Verona’s in-form Simeone condemns Juve to another loss Milan (AFP) – Giovanni Simeone struck twice as Verona beat Juventus 2-1 in Serie A on Saturday to hand Massimiliano’s struggling team a second loss in four days. Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego, put Verona ahead when he turned in a rebound at the Stadio Bentegodi on 11 minutes. The Argentine added a quick-fire second with a sublime curling effort from 20 metres, giving him six goals in his past two starts having scored four times against Lazio last weekend. Paulo Dybala hit the crossbar just before half-time for a Juve side missing the injured Federico Chiesa, but the visitors pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left when Weston McKennie powered in his second in as many games. Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo produced a brilliant stop to deny Paulo Dybala an equaliser in the final minute. After recovering from a dreadful start to the season with four straight wins, Juve have picked up just one point from three matches and sit ninth, 13 points behind Napoli and AC Milan at the top. Verona have won all four home games since the appointment of former Juve assistant Igor Tudor in mid-September. The ex-Croatia international served as deputy to Andrea Pirlo in Turin last season. Atalanta scored in added time at the end of each half to salvage a 2-2 home draw against Lazio that prevented either team clambering into the top four. Duvan Zapata scored with the last kick of the first half to cancel out an early goal by Pedro. Then Marten de Roon struck in the fourth minute of second-half added time to level after Ciro Immobile had scored a goal that made him Lazio’s joint all-time leading scorer. After the opening game of the weekend, Atalanta stayed fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Roma. Lazio remained sixth, a point behind. Pedro gave the visitors the lead in the 18th minute when he drove in a rebound from a close-range shot by Immobile. At the end of the half, Zapata shrugged off Adam Marusic and powered in a shot that Pepe Reina reached but could not save. In the 74th minute, substitute Toma Basic found Immobile in the middle of the box and the striker put the ball over the diving Juan Musso. It was Immobile’s league-leading ninth goal of the season and also the 31-year-old’s 159th for Lazio, who he joined from Sevilla in 2016. That puts him level with World Cup-winning striker Silvio Piola who played for the club from 1934-43 before finishing World War II at Torino and ending his 25-year career at Juventus and Novara.

Milan (AFP) – Giovanni Simeone struck twice as Verona beat Juventus 2-1 in Serie A on Saturday to hand Massimiliano’s struggling team a second loss in four days.

Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego, put Verona ahead when he turned in a rebound at the Stadio Bentegodi on 11 minutes.

The Argentine added a quick-fire second with a sublime curling effort from 20 metres, giving him six goals in his past two starts having scored four times against Lazio last weekend.

Paulo Dybala hit the crossbar just before half-time for a Juve side missing the injured Federico Chiesa, but the visitors pulled a goal back with 10 minutes left when Weston McKennie powered in his second in as many games.

Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo produced a brilliant stop to deny Paulo Dybala an equaliser in the final minute.

After recovering from a dreadful start to the season with four straight wins, Juve have picked up just one point from three matches and sit ninth, 13 points behind Napoli and AC Milan at the top.

Verona have won all four home games since the appointment of former Juve assistant Igor Tudor in mid-September. The ex-Croatia international served as deputy to Andrea Pirlo in Turin last season.

Atalanta scored in added time at the end of each half to salvage a 2-2 home draw against Lazio that prevented either team clambering into the top four.

Duvan Zapata scored with the last kick of the first half to cancel out an early goal by Pedro.

Then Marten de Roon struck in the fourth minute of second-half added time to level after Ciro Immobile had scored a goal that made him Lazio’s joint all-time leading scorer.

After the opening game of the weekend, Atalanta stayed fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Roma. Lazio remained sixth, a point behind.

Pedro gave the visitors the lead in the 18th minute when he drove in a rebound from a close-range shot by Immobile.

At the end of the half, Zapata shrugged off Adam Marusic and powered in a shot that Pepe Reina reached but could not save.

In the 74th minute, substitute Toma Basic found Immobile in the middle of the box and the striker put the ball over the diving Juan Musso.

It was Immobile’s league-leading ninth goal of the season and also the 31-year-old’s 159th for Lazio, who he joined from Sevilla in 2016.

That puts him level with World Cup-winning striker Silvio Piola who played for the club from 1934-43 before finishing World War II at Torino and ending his 25-year career at Juventus and Novara.

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New York eye Timbers upset in MLS Cup final Portland (AFP) – New York City boss Ronny Deila says his team are ready to rip up the form book once more when they take on the Portland Timbers in Oregon on Saturday looking to claim the club’s first Major League Soccer crown. After an Eastern Conference playoff run which included away victories over the top-seeded New England Revolution and second-seeded Philadelphia Union, Deila is plotting another upset on the road against a Timbers team targeting a second MLS Cup title. “What we have done so far has been just amazing,” said Deila. “But the biggest one is coming on Saturday and we’ll do everything to win there.” The 46-year-old Norwegian coach, who guided Celtic to back-to-back Scottish titles in 2015 and 2016, says City’s giant-killing playoff run is sign of his team’s increasing maturity. “We haven’t dealt with the pressure before, and now we’re starting to do that,” said Deila. “I think the learning for the whole club to win football games and how to deal with that and how to win them when the pressure is up, that’s something you have to learn over time.” Victory over Portland on Saturday would mark a major milestone for City, who joined MLS in 2015 as the league’s 20th expansion team amid much fanfare. Part of the global City Football Group headed by English champions Manchester City, the early years of the New York franchise were loaded with expectations, which for the most part remained unfulfilled. Star names such as Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David Villa helped the club gain a foothold in the league, but were ultimately unable to deliver any silverware. In recent seasons however the club’s recruitment strategy has pivoted towards younger, up-and-coming talent — either homegrown or from overseas — enabling Deila to build a hungry squad now just 90 minutes away from a first MLS championship. – Playoff heartbreak – Defensive midfielder James Sands, a 21-year-old product of City’s academy, embodies the club’s new spirit. “I’ve seen this team have such a tough go of it in playoffs,” Sands said after last week’s victory over the Union in Philadelphia which sealed the Eastern Conference crown. “I remember previous years in the playoffs losing to Columbus, losing to Toronto, losing to Orlando – all such heartbreaking games. “To finally get over that hurdle means a lot and it means a lot for everybody, but especially the guys who have been on the team a couple years and have gone through it.” City goalkeeper Sean Johnson says a win on Saturday would mark the culmination of what he describes as “an unbelievable commitment to success.” “It’s taken a little bit but the guys have been committed to making sure that we achieve something,” Johnson said. City face a Timbers side steeped in history which dates back to their earliest incarnation as a member of the North American Soccer League between 1975 and 1982. Since their rebirth as a Major League Soccer expansion team in 2011, the club has won one MLS Cup, in 2015, and reached the final three years ago, where they finished runners-up to Atlanta United. Under head coach Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers have reached the playoffs four years running. This season’s playoff run included an upset win over Colorado in the Western Conference semi-finals, before Real Salt Lake were vanquished at home last weekend. “To be able to host MLS Cup, it is a dream come to reality,” Savarese said. “This team works so hard, the players, the staff, everyone, on a difficult season,” the Venezuelan added. “The guys were able to turn things around and we host this game here. It was something that we wanted to have and it became a reality.”

Portland (AFP) – New York City boss Ronny Deila says his team are ready to rip up the form book once more when they take on the Portland Timbers in Oregon on Saturday looking to claim the club’s first Major League Soccer crown. After an Eastern Conference playoff run which included away victories over the top-seeded New England Revolution and second-seeded Philadelphia Union, Deila is plotting another upset on the road against a Timbers team targeting a second MLS Cup title. “What we have done so far has been just amazing,” said Deila. “But the biggest one is coming on Saturday and we’ll do everything to win there.” The 46-year-old Norwegian coach, who guided Celtic to back-to-back Scottish titles in 2015 and 2016, says City’s giant-killing playoff run is sign of his team’s increasing maturity. “We haven’t dealt with the pressure before, and now we’re starting to do that,” said Deila. “I think the learning for the whole club to win football games and how to deal with that and how

Calvert-Lewin set for scoring spree, says Everton assistant boss London (AFP) – Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson said he was confident that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would start “battering” in the goals again after the England forward ended his drought. Calvert-Lewin scored the first goal in Everton’s 3-0 win against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie. His 15th goal of the season was his first since early December, although he had missed the previous two matches due to a hamstring injury. “We are delighted for Dominic,” said Ferguson, himself a former Everton forward. “We know he can score goals, he has scored goals for over a season now. “He is a top player, we are delighted he is back and fit and well, and I am sure he will go from strength to strength and he’ll keep battering them in.” Calvert-Lewin’s goal helped Everton reach the fifth round for the first time since 2016. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, chasing their first silverware since winning the 1995 FA Cup, are also riding high in the Premier League, in sixth spot, and host third-placed Leicester on Wednesday. “I’ve missed it,” Calvert-Lewin told BT Sport. “I’ve worked hard to get back to full fitness quickly, had a good week training and it’s good to be back. To get the goal early settles you back in, and it feels good to be back in the goals.” Calvert-Lewin said even though Everton were well-placed in the league, the FA Cup could present their best chance of winning a trophy this season. “It’s another chance to bring silverware to this club, which we’ve been working hard (for),” he said. “We want to bring it back and it’s a great opportunity for us to go all the way.”

London (AFP) – Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson said he was confident that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would start “battering” in the goals again after the England forward ended his drought. Calvert-Lewin scored the first goal in Everton’s 3-0 win against Championship side Sheffield Wednesday in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie. His 15th goal of the season was his first since early December, although he had missed the previous two matches due to a hamstring injury. “We are delighted for Dominic,” said Ferguson, himself a former Everton forward. “We know he can score goals, he has scored goals for over a season now. “He is a top player, we are delighted he is back and fit and well, and I am sure he will go from strength to strength and he’ll keep battering them in.” Calvert-Lewin’s goal helped Everton reach the fifth round for the first time since 2016. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, chasing their first silverware since winning the 1995 FA Cup, are also riding high in the Premier Le

Leicester reaping benefits of Rodgers reign as Liverpool suffer familiar fall London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power. Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool. The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title. Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field. Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once the Uruguayan departed for Barcelona, they plunged to sixth the following season. “You can always think we could have been better or done things differently but it was just how it evolved. We had set an expectation that we could challenge but then we lost a world-class player and even though we were very much all about the team, Luis was very much part of that,” Rodgers told The Guardian ahead of his return to Anfield for the first time with Leicester last season. Liverpool have experienced a similar fate this season since Virgil van Dijk suffered cruciate ligament damage in October. The Dutchman’s absence has been compounded by season-ending injuries for fellow centre-backs Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Klopp’s men have won just three of their last 11 games to exit the FA Cup and fall 10 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, who also have a game in hand. Sitting between the two clubs that have dominated English football for the past four seasons are a Leicester side moulded by Rodgers into consistent challengers for the Champions League places. – Restored reputation – Rodgers, 48, arrived in the Midlands having restored his reputation in two-and-a-half years with Celtic. The seven domestic trophies he won in Scotland were decried by some given the Hoops’ financial advantage over the competition, but Celtic’s struggles this season show it is not as easy to wipe the board as he made it look. The Celtic support were stung by the timing of his departure, just months before they would secure an eighth consecutive league title. But Rodgers could see the potential talent in a Leicester squad that had gone backwards under Claude Puel. A crop of young players such as James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi have been developed alongside veteran Premier League winners Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Jonny Evans. Often criticised for his role in Liverpool’s transfer committee during his time at Anfield, Leicester’s savvy transfer recruitment has continued in Rodgers’s time in charge with the signings of James Justin, Caglar Soyuncu, Youri Tielemans and Wesley Fofana. Instant signs of improvement were obvious as Leicester rose from 11th to ninth in Rodgers first few months in charge and nearly helped deliver Liverpool’s league title a year earlier as they were holding City at bay in the penultimate game of the 2018/19 season until Vincent Kompany’s thunderbolt 20 minutes from time at the Etihad. A fifth-placed finish last season ultimately felt like a disappointment after a run of three wins in their final 14 league games blew the chance of Champions League football. Now they are determined not to make the same mistake again, but must deal with fixture congestion on top of their financial disadvantage to hold off Liverpool and a rejuvenated Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. The return of the Europa League next week will put extra strain on Rodgers’s squad and they have also progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals. One feat that has so far been beyond the Leicester boss on his return to the Premier League is victory over his former club. Liverpool have won all three meetings between the sides in the past two seasons. But this time the Foxes have little to fear given the faltering form of Klopp’s men.

London (AFP) – Nearly two years on from the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, Leicester are again threatening to break the glass ceiling of the Premier League’s traditional “top six” to reach the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season. The third-placed Foxes lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of Saturday’s crucial meeting between the sides at the King Power. Rodgers can sympathise from personal experience with Jurgen Klopp’s struggles to halt a rapid slide in standards at Liverpool. The Northern Irishman was sacked in October 2015, just over a year after he came within three games of ending the Reds’ long wait for a league title. Klopp succeeded where Rodgers failed, romping to the title last season. However, the German has suffered a similar fall due to the loss of a talismanic presence on the field. Despite the presence of Steven Gerrard as captain, it was Luis Suarez who was the inspiration of Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/14. Once th

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