French international Sagnol quits – reports

Market: Shelbourne win

Odds: 4/11 @

Only looking to widen their buffer at the top of the table, a high-flying Shelbourne will host Cabinteely at Tolka Park on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, managing to land themselves a deserved 2-1 victory against Cork City last week, Shelbourne really are a side who are cruising towards an immediate Premier Division return. With the mood in their camp at a red-hot high and already holding a commanding 11-point buffer at the top of the table, the Dublin-based outfit have cruised their way to the top of the table. Still yet to taste defeat since opening the 2021 campaign, Ian Morris side ae now in the midst of an extended seven-match winning run, a run that stems all the way back to the end of April. Gaining a reputation…

Christophe Berra scored a late winner as Scotland prepared for a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier with a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland at Hampden Park on Wednesday.

Both teams have performed well in qualification so far. Scotland sit third in Group D with seven points going into Sunday s clash with Gibraltar while Northern Ireland are second in Group F with three wins from four ahead of a home game against Finland.

It was the hosts who eventually claimed a deserved triumph in Glasgow, edging a contest that provided little in terms of entertainment.

Manchester United s Jonny Evans captained Northern Ireland in his first appearance since receiving a six-match ban for spitting at Newcastle United s Papiss Cisse  and it was his defence that received the sterner test…

Dani Carvajal has welcomed the competition from the impending arrival of Danilo and insists the signing of the Porto man will not make him consider his future at Real Madrid.

Spain international Carvajal, who rejoined Real from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2013 having come through the team s youth ranks, has been a regular at right-back at the Santiago Bernabeu this season.

However, his place will come under threat next term after Real announced that Danilo would be arriving in a big-money move from the Portuguese side.

Carvajal, though, is unperturbed and feels that his long-term future remains with the European champions.

The signing of Danilo is good,  he said after Real s 2-0 win at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.  We are at the best club in the world …

Spain s Euro 2008 golden boot winner David Villa has become Spanish football s most-wanted man and cash-strapped Valencia may be forced to sell their highly-prized asset in the summer.

Villa, 27, made history when he became the first Spanish player to score in six successive internationals following his goal in Wednesday s 2-0 friendly win over England.

It gives me enormous pleasure to have scored again and to know that I ve achieved something that nobody else has done, said Villa

But, as I always say, the most important thing is that my goals help the team and that we continue the way we have been going.

It s not necessarily straightforward to score (at international level), but in a team like this, with this quality, you know that you are not going …

Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has suggested drastic changes in the club s ownership structure may be the path forward from their current problems.

The Premier League heavyweights have lost their first two games of the Erik ten Hag era in limp fashion, slipping to an opening defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion before being thrashed 4-0 at Brentford.

That has increased the common refrain for club owners Joel and Avram Glazer to step aside and sell the club, with the pair having drawn the frequent ire of supporters since their arrival at Old Trafford.

Now, Saha a double title winner during his time with United has addressed the calls for a switch in ownership, suggesting dramatic action is needed at the bottom as much as the top.

Any dr…

Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw

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Costa Rica and Jamaica will face each other in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup this week. The match will be held at Exploria Stadium in Orlando and is slated to kick off at midnight UK time on Wednesday.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica have started their 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign strongly. Luis Fernando Suarez’s side have won both of their Group C games so far and are at the top of the group.

Suarez’s side got the better of Guadeloupe 3-1 in their opening match before coming from behind to beat Suriname 2-1.

Team News:

Chicago Fire centre-back Francisco Calvo is suspended for the match. Kendall Waston and Giancarlo Gonzalez are likely to start in central defence.

Jamaica
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not come out of international retirement to play at the World Cup, the Swedish Football Association says.

The 36-year-old ended his Sweden career after Euro 2016 but there have been suggestions he could make a shock return in time for this year s finals in Russia.

Ibrahimovic, now of LA Galaxy, said he would definitely be at the tournament in some capacity during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

However, it appears he will not be part of head coach Janne Andersson s playing squad.

A statement released by the Swedish FA on Facebook confirmed: Sweden s greatest goalscorer of all time for the national team will NOT play at the World Cup.

Speaking last week, Andersson said he had not spoken to Ibrahimovic about a return but…

Manchester United have completed the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for a reported £50million.

The 21-year-old has become United s second signing of the close-season, following former Swansea City winger Daniel James to Old Trafford, with the Red Devils confirming he has signed a five-year deal with the option of an additional 12 months.

England Under-21 international Wan-Bissaka, who is yet to appear for the Three Lions senior team, came through Palace s youth academy and enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Selhurst Park last term.

He made 129 tackles in the Premier League in 2018-19, the most of any defender across Europe s top five divisions.

It s official — is a Red

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

A new right-ba…

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers hopes his players have learnt the lessons of their brutal 7-0 defeat to Barcelona when they host Manchester City in the Champions League.

The Scottish champions dream return to Europe s top competition after a three-year absence quickly became a nightmare as Lionel Messi and company made merry in the Group C opener.

Their task will be helped by a vociferous 60,000-strong crowd at Parkhead on Wednesday but they face a City side in a rich vein of form, with Pep Guardiola having won all 10 of his competitive games at the helm.

We won t be as passive as we were in the last game. Apart from that we have been really aggressive in our game, Rodgers told a pre-match news conference.

It has been three years since the club was in th…

Sporting CP have confirmed the season-long loan signing of Boca Juniors midfielder Marcelo Meli.

The Primera Liga club announced the deal, which includes a purchase option, on Saturday, two weeks ahead of the new league campaign.

Meli, 24, signed for Boca from Colon in 2014.

Jorge Jesus side will be looking to end a 14-year wait to lift the top-flight crown.

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