REAL MADRID VETERAN SUPERSTAR WANTED BY SAUDI ARABIAN GIANTS AL HILAL

 The 2023-24 season has served to remind Real Madrid that every beautiful story must end. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos no longer enjoy the same playing time at the club, and it is clear that the manager sees the transition to a younger generation to be vital.

Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde have thus taken up the reins in the middle of the park. While Kroos’ situation remains uncertain, it appears certain that Modric will leave the club at the end of the season.

The magician’s next stage

At 38 years of age, the Croatian wizard continues to impress and pull the strings in the middle of the park for Real Madrid.

El Clasico was one such prime example, for the game turned on its head after Modric entered the field in the second half.

According to reports from Jose Felix Diaz on SBA Sport, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia are interested in signing Luka Modric.

The Saudi Pro League leaders already boast names like Malcom, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Neymar Jr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Ruben Neves in their ranks.

Needless to say, it is a proposal that will be difficult for Modric to reject.

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Source : https://onefootball.com/en/news/real-madrid-veteran-superstar-wanted-by-saudi-arabian-giants-al-hilal-38605784

HAS WORLD CUP WINNER LIONEL SCALONI QUIT AS ARGENTINA MANAGER?

 Even before Argentina's World Cup win at the end of 2022, Lionel Scaloni's stock was sky-high with the public, who had dubbed their side 'La Scaloneta', and his players.

"If it's ten in the morning and Scaloni tells us good night, then it's night for us too," Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo de Paul revealed ahead of the global tournament.

As the reigning champion of South America and the world, Scaloni pushed his peak even higher by overseeing Argentina's 1-0 victory over Brazil at the Maracana, becoming the first ever opposition coach to inflict a home defeat on the Selecao in a World Cup qualifier.

Yet, a night that began with desperately troubling crowd problems ended with Scaloni's future as Argentina manager up in the air.

Here's everything you need to know about a resignation that the entirety of Argentina doesn't want to accept.

What has Lionel Scaloni said about quitting as Argentina manager?

Lionel Scaloni put his own future in doubt / Buda Mendes/GettyImages

In the aftermath of a historic victory, Scaloni uncorked his inner thoughts. "Argentina needs a coach who has all the energy possible and who is well," the 45-year-old said at the end of his post-match press conference, leaving no time for any follow-up questions.

"I need to stop the ball and start thinking, I have a lot of things to think about during this time. It's not goodbye or anything, but I need to think because the bar is very high and it's complicated to keep going and it's complicated to keep winning."

Scaloni added: "These guys are making it difficult, so I need to think about it for a while. I will talk to the AFA president and the players afterwards."

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Source : https://onefootball.com/en/news/has-world-cup-winner-lionel-scaloni-quit-as-argentina-manager-38604680

BARCELONA SEAL UWCL COMEBACK; BENFICA OFF THE MARK; LYON, BRANN WIN

 The Women’s Champions League resumed on Tuesday with eight teams in group-stage action.

Here’s what went down.

Barcelona blitz comeback over Frankfurt

Eintracht Frankfurt Women : 01 

Barcelona Women : 03

Scorers: Freigang 42′; Paralluelo 48′, 63′, Caldentey 59′

Barcelona produced a second-half blitz to record a 3-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Laura Freigang handed the hosts a late first-half lead when she rose to meet Verena Hanshaw’s floated delivery into the middle.

But Salma Paralluelo drew the reigning champions level just three minutes after the interval by sliding home Ona Battle’s cutback from the left.

The Blaugrana completed their comeback barely when Mariona Caldentey pounced on Ingrid Syrstad Engen’s tee-up with a close-range finish.

Paralluelo later racked up a brace by producing a carbon copy of Caldentey’s effort after Aitana Bonmatí had fed her inside the penalty area.

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Source : https://onefootball.com/en/news/barcelona-seal-uwcl-comeback-benfica-off-the-mark-lyon-brann-win-38604655

THE LATEST EA FC 24 TEAM OF THE WEEK HAS DROPPED

 A Ballon d’Or winner, Egypt’s hat-trick hero and Italy’s puppet-master.

Let’s take a look at which players have made it into the latest EA Sports FC 24 Team of the Week.

The full team is as follows:

• Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
• Nicolo Barella (Inter)
• Ronald Araujo (Barcelona)
• Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
• Lauren James (Chelsea)
• Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
• Patson Daka (Leicester City)
• Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
• David Alaba (Real Madrid)
• Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
• Stefan De Vrij (Inter)
• Gerson Rodrigues (Sivasspor)
• Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord)
• Otabek Shukurov (Faith Karagumruk)
• Connor Metcalfe (St.Pauli)
• Carlos Coronel (New York Red Bulls)                                                                                                                                                                                      Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/the-latest-ea-fc-24-team-of-the-week-has-dropped-38603777

ENGLAND'S EURO 2024 POT AND POTENTIAL GROUP STAGE OPPONENTS

 Despite a monotonous end to England's qualification campaign, the Three Lions confirmed their place at Euro 2024 with relative ease.

England sauntered to top spot in Group C, winning six of their eight qualification matches. That included back-to-back victories against European champions Italy, as well as a 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia and comfortable wins against Ukraine and Malta.

However, England have always flattered to deceive at major tournaments. Qualification has normally been straightforward but they have too frequently choked on the big stage despite an abundance of talent.

With the Euro 2024 draw coming in December, let's look at who England could face in next summer's tournament.

What Euro 2024 pot are England in?

England's performances in Group C have been rewarded / Robin Jones/GettyImages

With Euro 2024 a tournament made up of 24 nations, the group stage consists of six groups of four teams. Each group is made up of a single team from each pot - one to four - with the strongest teams, hypothetically, in Pot 1.

England were one of the five qualification group winners to be drawn into Pot 1 based on their impressive record in qualifying. They will also be joined by hosts Germany in the top pot.

Pot 1 also consists of Spain, Belgium, Portugal and France, meaning England won't face any of these teams in the Euro 2024 group stage.

Pots are decided based on the performance of teams in Euro 2024 qualifying.

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Source:https://onefootball.com/en/news/englands-euro-2024-pot-and-potential-group-stage-opponents-38604780

FRANCE RISK DISQUALIFICATION FROM U17 WORLD CUP

 France could be disqualified from the U17 World Cup after fielding Yanis Issoufou, who had already represented NIger during the qualification stages.

As reported by Sport News Africa, an administrative error could put pay to Les Bleuets’ chances of winning the ongoing tournament, which is taking place in Indonesia. France are through to the quarter-finals after beating Senegal in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. However, one player absent from the squad was Issoufou. The Montpellier forward was withdrawn from the teamsheet at the last minute with France worried about the player’s inclusion. He had registered two assists in three appearances at the competition, but the FFF did not want to take any chances.

Issoufou had recently played for Niger U17s in a competition that allowed the African nation to qualify for the U17 World Cup, whilst FIFA’s rules prohibit a player from representing two nations during the same tournament. Burkina Faso, who were dumped out of the competition at France’s expense, could file a plea, according to Sport News Africa. The publication added that France had not requested to change Issoufou’s nationality.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Source : https://onefootball.com/en/news/france-risk-disqualification-from-u17-world-cup-38604151

THE GREAT DEBATE: WHO WILL WIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE THIS SEASON?

 There’s a huge game coming our way from the Premier League on Saturday when Manchester City host Liverpool.

The match pits 1st vs 2nd, and both clubs are expected to be in contention to win the title until the very end of the season.

But who will end up as champions this year? Our writers made their predictions in the summer, and now they are being given the chance to revise them. Let us know what YOU think in the comments.

Dan Burke

I had the rather hot take in the summer that Manchester City wouldn’t even finish in the top two, with Arsenal going on to be champions and Liverpool finishing second. But I’m allowed to change my mind, and that’s what I’ve done.

I don’t think City have been at their absolute best so far this season, yet they’re top of the league at the time of writing, and I feel like their ceiling is higher than their competitors this season.

If Pep Guardiola’s side are still top or within touching distance of the summit in the second half of the season, I would expect Kevin De Bruyne’s return from injury to spark one of those mad winning runs, and come the end of the season they will become the first club ever to lift a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Richard Buxton

It seemed inconceivable during their summer of transition, but Liverpool are already looking like a firm option to claim their second Premier League crown.

With an ageing midfield replenished, Darwin Núñez finding form and both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah at the peak of their powers, Anfield may finally get its long-awaited title party.

City, however, have previous with challenging such perceptions by putting together unrelenting late runs to deny Jürgen Klopp’s side in 2018/19 and Arsenal last season.

Whether Pep Guardiola can produce another such masterstroke is likely to again be the deciding factor but the margins will still be tight between these two heavyweights.

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/the-great-debate-who-will-win-the-premier-league-title-this-season-38602664