And we’re back! After a summer of international tournaments and preliminary rounds, the Champions League group stage is up next, following the completion of the draw earlier today in Monaco. As is tradition, now we can shift to figuring out who got boned by the draw, and who will have a cakewalk to the round of 16: Group F looks the toughest, with Barcelona, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, and Slavia Prague, the latter of which can either mope about getting drawn alongside three of Europe’s best teams, or embrace the prospect of watching Lionel Messi and Romelu Lukaku flatten them in memorable fashion. Defending champions Liverpool have a significantly easier group than last season, though they also have a repeat opponent in Napoli, who split the group stage series with the eventual champions. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out Group H, which, along with being wide open and full of fun teams, is also relatively loaded with Americans: Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, Ajax’s Sergiño Dest, and Lille’s Timothy Weah. Should be fun!
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Freiburg rubbished claims Arsenal were set to sign defender Caglar Soyuncu, dismissing the suggestions as total nonsense .
Soyuncu, 21, has developed into one of the most promising centre-backs in Germany, prompting reported interest from several clubs.
The chairman of his former club Altinordu, Seyit Mehmet Ozkan, said Soyuncu was set to join Arsenal.
However, Freiburg sports director Jochen Saier dismissed the claims, saying there had been no offer.
He can know little about the overall scenario, he told Bild.
This is total nonsense. Arsenal did not contact me. There is no offer.
Soyuncu joined Freiburg from Altinordu in 2016 and is a nine-time Turkey international.
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Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are set to complete the signing of Belgian forward Obbi Oulare, .
The Millionaires have reportedly had a €6.5million bid accepted by the player s employers, with the transfer set to be wrapped up in the coming days.
Oulare arrives at Signal-Iduna Park as a replacement for Ciro Immobile, who is widely expected to return to Italian Serie A.
The 19-year-old has seen his stock rise a great deal over the last year, having only been handed a first team debut in September last year.
Oulare quickly went on to prove his potential, scoring seven goals in all competitions, which proved enough to secure a lucrative move to Borussia Dortmund.
His arrival means that Ciro Immobile s spell at Signal-Iduna Park has all but en…
Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari has credited Filippo Inzaghi with bringing new life to the club following his appointment as coach.
Inzaghi was placed in charge of Milan, a side he represented for more than a decade as a player, during the close-season following a disappointing 2013-14 campaign that saw the 18-time Italian champions finish eighth.
Milan initially struggled under Massmiliano Allegri and, despite enjoying an upturn in fortunes under Clarence Seedorf, missed out on securing European qualification.
Ex-Italy forward Inzaghi has made a promising start to his tenure, leading Milan to 11 points from their opening six games in Serie A.
Last Saturday s 2-0 victory over Chievo saw Inzaghi s men move up to fifth and Muntari has noticed a significant …
Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has assured Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson that he will send Chile international forward Angelo Henriquez back to Old Trafford ready to compete for a place in the Red Devils starting XI, .
The Latics have already agreed in principle to take Henriquez, who joined United from Universidad de Chile in the summer, on loan amid the Chilean s lack of first-team opportunities with both the Red Devils senior team and reserves.
At 18 years old, Henriquez is already a full international, having scored on his debut against Serbia last month.
He is quite the talent and possesses a tremendous eye for goal, and has subsequently earned himself the utmost praise from Roberto Martinez.
Angelo is as good a goalsc…
Marcello Lippi has retired from coaching after guiding Guangzhou Evergrande to a historic fourth Chinese Super League title on Sunday.
Evergrande s 1-1 draw at Shandong Luneng in the final game of the CSL season was enough to hold off Beijing Guoan, who could have won the title with a win over Henan Jianye and an Evergrande loss.
Following the triumph Lippi, who led Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, announced that he would step aside as coach and take up the role of technical director with Evergrande.
I don t want to coach anymore as I m too old for it now, the 66-year-old said.
I will continue to foll
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ow the staff in the role of technical director.
Lippi enjoyed arguably his greatest successes as a coach over two spells at Juventus.…
Newcastle United hope to complete the signing of Chancel Mbemba on Thursday after agreeing personal terms with the defender and a deal with his club Anderlecht.
The 20-year-old will finalise his switch to St James Park providing he can obtain a work permit, which will be decided by a Football Association (FA) panel.
A statement from the Premier League club on Sunday read: Following an agreement between Newcastle United and Anderlecht for the transfer of Chancel Mbemba, the player has been in Newcastle and has agreed personal terms with the club and undergone his medical.
The documentation in relation to the club s application for a Governing Body Endorsement [GBE], required in order for Mbemba to obtain a visa, was submitted to the FA on Wednesday morning […
All eyes will be on Erling Haaland when the Bundesliga season resumes after Borussia Dortmund won the race to sign the much-coveted 19-year-old from Salzburg.
Dortmund confirmed the capture of Haaland on Sunday, having beaten off competition from a host of leading European teams.
We take a look at the Norwegian s most notable achievements to date, which illustrate why his new club have described him as the most exciting centre-forward talent in Europe .
GOALS GALORE IN 2019-20
After joining Salzburg in January 2019, Haaland barely featured for the club in the second half of last season, although he did score in one of his two league appearances in May.
It was a totally different story in the first half of this term, with the teenager …
Manchester United must evaluate why Erling Haaland chose to join Borussia Dortmund over them instead of attempting to blame other parties, according to agent Mino Raiola.
Highly rated striker Haaland, who scored 28 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for Salzburg this season, signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Dortmund on Sunday.
United, RB Leipzig and Juventus were also understood to be interested, with reports suggesting Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward held talks with Salzburg and Haaland s representatives – including his father Alf Inge Haaland and Raiola – before pulling out of the deal.
United were thought to be unhappy with Raiola s demands during negotiations, but the agent, who also represent…
Hamburger SV have secured the services of Venezuelan midfielder Tomas Rincon. The South American replaces Nigel de Jong who recently left for Manchester City.
When I heard about the interest and the bid from Hamburg, I didn t need much time to make a decision. In Venezuela they even show Bundesliga matches live on television. I know that HSV are a big side in Europe and the Bundesliga, so I m very happy to be here, said the 21-year-old.
Rincon joins Hamburg on loan from Deportivo Tachira. The loan deal ends at the end of 2009 but the Germans have an option to buy the player.
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Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 4/11 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Serie B standings, Parma will travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Friday night when they meet Sampdoria.
Starting with the hosts, losing their Serie A status last season and dealing with a string of glaring issues, Sampdoria find themselves at the heart of another nightmare spell. Although Andrea Pirlo’s men might have managed to find a route out of the drop zone, the former Juventus icon certainly has a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. Opening the New Year with a 5-3 loss at the hands of Venezia, the Blucerchiati have collected just a single point from their previous three second-tier appearances and they open this weekend’s fixtures firmly …