Paris Saint-Germain will not win the Champions League because they are terrible at defending, according to former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.
Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi scored twice while Neymar was also on target in the thumping 7-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa at Parc des Princes.
Despite progressing to the knockout stages with a match to spare, the Champions League trophy has remained elusive to PSG, who are yet to register a clean sheet in this season s competition after Abdoulaye Seck s brace for the visitors.
Schmeichel, who lifted the trophy with United in 1999, heaped praise on the attacking trio of Mbappe, Messi and Neymar after another devastating goalscoring display, but believes that defensive frailties will wreck any title ambit…
Manchester United are monitoring the situation around Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, according to Sky in Germany, as they aim to add a relatively young centre-back to their ranks.
Despite his team recording their lowest league finish in the Premier League era in 2023/24, manager Erik ten Hag has kept his job and will be given another chance to take United back towards the top. Having worked with De Ligt at Ajax, he obviously knows the 24-year-old Netherlands international well.
During the season that has just ended, De Ligt suffered with ligament problems but still managed to make 30 appearances for Bayern in all competitions, scoring two goals.
If United decide to step up their interest, it will be interesting to see if De Ligt s intentions have chang…
Ian Fray made a scoring return from his long injury lay-off, helping Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew in the MLS on Wednesday.
Miami, who are without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez due to their Copa America participation, ensured they stayed top of the Eastern Conference with their second win on the bounce.
Making his first appearance since July 2023, defender Fray marked his comeback with an early goal, flicking Julian Gressel s corner into the back of the net after just 10 minutes.
The Herons cemented their control just 11 minutes later when Leonardo Campana latched onto the rebound of his own saved shot to put them 2-0 up.
However, Cucho Hernandez halved the deficit just before half-time, poking a low effort past Drake Callendar into the b…
Inter Milan restored their 14-point lead at the top of Serie A as a goal in each half from Federico Dimarco and substitute Alexis Sanchez helped them to a 2-0 win against struggling Empoli at San Siro.
Sanchez had been on the pitch for only four minutes when he converted a cross from Denzel Dumfries in the 81st minute, sealing the victory after Dimarco had lashed home an instinctive first-time volley early in the first half to give the home side the lead.
Inter were not at their incisive best and the league’s top scorers looked like they might be made to pay for their imprecise and wayward finishing before the game was made safe late on.
Job done at San Siro!
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— Inter (@Inter_en)
For Empoli, Sanchez’s strike at the end…
FIFA has announced Morocco will host the next edition of the Club World Cup in February, at which Real Madrid will attempt to lift the trophy for a record-extending fifth time.
Madrid secured their 14th European Cup/Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Liverpool at the Stade de France in May, earning entry to a competition they won in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The other teams to have sealed qualification include Copa Libertadores winners Flamengo, CONCACAF Champions League holders Seattle Sounders, Auckland City and Al Ahly.
FIFA confirmed Morocco as hosts on Friday, and Moroccan side Wydad – who won the CAF Champions League under Walid Regragui last season before he left to manage the national team – will take part on home soil.
Morocco, which…
Portugal coach Fernando Santos is remaining optimistic about his side s hopes for next summer s European Championships in France.
Santos led Portugal to the tournament with an impressive record of seven wins and just one defeat, topping Group I.
Following the team s training session in Marcoussis where they will be based during the competition Santos proved to be ambitious in his outlook on Portugal s chances.
[The training facilities are] booked until July 10, we will play the final in Paris and it is on that basis, he said after visiting the facilities.
We reserved until then and we believe we will stay here until the 10th By the way, the 11th, I just want to go [home] on the 11th after throwing the party.
Santos was happy with the site sele…
Day Three of the 2016 Cheltenham Festival is ahead of us and if you are looking for a perfect horse to back, you should probably go with Thistlecrack, who has made a tremendous progress over the last year or so.
Colin Tizzard’s pride and joy has been made a clear favourites to win the 3.30 PM World Hurdle ahead of Cole Harden and Alpha Des Obeaux, and you should know that Betfair has seriously enhanced the price on Thistlerack to 14/1 for all new customers.
In order to qualify, you need to and enter promo code ZHRC43. Then place your first wager on Thistlecrack to win the Ryanair World Hurdle at Cheltenham in the New Customer market. If you do that and your bet wins, you get paid at the special price and also stand to earn another €100 worth of free bets.
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South Korea international Hwang Hee-chan will join Wolves permanently at the end of the season, the Premier League club has confirmed.
Hwang initially joined on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and agreed personal terms on a deal before arriving in England.
Wolves have now activated a clause to make the move permanent from July for a fee reportedly in the region of £12million.
The deal will run to 2026 and was confirmed by the club s website on the player s 26th birthday.
The former Salzburg forward made an impactful start at Wolves, scoring four goals in his first six Premier League games, including his first strike just 20 minutes into his debut after coming off the bench in the 2-0 win at Watford in September.
He has fail…
Cristiano Ronaldo s future is of no concern to the Portugal squad amid reports of a mammoth deal being offered to the 37-year-old, according to team-mate Andre Silva.
Portugal s World Cup campaign has endured the sideshow of Ronaldo s next destination following the mutual termination of his contract with Manchester United, leaving him a free agent for the tournament.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Ronaldo has been offered a mouth-watering deal by Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr worth £100million per year, with a contract said to last for three-and-a-half years.
Ronaldo will reportedly only decide his future after the conclusion of the World Cup, though that has not stopped many of his team-mates being asked about his situation.
Silva was the latest to find…
Donny van de Beek celebrated a “big moment” after the Manchester United midfielder returned from a long-term knee injury to score the winner in a 1-0 pre-season victory over Lyon at Murrayfield.
The Netherlands international had not played since suffering a knee problem in United’s win at Bournemouth on January 3.
He has struggled to establish himself since arriving at Old Trafford from Ajax, where he played under United boss Erik ten Hag, in the summer of 2020 and has been linked with a move away from the Red Devils this summer.
“It was great. My first game after six months. I don’t have to tell you after such an injury, such a mentally difficult period for me and my family, to be back on the pitch was great and it is nice if you score a goal,” Van d…