Author: Barkha Roy

The round of 16 of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League will feature a rematch of the 2022 final between Liverpool and defending champions Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the finalists for the 2020 edition Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain will meet for the third time in four seasons after being drawn together in a blockbuster clash in the draw held in Nyon on November 7. Another high-profile matchup will pit Borussia Dortmund against 2021 champions Chelsea. Manchester City’s quest for a first UCL title will continue with a match against RB Leipzig. Tottenham and seven-time champion AC Milan will square off in an exciting match. With the 2022 World Cup set to…

Barcelona central defender Gerard Pique has announced his retirement from professional football, stating his final game will be Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Almeria at the Nou Camp. The 35-year-old, who won the Champions League three times and La Liga eight times with his boyhood club Barcelona, revealed the news in a video message posted on social media. “Football has given me everything. Barcelona has given me everything. You, culers (Barcelona fans), have given me everything. And now that [this] kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring…

Alejandro Garnacho scored his maiden Manchester United goal, but a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad wasn’t enough to keep them from finishing second in their Europa League group and facing a play-off against a team that had dropped out of the Champions League. The Argentine gave another glimpse of his promise in just his second start for the club, following his full debut in last week’s win over Sheriff Tiraspol, with a superbly taken goal in the 17th minute at the Reala Stadium. With a perfectly weighted pass, Cristiano Ronaldo picked out the run of the 18-year-old surging inside off…

Manchester City’s 17-year-old sensation Rico Lewis was lauded by manager Pep Guardiola after scoring on his full senior debut against Sevilla in the Champions League group game. Sevilla striker Rafa Mir put the LaLiga side ahead in the first half, but Lewis equalised just after the break at the Etihad Stadium, powering home a shot after being played in by Julian Alvarez. Credit: Getty Images Guardiola started Lewis in place of the injured England international Kyle Walker, and the teenager made the most of his chance, earning a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was substituted for Joao Cancelo in the 85th minute. “What…

Denis Zakaria has admitted that he found it difficult while waiting for an opportunity at Chelsea under manager Graham Potter, with the Swiss midfielder scoring on his Blues debut against Dinamo Zagreb. The 25-year-old, who joined Stamford Bridge on loan from Juventus during the summer transfer window, made his debut for the west London heavyweights on November 2 against Dinamo in the Champions League. He scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory, and the frustration of sitting on the bench began to fade for a man eager to prove his worth. Zakaria told BT Sport of his experiences at…

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski says he didn’t expect his debut season at Camp Nou to be a big success because of the club’s rebuilding efforts. Since joining from Bayern Munich in the summer for 45 million euro, the Poland international has scored 18 goals in 17 games across all competitions. However, Lewandowski’s individual brilliance was insufficient to prevent Xavi’s side from exiting the Champions League at the group stage. https://twitter.com/SportyBet/status/1585584597252931586 Their early exit, confirmed last week when Inter Milan thrashed Viktoria Plzen and Barcelona lost 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich, was a disaster for the Spanish club, which is struggling financially. But Lewandowski insists he wasn’t…

According to BILD, Borussia Dortmund wants 150 million euros for Liverpool and Real Madrid target Jude Bellingham. Manchester City and Chelsea are also all interested in signing the English midfielder next summer. Every top club in Europe will be interested, but the asking price for the midfielder will be a huge stumbling block for the vast majority of them. Liverpool are unlikely to be put off, but the player’s addition could be crucial with the Reds’ chances of finishing in the top four in the Premier League looking bleak. Jurgen Klopp’s team has time to turn things around, but four…

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed how Manchester United struggled to complete the signing of former River Plate striker Julian Alvarez before the Argentine’s move to Manchester City. The 22-year-old joined City in January for an estimated fee of 14 million pounds. He agreed to a five-and-a-half-year contract until the summer of 2027. However, Alvarez did not appear for the Citizens during the first six months of his contract. As part of the deal, the club agreed to loan the 21-year-old striker back to River until July. As of now, Alvarez has two Premier League goals since joining the Etihad…

Arsenal players have paid tribute to teammate Pablo Mari after he was stabbed in Italy, with his on-loan club Monza revealing that the Spaniard has been released from hospital but will be out for several months. The 29-year-old defender, who is on loan at Monza in Italy, was one of five people stabbed by a knife-wielding man on Thursday evening at a shopping centre in Assago, on the outskirts of Milan. The player has stated that one man died in the incident and that he was “lucky” to survive. After taking the lead in Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday,…

Under new manager Erik ten Hag, the Red Devils had a disastrous start to the season, losing heavily to both Brighton and Brentford. They have, however, begun to build under the Dutchman and have impressed in recent weeks. United are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions after losing 6-3 to City at the start of the month. Ten Hag’s team is sixth in the Premier League table, one point behind the top four with a game in hand, and they have also qualified from their Europa League group after four consecutive wins. And Guardiola, speaking ahead of City’s game…