Stefano Pioli believes AC Milan should finish inside Serie A’s top four “as a minimum” ahead of their trip Atalanta on Saturday.
The 2021-22 champions reignite their bid for a second Scudetto in three years when they face Atalanta, who find themselves in eighth.Pioli emphasised the importance of a win if they are to heap pressure on Inter and Juventus in first and second.
The gaffer on
— AC Milan (@acmilan)
“There’s still a lot of football to be played before everything is decided, but we do need to put together a run of results in Serie A,” Pioli said.
“That’s what we’re aiming for. It’s our objective and tomorrow we have a great chance to do just that.
“We need to finish in the top four at a minimum but we’r…
Luciano Spalletti has praised Santos for not retiring Pele s number 10 shirt and hopes Napoli now do the same with Diego Maradona s famous jersey.
Santos announced on Sunday they had dropped plans to leave the number vacant following last week s death of club legend Pele, who previously said he was against the idea.
Napoli retired Maradona s number 10 in 2000, 20 years before his death, as a tribute to the Argentina great s starring role in their only two Serie A title triumphs.
But Spalletti believes making the shirt available again can inspire Napoli s current crop of players, who are on course to end the club s 33-year wait for Scudetto glory.
I want to congratulate those who decided not to retire Pele s number 10, meeting his request, Spalletti said …
West Ham have confirmed the signing of Maxwel Cornet from Burnley for a reported £17.5million fee.
Cornet, who signed for Burnley from Ligue 1 club Lyon in 2021, impressed during his first season in England, scoring nine Premier League goals.
Yet the 25-year-old s efforts were not enough to keep Burnley up, as the Clarets suffered relegation for the first time since 2015.
Cornet never looked likely to stay with Vincent Kompany s team in the Championship, and the versatile winger has now made the switch to London, agreeing a five-year deal with an additional one-year option.
Welcome to West Ham United, Maxwel Cornet!
— West Ham United (@WestHam)
It s a new step for me to join this big club and I m really happy to be here, to be part…
Maidstone goalkeeper Lucas Covolan is eyeing a move to the Sky Bet Championship after a “normal day at the office” in the club’s historic 2-1 win at Ipswich.
National League South club Maidstone produced one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets on Saturday after goals from Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne in Suffolk.
Covolan also starred at Portman Road as Maidstone lost the shot count 38-2, but had their former Brazil Under-20 goalkeeper to thank following a string of excellent saves.
keeepppaahh
— Maidstone United (@maidstoneunited)
It helped Maidstone become only the 11th non-league club to reach the fifth round in what was their seventh tie in this season’s competition.
“It’s a normal day at the office isn’t it,” Covolan …
Napoli have dismissed Walter Mazzarri and made former coach Francesco Calzona their third boss of the season.
Calzona is currently Slovakia manager and will combine the role alongside taking charge of the current Serie A champions until the end of the season.
Mazzarri returned to Naples in November after Rudi Garcia was sacked after five months, but ex-Watford chief Mazzarri has now left his post after eight defeats in 17 matches.
Francesco Calzona is the new head coach of Napoli. Welcome, Francesco!
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)
“I thank Walter Mazzarri, a friend of the De Laurentiis family and of Napoli, for supporting the team in a complex moment,” Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Ralf Rangnick has not yet discussed his Manchester United future beyond this season as the interim manager gave his full backing to successor Erik ten Hag.
United confirmed on Thursday that Ajax head coach Ten Hag will take over from Rangnick in the Old Trafford hotseat from the end of this season.
The Dutchman, who has a 73.8 per cent win rate across 210 games in charge of Ajax, will become the Red Devils fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Ten Hag has won two KNVB Cups and two Eredivisie titles in his four full campaigns at Ajax, with the Dutch giants on the verge of finishing top of the table again this term.
And while Rangnick does not have a personal connection with Ten Hag, he is a fan of the 52-year-old s style of play.
…
Best odds: 4/6
Bookmaker:
Bayern Munich has the opportunity to secure their place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League when they face Galatasaray in Group A at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
The perpetual Bundesliga champions aim to complete a double victory over their Turkish opponents after winning 3-1 in the reverse fixture two weeks ago.
Bayern Munich
Three days after a humbling exit from the DFB-Pokal in the second round at the hands of third-tier side Saarbrucken, Bayern Munich bounced back in impressive fashion by defeating Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund 4-0 at Westfalenstadion on Saturday.
Dayot Upamecano opened the scoring for Bayern in the fourth minute, and Harry Kane delivered a brilliant hat-trick in his Der Kl…
Ralf Rangnick apologised to Manchester United s supporters after what he said was their worst performance under his management, as the Red Devils capitulated in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion.
United fell behind to Moises Caicedo s first-half strike before Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross, and Leandro Trossard scored second-half goals to condemn the Red Devils to a humiliating defeat at the Amex Stadium.
The Red Devils have now conceded more league goals this season (56) than they have in any other Premier League campaign, and with 58 points after 37 games, are guaranteed to record their lowest points tally in the competition (previously 64 in 2013-14).
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have now conceded four or more goals in 12 separate Premier L…
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
Desperate to avoid a major EURO 24 qualifying upset on Thursday night, Poland will welcome Estonia to the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
Poland
Starting with the hosts, although Poland might have come under plenty of scrutiny during their EURO 24 qualifying adventure last year, it is no surprise that the Eagles are tipped as a leading contender to punch their ticket to Germany. Smelling a golden opportunity on Thursday night, new boss Michal Probierz will simply be looking to avoid an infamous qualifying upset here. Despite winning just a trio of their previous 10 competitive appearances across all competitions, Poland will certainly be excited by their remarkable qualifying success on home soil. In fact, Probierz’s men are unbeaten in all…
Market: Venezia draw no bet
Odds: 8/11 @
In what is a real battle at the top of the Serie B table, Venezia will welcome Cremonese to the Pier Luigi Penzo on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Venezia might have eventually fallen short in their bid to punch a play-off ticket last season, the Winged Lions have come roaring back this time around. Gaining a string of plaudits from across Italy’s second-tier, Paolo Vanoli still have their sights set on securing an automatic top-flight return. Opening up Friday’s season-defining showdown sat just three points adrift of breaking into the top-two, the Venice-based outfit find the mood in their camp at a real high. Last seen mounting a second-half comeback away at Lecco as they secured a 2-1 victory, the fo…