Новости за 05.01.2019

Veteran striker Ross McCormack has returned to former club Motherwell on loan until the end of the Scottish Premiership season. The 32-year-old, still under contract at Aston Villa, originally played for Well between 2006 and 2008 before earning a move to Cardiff City and kickstarting his career in the Championship in England. McCormack is back at Fir Park after he was recalled from previous loan club Central Coast Mariners earlier on Saturday, citing family reasons. "I feel like this was the... Читать дальше...

Unai Emery does not expect Laurent Koscielny's latest fitness setback to be a major issue but knows Arsenal must use their captain wisely. Koscielny pulled up during the warm-up before the Gunners' 3-0 win at Blackpool in the third round of the FA Cup, suffering from an apparent back complaint. The former France centre-back missed his country's World Cup triumph due to a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained during Arsenal's Europa League semi-final loss to Atletico Madrid in May and only returned to action this month. Читать дальше...

Franck Ribery accused his critics of being "jealous haters" as he defended a social media post in which he posed with a gold-coated steak. The Bayern Munich winger, who is set to leave the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season, uploaded a video to his Instagram page earlier this week as he visited Turkish chef Nusret Gokce. Internet phenomenon Gokce, nicknamed Salt Bae, could be seen slicing up a gold-coated steak before Ribery sprinkled salt over the meat in his accomplice's trademark manner. Читать дальше...

Joe Willock joked that the linesman in Arsenal's 3-0 third-round win at Blackpool "crushed my dreams" of an FA Cup hat-trick. The 19-year-old midfielder netted a pair of opportunistic finishes before half-time to put the Gunners in control of an entertaining tie. He thought he had a third 10 minutes from time but the goal was ruled out due to offside against Sead Kolasinac. "It's a brilliant day for me on a personal note but I'm proud of how we did as a team as well. I don't think the scoreline... Читать дальше...

Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac has claimed he is in the dark over a potential move for Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi but confirmed his interest in the player. Chelsea have reportedly turned down a £20million offer from the Bundesliga champions for the 18-year-old, who has played just 42 minutes of Premier League football this term. He was handed the chance to impress against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, though, and did just that – setting up both of Alvaro Morata's... Читать дальше...

Alvaro Morata's brace in Chelsea's FA Cup third-round victory over Nottingham Forest can prompt an upturn in the enigmatic striker's form, according to assistant head coach Carlo Cudicini. Spain international Morata scored his first goals in six appearances for Chelsea to help the Blues secure a place in the fourth round during a week in which the club announced that another forward, Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic, would be joining next season. Morata has made just 11 Premier League starts for Chelsea this term... Читать дальше...

Manuel Pellegrini has played down a touchline disagreement with Marko Arnautovic, who was taken off during West Ham's 2-0 FA Cup win over Birmingham City. Arnautovic scored West Ham's second-minute opener at London Stadium, but went off injured 18 minutes later - although he seemed to dispute the decision to take him off as he exited the field. Pellegrini has shrugged off the suggestion that there are any issues with Arnautovic, insisting that the striker was determined to continue but could not be risked. Читать дальше...

Neil Warnock slammed Liverpool for a "lack of class" after Nathaniel Clyne snubbed a move to Cardiff City to join Bournemouth on loan. Warnock, whose Premier League strugglers were shocked by League One Gillingham in the FA Cup on Saturday, thought he had secured a deal to bring the England full-back to Wales only for Clyne to instead move to Bournemouth until the end of the season. The 70-year-old did not hold back when asked his opinion of Liverpool and Clyne, who made his first-team debut under Warnock when the pair were at Crystal Palace.

Arsenal were handed another defensive setback after Laurent Koscielny withdrew from the FA Cup tie at Blackpool with a suspected back complaint. Former France centre-back Koscielny returned to action last month after a ruptured Achilles tendon ruled him out of his country's World Cup triumph. The injury he suffered during the warm-up at Bloomfield Road appeared nowhere near as serious but added to an unhelpful injury list for head coach Unai Emery. Rob Holding will miss the rest of the season with knee ligament damage... Читать дальше...

Neymar could turn out against fifth-tier minnows Pontivy GSI in the Coupe de France, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed. Three of PSG's South American stars – Edinson Cavani, Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria – have been granted extended leave alongside Marco Verratti and are due to return to training in Paris on Monday. But Neymar, who was given permission to leave early before the mid-season break by Tuchel, and captain Thiago Silva are in contention for the game against Pontivy of the Championnat National 3 in Lorient. Читать дальше...

Bernd Stange will not write off Syria's chances at the 2019 Asian Cup, but his focus is solely on their opener against Palestine as his side look to build on a strong World Cup qualifying campaign. Syria fell just short of reaching the finals for the first time at Russia 2018, narrowly losing to Australia in the fourth round of AFC qualification before the Socceroos beat Honduras in a play-off. Stange, who subsequently took charge of the team, has urged Syria to harness that experience at the Asian Cup... Читать дальше...

Christian Pulisic is relishing realising his Premier League dream with Chelsea and has no interest in discussing Liverpool's reported interest in his services. The 20-year-old United States star will play out the rest of this season with Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund before joining Chelsea in a €64million deal that was confirmed on Wednesday. Liverpool and ex-Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp had long been touted as holding an interest in Pulisic but Sky Sports reported this week that they ended... Читать дальше...

Dominic Solanke is unlikely to be fit enough to make his Bournemouth debut until February, manager Eddie Howe has confirmed. The striker completed a move from Liverpool on Friday in a deal reported to be worth £19million, having struggled for first-team opportunities under Jurgen Klopp. The England international had appeared likely to join Crystal Palace on loan until the move fell through, with fitness concerns rumoured to be the reason. And Howe says Solanke could miss the rest of January due... Читать дальше...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took responsibility for Manchester United's disjointed performance against Reading in the FA Cup, admitting his changes to the line-up affected the team in their 2-0 win. Juan Mata's penalty and a Romelu Lukaku strike in the first half were enough to send United into the fourth round, although the manner of their victory was unconvincing. Reading, who sit 23rd in the Championship, had 59 per cent of the possession and 13 shots to United's eight, but failed to make the most... Читать дальше...

Australia coach Graham Arnold backed the new generation of Socceroos to impress at the 2019 Asian Cup despite the absence of greats Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak for the first time in a decade. Former boss Ange Postecoglou had the country's all-time highest-scoring player Cahill and midfield stalwart Jedinak in his ranks when he guided them to glory in 2015, and the pair helped Australia to runners-up medals in 2011. But it will be a new-look side that takes on Jordan at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. Читать дальше...

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful Alexis Sanchez will recover from his hamstring problem in time to face Tottenham. United made it five wins from five under Solskjaer on Saturday as first-half goals from Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku sent them through to the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Reading.  The win was marred somewhat by Sanchez hobbling off with 25 minutes remaining, struggling again with a hamstring issue.  But Solskjaer is confident the Chile international... Читать дальше...

Alexis Sanchez appeared to suffer an injury setback as he hobbled out of Manchester United's FA Cup tie against Reading on Saturday. The former Arsenal man has struggled to produce his best form in the first 12 months of his Old Trafford career, but he looked to be getting back on track under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following a recent hamstring injury. Sanchez provided assists in consecutive matches after making his return, teeing up Marcus Rashford from the bench against Newcastle United and then... Читать дальше...

Two goals from Ola Toivonen sent Melbourne Victory top of the A-League with a 2-1 win at Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday. The Swede scored in each half, either side of a penalty from Alexander Baumjohann, to give the visitors all three points at ANZ Stadium and put them back above Sydney FC on goal difference. Lawrence Thomas made two fine saves to deny Wanderers a first-half breakthrough before Toivonen netted just before the break, combining with James Troisi before slotting home to become... Читать дальше...

Celtic have signed Oliver Burke from West Brom to strengthen Brendan Rodgers' attacking options as the Scottish Premiership title race intensifies. Scotland international Burke will join the club on loan for the rest of the season, subject to a medical, and link up with his new team-mates at a training camp in Dubai. The 21-year-old came through the Nottingham Forest youth academy before moving to RB Leipzig, where he made 25 Bundesliga appearances prior to returning to the Championship with West Brom. Читать дальше...

Real Madrid have revealed that Gareth Bale only suffered a minor calf injury in the 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Wales star Bale was forced off at half-time in the LaLiga encounter on Thursday. Madrid had been leading 2-1 at the time, with Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane putting them ahead after Santi Cazorla's opener, but the former Arsenal man struck a late equaliser to deny the visitors all three points at Estadio de la Ceramica. Bale underwent tests on Saturday and is set to miss Sunday's meeting with Real Sociedad. Читать дальше...

Real Madrid head coach Santiago Solari says fans should sometimes be happy to accept drawing matches in LaLiga. The European champions were held 2-2 by Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica on Thursday, with Santi Cazorla scoring a late equaliser after Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane had put Madrid in front. The result means Madrid are fourth in the table after 17 matches and seven points behind leaders Barcelona ahead of Sunday's meeting with Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu. There was... Читать дальше...

Argentina great Diego Maradona has reassured fans he is "fine" after fears mounted regarding his health. It was reported on Friday the 58-year-old had been hospitalised in Buenos Aires after suffering a stomach bleed. His daughter, Dalma, dismissed rumours of a serious illness as false and offered assurances that he would soon be back at home. Maradona was filmed being driven away from hospital hours later and has since posted a message on social media to thank his followers for their concern. Читать дальше...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned Manchester United that complacency in Saturday's FA Cup match with Reading will not be tolerated. United have won all four Premier League matches since Solskjaer took over as caretaker manager in December, scoring 14 goals and conceding only three. Their impressive recent form is in stark contrast to that of Reading, who sit 23rd in the Championship and have failed to win any of their last 10 league matches. However, Solskjaer insists he will accept no easing off... Читать дальше...

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery does not know whether veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech will be at the Premier League club next season. Cech is out of contract at the end of the campaign and the 36-year-old is facing an uncertain future in London. He has found opportunities limited behind Bernd Leno, having started the season as Emery's first-choice keeper prior to a hamstring injury in September. Cech is set to start Saturday's FA Cup clash against Blackpool and when asked about the Czech Republic international's future... Читать дальше...

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is "really, really happy" at Lazio and will not leave the club during the January transfer window, agent Mateja Kezman insisted. Milinkovic-Savic was heavily linked with a move during the off-season amid reported interest from the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus. The 23-year-old Serbia international midfielder, however, remained at Lazio, though Serie A duo AC Milan and Inter have emerged as potential suitors. But former Chelsea striker Kezman said Milinkovic-Savic ... Читать дальше...