Tag: Barcelona

Should Pep Guardiola Be Considered a World-Class Manager?

James Hill
Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has been one of the most talked-about figures in recent football history ever since he first started out his coaching career with Barcelona in 2008. The Spaniard had instant success with the Catalans, spending four fruitful years at Nou Camp and winning multiple coveted trophies. That is why it was no surprise that Bayern Munich fans were elated when they heard the news that Guardiola is going to coach the team and despite his stay in Germany proved to be a bit controversial at the end, the same…

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Will Lionel Messi Actually Consider Leaving Barcelona and Where Could He End Up?

James Hill
Lionel Messi Leaving Barcelona

Things at FC Barcelona have definitely reached a boiling point. The club looks to be in total disarray and the 8-2 hammering Bayern Munich dished out to them in the Champions League was the final straw for Josep Maria Bartomeu. After the humiliating defeat, the president sacked manager Quique Setien and Eric Abidal announced he will be leaving his director post as well. This week, Bartomeu confirmed that Ronald Koeman will be taking over as head coach for the new season. Nothing is official so far, but it does seem…

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What’s Going on at Barcelona?

James Hill
Jose Maria Bartomeu Barcelona

Li Liga football may be on hold but there’s definitely something brewing in the Catalan city. Last week, news broke out that six Barcelona directors have quit their positions. They all sent their letters of resignation to club president Jose Maria Bartomeu and it looks like the main reason behind their decision is the now-infamous “Barcagate” scandal. If you haven’t been following the club during the current hiatus, let me give you a quick rundown of how this all started. What Is Barcagate? Bartomeu recently hired a third-party company called…

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Three Potential Surprises in European Football for the Upcoming Weekend

James Hill
Eintracht Frankfurt, Cagliari and Getafe Logos

I know that a lot of you like to bet on the top European football leagues during the weekend. It’s part of the whole experience, watching the games and placing a wager or two. That’s why I occasionally share my predictions. That’s what I’m about to do in this post, but I decided to take a different angle today. I believe that some of the bets with the most value often go under the radar.  I’m talking about potential surprises that not many people back because most gamblers go after…

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A Look at the Top Contenders for the Champions League after the January Transfer Window

James Hill
Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and FC Barcelona Logos

The January transfer window is now over and there are only two weeks left until the return of the UEFA Champions League. I believe now is the perfect time to assess the favorites for the most prestigious European tournaments. I’ve picked only teams that have a genuine chance to lift the trophy, in my opinion. Also, the order I used is determined by the odds of the leading bookmakers on the market. Liverpool If there’s a team that didn’t need recruitment in January, that’s Liverpool. The Reds have been the…

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Five Football Games to Watch in Europe This Weekend

James Hill
Erling Braut Håland and Quique Setién

If you are a football fan, the upcoming weekend will offer plenty of interesting games. There’s a round of games in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France, while the FA Cup will be played in England. It can be hard to pick the most exciting encounters, so I’m here to help. Here are the five games that you must watch this weekend. Borussia Dortmund – FC Koln, Friday, 20:30 GMT The first game on the list is on Friday night when Borussia Dortmund will host Koln. The match itself will be…

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Latest Champions League and Europa League Odds After the Draws

James Hill
UEFA Champions League Trophy and Logo

We now know the draw for the first round of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League eliminations. That means the online bookmakers have released updated odds on each team winning the respective competition. Let’s first take a look at the draws and then assess the odds for a few of the leading teams. UEFA Champions League Last 16 Draw Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) Real Madrid (ESP) vs. Manchester City (ENG) Atalanta (ITA) vs. Valencia (ESP) Atlético Madrid (ESP) vs. Liverpool (ENG) Chelsea (ENG) vs. Bayern Munich…

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Four clubs that could sign Neymar this summer

Vyom Chaudhary

The football world is buzzing with the news that Neymar could be allowed to leave his summer. According to Bilel Ghazi of L’Equipe, the Parisian club are open to sell their €222 signing this summer if they receive a suitable offer. Coming up with a suitable offer for a player who has already been sold for €222m is a huge risk for any club, but it is not everyday that a player of Neymar’s quality becomes available in the market. Hence, we look at four clubs who could possibly sign…

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Valverde set to remain Barcelona boss, claims the latest report

Vyom Chaudhary

It has been quite an unsettling end to the season for Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde. Ever since his side’s defeat to Liverpool in Champions League, there have been question marks hanging over Valverde’s future at the Catalan club. Earlier this week, multiple media reports suggested that he could get the sack as soon as this week. However, according to the latest from Spanish radio Cadena Ser, reports of the imminent sacking are false, and the Spaniard is set to stay in his job for the next season. Valverde has led…

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Antonine Griezmann set to dominate transfer headlines this window

Vyom Chaudhary
Antoine Griezmann

Undoubtedly, France international Antoine Griezmann is one of the biggest talents in football. And when a player of such calibre becomes available in the market, it is surely going to make a lot of noise. Since moving to Atletico Madrid in 2014, Griezmann has been linked with an exit for the club almost every window. However, the 28-year-old is finally set to make his exit from Atletico this summer. Griezmann has publicly announced that he would be leaving Atletico in the summer, and that has already put a lot of…

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Real Madrid and Barcelona Aiming to Make Amends

Adl Admin
Luis Suarez, Barcelona

So often dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid, the level of genuine competition for the league title in Spain is often called into question, however, the start of the 2018-19 campaign in LaLiga has been anything but straightforward for the two habitual favourites. Real Madrid have been struggling to find their form and rhythm under Julen Lopetegui of late, particularly finding the back of the net, while many believe the team is missing a vital component following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in the summer. Especially after the…

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 Why Tottenham can be confident against bad travellers Barcelona

Adl Admin

Barcelona’s visit to Wembley to face Spurs is being seen as a tough tie at the wrong time for the home side, up against La Liga league leaders, and having lost in their last euro outing with Inter. Defeats away to Watford, home to fellow Champions League challengers Liverpool, and away at San Siro against Inter, coupled with unconvincing performances in many of their other outings, have resulted in fans being largely disappointed at the start to the campaign, with the sportsbook GiveMeBet among others needing to factor this in to…

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Barcelona vs AS Roma – Betting Tips and Predictions

Vyom Chaudhary

Barcelona have bowed out in the quarterfinals of Champions League in last two editions, and they will be desperate to put things right this season. Barca will host AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie at Nou Camp on Wednesday. The Catalans have been handed one of the easier ties at this stage, and they would be expected to progress comfortably. Barcelona are doing spectacularly well in the league, and they are yet to face a defeat this season. They look rather undefeatable at their…

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Chelsea vs Barcelona – Betting Tips and Predictions

Vyom Chaudhary

It’s not a perfect time for Chelsea to face Barcelona, nevertheless, they will try to put a halt to Barcelona’s impressive season this week. The Blues are set to host the Catalans in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. Things have not exactly gone according to the plan for the Blues since the turn of the year. There is constant speculation about Antonio Conte’s future at the club. The Blues have managed just two wins in their last six league games, and…

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Are we witnessing the best January transfer window in the recent years?

Vyom Chaudhary

It has been quite a busy January transfer window in Premier League this season. More often than not, the winter transfer window remains devoid of big transfers. And big clubs very rarely let go of their key players in January. Most managers hate this window and have publicly talked about abolishing it completely. However, circumstances have conspired in such a way this month that we can expect to see some very different-looking top sides in the league post-January. To start things off, Liverpool made a big statement in the first…

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Griezmann, Dybala, Young – Latest Manchester United transfer updates

Vyom Chaudhary

The January transfer window is not far away now, and the transfer rumour mill is slowly but surely shifting into the top gear. Premier League aspirants Manchester United spent a lot of money on transfers last summer, and latest reports suggest it would be more of the same for them in the upcoming transfer windows. Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann came close to joining United in the summer but eventually ended up staying at the Madrid club. According to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, the France international is set to leave…

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Arsenal star linked with multiple clubs amid January-exit reports

Vyom Chaudhary

Mesut Ozil produced one of the best performances of his Arsenal career in the 2-0 win over North London rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The German has divided opinion throughout his time in North London, but last weekend, he silenced most of his critics with a MOTM display in the North London derby. However, according to the latest reports, the Arsenal fans might not get to see their player in the red and white colours of the club for much longer. The North London club have failed…

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Why Barcelona gave up on Philippe Coutinho?

Vyom Chaudhary

Liverpool can finally breathe a sigh of relief as Barcelona have ended their interest in their Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho. The latest report from Liverpool Echo claims that the Catalans have finally accepted defeat in their pursuit after seeing three bids rejected by the Reds. The Catalan club, despite their best efforts to unbalance the Brazilian at Merseyside, will now have to continue their search for Neymar’s replacement elsewhere. The Catalan club had been interested in Coutinho for quite some time, but they started pursuing him actively only after losing…

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Arsene Wenger: Three decisions I would like to change from my time at Arsenal

Vyom Chaudhary

Video technology has made a spectacular entry onto the footballing scene in the recent months. The use of Video Assistant Referees at this summer’s Confederations Cup in Russia would be the next big step for the use of video technology in football. Arsene Wenger, whose Arsenal sides have been at the receiving end of some bad refereeing decisions over the course of years, has been an ardent supporter of the use of VARs in the game. The French manager has revealed three key refereeing decisions from his time at the…

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Chelsea lining up a move for ex-Barcelona boss

Vyom Chaudhary

The Sunday Telegraph has made a sensational claim that Premier League champions Chelsea are lining up a move for ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique. Recent reports had suggested that all is not well between the Blues and manager Antonio Conte, but a report from Sky Sports on Friday claimed that the Italian is happy at Chelsea and they expect him to stay with the club beyond summer. However, the Telegraph are running quite a contrary story on their Sunday’s sports section which claims that the Blues have sounded out Enrique to…

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Arsenal star addresses summer exit rumours

Vyom Chaudhary

Arsenal star Hector Bellerin was forced to use Twitter to address the speculation regarding his future. The Spanish full-back has been strongly linked with a move back to his boyhood club Barcelona recently with multiple reports in Spain claiming that he has already agreed on personal terms with the Catalan club. However, a report from Evening Standard on Thursday also claimed that the right-back, who signed a six-and-a-half-year deal with the Gunners last summer, is not actively looking for an exit. The Gunners remain confident that Bellerin will stay at…

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Barcelona to shift attention from Hector Bellerin to Chelsea star

Vyom Chaudhary

Spanish giants Barcelona have identified Chelsea ace Cesar Azpilicueta as an alternative to Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin. The Catalan club are actively looking for a right-back and are expected to sign one in the summer. Barca’s original target was their former youth player and Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin. However, the 22-year-old has signed a long-term contract with the Gunners last year and the North London club have no intention of selling one of their most prized assets. According to Spanish paper Sport, via the Sun, if the Catalan side fail to…

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Barcelona concede ‘difficult to sign Bellerin’

Vyom Chaudhary

Spanish giants Barcelona have more or less accepted defeat in their pursuit of Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin. The Catalans have been interested in their former youth player for quite some time now and unsuccessfully attempted to sign him last summer. They still remain interested in the 22-year-old, but club’s sporting director Robert Fernandez has conceded that it would be very difficult for them to sign Bellerin due to his long-term contract with the Gunners. “Of course Hector is a good player,” ESPN FC quotes Fernandes as telling El Mundo Deportivo.…

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Agent of reported Arsenal target denies any links

Vyom Chaudhary

The agent of Barcelona star Arda Turn has dismissed recent reports that Premier League side Arsenal have submitted an interest in his client. The Times, in an exclusive report on Thursday, claimed that Gunners had identified the Turkey international as a potential replacement of Mesut Ozil, who has only one year left on his current deal. The report claimed that Turan, who has made only 13 league starts this season, is a £25m summer target for Arsene Wenger’s side. However, his agent, Ahmet Bulut has dismissed the speculation and has…

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Champions League outright odds – Who’s the favourite for glory in May?

Vyom Chaudhary

We have reached the serious territory in this year’s edition of Champions League. Last week, the draw for the quarter-finals took place, and it resulted in some mouth-watering fixtures. Current holders Real Madrid were drawn against another favourites Bayern Munich, while, in a repeat of 2015 final, Barcelona will play Italian giants Juventus. In another promising tie, Borussia Dortmund will take on high-flying Monaco and Premier League champions Leicester City will face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. In the betting market, Barcelona, who produced a mammoth comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in…

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