Genoa have secured the services of Chile international Mauricio Pinilla from Serie A rivals Cagliari.
The 30-year-old was part of the national squad that reached the second round of the World Cup in Brazil, before being knocked out on penalties by the hosts.
Pinilla was almost the hero for his side that day, crashing a shot off the crossbar in extra-time, before missing his spot-kick in the ensuing shootout.
The forward was also involved in a bust-up with Brazil press officer Rodrigo Paiva during the match, which saw the official banned for three matches.
Pinilla joined Cagliari from Palermo initially on loan in 2012, and scored 22 goals in 63 league appearances during his time at Stadio Is Arenas.
Genoa announced the news on their official websit…
Fernandinho and Rafinha have made the final Brazil squad before Luiz Felipe Scolari names his preliminary list for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The midfielder and full-back, both 28, had never previously been called up by Scolari, but have forced their way in ahead of this year s showpiece thanks to their form for clubs Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
Fernandinho and Rafinha whose last caps came in 2012 and 2008 respectively join first-team regulars such as Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Oscar, Hulk and Neymar in a 16-man selection of foreign-based players for the friendly against South Africa on March 5.
Scolari will add home-based players five days before the fixture in Johannesburg, in order to give Fred, who led the line during Brazil s triumphant FIFA Confederations Cu…
Next month s trip to Liverpool is a no-go for Kevin De Bruyne, while March s crunch derby with Manchester United could be a return date for Manchester City s star midfielder.
That is the predicament facing Pep Guardiola after he confirmed the Belgium international will be out for four to six weeks due to a hamstring injury sustained during the 2-0 midweek win over Aston Villa.
De Bruyne, the reigning PFA Players Player of the Year, has been in typically sparkling form for City this term, scoring three times and providing 10 assists in the Premier League.
Guardiola s men are two points shy of league leaders United with a game in hand and into the last-16 of the Champions League.
Here, we look at the key games within a battle on all fronts where the EFL Cup…
Italy coach Roberto Mancini has urged Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo to not waste time and fulfil his potential amid speculation over a move to Juventus.
Zaniolo scored the winner for Jose Mourinho s Roma in the Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord back in May.
But the 23-year-old, who is one of Italy s hottest prospects, has otherwise been repeatedly frustrated by injuries and failure to deliver when offered the chance to perform.
The winger missed Italy s victorious Euro 2020 campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was absent for the entire 2020-21 term due to a reoccurrence of the same issue.
Zaniolo managed 28 games in Serie A in the 2021-22 campaign – his most since joining Roma in 2018 – but only registered two goal…
Tottenham have reportedly entered the race for 23-year-old Roma attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, with Juventus also heavily linked to the Italy international.
Zaniolo missed the entire 2020-21 season after suffering the second torn ACL of his career, but he made a successful return this past campaign, totalling 42 club appearances, including five goals and four assists in 10 Conference League fixtures.
The man with nine senior international caps has been linked with Juventus for some time now, but with the club yet to make any breakthrough, they could face competition from the Premier League.
TOP STORY – TOTTENHAM LOOK TO SWOOP IN FOR JUVENTUS TARGET
According to Tuttosport, Juventus and Roma have been holding discussions about different constructi…
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes was reluctant to talk about Ilias Chair after a 2-1 victory at home to Rotherham lifted the west London side out of the Championship relegation zone.
Chair featured amid reports he faces a year in prison after being found guilty in Belgium of assault, but his club said in a statement on Friday that “the legal proceeding is yet to reach its conclusion”.
Asked about the playmaker’s inclusion, Cifuentes said: “I think the club made a very clear statement about the situation. I don’t want to comment much about this.
“He’s an available player and I’m happy for him – it was a very good performance and he’s a very important player for us.
“I’m very pleased about the team’s performance and that’s all I can say …
With coronavirus restrictions to be eased and fans allowed back into (some) stadia next month, matchday 10 will hopefully be the last of this season s Premier League where every game is behind closed doors.
With that in mind, this weekend is likely to become something of a cut-off point in 2020-21 in terms of assessing how players and teams are faring, and whether the absence of fans has helped or hindered.
In other words, if anyone likes playing in front of empty stands, this will be their last chance to really enjoy themselves – and rack up some fantasy football points for the discerning manager.
Using Opta data, we ve come up with our latest weekly selection, which might give some of you an edge heading into the festive period
KARL DARLOW…
With the World Cup in Russia approaching at rapid speed and with groups drawn we now have a slightly clearer picture of what to expect when the ball starts rolling next summer.
And with odds already published, here is our early betting analysis for your consideration.
Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay
What we have here is Uruguay as firm favourites at to top the group and home nation – Russia – as another team expected to progress to the next stage of the competition. Led by Mo Salah, the Egyptian national team already performed a miracle by qualifying to the World Cup and they would definitely need another one to go through to the knockout stages.
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
European champions Portugal must have had their …
As we approach the quarter pole of the NFL regular season the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars enter tonight’s MNF match trending in opposite directions. The Bengals are without Joe Burrow and barring a miraculous transformation of Jake Browning into a legit NFL QB, they’ll miss the playoffs altogether. On the other sideline, the Jaguars have won two straight and are in the driver’s seat for the AFC South crown.
Can the Jags hold serve at home, or will the Bengals play spoiler?
While there are a number of different subscription-based TV channels and streaming services available to watch this game… did you know that you can also live stream Bengals/Jaguars directly from legal sports betting sites?
Caesars, BetRivers, and Fanatics…
Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel says he is deeply offended by the criticism from the German club s honorary president Uli Hoeness.
Bayern host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, and the build-up has been dominated by Hoeness claim that the former Chelsea boss has neither the ability nor the desire to improve players and only wants new signings.
It offends me deeply
Hoeness ill-timed jibe comes on the back of 20,000 Bayern fans signing a petition urging the club to reconsider their decision to part ways with Tuchel at the end of the season.
It offends me deeply as a coach, said in response to Hoeness comments.
If we have proven something in the coaching team over the last 15 years, it is that young play…