There are similarities between Yokohama F.Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

Pressing is a vital feature of Postecoglou and Klopp s teams, with both managers enforcing a high-octane brand of attacking football.

Postecoglou and Klopp were also coming off drought-ending title triumphs as the coronavirus pandemic set in.

In 2019, F.Marinos boss Postecoglou guided the Japanese club to their first J.League title since 2004, while Klopp ended Liverpool s 30-year league drought in the Premier League last season.

But F.Marinos were unable to back it up, finishing ninth and 36 points adrift of champions Kawasaki Frontale last year. Klopp has already publicly conceded Liverpool s title defence is over – the Reds are sixth and 19 poi…

Wrexham took the spoils in a hotly contested local derby as Phil Parkinson’s side won 1-0 at Tranmere to notch their second League Two victory of the season.

A second-half header from Aaron Hayden was the difference as the Red Dragons earned the bragging rights in the first fixture between these two since January 2018.

The visitors enjoyed the better of the early opportunities in a frantic opening with Ollie Palmer, Elliott Lee and James McClean coming the closest to opening the scoring.

At the other end, Rovers’ best chance fell to Kristian Dennis who was inches away from prodding the ball home at the far post following a Regan Hendry cross.

Wrexham continued to turn the screw after the break and were rewarded in the 56th minute when Hayden headed ho…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Wouter Burger from Stoke City in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed Stoke do not want to sell Burger, but the Potters could part company with the 23-year-old defensive midfielder for £12 million.

Burger has been on the books of Stoke since the summer of 2023 when he joined from Basel. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder was one of the best players for the Poteters this past campaign. The Dutchman made 31 starts and eight substitute appearances in the Championship for Stoke this past season, scoring three goals and providing four assists in those games. Burger scored one goal in one Carabao Cup and played once in the FA Cup for the Potters this past campaign.

Tottenham finished fifth in the Prem…

Rangers want to keep hold of Borna Barisic beyond the end of the season, according to . Barisic is out of contract at Rangers at the end of the season, and the Scottish Premiership club have offered a contract extension.

The report has claimed that Rangers have offered Barisic a two-year contract. The left-back has been on the books of the Gers since 2018 and is an important player in the team. The 30-year-old Croatia international defender helped Rangers win the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 and the Scottish Cup in 2022 and also helped the Gers reach the final of the UEFA Europa League in 2022.

Barisic has made five starts and one substitute appearance in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers this season, providing two assists in the process. The Gers are second in…

UEFA president Michel Platini is delighted with the progress being made at the Euro 2016 venues in France.

The tournament was awarded to Platini s home country in 2010 ahead of Italy and Turkey and the 11 venues it plans to use are all on schedule to be ready well in advance of the planned start date.

The event will be a 24-team tournament for the first time in its history after UEFA increased the number of participants from 16 at Euro 2012, with France, who have won the tournament on three occasions, not having to qualify as the home nation.

The work being done around the country will see some new stadiums being built and others being renovated. A new 50,000-seater stadium in Lille and a 35,624 capacity ground in Nice have already been completed, the new home fo…

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker:

Two sides who will be desperate to pick up a first-leg advantage on Saturday evening, Real Oviedo will welcome Eibar to the Estadio Carlos Tartiere.

Real Oviedo

Starting with the hosts, while Real Oviedo might have eventually clung to their play-off ticket earlier in the month, the Blues only scrapped by thanks to their goal difference. Signing off their Segunda adventure with an action-packed 4-3 loss away at Eibar, Luis Miguel Carrion’s men have struggled with their constancy over the past month. Signing off April with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Tenerife, the Asturias-based outfit collected just a trio of victories from any of their final eight Segunda appearances. However, knowing the importance of picking up a crucial first-leg…

According to Fabrizio Romano, Benjamin Sesko has decided to stay at RB Leipzig past this summer and sign a new, improved contract with the Bundesliga side.

Sesko s decision will have come as a huge disappointment for Arsenal and Chelsea, both of whom had hoped to bring the Slovenia international to the Premier League. Previous reports credited Newcastle and Manchester United with interest in his services as well. However, it is understood that the 21-year-old striker does have a gentleman s agreement with Leipzig over a potential departure in the future.

Having arrived from RB Salzburg last summer, Sesko scored 18 goals and contributed two assists in 42 matches across all competitions for Leipzig in 2023/24. He s currently heading to represent Slovenia at the Euros, wit…

Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse is considering changes for his side s must-win World Cup Group A clash against Ecuador on Tuesday.

Having lost to the Netherlands in their opening match, a 3-1 victory over Qatar kept the African champions hopes of advancing to the last 16 alive but Ecuador s draw against the Oranje gives the South American s the edge at Khalifa International Stadium.

Only a win will be enough for Senegal to progress to the knockout stage for the first time since reaching the quarter-finals in 2002, their first World Cup, and they will have to beat South American opposition at the World Cup for the first time having lost on two such previous occasions (Uruguay in 2002, Colombia in 2014).

Cisse is pondering tactical tweaks for the crucial clash.

…

The Champions League quarter-final second legs are here, and the competition s two most recent winners must overcome first-leg deficits to reach the final four on Tuesday.

Defending champions Chelsea were downed by a stunning Karim Benzema hat-trick at home to Real Madrid, who are bidding to be crowned European champions for a 14th time.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, suffered a shock reverse at Unai Emery s Villarreal, who will surely require a remarkable defensive performance to keep the free-scoring Bundesliga leaders at bay in Bavaria.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data from Tuesday s crucial European ties. 

MODE

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)

Real Madrid v Chelsea: Benzema brilliance puts hosts in driving seat

Thomas Muller described Germany s World Cup campaign in Qatar as an absolute disaster , heavily hinting at international retirement in the process.

While Hansi Flick s side were successful in their final match, beating Costa Rica 4-2, Japan s surprise 2-1 victory over Spain led to another group-stage exit at the World Cup.

Prior to 2018 in Russia, Germany had not failed to advance past the group stage at a World Cup since 1954 but have now endured an early exit in the past two tournaments.

For Muller, part of the squad that was victorious in 2014 in Brazil, it may now be his final appearance on the international stage, as he admitted he was unsure of his future steps.

It s an absolute disaster! I don t know what happens next, he told ARD after the match.…