Mauricio Pochettino insisted Lionel Messi will take time to settle as Paris Saint-Germain await more information on Kylian Mbappe s ankle injury following their 1-1 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Pochettino unleashed Messi, Neymar and Mbappe together for the first time, with the latter teeing up Ander Herrera s fourth goal in four games in all competitions – as many as he had scored in his previous 70 PSG matches.
However, Hans Vanaken s seventh Champions League goal for Brugge stunned the star-studded Ligue 1 outfit, who failed to recover, now having won their European opener in just one of their past four campaigns.
To make matters worse, Mbappe was forced off in the second half after a challenge by former team-mate Stanley N Soki, and Pochett…
Prediction: Both teams to score and draw
Odds:
Bookmaker:
The game of the weekend arguably gets underway on Saturday evening as Chelsea travel to Anfield to do battle with Liverpool. The Reds will hope to recover from their trip to Seville as they surrendered a three-goal lead at the Estadio Roman Sanchez Pizjuan while the champions will look to build on their emphatic victory in Azerbaijan mid-week.
Liverpool
Despite their difficult 3-3 result against Sevilla, Liverpool actually head into the home clash against Chelsea in relatively positive form. The Reds have only lost one game out of their last 11 in all competitions, that one defeat coming in the form of a 4-1 thumping at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur. It is their attack that is in the most inspiring form …
England boss Gareth Southgate admitted Jadon Sancho has been called up for international duty even though he does not deserve a place based on form.
The 21-year-old winger has struggled since his big-money move from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United, failing to register a goal or an assist in eight appearances across all competitions.
His numbers are in stark contrast to what he produced for Dortmund last season, for whom he managed 16 goals and 18 assists in 38 games across the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal.
Sancho was also limited to just one start and two substitute appearances as England reached the final of Euro 2020 before losing to Italy on penalties, with United s new signing also missing one of the spot-kicks after being brought on.
…
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 …