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After just 45 minutes of Liverpool action since New Year’s Day, Mo Salah is back in team training with the Reds’ squad. The Egyptian could be seen smiling and moving freely as he trained ahead of Liverpool’s Europa League match against Sparta Prague. Along with the rest of the squad, he flies out to the Czech Republic late on Wednesday afternoon, ready for Thursday’s match which kicks off at 5.45pm (GMT), or 6.45pm local time. Last Friday, Jurgen Klopp said: “I don’t think Mo’s too far off, but he will not reach tomorrow, and from there we have to go. “Like with the other two (Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai), touch and go and that stays with Mo, unfortunately, a bit longer. “I think next week, at any point, it’s possible [he returns]. He’s on the way back definitely, but not there yet.” Nunez and Szoboszlai both came on against Nott’m Forest at the weekend, with the former scoring the winning goal. Despite returning to full tra...

Mohamed Salah has been called up to represent Egypt this month despite Liverpool’s request for him to be omitted, and while his country’s stance remains, they claim they will be “ cautious .” The 31-year-old has not started a match since January 1 for Liverpool due to his African Cup of Nations commitments and subsequent hamstring injury. And despite a setback at Brentford and a letter from Liverpool asking him to be exempt from international duty in March, he has been called up to Egypt’s squad for their upcoming friendly . The Egyptian FA released a statement insisting it is their “right to include any professional player” in the squad, with “the issue of whether or not to include him is in the hands of the national team’s technical staff.” Egypt will meet New Zealand in the UAE as part of a friendly tournament, and their stance over Salah’s inclusion has been reiterated by board member Ehab El-Komy. El-Komy sai...

It’s becoming tough to say what’s wrong with Barcelona . Why are they 4th in LaLiga? Why did they huff and puff past a third tier side like a 90-year-old marathon runner? What excuse is left in the book for Xavi to use next? It may seem like a tongue-in-cheek line, but the manager has used the referee, his players, the opposition, the stadium, the grass, the sun (yes, really) and just about everything else to explain why it looks like his Football ers play with jeans on, home or away. Now, with the Super Cup final existing in the past and faster-than-light time Travel not yet invented, it’s down to Xavi to focus on the future and what’s coming up next: a trip to Real Betis in LaLiga (Jan 21 at 12.30 p.m. ET / 9.30 a.m. PT.) . “It’s a tough one”, opened Xavi, “they’ve gone a long time unbeaten at home. We are starting the second half of the season with a lot of excitement. Girona and Madrid are ahead but I think we can catch them. [Betis] let you play and this is good for us.” Xav...

FC Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández spoke to the press ahead of the LaLiga Game against UD Las Palmas at Gran Canaria Stadium (Jan 4, KO 3.30 p.m. ET / 12.30 p.m. PT .). The Catalan side find themselves 4th in the LaLiga standings on 38 points after 18 games, behind Atlético Madrid on goal difference, and both Real Madrid and Girona by 7 points . Xavi’s side have won 11 games, drawn 5 and lost 2 , scoring 34 and conceding 21. 🔊 Xavi: "Las Palmas is one of the surprises of the season. They are doing a great job. They will be a very difficult opponent." #LasPalmasBarça pic.twitter.com/uEsgFp6WDV — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 3, 2024 What do you expect from the game against Las Palmas? “It’s a difficult return [to the season]. With Girona’s permission, Las Palmas (who sit in 10th) are the surprise team of the season. [García] Pimienta is a great coach, they play football well, and in a very similar way to what we look to do; they play an attacking style, like ...

Leo Messi and Zinedine Zidane sat down for a chat about soccer in a conversation organized by Adidas, and didn’t hold back on the mutual admiration at all. “It’s a shame not to have been able to play with you,” said the French former midfielder, to which Messi replied, “I admire you very much. We didn’t have the fortune to play together, we only faced each other a little and then later as a coach. Always with respect and admiration for everything you did and continue to do.” Zidane told Messi he is “magic”, going on to explain: “I may have seen things before the other players, but if I thought one second ahead , you were three seconds ahead of the rest. For all the people who like Football , these kind of players are different. They exist but there are few of them, but like him there are none. Leo is an example for everyone, his life is family and Football . Thinking about what he can do on the field makes people dream. When he is on the field the others have confidence. Before he ...

Mikel Arteta has revealed the latest fitness updates on Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey ahead of the Arsenal's Carabao Cup clash with West Ham United on Wednesday. The trio missed the weekend's victory over Sheffield United, with Odegaard rested on the bench due to overload concerns and both Jesus and Partey missing out altogether because of various injury problems. Jesus picked up a muscle problem in the Europa League meeting with Sevilla that kept him out of the last Game , while Partey had to be left out altogether after picking up his second injury of the season. Arteta's first update concerned captain Odegaard, with the boss revealing: "We rested him the other day, so it’s how long we rest him for and how we manage the minutes and the rhythm that he needs to be at his best. We had the opportunity to [rest him] and we didn’t use him in the end. "It’s impossible to play with no niggles in football, and at this level, when you have games every ...

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday by signing a special book of condolence for the Manchester United and England great, who recently passed away at the age of 86. Reigning European champions City won their third consecutive match in the Champions League in midweek, beating BSC Young Boys 3-1 in Switzerland, with a brace from Erling Haaland, and are now preparing for the short trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. On celebrating the life of Sir Bobby Charlton at Old Trafford Definitely. This is going to happen, definitely. Josep Guardiola signs the book of condolences for Sir Bobby Charlton. pic.twitter.com/pvv3019hhj — Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) October 27, 2023 Thoughts on Manchester United They are always dangerous. It doesn’t matter the managers – and I have seen a few – they are always a tough opponent with the quality of the individual, the character, the momentum. They have the ability not to be on...

Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is to undergo a medical at Crystal Palace ahead of a £20m move, sources have confirmed to 90min. The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest after failing to oust David de Gea as United's first-choice goalkeeper, making 18 Premier League appearances at the City Ground before losing out to Keylor Navas following his January arrival. Neither Henderson or Navas joined Forest on a permanent basis, with Steve Cooper's side opting to prise Matt Turner away from Arsenal to become the club's new number one. United, meanwhile, parted ways with De Gea in the summer after 12 years, but drafted in Andre Onana from Inter to take over, leaving Henderson out in the cold. 90min revealed last week that Crystal Palace had held talks with United over a deal for Henderson, who at the time had looked likely to serve as Onana's understudy for the 2023/24 season. But desperate to play first-team football, Henderson is now on ...

Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez has been left out of Marcelo Bielsa's first Uruguay squad for the June internationals, allowing the 23-year-old to focus on his recovery from a toe injury. 'El Loco' has decided to call upon several young and uncapped players for his first Game s in charge of La Celeste, who will take on Nicaragua and Cuba in two friendlies in Montevideo later this month. While the likes of Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur will miss out through serious injury, Nunez is among several big-name stars who have been overlooked, with reports from South America suggesting Bielsa wants to evaluate players on the fringes of previous squads and those coming through Uruguay's youth setups. Real Madrid's Federico Valverde and Chelsea transfer target Manuel Ugarte have also been omitted from the squad. Nunez missed Liverpool's final three games of the 2022/23 season due to a toe injury, and though he stepped up his recovery in the last week of the campaign, he...

A host of clubs have registered their interest in landing Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, sources have told 90min . 90min revealed in November that the Portugal international was ready to look for a move in the new year and, earlier this week, Atletico chief Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitted that a move was likely. Gil Marin confirmed there was a problem between Felix and Rojiblancos boss Diego Simeone, admitting that there are plenty of reasons for the club to consider their options ahead of the January window , And Felix does have a number of long-term suitors including the likes of Manchester United, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. While the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have also been offered his services, the size of a deal to land Felix does look problematic, with Atletico wanting a deal worth at least £100m as they look to recover as much of their investment as possible. He joined for £113m in 2019. Harry Symeou hosts Andy Headspeath, Quentin Gesp and Jack G...