Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has backed Fabian Delph to earn a call-up to England s FIFA World Cup squad.
The midfielder, who has represented his country at Under-21s level, has been in excellent form this season, helping Villa climb to the safety of mid-table after fighting a relegation battle for most of the last campaign.
And Lambert believes that the 24-year-old, whose progress has been hindered by a series of injuries, could catch the eye of national coach Roy Hodgson.
I can only speak from my time here and in nearly two seasons that I ve been here he s done fantastic for us, Lambert said in quotes reported by The Birmingham Mail.
But I think that the injury situation with him has probably stopped him going as quickly as he should have.
If England …
Stoke City striker Saido Berahino has now gone two full years without a goal in competitive senior football.
The 24-year-old last found the net in a 3-2 win for West Brom over Crystal Palace on February 27, 2016.
The milestone underlines just how much of a nosedive Berahino s career has taken after such a promising start to life in the Premier League.
Not only did his last senior goal come at a time when Barack Obama still had over a year left in office as president of the United States, but many of Berahino s performances in that time have shown few signs of improving.
0 Today is two years to the day that Saido Berahino last scored in a senior competitive fixture (Feb 27th 2016). Since then, he has:
Played 42 games 2324 minutes
Attempted 55 sh…
that new contract talks are yet to begin between Arsenal and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The winger’s future at the Emirates Stadium has been the subject of much speculation in recent months with Chelsea and Liverpool both linked with a move for his services in the summer.
Now a transfer battle could commence next month with the Gunners yet to tie him down to a new deal and his current contract set to expire at the end of next season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has completed ninety minutes just once this season though he has scored six times and registered six assists.
Since signing from Southampton in the summer of 2011 the England international has racked up one hundred and seventy appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty goals and was part of the …
Africa Cup of Nations hosts Gabon head into their final group game against Cameroon knowing only a win can guarantee their progression to the quarter-finals.
Jose Antonio Camacho s side have drawn their opening two Group A matches, and now risk suffering a humbling early exit.
The Gabon team had been looking to lift a country hit by violence after last year s contested presidential election, but, amid calls to boycott the tournament in some quarters, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his team-mates remain focused on delivering success.
We have come here to play for Gabon, goalkeeper Didier Ovono told AFP. There will be time after the Africa Cup of Nations to dress the wounds.
The point of view of the call for a boycott, for me, is legitimate, but, for us a…
Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Qatar and Panama will face each other in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup this week. The Group D game will be held at BBVA Stadium in Houston and is slated to kick off at midnight Tuesday UK time.
Qatar
Qatar have been pitted in Group D along with Honduras, Panama and Grenada. They are an invited guest for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup this year and will play in the competition for the first time.
Félix Sánchez Bas’s side will head into the match against Panama on the back of a 1-0 win against El Salvador in a friendly international. It followed a 3-1 victory over Croatia B.
Team News:
Akram Afif will lead the line for Qatar.
Panama
Panama qualified for the 2018 World Cup…
Pep Guardiola claims Ruben Dias has become undroppable amid comparisons between the Manchester City centre-back and Liverpool s Virgil van Dijk.
Dias joined City from Benfica last September for a club record fee of £62million.
He arrived in the aftermath of a chastening 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester City, when Guardiola s men looked a far cry from the team who head into Wednesday s match at Burnley on top of the table and aiming to extend a 12-match winning run across all competitions.
The Portugal centre-back has been a key figure in the turnaround and Guardiola was asked whether his impact at the Etihad Stadium has been similar to the galvanising effect Van Dijk had at Anfield upon his January 2018 arrival.
Although the City manager shunned the chan…
West Ham forward Javier Hernandez has emerged as a January transfer target for a couple of clubs from the Spanish La Liga, according to reports.
Chicharito scored a brace in West Ham’s 3-0 victory at Newcastle which was his first start since the end of October as the Mexico international has seen his playing time come and go of late.
The 30-year-old forward struggled with an illness earlier in the season but now seems fully fit and motivated heading into the busy festive period in England.
Three goals in three starts stand as another proof of Chicharito’s goalscoring instincts which the likes of Real Sociedad and Valencia would like to latch onto in the January transfer window.
Reports coming from Spain claim that the two La Liga sides have expressed…
With the World Cup qualifiers once again taking center stage this weekend, we have another stacked schedule from across the footballing globe. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday September 4th
BST 00:30 Nashville SC vs New York City
While Nashville might have been hit with that shock 2-1 defeat away at Inter Miami last month, the Eastern Conference side have bounced back in an eye-catching fashion. Putting in another dominant display away at former MLS champions Atlanta last weekend, the Yellows picked up a deserved 2-0 win on the road. Once again tipped as another landslide tip to clinch a Final Series spot, Head Coach Gary Smith has been quick to p…
Didier Deschamps believes Ousmane Dembele can still become a more consistent contributor after recalling the forward for the start of France s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Dembele has not played an international game since November 2018, when he came on as a substitute in a 2-0 Nations League defeat to the Netherlands.
However, his form this season for Barcelona has led to the 23-year-old being included in Les Bleus’ squad for games against Group D rivals Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina
Deschamps handed the player his full debut back in September 2016 and, after injuries wiped out the vast majority of the 2019-20 season, is pleased to see Dembele back performing again.
Still, the France boss sees further room for i…
Joe Hart loved making his Burnley debut as the Clarets held on to a goalless draw in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against Istanbul Basaksehir.
Hart joined Burnley from Premier League champions Manchester City on a two-year deal on Tuesday and was thrust straight into first-team action when Sean Dyche s side travelled to Turkey on Thursday following injuries to Tom Heaton, Nick Pope and Anders Lindegaard.
The 31-year-old took his chance to impress, helping Burnley to a clean sheet which sets them in good stead ahead of the return leg at Turf Moor.
And the former England number one – who spent last season on loan at West Ham – was buoyed by the Clarets resilient display.
2 Burnley managed just two shots in total against Istanbul Basaks…