Erik ten Hag s bid to guide Manchester United to a new era of Premier League success will begin with the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion.
The top-flight title has eluded United since 2013, with Ten Hag the fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson s departure that year.
After hosting Graham Potter s Seagulls on the opening day, United head to Brentford before hosting rivals Liverpool.
The first Manchester derby of the campaign will take place at the Etihad Stadium on October 1, with the champions heading to Old Trafford on January 14.
Ten Hag will take his charges to Anfield in March and close the season by welcoming newly promoted Fulham.
A potentially favourable festive period, following on from the World Cup in Qatar, sees United host Nott…
Premier League predictions: Chelsea to shrug off Everton, Kane can down Saints, but will Palace hold
Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP on Thursday, and Mikel Arteta will be looking for an instant response in the Premier League.
The title is now their sole focus, and with Manchester City in FA Cup action this weekend, the Gunners can move eight points clear at the top should they beat Crystal Palace, who on Friday sacked Arsenal great Patrick Vieira after an 11-game winless run.
Palace are 12th but only three points above the relegation zone, and that picture could change by the time they play on Sunday.
After Nottingham Forest welcome Newcastle United on Friday, Bournemouth visit Aston Villa, Leicester City have a tough trip to Brentford, Southampton host Tottenham, and Wolves and Leeds United face off in ano…
Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino insists he no longer has concerns over Harry Kane s exploits with England ahead of Euro 2016 later this year.
The 22-year-old striker has enjoyed another fine campaign, scoring 22 goals in all competitions as he closes in on last season s tally of 31.
Kane, though, had struggled earlier in the season, scoring once in his first nine Premier League games after Pochettino voiced concerns over his schedule, with his player called up for the European Under-21 Championship shortly after Spurs post-season tour to Australia and Malaysia.
Another busy spell awaits Kane after the 2015-16 season, with England hoping for a long run in the tournament in France, but Pochettino is confident he is now better placed to cope.
I …
March 8 will mark 10 years since Manchester United suffered one of their most one-sided home defeats in the Alex Ferguson era.
The Europa League last-16 first leg finished 3-2 to Athletic Bilbao, but the scoreline belied the contest. United were comprehensively out-run and outplayed, dismantled by Marcelo Bielsa s bold, brilliant Basques. Ferguson went as far as admitting that David de Gea kept embarrassment levels to a minimum: Our goalkeeper s made four or five terrific saves in the game, so really, it s not the worst result for us.
Athletic s performance was one of the finest by an away team against United in the past 30 years. That might sound an exaggeration, but it was clear to everyone present in Manchester that night, Ferguson included. Javi Martinez, Oscar …
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With it all still to play for in Group H, Ghana and Uruguay will meet at the Al Janoub Stadium on Friday afternoon as both sides looking to punch their knockout stage ticket.
Ghana
Starting with Ghana, while the African giants might have been left heartbroken on November 24th as they opened their World Cup adventure with a 3-2 loss at the hands of Portugal, Otto Addo s men came roaring back earlier in the week. Putting in an action-packed display against South Korea as they eventually picked up their own 3-2 win, the Black Stars now find themselves sat in pole position to book a knockout stage ticket. Opening the final round of Group H fixtures holding a two-point buffer over both Uruguay and South Korea, the Whites will be desperate…
England players are still in the process of deciding which of FIFA’s eight approved armbands captain Millie Bright might wear in the Lionesses’ World Cup opener, midfielder Jordan Nobbs has revealed.
Controversy surrounding the rainbow ‘OneLove’ armband sparked the threat of sanctions being issued to countries – including England and Wales – during the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar.
In an effort to pre-empt a similar situation in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA has partnered with the United Nations to create sanctioned options that can be swapped out or worn throughout the month-long women’s tournament, with England kicking off their campaign on Saturday against Haiti.
Speaking from the Lionesses team hotel in Brisbane, Nobbs said: “We’ve had …
Northern Ireland resume their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign when they take on Slovenia in Ljubljana on Thursday.
The match is part of an away double-header in Group H, with Michael O’Neill’s men travelling to Astana to face Kazakhstan at the weekend.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of Thursday’s match.
No end to injury woes
Michael O’Neill has not had much luck on the injury front since his return to the Northern Ireland job in December. Key players Stuart Dallas, Steven Davis and Corry Evans have not been fit to play since last year, and the injury list goes on with the likes of Shane Ferguson, Jamal Lewis, Conor Bradley Shayne Lavery, Dale Taylor and Aaron Donnelly all sidelined, while Dan Ballard has reported to camp wit…
Simone Inzaghi could not assure Romelu Lukaku he would start again against Porto despite ending his goal drought on Saturday.
Lukaku has scored only three times since returning to Inter at the start of this season.
It has been a difficult campaign for the Belgium forward, who also failed to net at the World Cup in Qatar.
But a penalty against Udinese on Saturday gave Lukaku his first Serie A goal since August ahead of Wednesday s Champions League last-16 first leg against Porto.
That does not mean Lukaku is certain to start, however, as coach Inzaghi said in his news conference there were doubts about his line-up.
Edin Dzeko would be the obvious alternative to Lukaku, having netted 11 in all competitions this season, although the pair started toge…
New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has sent a potential warning to fans of the Spanish giants by claiming the teams he has coached do not reach their peak until his second season in charge.
Mourinho, speaking to Spanish newspaper El Mundo on Sunday, made the claims despite having won domestic championships with Inter Milan, Chelsea and Porto during in his first season in charge with the respective clubs.
The process of assimilation means it is only really in the second season that a team has acquired the right systems and a philosophy of play, said the 47-year-old Portuguese, who led Inter to the Champions League triumph last season before signing a four-year deal with Real.
I have always said that my teams were at their peak from the second season. By chance…
Vinicius Junior says being the favourite for the Ballon d Or is a big boost for his confidence after a stellar campaign for Real Madrid in 2023-24.
The Brazilian was an influential figure for Los Blancos as they won a record-extending 15th Champions League and a 36th LaLiga title, as well as the Supercopa de Espana.
Madrid also added the UEFA Super Cup to their trophy cabinet earlier this month, beating Europa League winners Atalanta to claim the trophy.
After a successful club season, Vinicius is being tipped for the Ballon d Or, along with team-mates Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, and he believes that recognition has pushed him to be better.
I don t really talk about myself or the Ballon d Or, but it s something that in the last few months everyone…