Ale Moreno feels Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus will be the key UCL fixture from matchday 1 given Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance vs. Atleti. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said he deserves to end his career with more Ballon d’Or awards than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and hopes to establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
Mike Petke was fired in August from his job as Real Salt Lake manager. Former Real Salt Lake manager Mike Petke has filed a lawsuit against the club alleging breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed in Utah’s Third Judicial District for Salt Lake County, seeks to have RSL pay Petke the remaining $687,500 on his
ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol details how Marcus Rashford has transformed into the most important piece of the puzzle at Manchester United. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he is “excited” about Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Braut Haaland following his Champions League heroics. Haaland, 19, has enjoyed an incredible start to the season and
4:54 PM ET Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund played to a draw in their Group F opener. Getty Lionel Messi made his season debut and Mar-Andre ter Stegen saved a penalty as Barcelona drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday. – Champions League group stage: All you need to know–
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16-year-old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Barcelona forward Ansu Fati wants to represent Spain and will do so in next month’s Under-17 World Cup provided the paperwork arrives on time, coach David Gordo has said. Ansu, 16, who became
Craig Burley slams Maurizio Sarri for blaming the temperature in Florence for Juventus’ lacklustre draw against Fiorentina. Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain reacted furiously to being shown up in a training drill, by kicking the coach and taking his anger out on an advertisement board. Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo a
This should be about the game. About a club, Paris Saint-Germain, taking yet another crack at winning the biggest prize in club football after three straight seasons of controversial exits by wafer-thin margins. And their visitors Real Madrid, the game’s ultimate blue-bloods, halfway in rebuild mode as they pursue their 14th European Cup as an
Gab Marcotti recommends closed-door games to punish fans following the racist chants directed at Romelu Lukaku during Inter’s win over Cagliari. ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti gives reasons why Inter Milan have yet to condemn their own ultras’ statement of support of Cagliari’s racist chants towards Romelu Lukaku. Serie A club Cagliari again escaped sanctions over
Craig Burley says Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminds him of Ruud Gullit late in his career and lays out how Zlatan would fare if he returned to Europe. Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United
Steve Nicol explains why Manchester City’s defence is likely to cost them more points this season without Aymeric Laporte. ESPN FC’s Don Hutchison breaks down Manchester City’s defensive struggles without Aymeric Laporte in their 3-2 loss at Norwich City. In the upset of the season so far, Norwich City delivered a shocking blow to Manchester
4:56 PM ET Dario Benedetto’s dream debut with Olympique de Marseille continued on Sunday when the Argentine striker’s double inspired them to a 4-3 Ligue 1 win at struggling Monaco. Benedetto scored each side of the interval with Valere Germain and Dimitri Payet also finding the back of the net after Monaco had opened a
Two big questions were posed about the Premier League title race over the weekend: Can Liverpool maintain their incredible form, and just how far off the pace can Manchester City allow themselves to fall? If the answer to the first question is “yes,” then “not much further” would seem to be the obvious response to
There’s lots to talk about in this week’s Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer. Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern’s dominance? | Fati masks Barca’s issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola insists he will continue to back his players after they believed in him during his first season in charge. ESPN’s Alexis Nunes and Julien Laurens discuss the factors that will make or break Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes. Steve Nicol explains why Manchester City’s defence is likely to cost them more
ESPN FC’s Sid Lowe analyzes how Eden Hazard changes the feel for Real Madrid and gives them creativity and speed. Shaka Hislop explains what he thinks would be the only scenario that Virgi van Dijk leaves Liverpool for a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Gareth Bale all miss out on
The FC crew discuss Harry Kane’s recent attempts to initiate contact in the penalty area, including his collision with Sokratis in the North London derby. After Watford parted ways with Javi Garcia, the FC crew assess the chances that Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino could leave his post this season. Alexis Nunes is joined by Julien Laurens
Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati is the name on everyone’s lips after the 16-year-old continued to write history in La Liga this weekend, following a start to the season that no one saw coming. The Bissau-born youngster has already broken records this season after stepping into an unexpectedly prominent role at Barca. He became the club’s
Frank Leboeuf breaks down what Neymar needs to do to get back in the good graces of PSG fans after failing to leave the club in the summer. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Gareth Bale all miss out on the Exploding Heads’ FIFA 20 simulation of the PSG vs. Real Madrid Champions League showdown. ESPN FC’s
Roberto Pereyra’s converted penalty brought Watford back from their two-goal deficit, to force a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Vicarage Road. Shaka Hislop slams Unai Emery for his lack of leadership and Arsenal for their calamitous play out of the back in their draw against Watford. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16-year-old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Lionel Messi is in Barcelona’s squad to face Dortmund despite missing the first four matches in La Liga. Should Ernesto Valverde risk playing him? Exactly a year ago Wednesday, on Sept. 18,