28 September 2011: UEFA Champions League Predictions

Ali McCann is getting his first taste of working with Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill this summer and is already noticing the difference.

The Preston midfielder missed O’Neill’s first games back in charge of the national team in March through injury, but is in the squad for Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier away to Denmark and next week’s home fixture against Kazakhstan.

McCann was one of the first players elevated from the under-21s when former Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough was in charge, making his debut in October 2020, but had since been told what to expect under O’Neill by his team-mates. He has now been able to see it for himself.

“It’s been great,” he said. “Even the last two training camps getting back into the swing of it h…

Tottenham and Ajax go head-to-head on Tuesday in what promises to be an enthralling Champions League semi-final.

An unlikely pairing considering the European heavyweights that have dropped out of the competition – with Ajax responsible for two shocks in knocking out Real Madrid and Juventus – Mauricio Pochettino s and Erik ten Hag s sides will meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the reverse fixture in Amsterdam on May 8.

Tottenham have had to overcome adversity, with star man Harry Kane out injured, while Son Heung-min is going to miss the first leg of the semi-final through suspension.

Barcelona or Liverpool will await the winner at Wanda Metripolitano on June 1, and here we look at some of the Opta facts ahead of the tie.

1 Ajax hav…

RCD Mallorca are interested in signing Nemanja Radonjic, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Serbia international expected to leave Torino this month.

Radonjic has passed through a large number of clubs in his career. He joined Torino initially on a season-long loan from Olympique Marseille in 2022, and the transfer was made permanent a year later for just under €2 million. He has so far made a total of 41 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring seven goals and contributing four assists. The 27-year-old winger is under contract with Torino until the summer of 2025, but it seems a change of scenery this month is still very likely.

Apparently, Radonjic was close to joining Monza before the move collapsed a few days ago. A number of clubs have asked abou…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 8/11 @

In what promises to be an action-packed Belgium Cup battle on Wednesday night, Royale Union will welcome Anderlecht to the Joseph Marien Stadium for their quarter-final showdown.

Starting with the hosts, while Royale Union might have been left frustrated last season as they eventually had to settle for a bronze medal finish among Belgium’s elite, Alexander Blessin s men look set to make real history this time around. Continuing to receive a string of plaudits, the Brussels-based outfit opened the New Year holding a six-point buffer at the top of the table and they are tipped as a standout contender to get their hands on a first domestic crown since way back in 1935. With the mood around the Joseph Marien Stadium at a re…

Real Madrid are interested in signing Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, according to . The report has claimed that Sane could leave Bundesliga champions Bayern at the end of the season, and that former La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Madrid are considering making an offer for the 27-year-old winger.

Sane has been on the books of Bayern since 2020 when he joined from Manchester City. The winger has helped the Bavarian giants win the Bundesliga thrice, the DFL-Supercup on two occasions, the UEFA Super Cup once, and the FIFA Club World Cup on one occasion. The Germany international has scored five goals in six Bundesliga matches so far this season.

Madrid are at the top of the La Liga table at the moment with 21 points from eight matches, a poi…

Leicester City manager Steve Cooper wants the Premier League to provide clear evidence as to why Jean Philippe Mateta s first goal was given in their 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

Mateta netted a brace to deny Leicester their first win of the season, but his first goal was originally flagged as offside before it was overturned after a VAR review.

Cooper s side had performed brilliantly to take a two-goal advantage up to that point, with goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi putting them in a comfortable position.

However, the Leicester boss was left with a sour taste in his mouth, confirming he wants greater clarity on why Palace s first goal was awarded.

I really want to see the image that says that was definitely onside because at the moment we ha…

Stephen Kenny’s contract as manager of the Republic of Ireland will not be renewed, the Football Association of Ireland has announced.

His departure comes following Ireland’s disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, where the team missed out on a spot in next year’s finals in Germany.

Their qualification run came to a close on Saturday after being beaten 1-0 by the Netherlands in Amsterdam and as a result finished fourth in the Group B standings having won only two of their eight games.

Kenny’s final game in charge saw Ireland draw 1-1 with New Zealand in a friendly in Dublin on Tuesday, with the FAI deciding that his contract would not be renewed following the conclusion of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

They added that “now is the righ…

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Serie A hat-trick as Juventus overcame Cagliari and he was pleased to put the pressure on Inter, who topped the league during the mid-season break.

After a goalless first half at Allianz Stadium, Ronaldo showed great anticipation to beat Sebastian Walukiewicz to Ragnar Klavan s loose pass and round Robin Olsen for the opener.

The 34-year-old added a second from the penalty spot following Marko Rog s foul on Paulo Dybala.

Gonzalo Higuain extended Juve s lead further in the 81st minute and five seconds after Cagliari restarted the match Ronaldo slotted in his third.

The victory sent Maurizio Sarri s men three points clear of Inter ahead of the Nerazzurri s trip to Napoli later on Monday.

The year has started very…

Chris Armas says the Colorado Rapids comprehensive defeat to Sporting Kansas City must serve as a wakeup call as they prepare to resume their playoff push against Toronto FC.

Colorado won their first two games upon returning to MLS play after the Leagues Cup break, but they were brought crashing back to earth with a 4-1 defeat in Kansas City in midweek.

Armas men remain in a positive position, sitting fourth in the Western Conference standings with a game in hand on some of the teams around them, but he knows they need to ensure Wednesday s performance was a one-off.

It s probably a wakeup call to all of us, what these games are going to look like, Armas said. Everyone s fighting for something.

Everyone s got something to play for and in our league, eve…

Barcelona aren t giving up on the idea of signing Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich this summer despite a reluctance from the Bavarians to do a deal, according to .

The contract binding the 33-year-old striker to the Allianz Arena will have a year left to run at the end of the season, which obviously means nothing can be done without Bayern s consent. That s apparently the reason agent Pini Zahavi, who represents Lewandowski, is holding meetings with the chief people at the club these days.

Meanwhile, both Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic have so far been adamant that the Poland international would be going nowhere this summer, ruling Bayern out of the race for the services of Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland for that precise reason.

Since joining Bay…