Diego Simeone has challenged Atletico Madrid to make the impossible possible once again when they travel to Barcelona in Sunday s LaLiga title showdown.
Atleti have trimmed Barca s once formidable lead at the summit to five points, thanks to a run of eight wins and a draw over nine top-flight matches in 2018.
Such exploits have evoked memories of their 2013-14 title triumph, when Diego Godin s goal secured a 1-1 final-day draw at Camp Nou to pip Barca to glory.
It s impossible to win LaLiga if you look at the statistics, Simeone told a pre-match news conference.
In the past 14 years, La Liga was for Real Madrid or Barcelona and only Villarreal made it one season to be second.
So you can say it’s impossible and we made the impossible possible …
Radamel Falcao s resurgence has come just at the right time for a high-flying Monaco side. (Photo: beIN Sports)
53. That s the number of goals the top-scoring side in Ligue 1 have netted so far this season. And no, it is not PSG. Les Parisiens have scored a solid 32, which puts them joint-tied with league leaders Nice. Rather, it is Monaco who are simply blowing away the competition. Les Rouges-et-Blancs have netted a whopping 21 more times than both Nice and PSG, who are second in terms of goal output. To put that in perspective. Leonardo Jardim s men have scored only 11 less than PSG and Nice combined.
Not bad for a team who, like the rest of the pack, had to watch PSG canter to the title whilst leaving everyone in the dust. This time around, Monaco are more than read…
Wolfsburg have confirmed the signing of attacking midfielder Aaron Hunt from Werder Bremen on a three-year deal.
The 27-year-old s contract at the Weserstadion will expire at the end of June, and he leaves having played 215 times in the Bundesliga after coming through the club s academy.
Hunt made his first-team debut in 2004 and won the DFB-Pokal in 2009.
However, he moves to the Volkswagen Arena on a three-year contract and the three-time Germany international is looking forward to a new challenge.
Wolfsburg offers me a great opportunity to keep playing at the top level, he said.
I was at Bremen a long time, achieved a lot with Werder and had some incredible years there. But the time had come to try something new. I m really looking forward to meeting my…
Barcelona failed to regain their two-point lead at the top of LaLiga after Wu Lei scored a late equaliser for Espanyol in a 2-2 derby draw that saw Frenkie de Jong sent off for the visitors.
The champions fell behind 23 minutes into a contest they dominated but in which their best football was rarely in evidence against the division s bottom club.
Thankfully for Ernesto Valverde, Luis Suarez was at his lethal best, instinctively making it 1-1 shortly before he brilliantly teed up Arturo Vidal for Barcelona s second.
But after De Jong was shown a second yellow card, Espanyol ramped up the pressure and Wu clinched a precious point for LaLiga s bottom club as he became the first Chinese player to score against Barca in a competitive game.
The result leaves t…
Paris Saint-Germain s unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season is over after the league leaders suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lyon on Sunday.
The defending champions, who were without star man Neymar due to injury, had won 18 games and drawn two prior to their visit to the Groupama Stadium, but they were handed their first loss thanks to goals from Moussa Dembele and Nabil Fekir.
When Angel Di Maria opened the scoring early it looked like a familiar story, however Lyon were writing their own script and dominated the opening period.
They got their reward through Dembele just after the half hour, and Fekir s penalty secured the three points – Lyon defending resolutely to cling on to a memorable victory.
2015 Paris have lost a Ligue 1 game after scoring the opening…
Former England manager Steve McClaren has been appointed as the new Queens Park Rangers boss.
QPR were without a coach following Ian Holloway s departure earlier this month and the ex-Newcastle United man s appointment was confirmed on Friday, as the 57-year-old signed a two-year deal at Loftus Road.
McClaren, who served as a coach at QPR under Harry Redknapp in 2013, told the club s website: It s great to be back and it s a challenge that I m excited by.
I must admit that I ve followed the club closely over the last five years, because of the three months I had here.
— QPR FC (@QPRFC)
Director of Football Les Ferdinand added: We are delighted with this appointment and, speaking with Steve, I know how excited he is to be here and ho…
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich in the January transfer window, according to . The Poland international striker is open to leaving Bayern, and the veteran is more inclined to a move to Atletico, although he still has desire to turn out for their city rivals and Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.
Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world and remains a potent player even at the age of 33. The Bayern star has scored five goals in three Bundesliga appearances already . During the 2020-21 campaign, the striker found the back of the net 41 times in the league and gave seven assists. In 2019-20, the former Borussia Dortmund striker scored 34 goals and provided four assists in the league.
Atletico won the La Liga title las…
Georginio Wijnaldum is not worrying about the new Liverpool contract. Former PSV man is enjoying his time at Anfield since joining from Newcastle United and this season is yielding two big fights for the biggest trophies.
The Dutchman joined Liverpool in 2016 and his current contract runs through June 2021. This means there will be only two years left on the contract, which is usually a good time to start thinking about renewal. But Wijnaldum is not worried that the negotiations did not start yet.
“No, I did not speak with the club yet [about a new contract],” Wijnaldum told the Liverpool Echo.
“That is something for the club. I will see what happens. I signed a five-year contract and I am still under contract. I just do my job to perform. A new c…
Manchester United have rejected a £60m bid from Real Madrid for goalkeeper David De Gea, according to Sky Sports.
The La Liga champions have long been linked with a move for the twenty-six year old, who was born in Madrid and began his career with their city rivals Atleti.
De Gea moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2011 and has so far racked up two hundred and sixty-nine appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions.
He was part of the squad that won the Premier League in 2013, while he has since collected winners medals in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the Europa League.
Individually, he has been named in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year in four of the last five seasons while internationally he has been capped twenty times by Spain’s…
Manchester City could be crowned Premier League champions by the end of this weekend after Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres secured a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Aguero, City s all-time record goalscorer, will leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires next month and has endured a campaign ruined by fitness issues.
But the Argentina striker relocated some of the old magic with a sublime touch and thumping finish to find a 57th-minute breakthrough and his second league goal of the campaign.
There were just 83 seconds between Aguero s opener and Torres calmly taken second, and City will win the title for a third time in four seasons if Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Palace full-back Tyrick Mitchell made an important block …