Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel backed Neymar to score his next penalty, saying the forward was sad about his miss against Saint-Etienne.
Neymar hit the post with a second-half penalty in PSG s 4-0 victory in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
It came just days after the Brazilian handed spot-kick duties to Edinson Cavani during a Champions League thrashing of Galatasaray.
But Tuchel still believes in Neymar, who provided two assists in the comfortable league win, from the spot.
I m always a little nervous as a coach, that s normal, he told a news conference.
When he shoots, normally, I m pretty sure he scores. He s sad because he still wants to score, it was a great opportunity for him.
But he s going to kick the next penalty, and I m sur…
Marcel Koller’s side still have a chance of progressing through to the knockouts and Austria manager has already backed his players to find their form when it matters the most in order to dispatch Iceland and keep their place in the competition.
Euro debutants Iceland will go through with a win, which would be their first-ever at the tournament and against Austria as well. The teams played 1-1 in an Innsbruck friendly in May 2014, but this time a place in the round of 16 is at stake and developments in Group F will be under great scrutiny tonight.
Ladbrokes are ready to back David Alaba to score and Austria to win against Iceland with an enhanced offer of 5/1 instead of 4/1. Simply and place your bets for a possibility to earn big with this match.
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Dani Alves has told former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi to ignore his critics after his Copa America final penalty miss.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner failed from the spot in Argentina s shootout defeat to Chile and announced his international retirement after Sunday s game.
Messi lost all four of his major finals with his national team and this was a third in three years, coming after the 2014 World Cup defeat to Germany and another setback against Chile in the 2015 Copa.
However, Alves, who has this week joined Juventus from Barca, had comforting words for his great friend.
I did not see the end because it was late and I had commitments, he said. No one can take away Leo s greatness.
It s a pleasure to be his friend. He must be with p…
Andy Carroll has been told he will need to lower his wage demands if he is to sign for West Ham United, the Mirror understands.
The 24 year olds representatives last week requested £100,000 a week, a figure which would represents a £20,000 pay rise for the player.
However, despite their eagerness to complete a permanent deal the Hammers are standing firm, insisting that such an amount is out of the question.
The England international is understood to have hoped for a move back to home town club Newcastle United, where he spent five seasons before moving to Anfield for £35million in January 2011, though no offer has been forthcoming.
Carroll made just two appearances for Liverpool last season, before being sent out on loan to West Ham, where he sco…
Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear has insisted that Yohan Cabaye will stay at the club despite reported interest from Monaco.
The midfielder has been linked with a move to the big-spending Ligue 1 outfit, with Newcastle moving to deny that the France international had completed a medical at the Stade Louis II.
Kinnear, who confirmed he had agreed to return to St James Park on Sunday, was quick to reaffirm the Premier League club s stance, and stated his confidence that the former Lille man would not be going anywhere during the transfer window.
He (Cabaye) will stay, Kinnear told the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
We don t feel we have to sell our top stars. The only players we will move on are the ones that are coming up short. You can t have that at a massive f…
Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland will swiftly come toe-to-toe with their former teammates following Thursday s group-stage draw for the Champions League.
Fresh from his move to Camp Nou in the transfer window, Lewandowski will return to familiar surroundings with Barcelona and Bayern Munich – who boast 11 Champions League/European Cup titles between them – drawn in a tough Group C along with Inter.
And another reunion will see Haaland come up against Borussia Dortmund, whom he left to join Pep Guardiola s Manchester City. They find themselves in Group G alongside Sevilla and Copenhagen.
Another heavyweight clash will take place in Group H, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus set to lock horns.
Chelsea, England s most recent winners of the com…
Michael Owen received a public apology and undisclosed damages Wednesday from a British newspaper which had claimed that his career was over.
Owen launched a libel action at London s High Court against the Daily Express newspaper after it published an article last month headlined: Unwanted Toon striker at a cross roads, Finished at 29?
That was accompanied by another piece which said: Owen ready for sad finale .
Owen s lawyer John Kelly told the court: These incredulous allegations are entirely without foundation and were obviously extremely distressing, hurtful and damaging to the claimant.
Express Newspapers agreed to pay damages and Owen s legal costs, accepted that the claims were false and apologised.
Afterwards, a spokesman for Owen said:…
Mikel Arteta has made trimming Arsenal s squad his priority for the January transfer window, admitting the club cannot sustain the number of players currently on their books.
The Gunners brought in five new first-team players during the close season but only made one sale, with back-up goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez heading to Aston Villa.
A number of big names, such as Mesut Ozil, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, have subsequently struggled for minutes this term or been frozen out.
And while Arsenal continue to be linked with the likes of Isco and Joan Jordan, Arteta is keen to offload before bringing in any more new faces.
We have a large squad. We knew that and a lot of things we wanted to do in the summer we couldn t acco…
Carlo Ancelotti admitted his Real Madrid side were not 100 per cent motivated as they fell to a 3-2 LaLiga defeat to Villarreal.
Samuel Chukwueze s inspired performance led the Yellow Submarine to a memorable win at the Santiago Bernabeu, marking the first time they have secured a LaLiga double against Los Blancos.
While Villarreal had everything to play for as they continue their charge to achieve a top-four finish and Champions League football, Madrid s attention is focused on other competitions.
Ancelotti s side swept Barcelona aside on Wednesday to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey final, while a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea lies ahead.
Sitting 12 points behind leaders Barca, Ancelotti admitted it is difficult for his team to be moti…
Newly-crowned Serie A champions are said to have rejected a lucrative bid for defender Mattia Caldara.
The Italian media report that French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain have lodged a bid in excess of €40 million offer for the 24-year-old defender who joined Bianconeri in January 2017 but ended up spending the last 18 months on loan at Atalanta.
The former Italy Under-21 international is expected to re-join Juventus this summer as Serie A champions think of him as a huge part of their future project.
The Italian press claim Juventus board will block any further advances for the defender who is expected to be given a pivotal role at the back, replacing the ageing Juventus duo – Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.
Caldara made 23 Serie A appearan…