Hughton: Time for a good run

Norwich City boss Chris Hughton has called on his players to build on their West Ham win when they travel to St James Park on Saturday.

Norwich climbed out of the Premier League s relegation zone by coming from behind to win 3-1 against West Ham before the international break.

That result ended a winless run of five matches in which they had shipped 18 goals and were embarrassed 7-0 by Manchester City and eased the pressure on Hughton.

And ahead of Saturday s trip to Newcastle United, Hughton is hopeful his side can now go on a winning run.

It was great to see the reaction to the Manchester City defeat against West Ham, said Hughton, who managed Newcastle from June 2009 to December 2010.

St James Park is a great place to go and play football. We have to go …

City now an established force – Hart

Joe Hart believes Premier League champions Manchester City have now established themselves as one of English football s superpowers.

City held off the challenge of Liverpool and Chelsea to land their second title in three seasons last term, scoring an incredible 102 goals in the process.

The Etihad Stadium club won their first top-flight crown in 44 years in 2012, and have now finished in the top two for three campaigns in a row.

Sheikh Mansour s takeover in 2008 heralded a new era at the club, with global stars such as Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva all being brought to Manchester since then.

And City s haul of two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup in the last three years is evidence enough for Hart that they are now among the coun…

Navas: I have same desire to leave Real Madrid as to die

Champions League-winning goalkeeper Keylor Navas is hell-bent on staying at Real Madrid despite the arrival of Thibaut Courtois.

Navas has helped Madrid to three successive European crowns but the Costa Rica international s future is in doubt after the Spanish giants agreed a deal with Chelsea for Courtois.

Belgian star Courtois will sign a six-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu, however, Navas has no plans to leave Madrid.

Of course, and I say this with force, I have the same desire to leave than I have to die, Navas told the Onda Cero programme.

Navas moved to Madrid from Levante in 2014 – the LaLiga powerhouse triggering the 31-year-old s €10million buyout clause.

His future has always been speculated amid Madrid s pursuit of Manchest…

Bayern stars underperformed for Ancelotti – Capello

Fabio Capello has accused Bayern Munich s stars of failing to give their all under Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked by the Bundesliga giants in September.

Bayern coasted to the league title in Ancelotti s first season in charge, but his tenure was blighted by rumours Die Roten s key players were unhappy with his methods.

An inauspicious start to this campaign culminated in a woeful showing in a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and spelled the end of Ancelotti s reign.

Veteran coach Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern to the treble in 2012-13, returned to the Allianz Arena to take over until the end of the season and the club have lost just once in all competitions under his leadership.

Capello suggested that it is no coincidence and believes Ba…

Ronaldo, Bale among first nominees for Ballon d´Or

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have been named among the first nominees for this year s Ballon d Or.

The Real Madrid duo join Sergio Aguero, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Gianluigi Buffon as the first names to be revealed on the 30-man shortlist.

The overall list of names put forward for the prize is being announced in five-man groups in alphabetical order throughout Monday.

The Ballon d Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards merged in 2010 to become the FIFA Ballon d Or, but that partnership came to an end this year, allowing both prizes to return to their original formats.

Bale and Ronaldo enjoyed excellent campaigns for Madrid last season, especially after Zinedine Zidane took charge in January, helping fire the club to a second Champions L…

Lampard: Chelsea fans can dream of winning Premier League title

Frank Lampard said Chelsea fans can dream of winning the Premier League title, though he warned the Blues must focus on improving after moving top of the table.

Chelsea climbed to the top of the summit ahead of Sunday s north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool s clash with Wolves after overcoming Leeds United 3-1 on Saturday.

Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic scored for Chelsea, who moved a point clear of rivals Tottenham and defending champions Liverpool, albeit temporarily.

Chelsea are 13 games unbeaten across all competitions and nine in the Premier League amid a growing sense of belief at Stamford Bridge, where a limited number of fans were allowed to attend the match in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The …

Klopp: Salah could be among world´s best, but don´t compare him to Messi

Jurgen Klopp agreed with suggestions Mohamed Salah could soon be considered one of the best players in the world, but the Liverpool manager feels comparisons with Lionel Messi will not help the forward.

Salah scored four times in the 5-0 win over Watford at Anfield on Saturday, taking his tally to 27 Premier League goals in a prolific first season on Merseyside.

Such has been the impact of the Egypt international upon returning to England from Roma, one reporter put it to Klopp that the former Chelsea striker, along with Barcelona star Messi, is one of the game s top talents.

Yes, I think Mo is on the way, he said.

That s good. I don t think Mo wants or anybody wants to be compared with Lionel Messi.

He [Messi] is the one that is doing what he…

Prediction: Germany vs Brazil

Verdict: Brazil Draw no Bet

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Fresh from the third successive draw in international friendlies, World Cup holders Germany take on probably the number one candidates for the trophy in Russia. Having hammered 2018 World Cup hosts Russia, Brazil will want to gain an extra psychological advantage over other title contenders and at the same time get some revenge on die Mannschaft for the embarrassing 7-1 loss at the 2014 tournament.

Germany

One of world’s most famous national teams have enjoyed plenty of success under Joachim Low, lifting the 2014 World Cup and 2017 Confederations Cup trophies, while finishing third at the Euro 2012 and Euro 2016. Die Mannschaft are showing no signs of slowing down with plenty of quality footballers c…

Juventus to use Arthur Melo to sign Gabriel from Arsenal?

Juventus could include Arthur Melo in a deal to sign Gabriel from Arsenal in the summer of 2023, according to . The report in the Italian news outlet has claimed that former Serie A and UEFA Champions League winners Juventus have long wanted Brazilian defender Gabriel and could make a bid for him at the end of the season.

The plan of the Italian giants is to include Brazil international midfielder Arthur Melo in the deal. The former Barcelona star is on loan at Liverpool at the moment. The 26-year-old moved to the Merseyside club on loan from Juventus in the summer of 2022 and is scheduled to stay at Anfield until the end of the season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta really likes Arthur, according to the report, and this is why Juventus believe that a deal involving the B…

Chelsea sign former Fulham goalkeeper Bettinelli

Chelsea have signed Marcus Bettinelli on a two-year deal after his contract with neighbours Fulham expired.

The goalkeeper made 120 appearances over a decade at Craven Cottage but will now provide back-up to Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bettinelli, 29, will replace Willy Caballero, who left Chelsea as a free agent after just two appearances in all competitions last season.

The new man has limited top-flight experience, having made his Premier League debut for Fulham against Burnley in August 2018. That game started a run of seven league starts under Slavisa Jokanovic.

Bettinelli s form over that stretch earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate s England squad, though he did not make an appearance for the Three Lions.

Marcus Bettinelli has …