Shakhtar Donetsk forward Eduardo hailed his team s progression to the Europa League last eight as a great achievement after his goal sealed victory over Anderlecht on Thursday.
The former Arsenal striker followed up on his strike in the 3-1 home first-leg victory with the only goal in Belgium as Mircea Lucescu s men moved through 4-1 on aggregate.
Both teams had a player sent off in a dramatic closing period, with the visitors Olexandr Kucher seeing red shortly before Kara Mbodji was dismissed for Anderlecht prior to Eduardo s last-minute strike.
Shakhtar last reached the quarter-finals of the competition in 2009 – the final year the tournament was known as the UEFA Cup – and went on to lift the trophy in a 2-1 extra-time win over Werder Bremen.
I t…
The Premier League has arguably never been more competitive than it is this season, with just three points separating the division’s top five teams.
Manchester City sit top of the table on 28 points, with Liverpool and Arsenal one behind on 27, Tottenham on 26 and Aston Villa on 25.
It is the first time in Premier League history that five teams have amassed 25 points or more in their first 12 matches.
How things look at the top going into the international break
— Premier League (@premierleague)
However, the level of competition extends beyond the top few sides, as demonstrated by several of the weekend’s results including City’s thrilling 4-4 draw at Chelsea and Spurs’ injury-time loss at Wolves.
Just 12 matches into the 2023-…
Once again, we bring you some of the more notable transfer stories that have appeared in the last day or so, as well as some updates on previous ones. Make sure to return here several times before the day is out.
Bayern consider Walker swoop
Bayern Munich are reportedly considering whether to make a move to sign Kyle Walker from Manchester City.
The 33-year-old defender appears likely to leave the Etihad this summer, and with Benjamin Pavard on his way out too, Bayern will need an experienced defender to patch up the right side of their defence.
There has been no contact between the parties as of yet; it s all in the planning stages for the time being.
Union want Gosens in Berlin ahead of Champions League campaign
Before th…
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Ivan Toney from Premier League rivals Brentford in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Tottenham are looking at various striker options ahead of the New Year, and that former Newcastle United player Toney is on their radar.
Toney has been superb for Brentford over the years, both in the Championship and in the Premier League. The 26-year-old English striker has scored six goals and provided two assists in nine Premier League appearances for the Bees so far this season. In 2020-21, the striker scored 12 goals and provided five assists in the league.
Tottenham are third in the Premier League table at the moment with 20 points from nine matches, four points behind leaders and bitter North Londo…
What the papers say
Chelsea are set to make Victor Osimhen their prime target in the January transfer window. The 24-year-old Nigerian striker is keen to make the move from Napoli to Stamford Bridge, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq are chasing goalkeeper David De Gea, reports The Sun. The 33-year-old is a free agent since leaving Manchester United at the end of last season.
Saudi Arabia is also a potential destination for West Ham winger Said Benrahma. The Sun reports various clubs in the Saudi Pro League are eager to snap up the 28-year-old Algerian.
Boca Juniors full-back Valentin Barco is a target for Manchester City. The Sun reports the Premier League champions would loan the 19-year-old to Leicester.
Social media round-u…
Manchester City bounced backed from the misery of their derby defeat to Manchester United with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola s two-time defending champions have the opportunity to reduce the gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Liverpool, who are away at the Club World Cup in Qatar.
However, standing in Manchester City s way are Leicester – four points above them in the table in second place and playing with the kind of freedom that won them the title in 2015-16.
With Manchester City in such inconsistent form, can Leicester enhance their own title ambitions and register their first win at the Etihad Stadium since February 2016?
RODGERS FOXES HOT TO TROT
Brendan Rodgers Leicester team ha…
Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema is one of the most underrated players in history according to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
Benzema has produced several incredible displays to fire Real Madrid to their 17th European Cup/Champions League final, scoring hat-tricks in last-16 and quarter-final ties with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, before netting three goals across a 6-5 aggregate win over Manchester City in the semi-finals.
The 34-year-old has been touted for the Ballon d Or after scoring 43 goals and providing 14 assists in all competitions for Los Blancos this term, with Carlo Ancelotti s team also wrapping up the LaLiga title last week.
The France international has scored 10 goals in the Champions League knockout stages, the joint-most recorded by a …
Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that he would never take the Barcelona job, claiming that it would be like quitting Tottenham to take charge at Arsenal.
The 45-year-old has been touted as a possible successor to Luis Enrique, who is to step down when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Speculation that Pochettino could be made an offer grew when it was reported that he had met Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu in Catalonia during the international break, but the Spurs manager says his Espanyol roots would make any move to Camp Nou impossible.
I m an Espanyol supporter I think then I don t need to speak too much, Pochettino, who won two Copas del Rey as a player before becoming head coach of the club in 2009, told a news conference.
It is…
According to a recent report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to make a decision over his future in football during the month of December. The frontrunners at this time are believed to be Italian side Bologna, although there is also interest from AC Milan – and a series of other clubs who may not have made a formal approach up to this point.
The LA Galaxy star is set to leave the MLS club following their playoff elimination at the hands of local rivals LAFC just a few weeks ago. The Swede made it clear that he would be moving on to pastures new and that’s exactly what he’s doing, with a return to Europe seemingly being imminent at this stage.
Bologna would certainly mark a change of direction for Zlatan who has always seemed to join bi…
Verdict: Tottenham to score 2+ goals
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Tottenham head to Germany on Tuesday night for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Borussia Dortmund looking to protect a commanding 3-0 lead secured in London last month.
Borussia Dortmund
Starting with the hosts, while Borrusia Dortmund might have enjoyed a stellar start to the season and had their sights set on recapturing the Bundesliga title for the first time in seven years, Lucien Favre s side are drastically short on both form and confidence. Shipping three against Spurs at Wembley in the first leg and needing a miracle on Tuesday night, BVB once again failed to impress over the weekend. Heavily criticized for their shock 2-1 loss away at leading relegatio…