Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a future Liverpool captain and the face of this club , but Jurgen Klopp did not hand him the armband at Midtjylland for his leadership skills.
Academy graduate Alexander-Arnold skippered the Reds for the first time in the 1-1 Champions League draw in midweek as regular captain Jordan Henderson started from the bench.
It was the latest landmark occasion for the England right-back, who joined Liverpool aged six and made his first-team debut in 2016.
Alexander-Arnold has since played 102 Premier League matches, scoring six goals and providing 27 assists from 174 chances created.
Since his top-flight bow, no defender in the competition has forged more opportunities for team-mates, while only Liverpool colleague Andy Robertson (3…
Mat Ryan was Australia s hero with two fabulous shoot-out saves as the Asian Cup holders saw off Uzbekistan 4-2 on penalties after a turgid 0-0 draw in the last 16.
The White Wolves star man Eldor Shomurodov came closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time.
Australia s threat was negligible against a team ranked 95th in the world until Mathew Leckie came on for his first appearance of an injury-ruined tournament.
Leckie and Tom Rogic provided Graham Arnold s men with fresh impetus and it was the Hertha Berlin winger who coolly dispatched the decisive penalty after Ryan thwarted Islom Tukhtakhujaev and Marat Bikmaev in style.
We ve done it!
We win 4-2 on penalties to book a spot in the Quarter Finals!
— Socceroos (@Socceroos)
Germany international defender Marcel Jansen has expressed his desire to remain at Hamburg until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old full-back has been heavily linked with a move away from Imtech Arena, with Borussia M gladbach and Benfica reportedly showing interest.
However, while summer exit remains likely, Jansen is adamant he won t be moving clubs midway through the season.
“That is what I decided. I am fit and I will give everything to make a good second half of the season in Hamburg,” Jansen .
The experienced defender will be out of contract at the end of the current campaign, which is probably the main reason why he has decided to wait until the summer before leaving HSV.
Jansen has spent last six and a half years with the Red Shor…
Market: Torino win
Odds: 5/6 @
Looking to mark their return to Serie A action on Wednesday afternoon with a statement on home soil, Torino will host Verona.
Starting with the hosts, last seen heading into the World Cup s winter break with a 1-1 draw away at Roma, Torino will simply be looking to carry on from where they left off in 2022. With their sights set on securing back-to-back top-half finishes this season, the Bulls have impressed many across Serie A over the past 18 months. Losing just one of their last six domestic contests prior to the interval, Ivan Juric s side should be smelling the chance to lay down a real marker on Wednesday afternoon. With their pre-World Cup flurry highlighted by a stunning 2-1 victory at home against AC Milan, Torino had also…
Mesut Ozil will not be rescued from the Fenerbahce wilderness by Jorge Jesus, the new boss of the Turkish giants said on Friday.
Former Arsenal and Real Madrid playmaker Ozil has a contract that runs to the end of the 2023-24 season but was banished from first-team duties in March.
Reports claimed that decision came after a dispute with interim head coach Ismail Kartal, and Ozil may have hoped the appointment of Jesus would change his circumstances.
Yet a return to action for Fenerbahce seems as far away as ever after former Benfica and Sporting CP boss Jesus declared Ozil does not figure in his plans.
What you have achieved in the past in football is very important. Mesut Ozil has a very important past, but the club has made a decision about him, and he…
Real Madrid are the latest side to be linked with a January move for Liverpool’s Glen Johnson, .
The European Champions are searching for a replacement for Alvaro Arbeloa, with a question mark for ex-Reds full back’s future and they have identified Johnson as their top target.
Juventus have also been linked with a move for the England international, who moved to Anfield from Portsmouth in the summer of 2009.
During his time on Merseyside, the 30 year old has racked up one hundred and seventy-four appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals while internationally he has won fifty-four caps for England.
However, with Jon Flanagan and Javier Manquillo also vying for the right-back spot under Brendan Rodgers, the former West Ham United, Chel…
Christophe Galtier sucked up another painful Ligue 1 defeat for Paris Saint-Germain and told his World Cup stars they must find their focus again.
PSG began the year with a seven-point lead at the top of Ligue 1, but that has been clipped to three after defeats to Lens and now Rennes, who beat the Parisians 1-0 on Sunday.
Head coach Galtier will face scrutiny for such domestic losses, given the superstars at his disposal, and he knows he and the team must start to show their best again.
Galtier told Prime Video: I m mainly disappointed with our performance. We didn t create anything, we had very few favourable situations.
We focused on having possession of the ball and we had far too many players who dropped back without having players high enough to sec…
Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel insists Kepa Arrizabalaga has nothing to prove as he backed the goalkeeper to continue making the most of his run in the side.
Kepa remains the most expensive keeper of all time after Chelsea paid £71million (€80m) to sign the Spain international from Athletic Bilbao in August 2018.
The 26-year-old struggled to justify that fee in his first two years at Stamford Bridge, however, and lost his place as first choice following Edouard Mendy s arrival 12 months ago.
But Kepa was handed a first start of the campaign last weekend with Mendy out injured and kept a clean sheet in Chelsea s 3-0 win over Tottenham.
He is expected to remain in goal for Wednesday s EFL Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa and Tuchel is glad to ha…
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, according to . Hojbjerg is struggling for playing time at the moment, and La Liga club Atletico are keen on securing the 26-year-old Denmark international midfielder in the middle of the season.
Hojbjerg has made 225 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. The midfielder has scored 12 goals and given 15 assists in those games. The 28-year-old has made seven substitute appearances in the Premier League and has played once in the EFL Cup this campaign.
Atletico Madrid are fourth in the La Liga table at the moment with 19 points from eight matches, five points behind leaders and city rivals Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Tottenham currently find t…
Market: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 4/6 @
Looking to make it back-to-back Nations League victories on Tuesday evening, Montenegro will make the trip to Helsinki when they meet Finland.
Starting with the hosts, after putting in what was a largely gritty display when opening their Nations League adventure last weekend, Finland would have been left hugely frustrated by their late collapse. Eventually shipping a 93rd-minute equalizer at home against Bosnia and having to settle for a 1-1 draw, Head Coach Markku Kanerva has seen his side gain a reputation for their inconsistencies. Now failing to win any of their last four matchups across all formats, including a 2-0 loss against Slovakia in a friendly contest on March 29th, the Eagle-owls should also be worried by their ra…