Suarez can steer Liverpool to Europe, says Gerrard

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said Luis Suarez s return will boost their side in their pursuit of a Champions League place.

The Reds have failed to reach the elite European competition since 2009 but Gerrard feels that the Uruguayan, who is returning from an eight-match ban for racist abuse in time for Monday s clash with Tottenham, could prove the difference.

Luis can help us achieve what we set out to achieve finishing top four and reaching two finals, Gerrard told the Daily Mail.

I m sure he will because he s a super player. Luis has shown over the last 12 months that he s one of the best players in the world.

He has been missed and the players are looking forward to welcoming him back.

Champions League matchday three: Alexis Sanchez out to continue hot streak as Pep meets Barcelona

Alexis Sanchez will be looking to build on his superb run of form when Arsenal take on Ludogorets, while Barcelona and Manchester City lock horns in the Champions League again.

Napoli, meanwhile, will be hoping to make it three wins from as many games as they meet Besiktas, with only Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Leicester City still holding a 100 per cent record, too.

Elsewhere, Carlo Ancelotti s Bayern Munich face PSV, with the Italian desperate to improve his poor record against the reigning Eredivisie champions. 

Using Opta data, we take a look at the best stats ahead of Wednesday s eight group-stage matches.

 

ARSENAL v LUDOGORETS

 It Is the first time Arsenal are facing Bulgarian opposition, in all competitions.
 Arsenal hav…

Leicester make final Keane bid

Leicester City have made a third bid for Burnley defender Michael Keane, .

The Premier League champions are on the lookout for a new centre-back and have made the twenty-three year old their top target.

They have previously had two offers rejected by the Premier League newcomers, and hope that their latest bid of £15m plus add-ons will be enough to secure the deal.

Keane moved to Turf Moor initially on loan in September 2014 before making the move permanent three months later and in total he has made sixty-nine appearances for the Clarets, scoring five goals.

Prior to his switch to Sean Dyche’s side, he had loan spells with Derby County and Blackburn Rovers while he also had a stint with Leicester in the 2012/13 campaign.

The former Engla…

Nice eye Arsenal centre-back William Saliba

Nice are interested in signing William Saliba from Arsenal in the January transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the French outfit are looking to secure the services of the 19-year-old centre-back on a loan deal from the Gunners when the transfer window opens in January.

Patrick Vieira is in charge of Nice at the moment. The former France international midfielder is an Arsenal legend and is reportedly looking for a replacement for Dante, who is injured for the rest of the season. Saliba is struggling for playing time at Arsenal at the moment and his experience of playing for Saint-Etienne with France does make him an attractive proposition.

Saliba is not part of the Arsenal squad for the Europa League and has yet to make appearance in the Premier Leag…

August 2nd: Wednesday’s Copa Libertadores Double – 3/1 Special, Tips & Predictions

With the Copa Libertadores knockout stage getting underway in the early hours of Wednesday, South America’s elite will all battle it out in midweek.

Ahead of a stacked Copa Libertadores schedule throughout Wednesday, we have found a couple of tips that can potentially offer a great return for your midweek flutter.

01:00 River Plate vs Internacional

Making real Primera Division history last season as they were crowned Argentinian champions for a record-breaking 38th time, River Plate have only continued on a major romp in 2023. Eventually reclaiming their domestic title thanks to an 11-point buffer last month, Wednesday’s hosts will be excited to turn their attention back to Copa Libertadores duties here.

Signing off their Primera Division flurry wi…

Castro draws Tuchel comparisons with Bayern legend Heynckes

Gonzalo Castro has likened Borussia Dortmund head coach Thomas Tuchel s approach to that of the legendary Jupp Heynckes.

Tuchel took over at Signal Iduna Park ahead of the 2015-16 season and helped Dortmund to a runners-up finish in the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal final.

Castro played under Heynckes at former club Bayer Leverkusen, and the coach is a hero at Dortmund s rivals Bayern Munich having won a league, cup and Champions League treble in the 2012-13 campaign.

Heynckes also won two league titles during his first spell as Bayern coach and the Champions League with Real Madrid in 1998.

And Castro sees plenty of similarities between the two coaches.

Speaking to Bild, he said: Jupp Heynckes was similar [to Tuchel]. He always looks at the small…

Mooy joins Brighton on loan, signs new Huddersfield deal

Aaron Mooy has joined Brighton and Hove Albion on a one-year loan deal after signing a new contract with Huddersfield Town until 2022.

The midfielder emerged as a target for the Seagulls this week and will make the temporary switch to Brighton for the coming Premier League campaign.

Mooy has also put pen to paper on new contract with the Terriers, who were relegated from the top flight last term, and Huddersfield have the option to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

We are delighted to welcome Aaron to the club. He has played very well over the past two seasons in the Premier League and will bring a different option and added competition to our midfield, Brighton boss Graham Potter told the club s official website. 

He s been a talisman for Hudd…

Ronaldo: Coentrao one of the world´s toughest defenders

Cristiano Ronaldo regularly comes up against the best defenders in the world but the Real Madrid star has particular trouble team-mate Fabio Coentrao.

The Madrid pair and Portugal team-mates faced each other during training on Thursday and it is safe to say four-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo had a tough outing.

Madrid s all-time leading scorer Ronaldo used social media platform Instagram to heap praise on the Portuguese left-back, who was part of the Spanish club s Champions League triumph in 2013-14.

One on one in training. Happy to play against one of the world s toughest defenders to overcome. My brother Coentrao, Ronaldo wrote in a caption after uploading a photo of the duo in training.

James hoping to seize FA Cup opportunity amid Man Utd competition

Daniel James knows the pressure is on to seize any first-team opportunities he gets at Manchester United ahead of the FA Cup tie with Watford.

United host their Championship opponents in the third round on Saturday and James believes the competition retains a special place in the football calendar.

The Wales winger, who scored a famous FA Cup goal while he was at Swansea City against Brentford, is hoping to be involved at Old Trafford.

James impressed against Leeds United last month and was also in the team against Leicester City, but they were two of only five Premier League starts he has been handed this season.

Having featured in 33 Premier League games last season, he knows the competition for places at United is tougher this time around, with the cl…

Rumour Has It: Tottenham to splash the cash for Poch

Could Daniel Levy be about to loosen Tottenham s purse strings?

According to the Mirror, Tottenham are set for a spending spree to ensure manager Mauricio Pochettino does not quit.

Pochettino has been linked to Juventus and Manchester United, and the Argentinian is in a strong position after leading Spurs to their first Champions League final – without signing a player in 2018-19.

 

TOP STORY – SPURS TO SPLASH THE CASH

Show me the money is the message from Pochettino, and chairman Levy is set to listen.

Tottenham have already reportedly had bids rejected for Real Betis star Giovani Lo Celso and in-demand Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

2) Tottenham kick off transfer spree to convince Mauricio Pochettino he should stay | <…