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PSG hope for Mbappe boost after shock home loss Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will look to shake off a rare home league defeat this weekend when they travel to Bordeaux, where Kylian Mbappe could return from a month out with a thigh injury. Thomas Tuchel’s side, depleted by a raft of injuries, slumped to a 2-0 loss against Reims on Wednesday which ended an unbeaten 22-match run at the Parc des Princes. Discounting a handful of defeats after winning the league in previous seasons, it was PSG’s first meaningful loss at home since November 2012. “It was a poor performance. We had a lot of players missing, that’s why we made so many changes,” said Tuchel. “I have to manage the playing time of the squad. And I think it was possible to play better with the team we had on the pitch.” PSG remain top of Ligue 1 on goal difference, above surprise second-place side Angers, but defender Marquinhos said they must strive to consistently keep the bar high. “The challenge for this season will be to maintain a high level each match,” said Marquinhos. “We must inspire ourselves to rise to this challenge.” Neymar, who produced late match-winning strikes in his first two games this season, cut a peripheral figure midweek with Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Mauro Icardi all missing. Tuchel spoke of taking a cautious approach with the 20-year-old Mbappe, who has missed the last five matches but is back in training with the squad. Lyon’s bright start under first-time manager Sylvinho is a distant memory with the club winless in five matches since beginning the campaign with two resounding wins. The latest setback came at Brest where the hosts twice recovered to earn a 2-2 draw, a result that dropped Lyon into the bottom half of the table.  “We didn’t play well. I’m not satisfied, once again we lost the three points in the final minutes,” said Sylvinho, whose team host fourth-placed Nantes on Saturday. “We have a lack of confidence and it generates fear. I am a little concerned about the results, but the first step is to restore confidence. To do that, we need to win matches.” Monaco picked up their first victory this term on Tuesday and will host Brest at the weekend, while Marseille — held to a 0-0 draw at basement side Dijon — are at home to Rennes on Sunday. One to watch: Victor Osimhen While Nicolas Pepe is slowly adjusting to life in the Premier League at Arsenal, Victor Osimhen has made an electric start in Lille colours after arriving from Belgian club Charleroi.


Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain will look to shake off a rare home league defeat this weekend when they travel to Bordeaux, where Kylian Mbappe could return from a month out with a thigh injury.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, depleted by a raft of injuries, slumped to a 2-0 loss against Reims on Wednesday which ended an unbeaten 22-match run at the Parc des Princes.

Discounting a handful of defeats after winning the league in previous seasons, it was PSG’s first meaningful loss at home since November 2012.

“It was a poor performance. We had a lot of players missing, that’s why we made so many changes,” said Tuchel.

“I have to manage the playing time of the squad. And I think it was possible to play better with the team we had on the pitch.”

PSG remain top of Ligue 1 on goal difference, above surprise second-place side Angers, but defender Marquinhos said they must strive to consistently keep the bar high.

“The challenge for this season will be to maintain a high level each match,” said Marquinhos. “We must inspire ourselves to rise to this challenge.”

Neymar, who produced late match-winning strikes in his first two games this season, cut a peripheral figure midweek with Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Mauro Icardi all missing.

Tuchel spoke of taking a cautious approach with the 20-year-old Mbappe, who has missed the last five matches but is back in training with the squad.

Lyon’s bright start under first-time manager Sylvinho is a distant memory with the club winless in five matches since beginning the campaign with two resounding wins.

The latest setback came at Brest where the hosts twice recovered to earn a 2-2 draw, a result that dropped Lyon into the bottom half of the table. 

“We didn’t play well. I’m not satisfied, once again we lost the three points in the final minutes,” said Sylvinho, whose team host fourth-placed Nantes on Saturday.

“We have a lack of confidence and it generates fear. I am a little concerned about the results, but the first step is to restore confidence. To do that, we need to win matches.”

Monaco picked up their first victory this term on Tuesday and will host Brest at the weekend, while Marseille — held to a 0-0 draw at basement side Dijon — are at home to Rennes on Sunday.

One to watch: Victor Osimhen

While Nicolas Pepe is slowly adjusting to life in the Premier League at Arsenal, Victor Osimhen has made an electric start in Lille colours after arriving from Belgian club Charleroi.



from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2n3AY8m
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Xavi under no illusions ahead of fairytale on Barcelona return Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left Camp Nou to play for Qatari club Al Sadd in 2015, after making 767 appearances for Barcelona, with eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues among his 25 trophies. “It’s time to come home. Welcome, Xavi,” Barca tweeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, as Spain slept.  “It wasn’t goodbye, it was see you later,” it wrote, along with a video montage of the player’s departure in 2015. Barcelona said in a statement they had reached an agreement with Xavi to become first-team coach for the rest of the season and two more seasons, replacing the sacked Ronald Koeman. “It is expected that Xavi Hernandez will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and that on Monday 8, November his presentation as new FC Barcelona first team coach will take place in an event open to the public at Camp Nou,” it said. Nicknamed the “Maquina” (the Machine), Xavi is widely considered one of the club’s greatest players and there is huge excitement about his potential as a coach after his influence on the iconic Barca team managed by Pep Guardiola. His passing style was seen as the embodiment of Guardiola’s “tiki-taka” team that won the treble in 2009. “One of the greatest midfield maestros of all time, he helped redefine the art with his creative mind, pinpoint passing and sublime ability to read the game,” Barca said in their statement, heralding the return of “an absolute legend”. Al Sadd, which Xavi had coached since 2019, hours earlier said they had reached an agreement with Barca and posted photos on social media of the Spaniard saying goodbye to the players and staff. – ‘The dream’ – Barcelona’s attempt to appoint Xavi as Koeman’s successor had been held up on Friday over his Al Sadd release clause, with Xavi and Barca considering splitting the payment to complete the deal. Al Sadd said Barca had agreed to pay the clause in Xavi’s contract, which is reportedly set at around five million euros ($5.8 million), but Barcelona did not give any details of the deal in their statement. Spanish sports daily Marca headlined the club hero’s return and estimated the cost to Barca of sacking recent managers Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and Koeman at 32 million euros. Xavi had made no secret of his desire to return to Barcelona, which he joined through the club’s La Masia academy at the age of 11. “My main objective, when I can do it, is Barca,” Xavi told Marca last year. “It’s my home, that’s the dream.” Barcelona sat ninth in La Liga on Saturday morning, with concerns growing they might not qualify for next season’s Champions League. The club are also in dire financial straits, having posted debts of 1.35 billion euros. They could not afford to renew Lionel Messi’s contract in the summer, and the Argentine left for Paris Saint-Germain. Xavi will also be charged with improving the team’s style of play, which was a key criticism during the tenure of Koeman, another former Barca player. Xavi’s flight is due to touch down as Barca take on Celta Vigo in La Liga in Juan Barjuan’s last game as caretaker coach before he hands over to the man the fans are pinning their hopes on to turn the club around.

Barcelona (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez said he is prepared for the “biggest challenge of his career” before leaving Qatar for Spain on Saturday, as Barcelona’s legendary former midfielder returns home to take over as coach. Xavi’s appointment was confirmed by Barca in the early hours of Saturday morning and the 41-year-old will be presented to fans at Camp Nou on Monday. “I’m very happy as you can imagine, it’s the biggest challenge of my career,” Xavi told Spanish journalists at Doha airport. “I’m going home and I am very happy.” Xavi faces a huge challenge, with Barcelona adrift of La Liga’s top four, struggling to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League and grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. “I have also experienced bad situations,” Xavi said. “It’s not the best moment in the history of the club but I want to explain what my idea is and to work hard, to make a team. Obviously the first thing is to talk to the players to see how they are.” Xavi left...
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Rangers brush aside title rivals Hearts Glasgow (AFP) – Alfredo Morelos and Joe Aribo fired Rangers to a 2-0 win at Hearts on Sunday as the Scottish Premiership leaders extended their strong start under new boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Van Bronckhorst has won four successive league games since replacing Steven Gerrard after his predecessor’s move to Aston Villa. Morelos and Aribo scored in the early stages at Tynecastle, giving Rangers six consecutive league victories encompassing the end of Gerrard’s reign. Hearts had Josh Ginnelly sent off late on as they squandered a chance to close the gap on the champions. Rangers are 12 points clear of third placed Hearts and seven ahead of second placed Celtic, who host Motherwell later on Sunday. Van Bronckhorst made six changes to the Rangers side that began Thursday’s 1-1 draw at Lyon in the Europa League. Liam Boyce had a great chance to open the scoring for Hearts in the third minute when he ran on to John Souttar’s clipped ball over the top, but the Northern Ireland striker saw his lob tipped over by Allan McGregor. It was Rangers who scored with their first chance of the match after nine minutes when Ryan Kent’s cross reached Fashion Sakala and the Zambian cut the ball back to Morelos, who fired home from six yards out. Sakala shot just wide from close range moments later before Morelos headed wide from James Tavernier’s corner. Rangers’ second goal came in the 13th minute when Aribo ran on to a brilliant long diagonal from Connor Goldson and fired an angled low shot beyond the exposed Craig Gordon. Gary Mackay-Steven saw his angled shot pushed behind by McGregor early in the second half. Rangers had a let-off in the 53rd minute when Calvin Bassey knocked a Ginnelly cross off the underside of his own crossbar. Rangers remained a threat, however, and Scott Arfield and Sakala were both denied by saves from Gordon. Boyce fired over from close range after being set up by Mackay-Steven before Stephen Kingsley cracked a free kick off the bar from 30 yards out. In the 80th minute, Ginnelly was sent off after being shown a second yellow card for squaring up to Borna Barisic.

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