Each week it seems we understand a bit more why Dele Alli was in such demand at MK Dons.
And just as much, perhaps, we wonder why Toby Alderweireld wasn’t a full-time starter at Atletico Madrid.
Ping. Finish.
[ MORE: Platini, Blatter face ethics meetings ]
Understood.
Check out this ball from Alderweireld, and the finish from his 19-year-old teammate Alli. It’s 1-1 at halftime.
In the latest transfer news there have been new updates surrounding Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona heading to Chelsea, while Man City have been linked with Uruguayan youngster Facundo Pellistri.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Starting at Chelsea, there were reports about Mexico winger Tecatito heading from FC Porto to the Blues and it appears they are some legs there.
Tecatito’s agent Matias Bunge confirmed to Medio Tiempo that they have held talks with Chelsea.
“At some point we talked to them,” Bunge said. “I cannot say if he’s option A, B or C, now they are rather rumours. We’ll have to wait a bit for this to continue moving forward and for the leagues to begin again, and from there see what the next movements will be because the market is a little bit stopped. He has two years left on his contract. He did awaken a lot of interest for his participation in this particular tournament (Primera Liga), which has been outstanding and at a high level. But now with the current situation of the virus everything has slowed down a bit, now the signings are in quarantine.”
Tecatito, 27, has had a really good season for Porto, scoring twice and adding 17 assists from the wing as he’s played in a more defensive role in recent months.
That flexibility will be key for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea as they like to switch between a 3-4-3 and 4-3-3 and Tecatito can play in both attacking and defensive roles easily. He’s also a much cheaper option than Jadon Sancho, who Chelsea have been linked with.
It is believed Inter Milan and Sevilla are both interested in Tecatito too and with Willian and Pedro set to leave Chelsea, they will be a little short of options out wide despite having Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and the impending arrival of Hakim Ziyech.
Moving to Manchester, Man City have been linked with a move for Uruguayan teenager Facundo Pellistri.
Pellistri, 18, is also interesting Newcastle United but City are reportedly keen on the young winger, according to the Daily Mail. Per the report, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Boca Juniors are also following the teenager known as ‘Facu’ closely and he is coached by former Man Untied, Atletico and Uruguay forward Diego Forlan.
The Penarol winger is being tracked closely by City who have a full time scout in Uruguay and also a sister club Montevideo City Torque and reports state they’ve already spoken to his agent.
A talented winger, Pellistri is valued at $12.5 million and would likely be loaned out and developed before making a push for Man City’s first team in the years to come. Man City snapped up Gabriel Jesus as a teenager and that has worked out pretty well and South America is an area where both Real Madrid and Barcelona have plucked plenty of young gems from over the last few decades.
Bayern Munich can take another huge step towards winning an eight-straight Bundesliga title when they host Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday at the Allianz Arena and below are details on how you can watch in the USA.
The German giants are now seven points clear atop the Bundesliga table after winning 1-0 at second-place Borussia Dortmund in midweek and Hansi Flick’s squad are now just 12 points away from sealing another title. Four wins from their final six games will guarantee a 30th German title, as they play before title rivals Dortmund and RB Leipzig this weekend.
[ LIVE: Bundesliga scores ]
However, the stakes are high for Fortuna Dusseldorf too. Uwe Rosler’s side launched a stunning comeback to beat Schalke 2-1 in midweek and were 2-0 up in the 88th minute at Cologne last weekend before coughing up two late goals to draw 2-2. Fortuna, who sit in the relegation playoff spot but are just one point behind Mainz in 15th, are direct and dangerous on the counter and Bayern will be wary of an upset at the end of a gruelling week in Germany’s top-flight.
In team news, Bayern will be without midfielders Thiago, Philippe Coutinho and Corentin Tolisso and an intriguing stat centers around top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, who hasn’t scored against Fortuna in five previous outings. One of the stars of the show since Flick took over has been Canadian teenage sensation Alphonso Davies, who has excelled out of position at left back and was nicknamed ‘Roadrunner’ by Bayern teammate Thomas Muller after another fine display at Dortmund.
Fortuna haven’t beat Bayern in 30 years and Kenan Karaman has scored five times in his last five games to give them hope in their relegation battle. USMNT midfielder Alfredo Morales could return for Fortuna but U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen, on loan from Man City, remains out injured.
Below is how to watch Bayern Munich v Fortuna Dusseldorf on TV in the USA this Saturday, while above you can follow the action live, as the three points are so valuable to both clubs but for very different reasons.
La Liga will restart on June 11, the Spanish sports council have confirmed, and below are details on the new schedule and how to watch on TV in the USA.
Three months after Spain’s top-flight was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic it will return with the full schedule yet to be released, but the plan is to open up with the Seville derby on June 11, Sevilla against Real Betis, then play the full Matchweek 28.
It follows the Premier League restart being confirmed for June 17, while Serie A will return on June 20 and the Bundesliga returned on May 16.
[ MORE: La Liga scores, schedule ]
The Spanish sports council released the following statement following detailed meetings with the Spanish FA and La Liga.
“The Spanish football federation [RFEF] and La Liga have agreed, as part of the Contact Group formed together with the National Sports Council [CSD], the format of the eleven remaining matchdays to complete La Liga Santander and La Liga SmartBank [the first and second divisions].”
Further details revealed the La Liga season will finish on July 17, which means the 11 games would be squeezed into just over a month with games every single day to fit this season in. The majority of games are set to be played late in the evening local time due to the extreme heat in Spain during the summer months, while players will be given at least 72 hours rest between games.
Barcelona currently sit top of La Liga but have a slender two-point lead over arch rivals Real Madrid, while the top four battle is incredibly congested and should lead to some epic battles in the final weeks of the season. The relegation battle is also intense with up to 10 times in danger of being relegated to the second tier. The Spanish second tier will also resume play in mid-June, with Cadiz and Real Zaragoza currently in the automatic promotion spots and Almeria, Huesca, Girona and Elche in the playoffs.
Matchweek 28 will be played from June 12 to June 15 with the full La Liga schedule below, while there are also details on how you can watch on TV in the USA.
June 11
Sevilla v Real Betis
June 12-15
Real Madrid v Eibar
Leganes v Real Vallodolid
Valencia v Levante
Real Mallorca v Barcelona
Celta Vigo v Villarreal
Espanyol v Alaves
Real Sociedad v Osasuna
Granada v Getafe
Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid
The schedule for the 2019-20 FA Cup has been released with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final now having dates.
All eight teams left in the competition are from the Premier League and FA Cup quarterfinal and semifinal games will be played at weekends and see their respective PL games rescheduled for makeup dates. The Premier League has confirmed it will return from June 17 and the FA Cup will now restart just 10 days later.
The quarterfinals will take place in late June, the semifinals in mid-July and then the final will be on August 1. This decision then allows Premier League clubs still in European action to play in the Champions League and Europa League in August, when UEFA are planning to host those competitions.
In the quarters Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Man United all face tricky away trips to Leicester, Newcastle, Sheffield United and Norwich respectively. It has not been confirmed whether or not the semifinals and final will be played at Wembley Stadium, as usual.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham revealed that the new dates are dependent on safety measures being met.
“The health and wellbeing of players, staff and supporters remains our priority. The competition has been an integral part of the English football calendar for nearly 150 years, and we would like to thank the Premier League executive and clubs for their support in scheduling the remaining matches during this unprecedented time,” Bullingham said.
With so much focus on the Premier League restart, the FA Cup almost became an afterthought but it will carry on and the oldest knockout competition in the world will continue amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Below is the FA Cup schedule with the planned dates to play the remaining games.
Quarterfinals – June 27-28
Leicester City v Chelsea
Newcastle United v Manchester City
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Norwich City v Manchester United
Semifinals – July 18-19
Final – August 1