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The first of the 38 rounds of matches to be played this season concluded last weekend to usher football fans into yet another enthralling campaign. For the first time in over 18 months, stadiums were allowed to be filled to full capacity and just as expected, fans were treated to series of spectacles in various match centers with the help of the infectious morale they brought into the venues. Indeed, the fact that none of the 10 games played ended in a draw was a testament to the difference that the presence of supporters in stadiums can make. With many of the household names starting off on a good note, a handful were also made to go back to the drawing board for failng to turn up. The most notable defeat can be attributed to Arsenal after being stunned 2-0 by newly-promoted Brentford. Some way to get a first top-flight win after waiting for 74 years, right? With Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all getting the better of Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Norwich City re

  After weeks of rumors written by journalists and even an emphatic Instagram post by the player himself, Juventus' coach Massimiliano Allegri has openly stated where the footballer will play this season. Speaking in the pre-match presser prior to their debut in this year's Serie A, Allegri confirmed that the bianconeri and the Portuguese ace will work together to bring the Scudetto back to Turin for the next 12 months. "Ronaldo has told me he will keep playing for Juventus. He has always trained at his full capacity and I am not aware of any intention he had to leave the club," Allegri said. A number of journalists were discussing the possibility of a rift between CR7 and the coach due to the player's absence in a friendly match last Thursday. On that subject, Allegri admitted it was his decision to bench Ronaldo, although he dismissed any problem with the striker. "It was my decision to rest him. I have to take care of all the guys. Ronaldo gives us an adde

  Preview: Inter vs Genoa It's safe to say that this summer has been a rather difficult one for Inter fans. First, they witnessed the departure of manager Antonio Conte, who guided the Nerazzurri to their first Scudetto since 2010. The second major blow came with Romelu Lukaku returning to Stamford Bridge following Chelsea splashing major cash for his services. Although they've attempted to rebound by bringing in veteran striker Edin Dzeko from Roma and former Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi to lead the side, there's still an air of uncertainty among the majority of Inter fans and whether the team will be able to remain fully competitive in Italy as well as in Europe. In addition to losing both Conte and Lukaku, Inter are now without key defender Achraf Hakimi, who also made a huge money move to another cash-rich side, PSG, earlier this summer. Inzaghi will certainly have a huge task ahead of him, but clearly Inter's board thought the former striker up to the task. After all,

 Manchester United travel to the South Coast to face Southampton. These two clubs enter the season with differing momentums. The visitors have made quality additions and look set to challenge for the title. Meanwhile, Saints have lost three key players. Their supporters are worried about a potential fight against relegation. In this fixture last season, Old Gunnar Solskjaer’s men came from 2-0 down at half-time to win 3-2. They will be confident that they can take the three points for the second successive campaign. There was good news for Southampton fans on Thursday, as it was confirmed that James Ward-Prowse had signed a long term extension. Many feared that he would be the next out of the door, as there was interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham. There will now be hopes that they can strengthen their squad before the transfer window closes. Ideally, they need to add quality in defence following the sale of Jannik Vestergaard. They were poor against Everton at the back and that is

 Chelsea are off to a good start this season, and we have a great chance to keep it going with Sunday’s trip to Emirates to play an Arsenal team already in crisis. However, given our recent struggles against the Gunners (just 3 wins in the last 12 in all competitions), and given that it’s a derby, and given that the home side will have their backs to the wall, we cannot and must not take anything for granted. The first goal in this one will be even more important than in most games, and if we can grab that early lead, have the crowd turn on their team — it’s their first home match with a full capacity crowd since before the pandemic — we should be able to make it six points from six to start the season, and keep up with Liverpool (whom we’ll be facing next) and (probably) Manchester United, and ahead of Manchester City. Arsenal team news : Arsenal began the season with an amusing 2-0 defeat to newly promoted Brentford, who were playing their first top flight match since 1947. An histor

 After conceding the La Liga title to Atletico Madrid last term, it is imperative for Real Madrid to come back strong this season. The Spanish giants started the campaign in fine fashion, securing a convincing 4-1 victory over Deportivo Alaves. On Sunday, they travel to Ciudad de Valencia to face Levante. It is the second of their three consecutive away matches in La Liga, before they finally return to the iconic Santiago Bernabeu, shortly after the international break. Until then, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be hoping to maintain a hundred percent winning record to put early pressure on arch-rivals Atletico and Barcelona. Levante, though, could be a tricky test for Los Blancos, who had stumbled to a 2-1 defeat when these two teams last met each other back in late January. It was a costly defeat for Real Madrid as it allowed Atletico Madrid to remain on top in La Liga title race. The visitors cannot afford to make the same mistake when they take on the Granotas once again this weekend.

 I'm sure there were thousands of supporters up and down the country suffering from football burnout this summer, and the thought of the Premier League's return was too much to handle. Well, 90 minutes into the campaign, and having watched Arsenal crumble against newly-promoted Brentford under the lights of a rocking Community Stadium, we'd been pulled straight back in. Unless you're a Gooner, of course. The rest of the weekend lived up to the standards set by Friday night's curtain raiser, and we're all back in full swing for round two. There may be no Friday night football this time round, but that means we've got even more to look forward to on Saturday and Sunday. All eyes will be on how Manchester City bounce back from their shock defeat to Tottenham, if Manchester United can keep up the intensity shown in their smashing of Leeds United, and how many hat-tricks Romelu Lukaku will score on his Chelsea debut against the Gunners. We can't wait. So, let

 Ronald Koeman says the situation with Ilaix Moriba at Barcelona is "horrible", claiming the teenager and his advisors are prioritising money over his career. Moriba broke into the Barca first team in 2020-21, making 14 appearances in LaLiga and scoring his first goal as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Osasuna in March. Barca have been in talks with the midfielder over a new contract, with his deal expiring next year, but little progress has been made in recent weeks. Moriba was effectively sidelined for pre-season as the impasse continued and clubs began to be linked with offers, with Premier League sides including Manchester City and Liverpool said to be interested. According to Sport, RB Leizpig have made an approach worth €8million, although Barca want closer to €15m if they are to sell. The stand-off has left head coach Koeman deeply unimpressed as he believes Moriba should be a key part of the future of the first team. "I talked with Ilaix two or three weeks ago.

 PSG are back in action in Ligue 1 this weekend with an important fixture against Brest at the Stade Francis-Le Ble. Lionel Messi is yet to make his debut for the club and might be included in the squad for this game. Brest are in 11th place in the Ligue 1 standings at the moment and have been inconsistent this season. The home side has managed draws in both its games so far and will want a similar result in this fixture. PSG, on the other hand, have assembled a star-studded squad this year and will be intent on reclaiming their Ligue 1 crown. The French giants have exceptional players in their ranks and will be intent on maintaining their winning streak in the league. Brest vs PSG Head-to-Head  PSG have a near-flawless record against Brest and have won 10 out of 11 matches played between the two teams. Brest have never managed a victory against PSG and will need to create history this weekend. The previous meeting between the two teams took place and ended in a comfortable 2-0 victory

Manchester City's interest in signing Tottenham's Harry Kane is widely known but a deal appears no closer to materialising. The 28-year-old forward was absent for the two sides' Premier League game on Sunday, when Spurs took the points. City have reportedly bid up to £125 million to sign the England international, who reportedly requested a move late last season.  TOP STORY - KANE FRUSTRATED AS SPURS REJECT CITY BID  Kane has grown frustrated with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and thrown down the gauntlet with a proposed move to Manchester City, reports The Telegraph. According to the report, the England forward feels that Levy has not honoured their meeting at the end of the 2019-20 season when he requested to leave Spurs if they underachieved. Kane is also frustrated that Levy's tactics have seen fans turned against him and that the chairman is also refusing to sell or even accept calls from City. The report claims that City have submitted a fresh £125m bid for Kane,

 Arsenal have agreed a fee with Real Madrid for Martin Odegaard, 90min has learned. We exclusively revealed last week that the two clubs were back in talks over the transfer of the Norwegian captain, and now sources close to the club have confirmed that the talks have come to fruition and he looks set to be heading back to the Premier League. The 23-year-old will arrive in a deal worth €40m - just shy of £35m - making Odegaard the most expensive Norwegian of all time in the process. While the two clubs have been talking, Real gave permission for Arsenal to engage in discussions with the player's representatives and it is believed that personal terms are all but agreed. Once the 'finer details' of the deal are finalised, Odegaard will sign a five-year deal in north London. Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan at Arsenal and impressed hugely, but he returned to the Spanish capital hopeful of earning a chance to push for a place in Real's first team. Howev

  Wolves forward Raul Jimenez has revealed doctors told him it is a miracle that he survived his fractured skull suffered after a clash of heads in November. Jimenez made his return to Premier League action in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Leicester City after eight months out following the sickening accidental collision with Arsenal's David Luiz. During a lengthy on-field delay, the Mexican was put on a stretcher and given an oxygen feed, before he was taken to hospital for emergency surgery. There were initial fears that the 30-year-old may never play again but he revealed the concerns were greater than that when he fronted the media on Tuesday. "With the skull fracture, the bone broke and there was a little bit of bleeding inside the brain," Jimenez said. "It was pushing my brain to the inside and that is why the surgery had to be quick. "It was a really good job by the doctors. The skull fracture did take a little longer to heal than we all expected but it is a

Paul Pogba underlined his exceptional quality again as Manchester United kicked off their 2021/22 Premier League campaign with a 5-1 thrashing of fierce rivals Leeds at Old Trafford. An unplayable Pogba racked up four assists in the game, matching a feat only previously achieved by six others in 30 seasons of Premier League competition. His range of passing, vision and strength on the ball was second to none, meaning that Leeds could not get near him. The Frenchman will always have his critics, but it is another reminder just why United made him the world’s most expensive player when they re-signed him from Juventus in 2016. Pogba’s contract at Old Trafford is up at the end of the season and the union looks increasingly likely to come to an end for the second time. He will have the option to formally negotiate with overseas clubs as of 1 January and is keen to explore his options for the last big contract of his career. Paris Saint-Germain are expected to offer him the chance to play p

  The top football category in Germany started with lots of goals, excitement, and games that gave fans a good show in the first batch of games this season. Teams such as Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim and Köln were off to a massive start, while Bayern München did not have the best beginning of a season under new boss Julian Nagelsmann. There were 27 goals scored on Matchday 1, making it one of the most prolific starts of the season in the German top-flight. On top of that, players from different teams reached personal milestones in a weekend that should be the start of something interesting in this division. Without further ado, here are the main talking points after Matchday 1 in the Bundesliga. Who are the top five Bundesliga teams for the 2021-22 season after Matchday 1? Stuttgart made the most of their clash against the recently promoted Greuther Fürth, while Hoffenheim claimed a huge victory over Augsburg. Speaking about the title contenders, Borussia Dortmund kicked of

  The 2021 edition of the Copa Libertadores is about to enter the final phase, and after the results in the first leg of the Quarter-Finals, some of these clubs could already be thinking about the semifinals. The dominance of the Brazilian clubs at this stage is palpable, as none of them (including those who played each other) came out at a disadvantage for the return match.  Therefore, it can be inferred that what is coming for these second leg games is that there will be a majority of Brazilian clubs in the semifinal stage. This week's activity will be divided between Tuesday and Thursday, with Wednesday being the day with the most games, as two have to be held.  Here we present the games in chronological order and with the result of the first leg. Palmeiras vs Sao Paulo (1-1 in the first leg) The defending champion took advantage of the game of the previous week by the visitor goal, and more taking into account that the goal scored by Patrick de Paula fell in the final minutes o

At long last, the latest installment of Premier League action finally got underway, and boy, was it entertaining. That's no surprise though, as the English top flight is arguably the most popular league in world football, and from Friday through Sunday, fans were kept on their toes. None of the ten matches finished as a boring scoreless draw, and seven games saw three or more goals scored; two even resulted in six-goal thrillers. Here's all you need to know following matchday one of the 2021/22 Premier League season, which truly started off with its fair share of fireworks.  Top five teams in the Premier League up to August 16 It was a successful opening day for several of England's "Big Six" sides, with Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool all recording wins. Tottenham also beat Manchester City, but aren't in the top five due to their inferior goal difference (they beat the Cityzens 1-0) Who are the top three scorers in the Premier League? Manchester Uni

The intense speculation surrounding Erling Braut Haaland's future has clearly not impacted the Norwegian's prolific goalscoring prowess, as the Dortmund talisman had a hand in all five of his side's goals in an opening-day thrashing of Frankfurt on Saturday. After netting all three of his side's goals in the DFB-Pokal against Wehen Wiesbaden, Haaland scored two goals and set up three more against Frankfurt - with Giovanni Reyna, Thorgan Hazard and Marco Reus also opening their accounts for the campaign - as Marco Rose's side stormed into the top three after one game. Of course, it was inspired performances from Haaland, Reus and the now-departed Jadon Sancho that saw Dortmund book their place in this year's German Super Cup, with the trio registering two goal contributions apiece in a 4-1 thrashing of RB Leipzig in last year's DFB-Pokal final, and BVB lifted the Super Cup as recently as 2019. With Bayern now confirmed to be one of the many clubs ready to ent