Australia s Asian Cup semi-final clash with Uzbekistan on Tuesday holds a special significance for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
It is because as well as attempting to keep the Uzbek side at bay and drive his country to a first-ever Asian Cup final, Schwarzer will equal Alex Tobin s record of 87 caps for the Socceroos.
Schwarzer, 38, made his debut in 1993 as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier against Canada in Edmonton, coming on just 17 minutes into the match after the sending off of first-choice goalkeeper Robert Zabica.
Then 20, he made an impression during the second leg in Sydney, saving two penalties to send Australia into the final qualifying phase against Argentina.
Tobin s own international career spanned 10 years between 1988 and 1998, inclu…
Philippe Clement criticised Dundee’s pitch after Rangers’ cinch Premiership away game was postponed around 90 minutes before kick-off.
After heavy rain overnight, there was an initial 9.15am pitch inspection by local referee Craig Fordyce ahead of the scheduled noon kick-off and, following another inspection by match referee Don Robertson at 10.15am, the game was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.
The postponement – Dundee’s third at the Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park this season after matches against Aberdeen and St Johnstone were called off – means Celtic go into the international break with a one-point lead over the Ibrox men at the top of the table.
Gers boss Clement said: “We weren’t warned about it – not Saturday evening, during the nigh…
Josh Kennedy and Luke Wilkshire were shock omissions as Australia coach Ange Postecoglou finally settled on his 23-man FIFA World Cup squad.
Tom Rogic and Mark Birighitti were also cut as Australia who reduced their preliminary squad to 27 last week – continue their preparations for the Brazil showpiece.
But it is the absence of Kennedy and Wilkshire that will grab the headlines, with the experienced pair both having represented Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup.
Every step of the selection process has been difficult because the players have worked very hard since they came into camp but we have had to weigh up form, fitness and squad balance in coming up with the 23 players who will represent Australia at the 2014 World Cup, Postecoglou said on Football Feder…
Ray Wilkins believes Guus Hiddink would be the perfect choice to return to Chelsea as manager.
Former Chelsea assistant Wilkins worked under the Dutchman when Hiddink had a stint as caretaker manager at the English Premier League club in 2009, leading the side to the FA Cup title.
Hiddink is currently in charge of Turkey s national side and would have to negotiate a release from his contract in order to take over at Chelsea.
Guus seems to be the most prominent name that is jumping out from every newspaper at the moment, Wilkins said on Thursday.
But it will be interesting to see what the situation is. Guus is a good coach (and) he knows the guys inside out. He s a smashing guy and he had a lovely rapport with the players, but we ll see what happens.
Under-fire Newcastle manager Alan Pardew finally found an ally in one of his former midfielders Yohan Cabaye.
Cabaye, 28, made 79 league appearances for the Tyneside club from 2011-14, defecting to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in January and Newcastle s fortunes spiralled downwards after his departure.
The France international threw his support behind his old boss Pardew, who is in much need of a friend with his job on the line.
The manager is in trouble now but he shouldn t get all the complaints because it s not only about him, so I am sad for him and want to wish him all the best, Cabaye told The Guardian.
When I was there and the second season wasn t good, the fact was that we were the players on the pitch.
Cabaye said he was a fan…
Garry Monk is backing his Swansea City side to win at Stoke City for the first time in the Premier League when the two sides meet on Sunday.
The Welsh club have lost two and drawn one of their three top-flight matches at the Britannia Stadium since they were promoted from the Championship in 2011.
Swansea manager Monk is unperturbed by that record and is adamant that his side ought to have secured all three points when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mark Hughes last season.
Monk s men have made an encouraging start to the season, but two draws and as many defeats from their last four has stunted their early progress.
Stoke have won only twice in the league this term and Monk sees Sunday s clash as an opportunity to claim a second away victory on the road…
Brazil international Paulinho has agreed a deal with Barcelona, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao captain Zheng Zhi has confirmed.
Multiple reports on Saturday claimed the 29-year-old midfielder has travelled to Spain to finalise a transfer after Barca agreed to pay his release clause, thought to be set at €40million.
Speaking after his side s 2-1 win over Henan Jianye, the Guangzhou skipper revealed that Paulinho is on the verge of a move back to Europe.
We have lost such a key player [in Paulinho], he said. And our line-up and style of play will be absolutely affected by his departure because it is impossible for us to seek any replacement at this stage of the campaign.
Anyway, we want to wish Paulinho good luck. His transfer to such a big club as Ba…
Ligue 1 champions Monaco are weighing up summer bid for forward Rodrigo Moreno, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Principality club have come to terms with losing wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, who is set to leave after being dropped from the squad.
And Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim plans to replace him with Valencia hotshot Rodrigo Moreno.
The head coach knows the player well from the Portuguese league and he believes the 26-year-old has yet to realise his undoubted potential.
hasn’t quite managed to justify a €30 million transfer fee, having scored mere 10 goals in 75 La Liga outings for Valencia.
Los Che will probably jump at the opportunity to offload one of their high earners, especially knowing that Monaco have a lot of money to burn.…
Market: Czech Republic win
Odds: 11/10 @
Looking to build off of their midweek performance, the Czech Republic will turn their attention back to Nations League duties when they travel to Israel on Sunday night.
Starting with the hosts, watching their chances of securing a spot at next year s European Championships brought to an end after suffering penalties defeat away at Hampden on Thursday night, Israel have really struggled to find any kind of form over the past 16 months. Failing to offer much in the final third in Scotland and mustering just a single shot on target, Willibald Ruttensteiner s men could also only open this year s Nations League campaign with back-to-back stalemates. Now in the midst of a five-match winless run across all competitions, a 3-1 …
Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho and Ansu Fati headline the final 20-name shortlist for the 2020 Golden Boy award.
The prize, presented by Italian newspaper Tuttosport and won by Joao Felix last year, is given to the best player aged 21 or under from a top-tier league in Europe.
Haaland is a leading contender for the accolade after scoring 44 goals across all competitions in 2019-20 – 16 of those coming in 18 appearances after a mid-season move from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund.
Among all Bundesliga players last season to have scored at least 10 goals, only Robert Lewandowski (81.2) had a better minutes-per-goal record than Haaland (81.7).
7/3 Erling is the first player in the history to score 7 goals in his first 3 appearances. He has scored with each o…