Vincent Kompany plans to keep his emotions in check when he returns to Manchester City on Saturday.
The Burnley manager faces off against his former employers in an FA Cup quarter-final at Etihad Stadium.
Kompany spent 11 seasons with City, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups, and is honoured with a statue that stands outside the stadium.
While it is certain to be an emotional reunion for the Belgium great, Kompany will not let it affect his preparations.
It s the first time [going back] so it s obviously going to be different, but in terms of my mindset it s not different, he told a press conference.
It s just to do my job, be prepared. The core message for us is [to] be prepared.
I don t have a feeling…
All good things end fast and so we have quickly reached the final day of the 2016 Cheltenham Festival, but there is still another major reason for excitement as the 3.30 pm Gold Cup is likely to provide premium entertainment.
While Don Cossack, Don Poli, Djakadam and Smad Place also hope for the coveted trophy, Cue Card appears to have a very good shot as well having already won the Betfair Chase and King George IV Chase. Therefore, you should know that the horse is available at 30/1 enhanced price to win.
In order to qualify, you need to , entering promo code ZHRC49. Once you do that, place your bet on Cue Card to win the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in the New Customer market and if your wager wins, you will be paid at said price as well as have a chance to earn extra €10…
Neymar at 30: Trophies galore, but no Ballon d´Or – how Brazil star compares with fellow birthday bo
Perhaps there is something special to February 5. Or at least there is when it comes to world-class footballers.
On this day in 1985, Cristiano Ronaldo was born on the island of Madeira. Seven years later, Neymar came into the world in Mogi das Cruzes, in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
Two of modern football s greats being born on the same day is quite the quirk, but while Ronaldo has gone on to cement himself as one of the best ever, it s hard to shake the feeling Neymar has never quite lived up to his extraordinary potential.
He emerged at Santos as Brazil s golden boy, a bona fide superstar in the making. By the time he left for Barcelona in 2013 at the age of 21, he was already been talked up as a shoo-in for a Ballon d Or success.
Yet, as the …
Fernando Hierro has hailed a great generation of youthful Spain and England talent shining at the World Cup, referencing the likes of Jude Bellingham and Gavi,
Bellingham, 19, and 21-year-old Saka have impressed in Qatar for England as Gareth Southgate s side secured progression to the knockout stage as Group B winners after Tuesday s 3-0 victory over Wales.
Spain are within touching distance of the knockout stage in the Middle East as well, needing to just avoid defeat against Japan on Thursday to qualify, while victory will take them through as Group E winners.
Bellingham has been ever-present and Saka scored twice for England in a 6-2 win against Iran, with Pedri, Gavi and Ferran Torres leading the way for Luis Enrique s side, much to Hierro s delight.
Galatasaray are in talks to sign Wilfried Zaha.
The forward is available on a free transfer after his contract at Crystal Palace ended last month.
The Turkish club confirmed on Twitter: “Formal negotiations have been initiated with professional footballer Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha regarding the transfer of the footballer to our club.”
Profesyonel futbolcu Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha nın kulübümüze transferi konusunda futbolcu ile resmi görüşmelere başlanmıştır.
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK)
The Ivory Coast international has been linked with a host of clubs, while Palace had reportedly offered him a huge deal to stay at Selhurst Park.
Zaha, who rejoined Palace after a brief spell at Manchester United in 2015, played 458…
“I think you have to be strong mentally to come through a lot of stuff that I’ve gone through and a lot of stuff that a lot of footballers go through,” the left-back, who does not have injured Shaw to compete with this month, said.
“You don’t get to become a professional football player without having ups and downs, and it is a cliche but it really is about how you deal with them.
“I love playing football, so that’s what I always come back to when I when I’m going through the tough times.”
Chilwell is not alone in dealing with frustrating periods on the sidelines for Chelsea and England, with right-back Reece James laid low again right now with a hamstring complaint.
“Everyone talks about how strong we are as a team at Chelsea when me …
Barcelona stalwart Sergi Roberto has signed a new one-year deal with the LaLiga leaders.
The versatile 31-year-old put pen to paper on a 12-month contract with Barca last June, having been linked with a move.
And Sergi Roberto will be staying with the Catalan giants for at least another season after the club confirmed on Friday he has agreed fresh terms to stay until June 2024.
The long-serving Sergi Roberto s buyout clause remains at €400million.
He was appointed as one of Xavi s first-team captains when he renewed his deal last year and has featured 14 times in league action this season.
Sergi Roberto made his Barca debut in 2010 and has gone on to make 339 appearances for the club.
The recent Supercopa de Espana triumph over Real Madr…
Erik ten Hag was left ruing injury problems as Manchester United suffered late heartbreak against Sevilla in the Europa League, while Marcel Sabitzer slammed two stupid goals to concede.
Sabitzer s first-half double seemingly had United in complete control of Thursday s quarter-final first leg, with Ten Hag s hosts dominant throughout at Old Trafford.
Yet a Tyrell Malacia own goal six minutes from time handed Sevilla hope before Harry Maguire deflected into his own net in the 92nd minute.
Ten Hag insisted United s 2-2 draw was down to bad fortune, as opposed to his substitutes collapsing under late pressure.
The United manager told BT Sport: I think we had the game in hand, we were 2-0 up and should have scored three or four. The game was totally on us.
Best odds: 6/10
Bookmaker:
Athletic Bilbao, after taking just one point from their first two matches, will be eager to secure their first win of the season when they host Valencia at San Mames on Wednesday.
The visitors have done even worse, having started their La Liga campaign with back-to-back defeats. With neither side to happy at the moment and probably motivated to do better, the match should be an interesting one.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao entered the new season riding the momentum of a successful 2023/24 campaign, where they secured a fifth-place finish in La Liga and ended a 40-year drought by winning the Copa del Rey. With high hopes of challenging for Champions League qualification this term, Los Leones have experienced a somewhat under…
Best Odds: 19/20
Bookmaker:
Opening up their Europa Conference League qualifying adventure on Wednesday evening, Aston Villa will travel to Scotland when they meet Hibernian.
Hibernian
Starting with the hosts, while Hibernian might have claimed a crucial boost while on League Cup duties over the weekend as they landed a 2-1 victory at home against Raith, Lee Johnson’s men have struggled to find much stability. Opening the 2023/24 campaign with a woeful performance at Easter Road as they slumped to a 3-2 loss at home against St. Mirren, the one-time Sunderland boss will be more than aware that his inconsistent squad faces a real challenge on Wednesday evening. Despite extending on their Europa Conference League qualifying adventure thanks to an action-packed 5…