Madrid will beat Atletico like they did in Lisbon – Gento

Cristiano Ronaldo was supposed to be Real Madrid s secret weapon this season but the reigning Spanish champions must shrug off the disappointment of failing to capture the Portuguese sensation.

And now Real will be focusing on securing a third straight league title for the first time in 21 years.

Ronaldo openly admitted his desire to join Real but Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson had other ideas blocking the transfer to leave Real counterpart Bernd Schuster frustrated.

We have to respect his decision. He was free to do what he wanted and it is a shame that he will not be joining us because he is a player that would have improved what is already a great team, said Schuster.

But we have a superb side to start the league with and to play for al…

Kenny McLean savoured a special moment in his career after his last-gasp winner earned Scotland a crucial three Euro 2024 qualifying points from a 2-1 victory in Norway.

McLean struck a composed 89th-minute finish with his right foot 10 minutes after coming off the bench and two minutes after Lyndon Dykes had cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute opener from the penalty spot.

Left midfielder McLean said: “It was pretty special, a really good moment for everyone involved and obviously for the fans that travelled – it was amazing, I can hear them outside now.

“Obviously I have only had the San Marino goal previously so I am delighted to score such a meaningful goal.

“I don’t know if I was too happy with Dykesy – setting me up on my right …

Paris Saint-Germain stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe get certain privileges at the club, according to team-mate Adrien Rabiot.

The Ligue 1 leaders stunned the football world last August when they signed Neymar from Barcelona after activating his €222million release clause.

That world-record transfer was followed by a deal for Monaco striker Mbappe, who moved to Parc des Princes on a season-long loan deal and will join on a permanent basis for a reported fee of €180m this year.

The forwards have formed a devastating attacking trident with Edinson Cavani in 2017-18, helping PSG to a 10-point lead at the top of the table and a place in the Champions League knockout stages, with Unai Emery s side aiming for a clean sweep of trophies.

Rabiot says the pair en…

Competition: La Liga

Market: Espanyol to beat Deportivo La Coruna

Odds:

La Liga continues this weekend for yet another massive round of games as the competition continues to heat up. The table has remained incredibly tight this season which means that a single win can quite often see a side rise up a number of places. With this in mind, there is a big battle near the bottom as Deportivo La Coruna host Espanyol on Friday.

Deportivo La Coruna have been awful this season and they are in a very precarious position at this stage of the season. After 24 games they have won four, drawn five and lost 15, scoring 24 goals and conceding 53 times. In their last five they have drawn once and lost four games which has seen them onto 17 points. Deportivo des…

Ciro Immobile could be making a switch to Napoli in a player exchange deal, according to Genoa chief executive Enrico Preziosi.

Immobile, who was born and raised in Naples, is part-owned by both Genoa and Juventus.

Genoa were reportedly intending to sell the former Italy Under-21 international back to the Juve, but now it seems Napoli are in contention for his signature.

Any swap could involve Napoli players going in the other direction, according to Preziosi.

If he is of interest then we can sit down and discuss it especially as we could be keen on a few Napoli players, he told Sky Sport Italia.

However, when you talk about Immobile, you have to remember that he is co-owned between us and Juventus.

Immobile s stock has been on the rise…

Newcastle United have bolstered their defence with the signing of Daryl Janmaat from Feyenoord on a six-year contract.

Right-back Janmaat moves to St James Park for an undisclosed fee after impressing as a regular in the Netherlands side who finished third at the FIFA World Cup.

And the former Heerenveen man caught the eye of Newcastle, who have made him the club s sixth signing of the close-season following Ayoze Perez, Jack Colback, Siem de Jong, Remy Cabella and Emmanuel Riviere.

Janmaat fills the void left by Mathieu Debuchy, whose transfer to Arsenal was also confirmed on Thursday.

After moving to Feyenoord in 2012, Janmaat established himself as a mainstay at De Kuip and was a key part of the team that finished second in the Eredivisie last season.<…

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Ivo Grbic has tested positive for coronavirus two days after making his debut in the Copa del Rey win over Cardassar.

Grbic, signed from Lokomotiva ahead of the 2020-21 season, played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.

He was largely untroubled, only having one shot to save as Atletico won the away tie 3-0 to reach the second round.

However, PCR tests on the Atletico squad ahead of hosting Elche in LaLiga on Saturday have flagged up a positive result for the 24-year-old.

Atletico confirmed on Friday that Grbic is asymptomatic, isolating at home and following the protocols of the health authorities .

Miguel San Roman is Atletico s third goalkeeper and he has been an unused substitute on seven occasions in all competitions …

Zlatan Ibrahimovic s injury setback will not have an impact on Milan s transfer plans for the January window, according to head coach Stefano Pioli.

Ibrahimovic has been out of action since sustaining an injury against Napoli on November 22, but was back involved in first-team training this week.

However, reports emerged on Saturday claiming that the 39-year-old – who has scored 10 goals in six Serie A appearances this season – had suffered a calf strain and will now miss another month.

Pioli confirmed the news in a media conference ahead of Sunday s trip to Sassuolo, though he affirmed Ibrahimovic s new problem will not change Milan s strategy heading into the transfer market.

It was a strange day, as we were convinced he could recover in time to b…

Competition: Premier League
Market: Chelsea to win against West Ham
Odds:

Chelsea welcome West Ham United to Stamford Bridge for tonight’s London derby in the Premier League, and are big favourites to pick up all three points in their opening game of the campaign. Chelsea are desperate to put last season behind them, while West Ham are looking to build on a fantastic 2015/16.

Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League with 50 points from 38 games last season as their title defence went to pieces. The Londoners suffered 12 defeats and conceded 53 goals, but things are sure to change under new manager Antonio Conte.

The multiple title-winning at Juventus has move quick in the transfer market this summer and looks content with his side in the title r…

Lucas Moura and Layvin Kurzawa were on target as Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over Metz in Unai Emery s first home match in charge.

After taking the reins from Laurent Blanc, Emery has been tasked with translating PSG s domestic dominance into European success.

It remains to be seen how PSG will perform under the Spaniard in the Champions League but Sunday s contest offered no suggestion they will struggle to maintain their Ligue 1 monopoly.

PSG were in full control throughout the 90 minutes and only the profligacy of Edinson Cavani, who enjoyed a nightmare evening in front of goal, prevented the marg
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in of victory from being greater.

Cavani missed a series of glaring opportunities but Lucas produced a well-taken finish i…