Simone Inzaghi feels his Inter team must repeat their first-leg performance at San Siro after a 2-0 victory at Benfica left them in the ascendancy of their Champions League quarter-final.
Inter headed into Tuesday s contest at Estadio da Luz on a dismal run of form, failing to win in their last six in all competitions.
But second-half goals from Nicolo Barella and Romelu Lukaku mean they are in the driver s seat as they look to get past Benfica and reach their first Champions League last four since they last lifted the famous trophy in the 2009-10 season.
Inter must first ensure they see out the quarter-final, though, and Inzaghi urged his team to replicate their strong first-leg display to seal their progression on home turf next Wednesday.
I am very sa…
Eric Ramsay is looking forward to the challenge Minnesota United face when they travel to Seattle Sounders in the MLS on Saturday.
Minnesota are third in the Western Conference, having lost just one of their last nine matches in the competition.
With leaders Real Salt Lake just four points in front of them, the Loons are looking to keep on the pressure, but they have never earned a point when travelling to Seattle.
However, Ramsey is confident his team can put that history behind them after watching them rise to challenges throughout the season.
It s a challenge that we can go and meet head-on, he said. We ve met challenges all the way through this season in that way.
I can only imagine it s a positive, if anything. I said to the group that ever…
Bayer Leverkusen opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Thursday, scoring all four of their goals by half-time.
Xabi Alonso s men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip.
Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.
Another of last season s stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.
Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke …
Arsenal and Liverpool are among the clubs who are interested in signing Omar Marmoush, according to . The report has claimed that Manchester United, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are also showing interest in the Eintracht Frankfurt forward.
Marmoush has been on the books of Frankfurt since the summer of 2023. The Egypt international is one of the better forwards in the Bundesliga and has been very good for Dino Toppmöller’s side. Marmoush has scored eight goals and given four assists in six Bundesliga matches and has scored one goal in two UEFA Europa League games for Frankfurt. The forward scored 12 goals and gave six assists in the Bundesliga last season.
Eintracht are third in the Bundesliga table at the moment with 13 points from six matches, a point behi…
Atletico Madrid will have an early showdown with Real Madrid as they take on their rivals in the second month of the 2019-20 LaLiga campaign.
Diego Simeone s side have finished behind Barcelona in successive seasons in Spain but will be aiming to go one better this time around.
Atletico are expected to lose striker Antoine Griezmann to reigning champions Barca, though the club-record signing of Joao Felix from Benfica will help to fill the void.
And Los Rojiblancos have the opportunity to get some points on the board early doors as only one of their opening six opponents including promoted Mallorca finished in the top nine of the division last season.
Opening-day opponents Getafe will provide a tough early test, though, and Atletico also take on a…
A new seven-team North American professional soccer league will begin next April after several clubs withdrew from the United Soccer Leagues first division to begin a club owner-operated circuit.
The Vancouver Whitecaps, set to join the premier-level Major League Soccer in 2011, will be part of the as-yet-unnamed league in 2010 along with teams in Miami, Atlanta, Carolina, Montreal, Minnesota and St. Louis.
We have united some of the best owners, teams and markets around a new vision for a professional soccer league in North America, Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo told the Miami Herald.
Saputo, set to chair the new league s board of governors, said in a statement released by his club that talks remained ongoing with United League officials but the new le…
Lionel Messi received the Ballon d Or trophy from 2018 winner Luka Modric on Monday, with the Real Madrid midfielder then congratulating Barcelona s forward on social media.
Modric ended Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo s 10-year duopoly on the prestigious prize last year having helped Croatia reach the World Cup final after winning a third successive Champions League with Real Madrid.
It was Messi s turn to win the award again this year, though, as he claimed a record sixth Ballon d Or having scored 41 goals in 44 club appearances so far across the calendar year.
Messi was LaLiga s top scorer in 2018-19 as Barcelona beat Real Madrid to the title, though that did not stop Modric praising a star on the other side of the Clasico divide.
Sports and football are…
With the transfer deadline upon us, I will take the next two days to touch basis on the latest rumours and speculation in world football. Let s get started.
Arsenal
This should come as no surprise to anyone who follows football. Following a humiliating 8-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger is finally looking to strengthen his squad.
The latest reports have Brazilian left-back Andre Santos (Fenerbahce S.K.), Florent Malouda (Chelsea FC), Alex (Chelsea FC), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea), and Gary Cahill (Bolton Wanderers). By the looks of it, Wenger is trying to sign all of Chelsea s B team. Is that really going to help the Gunners versus the biggest clubs in the Premier League? I highly doubt it.
In…
The Detroit Lions are coming off their first win of the season and head to Empower Field at Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 14 of NFL action. Oddsmakers aren’t expecting them to make it two in a row, with NFL betting lines having the Broncos installed as 10-point home favorites with the Over/Under at 42.
Here are our best free Lions vs. Broncos NFL picks and predictions for Sunday, December 12, with kickoff at 4:05 p.m. ET.
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Justin Fields and the Bears make it to prime-time for the second straight week as they take on the improved defense of the New England Patriots Monday night.
It’s looking like Mac Jones will be under center for the home side, but for what projects to be the slowest game in Week 7, should bettors’ offensive expectations be scaled back significantly?
Find out in my free NFL prop picks for Monday Night Football between the Bears and Patriots.
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