Al Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu is eyeing victory over his former club Al Hilal in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.
Olaroiu and Co. will make the trip to Saudi giants Al Hilal for Tuesday s opening leg at King Fahd International Stadium.
The Romanian boss, who led Saudi Arabia at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, coached Al Ahli s opponents prior to moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2013, leading Al Hilal to the Saudi league title seven years ago.
Olaroiu is now pitting the downfall of the 2014 runners-up, starting in Riyadh.
I know them, they know me. We have a special relationship, but the game is the game, said Olaroiu via AFC.com.
They have the pressure of the public and they have a lot of supporters. When you play in the league …
Conor Bradley (20) was named the Man of the Match in Liverpool s 5-2 FA Cup win over Norwich City on Sunday, with James McConnell also making strong impact in what was his first-ever start for Jurgen Klopp s team.
Speaking to the press after game, the departing manager spoke highly of their commitment and progress.
We wouldn t be where we are if the boys weren t there.
It s not about me giving them opportunities it s about them banging on the door that I can t ignore them and that s what they did.
Jürgen on the young lads and James McConnell s performance
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap)
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As millions around the world continue to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, one slice of normality has remained the same sport. We re firmly in the February groove and that means we re going to be experiencing a whole lost of games coming at us thick and fast between now and May, which is especially true in the English Premier League. Today, we re going to take a look at a fixture between two teams attempting to avoid the relegation battle Brighton Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.
Brighton
Brighton Hove Albion aren t exactly in the clear when it comes to survival, but they ve definitely stepped their game up in recent weeks with some really impressive defensive work. Now that Fulham are start…
Unai Emery has hinted more players will leave Arsenal before the European transfer window closes but has ruled out an exit for Mesut Ozil.
Ozil has battled injury and inconsistency since Emery took over from Arsene Wenger last year, starting just 20 of Arsenal s 38 Premier League matches in 2018-19.
The midfielder has yet to feature this season since being involved in an apparent attempted carjacking last month along with team-mate Sead Kolasinac.
He was absent for last weekend s 3-1 loss to Liverpool, despite returning to training, but Emery has opened the door for his comeback against Tottenham on Sunday.
Focus
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088)
This week he s training well and progressing physically better, Emery said at Thursday…
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal has revealed that he is very close to signing a new deal with the Serie A champions.
The 26-year-old who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011 has been in blistering form of late and capped off a fine start to the season with the first hat-trick of his career in Wednesday s 3-1 win over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League.
The Chile international netted two penalties before heading home in the 63rd minute to complete his treble and boost Juve s chances of progressing out of Group B into the knockout stages.
Vidal, who has also appeared in all 13 of the club s Serie A matches this term and scored five league goals, has insisted that an extension to see him remain with Juve past 2016 is nearly in place.
I think an important qua…
Sam Allardyce has told West Ham to show rock-bottom Leicester City no mercy in their survival bid as he looks to engineer the London club s best Premier League finish since they returned to the top tier.
Top-flight action resumes after a two-week break for internationals, with Leicester facing a make-or-break stage of their campaign.
Nigel Pearson s men are rooted to the bottom of the table and are seven points adrift of safety with nine matches remaining, their last league victory having come in January.
West Ham, who are ninth, ended an seven-match winless league run of their own by beating struggling Sunderland 1-0 last time out.
This campaign is West Ham s third in the Premier League since they won promotion in 2012 and Allardyce wants no let-up …
Vinicius Junior revealed Zinedine Zidane had told him he could enjoy a long career at Real Madrid.
Vinicius, 19, has struggled to cement his place in Madrid since arriving ahead of the 2018-19 season, having starred for Flamengo.
But the forward said Madrid head coach Zidane had backed him to have a good career at the Santiago Bernabeu, if he continued improving.
Zidane always tells me to be relaxed and to keep growing because if I do so, and because I am so well treated by everybody, he says I ll be playing there for a long time, Vinicius told a news conference on Tuesday.
Much like Marcelo and Casemiro, who have been there for a long time.
Vinicius has made three LaLiga appearances to begin the season, although just one of those was a start �…
Mason Mount is relishing the battle for places in the England team, particularly with Jack Grealish and Phil Foden in the long term.
England manager Gareth Southgate has something of an embarrassment of riches in the attacking positions at the moment, with a host of players thriving at club level.
Mount has been a key man for Chelsea this term, playing more minutes (2,231) than any of his team-mates, while his 69 chances created is 41 more than anyone else.
He has been a creative pillar for the Blues, as further evidenced by his 168 passes into the box being by far the most among Chelsea players, while the fact he quickly won his place back after being left out for Thomas Tuchel s first game in charge speaks to his impressive mentality.
That…
Paul Gascoigne has been charged with drink-driving, sources said Monday, in the latest alcohol-related problem to hit the troubled England football legend.
Gascoigne, 42, and a 40-year-old man also from Newcastle in northeast England, were arrested last month on suspicion of being drunk whilst in charge of a motor vehicle.
The arrests followed an incident at a takeaway restaurant in Leeming Bar, northern England.
Gascoigne is due to appear at the nearby Northallerton Magistrates Court on April 16.
North Yorkshire Police said two Newcastle men who were arrested on February 7 answered bail at Northallerton police station on Sunday and were charged with a number of offences.
The 42-year-old man was charged with drink-driving, driving without insura…
At just 22, Lionel Messi just can t stop making history and on Saturday his glittering career shone even brighter when he became the youngest player in Barcelona history to score 100 goals for the club.
It was the latest landmark for the Argentine star who has already won three league titles, two Champions Leagues and collected both the Ballon d Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2009.
Messi scored twice in the final five minutes in Barcelona s 4-0 home win over Sevilla on Saturday to mark his 100th and 101st goals in Barca s colours and he has needed just 188 games to reach his century.
The Argentine has 68 goals in the league, 19 in the Champions League, 10 in the Kings Cup, two in the Spanish Super Cup and two in the World Club Championship.
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