Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

With Santos sliding dangerously close to the drop zone and tension gripping the squad, the club's most influential figure of the modern era returned earlier than expected against Sport Recife - and changed the atmosphere instantly. His comeback had been viewed as unlikely in the short term, perhaps even unlikely at all, given the injury concerns surrounding him. But with Santos desperate, the forward made himself available, stepped into the starting lineup, and delivered the sort of moments supporters had been clinging to.

Rangers have shown an interest in Freiburg left-back Berkay Yilmaz, but French club Toulouse and others in the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga are also eyeing the 20-year-old Turkey youth international currently on loan to Nuremberg in Germany's second tier. (Bild), external Luis Palma's good form for Lech Poznan could persuade Wilfried Nancy to end the 25-year-old Honduras winger's loan early once the Frenchman is appointed Celtic manager.

I wasn't trying to prove myself, but I was very fortunate that I was asked to become manager at a time when Jack was throwing his heart into the job, as well as his finances, Dalglish tells FourFourTwo. His finances and his support were both 100 per cent genuine. He was born and bred Blackburn. After taking the helm in October 1991, Dalglish soon had Rovers sitting at the top of the table, before guiding them to the play-offs, where they overcame Leicester 1-0 at Wembley.

"We have competed well so far, but we haven't achieved anything," said Mascherano. "Tomorrow's game will be very complicated. We're facing an opponent that's earned the right to play the Conference Final. An opponent that's won three playoff games on the road." "Our mentality and our vision for tomorrow have to be to go for it from the opening minute."

Wrexham County borough council had previously said that the club would receive a substantial amount of a 25m Welsh government grant to redevelop the area around the Wrexham General train station next door to its stadium, the Racecourse Ground. However, the council has not previously revealed that the football club would directly receive most of that cash. Wrexham is owned by Reynolds and McElhenney, who has changed his name to Rob Mac, according to UK and US company filings.

Bayern Munich sold youngster Nestory Irankunda this summer to Watford, but nested in the deal was a favorable buy-back option for the Bavarians. That's according to a report from Sport Bild, as captured by @iMiaSanMia_GER: Bayern has a buy-back clause for Nestory Irankunda of 4.5-5 million €. He was sold to FC Watford in the summer for 3 million €. [Bayern-Insider, @cfbayern, @altobelli13]

Oxford United moved out of the relegation zone in the Championship as they beat Ipswich Town 2-1 at The Kassam Stadium. Goals from Mark Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta, either side of a brilliant volley from Leif Davis, saw Oxford move up to 19th in the standings, while Ipswich have missed the chance to go second and put pressure on the surrounding teams ahead of the weekend's action.

Raphinha had an exceptional campaign for Barcelona last season, as he finished with 34 goals and 26 assists in his 57 outings. His sensational performances earned him a Ballon d'Or nomination. The 28-year-old has carried that form into the new season, and he remains an integral part of Hansi Flick's team. However, he has been linked with a move away yet again.

Federico Chiesa's future has become a big talking point in recent weeks. While he had a promising start to the season, the Italian international hasn't had regular game time at Anfield. As a result, multiple top clubs are interested in signing the former Juventus star. Liverpool could sell Federico Chiesa According to Pete O'Rourke via Football Insider, Liverpool could look to cash in on the 28-year-old amidst growing interest from Serie A clubs.

The draw for the 2026 Fifa World Cup will be held in Washington DC next week (5 December), and while supporters of teams that qualified will be anxious to know who they will play, most of the world's population will not be represented. China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan - five of the planet's six most populous countries - have all missed out on the tournament co-hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the United States next June and July.

Their profligacy is not a new concern; it was evident during last summer's Euros, particularly in the quarterfinal against France and the semifinal against Spain. But this time it hurt them more than it should have. In many ways, it was a near-perfect performance. Germany created wave after wave of opportunities, pushed Spain deep into their own half, and left goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger with little to do. Yet the one thing they needed, and arguably deserved, never came: a goal.

Twenty-six additional U.S. stadiums were mentioned as suitable venues for a 48-nation tournament the bidders project would draw 4.5 million fans and generate about $4 billion in revenue, up from $570 million for 2023 in Australia and New Zealand and a projection of $1 billion for the 2027 tournament in Brazil. Levi's stadium in Santa Clara, a 2026 World Cup site, and Oracle Park in San Francisco were included as possibilities.

FourFourTwo's Dating Game takes a page out of the Wordle playbook: all you have to do is enter your four-digit number guess, and the system will instantly give you feedback by lighting up the digits. Correct numbers in the correct position will shine bright in green, letting you know you're one step closer to victory: those that are in the wrong position will light up orange, while the rest will stay greyed out.

- United want new Old Trafford ready for 2035 WC -FIFA Council OKs 48 teams for Women's World Cup in '31 Twenty-six additional U.S. stadiums were mentioned as suitable venues for a 48-nation tournament the bidders project would draw 4.5 million fans and generate about $4 billion in revenue, up from $570 million for 2023 in Australia and New Zealand and a projection of $1 billion for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.

St Johnstone are one of many clubs keen on a January loan deal for Hearts striker James Wilson, with the 18-year-old Scotland cap having started just one Premiership game this term. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

When England welcome China to a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it will mark the sixth meeting between two nations who have been on different trajectories in recent years. The marketing has focused on the clash of continental champions England as the holders of the European Championship and China as the winners of the 2022 Asian Cup but there has since been a change in fortunes between the two. The widening gap was evident the last time they met, at the 2023 Women's World Cup, when England put six past the Steel Roses to progress to the last 16.

Every Friday I will pick the weekend's best or most exciting games that are not to be missed in the world of football. From derbies to top-of-the-table clashes, relegation six-pointers to world-class players facing each other or other interesting tactical battles, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. This week, it is all about top (or near top) of the table clashes, so let's get right into it!

Nostalgia was in full supply ahead of kick-off, with most of the living players from that famous night paraded on the City Ground pitch as well as a two-minute film projected onto the Brian Clough Stand. And although the stakes were much lower this time in a league phase match, Forest were again victorious thanks to goals from Ryan Yates, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Nikola Milenkovic. The current crop have their own desires of triumphing in Europe and kept themselves in contention for finishing in the top eight of a congested league table after five games.

When these two sides met at Tynecastle in August, they delivered arguably the best match of the season so far. Jens Berthel Askou's Motherwell swept into a three-goal lead with some of the free-flowing football we've become accustomed to from them this season, before Hearts roared back to snatch a point, thanks to Claudio Braga's double. They lock horns again this weekend, with a similarly high-scoring encounter hopefully in the works.

That said, he is still following his old club as well. In an interview with RTL, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, he said: "The team is very well-equipped, and the coaching staff with Vincent Kompany is doing an outstanding job. It's a joy to watch them play. I haven't watched all the games, but I've gotten a good impression. It's been fantastic so far, and I hope things will continue this way."

Manchester City have joined Arsenal in showing an interest in Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, the Daily Mail reports. Even though both Premier League clubs have creative midfielders, they will continue to monitor the Spain youth international's progress and any developments in his situation. The 20-year-old is also on Real Madrid's radar In addition to impressing for Elche, where he has scored two goals in 10 appearances for the newly promoted LaLiga side.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington next week because the U.S. denied visas to members of its delegation, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday. The agency quoted Iranian soccer federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying that officials faced visa obstacles that go beyond sports considerations. There was no immediate comment from the White House. Alavi said the federation had reached out to FIFA and hoped it could help resolve the issue. Soccer's ruling body didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.