Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has a host of key players missing for the clash as Darren Fletcher, Steven Fletcher, Kenny Miller, Scott Brown, James Forrest, Charlie Mulgrew, Danny Fox, Lee Wallace and Gary Caldwell are all ruled out.
West Brom midfielder James Morrison has been named as Scotland s captain for the tie.
It s going to be hard. The squad is young. Some of our players don t even play European football, so it s imperative they get some kind of training for big games, Strachan said.
But, for all our hard work, we know we are playing against world class players.
Croatia are missing two key players in Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka, who are both suspended.
Dinamo Zagreb s 16-year-old starlet Alen Halilovic, who has been linked with a nu…
Denis Suarez has called on Villarreal to treat Thursday s Europa league tie with Sparta Prague as though it were a visit of Barcelona.
Europa League semi-finalists in 2011, eliminated by eventual winners Sevilla in last season s competition and having reached the last eight this term with wins over Napoli and Bayern Leverkusen, Villarreal will enter this tie with plenty of confidence.
Sparta will be no pushovers, however. The Czech side are one of just two clubs to have started the season in the Europa League who remain in the competition unbeaten, along with Liverpool, scoring three goals in each of their last three away games.
An eye-catching 3-0 win at Lazio in the last round helped Sparta become the first Czech side to reach the quarter-finals of European co…
Diego Costa arrived in Spain on Friday as the striker closed in on his return to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea.
The Premier League champions on Thursday confirmed they had agreed terms with Atletico for the sale of the Brazilian-born Spain international for a fee that could reportedly rise to €60million.
Costa will not be able to play for Diego Simeone s team until January as Atletico serve a FIFA-imposed player registration ban.
But, having succeeded in forcing through his departure from Stamford Bridge, Costa landed in the Spanish capital to undergo a medical.
Atléticos, a friend says hi!
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish)
The centre-forward moved to the Blues after helping Atletico to win LaLiga in 2013-14 and proved…
David Ospina urged Colombia not to let their impressive victory over Poland go to waste as they seek another three points against Senegal and qualification from Group H.
The 2014 quarter-finalists got their Russia 2018 campaign off to a torrid start, Carlos Sanchez s third-minute red card against Japan setting the tone for an opening 2-1 defeat.
They bounced back in style against Poland, however, cruising to a 3-0 win in Kazan on Sunday to eliminate their opponents and keep their own hopes alive.
Colombia sit third in the group, a point adrift of Japan and Senegal, who defeated Poland 2-1 in their first game before an entertaining 2-2 draw with the Blue Samurai last time out.
While a point will definitely be enough to see Senegal through to the last 16, C…
Barcelona have joined the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld, according to the Mirror.
Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Belgium international for some months and now the La Liga giants have thrown their hat into the ring.
With mounting injury concerns, the Catalan club could well table a bid for the twenty-nine-year old when the transfer window reopens in January, with Ajax’s Matthijs de Ligt also on their radar.
Alderweireld made just fourteen league appearances for Spurs last season, though he has played in all but one of their eight so far this term.
In total, he has turned out for the North London club one hundred and fifteen times since signing from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015, scoring si…
Spanish daily newspaper Marca understands that Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Villarreal to sign central midfielder Rodri Hernandez.
The highly rated youngster will be joining los Rojiblancos at the end of the season in a deal that could be worth up to €25 million.
Signing a high-quality holding midfielder has been a priority for Diego Simeone for quite some time, as Tiago (retired), Gabi (nearing the end of his career) and Augusto Fernandez (injury problems) are no longer viable options.
Everybody agrees that Rodri is the right man for the job and he is also seen as Sergio Busquets’ successor in the Spain national team.
Rodri Hernandez had spent seven years in Atletico Madrid youth academy before joining Villarreal in 2013 and he wen…
Graham Potter was delighted to see Hakim Ziyech show his quality at the World Cup, but the Chelsea head coach says there will always be talented players out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
Ziyech was one of the stars of the tournament as Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, playing a prominent role in several devastating counter-attacking displays from the Atlas Lions.
However, the tricky winger has enjoyed limited time on the field in the Premier League this season, featuring for a total of just 148 minutes and only starting one game.
Ziyech s strong performances in Qatar have led to suggestions he could leave Chelsea in search of regular game time, but Potter remains hopeful he will excel at Stamford Bridge.
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Urawa Red Diamonds 0-2 Al-Hilal (0-3 on aggregate): Al Dawsari and Gomis seal maiden AFC Champions L
Al-Hilal claimed their first AFC Champions League title as goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis saw off Urawa Red Diamonds 2-0 to secure a 3-0 aggregate victory.
Andre Carrillo s second-half goal in the first leg gave the Saudi Arabian side the advantage heading into Sunday s contest at Saitama Stadium, with the Diamonds hunting an unprecedented third AFC Champions League crown.
Yet despite dominating the first half, Urawa were unable to craft an opening as Al-Hilal claimed revenge for their defeat in the 2017 final.
Al-Hilal s quality paid dividends in the second half – Al Dawsari and Gomis striking late to claim the visitors first title in the competition at their third attempt in the final.
GOAL! | l 0-1 (Aggregate 0-2)
…
Santos and the Brazil national side both paid brief but fitting tributes on social media following the announcement of the death of Pele at the age of 82.
The Selecao great and three-time World Cup winner had been in hospital for palliative care in early December after his body stopped responding to cancer treatment, and his daughter confirmed his death on Thursday.
News of Pele s passing sent shock waves across the world of football, but nowhere would the impact be felt stronger than at Santos – a club where he spent 18 years, scoring 643 goals in 659 matches.
Pele lifted six league titles with the Brazilian side, including five in a row from 1961-1968, as well as the Copa Libertadores twice.
Eterno.
— Santos FC (@SantosFC)
On the i…
Manchester City are close to signing Jack Grealish from Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the 25-year-old attacking midfielder will undergo a medical at City on Thursday ahead of a proposed £100 million transfer.
City, who won the Premier League title last season, made a bid of £100 million for Grealish to Villa last Friday. The Villans have accepted that offer and have allowed the England international to leave for the Etihad Stadium.
Grealish made and two substitute appearances in the Premier League for Villa last season, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists in the process. The 25-year-old scored eight goals and provided six assists in 36 Premier League matches for the Villans in 2019-20.…