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Real Madrid take on Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu knowing that Borussia Dortmund lie in wait in the Champions League final after a brilliant away performance saw off Paris Saint-Germain.
Los Blancos are the Kings of this competition and roared on by their home fans, they’ll be a tough nut to crack.
If Harry Kane and Co. are able to do just that, however, they’ll set up a repeat of the 2013 Champions League final, coincidentally also played at Wembley Stadium.
Camavinga only makes the bench for Real Madrid
On that occasion it was Bayern who were victorious thanks to a last-minute Arjen Robben goal.
If the Bavarians were able to triumph in the competition again, it would mean that Thomas Tuchel would have the unwarranted honour of managing two teams to the title (Chelsea being the other), but then being dismissed from both soon after.
That’s a long way into the future of course, and the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior et al are going to take some stopping.
In many respects, the pressure is all on Carlo Ancelotti’s side as although Bayern are perfectly capable of winning, the majority of neutrals will surely plump for Madrid to go through.
Raphael Guerreiro doesn’t make the squad after injuring his ankle, and though Eric Dier was also injured against Stuttgart, the England international starts alongside Matthijs de Ligt, a player that knows all about bagging a comprehensive away victory at the famous old ground.
Ajax comprehensively outplayed Los Blancos in 2019, and de Ligt might want to draw upon his memories from that night to get him through what’s likely to be a big test for the away side.
Serge Gnabry also gets the nod as well as a start for Aleksandar Pavlovic.
Both teams have gone for strong starting XIs, and if the second leg is anything like the first, there’ll be goals and chances aplenty.
Confirmed Line-ups
Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Tchouameni; Bellingham; Vinicius, Rodrygo.
?? Our starting ??!
? @FCBayernEN #UCL pic.twitter.com/rnjZ7kCYNI— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) May 8, 2024
Bayern Munich XI: Neuer; Kimmich, De Ligt, Dier, Mazraoui; Laimer, Gnabry; Sane, Pavlovic, Musiala; Kane.
???????? ?? ? @realmadriden ? #packmas #UCL #RMAFCB pic.twitter.com/UcSSyY9wYh
— FC Bayern Munich (@FCBayernEN) May 8, 2024
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Ahead of another Premier League season for Leicester City, manager, Enzo Maresca, has made a forceful point with regards to the Foxes transfer business this summer.
Though they were reeled back in after starting the 2023/24 Championship season like a steam train, Leicester finally got their just rewards for an excellent campaign, and the title to boot.
However, as has been seen with the likes of Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United – the three teams that were promoted from the Championship a year ago – investment in playing staff is an absolute must.
Maresca wants important players replaced like for like
Particularly if the club intend to sell any players for Financial Fair Play purposes or otherwise.
“The Championship is very tough and very long, and any team can beat any team,” Maresca was quoted as saying by Leicestershire Live.
“But also the Premier League is difficult and we need to be ready and we need to compete. For sure we need to do things in terms of the squad, no doubt.
“I don’t care about this (selling players for financial reasons). If we lose important players, it’s important that we bring in important players. It’s not a problem if we need to sell players to solve any problems. But it’s important that we can then bring players in.
“We need to be competitive. I don’t want to be, this time next year, where we were a year ago. This has to be the main focus.”
If the board were thinking of trying to ensure a cut-price summer spree, Maresca has already laid down the ground rules and left no room for manoeuvre.
The ball is now very clearly in the owner’s court.
The post “I don’t care” – Maresca’s “important” no-nonsense transfer point after Leicester promotion appeared first on CaughtOffside.
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Transfer news: Estevao to Chelsea, Casemiro to leave Man Utd, Real Madrid moving for wonderkid & mor
This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io
Chelsea in Estevao talks but no official bid yet
A big story circulating yesterday was about Chelsea being confident of signing Palmeiras wonderkid Estevao Willian. My understanding is that talks have been taking place since January – initial discussions, with Chelsea interested and very keen. Nothing is done yet also because Palmeiras are still waiting for an official bid but interest is concrete.
Palmeiras keep producing fantastic talents, as we saw with Endrick, who will be joining Real Madrid in the summer, and Estevao is another big prospect for the future. Nicknamed ‘Messinho’, he’s surely rated among the best talents in South America.
In terms of outgoings, three players could be leaving Chelsea this summer, and we can start by saying that Armando Broja will return to Chelsea from his loan spell at Fulham, and then the plan is to sell him permanently. There are already several clubs in the Premier League and elsewhere who are interested in Broja, so he has very good chances to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. The plan, from what I’m told, is for a permanent exit, and Broja is receiving enquiries from multiple clubs, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Similarly, Kepa Arrizabalaga will also return to Chelsea after going out on loan this season and he will then leave the club. Real Madrid will not keep Kepa on a permanent transfer, and so then Chelsea will make the Spanish goalkeeper available and try to make some profit from selling him. There’s no chance of him staying at Real Madrid now that Thibaut Courtois is back, and there’s also no chance of Chelsea keeping him either.
Another Chelsea player I’ve been asked about is Hakim Ziyech. While he’s officially on loan at Galatasaray, my understanding is that it’s guaranteed that at the end of this season he will officially become a Galatasaray player. Chelsea already don’t consider Ziyech as one of their players.
One final point on Chelsea, as I reported last week, there is nothing between Antonio Conte and Chelsea – no contacts have taken place. Conte is open to a new opportunity, he wants to return to management as soon as possible, once he finds the right project.
Casemiro could leave Manchester United, plus clarification on links with Benfica duo
It’s obviously not been the best moment for Casemiro at Manchester United, with the veteran Brazilian really struggling in the 4-0 defeat against Crystal Palace, and it’s now anticipated that there will be a chance for him to leave the club this summer.
We already heard some stories back in November, but there were never any concrete proposals at the time. This could change in the summer as Manchester United are anticipating some interest, particularly from Saudi clubs, for Casemiro. The expectation now is for the club and the player to part ways. Of course we’ll have to see what kind of proposals come in, and if they’re good enough for Casemiro and for Man United, but there is a possibility for him to leave this summer, and Saudi looks a likely destination.
Let’s wait and see what official proposals come in, but for sure Saudi looks a concrete possibility for Casemiro, with Man United prepared to let him go if the offer is right.
I’m also aware of fresh reports on United and Benfica duo Joao Neves and Antonio Silva. Man United have scouted both players for months but we should also remember that that both are going to be very expensive. So far, there have been no official bids for Neves or Silva yet but it’s going to be really open in the summer. Reports in Portugal say that Silva is more likely to be Benfica’s big sale, rather than Neves, but my understanding is that it’s open and depends on the proposals that come in.
In other news…
Franco Mastantuono – Franco Mastantuono is one of the best young talents in South America, similar to Endrick and Estevao, so I could really mention all top clubs in Europe as being keen on him. All of them like Mastantuono, but Real Madrid are the club to mention as they have recently made contact with River Plate. There’s no bid yet but concrete movements are taking place.
Renato Sanches – After his loan at Roma, Renato Sanches is set to return to PSG this summer and then the expectation is for him to be sold. Previously, Besiktas wanted Renato but he wasn’t convinced, same for Olympiacos. I don’t think the price tag will be an issue – something around €15m will be enough to sign the Portuguese midfielder in the summer transfer window.
Adam Wharton – Crystal Palace did a great job with this January signing. A lot of other clubs were monitoring Adam Wharton, but no one was as concrete as Palace – they really trusted him since day one of the January window. They believe he’s special, really special player, and it’s easy to see why after his strong start to life in the Premier League.
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https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/05/08/transfer-news-estevao-chelsea-casemiro-man-utd-exit/
There’s already an incredible atmosphere in the streets surrounding the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, as Real Madrid’s fans have gathered in their thousands to welcome the players.
Los Blancos have the chance to meet Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final at Wembley if they can take care of Bayern Munich in the second leg of their semi-final.
Harry Kane et al will surely have something to say about that, and if the pre-match atmosphere is anything to go by, it’ll be white hot inside the stadium.
Real Madrid fans waiting for players to arrive pic.twitter.com/CJyd41vCqf
— Dr Yash ? (@YashRMFC) May 8, 2024
Pictures from Dr Yash official X account
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Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe, has had to quickly get used to just how much Financial Fair Play affects the way in which he can go about his transfer business.
Despite having some of the richest owners in world football in the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), FFP dictates that there’ll be no splashing the cash as might’ve been the case in years gone by.
It’s also meant that the club have had to sell players, sometimes against Howe’s wishes, which seems to have been the case with Allan Saint-Maximin.
“Maxi was a player who I absolutely loved. Yes, he was slightly different to the conventional winger that I have had in the past. An absolute maverick, a magician with the ball but we were accommodating him and his strengths and weaknesses within the team,” he told Gary Neville on The Overlap.
“I loved working with him. That was Financial Fair Play was hitting us, so we had to lose Maxi at the moment.”
Pictures from The Overlap
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Although he’s yet to be announced, the Julen Lopetegui era at West Ham United could be just around the corner.
David Moyes will likely get a decent send off after the Hammers play Luton Town this weekend, a game that the Hatters must win to give themselves any chance of staying up.
West Ham looking at Tammy Abraham
The Scot might not be the only man to depart the club in the summer, with cogent reasons for the likes of Danny Ings and Michail Antonio to be sent on their way.
If one or both of the club’s current strikers are moved on, there will be a clear need to replace them, and one player that’s interesting the East Londoners is Roma’s former Chelsea hit-man, Tammy Abraham.
According to HITC, Abraham is open to the possibility of moving back to the Premier League.
The 26-year-old will likely be champing at the bit to prove he still has the ability in front of goal after an injury ravaged season saw him limited to just 195 minutes of play per WhoScored.
West Ham are known to enjoy playing with a mobile target man, so it’s a deal that makes sense.
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The atmosphere in Madrid is building nicely ahead of the second-leg of the Champions League semi-final between Real and Bayern Munich.
Supporters of the visitors have congregated in the city’s Plaza Mayor to take advantage of the local hospitality.
With the game nicely poised at 2-2, there’s every chance that the Bavarians could join fellow Bundesliga outfit, Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley if Harry Kane et al are on song.
??? Warm-up am Plaza Mayor: Die Bayern-Fans bringen sich in Stimmung. Knapp 4000 sind später im Gästeblock. #RMAFCB @SkySportDE pic.twitter.com/y9cWozwTAW
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) May 8, 2024
Pictures courtesy of Kerry Hau official X Account
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It’s sure to be an intriguing summer in the transfer market for Newcastle United.
The Magpies still haven’t managed to get the monkey off their back regarding securing some long-awaited silverware, despite the evident riches of their owners, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
With Financial Fair Play now at the forefront of any transfer dealings, any potential largesse isn’t likely to materialise as Newcastle, undoubtedly, will also have to get creative in terms of just which players they’re able to bring in.
Lewis Hall could leave Newcastle this summer
Allowing current first-team stars to leave, either on loan or permanently might be a good start, though it does leave a scenario where clubs could be hamstrung by their finances and subsequent inability to strengthen in key areas.
Newcastle showed how capable they are when all players are fully fit and on song, equally, their lack of strength in depth since they’ve had an incredible amount of injuries has been self-evident.
One player that’s yet to truly make his mark at the club is youngster, Lewis Hall. According to WhoScored, the 19-year-old has played for just 673 minutes across 19 appearances, and he’s only managed 90 minutes on two separate occasions including Newcastle’s most recent game against Burnley.
Initally signed on loan from Chelsea, it’s believed he’s now reach the threshold where Newcastle need to turn the signing into a permanent one.
The issue for the North East giants is that he doesn’t appear to be at the level Eddie Howe requires of him just now.
At the risk of further disrupting the squad dynamic, Give Me Sport sources suggest that Newcastle are actually considering a loan for him, with Champions League finalists, Borussia Dortmund, ahead of the chasing pack for his services.
The Bundesliga side are known to bring through young players and help them realise their potential, and one only needs to look at the likes of Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham to understand that to be the case.
It’s therefore a move that could potentially suit all parties.
The post Newcastle set to allow surprise departure this summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.
https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/05/08/newcastle-surprise-departure-summer/
In 11 days time, Jurgen Klopp will manage Liverpool for the final time, as he leads the Reds in their match at Anfield against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
There’ll almost certainly not be a dry eye in the house as the German says his goodbyes to the club and its fans.
A club he has put back on the map after years of mediocrity and a club that have taken him to their hearts.
Ahead of his farewell, Liverpool have released a video that really tugs at the heart strings, especially when Klopp announces “I will never walk alone ever again in my life.”
Get the tissues ready…
“I will never walk alone again in my life.” ??@Expedia and #LFC present a special episode of "Finding Liverpool" with Jürgen Klopp, who joins @KellyCates to look back on his epic journey ? #ad pic.twitter.com/Y1gp45Va7r
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 8, 2024
Pictures from Liverpool FC
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It’s been quite the season for Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United side, and if the Magpies are able to secure European football for the 2024/25 campaign, something positive will at least have come out of what’s been a largely disappointing few months.
There’s not too much blame that should be attached to the managerial team, however, as it’s an incredible amount of injuries across the season that’s been the issue for the club.
Newcastle will sell Miggy Almiron
Prior to losing players with long-term issues, the Magpies were continuing their good form from 2022/23, and one only has to look at the Paris Saint-Germain game at St. James’ Park as an example of just how good the squad can be when fully fit.
One of the goal scorers on that famous night was Miguel Almiron, however, since that match on October 4th last year, the Paraguayan has only managed to score two more, against Man United and Fulham, the latter goal coming on December 16, per WhoScored.
It’s no wonder then that TBR Football have reported that Howe has told the 30-year-old that he will be sold this summer.
A popular figure at the club, he just hasn’t done the business as often as required to justify his continued employment there.
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