The Premier League returns now the September international break is done and dusted, and it will be foot to the floor until the World Cup comes around.
With two disrupted months of the season almost gone, some teams are settling down at this stage, while others are continuing to tinker in the hope of igniting their campaigns.
The Qatar 2022 break is on the horizon, adding an extra dimension as many players jostle to earn tickets on the plane with their national teams.
Opta data points to familiar faces who may be primed to deliver those all-important fantasy football goals and assists this weekend, as well as a couple of less-vaunted prospects who could boost your points tally.
Premier League 2022-23
Players to be involved in the most shots follo…
Anthony Vanden Borre returns to the Belgium squad for the first time in over two years for the friendly with Ivory Coast on Wednesday.
The Anderlecht defender last represented his country in November 2011, but his club performances have caught the attention of national coach Marc Wilmots.
It could prove a timely return for Vanden Borre, with the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil looming in just over three months.
Belgium are many people s dark horses to go far in the tournament, with Wilmots men drawn in Group H alongside Algeria, Russia and South Korea.
The game with Ivory Coast is the first of four pre-World Cup friendlies for Belgium, with matches against Luxembourg, Sweden and Tunisia also lined up before their opening group fixture against Algeria on June 17.<…
Luis Garcia has left his position as head coach of Getafe after a 12-match winless run in La Liga.
The 41-year-old took over the reins in 2011 and guided Getafe to two mid-table finishes in his first two seasons in charge.
However, Garcia has paid the price for an atrocious run of form that has seen Getafe slide down the table, their last success coming in a 1-0 win over Levante at the end of November.
That dismal spell has left the club 15th in the league, just one point above the bottom three.
Sporting director Toni Munoz confirmed the news at a press conference on Monday.
He said: We re grateful for his work, he s a great professional and a great person and we want to thank him for the time he s been with us.
Garcia added: It s a sad day. I hope w…
Lucas Moura has been called up to the Brazil squad to face Saudi Arabia and Argentina following an injury to Gremio striker Everton.
The Tottenham winger, who has scored three goals in eight Premier League appearances for Mauricio Pochettino s side this season, could have his recent good form rewarded with a first Selecao appearance in over two years.
His last outing for his country came in a 0-0 Copa America draw with Ecuador in June 2016, but he could find himself involved in Brazil s forthcoming friendly matches should head coach Tite opt to test the 26-year-old out.
Everton suffered a thigh injury while in action for Gremio and he joins Real Madrid defender Marcelo in missing the games against Saudi Arabia on Friday and Argentina on Tuesday.
CONVOCADO…
Gianluigi Buffon says Barcelona are the toughest team Juventus could have been drawn to face in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Juve are at home for the first leg on Tuesday in a mouth-watering tie that is a repeat of the 2015 final, which Barca won 3-1 in Berlin.
Buffon thinks Juve have closed the gap on Luis Enrique s side since then, but acknowledged the huge task awaiting his side.
I think we know that in these two games we are meeting the strongest team we could face, Buffon said at Juve s pre-match media conference.
But it is also true that it is the Champions League and it will be nice to measure ourselves against them.
I have never seen the final in Berlin again, but I have clear memories of that night which give me reasons to be p…
Market: Toulouse to score over 0.5 goals
Odds: 8/15 @
Looking to spring what would be a real upset on the road this weekend, Toulouse will make the trip to Lyon on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, marking their return from September s international break with another downbeat display, Lyon find themselves in the midst of an extended rut. Last seen eventually getting hit with a 1-0 loss away at Lens, it appears there is growing pressure on Peter Bosz s shoulders. Likewise, heading into the fortnight break with another 1-0 defeat at the hands of defending champions PSG, Les Gones have now lost each of their last four Ligue 1 matchups on the bounce. Likewise, on a run that is underlined by a 3-1 drumming against Lorient last month, Lyon have shown some worryi…
Sacking Ronald Koeman would be the easy way out for Barcelona, with Sergio Busquets calling on the players to take responsibility for their critical situation .
Barcelona were on the receiving end of a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, meaning they have lost their first two matches of a European campaign for only the second time in their history.
Darwin Nunez put Benfica in front after just three minutes at the Estadio da Luz and the Uruguayan added a second from the penalty spot after Rafa Silva doubled the Portuguese side s advantage in the second half.
Barca finished the game with 10 men after Eric Garcia was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Goncalo Ramos. The Catalan giants have now lost four of their pas…
Former Germany under-21 player Sebastian Boenisch has received his first call up after opting to play at senior level for the country of his birth, Poland.
Defender Boenisch, 23, was named by manager Franciszek Smuda in the White Eagles squad for home friendlies against fellow Euro 2012 hosts Ukraine on September 4 and Australia on September 7.
Boenisch was born into an ethnic-German family in Gliwice in southern Poland, and later moved to Germany.
After starting his professional career with Schalke in 2006, he joined current club Werder Bremen a year later.
He made a dozen appearances for Germany, although not since turning 21, which is the cut-off age after which internationals cannot switch allegiance.
Speculation had raged since 2009 that he …
Francois Zahoui is in line to be appointed the new coach of Ivory Coast on a permanent basis, according to Ivorian press reports on Thursday.
The former Nancy player, who currently coaches Ivory Coast s youth teams, reportedly has the backing of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) to succeed Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Eriksson led the Elephants at the 2010 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the group phase, but has not been offered a new contract due to his high wage demands.
Zahoui took charge of Ivory Coast for their first post-World Cup game on August 10 and oversaw an impressive 1-0 friendly defeat of Italy in London.
I saw some great play and my satisfaction will be sustained by this level, said FIF president Jacques Anouma.
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Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that Rafael Benitez wanted to sign Leandro Damiao ahead of Gonzalo Higuain.
The Brazilian – top scorer at the 2012 Olympic Games with six goals in five appearances en route to a silver medal was the Spaniard s preference to replace the departed Edinson Cavani in 2013.
However, the Napoli president was uncertain following a meeting with Damiao s agent and instead took the initiative to sign Higuain who has scored eight goals in 10 Serie A appearances this term from Real Madrid himself.
It was our intuition to bring him to Napoli, De Laurenttis told Radio 24.
Benitez wanted to take Leandro Damiao, but after meeting with the Brazilian s agent we had doubts.
So I flew to Madrid to find out if it…