Author: Chief Editor

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has five games left in the Premier League season to prove conclusively that the club’s hierarchy did not act too hastily in making him Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor last month. After a spectacular start as caretaker manager of the club, in which he won his first eight games and lost just one of his opening 17 matches in charge, United have since suffered a precipitous drop in form. Five defeats have come in United’s last seven games, a run which has seen them exit the FA Cup and Champions League and left a top-four finish in serious…

What’s the story? Former Barcelona defender, Carles Puyol, has hailed Lionel Messi’s progress over the years, stating that the Argentine talisman has evolved from being an introverted player to a worthy leader of the current Blaugrana team. The three-time Champions League winner added that the Barcelona captain is the best player the game has ever seen. In case you didn’t know… Messi is potentially looking at a record sixth Ballon d’Or after a spectacular season that has seen him score a baffling 45 goals in 42 games in all competitions for Barcelona. He has also registered 21 assists so far this campaign. The 31-year-old has…

What’s the story? Juventus’ exit from the Champions League at the hands of Ajax has caused stories of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club sooner than expected. And now, Le10Sport claim that Juventus are already lining up potential replacements should the former Real Madrid star leave. In case you didn’t know… Juventus drew the first leg of the quarter-final 1-1 at Johan Cruyff Arena against Ajax but the Dutch side beat the Old Lady 2-1 at Turin. This has caused rumours of Ronaldo leaving but Allegri came out to pour cold water on the reports. “Ronaldo is the future of Juventus,” he said at a press conference. “He is…

What’s the Story? Following Juventus’ shocking loss to inexperienced Ajax in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League, there were reports coming from Italy that Ronaldo was considering departing from Turin. Whilst these reports didn’t suggest this would be an immediate departure, they did suggest that the Portuguese champion was considering leaving Juventus in 2020, two years sooner than his contract stated. These reports caused quite a stir on social media yesterday with many sympathizing with Cristiano Ronaldo’s deep frustrations, recognizing that change is needed for Juventus to truly challenge for the Champions League. However, before we get ahead of ourselves and truly…

Lionel Messi pounced on two Manchester United mistakes to score twice and end their hopes of another comeback at Camp Nou as Barcelona breezed into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday. After an excellent start, United were undone twice in four minutes by Messi, who first nicked the ball off the careless Ashley Young and then watched as a weak shot from distance squirmed underneath David de Gea. Philippe Coutinho, in perhaps his best performance of the season, added a third with a curling effort into the top corner and by the end, an outclassed United might have been relieved…

Nigeria may be certified polio-free this December when it would have accomplished interruption of Wild Polio Virus (WPV) transmission for over three years. By July and August, the country would have gone through 36 months without reporting any case of WPV. The last cases were recorded in Borno State between July and August 2016. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), after three years of no incident of the virus on the African continent, official ‘certification’ of polio eradication would be conducted at the regional level. The global organisation, for the first time on September 25, 2015, delisted Nigeria from…

The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals saw one of the favourites to win the coveted trophy bow out in the second leg as Ajax handed Juventus a big shock away from home. Ajax registered a massive win over the Italian champions as they continue their miraculous run in this year’s UEFA Champions League. Ajax captain, Matthijs de Ligt, scored the winner in the 67th minute from a corner after beating two defenders to the ball to seal the tie 3-2 in his side’s favour. Juventus looked the better side in the early stages and the first half as they kept moving forward and creating numerous chances, but it…

What’s the story? Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has hailed Barcelona captain Lionel Messi for the individual masterclass he displayed during the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final fixture between the two giants, stating that it was exactly the kind of performance that the fans expected from the Argentine ace. In case you didn’t know… Messi appeared to be more lethal than his previous outing against Manchester United as he ripped their defence apart, netting a decisive brace to take his Champions League goals tally against English sides to 24. His brace and a goal from former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho helped the Catalan giants register…

Juventus had an away goal advantage in the second leg clash against Ajax. And they seemed to have all but sealed their place in the semifinals when Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal. However, things turned completely sour for them in the second half as Ajax started dominating, eventually sealing a 2-1 win. The Old Lady even struggled to regain possession and were forced to defend deep when they badly needed at least two goals following Matthijs De Ligt’s header in the 67th minute. But it was amply clear that Ronaldo alone was not enough for Juventus to clinch the long-awaited Champions League…

Manchester United come up against a Barcelona side with a formidable home record on Tuesday, with the Premier League club aiming to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg and book a spot in the Champions League semi-finals. Barcelona have not been beaten in 30 Champions League games at Camp Nou and will be confident of maintaining that streak against United, particularly given Lionel Messi’s history against English clubs in the competition. In Tuesday’s other quarter-final second leg, Ajax travel to Juventus with their tie delicately poised after an absorbing 1-1 draw in Amsterdam last week. Here are some essential Opta facts as we get…