Maguire fit enough for bench in Europa League final

Manuel Neuer expects Bayern Munich s unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season to come under threat at Schalke on Saturday.

The reigning champions travel to Gelsenkirchen to take on Jens Keller s side after recording four wins and a draw in their opening five top-flight matches under new manager Pep Guardiola.

Bayern also got their UEFA Champions League defence off to an impressive start by beating CSKA Moscow 3-0 on Tuesday.

Neuer has started every game this season and is anticipating a tough challenge when he returns to the Veltins-Arena to take on his former club.

We can t expect it to be a walkover, the Germany international told Bayern s official website.

I think it will be a challenge to beat Schalke, especially considering they’re on a roll.

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Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is hopeful that Papiss Cisse can find the back of the net for Senegal this week.

The 28-year-old was a revelation after joining Newcastle from Freiburg in January 2012, scoring 13 goals in his first 14 Premier League appearances before the end of the 2011-12 campaign.

However, Cisse followed that up with a more modest return of eight in 36 games last term, and has failed to score in seven top-flight games this season.

HIs last Premier League goal came against Fulham on April 7 but, even though he was dropped for Newcastle s defeat at Everton last week, Pardew still has faith in his ability, and wants him to get on the scoresheet for his country in their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ivory Coast on Saturday.

I felt sorry fo…

Fenerbache are keen on signing Arsenal star Mesut Ozil, .

The Turkish side, who last month plucked Robin Van Perise from the Premier League, want the World Cup winner who has so far failed to recreate his best form since moving to North London in the summer of 2013.

In seventy-eight appearances for the Gunners, the twenty-six year old has scored twelve goals and was part of the squads that won back to back FA Cup’s over the last two seasons.

Prior to his move to England, he spent three years with Real Madrid while he has also played for Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.

Internationally he has been capped sixty-eight times, scoring eighteen goals – one of which came at last summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil on route to Joachim Low’s side being c…

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew still expects West Brom to be difficult to break down in Saturday s Premier League clash despite Tony Pulis men shipping three goals last time out.

West Brom looked to be on their way to a third win in four matches against Everton on Monday as goals from Saido Berahino and Craig Dawson put them 2-0 up.

However, Pulis side collapsed in the second half and were undone by former loanee Romelu Lukaku, who scored two goals and set up another to give Everton a 3-2 win.

The nature of that defeat was surprising with West Brom having kept clean sheets in each of their last three league outings.

Pardew, though, is not reading too much into that result and is wary of a team that claimed a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park in April in la…

Liverpool and Newcastle United have seen members of their backroom teams issued with touchline bans following an altercation at the end of last month s Premier League meeting at Anfield.

Newcastle came close to taking a point from their trip to Liverpool on August 31, only for Fabio Carvalho to score a 98th-minute winner, sparking a touchline fracas.

At the end of a highly charged affair, Newcastle sports scientist Daniel Hodges appeared to throw a bottle into the Liverpool technical area, prompting the Football Association (FA) to investigate.

The FA subsequently brought charges against both Hodges and Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, and it has now been confirmed the men will serve one-match touchline bans.

A statement released on Thursday s…

Juventus have signed Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy.

The 21-year-old Argentinian has scored four goals in 26 appearances for Saints this season, with Russell Martin’s side third in the Championship as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.

Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox told the club website: “Allowing Charly to leave on loan was a decision that we have been deliberating on for some time.

Carlos Alcaraz joins Juventus on loan from Southampton

Welcome, Carlos!

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)

“Considering the midfield options we have available to us right now, and Charly’s lack of game time, we wanted to allow him this chance to gain some v…

Jamie O’Hara is closing in on a loan move to Blackpool, .

The 27 year old has played just forty minutes of League One this season having been placed on the transfer list along with fellow big earners Roger Johnson, Stephen Ward and Karl Henry – all who have since left the club.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man is currently on trial with the Championship club, who are considering wrapping up a deal for the midfielder before Thursday’s emergency deadline.

He moved to Wolves from Spurs in the summer of 2011, having had loan spells with Chesterfield, Millwall and Portsmouth, where he was voted the clubs Player of the Year.

Kenny Jackett’s side currently sit in second place in the third tier, just one point behind leaders Leyton Orient.

T…

Levante have appointed Rubi as head coach following the sacking of Luas Alcaraz.

Alcarez was dismissed after Sunday s 4-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad, a result that leaves Levante bottom of the table with six points from nine games.

He has been replaced by Rubi, who takes up a contract until the end of the season, which may be extended by a further two years.

Rubi served on Barcelona s staff during the 2013-14 campaign and will begin his reign with a trip to Levante s city rivals Valencia on Saturday.

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Italy s minister for sport Vincenzo Spadafora believes a return date of May 3 for Serie A is too optimistic amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Serie A, like most leagues around the world, has been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has claimed more than 24,000 lives globally.

Italy – a country in strict lockdown – has been the hardest hit with over 8,200 casualties, while confirmed cases have exceeded 80,500.

Various Serie A owners have debated whether the 2019-20 campaign should resume or be cancelled, and Spadafora provided an update on Thursday, with the final decision down to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

The forecasts that made us think we could resume sports competitions in late April or May, have been too optim…

(GSM) English manager Hope Powell, who guided the England national women s team to the final of the 2009 European Championship in the summer, has revealed she would consider coaching in the men s game.

Powell was previously linked with a move to take over at Grimsby after the final against Germany but caretaker manager Neil Woods was appointed permanently.

But the 43-year-old has admitted she would take the right job if it was offered.

If an opportunity presented itself that I fancied, I m going to look at it, Powell told the Guardian.

It doesn t mean I m going to take it, though, she added.

Powell felt there was little difference between coaching women and men, adding: It s just football to me.

I think the scrutiny for the first femal…