looks to maintain his excellent form in time for the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Nonetheless, it is a moment that Calvert-Lewin will remember forever and he will no doubt hope that there are many more goals to come both at international level and for the Toffees.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin’s tweet

These Everton supporters flocked to the tweet from the 23-year-old to show their support, with one fan branding him as ‘class’:

Evertonians, will Calvert-Lewin score in the Nations League this week? Comment below with your views!

Newcastle United are expected to make an opening offer to Bournemouth for Callum Wilson, according to the Daily Mail.

As per the outlet, the striker is apparently waiting for the two clubs to agree a deal on his proposed move to St James’ Park.

Sources close to the Cherries have said that they are still waiting for an official approach from the Tyneside club for Wilson, but they expect that an offer is incoming. Indeed, a recent report has suggested that Scotland international Matt Ritchie may be used as part of a deal to potentially lower Wilson’s asking price.

The £18m-valued ace is something of a goal machine when looking at his statistics from his career so far. In 250 games at both club level and for England’s under-21 and senior teams, Wilson has scored a relatively impressive 92 goals (via Transfermarkt), meaning that he find the net every two to three matches on average.

Comparing his figures to Newcastle strikers Andy Carroll, Dwight Gayle and Joelinton in the Premier League in 2019/20, not only did Wilson score more goals (eight) than all of them combined, but he also averaged the most shots (1.6) per game (per Whoscored), highlighting his eye for goal.

With Bournemouth getting relegated to the Championship from the top flight at the end of last season, the 28-year old may well be available for a cut-price fee, and so it seems like a no-brainer that Steve Bruce should go out and sign him for the Magpies.

Geordies, should Wilson be Newcastle’s main transfer target? Comment below with your views!

As confirmed by the club’s official website, Jota has left Aston Villa just a year after joining the club.

What’s the word?

The Spaniard was one of a number of signings made by the club’s former sporting director, Suso, in the summer of 2019, but ended up making just 16 competitive appearances at Villa Park.

Now, the club have confirmed that they have reached a mutual agreement with the 29-year-old to terminate his contract, just days before the end of the transfer window in the Premier League.

A reminder of Suso’s Villa disaster

Well, that was certainly a surprise. Given that Jota had featured twice in the Carabao Cup this season – albeit as a second-half substitute – the termination of his contract has come out of the blue.

But when you look at his overall contribution – and that word is used very lightly – it’s just another reminder of how badly Suso got it wrong last summer. Reports suggested that Villa paid around £4m to sign him from rivals Birmingham, and when you factor that into the £25k-a-week wages he was earning for more than a year, the club shelled out a total of £5.7m for Jota.

Dean Smith’s side spent big money as they embarked on their first season back in the Premier League, and were it not for a late season rally and a truly huge victory over Arsenal, they would have been playing Championship football again.

Despite their rise to safety, Suso’s mistakes in the transfer market shouldn’t be forgotten. The fact that he was replaced by Johan Lange earlier in the summer is a testament to that.

But having been around for just one year, Jota is the ultimate symbol of the former Villa sporting director’s failings whilst at the club.

كشف لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي إيفرتون، أندروس تاونسند، عن سبب احتفاله على طريقة، كريستيانو رونالدو، بعد هدفه في مرمى مانشستر يونايتد اليوم في الجولة السابعة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ونجح تاونسند في تسجيل هدف التعادل في شباك مانشستر يونايتد، في المباراة التي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1 على ملعب “أولد ترافورد” واحتفل الإنجليزي على طريقة البرتغالي بعد أهدافه.

اقرأ أيضًا | سوندرز: لا يُمكن إيقاف محمد صلاح.. وأصبح أفضل من رونالدو وميسي

“He’s my idol. I grew up watching Ronaldo, I spent hours on the training pitch trying to execute his techniques.

“Maybe should have spent longer on the celebration because it wasn’t great!” 😂

Andros Townsend says it was a honour to share the field with CR7.

🎙 @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/MBxBeOcg9f — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 2, 2021

وعلق لاعب إيفرتون على الأمر بعد المباراة في تصريحات لشبكة “BT Sport” البريطانية، وقال: “لم يكن قلة احترام، رونالدو مثلي الأعلى، لقد كبرت وأنا أشاهده، قضيت ساعات في التدريبات أحاول تنفيذ حركاته”.

وتابع: “ربما كان على أن احتفل بتلك الطريقة لوقت أطول لأن الاحتفال لم يكن رائعًا قليلًا”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “إنه لشرف كبير بالنسبة لي أن أشارك الملعب مع كريستيانو رونالدو”. شاهد هدف تاونسند في مرمى مانشستر يونايتد واحتفاله على طريقة رونالدو

Sunderland have joined Oxford United with interest in Ipswich Town winger Gwion Edwards, according to a report by Football Insider.

Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson will face a tricky summer transfer window as he embarks on a mission to build a squad capable of gaining promotion from League One to the Championship next season.

Sunderland missed out on promotion for the second year in a row after the League One season ended via a points-per-game system which saw the Wearsiders drop to eighth in the league standings.

Player exits and arrivals are now expected at the Stadium of Light and Football Insider has reported that Parkinson is keen to bring in Ipswich winger Edwards.

The 27-year-old Welsh winger had only a moderate 2019/20 campaign with Paul Lambert’s side, appearing 27 times in which he scored twice and assisted one goal.

He recently signed a new contract at the Suffolk club in May 2020 which commits him to Ipswich until the summer of 2021. Edwards’ transfer status is unknown, with Transfermarkt giving him a current market value of £720k.

Whilst Sunderland have emerged with interest, it is also claimed that Oxford United are in the hunt for the winger, although they will have their attention firmly on the play-off semi-final encounter with Portsmouth.

Edwards’ statistics are hardly mouth-watering and the fact that he has played for Ipswich, another League One club who suffered such bad form towards the end of the season, may raise further eyebrows as to Sunderland’s reported interest in him.

Parkinson needs to ensure that every player he signs is going to impress, not only for a short while but over a prolonged period.

Do you think Edwards would make a good signing for Sunderland this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…