Tiredness no excuse for Spurs – Redknapp

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said Victor Lindelof had been “exhausted” but was ready to play in Saturday’s match at Sheffield United after his distressing experience in Belgium earlier in the week.

Lindelof captained the Sweden side whose Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium in Brussels on Monday was abandoned at half-time after two Swedish fans were shot dead before the game and another injured three miles from the King Baudouin Stadium.

Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday: “A terrible situation, and I feel really sad for the victims, for all the relatives, family, friends of the victims in Brussels. It’s a crazy world.

Latest updates from on competitions:

Belgium-Sweden qualifier abandoned with 1-1 score confirmed as final.

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Alexia Putellas presence at Spain s matches will motivate them to perform well at the Women s Euros, according to team-mate Patri Guijarro, after the Ballon d Or winner was ruled out of the tournament.

Barcelona star Putellas, who has scored 27 goals in 100 international appearances, will miss Euro 2022 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training on Tuesday.

Putellas absence is a huge blow for Spain, with the 28-year-old, who top-scored in the Champions League with 11 goals last season, considered one of the best players in the women s game.

But Guijarro, another part of an all-conquering Barcelona team which won all 30 domestic league games in 2021-22, says Putellas simply being present will give Spain a boost.

We are not going to …

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has paid tribute to his defensive partner Nemanja Vidic, labelling him his favourite  player to play alongside, after the Serbian announced his retirement from football.

Vidic, who won five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League during an eight-year spell at Old Trafford, was released by Inter in January due to an ongoing hernia problem.

Ferdinand, who now works as a pundit after hanging up his boots in 2015, hailed his former team-mate s development and claimed Vidic made him a better player.

To see what an unbelievable force he became while at Man Utd means the work he committed himself to physically and mentally is truly huge,  Ferdinand posted on his official Facebook page.

He worked on…

Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Mircea Lucescu played down the potential influence of Yevhen Konoplyanka on Sevilla s preparations for Thursday s Europa League semi-final.

The Liga side have travelled to Ukraine to continue their quest for a third consecutive Europa League title and fifth in 11 seasons on Thursday.

Konoplyanka returns to his homeland having starred in Dnipro s surprise run to last season s final before switching allegiance to Sevilla.

Lucescu is confident any inside knowledge the winger believes he holds will be secondary to a carefully constructed game plan from Sevilla coach Unai Emery.

That’s normal when footballers who know the opponents can share something. But I do not think that there are coaches who listen to their players, Lucesc…

Prediction: Both Teams To Score and Juventus to Win

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One of the titanic clashes of the UEFA Champions League group stage takes place on Wednesday evening as Juventus host FC Barcelona.

Both giants of European football, the two sides have failed to convince in the competition in recent seasons but got their new campaigns off to the perfect start last week so will be looking to follow that up with another victory in Turin.

Juventus

Under new boss Andrea Pirlo, it s not been a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign for Juventus. Despite being undefeated so far, they have only won half of the six competitive matches they ve played. The Old Lady have failed to notch back-to-back victories, a run that stretches all the way back to e…

Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Argentina international forward’s relationship with Paris Saint-Germain is at an all-time low, and that the 2022 Qatar World Cup winner is keen on a return to Barca at the end of the season.

Messi is out of contract at PSG at the end of the season. The 35-year-old has scored 15 goals and given 15 assists in 28 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season. The former Barcelona star has also scored four goals and provided four assists in seven UEFA Champions League games this campaign.

PSG are at the top of the Ligue 1 table at the moment with 75 points from 33 matches, five points clear of second-placed Marseille. Meanwhile, Barcelona currently find themsel…

With Europe s top-tiers taking center stage this weekend, we are promised another stacked schedule from across the continent. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday February 12th

BST 14:00 Lazio vs Bologna

Starting with Saturday s hosts, crashing out of the Coppa Italia in midweek after a nightmare display away at the San Siro, Lazio will be seeking an immediate response here. However, putting in what was a hugely impressive performance on Serie A duties weekend, the mood in their camp should still be at a high. Breezing their way to what was a shock 3-0 romp away at Fiorentina, the Biancocelesti will be desperate to build off of that momentum h…

Borussia Dortmund fell to a chastening 4-0 defeat versus Thai side BG Pathum United in their second friendly match under new head coach Nuri Sahin.

Sahin took the reins after Edin Terzic resigned in the wake of BVB s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last month.

His first game at the helm saw Dortmund draw 1-1 with third-tier German side Erzgebirge Aue on Wednesday, before they set off on a pre-season tour of Asia.

On Sunday, they faced BG Pathum United – who finished fourth in the Thai League 1 last term – in Thanyaburi, with a team featuring the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, Julian Brandt and Niklas Sule being trounced 4-0.

Speaking after the loss, former midfielder Sahin told reporters: Of course it s a heavy defeat, but I kno…

Giovanni van Bronckhorst claimed the scoreline did not offer a true reflection of Rangers performance after they succumbed to a 3-0 Champions League defeat at home to Napoli.

Second-half goals from Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele condemned Rangers to a third consecutive defeat on Wednesday after James Sands was dismissed for two bookable offences. 

The defeat could have been heavier had Allan McGregor not twice denied Piotr Zielinski from the penalty spot following a VAR check for encroachment. 

Politano then tucked away his opener from 12 yards, as Napoli became just the third side to be awarded multiple penalties in back-to-back Champions League fixtures (after Chelsea in 2020 and Salzburg in 2021).

Despite Rangers defensive s…

Rio Ferdinand has defended Harry Maguire s Manchester United form, with the ex-England man comparing his struggles to those of Gerard Pique when he played for the club.

The centre-back became the most expensive defender in history when he arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019.

Yet he has struggled to replicate the form he has enjoyed for Gareth Southgate s Three Lions since his capture, particularly during a dismal 2021-22 campaign.

Ferdinand has backed the United captain however, pointing to the combination of differing styles between club and country that may have left him shortchanged at the Red Devils.

In an England shirt he’s been nothing but phenomenal, he said on YouTube show Vibe with FIVE.  He’s been unreal. You can’t say he…