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Napoli face top-four test against title-chasing Inter

Napoli face top-four test against title-chasing Inter

 WHILE Inter Milan is romping towards a seemingly inevitable Serie A title, the battle for Champions League qualification is heating up with Napoli's top-four ambitions set to be tested when they visit the league leaders on Sunday. Runaway leaders Inter have a 16-point advantage over second-placed AC Milan with 10 rounds remaining, while champions Napoli are seventh, seven points off fourth-placed Bologna in an increasingly tight contest to book a spot among Europe's elite next season. Sitting between them, AS Roma and Atalanta have 48 and 47 points respectively, while Fiorentina trail Napoli by a single point. Both Inter and…
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Talking points from European soccer

Talking points from European soccer

Talking points from the weekend in European soccer leagues: FRANCE NICE IN A RUT Nice's promising start to the season feels like a distant memory as they extended their winless streak to six league matches with a 2-1 loss to Montpellier on Friday. Manager Francesco Farioli admitted it was a difficult time for the club, which seemed unstoppable just four months ago. "The efforts the players put in to keep the team at the top of the table for six months required a lot of physical and mental energy," he said. With Nice in sixth place and 16 points behind…
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Napoli’s Osimhen still in doubt for Champions League, says Mazzarri

Napoli’s Osimhen still in doubt for Champions League, says Mazzarri

KEY striker Victor Osimhen is not guaranteed to start Napoli's Champions League match against Real Madrid, despite his return to Serie A at the weekend, new coach Walter Mazzarri said. Osimhen made his comeback in Saturday's 2-1 win at Atalanta after a month out with a thigh injury but Mazzarri, who returned to the club for his second spell in charge this month, replacing Rudi Garcia, said he was still concerned about the Nigerian. "Tomorrow I will talk to the doctors and Osimhen," Mazzarri told a press conference. "We will see if he will be able to do a quarter…
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Talking points from European soccer

Talking points from European soccer

ITALY NAPOLI'S MAZZARRI FACES DEFENSIVE CHALLENGES Walter Mazzarri's spell as Napoli manager got off to a fine start with a 2-1 win at Atalanta on Sunday but he must now address defensive issues ahead of crucial matches. Defender Mathias Olivera was taken off on a stretcher after slipping and is set for an extended period on the sidelines. The injury to the Uruguay international has put Mazzarri in a difficult position as the Napoli squad currently lacks any available left-backs, with Mario Rui also sidelined. First-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret could bring some relief as his recovery from a calf injury…
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Man Utd can still reach Champions League knockout phase: Ten Hag

Man Utd can still reach Champions League knockout phase: Ten Hag

MANCHESTER United are still in the running for a place in the Champions League round of 16 despite Tuesday's 3-2 defeat by Galatasaray leaving them bottom of Group A, manager Erik ten Hag said. United, who lost 4-3 at Bayern Munich in their opener last month, twice took the lead against the Turkish champions through Rasmus Hojlund but were pegged back by goals from Wilfried Zaha and Kerem Akturkoglu before Mauro Icardi scored the winner. "Everything is open. There are still four games to go and we have a double (game) with Copenhagen," Ten Hag told TNT Sports after United lost for a sixth…
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Wahi finding his stride as Lens rediscover their touch

Wahi finding his stride as Lens rediscover their touch

RC Lens got off to a catastrophic start to the 2023-24 campaign, but Tuesday's 2-1 victory against Arsenal in the Champions League confirmed that last season's Ligue 1 runners-up are now back on track with striker Elye Wahi getting into his groove. The Sang et Or picked up only one point from their first five matches in Ligue 1, but a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Sevilla in their Group B opener served as a trigger. They followed up with two wins against Toulouse and RC Strasbourg and striker Wahi, who joined from Montpellier during the close season to replace Lois…
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Liverpool’s Firmino, Keita, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain to leave club

Liverpool’s Firmino, Keita, Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain to leave club

Liverpool's Roberto Firmino celebrates after the match against Leicester City in the King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain on May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Carl Recine ROBERTO Firmino, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave Liverpool after their contracts expire at the end of the season, the Premier League club said as they prepare the ground for a close-season rebuild. The four players were part of the squad that won the Champions League in 2019 and helped the club win their first English league title in 30 years in the 2019-20 season. "All four players will depart with our gratitude and…
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Lampard says Chelsea need to learn to fight, and quickly

Lampard says Chelsea need to learn to fight, and quickly

WILLIAM SCHOMBERG CHELSEA interim coach Frank Lampard said he has to turn around the club's slump urgently before Tuesday's visit by Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final second leg, following the Blues' latest limp defeat. Lampard, speaking after a 2-1 home Premier League loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, said Chelsea - the 2021 European champions who are now stuck in 11th place in the Premier League - were displaying a worrying lack of desire and competitiveness. "At the minute, we are falling short on that and we need to turn it around quickly," said the former Chelsea midfielder…
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Tottenham blow top-four chance in defeat by Bournemouth

Tottenham blow top-four chance in defeat by Bournemouth

MARTYN HERMAN TOTTENHAM Hotspur blew a gilt-edged chance to rekindle their hopes of finishing in the Premier League's top four when relegation battlers Bournemouth snatched a last-gasp 3-2 away victory over them on Saturday. Substitute Dango Ouattara's superb finish in the fifth minute of stoppage time secured a vital three points for Bournemouth whose fans celebrated wildly as their side took another step towards top-flight survival. For the hosts, their chances of playing in the Champions League next season look bleak after a 10th defeat of the season. Third-placed Newcastle United's lunchtime defeat at Aston Villa had opened the door…
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Keepers are being overlooked for Ballon d’Or award, says Courtois

Keepers are being overlooked for Ballon d’Or award, says Courtois

THIBAUT Courtois was named man of the match in last season's Champions League final, but the Belgian goalkeeper came seventh in the Ballon d'Or rankings on Monday, which drew frustration at how the trophy for the world's best player is awarded. Courtois, whose brilliant saves helped Real keep Liverpool at bay before Vinicius Junior scored the only goal in Paris in May, collected the Lev Yashin trophy for best keeper but it felt too little. "I couldn't have had a better season, especially with the saves in the Champions League," Courtois told Reuters after the ceremony before the main award…
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