Market: Halifax Town win
Odds: 11/10 @
Two sides who will be hoping to make an immediate return to winning ways on Saturday evening, Halifax will welcome Oldham to The Shay.
Starting with the hosts, left disappointed on the road earlier in the week as they threw away their lead and were eventually hit with a 3-1 loss against Wrexham, Halifax will be smelling the chance to find an immediate response here. Skyrocketing their way out of the relegation zone, Chris Millington s men have lost just one of their previous five National League matchups. Knowing that they have a golden chance to widen their buffer over the bottom-four on Saturday evening, the Shamen should also be boosted by their recent success on home soil. Last seen in front of their own supporters pick…
Sergio Aguero was taken to hospital following his early substitution against Deportivo Alaves, Barcelona have confirmed.
The Argentina international was making his first LaLiga start at Camp Nou, but was replaced by Philippe Coutinho after just 41 minutes.
Aguero went down clutching his chest and was tended to by the medical team, although he was able to get to his feet and walk from the field.
The club later confirmed the former Manchester City striker had complained of chest discomfort and had been admitted to hospital for a cardiac exam.
Barca also lost Gerard Pique to a right calf strain during the 1-1 draw.
[Aguero] told me he was a little dizzy, interim coach Sergi Barjuan told Marca.
Now, I have learned that he has been take…
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola believes that he performs at his best as a coach when he does not have a long-term contract.
The 40-year-old coach replaced Frank Rijkaard as the man in charge at the Catalan giants in the summer of 2008 and has since won three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies among other silverware.
Nevertheless, despite his successes, Guardiola has refused to sign a long-term contract as he prefers one-year extensions in order to stay in control of his own future.
Every day I think that I m leaving the day after. I work better when I know that I have the freedom to decide on my own future, he was quoted as saying by Sport.
There is a risk that you lose your passion for what you do when you sign a long-term contract. It is…
Turkey coach Guus Hiddink is expecting a tight contest when his side host Croatia in the first leg of their Euro 2012 playoff on Friday.
Turkey finished second in Group A, holding off the challenge of Belgium to claim a playoff berth.
Croatia, meanwhile, were just two points off automatic qualification, finishing behind Greece in Group F.
Hiddink knows Slaven Bilic s men will be eager to avenge their defeat to Turkey in the Euro 2008 quarter-final.
The teams drew 0-0 over 90 minutes and 1-1 in extra-time, before a 3-1 penalty shootout victory sent Turkey through in Vienna.
Despite Croatia s ample motivation to perform, Hiddink remains confident his team will emerge from their first encounter in control of the tie.
We are ready to give th…
Philipp Lahm had no issues with the manner of Germany s 1-0 win over France in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
Mats Hummels headed Germany into a 12th-minute lead at the Maracana, glancing Toni Kroos free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar beyond a helpless Hugo Lloris.
From that point on, Joachim Low s men were happy to nullify any France attacks and saw the game out in relative comfort, Manuel Neuer s stoppage-time save from Karim Benzema a rare moment of concern.
The win propelled Germany into a fourth consecutive World Cup semi-final, and captain Lahm was unconcerned by the way they secured victory.
We re in the semi-finals so who cares about anything else, he told German television.
It wasn t easy today, especially not i…
European nations have surpassed Brazil with their superior technical ability, according to former coach Mano Menezes.
Germany became the first European team to win the FIFA World Cup in South America, defeating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the tournament decider in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Joachim Low s men routed host nation Brazil 7-1 en route to the final, before the Netherlands eased past the five-time world champions 3-0 in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
Back-to-back humiliations cost coach Luiz Felipe Scolari his job after the World Cup and further compounded the nation s problems, with Brazil quarter-finalists in 2006 (Germany) and 2010 (South Africa) having failed to reach the final since winning the prestigious event in 2002 (South Korea/Jap…
Liverpool are hopeful that striker Danny Ings has not suffered a recurrence of serious injury after he was substituted in the first half of Sunday s Under-23 fixture.
The 25-year-old has suffered a torrid time with injuries since he joined the club from Burnley in June 2015.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury and a serious knee problem have limited him to just six Premier League appearances for the Reds.
He started his club s reserve fixture against Manchester City on Sunday, but was withdrawn in the 36th minute after admitting he did not feel 100 per cent.
Manager Neil Critchley, however, does not expect Ings to be out of action for long.
It s more a precaution than anything, he told the club s official website.
He felt something ve…
Carlo Ancelotti s reign as Bayern Munich coach began in triumph as the Bundesliga champions beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the DFL-Supercup at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday.
Dortmund dominated much of the match, but failed to make the most of their chances, with Manuel Neuer making a string of saves to deny them.
Arturo Vidal put Bayern ahead early in the second half, tucking in the rebound after Roman Burki had saved his initial shot.
Mats Hummels had a nervy competitive debut for Bayern as he took on his old club, while Mario Gotze was an unused substitute after leaving Bavaria to return to Dortmund last month.
Dortmund beat Bayern in the 2013 and 2014 Supercups, but could not find an equaliser despite plenty of pressure and Thomas Muller tucked i…
There is plenty to play for as bitter rivals Manchester United and Liverpool prepare to go head-to-head in a Premier League blockbuster at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United have the chance to extend their unbeaten streak in the league to 10 games, while Liverpool can move ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table.
The Red Devils are a rejuvenated force thanks to caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, while they are all but out of the title race, they can still have a major say on where the trophy ends up in May.
Ahead of the mouth-watering showdown in Manchester, we pick a combined XI from the stellar line-ups of two fierce foes.
Goalkeeper: David de Gea (Manchester United)
One of the Premier League s best and most consistent …
Ajax s Andre Onana has poured cold water over reports linking him with a move to Barcelona.
The reports started appearing back in February, as Jasper Cillessen s future with the Catalan club came into doubt. The Dutch international has hardly played at all since joining Barca back in 2016 (from Ajax, incidentally). He has never been given a proper chance to challenge Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the spot between the posts and has reportedly expressed his desire to leave Camp Nou in search of regular football.
Onana has been seen as a direct replacement for Cillessen, but the 22-year-old apparently doesn t wish to move to Catalonia for the same reason Cillessen wants to leave it.
In an interview with the BBC, Onana said Barcelona, where he started his football adven…