علّق خالد بيومي المحلل الرياضي بقنوات أبو ظبي الرياضية، على تأجيل المباريات المتبقية من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا لأجل غير مسمى.

وأعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم كاف رسميًا، اليوم الخميس، تأجيل مباراة الإياب بين الزمالك والرجاء، بالإضافة إلى المباراة النهائية الذي يعد الأهلي طرفاً فيها بعد تأهله علي حساب الوداد المغربي.

طالع | عاجل.. كاف يعلن تأجيل نصف نهائي ونهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا لأجل غير مسمى

وقال بيومي عبر حسابه على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “التأجيل يضر بالأهلي فقط لا غير”.

وتابع: “قرار مفاجئ وغير مدروس وتخبط إفريقي”.

وأتم: “الكلام عن الانتخابات ونحن نلعب بدون جمهور وما بين السطور شيء آخر”.

التأجيل يضر بالاهلي فقط لاغير قرار مفاجئ و غير مدروس تخبط افريقي ⁉️ الكلام عن الانتخابات ونحن نلعب بدون جمهور وما بين السطور شئ اخر ⁉️

— khaled bauomy 🇪🇬 (@khaledbauomy) October 29, 2020

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Pundit Paul Merson has tipped Leicester City to record a 3-1 win over West Ham United in Saturday afternoon’s Premier League clash at the London Stadium.

What’s the word?

Merson told Sky Sports:

“It is very tight up there competing for seventh. If Leicester are serious about snatching seventh spot they really have to win this game. They have a lot of difficult games coming up.

“West Ham will have to come out and have a go at Leicester and that is not what you really want to be doing. You look at Leicester’s results, when teams come out and have a go at them, they can then hurt their opponents on the counter with [Jamie] Vardy, [James] Maddison, [Demarai] Gray.

“If teams come and sit back like Newcastle did, they just find it too difficult to break teams down. West Ham, though, will have a go.”

The pressure is certainly on West Ham with the London club entering this match off the back of three straight Premier League defeats.

Indeed, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have lost to Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United in their last three, with their only victory since the start of March coming at home to already-relegated Huddersfield Town.

The Hammers are currently 11th in the table, five points off seventh-placed Leicester ahead of what is an important game at the London Stadium.

The home side’s supporters will be demanding a big performance, but Merson has claimed that West Ham’s desire to attack Leicester will cost them once again.

Does Merson have a point?

He certainly does. As mentioned, the home fans will be on West Ham this weekend, calling for the players to take the game to Leicester, which is just about the worst thing that you can do against the Foxes.

Indeed, sitting back and defending is the way to frustrate the former Premier League champions, who are so dangerous on the counter-attack due to the presence of Jamie Vardy & Co.

West Ham played on the front foot against Man United last weekend, but a similar tactic against Brendan Rodgers’ side could leave the hosts in big trouble.

Two of the last three Premier League meetings between these two teams have finished level, but Leicester edged a five-goal thriller when they travelled to the Hammers during the 2016-17 campaign.

And Leicester will certainly be hoping that it is a case of both teams having a go on Saturday afternoon.

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Loads of Liverpool fans on Twitter have been heaping praise on midfielder Naby Keita after he was named Man of the Match from the UEFA Champions League win over Porto.

The summer 2018 signing started in the quarter-final first leg having netted for the first time in a Reds shirt in last Friday night’s Premier League beating of Southampton.

He would follow the strike with another at Anfield after just five minutes, setting Jurgen Klopp’s men well on their way to a 2-0 victory to take command of the tie.

It wasn’t just the midfielder’s goal that caught the eye on the night though, his overall performance was of such quality that supporters voted him as their Man of the Match in a poll on Liverpool’s official Twitter account.

Learning that Keita had won the club’s MotM award, much of the fan base swanned to the social media platform to praise the 24-year-old up with the general mood being that the 33-cap Guinea star should now play every game.

Below is a list of the best reactive Tweets from Reds to the news…

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

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According to The Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are set to demand a fee in the region of £75m-£80m for star man Wilfried Zaha this summer, with a number of top European clubs circling.

The Ivorian has chalked up an impressive tally of goals and assists this term and has, once again, more or less kept the Eagles up by himself. The Selhurst Park outfit have tried their utmost to keep him at the club for the past few seasons but it seems that the annual reports of his imminent departure are for real this time.

The 26-year-old has already spoken of his desire to play Champions League football and, with Arsenal, Spurs and Borussia Dortmund to name but a few interested, that dream could soon be a reality.

Having already failed to make a mark at Manchester United, will the electric number 11 succeed at the second time of asking should he fly the nest this summer? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below…

Harry Sherlock

“No. He’s tried once and it failed. He needs to be playing for a counter-attacking team to thrive, where his pace and his dribbling become a genuine outlet. Playing for the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United will see Zaha come up against teams that play with a low block. Zaha struggles to play against those teams. One, those clubs shouldn’t be paying £75m, and two, he does not have the right profile to play for those clubs.”

Luke Glanville

“I think that things could be different for Wilfried Zaha at a top-six club this time around. When he made the move to Manchester United he simply wasn’t ready to play for such a big team and it wasn’t exactly the best time to be moving to Old Trafford either. The winger now has bags of Premier League experience and is a full international with the Ivory Coast. He would need to adapt to being a small fish in a big pond rather than a big fish in a small pond. However, in my opinion, with the right influences, he can do it and enjoy a great career in the upper echelons of European football.”

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

Jack Saville

“Roy Hodgson will be laughing if he pockets £75 million for Zaha. There is no doubt he is a gifted player but he lacks the consistency and mentality to thrive at a top-six club. He would be nothing more than a squad player at a top-six side and I have a feeling that could cause problems in the dressing room. Riyad Mahrez’s struggle to break into City’s first-team and all the problems that have come with it have been well documented, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar pattern unfold if Zaha makes a comparable step up in class.”

Departures are surely inevitable at Celtic after this season.

Before they can brace for some potentially big outgoing moves, they need to offload the unnecessary stock from the squad as the club look to move on from the Brendan Rodgers era. Indeed, there are a few who must be surplus to requirement, earning big wages for doing absolutely nothing.

At the top of such a list is outcast goalkeeper Dorus de Vries, who’s yet to make an appearance this season. The 38-year-old goalkeeper, signed by Brendan Rodgers from Swansea City, is in the final few months of his Celtic contract and the club will ship him off after the campaign, according to Football Insider.

Thanks to Scott Bain’s commendable work and fitness, there’s no real need for someone else. At long last, Craig Gordon has some real competition between the sticks and there’s also the small matter of young Conor Hazard waiting in the wings.

Amazingly, the experienced de Vries (who the Daily Star claimed on slide 5/27 earns £7.5kp/w) has made the matchday squad in the past five encounters but hasn’t been used a single time. Experience only goes so far in prolonging one’s career.

Indeed, the Hoops are paying him for nothing right now and can benefit from cutting his wages from their financial structure.

Going forward, Celtic will be able to use that freed up salary in their budget to possibly add it to a new signing’s wages instead.

Regardless, it’s a smart move from those behind the scenes to remove the unnecessary talents from the squad. The goalkeeper position is in safe hands thanks to Bain’s fantastic work, as the Hoops can now save some finances by removing the ineffective de Vries from their wage bill.

Celtic fans, do you think releasing de Vries is the right move? Join the discussion by commenting below…

أبدى نادي مانشستر سيتي استعداده لتجديد عقد الثنائي كيفين دي بروين ورحيم ستيرلينج، وجعلهما أصحاب أعلى أجر في ملعب الاتحاد.

ومن المقرر أن تنتهي العقود الحالي لكلا اللاعبين مع مانشستر سيتي في عام 2023، ولكن مانشستر سيتي حريص على الاتفاق على تجديد عقودهما تجنبًا للسماح بأي لاعب بالاقتراب من نهاية صفقته.

وحسب شبكة “90MIN” الإنجليزية، فإن مسؤولي مانشستر سيتي دخلوا في محادثات بالفعل مع ستيرلينج ودي بروينج لبحث فكرة توقيعهما على عقود جديدة.

وأوضحت أن محادثات تجديد عقد ستيرلينج استمرت لأكثر من 18 شهرًا، حيث يأمل مانشستر سيتي إقناعه قريبًا بفكرة التوقيع مقابل 400 ألف جنيه إسترليني أسبوعيًا.

وكان الإنجليزي قد ارتبط في وقت سابق بفكرة الرحيل عن مانشستر سيتي، مع اهتمام ريال مدريد بضمه، وهو ما جعل السكاي بلو راغبًا في إغرائه بفكرة الحصول على أعلى أجر في الفريق.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: محرز يثير استياء دي بروين وأجويرو في مانشستر سيتي

وأشارت الشبكة إلى أن ستيرلينج لن يكون اللاعب الأعلى أجرًا في مانشستر سيتي، بل سيكون معه دي بروين الذي أجرى محادثات مع مسؤولي النادي بشأن تمديد عقده على مدار فترة زادت عن العام.

واقترب البلجيكي البالغ من العمر 29 عامًا من توقيع عقد جديد في وقت سابق من هذا العام، لكن المفاوضات توقفت بسبب إلقاء القبض على وكيل أعماله بشكوى من اللاعب نفسه ووالده بسبب وجود اشتباه في سوء إدراته المالية.

ووفقًا للشبكة نفسها، فإن ستيرلينج ودي بروينج طلبا الحصول على تأكيدات بشأن عدد من القضايا عند بدء محادثات التجديد، وكان من ضمنهما مسألة حظر مانشستر سيتي المحتمل من خوض المنافسات الأوروبية لمدة موسمين، ولكن الأمر انتهى بقبول الاستئناف وسقوط العقوبة.

كذلك طلب الثنائي الحصول على إجابات واضحة من مسؤولي السيتي حول مستقبل بيب جوارديولا، حيث سينتهي عقد المدرب في الفريق في 2021.

وأكدت الشبكة أن اللاعبين شعرا بالرضا من ردود النادي حول مستقبل المدرب الإسباني.

The prospect of securing a return to the Premier League is suddenly becoming very real for everyone involved at Sheffield United.

Monday’s stunning 3-0 victory over Hull City was made even sweeter by Leeds United’s unexpected defeat at Brentford which resulted in the Blades opening up a three-point lead over their automatic promotion challengers with just two games left to play this season.

Having been the underdogs for the entirety of this year’s campaign, United are now the ones being chased by their Yorkshire rivals. Although this is the ideal position to be in at this stage of the year, it can bring with it an expectancy to succeed which has to be dealt with in a proper manner by Chris Wilder and his backroom staff.

Whereas the club’s supporters will be expecting their side to secure the four points to finish in the top two in May, the players cannot afford to get carried away as if they do, there is still a chance that Leeds could launch a dramatic comeback in the next two weeks.

However, it could be argued that under the guidance of Wilder, there is little chance that they will be allowed to rest on their laurels as the 51-year-old has installed a fantastic work ethic at Bramall Lane since taking over in 2016.

With Leeds facing the tough task of having to overcome Aston Villa in Saturday’s early fixture, the outcome of this clash could give the Blades the chance to guarantee promotion when they face Ipswich Town later on in the day.

By securing a victory over the Tractor Boys, United could spark an evening of celebration in Sheffield that not many would have predicted at the start of the campaign.

What do you think Blades fans? Can your side overcome the final hurdle in this fascinating battle for promotion? Or do you believe that there is one more twist in the race for the top two? Let us know below.

Tottenham quite clearly need a replacement for Mousa Dembele and Marcelo Brozovic is that man. He’s creative, has great vision… and he’s Croatian. Their last midfield magician from that country wasn’t bad, was he?

White Hart Lane adored Luka Modric when he donned the famous white strip, and his move to Real Madrid in 2012 seemed like a natural progression for what has been the greatest playmaker of 2018. Now at their new home, the North London outfit could do with someone like the Ballon d’Or winner to replace Dembele and Brozovic is pretty close.

He’s played for Inter Milan 26 times this season, playing 2,208 minutes. His two goals and one assist really don’t tell the whole story and Spurs are interested, according to Calciomercato who also say the Milan club are ‘awaiting offers’. Indeed, bitter rivals Arsenal are reportedly sniffing around too, so Spurs should make a move early.

He’s 26-years-old and that’s the perfect age for Mauricio Pochettino’s major signings this summer. Literally ideal. That’s because, clearly, Spurs have youth in the ranks already and it seems it’s getting to the point of now or never for the manager, so he needs investment and then success or one of the more successful clubs will snap him up.

It’s the perfect set-up to sign him. Hugely experienced but young enough to adapt to Pochettino’s demanding system, you supporters reading this would be in for a real treat.

Spurs’ clear attacking talent would be able to feed off Brozovic’s vision and defenders will then have to look after Christian Eriksen (as it stands, anyway) and the Croatian, making an attack virtually impossible to stop. So many attacking outlets and points of reference, it’d be hugely exciting.

Next season, Spurs need to win their first trophy since 2008 and this is the man to push them over the line.

Investment is key in summer, but the money has to be spent in the right areas, on the right talent. Modric was a magician at White Hart Lane, Brozovic would be that man at Spurs’ new ground.

Spurs fans, who do you want to replace Dembele in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Despite guiding his boyhood team to promotion to the Premier League there are still signs that Chris Wilder is unsettled at Bramall Lane as he spoke to Sky Sports News (29 April, 12:15pm).

The Blades manager has been in charge at the club since 2016 and has previously called into question the ownership.

The Yorkshire outfit are currently jointly-owned by local businessman Kevin McCabe and Saudi Arabian Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Both men have been trying to buy each other out. this has led to a lack of financial backing much to the displeasure of the manager.

Unhappy history

Last year Wilder called into question his future at the club saying that he would struggle to continue if the issues behind the scenes weren’t resolved.

“It’s 100 per cent critical it gets resolved,” he said. “I can’t do my job properly unless there is a direction and decision from them.

“Any club that wants to be successful has to have harmony, direction and a plan. There isn’t a plan, there isn’t direction, and there isn’t harmony either. That, unfortunately, is fact.

“If it stays the same, I don’t think anybody would be surprised if I didn’t question where my career is going.”

Ongoing frustrations

Fast forward 12 months and Wilder is still at the helm but the issues behind the scenes are still there. McCabe and the Prince seem to be at a stalemate and Wilder’s comments on Sky Sports News show that he isn’t hopeful ahead of the upcoming transfer window despite the club’s promotion.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (April 29, 12:15pm) the manager said:

“It’s not an open chequebook culture here, we’ve got players who will play in the Premier League who played for us in League One.”

The 51-year-old surely isn’t looking to play the same players who he utilised in League One due to loyalty or by choice. Financial restraints are holding Sheffield United back and these latest comments by Wilder perhaps show his frustrations with the ownership creeping back in.

The fact of the matter is that the only player in the current Blades squad who cost over £4 million is John Egan, a transfer which was subsided by the £11.5 million sale of David Brooks.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Although he has been able to produce incredible results on a shoestring budget so far, winning promotion twice in three years. The Blades boss has every right to complain if he doesn’t receive the funds required to keep his team in the Premier League next season.

The Scottish Premiership may be a formality now for Celtic, yet rivals Aberdeen stand firmly blocking their path towards the trifecta of trebles. Indeed, Neil Lennon’s side face an era-defining game with the Dons this weekend as they aim to continue on their quest to win a stunning three trebles in a row, though the story of Scott Sinclair in Scotland looks to be over. 

Out of form and favour, Lennon now has some big decisions to make when it comes to the team he’ll set up. Even respected fan website 67 Hail Hail believe he’s going to miss out, as his career with the Bhoys looks to be petering out. A sad end to a man who helped the Brendan Rodgers initially get off the ground.

So, who will get the nod?

While going with former Aberdeen man Johnny Hayes is predictably the safer option, the fans surely want to see the duo of Odsonne Edouard and Timothy Weah operating together.

Edouard’s been the Hoops real star this season after the departure of Moussa Dembele, leading their goal-scoring charts with 14 league goals. On the other hand, Weah’s only scored 3 goals but has looked in exciting rhythm in recent games and can really cap off what has been a decent loan spell with a big performance at Hampden Park. As a result, supporters must be intrigued to see these two young, skilfull attackers coexist in the same team.

Both players have that youthful vibrancy brimming in their game. They mirror a pacy, hungry demeanour going forward, often looking to get into the thick of things with clever movement and clinical work up front.

While it’s risky to field two youngsters together, it could be one to blow away the stubborn Aberdeen side. The two possess a dazzling panache which compliments one another. Why not give it a go? Lennon’s style of play hasn’t looked overly convincing since taking the reigns on an interim basis and pairing the two together can only be a good thing.

Celtic fans, do you think the Edouard-Weah combo can work against Aberdeen? Join the discussion by commenting below..