Bitesize Prediction: Royale Union vs Anderlecht – 17/01/24

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…

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…

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was in a reflective mood after their 7-0 victory at Crystal Palace ensured they continued their perfect start to the Women s Super League.

The former Champions League winner joined the club in May after leading Lyon to a third successive French title, and has won her first two matches in the English top-flight.

Understandably, having never played or managed in England before taking the job at Chelsea, Bompastor spent a lot of time learning about the league before the move.

I feel wiser, she told Sky Sports after the match.

Coming to this league, I ve spent a lot of time studying the teams, the managers and the way they play.

I want a lot of information, the most possible. This league is so competitive and if you…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 3/5 @

In what could prove to be an action-packed La Liga showdown from El Sadar on Saturday lunchtime, Osasuna will welcome Villarreal to Navarre.

Starting with the hosts, managing to make a stunning return to winning ways last weekend as they stormed their way to a famous 4-1 romp away at Atletico Madrid, Osasuna will be desperate to use that sensational display as a platform to build on. Opening their season finale sat just a single point adrift of breaking into the top-half, Los Rojillos will be desperate to make another statement here. However, despite drawing a line under their six-match winless run last week, Jagoba Arrasate will have a headache over his side’s extended issues on home soil. Including an action-packed 4-2…