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RB Leipzig v Man City – Preview, Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Manchester City travel to Germany for their final UEFA Champions League group game of the season against a managerless RB Leipzig.

American Jesse Marsch was given his marching orders last week after failing to get his side going after starting at the club this summer.

Marsch leaves Leipzig without Champions League football in February and midtable in the Bundesliga, but there is a chance that they could attain UEFA Europa League football by achieving the same (or a better) result than Belgian champions Club Brugge.

Interim manager Achim Beierlorzer will take charge for his first match as the hunt for a successor to the American begins.

Manchester City are enjoying life under Pep Guardiola, as expected, and have already booked their ticket to the last 16.

A win against PSG last time out confirmed that the top spot in the group was theirs, and as they sit top in the Premier League at the moment, life could not be going any better for them.

Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will start Tuesday evening’s game after recovering from Covid-19 – became on against Watford in the 3-1 win at Vicarage Road at the weekend.

Gabriel Jesus, on the other hand, will not travel with the squad while Barcelona-linked Ferran Torres remains injured.

Five academy players will join the senior squad in Germany for the match.

Ilaix Moriba and Tyler Adams are available for selection against Manchester City but their RB Leipzig teammates Willi Orban, Dani Olmo, Yussuf Poulsen, Marcel Halstenberg, Hugo Novoa and Marcelo Saracchi are all unavailable – Amadou Haidara is questionable.

Teams

RB Leipzig (4-2-2-2): Gulacsi (C); Mukiele, Klostermann, Gvardiol, Angelino; Kampl, Laimer; Forsberg, Nkunku; Silva, Szoboszlai.

Subs: Martinez, Simakan, Adams, Brobbey, Moriba, Bonnah, Henrichs.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Steffen; Walker, Stones, Aké, Zinchenko; Fernandinho (C), Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Foden, Grealish.

Subs: Ederson, Carson, Dias, Sterling, Egan-Riley, Palmer, McAtee, Lavia, Wilson-Esbrand.

Odds

RB Leipzig 5/2

Draw 14/5

Manchester City 9/10

Where To Watch

The match will be covered on BT Sport 2 from 5 pm with kick-off slated for 5:45 pm. LiveScore will also show the match.

Milan v Liverpool – Preview, Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Liverpool travel to Milan for their final UEFA Champions League group game of the season against a side who sit third in the table with one win to their name.

Liverpool have already progressed to the next stage, the last 16, as group winners – doing so after winning their first four games in the group stage for the first time in their history.

They can improve upon history further with a 100% record on the line tonight – a win will grant them maximum points from what was dubbed ‘the group of death’ before the competition started.

Milan, on the other hand, are trying to get their season back into top gear after faltering recently in their domestic league, Serie A.

They sit first but results have only improved recently – however, they sit third in the European group.

A win over Atletico Madrid in their last outing saved their chances of qualifying for the last 16 – a win at home to their great rivals, on top of there being a draw in Porto’s match with Atletico Madrid, will confirm that.

Weekend hero Divock Origi is set to be involved for Liverpool after his goal against Wolves on Saturday.

However, vice-captain James Milner will miss out through suspension.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that the side fielded by Liverpool will be a rotated one.

AC Milan, meanwhile, are set to be without Ante Rebic, Alessandro Plizzari, Simon Kjaer, Davide Calabria and Olivier Giroud for the 8 pm GMT kick-off.

Teams

Milan – Predicted (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kalulu, Tomori, Romagnoli, Theo; Tonali, Kessié; Messias, Diaz, Krunic; Ibrahimovic.

Subs: Tătăruşanu, Jungdal, Bennacer, Ballo, Florenzi, Maldini, Bakayoko, Gabbia, Saelemakers.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Williams, Phillips, Konaté, Tsimikas; Morton, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino; Salah, Origi, Mané.

Subs: Kelleher, Davies, Fabinho, Keita, Gomez, Robertson, Matip, Dixon-Bonnar, Bradley, Trent, Norris, Woltman.

Odds

Ac Milan 11/10

Draw 27/10

Liverpool 21/10

Where To Watch

The game will be available to watch on RTÉ 2 from 7:30 pm and LiveScore.

How will Conte and Tottenham Hotspur cope with the Sergio Romero injury?

If you were to ask people outside of the United Kingdom who was the biggest Premier League team, they would probably name one of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea or Manchester United. Over the past few years, these are the teams who have either won the most titles, or regularly finished near the top of the table. 

 

One side who would possibly be named too are Tottenham Hotspur. They are known to people around the world because of some of the top players they’ve had to represent them through the years, such as Gareth Bale, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane. However, while they really were pushing for the title a few seasons ago under Mauricio Pochettino, and even made it to the Champions League final in 2019, they have since fallen away.

 

As they were moving into a brand new stadium that cost well over $1 billion, they had to save money wherever possible, which meant that few signings were made, whilst the players they had were allowed to get older without being adequately replaced.

 

 Certain players like Eriksen decided to leave, leaving those who remained, such as Kane, unhappy with the club. Despite his best efforts to move away from Spurs, and the betting odds suggesting he was going to join Manchester City, Kane ended up staying in North London, for the time being at least.

Pochettino was fired, and serial winner Jose Mourinho was brought in to replace him. Mourinho used to be a favourite with people who placed bets on soccer, as he was so good at winning games, meaning the odds were always in his favour, no matter the opposition. However, he is no longer the manager he once was, and his sides would often lose to sides far inferior to them, which really upset the oddsmakers. As Tottenham manager, the sports betting stats were rarely in his favour, as soon enough the only time people were placing bets on him was for him to lose his job. He eventually did, in April 2021.

Conte keeps them waiting

It was at this point that Tottenham and their owner Daniel Levy tried to sign Antonio Conte, the former Inter Milan, Chelsea and Italy manager. He knocked them back, preferring to stay out of a job to assess his options. Instead, Nuno Espírito Santo took over (who was way down the betting odds list to begin with), hoping to get Tottenham back to winning ways. Despite 3 early victories, including against the champions Manchester City, soon results started to go against Nuno, and it was only 3 months into the 2021/22 season when he was fired.

 

Clearly Conte had been approached again to take over at White Hart Lane, as it was only the next day when he was unveiled. His first task was to make them hard to beat again, and to try and get them back up the table. This task was made all the more difficult, due to an injury to star defender Cristian Romero.

 

Romero struggled so far in the Premier League

Tottenham fans were excited when Romero joined them on loan early this year, as they knew of his pedigree from his playing days at Genoa and Atalanta. He has also appeared for the Argentine national team, so is clearly proven at the top level. Despite some strong early performances in a white shirt, Romero also found life in the Premier League difficult, as it looked like he was struggling to adjust to the pace of the game.

 

He was also in the news for all the wrong reasons, as whilst on international duty, officials stormed the pitch during a Brazil v Argentina match, declaring that Romero was amongst a number of players who lied about how they entered the country. He was then forced to miss a number of matches for Spurs, which certainly angered the fans.

 

To make matters worse, he has now picked up a serious-looking injury, which Conte believes will keep him out until at least the new year. This could affect how people bet on Tottenham, as with him not in the side they could well concede more goals than usual.

How will Conte react?

It is quite the headache for the new manager, who was looking to make Romero the key part of his defence. Now, he will be forced to change things around, and bring in other players who might have otherwise spent more time on the bench.

 

As Conte likes to play with 3 central defenders, it means that he has had to play Ben Davies, who looked to be on his way out of the club during the summer transfer window. While this worked against Brentford in their most recent fixture, you’d expect Tottenham to have more difficulty against some of the bigger sides in the Premier League, where they won’t be the favourites in the betting markets.

 

Conte will be hoping that Romero is back before too long, so he can finally start to work with the Argentine defender.

Roman Salanoa back in training for Munster ahead of Wasps game

Munster have confirmed that prop Roman Salanoa has returned to training ahead of their Champions Cup opener against Wasps in Coventry.

Salanoa has only played seven times for The Stags since joining the side from Leinster last summer, with his last appearance coming against Zebre in the Pro14 Rainbow Cup in June.

His knee injury has kept him sidelined for several months but the 24-year-old is now in line to return to the Munster 23 this weekend and is set to make his Champions Cup debut.

Chris Farrell and Jonathan Wren have also returned to training, as confirmed on Friday.

Ireland Sevens player Conor Phillips returns to the High Performance Centre this week after representing the nation in Dubai at the weekend.

The 14 members of the travelling party to South Africa who remained in Cape Town are continuing to do well as they move closer to completing their respective quarantine periods at different stages this week.

The 34 players and staff who returned home to Ireland last Wednesday are continuing to follow the government protocols of mandatory self-isolation while following the public health-led PCR testing programme.

It is expected the group will complete their quarantine period over the weekend.

Unavailable: Paddy Kelly (hamstring), Edwin Edogbo (achilles), John Hodnett (ankle), Calvin Nash (ankle), Rowan Osborne (head), RG Snyman (knee).

JGP and Dan Leavy back in full training ahead of Champions Cup

Leinster have announced that four players have been deemed available for selection in their Champions Cup opener against Bath this weekend after recovering from injury, including Jamison Gibson-Park and Dan Leavy.

Scrum-half Gibson Park has been sidelined with a thigh injury since Ireland’s win over New Zealand last month.

The number nine is set to make his return to the Leinster 23 in the same ground, the Aviva Stadium, this weekend.

Flanker Dan Leavy has also returned to full training having come through the Graduated Return to Play Protocols after suffering an injury 20 minutes into the recent loss to Ulster in the United Rugby Championship.

Centre Rory O’Loughlin has also returned to full training this week having recovered from a shoulder injury, while back-rower Max Deegan got through the Connacht game without any issues.

Lock James Ryan is continuing to comply with World Rugby protocols while training with the team.

Ryan is seeing an independent concussion consultant as part of his return to competitive action.

His fellow Irish internationals Jack Conan and Leinster and national captain Johnny Sexton will increase their workload in training this week and be further assessed before a final decision is made on their recoveries.

Loosehead prop Cian Healy, who was substituted against Connacht as a precaution, will also be assessed ahead of the Champions Cup clash with Bath.

Leinster and Ireland openside flanker Will Connors is back on the injury list after picking up a hamstring issue in training last week.

Paddy McGrath calls time on Donegal career after 12 years

Donegal star Paddy McGrath has called time on his inter-county career after 12 years, winning five Ulster titles and one Sam Maguire Cup.

McGrath has struggled with injury in recent years but will be remembered for playing his part in Donegal’s second All-Ireland triumph in 2012.

The corner-back was an All-Star nominee in Donegal’s All-Ireland winning year after several top performances helped play a part in his side’s journey to the summit of Gaelic football.

The Ardara man was in Croke Park in September once again in 2014 as Jim McGuinness brought the county to their second All-Ireland final in three years.

However, that day was not to be as Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s Kerry bridged a five-year gap to earn their 37th Sam Maguire.

“To have played for Donegal just once, I never would have imagined that as a wee fella growing up,” McGrath told the Donegal News.

“But to have had 12 years and some medals to go along with it, it’s been amazing.

“The friends made and just the honour of wearing my county’s colours, it’s the stuff of dreams.”

McGrath was among the many players that made the leap from under-21 to senior football with ease for Donegal after finishing second in the U21 All-Ireland Championship.

John Joe Doherty gave the defender his senior debut for the county in an Ulster Senior Football Championship loss to Down in 2010 but McGuinness, who managed the U21s at that time, came in for 2011 and took the team to new heights.

Three Ulster titles followed under McGuinness, on top of the All-Ireland triumph but Donegal regressed under Rory Gallagher, who succeeded the All-Ireland winning coach and former All-Irelan winning player.

McGrath remained a mainstay in the side throughout Gallagher’s reign and in the early period of current boss Declan Bonner’s second term with the county.

He picked up his fourth and fifth Ulster titles under Bonner in 2018 and 2019, becoming a centurion for the county in the latter season, before an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Mayo in the All-Ireland Super 8s began the end of his career.

His club Ardara praised him on social media after announcing his retirement from the inter-county scene on Monday morning: “Paddy finally bows out from County football after a fantastic career. Donegal’s loss is Ardara’s gain and we look forward to seeing him for many more years in our own green and gold jersey inspiring the next generation of Ardara footballers.

“What a career @mcgrath_2..!”

Chris Forrester signs long-term deal with St Pats after Cup win

St Patrick’s Athletic star Chris Forrester has signed a long-term deal with the club after their FAI Cup victory in November.

Forrester scored the Super Saint’s only goal of the game in extra time – a spectacular solo goal towards the end of the first half of the extra 30 minutes.

The goalscorer also slotted his penalty past Bohemians goalkeeper James Talbot as his side won on penalties following Bohs’ equaliser on the other side of the break in extra time.

Chris Forrester said after signing his deal: “I am delighted to be back at the club and thankful for another opportunity to play for a club that means so much to me. I can’t wait to get going again next season”

Forrester is currently in his second spell with the Athletic, returning to the side in 2019 after spending time abroad with Peterborough United and Aberdeen.

The 28-year-old had initially joined the Inchicore side from Bohs after working his way up the ranks at Dalymount Park.

He now commits his future to the Saints, whom he has come to be revered by for his performances.

Club Chairman Garrett Kelleher said: “Chris has had a great season with the club and is thoroughly deserving of his nomination for PFAI Player of the Season, he will continue to be an integral part of the club over the next few years.

“On behalf of the board and myself we are excited about what the future holds for the club with personalities like Chris here.”

Kilcoo and Glen shine as Ulster semi-finalists are confirmed

Kilcoo and Glen produced stand-out performances at the weekend as they made up half of the sides that reached the 2021 Ulster Senior Football Club Championship semi-finals.

Ulster holders Kilcoo dispatched of Cavan champions Ramor United with ease after conceding a goal in the sixth minute.

The Down side pulled into the lead and never looked back after Ramor found the net, scoring three goals themselves as they won by 11 points.

The next day, Derry champions Glen took down Scotstown of Monaghan to ensure that they will face Kilcoo in the semi-finals.

Head Coach Malachy O’Rourke outwitted Scotstown’s system and their long kickouts – the former Monaghan boss nurtured Beggan throughout his time with The Farney Army and helped him to become the player he is today.

Being able to take away his former goalkeeper’s strengths with bodies in midfield led Glen deeper into the Ulster Championship as they posted a nine-point victory over the four-time Ulster victors.

The upcoming matchup between Kilcoo and Glen could be one of the games of the year as two sides in red-hot form will fight for their right to be in the Ulster final.

On the other side of the draw, the Fermanagh and Armagh champions will go head-to-head for the other spot in the provincial final.

Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly Harps beat Tyrone’s Dromore with 14 men after extra time to seal their spot in the final four of the competition.

Conall Jones scored a late equaliser in normal time to send them into extra time and helped them pull away from the Red Hand’s finest team of 2021 before picking up a second yellow.

Stephen McGullion confirmed the win when he punched home the only goal of the game, after Dromore had also been reduced to 14 men.

Armagh champions Clann Éireann also went to extra time in their quarter-final against Kickham’s Creggan.

The Clann came back from a seven-point deficit in the second half to achieve a three-point victory over the Antrim men.

Late scores sent the game to extra-time and the Armagh side pulled away in the last period of the game, with Daniel Magee’s goal sealing their progression in Ulster.

Both semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 19, with the final set to be played on Sunday, January 16, 2022.

The Strangest Football Shirt Sponsorships Worldwide

Football sponsorships are a controversial topic due to their ties to gambling companies, but most football clubs worldwide have made agreements with companies for shirt sponsorships. Some of these shirt sponsorships were struck to promote well-known firms, but there have been some strange sponsorships that just don’t make sense. Read all about them here. 

Wet Wet Wet and Clydebank FC (1995)

Wet Wet Wet is a rock band that was founded in 1982 in Clydebank, Scotland. The band are best known for their cover of ‘Love Is All Around’, which was used in the soundtrack for Four Weddings And A Funeral. However, the group raised eyebrows in 1995 when they became the shirt sponsors of their hometown football club. Although it isn’t strange for the group to sponsor the football club of their hometown, seeing the band name on kits was strange, and it’s rare to see a rock band or any musician sponsor a football club. In the early 2000s, the football club was bought out and moved to Airdrie, where it was renamed Airdrie United to replace the town’s previous club. 

Angry Birds and Everton (2017)

Angry Birds is one of the biggest mobile games of all time. Despite that, parent company Rovio struck a sponsorship agreement with Everton in 2017 to display the Angry Birds logo on the left sleeve of the football club’s shirt. Reports claim the sponsorship was worth more than £1 million per season, but the agreement between the club and Rovio ended when talks for an extension collapsed in 2020. The club’s primary sponsor from 2020 onwards has been British online car retailer Cazoo.

Burger King and Getafe (2009)

In 2009, Spanish club Getafe struck an agreement with fast-food chain Burger King for the company’s famous branding to appear on the club’s shirts for the 2009/10 season. The front of the shirt featured the Burger King logo and the company added a picture of the King to the inside of the club’s football shirts too. The agreement is widely regarded as one of the worst and strangest football shirt sponsorships of all time for several reasons. Firstly, Burger King is large enough to not need to sponsor football clubs, the design was awful, and it wasn’t right to see professional footballers promote fast food. Getafe displayed Burger King’s branding for three years before the club struck an agreement with Confremar, a frozen foods manufacturer. 

Columbia Pictures and Atletico Madrid (2003)

Back in 2003, Atletico Madrid signed a sponsorship agreement with Columbia Pictures, a film production and distribution company. Rather than displaying the logo of Columbia Pictures, the sponsorship saw Atletic Madrid change the logo of their shirts several times to promote Columbia Pictures’ new film releases. Some of the logos displayed on the team’s shirts included Spider-Man, Peter Pan, Hell Boy, Resident Evil, White Chicks, Bad Boys, and numerous others. The sponsorship was incredibly unique, but the agreement came to an end in 2005. 

Football Sponsorships Now

As you can see, all of the strange football sponsorships we’ve mentioned above were agreed upon before the start of the 2020s. Today, the majority of football clubs are sponsored by casinos and their popular sister sites, particularly in the United Kingdom. This has sparked a huge backlash across the nation as many believe these sponsorships push youths and vulnerable people into gambling. A review of the Gambling Act 2005 may see the UK Government ban gambling shirt sponsorships, which means we may see fewer gambling brands and more of the strange sponsorships we mentioned above. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Punchestown Sunday Preview: Envoi Allen turns up the heat

A crisp winter day will turn to boiling point at Punchestown shortly before 2 pm on Sunday as the biggest field since 2007, and arguably the best ever goes to post for the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

The ten-runner contest is headed by odds-on favourite Envoi Allen, who returns to Grade 1 company for trainer Henry de Bromhead and the darling of Irish racing Rachael Blackmore, but the popular seven-year-old will face his toughest ever assignment on this occasion.

De Bromhead’s Aintree Grand National hero Minella Times will make his first public appearance of the season and is a plum spare ride for amateur Derek O’Connor.

The history-making Waterford trainer said of Minella Times: “He gets his season started and we’ll see how we go. He seems in great form and is ready to run.

“He’s been back in since August so we’re looking forward to getting him going now, with the obvious aim being a return to Aintree to defend his crown.”

While in the same colours as de Bromhead’s Envoi Allen, Cheveley Park’s emphatic Ryanair Chase winner Allaho will take aim with last year’s winning jockey Patrick Mullins aboard for his father Willie, who saddles seven.

2019 Punchestown Gold Cup winner Kemboy is the mount of Danny Mullins, while the Gold Cup-winning colours of the Donnelly family will be carried by Asterion Forlonge (Bryan Cooper) and Melon (Brian Hayes).

The champion trainer also gives Franco De Port, Janidil and Tornado Flyer their seasonal bows in Sunday’s feature, with Britain’s most successful female jockey, Bryony Frost an eye-catching booking for the former.

Fit and well from his Clonmel Oil Chase romp last month, Fakir D’oudairies adds heightened intrigue to the race in the first colours of owner JP McManus for Joseph O’Brien and Mark Walsh in what must be the race of the season so far for jump enthusiasts.

It could be another day to remember for red-hot jockey Bryan Cooper, who is looking to augment what has already been a memorable campaign with top-tier success on Asterion Forlonge.

The pair are returning to Punchestown having signed off last term with a 14-length blitzing of what looked a strong line-up in a Grade A novice handicap over the same trip at the end of April and Cooper is relishing the prospect.

“He’s a high-class horse who’s held in high regard in Closutton,” says Cooper. “He didn’t have the rub of the green earlier on in the season last year but things finished off on a high note and he couldn’t have been any more impressive.

“He’s back into Grade 1 company now and I’m looking forward to him. He won at the Punchestown Festival like a graded horse in handicap company so that would have done his confidence a world of good.

“Clearly Punchestown is a track he likes so going back there will suit him. He’s an exciting ride.”

The former Gold Cup-winning pilot also appears to have a good chance of success in the BetVictor Irish Racing Mares’ Novice Hurdle with the Gordon Elliott prepared Humble Glory.

It is clear that he is a man in demand again, having endured a fallow period before knuckling down to rebuild his career in commendable fashion, with 32 victories already this season.

“It was an exciting morning looking at the declarations. I’m trying to keep everybody happy and so grateful to be getting opportunities from everyone – from Gordon, Willie, the Nolans, Noel Meade, everyone. It’s not easy keep everyone happy but it’s a great position to be in.

“It’s great to be getting the opportunities but you have to be seen to be making the most of them as well, so you just keep working hard but it would be very special to win on John Durkan day at Punchestown, better again if we could win the big one.”

Cooper paid tribute to the Paul Nolan-trained Latest Exhibition, who he credited with kickstarting his renaissance as a Grade 1 winner and regular competitor at the highest level before suffering a fatal injury last weekend.

“Latest Exhibition came along at a very important time in my career. He really helped me to get back on the big stage.

“It was sickening what happened to him and we’ll miss him. They’re horses of a lifetime and you don’t come across them every week.”

Racegoers at Punchestown on Sunday will get to see a fascinating renewal of the BetVictor Beginners Chase also, as Grade 1 Champion Bumper winner Ferny Hollow will have his first start since beating Bob Olinger in a maiden hurdle in November 2020 on what is set to be a massive day for the gelding’s owners, Cheveley Park Stud.

The first of an eight race card goes to post at the earlier time of 11.55 am. Racegoers are reminded that gates open at 10.30 am and to allow additional time for the Covid compliance access system.

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