Category Uncategorized

Celtic yesterday announced ticket information for the Betfred Cup final at Hampden Park next month, with the details posted on their official website and shared on Twitter via @CelticFC.

According to celticfc.net, tickets for the December 8th showpiece have been balloted among season ticket holders on the Home Cup Ticket Scheme whose payment was taken by direct debit for the games at Parkhead against Dunfermline and Partick Thistle in earlier rounds of the competition, and who bought a ticket under their own client reference for the semi-final win over Hibernian.

The club acknowledged on celticfc.net that they don’t have a sufficient ticket allocation to satisfy all members who meet the above criteria but appealed to supporters for “understanding” of the situation. There will not be any tickets on general sale for the Betfred Cup final against their rivals.

Many Celtic fans who have been unable to get tickets despite meeting the eligibility criteria have vented their anger at the arrangements on Twitter:

Do you sympathise with these Celtic fans who have missed out on tickets for the Betfred Cup final? Comment below with your views!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sergio Aguero has stated that Liverpool are the only team in the Premier League that have the capabilities of hurting them right now.

What did he say?

Manchester City are set to battle with Liverpool at Anfield this Sunday. No doubt it is going to be a must-win game for the champions, as a win for the Reds would put them nine clear after 12 games.

Aguero is no stranger to scoring goals in huge games having scored the opener when the two sides met at the Etihad earlier this year.

However, the City star believes that Liverpool are a very strong team and will fight with them until the end. The 31-year-old also claimed he relishes the Manchester derby just a little more than he does a clash at Anfield.

He told France Football (as cited by Daily Mail): “It may be the Clasico for television, but for us, the Clasico, it’s the match against United.

“Liverpool have always been a tough opponent. But when I arrived, the team we were fighting for the title was United.

“Initially, it was something strange in [Manchester] that City competes against United. Then there was Chelsea. But these last four seasons, Liverpool have become a very strong team and are now fighting with us to win the Premier League.

“They are the only team in the league that can hurt us. They have been chasing a new league title for years.

“Last season, they didn’t go all the way, so they are very motivated. This year, they are in front of us and will try to go to the end.”

Liverpool showing championship qualities

Liverpool have shown true title-winning qualities over the past year. Their brutal nature in the Champions League last season and the 94th-minute winner against Aston Villa recently, proved they are a threat to anyone.

Despite falling a point short of City last season, Liverpool still managed to put together 18 Premier League wins on the bounce – one short of City’s record of 19. Now, despite that winning run coming to an end, the Reds are still the only unbeaten side in the league and boast a better defence than the Citizens, conceding one less goal.

This game is a must-win for the champions, and they may even be marginal underdogs given their injury problems.

تحدث أحمد المحمدي قائد منتخب مصر الأول، والمحترف ضمن صفوف أستون فيلا الإنجليزي، عن استبعاده من معسكرات الفراعنة خلال الفترات الأخيرة تحت القيادة الفنية للمدرب حسام البدري.

وقال المحمدي في تصريحات تلفزيونية ببرنامج “الماتش”، عبر فضائية “صدى البلد”: “أبارك للجهاز الفني واللاعبين على التأهل إلى أمم إفريقيا، الفريق تعرض لانتقادات عقب مباراة كينيا، ولكني تحدثت مع محمود تريزيجيه، وأكد لي أن هناك صعوبات كثيرة واجهتهم، لكن أهم شئ هو تحقيق الهدف”.

وأضاف: “أعتقد أن الجهاز الفني واجه صعوبات كثيرة بسبب ظروف فيروس كورونا وعدم تجمع اللاعبين فترات كافية، ويصعب وجود أداء جيد في ظل تجمعات قصيرة، وأرى أن الفترة المقبلة بعد دخول اللاعبين في فترة إعداد سيتغير الشكل”.

طالع | طارق مصطفى: أداء الزمالك أمام المولودية فاجئني.. وباب المنتخب مفتوح أمام شيكابالا

وتابع: “لم يكن لديّ تحفظات بشأن الانضمام للمنتخب بعد أمم إفريقيا 2019، وعدم ضمي وجهة نظر فنية، المدرب فضل الاعتماد على عناصر معينة في هذه الفترة، والمرحلة المقبلة وتصفيات كأس العالم ستكون أصعب وستتطلب خبرات”.

وواصل: “المدير الفني مسؤول عن الاختيارات، ولكن أرى أن وجود اللاعبين أصحاب الخبرات سيكون مفيدًا للفريق حتى لو لم يكونوا ضمن التشكيلة الأساسية، وارد جدًا أن يكون سني هو السبب في استبعادي، وأن البدري يريد الاعتماد على لاعبين صغار، ولكن هذا أمر غير مقنع بالنسبة لي”.

وعن ما أثير بشأن استبعاده بسبب أزمة شارة القيادة، أردف المحمدي: “قرار الشارة في يد المدير الفني، وهي ليست مسألة مهمة، القائد ليس بالشارة، وأتمنى ألا يتم إثارة هذه النقطة في الإعلام، ويجب التركيز فيما هو أهم، ومحمد صلاح هو الأحق بقيادة المنتخب لأنه يتمتع بخبرات كبيرة جدًا، واعتاد اللعب تحت الضغوط، وهو بالتأكيد الأنسب لارتداء الشارة”.

وبسؤاله عن إمكانية استبعاده عن منتخب مصر بسبب مساندة عمرو وردة، أوضح: “كانت مرحلة ومرت، وأعتقد أن المدير الفني لا يفكر فيها، وهي ليست سبب مقنع لعدم ضمي، والبدري هو الوحيد الذي يستطيع الإجابة على هذا السؤال، وأتواصل مع وردة من فترة لأخرى”.

واستطرد: “عودتي إلى مصر؟، أنا أشجع الأهلي وأحبه، ولكن لدي طموح كبير أن أستمر في الدوري الإنجليزي، ولم أحدد سن معين للاعتزال، طموحي أن أستمر في الملعب أطول فترة، هناك من تجاوز الأربعين وما زال يلعب، وأنا حاليًا أحصل على دورات تدريبية والموسم المقبل سأكون قد انتهيت من كل الدورات”.

واختتم متحدثًا عن فريقه: “تريزيجيه كان يعاني من إصابة وبعد ذلك أزمة كورونا، ولكنه سجل هدفين أمس أعادا له الثقة ووضعا الفريق في مركز جيد، أستون فيلا تم دعمه بصفقات قوية، وهدفنا أن ننهي الدوري هذا الموسم في مركز جيد، خاصة أن النتائج غير متوقعة”.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن دييجو كوستا، مهاجم فريق أتلتيكو مدريد السابق، اختار وجهته المقبلة، وسينتقل إلى بنفيكا خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية القامة.

دييجو كوستا فسخ عقده مع أتلتيكو مدريد بالتراضي في ديسمبر الماضي، ومنذ ذلك الحين لم يمارس البرازيلي الإسباني كرة القدم.

كان هناك اهتمام كبير في البرازيل وإنجلترا لضم اللاعب، ولكنه اتخذ القرار النهائي بالانتقال إلى بنفيكا البرتغالي، حسب ما أكدت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن وكيل أعمال كوستا، خورخي مينديز، أنهى كل الأمور مع بنفيكا، وسينضم دييجو رسميًا بنهاية الموسم الجاري.

الصحيفة الإسبانية، أفادت بأن كوستا فضل الاستمرار في أوروبا، وبنفيكا وجهة مناسبة لصاحب الـ32 عامًا، حيث يرى دييجو أن الدوري البرتغالي من أقوى الدوريات في القارة العجوز.

من جانبه، ستكون هذه الصفقة للنادي البرتغالي من شأنها أن تثير حماس الجماهير، إذا كان كوستا بصحة بدنية جيدة.

بنفيكا يحتل المركز الثالث في الدوري البرتغالي الآن بفارق 13 نقطة عن المتصدر لشبونة، و 3 نقاط عن المركز الثاني بورتو.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

In his Premier League predictions for this weekend’s round of fixtures, Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has tipped Southampton to struggle against Sheffield United.

The Saints have gathered four points from their opening four matches, including a win over Brighton and a draw against Manchester United, although they suffered a 3-0 loss to Burnley on the opening weekend of fixtures.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been far from convincing – it should be noted that their only win came against a Brighton side who had Florin Andone sent off in the first half – but one line from Nicholas’ prediction seems harsh.

What did he say?

Nicholas said: “Chris Wilder is a man of substance when it comes to his players not doing the job. He does not take fools. He has no loyalty to the players who will not do the job. If you are doing well, you are in the team, and if not then you are not fulfilling the duties that he wants.

“It is similar to Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton, but if Nathan Redmond is not fit on Saturday, I don’t think they have enough of a threat up front.”

Harsh words

Admittedly, Redmond is probably the Saints’ best attacker and has already scored once in three league outings this term, after hitting six and grabbing four assists last term – however, he is not the only danger-man Southampton have.

In Danny Ings, Hasenhuttl has a £20m forward of decent pedigree who has turned out for Liverpool and England – the 27-year-old scored seven goals last season and has been involved in two goals so far this term.

Furthermore, in Che Adams, the Saints have a man who hit 22 goals in the Championship last term and merited a £15m fee this summer as a result.

You may argue that the 23-year-old’s goals came outside the top-flight, but Nicholas can’t really say Adams won’t be a threat against the Blades seeing as the newly-promoted side effectively have the same backline that they had in the second-tier – the division where Adams was so prolific.

Of course, Hasenhuttl would presumably prefer to have Redmond fit, although you can’t deny there are still some dangerous attackers up top without the former Norwich man available.

Nicholas’ words, then, seem overly harsh ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

[ad_pod ]

It’s quite an image to see these two great world champions standing side by side. The footballer was memorably triumphant with France in the last World Cup, while the boxer has overcome some of the biggest names in the sport to hold his title for four years.

The Manchester United man once again made a stand against racism as he captioned the picture: “Keep fighting till this day …till this day! @bronzebomber same energy same vision same fight.”

This is in reference to Wilder’s famous outburst ahead of his clash with Tyson Fury last year, as he took a stand against racism in his pre-fight press conference.

The Bronze Bomber and Pogba are two of the most influential black sportsmen in the world, and their recent statements against discrimination will hopefully take a big step towards ending the horrific issues that plague our favourite sports.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur fans cannot believe a report linking the club with Barcelona ace Philippe Coutinho.

ESPN reports that Spurs are a “more likely” destination than Manchester United after the Catalan giants offered the Brazil international to a number of Premier League clubs.

[ad_pod ]

Of course, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino worked with Coutinho at Espanyol and a deal to bring the attacking midfielder would be something of a reunion.

ESPN claims that the pair remain on good terms but there are a number of complications to any deal, namely that he would either have to take a significant pay cut or Barca would have to accept a loan deal.

Despite the report, Spurs fans are refusing to get excited after a summer that has been marked by inactivity.

Indeed, the club have only made one senior signing, with Tanguy Ndombele arriving from Lyon. Jack Clarke was signed but loaned back to Leeds United.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Lyon’s Moussa Dembele will be a target for Manchester United should Romelu Lukaku leave the club this summer, Sky Sports understands.

What’s the story?

The former Celtic striker will be on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s shortlist should Lukaku leave Old Trafford. Inter Milan are heavily linked with the Belgium international.

Dembele took to life in Ligue 1 like a duck to water last season. The Frenchman scored 20 times in 46 appearances back in his homeland after he departed Parkhead for a £19.7m fee last August.

What was more impressive about his debut season in France was his goals to minutes ratio. The striker bagged a goal every 142 minutes, or roughly two goals in every three games, so it’s perhaps no surprise to see the Red Devils eyeing a move.

Given Lyon only just signed the 23 year-old as well as the fact he had such an exceptional first campaign, United would likely need to pay significantly more than that £19.7m fee, which is really good news for Celtic.

 The perfect boost?

It’s been a busy summer for Celtic, with four new faces brought in, many departing the club and rumours rife of potential departures away from Parkhead.

Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal saga takes a new twist seemingly every day, Olivier Ntcham deemed himself too good for the Scottish Premiership and Jozo Simunovic is a target for Lille, according to The Scottish Sun.

Those three departures could bring in a serious bit of money to Lennon’s Celts but the club is far from desperate to sell. The Bhoys announced at the end of the financial year that they had generous cash reserves, so shouldn’t be in a hurry to flog their stars to the first bidder.

And one way they could add to their millions in the bank, while also not losing a key player, is by reaping the benefits of the sell-on clause they negotiated in Dembele’s departure.

The Scottish Sun confirmed that the Celts have such a clause in his deal and it might well transform their summer plans, potentially even deciding the fates of Tierney, Ntcham and Simunovic, depending on the size of the cut.

It’s not known what the exact details of the clause are but given the fees swirling around strikers in the Premier League, and Dembele’s impressive form since Lyon spent nearly £20m on him, any cut Celtic get is bound to boost their kitty, potentially allowing them to keep at least one, if not multiple, of the aforementioned trio.

The club is already in no rush to sell key players, and a nice windfall from a big-money move to the Premier League for Dembele could be just the boost required to hang on to those exit-linked stars.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leicester’s transfer window is well and truly up and running.

Last week they confirmed the signing of James Justin from Luton before they decided to make a major acquisition by landing Ayoze Perez.

Speculation started to surface on Tuesday night before the deal was then completed on Thursday.

The forward was hugely impressive for Newcastle last term, scoring 12 goals which marked his highest return in the Premier League to date.

However, there’s another facet of his game that could be particularly beneficial.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

A huge benefit Perez brings is his versatility so it can’t be certain where he’ll feature for the Foxes. In the past he’s played as a central striker but he can also play in the No.10 role and out on the flanks.

Yet, despite the qualities he offers in attack, finding himself involved in 14 goals for the Magpies in 2018/19, he also has strong defensive attributes.

It’s a rather surprising aspect of his game, but it could prove game-changing for the Foxes next term.

Throughout the previous season, the Spaniard averaged 1.6 tackles per game whilst also making 1.1 interceptions every 90 minutes.

If you compare that first statistic to those who were playing for Leicester last season, he’d be their seventh-highest individual in terms of tackles per match.

That surpasses Ben Chilwell, Christian Fuchs, Wes Morgan, Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire as well.

Now that may suggest that the Foxes don’t have as much work to do at the back, but it’s also a marker of just how disciplined the 25-year-old is in his defensive approach.

Could Daniel Sturridge be set to reunite with Brendan Rodgers? Check out the video below to find out…

In terms of the attacker’s interceptions, he’s streets ahead of his rivals in forward areas. For instance, Jamie Vardy averaged 0.2, whilst James Maddison and Demarai Gray both managed 0.3.

Therefore, it could allow Leicester to press higher up the pitch next season.

If you consider Perez’s ability to complete a tackle and intercept the play, they could use their new signing to win the ball quickly further up the field.

In turn that would lead to smoother transitions for Brendan Rodgers and his team who already like to play in a fluid fashion.

Not only will he add more goals to the side, but his all-round play can be extremely beneficial.

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa have completed the signing of 21-year-old defender Ezri Konsa.The centre-back joins from Brentford for an undisclosed fee and will immediately join the team as they set off for their US pre-season tour.The youngster has had a pretty impressive 2018/19 season with his former club.He managed a total of 47 appearances in all competitions, taking part in both domestic cups alongside a very good Championship campaign in which he scored one goal.Now, he has taken to social media to post the first images in his new kit with a motivational message to the fans on the side.

The player stated that it was his dream to play in the Premier League and thanked everyone, including the fans, for the warm welcome and their support along the way.

Apart from his club ventures, Konsa was also a part of the Young Lions’ Euro U21 Championships campaign in Italy and a proud member of the England squad that won the U20 World Cup in 2017.