The Republic of Ireland host Gibraltar on Monday evening knowing nothing but victory is acceptable after a disappointing start to their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Friday night’s 2-1 defeat in Greece left Ireland pointless in Group B after two fixtures and seriously dented their hopes of making it to the finals.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding a must-win game.
Kenny cornered?
Ireland boss Stephen Kenny once again finds himself at a crossroads three years into his reign. The 51-year-old’s 23 competitive matches in charge to date have yielded just four victories – against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Scotland and Armenia – and a campaign towards which he has been building since replacing Mick McCarthy looks to …
Valencia are interested in signing Juan Mata from Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to . Mata is out of contract at United at the end of the season, and the attacking midfielder could sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January 1.
Mata was on the books of Valencia from 2007 until 2011 when he moved to Chelsea. The Spain international attacking midfielder then switched to Manchester United in 2014 and has been an important player for the team over the years. Mata has won the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League once each with United.
Valencia are seventh in the La Liga table at the moment with 25 points from 17 matches, just four points behind fourth-placed and defending Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. Los Che’s chances of f…
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is not willing to be drawn into mind games with Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte and is instead focused on getting the most out of his players.
Conte last week stated that Spurs would require a miracle to finish fourth place in the Premier League.
Tottenham increased the pressure on Arsenal by hammering Newcastle United 5-1 on Sunday to leapfrog their north London rivals into the final Champions League qualification spot.
However, the Gunners are only behind Tottenham on goal difference and have two games in hand, the first of those coming away at Crystal Palace on Monday.
Conte s comments were perceived as being psychological tactics ahead of a potentially tense run-in that will see the fierce rivals do battle in a reschedu…
Borussia Dortmund have confirmed that striker Niclas Fullkrug has left a pre-season training camp to continue talks with another club.
That unnamed club, according to several reports, is West Ham with Fullkrug flying over to London on Saturday ahead of a reported £27million move.
The German international impressed at Euro 2024, scoring two goals in his five appearances throughout the tournament, four of which came from the bench.
Fullkrug helped Dortmund to a fifth place finish in the Bundesliga, playing the duration of their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in June.
The 31-year-old scored 12 league goals last season from an expected goals (xG) of 12.86, the highest within the Dortmund squad with Donyell Malen (9.55) in second.
Ful…
Bournemouth have confirmed the signing of Evanilson from Porto for a club-record fee.
The forward has joined in a deal worth up to £40.2million.
He joined Porto in 2020 and went on to make 154 appearances in all competitions, netting 60 goals and registering 21 assists.
His 13 league goals last season were the most of any Porto player, while he also had the second-most shots of anyone on the team in the Primeira Liga (76).
In a record-breaking deal, we bring striker Evanilson to
LET S GOOOO
— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth)
We are delighted to bring someone with an immense pedigree to AFC Bournemouth, chief executive Neill Blake said.
Evanilson is a hugely sought-after striker and for us to bring him to the club …
Bayern Munich are interested in signing Johan Bakayoko from PSV in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has claimed that Bayern, who won the Ligue 1 title last season, are considering making a move for the 20-year-old Belgium international winger at the end of the season.
Bakayoko has been on the books of PSV since 2019 and has established himself in the first team. The 20-year-old is one of the best young forwards in Europe and is rated very highly. The Belgium international has played as a right-winger and as a playmaker for PSV this season. He has made 18 starts and two substitute appearances in the Eredivisie this campaign, scoring four goals and providing eight assists in those games. Bakayoko has also scored one goal and given one assist in six UEFA Champions Lea…
The trial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA president Michel Platini has been delayed by a day after the former said he was too ill to testify.
Blatter and Platini were set to begin their court appearance at the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona on Wednesday, with both men facing fraud charges.
Judges however have allowed a one-day postponement after Blatter reported he was suffering from chest pains.
The duo were banned from football in 2015 over corruption claims and were indicted in November last year by Swiss prosecutors.
It is claimed that a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (£1.6m) made by Blatter to Platini in 2011 was unlawful.
Both men deny wrongdoing.
…
Casemiro has described his nine-year stint at Real Madrid as the most wonderful story as he bid farewell to the club ahead of his switch to Manchester United.
The Red Devils confirmed on Friday that a deal had been struck for the 30-year-old, who has been crucial to Madrid s success in recent seasons, winning the Champions League five times.
It has been widely reported that United are paying £60million (€70.6m) for Casemiro.
Having joined Madrid from Sao Paulo in 2013, Casemiro has established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in world football, and formed a formidable trio alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
He helped Madrid to a Champions League and LaLiga double last season, and was named man of the match in the Super Cup victory ove…
Erling Haaland has been rewarded for a scintillating start to his Manchester City career by being named the Premier League s Player of the Month for August.
Since arriving in England from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored nine goals in five outings during his first month in the Premier League.
That tally is the highest ever managed by a player in their first five appearances in the competition and included back-to-back hat-tricks in City s high-scoring wins over Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
In August, Haaland averaged a goal every 44 minutes of league action, or every 12 touches of the ball, as well as converting from 41 per cent of his shots.
9 Erling Haaland is the only Manchester City player to have won a Player of the Month award in 202…
In this article, I will explain the over 2.5 meaning and how to use it in football betting. What is over 2.5? When is the over 2.5 bet a winner? Find all the answers and many more in this tutorial.
Goals are the highlights of any football match. Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi duel has set the bar at the highest peak in the last two decades. The UEFA Champions League is another testimony that reflects the meaning of over 2.5 as the most spectacular sides usually win the prestigious trophy. Furthermore, most of the Balon d Or winners were the best strikers in the world, scoring many times hat-tricks.
What is over 2.5 in football betting?
Over 2.5 goals is a bet placed by punters who predict a minimum of three goals to be scored during the 90 minutes of playing time. Which te…