Asier Garitano played down Leganes historic Copa del Rey triumph at Real Madrid, insisting the club s promotion to the Spanish second division was important.
It was a landmark night for Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the unheralded visitors emerged 2-1 victors in the second leg of the Copa quarter-final tie on Wednesday and 2-2 on aggregate via away goals.
Leganes became the first team in Copa history to knock out Spanish and European champions Madrid at the Bernabeu after losing at home in the first leg as Garitano s men reached the semi-finals for the first time.
However, Garitano was quick to point out Leganes promotion to Segunda from the third division in 2014.
I don t think it s our biggest achievement, as going from the Segunda B to Segun…
With the relentless fixture list rolling onto Tuesday night, we have another stacked schedule on our hands in midweek. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Tuesday acca, we have searched far and wide to find you a couple of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Tuesday 19th January
BST 19:00 Blackburn Rovers vs Swansea City
Starting with Tuesday s hosts, putting in another professional display over the weekend, there is no doubt that the mood in Swansea s camp should be at a real high. Ending Barnsley s high-flying run at Oakwell on Saturday night, the Whites landed a deserved 2-0 win outside of South Wales and they re now tipped as a leading contender in the automatic promotion race. Opening the midweek fixtures sat second in the table a…
Cristiano Ronaldo s time at Juventus could be coming to an end.
Ronaldo arrived at the Serie A champions from Real Madrid in 2018 and is contracted at Juve until 2022.
However, Juventus could have other plans for the star forward.
TOP STORY – JUVENTUS CONSIDER RONALDO SALE
Juventus are considering selling Ronaldo next year, according to Sport.
The report says Juve are opting against renewing the 35-year-old s big-money contract and may instead try to recoup some of the €100million they paid for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has scored six goals in four Serie A games this season, but Juve are fifth in the table.
His shot conversion rate excluding blocks (35.3) and big chance conversion percentage (71.4) are both well up on his pr…
Opening Tuesday s meeting at the Etihad with the chance to briefly extend their buffer at the top of the Premier League table, certainly didn t pass up on a golden opportunity.
Finding a way to build off of last weekend s controversial 1-0 win against Wolves, the defending English champions laid down a stunning marker as they put seven past Leeds on home soil.
Briefly extending their advantage over the chasing pack to four points, City couldn t have asked for a better night s work at the Etihad on Tuesday.
Handing their Yorkshire rivals their worst ever Premier League defeat, we have taken a look at the major talking points as the Sky Blues run rampant in midweek.
City lay down the most clinical of markers
While there might have been plenty of controve…
Jurgen Klopp praised Newcastle United for making life hard for Liverpool in a 3-1 win for the Reds, while explaining his decision to remove Mohamed Salah in the second half.
Jonjo Shelvey silenced the Anfield crowd on Thursday with his opener, but Diogo Jota equalised soon after – Liverpool finding the net for a club-record 32nd game across all competitions.
Salah then put Klopp s side into the ascendancy, matching Jamie Vardy s Premier League record of scoring or assisting in 15 consecutive games, before Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed victory with a ferocious strike.
With the win, the Reds became the first side to 2,000 victories in the English top flight, while they moved within a point of leaders Manchester City and three points clear of third-placed Chel…
Atalanta defender Federico Peluso is undergoing a medical at Juventus and could complete his transfer before the end of Wednesday.
It is understood the deal is a 1.5-million-pound loan move, with the Bianconeri having the option of making the transfer permanent at the end of the current campaign.
If they choose to do so then the Serie A champions will pay 3.5 million pounds for his services, with the 28-year-old set to provide competition at both centre-half and left-back.
A statement on the club s official website confirmed the news and stated the player will undergo medical tests at the Institute of Sports Medicine in Turin.
Peluso joined Atalanta in 2009 from AlbinoLeffe and has made three appearances for Italy.
…
France need maximum points against Georgia if they are to escape a 2014 World Cup qualifying group which also includes Spain.
Vicente Del Bosque s Spain proved France s undoing at Euro 2012, winning their quarter-final match-up 2-0 in Donetsk.
That result marked France s latest disappointment in major tournaments, after group-stage exits from Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
Their next challenge appears to be simply reaching the FIFA showpiece in Brazil next year, after Didier Deschamps team were thrown into a qualifying pool with reigning world and European champions Spain.
So far France have acquitted themselves well, beating Finland 1-0 away and Belarus 3-1 at home.
They also avoided defeat in the first of two meetings with recent nemesis Spai…
Gary Cahill says he has learned from the best in John Terry, but insists he will never be able to fill the Chelsea captain s boots.
England defender Cahill has been a mainstay of the Chelsea defence since moving to Stamford Bridge from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012 and for the majority of that time has partnered Blues legend Terry at centre-back.
However, this season Terry has found himself out of the line-up in Antonio Conte s favoured 3-4-3 formation, leaving Cahill to wear the armband.
Cahill spoke about filling in as captain and says he has learned plenty from Terry s approach to the game and will continue to do so while he remains at Stamford Bridge.
I would never try to fill John Terry s boots. You can never fill that position. When I took over …
Thiago Alcantara feels Bayern Munich are playing with greater freedom under Carlo Ancelotti than during Pep Guardiola s three-year reign.
Former Barcelona youngster Thiago was Guardiola s marquee signing ahead of his first season with the Bundesliga giants in 2013-14 – Thiago oder nichts , meaning Thiago or nobody was the Catalan s famous transfer ultimatum to the Bayern board – but persistent fitness problems have hindered him at the Allianz Arena.
Only since Guardiola s departure to Manchester City has he truly come to the fore as Bayern s most reliable midfield creator and the Spain international can expect to play a pivotal part in Wednesday s keenly anticipated Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid.
Although he was not critical of …
Chelsea have sent Ethan Ampadu on a season-long loan to RB Leipzig.
Wales international Ampadu joined Chelsea from Exeter City in 2017 and made his first-team debut in the EFL Cup tie with Nottingham Forest that September.
However, the versatile centre-back made just five appearances in 2018-19 and was left out of the Blues squad for their tour to Japan, with new coach Frank Lampard confirming the player was set to leave on loan.
Sporting director Markus Krosche revealed Ampadu turned down offers to remain in England, with the 18-year-old seeing Leipzig as the ideal place to continue his development.
I am very happy to be at RB Leipzig and start the season with the team. I want to get to know the team as quickly as possible and integrate myself, said Amp…