Diego Forlan believes that Atletico Madrid are on the right path to finally winning the Champions League one day and thinks that they can now be considered one of Europe s most feared clubs.
The Uruguayan, 40, played for the Rojiblancos for four years, and has been impressed with the work that Diego Simeone has carried out since taking the helm in 2011.
Atletico have reached two Champions League finals under Simeone only to lose both games to cross-city rivals Real Madrid, in extra time in 2014 and on penalties two years later.
They came very close twice, Forlan told Marca.
Once leading until the 93rd minute and losing the other on penalties.
They re on the right track but everyone prepares themselves to win the Champions League.
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James Maddison s return to the starting line-up came as a huge boost to Brendan Rodgers as Leicester City avoided an FA Cup shock to move into the last 16 with victory at Walsall.
Premier League strugglers Leicester won 1-0 at the League Two outfit on Saturday.
Youri Tielemans hit the post with a penalty but substitute Kelechi Iheanacho sent the Foxes into the fifth round with a deflected strike from just outside the area 22 minutes from time.
FA Cup specialist Iheanacho now has 17 goals in his 23 matches in the competition, while attacking midfielder Maddison – who has been a transfer target for Newcastle United and Tottenham – made his first start since November 12 when he suffered an injury before the World Cup.
There were lots of positives as wel…
Flamengo have completed the permanent signing of Gabriel Barbosa from Inter Milan, with the deal in question being set to last all the way through until 2024.
Sky Italy was reporting that West Ham United were interested in signing the forward last year, but that they couldn’t quite get a deal over the finish line. ‘Gabigol’ was signed by Inter Milan back in 2016 for a fee of around £32 million, but he wasn’t able to replicate the form that saw him have so much success at the 2016 Summer Olympics in his home nation.
Barbosa has had a lot of success during his time out on loan in Brazil, and now, he has put any and all rumors of him coming back to European football to bed for a few years.
While he may pop up again somewhere down the road, he seems to…
According to a recent report from Manchester Evening News, Paul Pogba is determined to bring an end to his time at Old Trafford and has his heart set on a return to former club Juventus.
Pogba is believed to have already informed his United teammates of his decision, just days after the January transfer window closed. It never seemed as if he was going to make the jump during the January window as there just wasn’t enough time to get a deal over the finish line, but given how things have transpired so far this season, we can’t imagine a scenario in which he’s still a Manchester United player beyond UEFA Euro 2020.
Pogba’s head is not believed to be in the game at all at the club, with many feeling as if the best thing he can do is just move on to pastures …
While Europe’s elite might be inching closer to getting their pre-season preparations underway, we still have a handful of intriguing affairs on the schedule in midweek.
On that note, for those of you looking to place a Tuesday flutter, we have found a pair of fixtures that can offer a great return.
10:30 Gold Coast Knights vs Redlands
While Gold Coast might have been disappointed after settling for a silver medal finish last season, Tuesday’s hosts appear to breezing their way to NPL Queensland history in 2023. Opening the midweek fixtures holding a one-point buffer over the chasing pack, the Knights will certainly be smelling the chance to make another statement in midweek.
In fact, along with mustering 13 points from their last five appearances,…
Inter have confirmed the signing of Felipe Caicedo on loan from fellow Serie A side Genoa until the end of the season.
The 33-year-old, who previously worked under Inter boss Simone Inzaghi at Lazio, becomes the first Ecuadorian player to represent the Nerazzurri.
Caicedo joined Genoa from Lazio in August but will spend the rest of 2021-22 at San Siro, where he will provide competition to the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko.
I m very excited. I want to be a success here, Caicedo, who will wear the number 88 shirt, told Inter s official website.
I want to thank the coach, Inzaghi, for trying his best to bring me here. I m delighted and can t wait to start training and playing for Inter.
I m really proud to represent my country and …
Best odds: 23/10
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Juventus and Lazio, as the two teams that won the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia last season, will lock horns in the Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup). The match will take place on Sunday afternoon at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Juventus
The giants from Turin have been undisputed rulers of Italian football since 2011/12, winning the Serie A eight times in a row so far. At the moment, they are locked in battle for the title with the resurgent Inter Milan, who have invested heavily into the team in the recent transfer window to be able to compete with the Old Lady.
Juventus top the table at the moment, three points above Inter, though the Nerazzurri have a game in hand and boast better go…
Prediction: Croatia win
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We ve arrived at the final stretch of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and while the game we re focusing on today isn t the big one, it s still important to praise the two nations involved. Croatia and Morocco have fought incredibly hard throughout the course of the tournament and this weekend, they ll collide with the honour of being named the third best team in the FWC on the line.
Croatia
Croatia were believed to have peaked back in 2018 when they shocked the world to reach the World Cup final. They fell at the last hurdle to France and given their ageing squad, the popular opinion was that they d struggle this time around. Alas, that didn t prove to be the case whatsoever, as they were able to dig deep and m…
Former Tottenham favourite Jurgen Klinsmann has sympathy for Harry Kane as he attempts to plot a move away from the club.
Widespread reports claim Kane is looking for a way out of Spurs after an underwhelming 2020-21 campaign for the team. Tottenham – who sacked Jose Mourinho late in the season – finished seventh in the Premier League, only enough for Europa Conference League qualification, and lost the EFL Cup final.
This was despite Kane scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists, making him only the second player in the Premier League era to lead the division in both categories (also Andy Cole in 1993-94).
Indeed, only Klinsmann, in 1994-95, had previously provided 20 goals and 10 assists for Spurs in a single season in the competition.
Manchester C…
Harry Maguire expressed his disappointment at Manchester United s defensive work while hailing Cristiano Ronaldo after the Red Devils overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat Atalanta 3-2.
Gian Piero Gasperini s side raced into a two-goal lead inside 29 minutes at Old Trafford – the earliest United have found themselves two goals down at home in the Champions League since October 2012.
It was also the 12th consecutive home game across all competitions the hosts had conceded in – their longest such run since February 1964 (13).
However, Marcus Rashford netted the 300th goal of Solskjaer s tenure to give the Red Devils hope before Harry Maguire levelled things with his first goal in the Champions League.
Ronaldo then scored in his third consecutive game …