Argentina are Lionel Messi s team and the Barcelona forward will be central to their World Cup hopes, says head coach Jorge Sampaoli.
International honours have eluded Messi during his career, with Argentina beaten in the final of the 2014 World Cup and twice losing in the Copa America final.
Argentina face Italy in Manchester on Friday ahead of a match against Spain as their preparations for this year s finals in Russia continue.
And Sampaoli confirmed he will be building his side around Messi, who, at the age of 30, may be set to play at his last World Cup.
Each time he plays better, Sampaoli told reporters. For me this is the headline: This is Messi s team.
Teams reflect inside the pitch. In my case, I think much more about the opposite goal …
According to a recent report from The Independent, David Luiz is set to be offered a new contract to stay at Arsenal.
The belief is that Mikel Arteta values his influence within a young squad and believes that he adds invaluable experience to the team, helping them to flourish and grow as they continue on through this bizarre Premier League campaign.
Luiz joined the Gunners back in summer 2019 but has made quite the impact ever since then, with bad mistakes and heroic clearances and just about everything inbetween.
Some fans continue to berate him and don t really value the Brazilian as a first choice centre back option, but he seems to be pretty eager to prove them wrong as we head into the final few months of the season.
Luiz is the kind of player who …
Barcelona are preparing for next season and they have several players on their wish list.
The LaLiga leaders are enjoying a decent campaign in 2019-20, but they already have one eye on 2020-2021.
Inter s Lautaro Martinez, Bayern Munich s Joshua Kimmich and Fiorentina s Nikola Milenkovic are reportedly their main targets.
TOP STORY – BARCELONA TARGET MARTINEZ, KIMMICH AND MILENKOVIC
Martinez, Kimmich and Milenkovic are Barcelona s main targets ahead of 2020-21, according to AS.
If they miss out on Kimmich, they will look to RB Leipzig s Lukas Klostermann, the report says.
Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen is another option, while Arsenal s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a target if they cannot land Martinez.
…
Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba has lashed out at Fenerbahce fans for the racist abuse he received during the Istanbul derby on Sunday.
On a heated Sunday evening at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Burak Yilmaz gave Galatasaray the lead with a 25th-minute penalty but two goals in four minutes from Pierre Webo put the hosts ahead at half-time, and they were able to hold on to condemn the newly-crowned Turkish champions to their fifth defeat of the season.
However, during the game the 35-year-old striker and his Ivory Coast team-mate Emmanuel Eboue,
were whistled by sections of the home fans, with some of them also waving
bananas during the 2-1 victory for Fenerbahce.
Drogba took to the Galatasaray s official Facebook page to respond to the abuse he rece…
Mikel Arteta has warned West Ham will know how to hurt his Arsenal team when the London rivals clash in the Premier League on Sunday.
The fifth-placed Hammers sit seven points ahead of Arteta s toiling mid-table Arsenal with 10 games of the season remaining for both teams, as David Moyes continues to work wonders.
Arsenal s best hope of qualifying for next season appears to be through the Europa League, which offers a place in the elite competition to the winners, and Slavia Prague await them in the quarter-finals.
West Ham, however, can get there on merit through the domestic league, and three points at the London Stadium this weekend would bolster their top-four chances.
Arteta and Moyes were appointed by their respective clubs in December 20…
Josh King piled more misery on former club Manchester United as his second-half goal earned AFC Bournemouth a famous 2-1 Premier League win and added to the pressure on Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman has come in for heavy criticism after a dour 0-0 draw with West Ham last weekend was followed by a 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg that saw United eliminated from the Champions League.
And there was no respite at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday as King – who came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford – turned home Matt Ritchie s corner to earn the hosts another notable scalp following their shock 1-0 victory at champions Chelsea last time out.
Bournemouth had taken an early lead in bizarre circumstances when Junior Stanislas scored direct from a corner.
U…
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels could shake off an ankle injury in time to be fit for the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.
The German international suffered a sprained ankle in Dortmund s defeat to Hoffenheim on the final day of the Bundesliga season.
There were fears the 24-year-old would miss the clash with domestic champions Bayern Munich at Wembley, but Dortmund have now moved to allay those concerns, with team doctor Markus Braun stating his belief that the former Bayern player will recover to take his place in Juergen Klopp s defence.
He told the club s official website: It s absolutely realistic that he (Hummels) will recover in time for the Champions League final against FC Bayern Munich in London on Saturday.
Hummels moved to the Westfalenstadion…
The Daily Star understands that Premier League new boys Brighton and Hove Albion are closing in on the season-long loan signing of Chelsea forward Izzy Brown.
The twenty year old forward spent the second half of last season on loan at Huddersfield Town, who like the Seagulls are preparing for their first season in the Premier League after their triumph in last season’s Championship Play-Offs.
Brown made twenty-one appearances for the Terriers, scoring five goals having played for Rotherham United during the first half of the campaign.
He spent the whole of the 2015/16 season with Dutch Eredivise side Vitesse, and made just one appearance for his parent club since signing from West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2013.
Internationally he has been c…
Midfielder Xabi Alonso has warned his Bayern Munich team-mates against complacency after they were drawn to face Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola s side had to battle back from 2-0 down to defeat Juventus 4-2 after extra time in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, with that result securing a 6-4 triumph on aggregate.
They will next face Benfica, the current league leaders in Portugal who defeated Zenit home and away to make it through to the last eight of the competition for the first time since the 2011/12 season.
The Bundesliga club lost 3-1 to Porto in the first leg at the same stage of last season s Champions League, only to emphatically overturn the deficit with a 6-1 victory in Bavaria.
We have lear…
Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly rejected a lucrative offer to join Manchester United.
United s need for a new forward has become desperate with Marcus Rashford out for a few months. There is no more Romelu Lukaku to fall back on, or even Alexis Sanchez. The only option at manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s disposal at the moment is 18-year-old Mason Greenwood.
The 20-time English champions therefore opted to go for Cavani, according to the Mirror who quote reports in France, and offered the Uruguayan a contract worth £10 million per year. However, he apparently isn t interested in following in the footsteps of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who swapped Parc des Princes for Old Trafford back in 2016, as he targets a move to Atletico Madrid.
Atletico remain…