Veltman out with hamstring injury

Ajax defender Joel Veltman is set to miss their return to Eredivisie action due to a hamstring injury.

Veltman sustained the blow in Ajax s 2-0 friendly win over Schalke last Saturday.

No timeframe has been set for for Veltman s return, although the Dutch champions confirmed that he would be on the sidelines for a few weeks.

In 21 appearances in all competitions this season, Veltman has found the net three times for an Ajax side that sits second in the Dutch top flight, four points behind PSV.

Veltman broke into the Netherlands national team in November 2013 and made two appearances at the World Cup. 

Ajax host Groningen at the Amsterdam Arena on Friday as they restart their bid for a fifth consecutive Eredivisie crown.

Real Madrid 0-0 Athletic Bilbao: Back-to-back blanks for Los Blancos

Real Madrid allowed Barcelona to take an advantage into LaLiga s mid-season break after Athletic Bilbao held them to a second goalless draw in a week.

Following Wednesday s stalemate at Camp Nou in El Clasico, Zinedine Zidane s men drew a blank once more against their obdurate Basque opponents.

Toni Kroos and Nacho hit the crossbar either side of half-time and substitute Luka Jovic struck the base of the post with four minutes to play.

Champions Barca lead their great rivals by two points after 18 matches, having dispatched Alaves 4-1 on Saturday, while Athletic edge up to seventh and remain firmly in the European hunt

Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Jr leant a vibrant edge to the Madrid attack during the opening exchanges, with the latter denied by the boot o…

Spurs to decide between Tapsoba and Van de Ven

Tottenham Hotspur are currently considering both Bayer Leverkusen s Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven of Wolfsburg as they plan to reinforce their back line ahead of the new season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Negotiations with the respective clubs currently employing the two centre-backs are ongoing at the moment, but no official bid for the services have been made as of yet. The final decision on the final target for the North Londoners will be made based on the way the talks progress, and obviously the asking prices for the two players.

Tapsoba, 24, is two years older than Van de Ven, and the Burkina Faso international has been playing in the Bundesliga a year longer than the young Dutchman. Experience is obviously on Tapsoba s side, if only slightly, but youth h…

Wolves boss Nuno fears Super League formation if Premier League is suspended

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo fears another halt to Premier League action amid the coronavirus pandemic could give the country s biggest clubs the opportunity to launch a European Super League.

The English football authorities are carrying out regular tests on players and club staff, and the number of positive cases is rising, with 40 declared in the Premier League last week.

This has led to a number of games being postponed, while Tottenham will play Fulham not Aston Villa on Wednesday as part of the rearranged schedule.

Spurs had been due to travel to Villa Park for a midweek fixture, but their opponents requested a new date due to their players and staff either testing positive for COVID-19 or being placed in isolation as close contacts.

Instead,…

Dos Santos to remain at LA Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy have been the subject of plenty of rumours this off-season, since their end of the campaign. Their 5-3 loss to Los Angeles FC in Western Conference semifinal of the Major League Soccer play-offs meant that most media outlets started talking about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his situation at the club.

But no one has been talking about Jonathan Dos Santos and it seems that he wants to remain at LA Galaxy for the rest of his career. The LA Sports Access reports on the 29-year-old still having two years left on his current deal and they also claim the Mexican believes he could be still playing for another seven years at the current level.

Such claims could have been emboldened by seeing a 38-year-old Ibrahimovic scoring 31 in MLS this season alone. Staying at …

Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman resigns after four seasons

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman announced his resignation Thursday after six seasons with the team and four as its primary play-caller.

Roman said he is leaving to pursue other opportunities in a statement released by his agency, Athletes First. The 50-year-old’s job security had been a topic of speculation after the Ravens struggled to consistently produce points during the late stages of a season in which star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the final six games with a knee injury.

After visiting with coach [John] Harbaugh and after huddling with my family, I have decided that now is the right time to move on from the Ravens so that I can explore new challenges and opportunities, Roman said.

I ll truly miss Baltimore, but at the same time …

Saliba still sidelined as Arteta looks to correct title course at West Ham

William Saliba will not return from injury when Premier League leaders Arsenal look to get back to winning ways at West Ham on Sunday, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

Arsenal dropped two valuable points in the title race at Liverpool last time out, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino capping a memorable fightback from the hosts in a 2-2 draw.

While the Gunners boast a six-point lead over Manchester City at the summit, they have not kept a clean sheet since defender Saliba was injured in last month s Europa League penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP.

Saliba has missed Arsenal s last three games with a back problem and will be absent again on Sunday, though Arteta will have striker Eddie Nketiah available for the first time since March 1.

Wi…

No more excuses: 2022 needs to be Tua time in Miami

Year Three will be a make-or-break year in Miami for Tua Tagovailoa. While the former Alabama QB has been decent for the Dolphins, he’s yet to lead them to the postseason. There’s absolutely no reason that shouldn’t change in 2022 with how the team has been restructured to focus more on the offensive side of the ball. The NFL on CBS posted this statistic showing the number of 40 plus yard passing TDs for Tua and Odell Beckham Jr. in their careers. OBJ has twice the amount of 40+ yard TD passes than Tagovailoa. Anytime a quarterback stat is used to compare a starting QB to any other position on the field, it doesn’t usually speak highly of the QB in that equation. That’s not a stat to be proud of, but it shouldn’t be a complete indictment of Tua’s ability. And I think we�…

Presenting The 2016 Name Of The Year Bracket

These are exciting times for Name of the Year. Since we spoke to you last, several of our past winners have found themselves back in the headlines. Steele Sidebottom, the People’s Choice in the 2010 contest, recently inked a five-year contract extension with the Australian Football League’s Collingwood Magpies. Hector “Macho” Camacho, the first ever NOTY winner (and, let’s be honest, a minnow compared to today’s contenders), earned a posthumous induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame. Most significantly, 2001 champ Tokyo Sexwale tossed in his legendary name for FIFA’s presidential race, though he later withdrew it. “It’s your problem now,” he said of soccer’s famously corrupt governing body. Sexwale’s waves in the FIFA race prompted many readers to send in his…