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Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe has been slapped with a two-game ban for a tackle during their 1-0 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox last week.

The 28-year-old received a booking by referee David Munro for a late challenge on Saints midfielder Murray Davidson but the Scottish FA decided to take retrospective action against the striker after he was found guilty of serious foul play.

There is no doubt this will be a significant blow for manager Steven Gerrard, who already faces the prospect of being without his star striker Alfredo Morelos for the home game against Kilmarnock, having served two matches of a three-game ban following his stamp on Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous.

Able to play in the centre or on the right, Roofe’s ability to operate in two positions upfront has been an added bonus for Gerrard. He has scored 12 goals in 24 games this season, that being the best of all forwards and the second-highest overall, a leaderboard topped by none other than James Tavernier (17).

However, his latest ban has now left Gerrard with a dilemma upfront as none of his other options can come to matching his 14 goal contributions in 24 appearances across all competitions this season.

Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe are the two competing for a place upfront for Rangers, as Greg Stewart has been all but frozen out of the first-team picture, meaning the aforementioned duo are battling to bag a spot in-between Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi.

Both players will be looking to seize the opportunity to impress Gerrard having fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Morelos and Roofe as they try to establish themselves as regular starters at Ibrox.

Itten started on the left-hand side of the attack the last time the Gers faced Kilmarnock as Gerrard’s side ran out 2-0 winners at Rugby Park.

However, it could prove to be a tough test for the 24-year-old as he drew a blank against the likes of Stuart Findlay and Kirk Broadfoot, so he will need to be at his very best if the Premiership leaders are to get a result against the visitors.

Whilst Gerrard has given both players his full backing, he will no doubt be gutted to lose a player who has become an instrumental part of his side so far this season.

AND in other news, Rangers monitoring Maccabi Haifa star Dolev Haziza…

MatériaMais Notícias

Líder do Grupo C do Campeonato Paulista, com 13 pontos, a Ferroviária volta a campo neste sábado para enfrentar a Ponte Preta, em Campinas. Apesar da boa campanha na competição estadual, à frente do São Paulo, inclusive, um dos destaques da Locomotiva, o meiaFernando Gabriel mantém os pés no chão e projeta um duelo difícil, às 18h30, no Moisés Lucarelli.

– A Ponte Preta é sempre muito forte dentro de casa. Vamos buscar fazer uma boa apresentação para sair de lá com um resultado positivo. Não tenho dúvidas que teremos muitas dificuldades, mas temos que focar na vitória. Seria muito importante para nossa equipe – disse o jogador.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalGoleiro do Novorizontino ressalta segunda vitória seguida no PaulistaFutebol Nacional09/03/2016Futebol NacionalSérgio Vieira: ‘Futebol é uma ciência, como engenharia ou medicina’Futebol Nacional08/03/2016

No entanto, para o meia que tem dois gols no Paulista, o time de Araraquara está no caminho certo para garantir uma vaga nas finais do torneio.

– Estamos no caminho certo, com os pés no chão e sem empolgação. O elenco sabe das dificuldades que vai enfrentar até o fim da fase de classificação, mas estamos preparados e focados na classificação – concluiu.

Many Aston Villa fans heaped praise on defender Matty Cash despite his side’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Friday night.

It was the Villains’ first game since the New Year and they were edged out by a second-half penalty from Bruno Fernandes, despite Bertrand Traore cancelling out Anthony Martial’s opener.

Cash started his 14th Premier League game of the season for Dean Smith’s side and received the highest match rating from the defensive line during the match.

Per Sofascore, the Englishman won seven duels, completed three key passes, made three clearances and three tackles.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted with his performance and praised the club for his £16m transfer fee last summer to bring him to Villa Park.

“Thought Cash’s running was mint last night, he was blowing at the end and I’m not surprised! #AVFC”

Credit: @StevenKelson

“Matty Cash is unreal btw what a player. A joy to watch, and always works his socks off.”

Credit: @_catherineeeeex

“Matty Cash is a defender in the same way that Gareth Bale was a defender. Move him forward and you’ve got a European Cup winner on your hands.”

Credit: @chrisstanley1

“15m was an absolute bargain for Matty Cash. Oozes class and is getting better and better.”

Credit: @GjamieJ

“Matty Cash is looking some signing, very good player”

Credit: @shauned88

“Can’t knock our performance tonight, Matty Cash & Douglas Luiz were outstanding, robbed by poor officiating. If the penalty incident happens down the other end, it isn’t a penalty, but because it’s United it’s a penalty.”

Credit: @HarryBatters

In other news, ‘Brilliant’ Villa star urged to leave Dean Smith’s side in January.

Peter Lawwell can flip Celtic’s season on its head by firing Neil Lennon and hiring former FC Cluj head coach Dan Petrescu.

What’s the word?

Lennon has reportedly been given a second vote of confidence following a crunch meeting at Parkhead on the back of Sunday’s dire draw with St. Johnstone, which saw supporters once again descend on the stadium furiously demanding for the Irishman to be fired.

Hopes of the Hoops claiming a record tenth Premiership title in a row are hanging by the balance after the weekend’s result saw rivals Rangers open a 13-point lead at the top of the table.

Celtic may have two games in hand over their Glasgow neighbours, yet a run of just two wins in 12 matches across all competitions has left Lennon scrambling to ask majority owner Dermot Desmond and Lawwell for more time to turn the Hoops campaign around.

Lennon is expected to be given the chance to save Celtic’s season, though a number of head coaches are being touted as potential replacements. Among the many is former Cluj boss Petrescu – who beat Celtic twice last season – after he offered his resignation at the Romanian side.

Cluj have since had to come out and deny Petrescu had quit in order to take charge at Celtic, who are now staring down the barrel of a campaign with no silverware on offer.

“I have no way of knowing if Celtic’s interest in Dan Petrescu is true,” Cluj Director Marius Bilasco said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “We asked him about it, but he explained he had decided to leave anyway.

“If you have a manager who wins you three titles in a row and who gets you into Europe, why would we want him to leave? Petrescu has always attracted interest from many clubs. He had the support of the board and this was his decision.”

The perfect choice?

With Petrescu on the market after resigning at Cluj, he may prove to be the perfect appointment for Lawwell to make if he and Desmond decide to fire Lennon.

Petrescu has previously buttered up the Hoops hierarchy and supporters by suggesting the Lennoxtown giants are not only capable of winning the Europa League, but that they are a side deserving of being in the Champions League, despite eliminating the Scottish powerhouse from the premier UEFA competition last season.

“They can win the competition. I would say the same about Lazio, if they qualify,” the Chelsea icon said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “They are both good enough to go all the way. They are Champions League teams in my opinion.”

Petrescu has previously fielded interest from Premier League sides in Crystal Palace and Watford, with the Eagles approaching him in 2017 after they fired Frank de Boer, while the Hornets came calling a year ago to help them stave off the threat of relegation.

Neither side were appealing at the time, though the chance to save Celtic may be more up his street given the 52-year-old’s previous remarks on the green and white outfit.

Lawwell may find Petrescu is more up his street, too, as the former Cluj boss was able to mastermind results against Celtic on the biggest stage when everything was against him.

When Celtic lost to Cluj in August 2019 to fall out of the Champions League, the Romanian side were lauded for exploiting the chaos in the Hoops line-up that offered acres of space when pressed hard and fast.

That same mentality, and the ability to walk into a raucous stadium without hiding in their shadows, is an aspect Celtic are crying out for right now, and any hopes of saving ten-in-a-row would hinge on whoever replaces Lennon righting all of his wrongs.

AND in other news, Peter Lawwell can invoke shades of Scott Sinclair by signing a “phenomenal” £20m wonder for Celtic.

Carlton Palmer has hailed West Bromwich Albion winger Grady Diangana as a “fantastic talent” who is “one for the future” in an exclusive with Football FanCast.Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, the former England international is backing Diangana to cope with the pressures and demands of life at the Hawthorns.Diangana burst onto the scene at West Brom as the Baggies battled their way to Premier League promotion last term, before he left his boyhood club West Ham for the final time for a fee that has risen to £18m in the summer.Last season, the 22-year-old scored eight goals and supplied six assists in 30 games in the Championship, whilst he averaged 1.6 shots, 1.4 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.After struggling to break into West Ham’s first team with Andriy Yarmolenko, Robert Snodgrass, Jarrod Bowen, Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals for competition, he moved to the West Midlands in the end instead, which didn’t go down well with his former teammates, with Mark Noble tweeting:

He is highly-rated by Baggies chiefs – and Hal Robson-Kanu has insisted the excitement is shared by the rest of the squad.

However, Palmer believes Diangana needs to be protected from overzealous Baggies fans, as he told FFC:

“He is a fantastic talent, I think it’s a great acquisition for West Brom.

“You can’t put huge pressure on a 22-year-old who has never played in the Premier League.”

“But he’s definitely one for the future, he’s a talented, talented boy.”

Diangana has given fans a glimpse of things to come as he scored his first goal in the top flight in the 5-2 defeat at home to Everton in September.

Since he first arrived at the Hawthorns, the 1-cap England U21 international has scored nine goals and supplied seven assists in 40 games in all competitions for the Baggies, which is a pretty impressive return by any player’s standards, especially when you consider the fact that at one stage he seemed destined to become a fringe player at West Ham.

However, he seems to have run out of steam in recent weeks, with only one goal in his last nine outings so far this season.

But, given his young age, the youngster cannot be expected to shoulder the burden of responsibility alone.

Whilst there is obviously still room for improvement, age is on his side.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer tips Grady Diangana to become a £40m+ player…

Sheffield Wednesday’s quest to secure their first home win in over eight months will have to wait as they were well-beaten by Brentford at Hillsborough on Wednesday night.

The Owls have not picked up three points in south Yorkshire since February and still remain bottom of the Championship on minus four points following their points deduction.

Garry Monk has it all to do if he’s to keep Wednesday in the second flight of English football this season but it’s also on the players too, especially without their supporters in attendance.

He’ll be disheartened by the performance from his defenders after conceding a brace to Bees talisman Ivan Toney, and the display of Joost van Aken was perhaps the standout in terms of being particularly poor. He certainly let his manager down.

The 26-year-old has been given a second chance at Hillsborough after playing for 2. Bundesliga outfit VfL Osnabruck last season after joining the club back in 2017 for £4.5m.

He was deployed in a back three alongside summer arrival Aden Flint and right-back by trade Moses Odubajo, and was clearly the worst performer, clinching a 6.4 rating by SofaScore.

The Dutch colossus failed to win any of his duels, lost possession seven times and only made 50% of his long balls with Toney giving him the run around all game.

YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson graded van Aken a mediocre 5/10 and claimed: “Found it tough going to contain the Bees forward line, particularly in the first half.”

Fellow centre-back Julian Borner was a regular presence under Monk last season, starting 34 league games, so it’s a surprise to see his name on the bench but the fact that he’s waiting in the wings should spell trouble for the former Heerenveen man.

If he continues at this disappointing level, then that switch will quickly become an easy one to make. He let Monk down this week and has to be a drop candidate before they host Luton Town on Saturday afternoon.

With Chey Dunkley, Dominic Iorfa and Tom Lees all on the treatment table, van Aken ought to be making the absolute most of this rare opportunity.

AND in other news, Chansiri’s transfer decision on key Owls star instantly vindicated…

Liverpool are back in the running to pursue global talent Kylian Mbappe, according to French media.

The reigning Premier League champions are reportedly eyeing up a deal for the Frenchman and are said to be in talks over a 2021 move. That’s according to L’Equipe (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), who claim Real Madrid are also fond admirers of the forward.

This isn’t the first time Liverpool have been mentioned alongside Mbappe. The Reds have been loosely linked to him throughout the year, but no talks of an official move have surfaced. A plot to land the 21-year-old next summer could mean that they are serious about bringing him to Merseyside.

Mbappe is currently valued at a whopping £162million and Paris Saint-Germain will almost certainly not let him go cheap. However, what is likely to be an astronomical price tag is more than justified. The young star boasts 91 goals and 51 assists for PSG in 125 appearances, as well as 27 goals and 16 assists in 60 Monaco games (via Transfermarkt).

This link has got Liverpool supporters fanning themselves as they imagine bringing Mbappe to Anfield. One fan has tweeted ‘be still my beating heart’, with another pondering over a potential deal.

They feel that ‘Edwards surely could get him’ for an initial up front payment and then the rest coming through instalments.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool can land Kylian Mbappe next year? Join the conversation in the comments!

يرى نويل ويلان، المهاجم السابق لفريق ليدز يونايتد، أن نادي ليفربول سيكون “غبيًا” إذا لم يوافق على مطالب محمد صلاح المالية ويجدد عقده الحالي.

وسينتهي العقد الحالي للنجم المصري صاحب الـ29 عامًا مع ليفربول في يونيو 2023، دون وجود لأي اتفاق حتى الآن بشأن التجديد.

وسبق أن ذكرت تقارير صحفية بأن محمد صلاح يريد الحصول على 500 ألف جنيه إسترليني أسبوعيًا، ولكن تقارير أخرى أشارت إلى أن ما يريده يقترب من 400 ألف جنيه إسترليني.

وأكد محمد صلاح في تصريحات مساء اليوم بأنه يود البقاء في ليفربول حتى نهاية مسيرته، ولكن مستقبله مع الريدز لا يتوقف عليه.

ومن جانبه، قال نويل ويلان في تصريحات لشبكة “فوتبول إنسايدر” الإنجليزية: “أعتقد أن مسألة تجديد عقد محمد صلاح ستتم، لا أعتقد أنه سيكون هناك أي شك في ذلك”.

وأضاف: “إنهم يعلمون أن الجماهير تعشقه تمامًا، وهم يعرفون الأداء الذي يقدمه الآن، الطريقة التي يلعب بها، إنه أفضل لاعب في العالم ولا شك في ذلك”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد تصريحاته.. تليجراف: ليفربول لا يفاوض محمد صلاح بشأن التجديد

وواصل: “الأهداف التي يسجلها مذهلة للغاية، هناك جودة وإيمان بقدراته، بعض الأهداف التي سجلها في الأسبوعين الماضيين كانت مذهلة حقًا”.

واختتم: “هو على قدم المساواة مع ميسي وأفضل اللاعبين في العالم، أعتقد أن تجديد عقده سيتم، أعتقد أنهم سوف يقدمون أي شيء يحتاجه ويريده، لأنهم سيكونون أغبياء إذا لم يفعلوا ذلك، بصراحة تامة”.

اقترب منتخب إنجلترا من الحصول على بطاقة التأهل إلى منافسات بطولة كأس العالم في قطر 2022، بعد فوزه اليوم على منتخب أندورا في إطار التصفيات.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في الجولة السابعة من تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة لمونديال قطر 2022، حيث فازت إنجلترا بخمسة أهداف دون رد. أهداف مباراة إنجلترا وأندورا اليوم

تقدم منتخب إنجلترا بفضل اللاعب بن تشيلويل الذي سجل الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 17 من عمر الشوط الأول، قبل أن يسجل بوكايو ساكا الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 40.

وواصل الأسود الثلاثة تفوقهم في الشوط الثاني بعدما سجل تامي أبراهام الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 59 من عمر اللقاء.

وأحرز جيمس وارد براوس الهدف الرابع لكتيبة جاريث ساوثجيت في الدقيقة 79، بعدما أهدر ركلة جزاء، وارتدت الكرة ونجح في تسديدها بعد ذلك.

وأنهى جاك جريليش لاعب مانشستر سيتي خماسية المنتخب الإنجليزي بهدف في الدقيقة 86، وهو هدفه الأول بقميص منتخب بلده.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد منتخب إنجلترا إلى 19 نقطة في المركز الأول في المجموعة التاسعة، بينما تجمد رصيد أندورا عند 3 نقاط في المركز الخامس.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo já admitiu que estuda a contratação de Diego Lugano para a próxima temporada, mas ainda não iniciou as negociações para repatriar o zagueiro, atualmente no Cerro Porteño (PAR). A versão é do empresário Juan Figer, que também negou a existência de uma cláusula que obrigue o time paraguaio a liberar o beque em caso de proposta do Tricolor. O contrato com o Ciclón tem um ano de duração, até agosto de 2016.

– Ninguém nos procurou agora, somente há algum tempo, creio que há dois meses. E eu disse que ele tinha contrato com o Cerro e que não poderia sair naquele momento. Não há (a cláusula), muito pelo contrário. O Cerro tem o poder de tentar igualar qualquer proposta que chegar e, assim, ficar com Diego por mais um ano – explicou Figer, que prosseguiu o contato com o LANCE!:

– O São Paulo, se vier a nos procurar, não é a única opção. Diego está feliz no Cerro, mas temos opções em outros países e iremos analisar tudo. Ele nunca escondeu que gostaria de voltar ao São Paulo e ele segue com esse desejo. Só que temos que lembrar que ele ainda tem contrato com o Cerro – finalizou.

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O agente, que também é uruguaio, assegura estar aberto a novos contatos do São Paulo, antes feitos com o ex-presidente Carlos Miguel Aidar. O novo mandatário, Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva, o Leco, já se mostrou favorável à análise da contratação, que vem sendo feita pelo vice de futebol Ataíde Gil Guerreiro e pelo diretor-executivo da pasta, Gustavo Oliveira.

Há consenso de que Lugano pode não apresentar os melhores índices físicos e técnicos da carreira, mas que mesmo assim sua chegada pode trazer benefícios. O principal deles envolve a presença de um líder no elenco, que ficará órfão de uma figura do tipo com a aposentadoria de Rogério Ceni. Paulo Henrique Ganso e Michel Bastos, além dos jovens Rodrigo Caio e Lucão, têm se revezado como capitães na ausência do Mito, mas a imagem de Lugano e a postura do uruguaio são consideradas mais imponentes para um grupo que vacilou nos momentos decisivos desta temporada.