Solskjaer banking on United strikers against Sociedad
Manchester United’s strikers have not scored enough goals this season and they must start firing if the club are to find an extra edge in matches, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s Europa League last-32 tie against Real Sociedad.
United lead the Premier League with 50 goals in 24 matches but their front three of Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have scored only 18 combined, while midfielder Bruno Fernandes tops the charts with 14 strikes.
“We are the team who have scored the most goals in the league. Our strikers haven’t scored as much as we’d like to, that’s a good problem,” Solskjaer told reporters.
“If we can get them firing we’ll have another edge in the games. They are working hard and doing well in training.”
Solskjaer said Cavani and midfielder Donny van de Beek will miss the trip due to muscle injuries while Paul Pogba is not expected to return from a thigh injury this month.
Credit: supersport.com
Mourinho backs ‘amazing’ Lloris despite errors
Tottenham Hotspurs will face Austrian side Wolfsberger in Thursday’s Europa League last-32 first leg in Budapest.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said goalkeeper Hugo Lloris still has “all my trust and confidence” despite a number of costly errors in recent matches.
Nevertheless, Lloris is still likely to make way when Spurs return to Europa League action against Austrian side Wolfsberg on Thursday, with Joe Hart expected to come into the side.
When Spurs last played in Europe before Christmas they were top of the Premier League, but their form has nose-dived since and three wins from their past 12 league games have made them outsiders to qualify for the top four.
The Europa League could be their best route back into the Champions League but Mourinho has not closed the door to a top-four finish.
“It’s difficult in any case but it’s possible in both cases,” he said.
Credit: supersport.com
Milan want to be Europa surprise package
Stefano Pioli wants AC Milan to be the surprise of the season in the Europa League as he looks to put a shock Serie A defeat behind him against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.
The Italian club had to come through three qualifying rounds to reach the group stage, including a remarkable 9-8 penalty shootout win over Portuguese side Rio Ave in the playoffs.
Milan went on to top group H ahead of Lille, Sparta Prague and Celtic, and Pioli left no doubt about his side’s aspirations.
“We’re happy to be back playing in Europe again,” he told a news conference.
“The team must have the same desire to progress that we saw against Rio Ave – we want to be the surprise in the Europa League.”
The midweek trip to Belgrade, to face a Red Star side that is nine points clear on top of the Serbian SuperLiga, comes three days before a momentous Milan derby clash with Inter in Serie A.
Credit: supersport.com
Benfica welcome Arsenal in Rome
Benfica “host” Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The second leg next week will take place at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece – the home of Olympiacos. Overall though, it has not been a great season for Benfica so far.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are 10th in the Premier League. Their revival around the Christmas period hit a dead end. However, they recovered well to beat Leeds United 4-2 last weekend. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick as the Gunners were rampant
The Europa League represents Arsenal’s best chance to win a trophy this season. With that in mind, it is likely that Arteta will field a strong enough lineup to get a positive result against Benfica in this first leg.
Credit: sportskeeda.com
Resurgent Leicester travel to Slavia Prague
Leicester City take a break from their Premier League title challenge with a Europa League last-32 tie against Slavia Prague on Thursday night.
While the Foxes occupy third position in England’s top flight, Slavia are 10 points clear in the Czech Liga, dropping just six points in 19 matches.
Achieving Champions League football next season remains the priority, their best chance coming through the Premier League now that they sit in third place.
Nevertheless, Rodgers knows that there is an opportunity to win this competition, providing that he can find the right balance with his team selections over the coming months.
With Aston Villa to come on Sunday, Rodgers will make alterations to his starting lineup, but he will want to maintain the momentum generated from the 3-1 triumph over Liverpool at the weekend.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Australian Open: Tsitsipas beats Nadal in thriller
Rafael Nadal saw his bid for a 21st Grand Slam title end as Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas fought back from two sets down to reach the Australian Open semi-finals.
The Spanish second seed, 34, was stunned as Tsitsipas claimed a 3-6 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 7-5 victory in Melbourne.
Tsitsipas, 22, broke out into a huge smile, almost in disbelief, after converting his third match point.
Tsitsipas will face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in Friday’s semi-final.
“I’m speechless, I have no words to describe what just happened on court,” said Tsitsipas, who was still out of breath in his on-court interview.
“My tennis speaks for itself. It is an unbelievable feeling to fight at such a level and give it my all on the court.
“I started very nervous, I won’t lie. I don’t know what happened after the third set. I flew like a little bird.
“Everything worked for me and the feelings are indescribable.”
Credit: bbc.com
The post Today’s UEFA Europa League Round of 32 appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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