It has been a frustrating fourteen months for Gary Hooper at Sheffield Wednesday.

The forward has missed the last 60 league games for the Owls after suffering a serious knee injury last season against Nottingham Forest, an absence which incredibly saw him fail to make a single appearance during Jos Luhakey’s reign at the club.

After a lengthy period of rehabilitation, Hooper is expected to return to the squad for the Yorkshire-based outfit’s clash at Stoke City (according to quotes on the club’s Facebook channel via HITC) which could be great news for Steve Bruce who has experienced an outstanding start to his Hillsborough career since taking charge of his first game in February.

The Owls are currently on a ten game unbeaten run in the Championship and are just two points behind Aston Villa who currently occupy the final play-off position. A resurgence in form has allowed supporters to dream of a trip to Wembley Stadium in May but in order to achieve this, they will need to overcome tough fixtures against the likes of Leeds United and Norwich City in the coming weeks. Although it will be an almighty task to beat two of the best sides in the second tier this season, if Bruce can get Hooper firing again, there is no reason why they cannot cause a major shake-up in the automatic promotion race.

Before his injury, the 31-year-old forward was on course to record his best ever total of goals for the club since his £3m switch from Norwich in 2015 (via the 72), having scored on 10 occasions in 24 league games. If he can reach similar levels of performance upon his return for Wednesday, he may end up providing the boost needed for the club to reach the play-offs.

However, when you consider the length of his absence, there is no guarantee that Hooper will be able to replicate his previous performances and so Bruce will have to be patient with the former Celtic ace.

What do you think Owls fans? How big of a boost is it to have Hooper back from injury? Could he fire you to play-off glory? Get in touch below.

أكد الفرنسي زين الدين زيدان، المدير الفني لـ ريال مدريد، أن فريقه يستهدف استغلال مباراة الكلاسيكو غدًا أمام برشلونة للفوز وتغيير الوضع، بعد هزيمتين في الليجا ودوري أبطال أوروبا، أمام قادش وشاختار دونيستك، على الترتيب.

وشدد زيدان على قوة الفريق الكتالوني، ونشرت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، تصريحاته خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة.

وقال الفرنسي: “نحن دائما نشاهد المباراة، لقد بدأنا بشكل سيء، بمعنى أنه عندما يكون هناك هدف، لم نكن قادرين على رفع رؤوسنا، لم نجد حل، إنها كرة القدم، وهناك ارتفاعات وانخفاضات في الموسم”.

وأضاف: “نريد الاستعداد بشكل جيد لمباراتنا، وهي مباراة مختلفة، وننسى ما حدث لنا، ومنذ وقت ليس ببعيد كنا نواجه صعوبات، الوضع غريب بعض الشيء، عليك أن تتقبله عندما تكون الأمور منتظمة، هذه مباراة خاصة لإعادة تأسيس قوتنا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. زيدان عن مستقبله قبل الكلاسيكو: الانتقادات لا تغييرني ولا أحب أن أكون الضحية

وعن أنسو فاتي وفينيسيوس، أردف زيدان: “الكلاسيكو هو الكلاسيكو، ستكون مباراة جيدة رغم الوضع والملعب الخالي من الجمهور، نحن نعلم بالفعل الوضع، كلاسيكو برشلونة ومدريد للجميع، يدور حول فريق بعد فريق دائمًا”.

وشدد مدرب ريال مدريد: “بعد هزيمتين متتاليتين، مباراة الكلاسيكو هي أفضل طريقة لكي نقلب الوضع، ولنقول بأننا نريد تغيير الوضع، تقديم مباراة جيدة هو ما نريده”.

وبشأن انعدام الثقة، أستطرد زيدان: “في 48 ساعة الماضية كنا نعمل علىا لتحضير للمباراة، ما سيتغير هو المباراة نفسها، ابدأ بقوة، الثقة تتماشى مع ما ستفعله في الملعب”.

وعن برشلونة، أكد : “إنه فريق كان دائمًا قوياً، لكل مدرب أشيائه، لكن برشلونة دائمًا ما يكون برشلونة، إنه فريق تنافسي يعرف كيف يلعب ويمكن أن يعقد الأمور بالنسبة لك، لن أخوض في تفاصيل ما يفعلونه، سنواجه مباراة صعبة “.

وعما يجب أن يفعله لعكس الموقف، أوضح: “علينا إيجاد الحل، أنا أنتقد نفسي، فأنا المحرك للتحسين، يمكننا جميعًا تغيير الأشياء معًا، بعد الهزيمة كمدرب، تأتي معظم الانتقادات مني وبشكل طبيعي، أنا لا أنظر إلى الماضي، أنا مهتم بما ينتظرنا ولدينا الفرصة للعب مباراة جيدة”.

وواصل زيدان: “لدينا حافز كبير، سندخل المباراة للفوز، نحن نفعل ذلك دائمًا ولكن في بعض الأحيان لا تسير الأمور بشكل جيد لأسباب مختلفة، علينا أن نضع تركيزنا وتفانينا على أرض الملعب”.

وتابع: “لا توجد مباراة سهلة، أحيانًا لا تسير الأمور على ما يرام، في بعض المباريات ندخل بشكلٍ جيد، ولكن استقبال الهدف يكلفنا كثيرًا”.

وأتم زيدان: “لطالما كان ريال مدريد يعاني من الصعود والهبوط وهذا النادي يريد دائمًا الظهور، في كل مرة يحين دوره، وغدًا مرحلة مهمة”.

أفادت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية، أن نادي ريال مدريد يسعى لإعارة لاعبه فرانشيسكو إيسكو، خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية، يناير المقبل 2021.

إيسكو هذا الموسم يعاني من عدم المشاركة أساسيًا مع المدرب زين الدين زيدان، في ظل تراجع مستوى اللاعب الإسباني.

طالع أيضًا.. زيدان: هويسكا؟ خصم معقد مثل برشلونة وسنلعب المباراة كأنها نهائي

صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية، أفادت أن ريال مدريد يخطط لإعارة إيسكو في يناير المقبل مع إجبارية الشراء مقابل 18 مليون يورو، في الصيف.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن ريال مدريد أبلغ موكلي اللاعب بأن يبحثوا له عن نادٍ، لخروجه من حسابات المدرب زين الدين زيدان.

إيسكو يرغب في اللعب بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ووكلاء أعماله يبحثون له عن نادٍ في إنجلترا، من أجل خروجه من جحيم المدرب زين الدين زيدان.

وانتقل إيسكو إلى ريال مدريد في 2013 قادمًا من ملجا، بعدما توج بجائزة أفضل لاعب شاب في العالم، ومنذ ذلك الحين يلعب بقميص النادي الملكي.

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Kemar Roofe has been passed fit for Leeds United as the Whites head to Birmingham City in the Championship this weekend.

The forward has been on the sidelines since picking up a knee injury against Swansea City in the middle of February.

However, ahead of the trip to Birmingham, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa revealed that the 26-year-old was available once again.

Roofe has scored 14 Championship goals for the Whites this season and his return is absolutely vital at a key period of the season.

Indeed, Bielsa’s side currently sit second in the Championship having won four of their last five matches, including a 3-2 success over Millwall last time out.

It is a huge few days for Leeds as they travel to Birmingham this weekend before making the trip to Preston North End on Tuesday night.

And Roofe is now ready to play his part.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

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According to Football Insider, Everton are considering a move for Birmingham City forward Che Adams in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Everton are widely expected to move for a new striker this summer amid suggestions that Cenk Tosun will be leaving Goodison Park.

As per Football Insider, the Toffees are huge admirers of Adams, who is enjoying a terrific campaign for Birmingham.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has found the back of the net on 22 occasions in 40 Championship appearances for the Blues during the 2018-19 season.

Burnley were strongly linked with a move for the forward in January, with the Clarets said to have offered in excess of £12m for his services.

It does seem likely that Adams will leave St Andrew’s this summer and Everton could be about to bring him to the Premier League.

What would the signing mean for Everton’s attack?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has only scored six Premier League goals this season, but there is no question that the 22-year-old has impressed.

He was terrific against Arsenal at the weekend and the thought of Adams operating in tandem with Calvert-Lewin will be exciting for Everton supporters.

Theo Walcott has struggled this term, but Bernard and Richarlison have both shown their qualities, while Gylfi Sigurdsson has managed 12 top flight goals.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Tosun has proved that spending big money on foreign strikers is not always the way forward and if Adams arrived to supplement the likes of Calvert-Lewin in the final third then Everton could cause all sorts of problems next season.

Adams is untried and untested in the Premier League, but his goal record this season simply cannot be ignored and the Toffees should seriously consider a summer swoop.

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According to The Times, Real Madrid have cooled their interest in Christian Eriksen as they are reluctant to do business with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy once again.

Levy, known as a very tough negotiator, is said to value Eriksen at around £60m, despite the fact that the Denmark international will see his contract with the London club expire at the end of next season.

Real Madrid have been consistently linked with a move, but according to The Times, Los Blancos are ready to drop their interest.

And the Tottenham fans have been on social media offering their reaction.

It remains to be seen whether Eriksen, who has scored nine times this season, pens a fresh deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a number of clubs would happily sign him.

If the European champions have dropped their interest that is excellent news for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, though, as they attempt to keep the playmaker in the English capital.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Celtic are expected to make quite a few changes to the squad this summer, but there’s one man who will be going absolutely nowhere.

While things have certainly become more secure since the turn of the year, Celtic’s defensive woes looked sure to be the weakness that may eventually allow Rangers to creep back into the title race earlier on in the season.

Dedryck Boyata can be wonderful one week and invisible the next (quite literally in Athens), Jozo Simunovic clearly has ability but is yet to put it all together on the pitch, while Jack Hendry may just be a lost cause.

Kristoffer Ajer however, has gotten better and better as the season has gone on, and John Hartson is delighted by his progress.

What did he say?

Writing in his column for The Evening Times, Hartson said: “I was always a fan of Kristoffer Ajer who had his best game for Celtic on Sunday.

“He took a really sore one in the face in the first-half and, take it from a man who knows, getting a boot right there is not nice.

“Ajer got up, shrugged off the pain and went on to play a massive role in the win.

“I like the way he plays out from the back. He reads the game a lot better and has improved in the air.

“It was good to see him taking on more responsibility when Celtic went down to ten after Dedryck Boyata went off.”

Ready for more responsibility?

Hartson has got it spot on. Ajer has always showed glimpses of his tremendous ability and composure on the ball, but it is the physical and mental side of the game he often struggled with.

On Sunday, in arguably football’s most intense derby, the young Norwegian looked like he had been there and done it all before a thousand times over, constantly mopping up with relative ease.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

As Hartson notes, the pressure on him was even greater once Boyata went off injured, and the 20 year-old took it all in stride.

If Ajer can add the type of physically imposing presence and commanding leadership that he showed on Sunday to the already-impressive ball skills he possesses, then the Bhoys are going to have one hell of a player on their hands.

In fact, fans have often worried about the lack of leadership in defence if Boyata goes, but Ajer may even be ready to step into that leadership role immediately on Sunday’s evidence, especially if he keeps getting votes of confidence like the one from Hartson.

Two of Europe’s most renowned managers go face to face in one of the games of the season tonight. After a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City men have it all to do against Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham. 

Regardless of the outcome, one thing can be certain – this is a battle between two of the finest managers the Premier League has seen in recent years. Although working at largely different ends of the footballing spectrum, there are similarities between Guardiola and Pochettino that make them interesting to compare.

The two managers share a similar philosophy and style, both have managed in Spain and both prioritise youth. Equally, they have equally experienced the highs and lows in Europe since their arrival in England.

Forget what Guardiola did prior to his arrival in Manchester, however hard that may be. The question we’re analysing here, is who has been better in Europe at their current respective clubs, Guardiola or Pochettino?

Let’s take a closer look at this battle below.

Pep Guardiola

Guardiola’s record is there for all to see. Despite enduring a rather turbulent first season in Manchester, Guardiola has truly stamped his authority on a City team now feared by most. They have a real chance to win the quadruple this season, a feat that would surely make this City team one of the greatest the Premier League has ever seen.

Where Guardiola has enjoyed league and cup success, European glory has thus far painfully avoided the decorated manager. In his first season in charge, Guardiola failed to win a single trophy – the only time this has ever happened in his career. City finished second in a relatively comfortable Champions League group, with former club Barcelona the only real threat.

However, they were knocked out on away goals by Monaco. At the time, this was deemed a devastating blow. Monaco went on to lose in the semi-final, but they won Ligue 1 after gaining a staggering 95 points. Perhaps this one wasn’t as bad a defeat as first thought.

On to the 2017-18 season. This was one in which City were all but unstoppable. In reaching 100 Premier League points, they broke the record for the highest ever points tally. However, much to Guardiola’s dismay, the Champions League continued to elude them. After a dominant group stage, the confidence was sky high.

This time, a favourable draw in Basel allowed them to progress to the quarter-finals. However, it was there that they were dismantled by English rivals, Liverpool. A 5-1 aggregate scoreline shocked the world.

Once again – Guardiola had failed.

This season, as we all know, City are once again have reached the Champions League quarter-final stage. Again it’s English opposition in Tottenham.

The first leg certainly didn’t go as planned for Guardiola, who finds his team 1-0 down. Of course, they will back themselves at The Etihad – but failure to do so would really be disastrous.

TT Grade: C+ Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino is yet to win a trophy in his career. A damning statement. But of course, the teams he has managed simply have not had the same recourses available to him as the likes of Guardiola.

Indeed, the transformation Tottenham have undergone under the Pochettino’s reign is nothing short of remarkable. His Champions League story follows a similar pattern to that of Guardiola, however.

The 2016-17 season represented the start of Tottenham’s transition into their new stadium. Fans feared the worst as Champions League games were to be played at Wembley. Their worries were most certainly validated by a series of poor performances that led to an early exit from the competition. The opposition were arguably overlooked, with Monaco again catching another English team by surprise. Tottenham finished 2nd in the league however, with promise of more to come.

Spurs could not have been given a more difficult Champions League group in the 2017-18 season. With Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund dwarfing Tottenham in recent European prowess, another early exit seemed inevitable. Tottenham more than defied that odds, however. They remained unbeaten throughout the group, dismantling Madrid and Dortmund at Wembley.

Pochettino’s army had improved beyond all recognition. In reaching the last 16, Tottenham were given a tough lesson but experience is vital. Despite dominating both legs against Juventus, quick-fire mistakes allowed Juventus to progress. It was certainly a bitter pill to swallow for Tottenham fans.

Now, we again get to the current season, and Tottenham could not have made a worse start. 1 point after three games with Barcelona to play away – surely Tottenham were doomed. Tottenham somehow defied the odds, claiming two wins and a draw in the remaining games. They subsequently defeated Dortmund 4-0 in a truly mature performance.

The first leg against City reminded everyone once again what Tottenham are capable of. Clean sheets in 270 minutes of football against Dortmund and City is quite some achievement.

Regardless of what happens in the return leg, they can be proud of what they have achieved in this campaign.

TT Verdict: B TT Verdict:

This is certainly a close one, but Pochettino nicks it due to the expectation placed on Guardiola’s City. Should City crash out at the quarter-final stage again, it will be a real dent in their season.

Reaching the semi-final is very much expected of them. For Tottenham, on the other hand, it would be a remarkable achievement.

City and Tottenham fans – what are your thoughts? Does Guardiola need to progress to prove himself as the best? Does Pochettino deserve more recognition for Tottenham’s European success? 

تُقام مساء اليوم الثلاثاء مباراة قوية بين فريقي ريال مدريد وإنتر ميلان، في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ريال مدريد وإنتر ميلان اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

ويأتي اللقاء في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات، وذلك في ملعب ألفريدو دي ستيفانو.

ويفتقد إنتر ميلان خدمات النجم البلجيكي روميلو لوكاكو بداعِ الإصابة العضلية. تشكيل ريال مدريد المتوقع أمام إنتر ميلان

حراسة المرمى: كورتوا.

خط الدفاع: ميندي، فاران، راموس، مارسيلو.

خط الوسط: كروس، كاسيميرو، فالفيردي.

خط الهجوم: هازارد، بنزيما، أسينسيو. تشكيل إنتر ميلان المتوقع أمام ريال مدريد

حراسة المرمى: هاندانوفيتش.

خط الدفاع: دامبروزيو، دي فريج، باستوني.

خط الوسط: أشرف حكيمي، باريلا، بروزوفيتش، فيدال، يونج.

خط الهجوم: بيريسيتش، لاوتارو مارتينيز.

يُمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

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West Ham fans on Twitter were up in arms on Monday night after Manuel Pellegrini elected to substitute off Javier Hernandez for Robert Snodgrass at half time in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps their reactions, as seen below, are understandable – after all, it’s somewhat counter-intuitive to take off your most natural goalscorer when you’re chasing a 1-0 lead. It’s not as though fatigue was a factor either.

But Pellegrini’s controversial call turned out to be a stroke of genius. While it may not have sealed any points for the Hammers on a night when Eden Hazard decided the result virtually single handed, the visitors’ second-half performance was a drastic improvement on the first.

Indeed, with Marko Arnautovic leading the line and Snodgrass adding a bit more tenacity to the midfield, West Ham went on to take eight efforts at goal in the second half compared to just a solitary attempt in the first.

There were even moments when a West Ham equaliser looked far more likely than a second goal for the Blues, which perhaps proved to their detriment in the end as enough space opened up for Hazard to seal his brace.

But Pellegrini’s controversial half-time switch was the catalyst for the vast improvement in West Ham’s performance following the interval, silencing those on Twitter who branded him ‘clueless’ and even called for him to be dismissed as Irons boss.

Maybe next time, fans will be a little more patient before immediately casting judgement on the Chilean’s selection decisions.