Iraq coach Srecko Katanec is keen to ease the pressure on his players ahead of their opening Asian Cup clash with Vietnam on Tuesday.
The 2007 champions are second seeds behind Iran the top-ranked team in Asia in Group D but will want to still be in with a chance of topping the pool when they meet their neighbours in the final match of the round robin on January 16.
Katanec is determined not to get ahead of himself, with matches against Vietnam and Yemen to come first, and says his side are ready for battle .
The first match in every competition is always important, from the Asian Cup to the World Cup, he said. What I can say is that we ll do our best to have a good game. We are ready for the battle.
We will take it one game at a time. We are paying ful…
Prediction: Leicester to Win from Behind
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Wolverhampton Wanderers will look to get their home form back on track on Saturday afternoon as they face an out of form Leicester City at Molineux.
Nuno Espirito Santo s men have dropped to 11th in the Premier League table but could go above their opponents in the table up to eighth with a victory. Meanwhile, the Foxes head across the Midlands with the opportunity to reclaim seventh despite a tricky spell of results in recent weeks.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Despite Wolves having done tremendously so far in their first season back in the Premier League, the team are currently going through an inconsistent period. They managed to beat Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley just before New Year, wh…
With the EURO qualifiers drawing to a close on Tuesday night, we are treated to a stacked midweek schedule from across Europe.
So, for those of you who are looking to stick on a midweek international flutter, we have found a couple of qualifying showdowns that can offer a great return for your Tuesday bet.
19:45 Iceland vs Portugal
While Portugal might have suffered World Cup heartbreak at the hands of Morocco over the winter, the former European giants have come roaring back in some style since opening 2023. Marking their return to EURO qualifying duties last weekend as they stormed their way to a 3-0 romp at home against Bosnia Herzegovina, Tuesday’s guests have won each of their first three Group J appearances by an aggregate score of 13-0.
Cruisi…
Arsenal have been forced to pull their new home shirt from shelves while a “design error” is corrected by kit manufacturer Adidas.
The authentic home shirt, with a retail price of £110, has been made temporarily unavailable and Adidas has said supporters who had already purchased the 2023/24 jersey will be refunded.
The shirt honours Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ season 20 years on from when Arsene Wenger’s side went unbeaten throughout an entire Premier League campaign.
Within the design, the outcome of the 38 results is detailed with a row of W’s and D’s to highlight the wins and draws from across the season.
However, the authentic shirt – that which is worn by the players on a matchday – only carried 32 of those results and has since been…
Ahead of Saturday s Champions League final, Manchester United s Patrice Evra admits he may have been complacent against Barcelona in 2009.
United went down 2-0 against Barcelona at the same stage of the competition two years ago, with Samuel Eto o and Lionel Messi scoring the winning goals in Rome.
The sides meet again at Wembley this weekend, with French fullback Evra determined to make amends for the disappointment of defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.
I am honest. I was confident in Italy. Maybe too confident, Evra said.
It hurt so much when we lost. We did the team pictures the following season. We had three trophies. But we were missing the one with the big ears.
Evra acknowledges Barcelona deserve their favourites tag, but insists United sh…
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has undergone surgery on a meniscus tear in his right knee and is set for another spell of rehabilitation.
The 31-year-old Belgium international had already missed most of Real’s campaign so far after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee last August.
Courtois only recently returned to first-team training and it had been hoped he could soon be available again as Carlo Ancelotti’s side challenge for the LaLiga title and Champions League success.
Courtois medical report.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Real Madrid confirmed in a statement on Wednesday: “Our player Thibaut Courtois underwent successful surgery today for a tear to the internal meniscus of his right knee, und…