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Wolfsburg and Lyon are set to face each other in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final for the fourth time.

The last round of the competition will take place on August 30 as holders Olympique Lyonnais will try to extend their own record by reaching five consecutive Champions League titles.

Football FanCast spoke with BT Sport pundit and former England international Karen Carney ahead of Sunday’s fixture.

“The football that’s been out there has been really good,” the ex-Chelsea star said. “It’s exciting and I think BT Sport have done a great job with putting it out there. It looks classy, it feels like the men’s Champions League.

“It’s been really well-televised and it’s been done right. That’s what the women’s game deserves.”

Whilst the men’s Champions League run resumed following the break in play, things weren’t as straightforward for the female players. After the abrupt end of the Women’s Super League and Championship seasons, there was uncertainty over whether the European campaign would continue from where it left off back in October.

However, after a long ten months, Lyon have their chance to defend their crown. The French giants will play out their ninth UWCL final in 11 years and are one hurdle away from their seventh title.

Lyon vie for Fifth Consecutive UWCL Title

“I’ve been impressed by Lyon,” reflected Carney. “It’s really hard when you’re the top team and everyone’s trying to knock you off that pedestal but they’ve been classy and just gone about their business.

“I don’t think they’ve played particularly well and they’ve missed a couple of players, but they get the job done. I’m really looking forward to the final.”

Indeed, Jean-Luc Vasseur’s side have been without the clinical influence of Ada Hegerberg after she suffered an ACL injury back in January. Teammate Nikita Parris is also set to miss out on the final after being sent off in the previous round against Paris Saint-Germain.

Wolfsburg were successful in brushing aside semi-final rivals Barcelona following a narrow 1-0 victory. Lyon similarly scraped their way into the final after a tense affair. Along with Parris, PSG’s Grace Geyoro was shown red and the reigning champions capitalised from a set-piece to book their place in the final.

“I don’t think it’ll be plain sailing [for Lyon], I think Wolfsburg have got some key players who will cause problems,” Carney predicted. “Set pieces are going to be massive. Lyon have only scored one goal [in the competition] through open play and that’s because they haven’t got Ada Hegerberg. 

“They miss Hegerberg and that focal point. Someone who is going to be there in the right place at the right time and I think that’s the one little piece of the jigsaw that they’re missing this season.

“But when you’ve got a squad like Lyon’s, they will make up goals elsewhere and they’ve done that through set pieces and grinding teams down with their performances.”

Equal Champions League Opportunities

Carney has highlighted how important it was for UEFA to ensure both Champions League competitions resumed following the break. The England centurion feared it would be ‘a bit of a step backwards’ if the UWCL was declared null and void.

“It’s massive. If the men’s can go ahead then the women’s can,” she said. “I really like how they’ve made a big effort to make that happen, it’s been done with class and it’s been really well-organised.”

Carney went on to discuss the return of the WSL, England’s top flight of domestic women’s football. The upcoming season promises to be an exciting one with blockbuster signings like US internationals Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis being announced.

Lyon full-back partners Alex Greenwood and Lucy Bronze have also been linked with moves back to the WSL. The Telegraph recently reported that a double swoop from Manchester City will see the duo leave the French outfit this summer.

“The competition in the WSL is going to be fierce,” Carney said. “The WSL is going to be the best league out there. You’re getting people from America, from all over the world wanting to come and play in England.”

On whether the sport is on the rise in terms of viewer numbers, the 33-year-old said: “Yes, there is more to be done and more that can be done but I think it’s definitely moving in the right direction and given the circumstances, it’s doing really well.”

Watch the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final exclusively live from 6:30pm on BT Sport 1. Also watch for free via the BT Sport app, btsport.com, or BT Sport’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages.

Name: Neco Williams

Club: Liverpool

Date of Birth: 13 April 2001

Position: Right-back

Neco Williams – His career so far

Neco Williams is a young defender who was given a big chance by Jurgen Klopp in their famous Cup victory with a squad full of youngsters and even without the German gaffer out in the sidelines.

But the talent was certainly there all along and the Welsh international has been showcasing it through all academy ranks at Liverpool. He first joined the Reds at the U9 level but his progress has been quite rapid and he made his big debut with the U18 team in the 2016/17 season when he was still just a schoolboy.

By that point, however, he was already a well-established presence at the right-back position and it was clear he would make it his own regardless of the level he was playing at. The first part of the following 2017/18 campaign, unfortunately, started with an injury but following his return to action later that season, Williams debuted for the U23 squad where he is currently playing his football.

2018/19 was quite a season for him as well and he recorded appearances for all three of U18s, U19s and U23s. Probably the biggest moment of his youth career came in that same season as he was part of the victorious FA Youth Cup squad and he even netted a penalty during the dramatic shootout triumph over Manchester City in the grand final.

On October 30 in 2019, Williams made his first-team debut against Arsenal in the League Cup fourth round at Anfield, providing that big assist for Divock Origi.

Since then, he has played four more games for the seniors, boasting with a final tally of five games – four in the FA Cup and one in the EFL Cup – with three assists under his name as well.

Transfer latest

There have been a couple of interesting transfer rumours concerning the 18-year-old Liverpool prodigy at the very moment. The big Liverpool news the Kopites will want to hear is the fact that he is reportedly set to be granted a big contract extension after clearly impressing Klopp with his performances.

The Anfield academy product’s deal should be prolonged so that it reflects his growing importance and status within the club.

But interestingly enough, there’s also a piece of quite contrasting transfer news out there as well since Williams has actually been tipped by Paul Robinson to spend the following season out on loan to ensure sufficient playing time and proper development.

Of course, having Trent Alexander-Arnold to compete with is not really an ideal situation for the youngster but having two reliable right-back options is definitely quality Liverpool news the fans can get behind.

It remains to be seen, however, what the future holds for the youngster.

Player profile

In so many ways, Williams indeed does look like a possible replacement or at least a worthy substitute for Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool. After all, their player profiles are quite similar as both full-backs have the tendency to be a consistent and reliable presence in attack.

Just by observing Wyscout’s heatmap for the youngster, we can already see that he spends an approximately equal amount of time in the opposition’s and his own half of the pitch, highlighting this aggressiveness we’ve mentioned.

And while comparisons with his teammate are necessary if he is to progress even further, Liverpool’s first-choice right-back is still a much more confident passer of the ball and he takes much more risk than Williams himself.

In 2019/20, the youngster is averaging 7.6 long passes per 90 minutes and deploys 5.65 crosses per 90 minutes as well, indicating both his tendency to switch play and contribute to the attack.

But it’s really interesting to see that he averages 5.96 dribbles with 60.3% success and also attempts 1.95 shots per 90 minutes too. Finally, we have to mention some of his defensive traits such as 5.9 interceptions and 8.32 defensive duels per game with a success rate of an impressive 60.5%.

انتهت مساء اليوم الإثنين منافسات الجولة الرابعة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2021/22، بفوز إيفرتون على بيرنلي بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف.

وشهدت الجولة فوز ليفربول على ليدز يونايتد بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، وتخطى مانشستر سيتي خصمه ليستر سيتي بصعوبة بهدف نظيف.

وحقق آرسنال فوزه الأول في الموسم الحالي من الدوري الإنجليزي بانتصاره على نورويتش سيتي بهدف دون رد، بينما خسر توتنهام بثلاثية أمام كريستال بالاس.

وفاز تشيلسي على أستون فيلا بثلاثة أهداف دون رد، وحقق مانشستر يونايتد فوزًا على نيوكاسل يونايتد بأربعة أهداف لهدف. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد نهاية الجولة الرابعة

1 مانشستر يونايتد، 10 نقاط.

2 تشيلسي، 10 نقاط.

3 ليفربول، 10 نقاط.

4 إيفرتون، 10 نقاط.

5 مانشستر سيتي، 9 نقاط.

6 برايتون، 9 نقاط.

7 توتنهام، 9 نقاط.

8 وست هام، 8 نقاط.

9 ليستر سيتي، 6 نقاط.

10 برينتفورد، 5 نقاط.

11 كريستال بالاس، 5 نقاط.

12 أستون فيلا، 4 نقاط.

13 ولفرهامبتون، 3 نقاط.

14 واتفورد، 3 نقاط.

15 آرسنال، 3 نقاط.

16 ليدز يونايتد، نقطتان.

17 بيرنلي، نقطة واحدة.

18 نيوكاسل يونايتد، نقطة واحدة.

19 نورويتش سيتي، بلا نقاط.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز 2021/22، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

Former Leeds United and Coventry City forward Noel Whelan has said that West Ham United should look to sell Felipe Anderson this summer, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

The Hammers signed Anderson from Lazio in the summer of 2018 for £36m and made a good impression in his first season, scoring nine goals and proving four assists in 36 Premier League appearances.

However, he has been restricted to just 19 league starts this term, managing just one goal and four assists in the process.

New West Ham boss David Moyes has left him on the bench for the club’s last three fixtures and Whelan said that Anderson often leaves his side playing with 10 men when he is not on form.

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“Felipe Anderson is a great player,” he told Football Insider.

“On his day he is a game-winner but you have to trust players. You have to be able to trust a player throughout the course of a season. You cannot be carrying flair players.

“They have to do the other side of the games as well – it is required. If you cannot do that you are playing with ten men at times.

“He is alright when he is on the ball but it is whether you can do the work off the ball. It looks to me like David Moyes does not think he can do that.

“We know what he can do on the ball and there is brilliance in that kid but can he track back and defend? If you cannot do it there is a default in a player that needs to be worked on or sold.”

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Jonjo Shelvey has enjoyed mixed fortunes this season, but he could begin to find more consistency and become more important for his side if played in a more advanced role.

On the chalkboard

When Steve Bruce first arrived he made the former Liverpool man a central part of his plans, deploying him in a deep-lying role in midfield behind Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff.

The Magpies boss likely designed that system to make the most of Shelvey’s long-range passing ability, but it was quickly found out and cost Newcastle points early on.

Since then the 27-year-old has proved his worth with displays against West Ham and Bournemouth, but he’d be a lot more effective if he was able to play further forward.

It is an alteration that could work given Newcastle’s preferred 5-2-3 formation, as it would allow both Shelvey and Hayden to focus on the best aspects of their game, with the latter excelling defensively this term.

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Playmaker

In his typical inconsistent fashion Shelvey has underperformed with a pass accuracy of 71% this season, but in averaging 3.1 successful long balls per game he is an important factor in the Magpies’ attack.

Playing closer to Joelinton could work wonders. It would help the Brazilian get more involved in play and increase the number of opportunities he would receive, as Shelvey would likely be able to improve on his 1.4 key passes per game.

That return highlights the midfielder’s skill at producing chances, with the wingers often the beneficiaries, and suggests Newcastle are already a little reliant on his quality.

In a more attacking role Shelvey would have his defensive responsibility reduced, which also suits him. He has managed just 0.9 tackles per game compared to Hayden’s 2.9, so there is little point in restricting him to play alongside his midfield teammate.

Shelvey has also shown that he knows where the goal is. He has two goals this term from just six league starts, and his power could allow him to rifle home chances in and around the penalty box.

The key here is Joelinton though. There is a clear lack of service for the 23-year-old, who ranks 50th in the league for shots per game, with a measly 1.7. Shelvey would help to address that issue, and if he can get the striker scoring more then Newcastle should become a strong attacking team.

Aston Villa progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after overcoming Wolves in a 2-1 victory, and ahead of the Premier League clash between the West Midlands’ opponents, these Villa fans have been loving a throwback to a league encounter between the two teams from 2012.

Villa, then under the management of Alex McLeish, battled to a 3-2 victory over their rivals after a brace from Robbie Keane and a converted penalty from Darren Bent.

Although the 2011/12 season saw the club finish 16th in the table, whilst proceeding to battle against relegation for three seasons before finally succumbing to the pressure in 2016, these Villa supporters were certainly pleased to be living the impressive victory over Wolves, with some praising the performance of Keane in particular. 

Villa would love another day like this, especially with Smith looking to return to winning ways in the league after consecutive to defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City when they visit Molineux on Sunday.

Here are some of the best reactions to Villa’s official tweet reliving the victory from 2012. 

Liverpool re-opened a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

And many of the Merseyside club’s fans were keen to pay tribute to Andrew Robertson for his performance over the 90 minutes of action.

According to WhoScored, Robertson had one shot, embarked on two successful dribbles, made two tackles and boasted a 87% pass success rate from left-back, which is very impressive at any level of football.

Mohamed Salah took the headlines with his penalty ensuring that Liverpool would return to winning ways in the Premier League following their 1-1 draw at Manchester United on October 20.

However, a number of the club’s supporters have taken to social media to lavish praise on Scotland international Robertson, who made it incredibly difficult for Spurs attacker Christian Eriksen to get involved.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

أخطر الاتحاد المصري لكرة اليد، إدارة ناديي الأهلي والزمالك بشروط المباراة الفاصلة في الدوري.

وكانت مباراة الأهلي والزمالك، التي أقيمت يوم الجمعة الماضية، انتهت بالتعادل 28-28، في إطار الجولة الرابعة عشر والأخيرة بقمة بطولة دوري المحترفين لكرة اليد، ليتم اللجوء إلى مباراة فاصلة لتحديد بطل المسابقة.

ومن المقرر أن تقام المباراة الفاصلة، غدًا الإثنين، في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساء على صالة حسن مصطفى بمدينة السادس من أكتوبر أمام النادي الأهلي لحسم بطولة دوري المحترفين.

طالع | الزمالك يرفض وصاية اتحاد اليد بعدم إشراك قداح أمام الأهلي

وأكد اتحاد كرة اليد، أنه في حالة تعادل الفريقين بعد الوقت الأصلي من المباراة سوف يتم اللجوء للوقت الإضافي وهو 10 دقائق على شوطين كل شوط 5 دقائق.. وفي حالة استمرار التعادل بعد الوقت الإضافي يتم اللجوء لرميات الجزاء الترجيحية مباشرة دون اللجوء للوقت الإضافي الثاني.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

Kevin Phillips joined Sunderland in the summer of 1997, as per Transfermarkt, with the club having just been relegated from the Premier League.

He eventually managed to help the club get back in the Premier League, ready for the 1999/00 season, though that wasn’t to be the end of his ability to show the club a higher level of performance, as his best campaign for the Black Cats followed.

The club would go on to finish seventh in the league that season, a brilliant placing for a newly promoted club, with Phillips largely to thank.

He scored an incredible 30 league goals throughout the campaign, though the importance of this is highlighted best by the fact that his goals earned 25 of the team’s 58 points – 31 goals would follow that haul in the following three campaigns.

With Stewart Donald needing to replace Jack Ross, Phillips had thrown his name into the hat and even had conversations with those within the club about taking over, while openly admitting (per the Chronicle) he would “love to have a crack at it.” Amid an underwhelmed response to the recent appointment of Phil Parkinson as the club’s new manager from sections of the support online (via the Sunderland Echo), it would have been interesting to see if Phillips’ arrival would have lifted the mood of a club marooned in the third tier of English football.

By looking at some of the responses to Michael Gray’s tweet earlier this month when he called for his former teammate to be handed the job, it does look as if some of the fans could have got behind the idea.

Indeed, while the journeyman striker has little senior management experience, he has shaken things up on Wearside before as the Black Cats progressed through the pyramid and perhaps the appointment of a figure the fans could have rallied behind would have gone down better amongst a fanbase to have suffered so much of late.

Sunderland fans, would you like to see Phillips as your next manager? Join the discussion below…

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Every striker dreads a goalscoring drought.

At the end of the day, attackers are paid to score goals, and when that isn’t happening their place in the first-team is inevitably under threat.

On paper, Charlie Austin should have no problems scoring for West Brom. The Baggies are the highest scoring team in the division, yet Austin still hasn’t found the net in the league.

However, the striker isn’t worried about his lack of goals, as he feels they will come sooner rather than later.

“Listen, I’ve scored 151 league goals, nothing’s changed, I know what I’m doing.” Austin said.

He went on to say that he isn’t worried about his current drought due to the fact he’s getting plenty of chances, and he ensured fans that he will score goals this season.

This will surely be music to the ears of many West Brom fans, as their new striker is still feeling confident in front of goal despite a slow start to life at the club.