Marko Arnautovic is confident he can continue to provide the goal threat in Stoke City s Europa League qualification bid as they host a struggling Newcastle United side seeking to ease their away-day gloom on Wednesday.
Austrian forward Arnautovic scored both goals as Stoke beat rock-bottom Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
That took his league tally for the season to nine and the 26-year-old is enjoying his most prolific campaign since he scored 12 for Twente in the 2008-09 Eredivisie.
Manchester City s League Cup final victory means sixth place is likely to be enough to earn a berth in UEFA s second-tier competition next term, with Stoke just four points shy of incumbents West Ham.
And Arnautovic is desperate to keep contributing goals …
Hannah Dingley s appointment by Forest Green Rovers has been applauded by Ellen White and Demi Stokes, with the England greats hopeful it leads to further chances for female coaches.
The League Two club promoted Dingley from her role as academy boss to caretaker head coach earlier this month, following Duncan Ferguson s dismissal.
In taking the reins at The New Lawn, Dingley has become the first woman to lead a men s senior team in English football s top four divisions.
Speaking at the launch of Pixel FC, a collective of dedicated women s football creators helping to close the visibility gap within women s football, both White and Stokes hailed the decision to appoint her.
I think it s really exciting, White said. It s something that everyone s been spea…
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Hoping to widen their buffer at the top of the Group D table on Monday night, Turkey will welcome Wales to Samsun.
Turkey
Starting with the hosts, while Turkey might have signed off March’s international break with a 2-0 qualifying loss at home against Croatia, the Crescent Stars certainly came roaring back over the weekend. Eventually claiming what was a remarkable last-gasp 3-2 victory away at Latvia, Stefan Kuntz s men suddenly find themselves tipped as a standout pick to punch their European Championship ticket. Marking their return to Samsun sat at the top of the Group D table, the former Germany coach should find the mood in his camp at a real high. Collecting six points from their first three qualifying appearances, Turkey hav…
Joshua Kimmich is confident the best is yet to come for him at Bayern Munich, after the versatile Germany international signed a contract extension.
Bayern announced on Monday that Kimmich, who joined the Bundesliga champions from RB Leipzig in 2015, had agreed terms to keep him at the club until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Since breaking into Bayern s first team, Kimmich has established himself as one of Europe s top players, capable of playing in midfield or at full-back.
It means a lot to me, both in a footballing and personal sense, Kimmich told a news conference.
It s a decision that covers the next few years, and hopefully the best years are still to come.
The feeling I get from the club and from our coach [Julian Nagelsmann], who has…
Mohamed Salah has achieved nothing with Egypt and the Liverpool star must raise his level when featuring for the national team, according to former Pharaohs coach Hassan Shehata.
In response, Egypt s former sports and youth minister Khaled Abdel Aziz defended the forward, calling him a wonderful ambassador and unifying figure for the country.
Salah scored 31 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions for Liverpool as they won the EFL and FA Cups last season, also finishing as runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League.
But the forward experienced a more frustrating campaign on the international front, as Egypt lost the Africa Cup of Nations final on penalties to Senegal in February and suffered the same fate in March s crucial World Cup qua…
Prediction: Leganes to win 2-0
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Real Betis and Leganes will lock horns with each other in La Liga this week. The match between Manuel Pellegrini’s side and Borja Jiménez’s team will be held at Estadio Benito Villamarín and is scheduled to kick off at 8 pm UK time on Friday.
Real Betis
Real Betis are a big club in Spain and have a very strong fanbase. Although the Andalucian club are not expected to challengee for the La Liga title, they tend to be among the mix who aim to end up in the European places in the league table.
Betis finished as high as seventh in the La Liga table last season. Manuel Pellegrini’s side, though, are in dire form at the moment. Los Verdiblancos are 17th in the standings with two points fro…