James Milner is set to fulfil his childhood back garden dreams when he captains England against Netherlands at Wembley on Tuesday.
Liverpool midfielder Milner will win his 58th full international cap, coming into a side buoyant from Saturday s stunning 3-2 comeback win over world champions Germany in Berlin.
It means everything, he told a pre-match news conference. Growing up you re desperate to pull on that England shirt you re scoring goals for England at Wembley in your back garden.
To lead the team out at Wembley is a massive honour and something you ll never forget.
Milner will be leading a side surrounded by a feel good factor rarely associated with his time in the national team, since a debut against the Dutch in Amsterdam in August 2009.
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AS Roma are interested in signing Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal in the January transfer window, according to . The Italian news outlet has added that Premier League club Arsenal do not want to sell Kiwior in the middle of the season.
Kiwior has been on the books of Arsenal since January 2023 when he joined from Serie A club Spezia. The Poland international is able to play as a centre-back or as a left-back. Kiwior has made 11 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners so far in his career. The defender has scored one goal and kept two clean sheets in those games.
Arsenal are third in the Premier League table at the moment with 27 points from 12 matches, level on points with Liverpool in second and are a point behind leaders and defending champions Manchester City. Me…
Real Madrid leapfrogged Barcelona to the LaLiga summit as Eder Militao s thumping header secured a 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday.
Los Blancos dropped points in the league for the first time last weekend when they drew 1-1 with Osasuna, but they bounced back to winning ways at Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
The only goal of the game was scored after just three minutes when Militao powered home Luka Modric s left-wing corner from close range – the Brazil international s first goal of the season.
The result saw Carlo Ancelotti s men jump above Barcelona, who they face next weekend, into top spot, although Xavi s men will usurp them if they beat Celta Vigo on Sunday.
THE MILI EXPRESS!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
Madrid wasted…
Dani Alves says Real Madrid are lucky they already hold a double-digit margin atop LaLiga following Barcelona s 1-0 win away to Real Sociedad on Thursday.
Barca have lost only two LaLiga games since Xavi took over from Ronald Koeman but they have been playing an almost impossible game of catch up, winning only four of the opening 12 games and allowing Real Madrid to streak ahead.
Madrid are 15 points up on second-placed Barcelona, who have a game in hand, but even with six games to go for the latter the title race is effectively over.
Claiming eight of their last 10 domestic games, including a 4-0 demolition of the soon-to-be champions at the Santiago Bernabeu, the 38-year-old believes Real Madrid are fortunate Barcelona did not get their act together earlier.
Everton are interested in signing Jamie Vardy from Leicester City in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Toffees are on the hunt for a new striker and have identified Vardy as a potential target.
Vardy is under contract at Leicester until the summer of 2024. The Foxes will play in the Championship next season after getting relegated from the Premier League at the end of last campaign. Leicester have reportedly told Vardy that he can leave the King Power Stadium this summer.
Leicester, though, would be looking for a small fee for Vardy this summer. Everton wanted to sign the veteran striker in January 2022 and have reignited their interest in the 36-year-old. The striker made 19 starts and 18 substitute appearances in the Premier Le…
Toby Alderweireld has signed a new deal with Tottenham until 2023 to end prolonged speculation over his future, the Premier League club have confirmed.
Centre-back Alderweireld was into the final six months of his previous terms and had been tipped to leave at the end of the season.
However, the Belgium international, who joined Spurs from Atletico Madrid in 2015, has now put pen to paper on a fresh contract, in a huge boost to recently appointed head coach Jose Mourinho.
Alderweireld played in 50 of Tottenham s 58 matches last season, including 12 out of 13 games in their run to the Champions League final.
He has also been a mainstay in the backline this term, starting 16 out of 17 Premier League fixtures.
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The most extraordinary result of the Premier League this season arguably came at the end of October when Leicester recorded a 9-0 mauling of Southampton at St Marys. On Saturday in the reverse fixture, Southampton regained a bit of pride, as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team recorded an excellent 2-1 win at the King Power Stadium. It was no fluke either, as the Saints were by far the better team.
A big turnaround
The weekend victory against the Foxes means that Southampton are now unbeaten in five league games, having recorded four wins in the process. Incredibly, the team from the south coast are now just four points off the top-six in the Premier League table.
The Saints turnaround in recent weeks has been immense. Instead of looking nervously over their shoulders, they are …
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata says that if Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is calling him, he will only be getting his old phone.
Morata has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season as he struggles to establish himself as a first-team regular at Santiago Bernabeu.
But the striker, who became the first Spanish player to score a hat-trick for Madrid in eight years with his treble in Wednesday s 4-2 LaLiga win at Leganes, insists he is only focused on the 2016-17 season.
Morata stressed he has not heard about reported interest from Chelsea and will not allow himself to get distracted ahead of a key period of matches against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
If Conte is continuing to call me then …
Georginio Wijnaldum scored a hat-trick as Netherlands bounced back from a disappointing draw with Northern Ireland by beating Estonia 5-0 in Amsterdam.
The goalless draw in Belfast three days earlier allowed Germany to leapfrog Netherlands into top spot in Euro 2020 qualifying group C, and while the win over Estonia did not return Ronald Koeman s side to the summit it did help restore some pride.
Wijnaldum notched either side of an effort from Nathan Ake and completed his treble with a superb solo effort, before Myron Boadu scored his first senior international goal to complete the rout.
With Estonia certain to finish bottom of the group and the hosts already sure of their place at Euro 2020 this was never going to be a classic, but Koeman made seven changes to h…
“I have a feeling, and maybe a little more, that Mourinho will be on the Real Madrid bench next season”.
Those are the words of Real Madrid’s former president, who revealed on social media that he believes Jose Mourinho could return to the Bernabeu next season. The 56 year old boss is currently waiting for his route back into the beautiful game, after leaving Manchester United last year. His two year tenure at Old Trafford didn’t exactly go how many had hoped, despite still winning a few trophies with the club.
The man formerly known as The Special One spent three years with Real Madrid between the years of 2010 and 2013, although his relationship with the club seemed to deteriorate towards the end of his time there.
The belief is that Real will move on …