Scotland take on Georgia in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi on Thursday night.
Steve Clarke’s side have already qualified for Germany after winning five of their first six Group A games.
Here are some of the key talking points ahead of the game at the Boris Paichadze Stadium.
Pots not prizes
An update to your Group A table…
Two games to spare!
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT)
Scotland are highly unlikely to top the group given they sit on 15 points with Spain, who are seven goals better off and finish with games against Cyprus and Georgia. An unfortunate slip from Aaron Hickey late on in Seville last month led to a second Spanish goal and wiped out Scotland’s head-to-head advantage. However, good results …
Trevor Francis was a footballer best known not for scoring in a European Cup final, earning 52 England appearances or later managing in major finals – all notable achievements – but for one of the game’s historical landmarks, as British football’s first £1million player.
In these days of £100million-plus fees, few now bat an eyelid at modest seven-figure moves but in 1979, when Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest smashed the British transfer record to sign Francis from Birmingham, the sum caused quite a stir.
Naturally Francis, who has died aged 69, felt he deserved to be remembered for much more, after a 34-year career in football that began in his prodigious teenage years and took him around the world, but he was nevertheless pleased to have his own unique pla…
There are no doubts Lionel Messi will lead Argentina at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, according to national team masseur Marcelo D Andrea.
Messi announced he will retire from international football after suffering defeat in the Copa America Centenario final against Chile last Sunday.
The loss was the fourth time Messi has tasted defeat in a major tournament final, leading to the 29-year-old s decision to quit internationals.
However, D Andrea revealed Messi did not notify anyone of his decision within the camp, and is confident the Barca star will represent Argentina once again.
I have no doubts that Leo will play at the [2018] World Cup, he told FM Pop. I have a lot of faith in him and we must leave him alone for now.
I trust him in hi…
Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea’s victory at Tottenham on Monday proved he has matured as a manager in the years since his first spell in England.
A frenetic 4-1 win in north London came amid two red cards for the hosts as emotions threatened to spill over in a manner reminiscent of the so-called ‘Battle of Stamford Bridge’, when Pochettino’s Spurs lost their discipline and a two-goal lead to concede the 2015-16 Premier League title.
After that game, which confirmed Leicester as champions, Pochettino was criticised for allowing his players to lose control of the match and let slip the chance of claiming a first league title since 1961.
The following injury update has been provided ahead of .
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
Yet on Monday it …
Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid s latest LaLiga title success feels particularly special in a year complicated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Atleti beat Real Valladolid 2-1 at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Saturday to finish two points above Real Madrid, who themselves completed a turnaround by the same scoreline against Villarreal.
It is Atleti s 11th title and their second in nine years under Simeone, on top of winning two Europa Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
That sees Simeone overtake Luis Aragones (seven trophies) as the Spanish side s most successful ever coach.
Atleti were top for 30 matchdays and, despite being given a scare by Madrid and Barcelona in the closing weeks, Simeone feels his side are deserving …
Elano believes Newcastle United will become powerful in Europe after they qualified for next season s Champions League.
The Magpies finished fourth in Eddie Howe s first full term at St James Park, their highest top-flight finish since the 2002-03 campaign under Bobby Robson.
Howe was appointed in 2021 shortly after Newcastle were taken over by a Saudi-backed consortium with the club spending over £200million in the transfer market since, a number that is sure to increase in the upcoming window ahead of a busy fixture list next season.
Elano, who scored 14 goals in 62 Premier League appearances for Manchester City between 2007 and 2009, feels the huge financial backing for Howe should see them become major players in Europe.
Things are getting much more…
Barcelona are interested in signing Inter Milan defender Benjamin Pavard, according to . Pavard can operate as a central defender or as a right-back, and Barcelona have identified him as a potential target to reinforce their backline.
Pavard has been on the books of Inter since the summer of 2023 when he joined from Bayern Munich. The France international defender has done well for Inter and has established himself as one of the best players in his position in Serie A. The 28-year-old has given one assist in four Serie A matches so far this season and provided two assists in 21 Serie A starts in the 2023-24 campaign.
Inter are fourth in the Serie A table at the moment with 11 points from six matches, two points behind leaders Napoli. Meanwhile, Barcelona currently find …
Bastian Schweinsteiger has returned to full training with the rest of the Germany squad, participating in an open session on Monday.
Joachim Loew s side arrived in Poland on Monday ahead of Euro 2012 and waited just three hours before starting their first training session at Lechia Gdansk Stadium.
The Bayern Munich midfielder joined up with the squad a week ago following his involvement in the Champions League final.
Schweinsteiger missed the 5-3 loss to Switzerland as he was still nursing a thigh injury.
However, the 27-year-old was given the all clear by the team s medical staff to take part in the session, with Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff confirming his return.
The health department has given the green light. Bierhoff said. He can…
Best odds: 5/2
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Sevilla and Villarreal will meet at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Friday evening, both aiming to secure their first victory of the 2024/25 La Liga season after opening with 2-2 draws.
Sevilla shared the spoils with Las Palmas, while Villarreal held Atletico Madrid to a draw in their first outing at Estadio de la Ceramica. This upcoming encounter promises to be an intriguing affair as both sides look to build momentum early in the campaign.
Sevilla
Garcia Pimienta s tenure as Sevilla head coach got off to an eventful start with a 2-2 draw against Las Palmas last Friday. Despite taking the lead twice in Gran Canaria first through Erik Lamela and later through Juanlu Sanchez Sevilla were unable to secure all three points as San…
Bayern Munich have announced winger Kingsley Coman has signed a three-year contract extension, committing his future to the Bundesliga champions to 2023.
Coman initially joined Bayern on a two-season loan from Juventus in 2015 but converted the move into a permanent transfer worth €28million in April.
The France international had signed with Bayern to 2020, but after a strong individual start to the new campaign, and with the team now dominant atop the table under coach Jupp Heynckes, he was rewarded with fresh terms on Thursday.
Coman s new six-year deal comes the same day as the signing of Sandro Wagner from Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim on a two-and-a-half-year contract, a transfer that was completed for a reported fee of €13m.
Kingsley : I m deligh…