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Manchester City v Club Brugge – Preview, Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Manchester City play host to Club Brugge in their first reverse fixture of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League season.

Manchester City put five past the Belgian champions away from home and will be aiming for another convincing win tonight in only their second-ever meeting.

Club Brugge, on the other hand, will be hoping to pile pressure on last season’s runners-up with a win that would take them above Manchester City in the table.

Only three points separate first and third in Group A and for that reason City boss Guardiola has dubbed it the biggest game of City’s week – a week which includes a Manchester derby.

“It’s much more important this game than the United game,” Pep said at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.

“This game would be an incredible step towards qualifying for the Champions League last 16 while in the Premier League, there are many games – here [there are] just six with three left.

“They are decisive. Games three and four are the most important and you have to take them seriously to make a step forward in our qualification.

“Of course. Brugge are going to adjust – the manager [Philippe Clement] saw the game [in Belgium]. They will punish us and we have to get better.

“It will be a completely different game tomorrow.”

Ferran Torres is Manchester City’s only long-term injury worry and he will miss the game as a result.

Club Brugge have no injury worries and have brought a 21-man squad with them to Manchester.

Teams

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan (C), Bernardo; Mahrez, Foden, Grealish.

Subs: Steffen, Carson, Dias, Ake, Sterling, Jesus, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Palmer.

Club Brugge (5-3-2): Mignolet; Mata, Hendry, Mechele, Nsoki, Sobol; Rits, Vormer (C), Vanaken; Lang, De Ketelaere.

Subs: Lammons, Shinton, Ricca, Maouassa, Van Der Brempt, Mbamba, Dost, Wesley, Sowah, Izquierdo.

Odds

Manchester City 1/12

Draw 9/1

Club Brugge 22/1

Where To Watch

The match will kick-off at 8 pm and will be available to watch on both BT Sport 3 and LiveScore.

Liverpool v Atletico Madrid – Preview, Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Liverpool welcome Atletico Madrid to Anfield in a repeat of the last match in England before the pandemic halted the sport in the country.

That fixture saw the Spaniards come out on top and progress in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League but Liverpool are the ones with the upper hand heading into their latest game with each other.

Mohamed Salah scored twice as the visitors came away with all three points at the Wanda Metropolitano.

The two sides meet for the second time in as many games in Group B of the competition, with their hopes for qualification playing an important role in their upcoming match.

Liverpool will qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League if they win in front of their fans.

Atletico, on the other hand, need to win to ensure that they stay in second place and put pressure on Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have yet to drop a point in the group.

A loss to the six-time European Cup winners will open the door for Porto to leapfrog them and move into second place with just two games to go.

Naby Keita and James Milner will be unavailable for Liverpool while Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara are set to make their returns to the matchday squad.

The squad list for Atletico’s trip to Merseyside does not their fourth-highest goalscorer of all time Antoine Griezmann, who played a key role in attack alongside Joao Felix in the reverse fixture.

Griezmann was sent off in the reverse fixture after a high boot caught Roberto Firmino in the face.

Stefan Savic, Marcos Llorente, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Thomas Llorente have not travelled with Diego Simeone’s team.

Teams

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Fabinho, Henderson (C), Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Jota, Mané.

Subs: Adrian, Kelleher, Thiago, Firmino, Konate, Origi, Minamino, Robertson, Phillips, Morton.

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Giménez, Hermoso; Correa, De Paul, Koke (C), Carrasco; Felix, Suarez.

Subs: Lecomte, Iturbe, Lodi, Vrsaljko, Gonzalez, Herrera, Serrano, Carlos, Cunha.

Odds

Liverpool 8/13

Draw 14/5

Atletico Madrid 4/1

Where To Watch

The match will kick-off at 8 pm and will be available to watch live on Virgin Media 2 with coverage beginning at 7 pm.

Longford Town part ways with Daire Doyle by mutual consent

Longford Town have let go of manager Daire Doyle via mutual consent with three games left to play in the 2021 SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.

Doyle’s two-year spell was brought to an end on Tuesday evening after the team’s 1-0 loss to Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.

The decision comes three games after their relegation back to the First Division was confirmed when Drogheda United beat them by two goals at United Park.

The 41-year-old became manager at Bishopsgate in August 2019 after Neale Finn, who he worked with as an assistant, had left to join Cork City.

The manager had previously had a 19-year career as a player before going into management, playing for the Town for a two-year period and even wearing the captain’s armband.

The ex-midfielder brought the side he managed up to the top tier of association football in the Republic of Ireland via the play-offs in 2020 when he beat his former employers Shelbourne but they were immediately at a disadvantage because of their slim budget.

After only two wins across 33 games in the competition, Doyle was dismissed, with John Martin, Doyle’s assistant, appointed as interim manager for the remainder of the 2021 SSE Airtricity League season.

Daire Doyle spoke on Twitter following his departure from Strokestown Road: “After meeting with our club today, we couldn’t agree on a way forward so we decided it would be best to part ways.

“I’ve loved my time @LongfordTownFC, a fantastic club with great people & supporters. Thank you for my time as manager. I can’t wait for the next opportunity & challenge.

“I want to wish everyone at the club the very best for the future and to thank all of those who have supported & helped me along the way – too many to mention in a tweet.

“I hope to see Longford Town back at the top table very soon.”

City match v Brugge their ‘most important of the week’ – Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that his team’s UEFA Champions League clash with Club Brugge is their most important match of the week.

City play Club Brugge on Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium at 8 pm in their fourth outing of the 2021/22 Champions League.

Later on in the week, they travel across Manchester to face rivals Manchester United in their first inter-city derby of the season.

However, Guardiola has made a case for their upcoming game against the Belgian champions being the biggest one of their week.

“It’s much more important this game than the United game,” said Pep. “This game would be an incredible step towards qualifying for the Champions League last 16 while in the Premier League, there are many games – here (there are) just six with three left.

“They are decisive. Games three and four are the most important and you have to take them seriously to make a step forward in our qualification.

“Of course. Brugge are going to adjust – the manager saw the game (in Belgium). They will punish us and we have to get better.

“It will be a completely different game tomorrow.”

Manchester City head into the game looking for a third win in the competition this season and a first win in three in all competitions.

Last Wednesday, the Carabao Cup holders were knocked out of the competition that they have dominated since 2016 when West Ham United beat them on penalties at the London Stadium.

Their most recent outing saw them drop all three points in the Premier League against former City player Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace.

However, the odds are in their favour for their game against Brugge after the reverse fixture saw them leave Belgium with all three points after a 5-1 victory.

Should City win, they will open up a five-point gap between them and third-placed Brugge in Group A with two games to go.

Liverpool midfielders Fabinho and Thiago may play against Atletico Madrid

Liverpool midfielders Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara are in contention for a place in the matchday squad for Wednesday night’s UEFA Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.

The pair took part in full training on Monday and appear set to return to the pitch for the team this week after their respective knee and calf injuries.

Liverpool have missed both players in recent games, with the remaining midfielders struggling to screen as well as Fabinho does and dictate play as well as Thiago does.

However, Naby Keita, who lasted less than 20 minutes against Brighton and Hove Albion after being deemed fit, is now facing a spell on the sidelines.

The hamstring injury he picked up inside the first quarter of the 2-2 draw with Graham Potter’s men at Anfield will see him miss several games.

On top of this, James Milner will still be sidelined for Liverpool’s potential qualification-sealing match against the side that knocked them out of the Champions League in a match that has become infamous for various reasons.

Jürgen Klopp told his pre-match press conference: “Naby has a hamstring injury so will be out for a while.

“Apart from that, Millie it’s clear [ that he won’t be involved] and the others who are out long-term will be out as well.

“Fabinho and Thiago trained completely normally and are in contention, which is good obviously. It’s very helpful and so we will see.

“Injuries [in this] period of the season are completely normal, as long as they are not too harsh we have to accept that. The players will be back, hopefully soon, and then they are in contention again as well.

“But for tomorrow only the fit players, obviously.”

Liverpool play host to Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday night at 8 pm. The game is the reverse fixture of the Klopp and co.’s last Champions League outing – a 3-2 win at the Wanda Metropolitano in the Spanish capital.

ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 schedule announced

The ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 schedule has been announced and sees Ireland take on the Netherlands in their opening game.

The ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 is to be played across four venues in Harare, Zimbabwe from November 21 to December 5.

The tournament gets off with a set of warm-up matches on November 19 before the preliminary league takes place.

The 10 competing teams will be split into two groups of five for the preliminary league, with Ed Joyce’s girls in green placed in Group A alongside the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and the West Indies.

There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of five teams each in two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches.

Ireland’s match against the Netherlands will take place on the opening day of the qualifiers at Takashinga Cricket Club alongside three other matches.

Pakistan and Bangladesh feature in a highly anticipated match at the Old Hararians Club while Thailand and Zimbabwe face-off at Harare Sports Club and a second Group A clash of the day is played between West Indies and Papua New Guinea at Sunrise Cricket Club.

The Zimbabwe tournament is an important one on the calendar as it decides three qualifiers for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April.

The three qualifiers will join five teams who have already qualified through the ICC Women’s Championship – Australia, England, India, South Africa and hosts New Zealand.

These three qualifiers as well as the next two teams will also ensure places in the next ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) along with the top five from last time, as the number of teams in the third cycle of the IWC goes up from eight to 10 teams.

All fixtures are day matches starting at 9:30 am local time, or 11:30 am GMT.

Groupings

Group A Group B
West Indies Pakistan
Sri Lanka Bangladesh
Ireland Thailand
Papua New Guinea Zimbabwe
Netherlands USA

 

Ireland ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 fixtures

Warm-up match

Friday, November 19 – Pakistan v Ireland

Qualifiers

Sunday, November 21 – Ireland v Netherlands – 11:30 am

Tuesday, November 23 – West Indies v Ireland – 11:30 am

Thursday, November 25 – Ireland v Sri Lanka – 11:30 am

Saturday, November 27 – Ireland v Papua New Guinea – 11:30 am

2x All-Ireland winner Pat Mulcahy joins Cork senior hurling backroom

Two-time All-Ireland winner Pat Mulcahy has joined the Cork senior hurling backroom under manager Kieran Kingston for the 2022 season.

Mulcahy was part of the Cork side that went back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

However, Mulcahy missed much of Cork’s triumphant 2004 campaign after being involved in a car accident.

The 46-year-old also won four Munster titles, as well as one National Hurling League title and was an All-Star in 2005.

At club level, he is an All-Ireland medallist with Newtownshandrum and also has three Munster medals and five county titles to his name – four senior and one intermediate.

His coaching experience includes work with his club as well as the Cork Institute of Technology hurlers.

All-Ireland winning Cork minor manager Noel Furlong will join him in Kingston’s backroom for 2022 – both men will join the backroom as selectors and coaches.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan will stay on as a selector and coach and Donal O’Grady will continue on in his role in coaching and analysis for the side.

Stephen Casey will join as a strength and conditioning coach for the 2021 All-Ireland SHC finalists.

Gary Keegan, who is currently involved with Irish Rugby, will return to the Cork senior hurling setup as a performance coach.

Keegan has previously worked alongside the Dublin senior footballers and Irish boxers and was part of Kingston’s backroom in his first stint as Cork manager.

Keegan also worked under former Cork boss John Meyler, who is the father of former Ireland international David Meyler.

The announcement of the new personnel that are set to be ratified by the county board on Tuesday night also includes a thank you to now-former selector and coach Ger Cunningham who has stepped down.

The former Dublin senior hurling manager follows Clare native Christy O’Connor, who left the setup last week.

UFC 268 – Usman vs Covington: Where to watch, Time, Betting

UFC 268 – Usman vs Covington: Where to watch, Time, Betting

UFC 268 is set up to be one of the biggest and greatest shows in the companies history with numerous big-name fights, headlined by the rematch between UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Colby Covington at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The last time these two stars fought was back at UFC 245 in December 2019, where one of the greatest title fights in UFC history took place.

A close-knit affair between two wrestlers. The fight ironically was kept on the feet for the five rounds where Usman came out victorious with a fifth-round TKO.

If Usman and Covington is the main event, then get ready for the entreé. The card will also feature a title rematch between champion Rose Namajunas and Zhang Weili for the women’s Strawweight title.

The last time these two fought was at UFC 261, where Namajunas won the title back via first-round head kick knockout.

In the Lightweight division, former title challengers Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler will go head-to-head in a fight that should produce fireworks.

Here’s everything you need to know about UFC 268.

UFC 268 Start Time

Like always, the time difference between fights is apparent, but here are all the times for multiple timezones.

US

  • The main card starts Nov 6, 10.00 p.m. EDT (7.00 p.m. PDT).
  • The prelims start Nov 6, 8.00 p.m. EDT (5.00 p.m. PDT).
  • The early prelims start Nov 6, 6.00 p.m. EDT (3.00 p.m. PDT).

UK

  • The main card starts Nov 7. 30, 2 a.m. GMT.
  • The prelims starts on Nov 7, midnight. GMT.
  • The early prelims start Nov 6, 10 p.m. GMT

Australia

  • The main card starts Nov 7, 1pm a.m AEDT.
  • The prelims start Nov 7, 11.00 a.m. AEDT.
  • The early prelims start Nov 7, 9.00 a.m. AEDT

What TV channel is UFC 268 on?

In the US, you can watch the full card on ESPN+.

MMA fans in the UK will have to get up at all hours to watch the full card, but the fights will be shown exclusively through BT Sport 1.

In Australia, there are many options to look at, You can watch UFC 268 through Main Event on Foxtel. You can also watch on the UFC website or using its app. You can even order using your PlayStation or using the UFC app on your Xbox.

Betting

Kamaru Usman: 1/3

Draw: 50/1

Colby Covington: 9/4

Method of Victory

Usman

Usman by KO/TKO: 6/4

Usman by Points: 15/8

Usman by Submission: 12/1

Covington

Covington by KO/TKO: 7/1

Covington by Points: 5/1

Covington by Submission: 16/1

UFC 268: Usman vs Covington FULL CARD

Main card

  • Kamaru Usman (c) vs Colby Covington (welterweight title)
  • Rose Namajunas (c) vs Weili Zhang (strawweight title)
  • Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler
  • Frankie Edgar vs Marlon Vera
  • Alex Pereira vs Andreas Michailidis

Preliminary card

  • Al Iaquinta vs Bobby Green
  • Shane Burgos vs Billy Quarantillo
  • Edmen Shahbazyan vs Nassourdine Imavov
  • Ian Garry vs Jordan Williams

Early preliminary card

  • Gian Villante vs Chris Barnett
  • Aleksa Camur vs John Allan
  • CJ Vergara vs Ode Osbourne

UFC 268 – Usman vs Covington: Where to watch, Time, Betting

For more News and Stories on all things MMA, click here.

Unai Emery Leading Candidate for Newcastle Job

Unai Emery Leading Candidate for Newcastle Job

Unai Emery has been touted as the leading candidate to become the next manager of Newcastle United.

The former Arsenal manager is currently enjoying life as manager of Spanish side Villarreal, winning the Europa League last season against Manchester United.

If Newcastle were to open talks with the Spaniard, it would take up to £5 million worth of compensation to get him out of his current deal.

It is understood that while Emery is more than happy to stay at Villarreal, he would not be opposed to opening talks with Newcastle.

After being sacked by Arsenal in 2019, the 49-year-old is said to have unfinished business in England.

Although on Monday, Emery came out dismissing any interest from Tyneside.

Addressing questions about the vacant position before Villarreal’s Champions League clash with Young Boys, Emery said:

“I don’t know anything about Newcastle.”

With the sacking of Steve Bruce, Newcastle have been without a manager for their last two Premier League fixtures, drawing to Crystal Palace and losing to Chelsea at home.

It is understood that Newcastle wants a manager in charge by the weekend, ahead of their game away at Brighton.

Former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca was reportedly in talks for the vacant position, but as it stands it is highly unlikely that the Portuguese will be appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor.

Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Roberto Martinez and Eddie Howe have all been linked with the Newcastle job in recent weeks.

Graeme Jones has assumed caretaker charge and oversaw Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to league leaders Chelsea.

The Magpies remain winless in the Premier League after drawing four games and losing six of their 10 matches so far this term.

Unai Emery Leading Candidate for Newcastle Job

For more News and Stories on all things Football, click here.

Waterford hurling star Kevin Moran announces retirement after 16 years

Waterford GAA hurler Kevin Moran has announced his retirement from the inter-county level after 16 years playing for the Déise.

Moran retires with two Munster titles, two National Hurling League titles and two All-Stars to his name.

The midfielder also represented his county in three All-Ireland finals in 2008, 2017 and 2020 against Kilkenny, Galway and Limerick respectively.

Moran captained the county to victory in the 2015 NHL and was also their leader when they made the run to the All-Ireland final in 2017, picking up his second All-Star that year from his sixth nomination in seven years.

He made 143 appearances for the county in the league and the championship – only Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh and Tony Browne have made more for Waterford.

His first for the side came in the 2006 NHL against Wexford under Justin McCarthy and he made his debut in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship later that year in the qualifiers.

His final appearance for the side was a loss to John Kiely’s Limerick machine under Liam Cahill, his sixth manager at Waterford.

His peak came under Derek McGrath in a midfield duo with Jamie Barron – he played in 56 of McGrath’s 58 league and championship games as manager of the Crystal County.

In a statement announcing his retirement, the De La Salle clubman said: “After 16 years, I have decided that the time is right for me to step away from inter-county hurling and to concentrate on putting more time into my club DLS.

“I would like to thank everyone that has been involved with all the Waterford senior hurling teams during my time on county panels.

“In particular, I would like to thank the Waterford fans, my club DLS, family, friends and my wife Aoife for being so supportive through all the good and bad days.

“I would really like to wish all the very best to Liam Cahill and all the Waterford backroom and panel for the next year.

“Up the Déise.”

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