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According to Le10sport, Liverpool are taking an interest in Philippe Coutinho’s situation at Barcelona right now along with Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Brazilian international has endured a nightmarish stint at the Camp Nou since his £142m move back in January 2018, and recently admitted after a Copa America game that he ‘doesn’t know’ if he’ll continue with the Spanish champions.

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

He didn’t leave the Reds in the most amicable of ways either, handing in a transfer request in a bid to force the move as well as paying his own money towards making the transfer happen.

Coutinho, 27, was booed by his own supporters last term and only managed to muster up a measly 11 goals in 54 appearances for the Catalonia-based side.

Liverpool are riding the crest of a wave right now after their 97-point Premier League campaign and a sixth major European Cup success, and have definitely improved since Coutinho’s departure.

Would they be right to bring him back to Anfield? Football FanCast’s writers have had their say on the matter…

Matt Dawson

“This would be a move that utterly disgusts some Liverpool fans. It’s clear they don’t get on well with him and you can’t blame them after the manner in which he left. Liverpool have left the days of Coutinho behind and they should avoid bringing him back.

Since he left they’ve sustained a title challenge and won the Champions League. That’s a clear sign that they could be better off without him. There’s no denying his quality. After all, he still found the net 11 times in 2018/19, but the Reds should be avoiding this.”

James Beavis

“The Reds should avoid at all costs. It’s not as though Liverpool missed him last season and that he has been firing on all cylinders since he left Anfield, so why would they want him back?

Of course you have the added ill-feeling towards the Brazilian following the circumstances in which he left for Barcelona, and the last thing the Merseyside outfit need ahead of another huge season in which they will look to go one better in the Premier League is any negativity or ill-feeling – something that could happen if Philippe Coutinho returns.

A famous saying in football says clubs should avoid bringing former players and managers back, and Liverpool need to heed that advice in this situation.”

Charles Jones

“I may be in the minority on this one but I think Liverpool should be looking at bringing Coutinho back. The fanbase may not accept him initially, but his performances on the pitch will certainly fix that. Liverpool lost the title by one point last season, losing just one game along the way.

The Brazilian is the type of player who can turn draws into wins by producing that bit of magic when it’s needed, and that is something the Reds would benefit from. For example, the draw against Everton earlier in the season was crying out for a player like Coutinho to pop up and change the game, and perhaps if they’d have had someone like that they would have won the title last season.”

“Pep has to say that as he hasn’t been in the Champions League final for a while.”

Those were the words of Jurgen Klopp via the Express when asked by a reporter in the build-up to Saturday’s Champions League final on what the German thought of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s claim that he was not disappointed to be in the upcoming European final because of his team’s Premier League title win.

It was a comment Liverpool fans thoroughly enjoyed and gave the media plenty to write about, but arrogance before such an important game can easily come to haunt Klopp and Liverpool.

After all, Guardiola might not have managed a Champions League final side since 2011, but at least the Spaniard has actually won the trophy, something Klopp will be attempting to do on his third attempt against Tottenham this weekend.

Liverpool are understandably the favourites heading into the game in Madrid. The Reds have not only faced and bested better opposition in the Champions League but have also overcome Spurs twice in the previous Premier League campaign, but to call the Reds the winners already would be silly.

We have seen the underdog in a Champions League final scrap through and come out the winning side, with Chelsea being the latest and arguably luckiest recipients of the famous trophy seven years ago after sleepwalking their to the final and then beating Bayern Munich on penalties, and there is a feeling in the air Tottenham could do the same to Liverpool.

Klopp’s dig at Guardiola might seem harmless at first, but it was a comment that can easily come around to bite Liverpool if they are not careful in Madrid.

Liverpool fans, will the Reds win the Champions League? Let us know!

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According to Football Insider, Leeds United have rejected a loan offer for their wantaway playmaker Samu Saiz.

It’s no secret that the Spaniard wants to leave Elland Road this summer, but the Yorkshire club are absolutely making the right decision in holding out for a permanent deal.

What’s the story?

Football Insider have reported that Leeds have turned down a loan offer for Saiz from an unnamed La Liga side. It had previously been said that Getafe, Alaves and Valencia were interested in his services, but it is unknown at this moment which team has made a move for him.

The 28-year-old spent the second half of last season out on loan at Getafe, but Leeds seemingly don’t want to let him go unless they’re getting a fee.

Right decision

Leeds are undoubtedly making the right decision on their former talisman’s future.

The midfielder’s contract has two years left to run on it, so if the Whites don’t sell him in this transfer window, they may not get as high a fee next season.

The Whites need to recoup as much cash as possible as their recent transfer policy has shown that they aren’t able to spend money unless they sell players.

Saiz is still one of the most talented players in the Championship, and even though he’s unhappy at the club he should still fetch a decent price.

Allowing him to go out on loan only to sell him 12 months later would be a stupid decision as it looks like he is well and truly finished in English football.

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Liverpool are just over a week away from facing Tottenham inside the Wanda Metropolitano, where they will be bidding to win their sixth European title.

They will be keen to put the demons of Kiev behind them after suffering defeat to Real Madrid in the final last term, the rivals of Atletico whose stadium will play host to this showpiece event.

Jurgen Klopp will be praying that he isn’t on the end of yet another loss in a cup final with this Liverpool side, after already losing the Europa League final, Carabao Cup final and that aforementioned tie against Los Blancos.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

But how will he avoid such a heart-wrenching experience? He can’t just pray alone, so the German must get his tactics spot on and plot out how he can hurt Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Spurs have shown unbelievable resilience to get to the final having looked dead and buried numerous times throughout their European campaign; they barely made it out of the group, and we all know how their semi-final tie against Ajax ended.

So, how can Klopp exploit the north Londoners? Resident Football FanCast writer and Spurs supporter Harry Sherlock gives us the lowdown on where his team are at their weakest…

“We’re at our weakest wherever Kieran Trippier is on the field! In all seriousness, we hate pace down the flanks which is something that Liverpool have in abundance, so they’re basically our worst enemy. 

“Our best bet is to keep it tight early doors and hope the game opens up for us, just like it did at Anfield; the game plan would’ve worked perfectly that day were it not for Moussa Sissoko’s glaring miss.”

Liverpool looked raring to go against Real Madrid last year before Mohamed Salah’s untimely injury – from that moment on they were simply flat.

Perhaps Pochettino will need to be the one praying that something similar happens to the Egyptian again…

ما زال يأمل المنتخب البلجيكي الأول لكرة القدم في أن يعتمد على إيدين هازارد جناح ريال مدريد في مباراة الدنمارك المُقبلة بدوري الأمم الأوروبية.

هازارد أًصيب بـ فيروس كورونا “كوفيد – 19″، الأسبوع الماضي، وغاب عن مباراة ريال مدريد وفالنسيا في الليجا.

وبحسب صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، فإن مدرب بلجيكا روبرتو مارتينيز لا يزال يأمل أنّ تتحول نتيجة هازارد من إيجابية إلى سلبية، من أجل استدعاءه لخوض مباراة الدنمارك.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاسكارينو: أفتقد رؤية هازارد “الأفضل” على مرّ العصور!

وأوضحت الصحيفة أنه رغم أن بلجيكا يرون أن الأمر صعبًا، ولكنهم يأملون أن تتحول النتيجة لـ سلبية وأن يُسافر هازارد من أجل اللعب دون مشاكل.

هازارد كان اختبر بعد إصابته مرتين خلال هذا الأسبوع وجاءت نتيجته سلبية، ومن المقرر أن يخضع لمسحة أخرى غدًا الثلاثاء.

يُذكر أن بلجيكا تستقبل الدنمارك مساء الأربعاء المُقبل، في تمام الساعة العاشرة إلا ربع بتوقيت القاهرة، ضمن لقاءات الجولة السادسة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات بدوري الأمم.

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Sky Sports pundit Liam Rosenior believes that Mauricio Pochettino will have learned a number of lessons from Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, per The Debate.

What’s he said?

Spurs fell to a disappointing loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening, with Donny van de Beek scoring the only goal of the game.

Pochettino’s men, then, need to win in Amsterdam if they are to have any hope of reaching the final in Madrid.

And Rosenior, speaking on the Debate podcast (April 30, two minutes, 35 seconds), believes that the Argentine will have learned that he cannot again set up with a 3-5-2 formation.

Indeed, Spurs struggled in the opening half an hour against the Dutch outfit, who dominated possession in the first period, but found a foothold after Moussa Sissoko replaced the injured Jan Vertonghen and utilised a back four.

Asked about how Pochettino can turn the game around, the former Fulham and Hull City star said: “Not to play 3-5-2 against Ajax. It’s difficult setting your team up as a coach or a manager and he will have looked at that, but before Vertonghen went off he actually moved to a back four because, what was happening, Ajax were building through their two full-backs; they had so much space and time.

“From 3-5-2 it’s so difficult to press the opposition’s full-backs. As soon as they changed to a diamond, and they go to a four, Sissoko comes on, they pressed Ajax higher up the pitch and Ajax’s passing rhythm went out of the game.

“All of a sudden they got themselves back in the game so, yes, being 1-0 down is difficult but he will have learned so many lessons from a tactical point of view.”

Major injuries

Spurs struggled against Ajax because of the club’s lengthy injury list.

Sissoko started the game on the bench and Pochettino’s men subsequently ceded possession to a team that loves to dominate the ball.

The Frenchman made a significant difference after his introduction, taking the ball on the transition and giving his side an outlet on the counter-attack.

Next week, Sissoko will likely be fit to play from the outset, while Son Heung-Min will not be suspended for the second leg.

Pochettino perhaps made the wrong call but next week, with two of his best players back to fitness, he is unlikely to make such an error again.

انفعل يورجن كلوب مدرب ليفربول على نظيره في ميتلاند، خلال المباراة الجارية حاليًا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب الأنفيلد مباراة الفريقين، في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات.

وذكرت شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” العالمية، أن كلوب بدا في حالة انفعال شديد بعد تدخل لاعب ميتلاند ينس ميشال كايوستي بعنف على جوردان هندرسون في الدقيقة 32.

وتدخل كايوستي بقوة على هندرسون، وحصل الأول على بطاقة صفراء نتيجة لذلك.

وأشارت الشبكة إلى أن كلوب تأثر بتدخل كايوستي على هندرسون، خاصة أنه جاء بعد خروج فابينيو من المباراة للإصابة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وأوضحت أن المدرب الألماني انفعل بقوة على مدرب ميتلاند بريان بريسك نتيجة لذلك. كلوب ينفعل على مدرب ميتلاند

The curse of the international break finds its latest victim in Celtic.

As Neil Lennon’s first Old Firm derby after returning as manager approaches, he’s been struck by the break cruelly. Indeed, Kieran Tierney, one of his biggest assets, had to pull out of Scotland’s Euro 2020 qualifiers due to a niggling hip problem.

While the Scottish felt his absence badly with a shocking drubbing away at Kazakhstan, Celtic fans would be worried something as disastrous isn’t heading their way. Obviously, the Hoops aren’t quite as bad as the Tartan Army, but the Scottish Sun claims he’s a major doubt for the imminent Old Firm.

Obviously, Rangers will come all guns blazing and to keep them out, so Celtic clearly need Tierney’s solidity. Since Lennon’s arrival, Celtic have only conceded one goal in four games and kept three successive clean-sheets at that and Tierney might not have been as clinical attacking-wise as he was under Brendan Rodgers, but his defensive strengths are improving.

He successfully kept Aberdeen’s dangerous Greg Stewart quiet recently, showcasing impressive ability to neutralize their attacking threat. A Celt through and through, potentially missing him for the club’s biggest game left this season, is far from ideal.

Indeed, if Lennon’s side are to keep the menacing duo of James Tavernier and Daniel Candeias quiet, they’ll need Tierney at the top of his game.

The youngster is making strides with Celtic and by knowing the gravity of the derby, he’ll be especially pumped to blow away Rangers. If he’s out, the task has got a lot harder.

Celtic fans, do you think Tierney’s injury issues are a cause for concern? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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According to The Daily Star, Crystal Palace are one of a number of clubs looking at signing Newcastle’s Mohamed Diame, whose contract at St James’ Park expires in the summer. Surely Palace are looking at completely the wrong type of number 10 though?

What’s the word?

Well, The Daily Star reports that the Eagles are joined by their bitter rivals Brighton; Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas; as well as unnamed clubs from Spain and Italy in their interest in the 31-year-old.

Diame’s Magpies minutes have dried up this season perhaps partly due to an unusual clause in his current deal that, should the Senegalese start three more games this campaign, will automatically trigger a 12-month extension, as well as the fine form of Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff.

The former Hull man has made 24 appearances for Rafa Benitez’s side this term, without scoring or assisting once – Palace might need some added impetus in their attack but Diame shouldn’t be the man Roy Hodgson and co turn to in the summer, regardless of whether he comes without having commanded a transfer fee.

Not your number 10

The 35-cap international might have the coveted number 10 shirt on Tyneside but his numbers this season certainly haven’t made him worthy of it. Palace are in dire need of a creator – this was evident in their loss to the Seagulls at the weekend – and Diame clearly doesn’t fit the bill.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

If Hodgson is looking for a driving force from midfield, he already has that in the resurgent Jeffrey Schlupp – the Ghanaian has been excellent since his conversion from a left-back to an all-action central midfielder this term.

The only positive that would be taken from this deal is that signing Diame wouldn’t cost Palace a penny and, if their dealings in recent windows are anything to go by, that may be why signing the ageing midfielder is attractive to the Eagles.

Certainly though, signing Diame would be a strange one considering the recent additions of Max Meyer and Cheikhou Kouyate – one struggles to envisage the Newcastle man getting a look in for the starting XI at Selhurst Park.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder heaped praise on his Leeds counterpart Marcelo Bielsa, when he insisted the Argentine had “sprinkled his magic dust” on the team he considers as “the best team in the division”.

He was speaking ahead of the top of the table clash at Elland Road on Saturday lunchtime, in a game that could have huge connotations on the automatic promotion race.

According to the BBC Sport website, Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield: ” The manager [Bielsa] has worked at the highest level and they’ve gone all out to get him to turn their club around.

“He’s sprinkled his magic dust and they’ve got a good group of players.”

Bielsa, who could see his Leeds side open up a five point gap between themselves and their third-placed opponents with a win tomorrow, was mutually respectful of his opposite number.

He said: “I have learned a lot from Sheffield United, they are the one of the teams from which I have learned the most this season.

“They have a new style of playing and they have been faithful to that all season, each player is giving the best of themselves.

“When we played against them [earlier in the season] it was a hard win and probably we didn’t deserve to win. It’s a big challenge to try and beat them.”

But Wilder stressed that, although it is undoubtedly a huge game, it will not make or break the season for either club, following social media comments from Leeds defender Pontus Jansson who said that it would be “the biggest game of our lives” for many of the players.

Reacting to the comments, the Blades boss said: “I respect what he has to say as an international footballer and it gives a big boost to whoever gets the result but it’s not season-defining.

“I think that shows a total lack of respect for the teams we’ve got left to play. If we won it would claw back the deficit that we are in behind them and if they win then they stretch that lead.

“The way the Championship is at the moment all of the teams have got something to play for.”

It promises to be a great atmosphere between the Yorkshire rivals, and regardless of Wilder’s comments, a win for Leeds would surely see them in a virtually unstoppable position with just eight games to go.

Is the finish line in sight for you now Leeds fans? Will a win tomorrow have the fat lady warming her voice up? Join in the debate by letting us know your thoughts below…