Barcelona 1/7 to beat Girona in Saturday’s La Liga battle

Diego Simeone was critical of the officials after Atletico Madrid s Champions League hopes were left in the balance following a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Atletico ended the first half with 10 men as the LaLiga champions bid to reach the knockout phase was dealt a blow against last-16 bound Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday.

Beaten 3-2 in the reverse fixture in the Spanish capital, having also lost Antoine Griezmann to a red card on matchday three last month, Atletico conceded goals to Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane before Felipe was dismissed nine minutes prior to the interval for a cynical foul on the latter and subsequent apparent dissent.

It is the first time since November 2019 Atletico have lost back-to-back Champions League group-stage games under Simeone, whose …

Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw

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Austria and North Macedonia will face each other in the Euro 2020 finals this weekend. The Group C fixture at Arena Nationala in Bucharest is scheduled to kick off at 5pm UK time on Sunday and promises to be an exiting game of football.

Austria

Austria will fancy their chances of progressing to the next stage of the Euro 2020 finals from Group C. Franco Foda’s side will know that the Netherlands are the clear favourites to win the group, but the other teams, Ukraine and North Macedonia, can certainly be beaten.

The Austrians, though, did not have the best of preparations in the build-up to the European Championship. They lost 1-0 to England in their first warm-up game and then playe…

Veteran Brazilian Formiga became the first player to appear at seven editions of the Women s World Cup and the oldest to feature in the tournament when she lined up against Jamaica on Sunday.

The 41-year-old midfielder plays her club football for Paris Saint-Germain and came out of international retirement to give herself a chance of being involved in this summer s tournament.

She was duly selected by Brazil boss Vadao, who did not hesitate to put her at the base of his midfield for the team s opening Group C match in Grenoble.

Her inclusion in the starting XI at 41 years and 98 days saw her overtake Christie Rampone s record. Rampone played for United States in the 2015 competition at the age of 40 years and 12 days,

41y 98d Brazil midfielder Formiga …

Manchester United are interested in signing John McGinn from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, according to . It has been reported by the British tabloid that United’s new interim-manager Ralf Rangnick is a fan of McGinn and wants to add to his team at Old Trafford.

United scouts have been impressed by McGinn, who is a dynamic midfielder and is one of the best midfielders at Villa. The Premier League giants wanted to sign the Scotland international midfielder in 2019, but Villa wanted as much as £50 million.

McGinn is 27 now and is at the top of his game. The former Hibernian star is a very good and capable midfielder who has established himself as one of the better players in his position in the Premier League. McGinn would make United a better and stronger team in…

Crystal Palace s recent momentum was halted as they failed to break down Cardiff City in a 0-0 Premier League draw at Selhurst Park.

Roy Hodgson s side came into Wednesday s game on a high after back-to-back wins over Leicester City and Manchester City, but the closest they came to a goal was two efforts against the woodwork.

Andros Townsend hit the crossbar after 66 seconds, while captain Luka Milivojevic sent a free-kick against the post in the closing stages.

A fine late reflex save from Vicente Guaita denied Kadeem Harris as Cardiff almost snatched a victory, but Neil Warnock will be happy with a battling point against his former club that stops a two-game losing run.

FULL-TIME Crystal Palace 0-0 Cardiff

A lively finale but no way through for …

Euro 2016 hosts and favourites France host Scotland in Metz for their final warm-up match ahead of the tournament on Saturday.

Didier Deschamps side go into the fixture on the back of seven wins from a possible eight after an entertaining 16 goals were scored across their last three matches.

Their 3-2 home win over Cameroon on Monday was far from routine, though, with the visitors twice equalising before Dimitri Payet settled the match with a stunning last-minute free-kick.

After missing the cut from the provisional squad, Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has been drafted into the France set-up to replace the injured Lassana Diarra as the home players look to take the last remaining opportunity to impress against Gordon Strachan s men.

I …

Marouane Fellaini has completed a reported £10million move from Manchester United to Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng.

Fellaini is believed to have signed a three-year deal in the CSL that will see him earn almost £30m after tax over the course of his stay in China.

The Belgium international joined United in 2013 for a reported £27m from Everton, following David Moyes from Goodison Park to Old Trafford.

Fellaini continued to be a prominent member of the United squad under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, the latter of whom was particularly vocal in his admiration for the physical midfielder and handed him a new two-year last June.

However, since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Mourinho in December he has made just one Premier League appearance.…

LaLiga has denied president Javier Tebas is a candidate for the vacant Premier League chief executive role in England.

Tebas has emerged as a potential replacement for Richard Scudamore, who departed the Premier League in December last year.

The 56-year-old was appointed LaLiga president in 2013, and Tebas looks set to remain in Spain.

Responding to speculation, LaLiga said in a statement: We are not aware of this supposed interest.

That said, if a competition as important as the Premier League is taking note of the work being done by LaLiga, including its president, clubs and employees, it is a source of pride for the entire organisation.

Javier has a contract with LaLiga and not only is he happy here, he also has responsibilities and challe…

Rangers are interested in signing Billy Gilmour from Chelsea in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Rangers manager Steven Gerrard wants to bring back the youngster on a loan deal until the end of the season, with Premier League club Chelsea open to the idea of sending the 19-year-old out on a temporary deal.

Gilmour has recently returned from injury after missing four months following a knee surgery. The Scotland Under-21 international joined Chelsea after leaving Rangers in 2017, and the Gers have now reportedly made an approach for the teenager.

Chelsea have a very strong team, and it is going to be hard for Gilmour to play on a regular basis for Frank Lampard’s side this season. While the teenager has done well when he has turned …

Aston Villa have completed and the signing of Matt Targett from Southampton for an officially undisclosed fee.

Having won promotion to England s top flight, Villa are working hard to strengthen their squad as much as they can for the upcoming challenges. As manager Dean Smith explained, they see Targett as a player with the experience of playing in the Premier League, but young enough with a lot of potential to improve further. The left-back is expected to help the team form a strong defensive line, and Smith is looking forward to working with him.

The 23-year-old is a product of the Southampton Academy, and he made 63 first-team appearances for the Saints in all competitions prior to the switch. He was named their Young Player of the Year in 2014/15, and he was shippe…