Newcastle United to open talks over Kalvin Phillips

With the Premier League making its return on Boxing Day, we are treated to what is a stacked day of festive action. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Christmas acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Monday December 26th
BST 12:30 Brentford vs Tottenham

While Tottenham might mark their return on Boxing Day battling it out in the top-four chase, it is fair to say that Antonio Conte s side had struggled to find much stability prior to the festive break. Last seen on November 12th when eventually claiming a thrilling 4-3 victory at home against Leeds, the one-time Chelsea boss will be desperate for his side to claim back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the middle of October. With some question ma…

Serge Gnabry was the hero as Bayern Munich defeated a game Lyon 3-0 to book their place in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Five days on from the 8-2 obliteration of Barcelona, Bayern avoided an upset against a Lyon side who had shocked Manchester City to reach Wednesday s semi-final at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Germany winger Gnabry, a scorer in the Barca rout, was influential, smashing in a stunning 18th-minute opener following a lively Lyon start before adding a much easier second.

The prolific Robert Lewandowski added his 55th goal of an incredible season in the closing stages for the Bundesliga champions.

Lyon found some encouragement in the second half but there is little doubt Bayern deserve their spot in the showpiece on Su…

Best odds: 21/10

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Italy, the reigning European champions, find themselves in an unusual position in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C as they aim to secure a spot in the next continental tournament. With just three points from two games, they are currently behind England (12 from four) and Ukraine (six from three) in the standings due to having played fewer matches than other teams in the group. North Macedonia are directly below with the same tally, having played one game more.

In their most recent international fixtures, Italy faced disappointment in the Nations League. Now, they must focus on their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifying match against North Macedonia. The match will take place in Skopje, and Italy will be eager to secure a victory and improve thei…

Jurgen Klopp is adamant he can offer no insight into how much money Liverpool need to spend following claims the Reds boss will have told the club £250million of investment is required.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher made those comments while working as part of Sky Sports punditry team for their EFL Cup last-16 defeat to Manchester City.

His words came after Liverpool s owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) put the club up for sale last month, with FSG saying it is also open to bringing in a strategic partner.

Liverpool resume the Premier League season against Aston Villa on December 26 following the World Cup break sitting 15 points behind leaders Arsenal and seven behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

The Gunners renaissance and Newcastle United s emergence …

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has hit out unacceptable fake news after reports claimed he has quit international football over comments made by France president Emmanuel Macron.

Macron described the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in a north-western suburb of Paris this month as an Islamic terrorist attack .

Paty, 47, is said to have shown controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his pupils. The knife-wielding attacker was shot dead by police in the aftermath of the attack.

Reports suggested Pogba, a practising Muslim, took offence over Macron s comments and has decided to call time on representing the world champions.

However, Pogba posted a picture on Instagram of an article stating he had ‘quit playing for France’ and wrote una…

Millwall defender Danny McNamara has paid tribute to “classy and honest” John Berylson following the death of the club’s owner and chairman.

American businessman Berylson, who was appointed Millwall chairman in 2007, died in a car crash in the United States on Tuesday morning at the age of 70.

McNamara is among those who have been paying their respects, the home-grown full-back thanking Berylson for his successful stewardship during his long tenure at The Den which has seen Millwall become established in Sky Bet Championship.

The players pay tribute.

— Millwall FC (@MillwallFC)

McNamara’s message in a book of condolences for Berylson on Millwall’s website read: “Suited and booted with a cigar in his hand. A classy and honest down to…

Naby Keita is now on the verge of leaving Liverpool as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the season, with an extension looking less likely by the day, according to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Keita joined Liverpool in 2018 from RB Lepizig for a reported fee of €60 million. He was seen as a great boost for the Merseysiders midfield section after their hearts were broken by the Champions League final defeat that year, but he never quite lived up to the expectations, with injuries severely plaguing his time at Anfield.

The 27-year-old has been starting matches recently and has even been one of the better performers in a mostly underwhelming team, but with a great rebuilding job reportedly planned for the summer, it seems there will be n…

The wait is over. A week-and-a-half after joining Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi could be set to make his debut against Brest on Friday.

Following his shock exit from Barcelona as a free agent, Messi became the Ligue 1 giants fifth major signing of the transfer window, joining the superstars Mauricio Pochettino already had at his disposal.

Messi, alongside his former Barca star Neymar, has been training this week, and though Pochettino refused to confirm his squad during Thursday s news conference, it is expected the duo will play a part.

With Kylian Mbappe already back, here s how Pochettino could set out at Brest.

GK: Keylor Navas

Navas has been one of Europe s outstanding goalkeepers in recent seasons, ranking third for goals prevented (8.1…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Marc Cucurella from Premier League rivals Chelsea in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Newcastle are looking to bring in a new left-back this summer and that one of the players on their radar is Cucurella. The Magpies want a loan deal, but the Blues would prefer a permanent sale.

Cucurella has been on the books of Chelsea since the summer of 2022 when he joined from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion. The 25-year-old did well for the Seagulls during the 2021-22 campaign, but he did not have the best of times at Chelsea last campaign. 

The left-back made 21 starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea last season, providing two assists in those games.…

England and the Republic of Ireland will meet competitively for the first time since 1991 in the next edition of the Nations League.

The English and the Republic are also up against Euro 2004 winners Greece and Finland in Group B2. They avoided a long trip to Kazakhstan under UEFA’s excessive travel restriction rules, with the former Soviet republic placed in Group B3 instead.

The last competitive encounter between England and the Republic was a Euro 92 qualifier at Wembley, where a Niall Quinn goal cancelled out Lee Dixon’s opener. A friendly match in 1995 at Lansdowne Road had to be abandoned due to crowd trouble, and the teams’ most recent meeting was a November 2020 friendly.

LEAGUE B

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024)

Wales will be up ag…