FOOTBALL

Champions League: Liverpool vs Villarreal Predictions

Published

3 years ago

April 27, 2022

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Villarreal will hope to continue their Champions League fairytale when they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals.

The Reds would have surely favoured the Yellow Submarines over Manchester City and Real Madrid.

But, the reigning Europa League winners have already proven they can punch well above their weight.

Having sent the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich home, Unai Emery’s men will be eyeing to cause another historic upset.

Liverpool’s packed schedule

Fixtures are coming thick and fast for Liverpool, but they are showing no signs of slowing down.

The Merseyside side outfit have already won the EFL Cup, made it to the FA Cup final, stayed only one point away from Premier League leaders Manchester City, and are set to face Villarreal in the final four of the Champions League.

Liverpool are in contention for winning all of the competitions they are participating in.

If they manage to achieve that, it will be a unique feat in the history of English football, transcending Manchester United’s historic 1999 treble-winning campaign.

With such an incredible team spirit, Liverpool enter the fray as favourites.

But, they will be wary of the fact that they did not win in any of their previous two knockout stage home games at Anfield.

Inter won away at Anfield in the Round-of-16, and Benfica played out a three-all draw only a few weeks back.

But, the team news ahead of the tie can give the hosts more confidence.

Firmino injury

Roberto Firmino is the only doubtful player in the Liverpool camp.

The Brazilian was not part of the Merseyside derby, and his foot injury could rule him out of the Villarreal clash too. But, Liverpool have competent attackers like Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz as alternatives.

Villarreal head coach Unai Emery has the experience to beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a high stakes European tie.

The former PSG and Arsenal boss knows that Liverpool have come a long way since the Europa League final defeat in 2016.

Nonetheless, that memory will be a beacon of hope for him going into this tie.

Villarreal no pushover

Emery has created a well-organized side that has already proved they can fight toe to toe with the elites.

They have bettered powerhouses like Juventus and Bayern Munich en route to the semifinals.

Villarreal will be trying to replicate their winning formula at Anfield and come up with another positive result.

Since their defeat to Manchester United in September, Villarreal has been unbeaten in the Champions League.

As Villarreal did not have to play a La Liga game since April 20, they will be well-rested against a Liverpool side which will be playing for the eighth time this month.

Morenos will be absent

Alberto Moreno will not be available to face his former club as he continues to recover from cruciate ligament injury.

But the biggest blow to the visitors will be the absence of star striker Gerrard Moreno, who is out with a hamstring problem.

Francis Coquelin would be a welcome returnee as the holding midfielder has returned to full training.

Our Prediction

Villarreal have won away at Juventus and Bayern Munich. So, there’s no reason for Liverpool to take their Wednesday night guests lightly.

But, Villarreal will lack the cutting edge of Moreno up front.

Without Moreno, it would be difficult for them to breach Liverpool’s defence.

Liverpool have been in free scoring form lately. And we expect them to score against Villarreal as well.

We predict a 2-0 win for Liverpool.

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

9 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

9 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.