Roy Hodgson views Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy as a very strong contender for his England squad ahead of Euro 2016.
The former Fleetwood Town attacker created a new Premier League record this season by scoring in 11 consecutive matches, surpassing the benchmark set by Ruud van Nistelrooy with a goal against the Dutchman s former club Manchester United last month.
Such form warrants the acclaim received, according to the England coach, who suggested if he continues to work hard Vardy could earn himself a seat on the plane to France next year.
He has received an awful lot of praise but he deserves it. But on top of that, he has done it playing very much as a team player, so his contribution outside of the goals has been quite enormous, Hodgson said.
…
John McGinn believes Scotland have the mentality and capability to prove people wrong heading into their final Group A fixture against Hungary in Stuttgart.
Steve Clarke s side know a victory is a must to give them the best chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of a major international tournament for the first time in their history.
Scotland have won two of their last three meetings with Hungary (L1), with this their first encounter since a 1-0 away win in March 2018.
Following their 5-1 thrashing to hosts Germany in their opening game, an injury-hit Tartan Army got a point on the board against Switzerland to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
We ve obviously had a lot of injuries along the way but us Scots are best at enduring adversity…
Manchester City took the initiative in the Premier League title race by hammering Luton on Saturday before rivals Liverpool and Arsenal both lost on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the state of play with six games remaining.
Momentum shift
While City took only a two-point lead in what remains a close race, the momentum swing felt significant as they jumped from third to first.
The manner of their 5-1 win also sounded a warning, while Arsenal were outplayed in the second half as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa and Liverpool missed a hatful of chances as Crystal Palace held on for a 1-0 upset.
Commitments in other competitions mean City do not play their next league game until April 25 at Brighton, by which point their rivals will both have played t…
Manchester United s top-four hopes suffered another setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
United are now three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea after an uninspiring performance in which they rarely looked like breaking Newcastle down prior to a flurry in the closing minutes.
Eddie Howe s visitors earlier had the better chances, with Joelinton twice frustrated by the frame of the goal, and have still only suffered one defeat this season after surviving a late scare.
Newcastle remain a point behind the Red Devils in sixth, with Sunday s showing the latest sign they will be persistent challengers to the big six in the years to come.
The Magpies were in the ascendancy from the early stages, with the best United cou…
Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli have confirmed the signing of former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.
The 31-year-old left Anfield following the expiration of his contract after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, and has completed his move to the Middle East as a free agent.
Over the eight years spent on Merseyside, the Brazilian scored 111 goals and produced 79 assists in 362 matches in all competitions, winning the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, as well as the Community Shield.
Firmino joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at Al-Ahli, who made his move to the Saudi Professional League side last month.
…
Best Odds: 6/4
Bookmaker:
Looking to extend on their recent purple patch this weekend, Bayern Munich will welcome Darmstadt to the Allianz Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Bayern Munich
Starting with the hosts, putting in another rampant performance while on Champions League duties in midweek, Bayern Munich are enjoying what has quickly become a major flurry. Eventually storming their way to a 3-1 victory away at Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray, Thomas Tuchel’s side have their sights set on mounting a genuine European charge this time around. Marking their return from October’s international break with another 3-1 win against Mainz last weekend, the former Chelsea boss will be smelling the chance for his superstar squad to lay down another marker here. Heading i…
Fernando Santos has been appointed Poland head coach until 2026 following the end of his tenure with Portugal.
Santos, 68, was in charge of the Selecao for over eight years and guided them to success at Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2019.
Despite those trophies, Portugal fans had become frustrated with the style of football Santos team played in recent years, with there being a perception of him underachieving given the wealth of talent at his disposal.
Santos Portugal contract was not due to expire until after Euro 2024, but he was removed from his role after the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Morocco last month.
1 Morocco are the first African team to qualify for the semi-final of a World Cup tournament each of the previous three Afri…
Michal Listkiewicz, president of the Polish Football Association (PZPN), Thursday denied reports in the German press that he was worried about his country s readiness to co-host Euro 2012.
Speaking after a UEFA meeting, Listkiewicz refuted reports in Hamburg newspaper Die Zeit Online on Wednesday, which quoted him as saying that Poland would have more chance of being ready if the tournament was in 2016.
I have never spoken with the German media, perhaps last year but not recently. I never said those things, Listkiewicz insisted.
Euro 2012 has been awarded to the Ukraine and Poland and there is no reason for this to change, he said, adding: What makes me so confident? The progress we have made.
Between what the observers could see in February and what…
Belgium launched a stirring fightback to defeat Norway 3-2 as their preparation for Euro 2016 ended on a high in Brussels.
Romelu Lukaku scored his fourth goal in as many games for his country in the third minute, but Joshua King levelled midway through the opening period.
Veton Berisha put Norway ahead fewer than three minutes into the second half, marking only his second cap with a first international goal.
It looked like the hosts were set to fall to a shock defeat, but captain Eden Hazard s header brought Marc Wilmots men level before Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman s first Belgium goal proved decisive.
After being criticised for a poor draw against Finland last time out, Belgium – the highest-ranked nation playing at Euro 2016 – needed …
Karim Benzema learned a lot from Cristiano Ronaldo but was also overshadowed by his former Real Madrid team-mate, the 2022 Ballon d Or winner s academy coach told Stats Perform.
Madrid captain Benzema was named the world s best footballer by France Football for the first time in Paris on Monday.
The France forward was a deserving winner, having been Madrid s outstanding performer in scoring 44 goals in 2021-22 as they won LaLiga and the Champions League.
It was by far the most prolific campaign of Benzema s career, although his goalscoring form had already seen an upturn since Ronaldo s 2018 departure.
Benzema scored only 12 goals in 2017-18 as Ronaldo s final season at the Santiago Bernabeu ended with a fourth European crown alongside the former Lyon man…