Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

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

With this year's final, one of these two Brazilian giants will have won five of the last seven editions, a run that underlines how both clubs have transformed themselves into South American super clubs, reshaping the competitive landscape in the process. Yet this final is more than another chapter in Brazil's dominance, broken only by River Plate's 2018 triumph in the past nine years. It marks the latest peak in a decade-long evolution that has seen Palmeiras and Flamengo grow into institutions with European-scale reach,

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.

Hello, good morning and welcome to our Friday football blog. Think of it as the guy behind the guy, the other guy being the actual football that takes place over the weekend. And the football that was played last night, to which we'll have reaction and comment. So maybe it's the guy between the guys. Enough of the confused metaphors. Here's a full list of this weekend's Premier League fixtures

Erling Haaland has stormed into a commanding lead in the race for the season's top scorer award. After missing out last year, he has returned with the kind of relentless scoring form that made him a phenomenon in previous seasons. With a sizeable gap already separating him from the rest of the field, the competition is beginning to look like a chase for second place unless something dramatic shifts.

I'm even surprised by the question. From the outside, people think I'm shy, that I don't talk much. It's probably because I've spoken publicly about my stutter. But people who know me will tell you. I can talk, of course. It's impossible to play for Bayern without talking. Otherwise, my teammates will say to me, 'You're a center-back and you can't even say, 'Is the ball coming?' - Kimmich would tell me straight away.

It's a free hit. We know it is going to be a huge task. It is a home tie, Prestonfield is a tight park as well so we can hopefully make it an uncomfortable night for Queen's Park. We will treat Queen's Park with respect, but we're no going to sit in. That's not how we do it. This one I feel we have got a big chance.

Liverpool have reportedly made enquiries about a potential transfer move for Antoine Semenyo and are emerging as the early front-runners to sign the Bournemouth winger. The Ghana international has started the season in superb form, contributing six goals and three assists in eleven games so far for the Cherries. This seems to have a host of top clubs chasing him ahead of January, with Liverpool among his main suitors

The 19-year-old looks like an exciting prospect after recently joining the Magpies from Malaga, but he's struggled to get playing time on loan at Belgian club KVC Westerlo so far this season. According to Cadena SER, it now looks like this will lead Newcastle to cancel his loan there, with Deportivo La Coruna leading the race for his signature. Cordero looks like he could develop into a fine player if given the chance to play regularly and develop,

Arsenal and Chelsea are looking to build for the future, and they have identified the Polish midfielder Oskar Pietuszewski as a key target. According to a report from Team Talk, they have sent scouts to watch the Polish midfielder on multiple occasions this season. Oskar Pietuszewski is a player in demand The 17-year-old has done quite well for Jagiellonia and has attracted the attention of Manchester City as well. It will be interesting to see where the 17-year-old ends up.

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."

Wind the film back to the end of January. Estêvão, with four brief substitute appearances under his belt, was a promise and a possibility for Brazil's 2026 World Cup squad. Neymar, meanwhile, was a certainty. The one-time boy prince was returning to Santos, where the story started, and his old club was going to give him a platform to round off the narrative with one final attempt at World Cup glory.

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.

I had quite a good chance to score and then they were the better team, says Kindvall. But maybe if we had got the first goal, maybe we had a chance. We were very good when we didn't have the ball ourselves. We had good organisation in the defence. And Forest were very good without the ball as well. It was more difficult for us to play against a team who were more like our team. We played the English way.

A train ride south from the Amsterdam base that has become a home for an Irish footballer, they have the French Paradox, where, despite having a diet laden with fatty foods and fine wine, the population of France are generally healthy. There was something close to the Dutch paradox here in Alkmaar, not far from Amsterdam.

The qualities that made Karen Carney an unstoppable winger on the football pitch her speed and attack, and the sheer relentlessness of both are more of a hindrance in the ballroom, for some of the dances at least. As the emerging star of this year's Strictly Come Dancing, she has had to learn to slow down, stand up straighter, to be softer, and it's taken a lot of hard work.

With a pair of Chinese titles to add to his J1 League crown with Yokohama F Marinos and a pair of A-League Men championships with Melbourne Victory, this 2025 crown reinforces Muscat as one of Australia's most successful coaches. Ever. Very few Australians strike out abroad, or are afforded the opportunity to, and even fewer go on to lift silverware, let alone lift silverware in two of Asia's strongest leagues.

The AFC Women's Asian Cup heads to Australia next year, as Australia get set to host their second major women's football competition in three years after the 2023 World Cup. From March 1-21 2026, 12 nations will take part in the competition, with a total of 27 matches taking place across Perth, Sydney and the Gold Coast. With nine titles under their belt, reigning champions China are the most successful team in the competition.

Xabi Alonso said Real Madrid's 4-3 Champions League win at Olympiacos on Wednesday was "important to change the dynamic" after three games without a victory left the team, and the coach, under pressure. Kylian Mbappé scored four goals -- including a seven-minute hat trick -- and Vinícius Júnior provided two assists, to put Madrid on 12 points and consolidate their place in the top eight.

"You are in the public eye - people can say whatever they want about you," he said. "But being in the stadium, and how the fans have taken to me in the stadium, is unbelievable." "The last game versus Tottenham was incredible and that gives me such a boost," Madueke said. "I play on the side of the pitch. I can feel them; I can hear them. When they are that positive about me it gives me a massive boost. Honestly, I am made up about it."

I arrived here when I was very young, I wanted to enjoy the moment, playing in a big team with my idols. Today I've reached 500 matches, which is no small feat. And as I said in the dressing room, I'm proud to have worn this shirt for so many years and played in all these matches. I think it's very difficult to achieve this. You have to be very motivated, very hungry and competitive because the competition is fierce.