Job not done for Juve – Del Piero

Liverpool are 21 matches into their Premier League title bid and, remarkably, have failed to win just once.

Jurgen Klopp s side look unstoppable as they charge towards a first top-flight championship since 1989-90, building a 14-point lead – with a game in hand – heading into this weekend s fixtures.

But the one team to halt Liverpool this term, holding the Reds to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on October 20, were bitter rivals Manchester United.

Only a late Adam Lallana equaliser to cancel out Marcus Rashford s opener maintained the leaders unbeaten league campaign.

United face Liverpool again on Sunday, visiting Anfield, so we take a look at what went right for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men last time and what they must do to earn a result again on Merseys…

Former South Yorkshire Police (SYP) chief superintendent David Duckenfield will face trial for the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 football fans at Hillsborough following a ruling by a judge.

The judge at Preston Crown Court on Friday lifted a stay on Duckenfield s prosecution, which was imposed 18 years ago, and granted a voluntary bill of indictment to allow the prosecution against him to proceed. Four other men will also stand trial.

Duckenfield was the SYP match commander for the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool at Hillsborough. A crush on the Leppings Lane terrace resulted in 96 Liverpool supporters being fatally injured.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) brought the charges in June 2017 following an inquest that r…

As I watched Ronaldinho terrorise Siena for AC Milan at the San Siro on Sunday, it took me back to the halcyon days of his career at Barcelona.

It took me back to the days of the smiling assassin receiving a standing ovation at Real Madrid s Bernabeu, after scoring a fantastic goal and putting in a superb display.

Respected football magazine World Soccer voted him the Player of the Decade. I don t think anybody could argue with that decision. His sheer brilliance made him one of the best players of his generation.

His vision, pace and dribbling ability was unique among his peers. His ability was even compared to Diego Maradona and Pele. He never quite made it to their levels of greatest but I would say he would be in my top ten players ever list. He is certainly…

Yoann Gourcuff has refused to rule out the possibility of leaving Ligue 1 side Lyon amid reported interest from Arsenal.

The France international has struggled to capture his best form for the club since completing a big-money transfer from Bordeaux in 2010.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is reportedly keen on a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer, and the 26-year-old has admitted he is open to the idea.
If clubs are interested and interesting, I don t close the door on anything at all, Gourcuff said in Ouest France.
The most important thing is to play, but I have to look at the sporting project, whether they count on me, the means that we re give to succeed, and if they have clear ideas which don t change after a defeat.
Meanwhile, Gourcuff s team-mate and f…

Bayern Munich have agreed a deal with Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS to sign teenage forward Alphonso Davies in January.

Davies has impressed for the Whitecaps since making his debut in 2016, making 55 first-team appearances and scoring three times in the league.

The 17-year-old s progression in MLS has earned him six international caps with Canada and attracted the attention of Europe s top clubs.

Bayern have won the race for his signature, though, signing a contract until 2023 with the Bundesliga champions. 

Alphonso Davies is a very big talent, said Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.

At the age of 17, he offers a lot of promise for the future. Alphonso already possesses great ability, which is why a lot of top clubs were keen on him.…

Derby County have confirmed the signing of George Evans from Reading, as Frank Lampard continues to try and improve the Rams squad to the point where they can make a run at promotion. Derby have struggled to really reach that next level when it comes to making the final step up to the Premier League, with many comparing them to Cardiff City a few years back.

The 23-year-old kicked off his career with Manchester City, but as their rise to prominence really kicked off, he wasn t considered to be an integral part of the system at the club. He joined Reading in 2016 where he was able to flourish as both a midfielder and a centre-back, and now, he ll have the chance to join a side with realistic ambitions of gaining promotion in the next few years.

Ironically enough, Derby w…

Barcelona beat Alaves 3-1 in LaLiga despite playing the last 20 minutes with a man less.

Alaves piled the pressure on in the first period but Barcelona, in their first game since manager Xavi announced he will resign in the summer, nicked the opening goal of the game through Robert Lewandowski’s ninth of the season.

The home side were looking for a fourth straight league win but their hopes seemed to be snuffed out when Ilkay Gundogan doubled Barca’s lead.

Samuel Omorodion brought the hosts back into the match a couple of minutes later before Vitor Roque came off the bench on the hour mark for a whirlwind few minutes. He slotted Barca’s third and then saw red for a second bookable offence, but Barca nevertheless held on for a fifth win in six league games.<…

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

Desperate to widen their advantage in the Champions League spots, Borussia Dortmund will welcome Freiburg to Signal Iduna Park on Friday night.

Borussia Dortmund

Starting with the hosts, left disappointed last weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate away at Heidenheim, Borussia Dortmund will be seeking an immediate response here. However, while Edin Terzic’s men might have already accepted that any chance of a Bundesliga title charge is off the table, BVB are sat in the driving seat to punch another Champions League ticket in 2024. Marking their return from Germany’s festive break with a 3-0 romp away at Darmstadt, the one-time West Ham coach has seen his squad muster 10 points in their four Bundesliga appearan…

Bayern Munich are ready to move for PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard, .

The midfielder has been in stunning form for the Blues this season, with fourteen goals and eight assists in thirty-seven league games, helping his side to their first title in five years.

He has a further five goals in other competitions, and netted twice on route to the League Cup final, where Jose Mourinho’s side beat Tottenham Hotspur by two goals to nil.

Having crashed out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage, Bundesliga champions Bayern are already planning for next season.

A bid of around £72.4m may be enough to test Chelsea’s resolve, and would far eclipse the £29m they paid for Javi Martinez in the summer of 2012.

Bayern end the season at home…

Best odds: 5/2

Bookmaker:

More than two months aftere the last game was played, the 2019/20 season in the German Bundesliga is set to continue this weekend with a full fixture list being played within the 26th round of the campaign. All games will be played behind closed doors.

Augsburg are set to welcome Wolfsburg to the Augsburg Arena (also known as the WWK Arena) on Saturday afternoon, in a game that could prove very important for both sides, but in rather different circumstances.

Augsburg

At the time when the Covid-19 pandemic caused the football in the German top flight to stop back in March, Augsburg had accumulated 27 points from 25 games, which put them in the 14th place in the table. That s just five more than Fortuna Dusseldorf in 16th, the pl…