Lehmann tips Podolski to thrive

According to Mundo Deportivo, Spanish giants would consider a move for under the right circumstances. The 23-year-old defender has been making quite the impression with Olympique Lyonnais, but as he continues his development, it feels like a transfer away from Ligue 1 is imminent. Someone who would likely be in favour of the move is Frenchman Eric Abidal, who is the Director of Football at the Nou Camp.

However, in terms of the circumstances that we referenced, the transfer would likely only be possible if Lucas Digne moved away from Barcelona. That s by no means a guarantee, either, and while Bayern Munich are said to be interested, we re only dealing with speculation right now. Mendy, who was named in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year, initially signed for Lyon twelve month…

Market: Sheffield United draw no bet

Odds: 7/10 @

With English football making its return on Tuesday night, Swansea will welcome a high-flying Sheffield United to south Wales when the midweek Championship fixtures get underway.

Starting with the hosts, last seen earlier in the month making a much-needed return to winning ways, there is no doubt that Swansea will be desperate to build off of that momentum. However, despite claiming a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home against QPR on September 3rd, Russell Martin s men still find themselves battling it out at the foot of the Championship table. Picking up just a single win from any of their previous five second-tier showdowns, the one-time MK Dons boss has also seen his side pick up a pair of victories from any of th…

As for the visitors, marching on and picking up a 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Manchester United last weekend, Liverpool have continued on what is becoming a famous campaign. Already with one hand on their first Premier League title and knowing that victory on Thursday would see them once again widen their gap to 16 points, the mood in Jurgen Klopp s camp couldn t be any higher. Yet to taste defeat in England s top-tier this season and in the midst of an eight-match winning run across all formats, there is no doubt that the former Borussia Dortmund boss will be most impressed by his side s recent performances at the back. The reigning European champions are yet to pick the ball out of their own net since opening the New Year and have remarkably gone over 650 minutes without conceding …

I watched Aston Villa win 3-1 at Liverpool yesterday and thought just how a team who loses two games out of the first three in the Premier League can really go on and be crowned champions. Liverpool suffered only two defeats in the whole of last seasons campaign and came close to challenging bitter rivals Manchester United. The Reds even managed to go to their deadly rivals and win 4-1, in what was one of the best performances of the season.

Their problem last season was the fact that they slipped up far too much against so-called lesser sides. Tottenham and Aston Villa are not bad sides, but if Liverpool are to claim their first league title in 20 years then they have to defeat these sides.

I have a friend who is a die-hard Liverpool fan and every season before the sea…

Free-scoring Manchester City will be plotting to heap more misery on struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have scored 12 goals in their last two games against Norwich and CSKA Moscow, meaning Sunderland who sit second-bottom in the Premier League are likely to have their work cut out as they go in search of just their second win of the season.

City will be full of confidence having qualified for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time with a 5-2 beating of CSKA in midweek a result that followed up a 7-0 hammering of Norwich last Saturday.

But they must address their away form if they are to challenge for the Premier League title, having won just once in five matches on their travels this term.

Pe…

Cristiano Ronaldo s exit leaves Real Madrid trying to fill a monumental goalscoring void. 

But Los Blancos will waste little time in finding someone to step into the sizeable boots left vacant by Ronaldo s €100million move to Serie A champions Juventus.

Few clubs can match the prestige of playing for Madrid, who have won the Champions League in four of the past five seasons, so there is sure to be a lengthy queue ready to take the mantle.

Below we take a look at the most likely candidates. 

100- was the first player in Champions League history to reach 100 goals for the same club (105 goals currently). Icon

— OptaJose (@OptaJose)

Eden Hazard

Perhaps the most obvious contender is Chelsea s Eden Hazard, whose star is sure to…

Uli Hoeness admits criticism he faced at last year s annual general meeting played a part in his decision to step down as Bayern Munich president but feels he is leaving the club in great condition

Bayern confirmed on Thursday that the long-serving Hoeness will not stand for re-election in November and former Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer was unanimously backed by the club s advisory board to take over.

The news ended months of speculation surrounding the 67-year-old, who at the 2018 AGM was lambasted by supporter Johannes Bachmayr in an 11-minute rant for running a one-man show .

After 30 years as general manager and a decade as president, Hoeness believes the time is right to call it a day.

Danke Uli!

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN…

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp backed his in-form striker Roman Pavlyuchenko to fire his team towards Wembley after the Russian s two goals helped them cruise into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The former Spartak Moscow attacker, who was out of favour and the centre of transfer speculation during the January transfer window, also netted a double in last Sunday s win at Wigan, giving Redknapp pause for thought.

He s in great form, said Redknapp after the 4-0 rout of Bolton at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

Last week he trained hard and worked hard and looked very good. He looked like he wanted a go and when people work in training it rubs off on Saturday, he added.

The former Southampton boss expects the international star to start in Sunday s crucial lea…

(GSM) The Ligue 1 game between Sochaux and Olympique Marseille is postponed to ensure Marseille gets ample time to prepare for their decisive Champions League game against Real Madrid.

The game between Olympique Marseille and Sochaux, which was scheduled on December 2, is postponed to a later date, the LFP said in a statement, without giving a new date.

This decision has been made to put Marseille in the best conditions before their crucial game against Real Madrid.

Marseille will go through to the knockout phase of the Champions League if they manage to beat Real Madrid in the league fixture on December 8. The last time the two teams faced eachother in October 2009, Real defeated L OM (3-0) and climbed to the peak of Champions League Group C.

Marsei…

Victor Wanyama has warned Cape Verde not to expect an easy game when they meet Kenya in their 2018 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Cape Verde enter the qualifying process in the second round with a bye due to their superior seeding, whilst Kenya were forced to see off Mauritius with a 5-2 aggregate victory.

However, despite being ranked 114th in the official FIFA world rankings – 62 places beneath their upcoming opponents – Wanyama says Kenya will pose a tough test in the two-legged tie.

Cape Verde should not expect us to be a walk in the park as we will take the game to them throughout the entire game, the Southampton midfielder said.

Of course we know they are ranked way above us but as long as we play as a unit then nothing is impossible we can be…