Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti is not underestimating Saint-Etienne, but believes Christophe Galtier s side will struggle at the Parc des Princes providing the Ligue 1 champions play with intensity on Sunday.
Laurent Blanc s men are yet to lose this season and already hold a five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table after 10 games.
Their commanding position at the summit of the league is illustrative of the gap that has opened up between PSG and the rest of French football in recent years.
Indeed, promoted Angers and Normandy club Caen are the closest challengers to PSG, with that duo level on 21 points, while Saint-Etienne are two points further back and the nearest of the traditional powers to the league leaders.
Lyon, Monaco and …
Virgil van Dijk is proud of Netherlands incredible Nations League efforts, but he says their focus is on qualifying for Euro 2020.
The Oranje captain struck a late equaliser at Germany on Monday to see Ronald Koeman s men top their group in League A, reaching next year s Finals in Portugal ahead of world champions France.
But after the Netherlands failure to reach Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018, Van Dijk s main concern is getting to the next major international tournament, looking beyond the conclusion of the Nations League.
It s a fantastic feeling. We should all be proud of ourselves. I know I am, Van Dijk said, according to UEFA.com. It s just a great feeling for all of us.
We worked so hard every game and to get rewards for that is fantastic.
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Former Chelsea favourite Gianfranco Zola believes Eden Hazard s current struggles will be good for him in the long run.
Hazard s drop off in form this season has been symptomatic of Chelsea s troubles, with the Belgium international a shadow of the player who claimed the PFA Player of the Year award in 2014-15 as Jose Mourinho s men cruised to the Premier League title.
Hazard, who joined Chelsea from Lille in 2012, has been dropped on occasion after failing to score in 18 appearances in all competitions with Chelsea out of the League Cup and fifth bottom of the Premier League after 12 games.
Al-Arabi coach Zola, a diminutive attacker in the mould of Hazard who played for Chelsea between 1996 and 2003, is nevertheless confident he will emerge a better player.
What the papers say
The pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice, 24, has stepped up after he lifted the Europa Conference League trophy on Wednesday. Arsenal are in pole position for a £92 million move and The Daily Telegraph reports they hope to have the England midfielder in time for the start of pre-season training.
Fulham’s Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha, 27, is high of West Ham’s list of potential replacements, according to the Daily Mail. England duo Kalvin Phillips, 27, and James Ward-Prowse, 28, are also among their targets.
James Maddison is a priority for new Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, reports the Daily Telegraph. Leicester want in excess of £50 million for the 26-year-old England midfielder.
Maddison is also wanted by Newcastle wit…
Reece James will miss England s World Cup campaign in Qatar after Chelsea confirmed the defender will be out of action for eight weeks.
James was forced off in Chelsea s midweek Champions League win over Milan at San Siro with a knee injury.
And the Blues have now confirmed he will undergo a rehabilitation programme that will keep him sidelined for two months.
A statement on the club s official website read: Following the knee injury sustained in our away match against Milan, Reece has received treatment from the Chelsea medical department and visited a specialist this weekend.
After consultation between all parties, Reece will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is expected to be out for eight weeks.
An injury update on Reece James.
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Monaco coach Guy Lacombe revealed on Thursday that Argentine attacking midfielder Alejandro Alonso could leave the club in January, after losing the faith of the club s fans.
We met at his request and the two of us talked, said Lacombe.
It s become complicated for him here. I think he s thinking about leaving in the next transfer window.
Alonso fell out of favour with the Monaco fans last season and was jeered by sections of the crowd after being substituted during his side s 2-0 defeat at home to Valenciennes on October 23.
The former Bordeaux player, who Lacombe made captain when he arrived at the club last year, has since failed to make the squad for any of Monaco s first-team matches.
Alonso, who joined Monaco from Bordeaux in 2008, has ma…
It looks as though Manchester City’s Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz is set to re-join Blackburn Rovers on-loan for the rest of the season.
The deal is expected to be completed in the next few days according to City boss Roberto Mancini.
Surplus
Mancini has confirmed that he stills thinks the Paraguayan is a good player but he just can’t offer him first team football.
City already had the strike duo of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli before prolific Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko joined the club earlier this week.
Roque Santa Cruz’s is a familiar story at Eastlands recently. A good player who can’t get a game due to City’s massive spending power. He was just sitting around collecting his wages. Not a situation that benefits anybody and…
Tales of Arise is currently discounted to just $20 on PS5, PS4, and Xbox. This is the best price we’ve seen since launch. The impressive deal can be found at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop, although it’s limited to physical editions Come from Sports betting site VPbet . Tales of Arise was one of the best RPGs of 2021, and at this price point, it’s an even easier recommendation.
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Matteo Darmian proved to be Manchester United s unlikely hero as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on Wednesday to close to within a point of the Premier League s top four.
The full-back s low cross was turned into the Palace net by Damien Delaney after
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just four minutes and he fired in a second for Louis van Gaal s side shortly after the break, as United recorded another straightforward home win to follow Saturday s victory over Aston Villa.
Palace made six changes to their starting line-up ahead of their FA Cup semi-final with Watford on Sunday, and it was stand-in goalkeeper Julian Speroni making just his second appearance of the season who kept United at bay for much of the game.
But fine saves to deny Anthony Martial, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard in par…
Javier Pastore says Paris Saint-Germain will not allow their motivation levels to drop in the final few weeks of the season as they welcome Rennes to Parc des Princes on Saturday.
The Ligue 1 champions clinched the Coupe de la Ligue with a 2-1 win over Lille last weekend and take on Marseille in the Coupe de France final on May 21 in a bid to win a remarkable second successive domestic treble.
PSG have put the disappointment of a Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester City firmly behind them in recent weeks, having thrashed Caen 6-0 in Ligue 1 before edging past Lorient in the Coupe de France semi-finals prior to their triumph over Lille.
Indeed, Laurent Blanc allowed his first-team stars some time off in the wake of their latest triumph, with Pasto…