Prediction: Bayern Munich vs Hertha BSC

Cristiano Ronaldo will still have the chance to represent Portugal after new head coach Roberto Martinez left the door open for him to compete for the national side.

A move to Al Nassr for Ronaldo after the World Cup came after a turbulent period for the 37-year-old saw him released by Manchester United and then dropped by Fernando Santos during Portugal s campaign in Qatar.

Now in Saudi Arabia, it has not been clear whether the 196-cap forward s time on the international stage would end at the start of a new era under Martinez.

However, speaking at his unveiling on Monday, the former Belgium boss confirmed he will talk to Ronaldo, and other players, before making decisions on the squad.

Decisions have to be made on the pitch. I won t rush into decisions…

Real Madrid are eager to bolster their forward options, with a quality striker wanted to deputise for Karim Benzema.

Benzema, who is now 35-years-old, has battled injuries this season and played in 12 of their 20 LaLiga games.

Los Blancos have been regularly linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, while there have been reports of a big-money bid for Eintracht Frankfurt s Randal Kolo Muani in recent days.

Instead of signing another French forward though, there is a report that Madrid are eyeing up a Brazilian.

TOP STORY – ANCELOTTI WANTS FIRMINO

Real Madrid want to sign Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino on a free transfer at the end of this season, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

Liverpool are bullish on re-signing Firmino but no ex…

Bordeaux president Frederic Longuepee has vowed to stay in his post and condemned the unacceptable disruption of Tuesday s Ligue 1 match against Nimes by angry supporters.

The fixture was halted for more than 25 minutes after a group of home fans stormed the field at the Matmut Atlantique stadium.

Bordeaux s ultras stepped up their protests against the club s American-based ownership group King Street, whose motivations they have questioned, by entering the pitch after 10 minutes.

The delay continued after the supporters left the playing area and waited behind the goal, insisting on the return of their confiscated banners calling out the owners, president Longuepee and director of commercial strategy Antony Thiodet.

A group of fans brought back a ban…

Gary Neville believes that Frenkie de Jong should consider legal action against Barcelona.

The Netherlands international is a target for Manchester United, who have reportedly agreed a fee with Barca for the former Ajax midfielder.

However, De Jong is supposedly keen to remain at Barca, while it has also been claimed the Spanish club owe the 25-year-old €20million in wages.

That is after De Jong deferred his wages in order to help Barca deal with their financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet in spite of their financial issues, Barca have brought in a number of big-money signings this transfer window, including Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and Raphinha from Leeds United.

Raphinha s first start in .
Ok.

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Competition: Premier League

Market: Manchester City to beat Newcastle

Odds:

The Premier League continues this weekend with even more exceptionally exciting fixtures for the football fans to sink their teeth into. With the league now well past the halfway stage, every team will want to embark upon a positive run of results to forge their way up the table. With this in mind, Manchester City host Newcastle on Saturday.

Manchester City have been superb this season and they are looking almost unstoppable at the top. After 23 games they have won 20 times, drawn twice and lost once, scoring 67 goals and conceding 17 times. In their last five they have won three, drawn once and lost once, which has seen them onto 62 points for the season so far, 12 cle…

Liverpool have joined the race to sign Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante, .

Jurgen Klopp is busy preparing for his first full season in charge of the Merseyside club, and is keen to bring in the France international as he looks to add strength in the middle of the park.

The Reds’ Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in securing the services of the twenty-five year old, who only signed for the Foxes from Caen last summer.

Kante made forty appearances in all competitions during Leicester’s title winning 2015/16 campaign with his one and only goal coming in a 2-1 win over Watford in November.

He has been capped five times by his country, with his latest internati…

Japan fired a warning shot to their rivals in Asian qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win over Oman on Sunday.

The hosts wasted little time, attacking frequently in the first 10 minutes and putting Oman under constant pressure.

With shots raining from all points the first goal was a matter of time, finally coming in the 12th minute when Yuto Nagatomo s cross was volleyed in by Keisuke Honda with his left foot.

With most of the first half s play taking place in the visitors half, most of the pressure fell onto Oman goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, who saved several great chances but was himself saved by the official s flag more than once before the half ended at 1-0.

Japan picked up where they left off after the half ended, pressing Oman hard bef…

Blackburn Rovers have signed defender Karim Rekik on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.

Blackburn Rovers have signed defender Karim Rekik on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.

The Netherlands youth international, who can play at both left-back and centre-half, allowed his representative to meet with officials from the Championship club on Thursday in order to finalise the temporary move.
Rekik has made two first-team appearances for City, in the League Cup in 2011 before making his Premier League bow in a 1-0 win over Reading in December last year.
Happy to say that I m going on loan to Blackburn Rovers and be part of the team, Rekik posted on Twitter.
Hope to win many games and learn for my future at Man City.
The young de…

Harry Maguire has emerged as Manchester City’s number one transfer target, according to the Mail Online.

The English domestic treble winners are on the lookout for a new centre-back following Vincent Kompany’s decision to move to Anderlecht as player-manager.

Maguire is Pep Guardiola’s preferred option, though he is likely to command a fee that exceeds the £75m that Liverpool paid for Virgil Van Dijk in January 2018.

Maguire moved to the King Power Stadium two years ago and has since racked up seventy-three appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals.

He has been capped eighteen times for England, with his one and only international goal so far coming in the World Cup quarter-final victory over Sweden last June.

Kompany leave…

Leroy Sane joining Bayern Munich would be welcomed by Germany head coach Joachim Low after Bayern Munich again stated their interest in the Manchester City winger.

Bayern are reported to be readying an €80million bid for Germany international Sane.

The 23-year-old scored 10 goals and supplied as many assists as City defended their Premier League title as part of a domestic treble this season, including strikes in the pivotal wins over Liverpool and Manchester United.

But Pep Guardiola frequently left Sane on the bench during the closing weeks of the campaign, preferring Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva as his first-choice wide attackers.

A spell out of favour evoked memories of the player s shock omission from Germany s 2018 World Cup squad, although …