BERLIN - Bayer Leverkusen are enjoying a three-game winning run in the Bundesliga and could not have hoped for a better time to meet champions Bayern Munich in Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.
Leverkusen have been superb this season, showing consistency and playing an exciting, attacking brand of football under their new Swiss coach Gerardo Seoane as they prepare to host a Bayern side who lead the table only on goal difference.
After suffering a 2-1 defeat to Greece back on Sept. 8, Sweden exacted a bit of revenge on Tuesday by winning 2-0 in Stockholm to leapfrog Spain at the top of UEFA World Cup qualifying Group B with only two matches remaining.
Third-place Greece hasn’t been eliminated mathematically, but really it’s over for the Ethniki.
The Reggae Boyz knew they would be without some of the big names like Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Michael Hector (Fulham), Amari’i Bell (Luton Town) and Cory Burke (Philadelphia Union) heading into the second window of Concacaf World Cup qualifying. However, another bombshell was dropped on Wednesday when Michail Antonio, the Premier League’s third highest goal scorer this season, announced he was withdrawing from Jamaica’s next three games.
After missing the European Championship with a knee injury that lingered into the start of the new season, AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has been recalled to the Sweden national team for a pair of upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo (Oct. 9) and Greece (Oct. 12). Ibrahimović celebrates his 40th birthday on Oct. 3, so we’ll get to see if transitioning into the "middle age adult" stage of life has any effect on his game.
You wouldn’t think so.
PARIS - Lionel Messi's sensational transfer to Paris St Germain was a surprise for everyone, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said, adding that he hopes the Argentine plays in Tuesday's Champions League group game between the two sides.
Messi joined PSG in August when he left Barcelona after the Spanish club — where he had spent his entire career — were unable to finance a new deal for the forward.
The 34-year-old suffered a knock on his left knee last week and is a doubt for the clash against the team led by his former Barça coach Guardiola.
The UEFA Champions League has only played one group stage game thus far meaning it’s time to predict the semifinals. It’s almost like trying to guess the Final Four during March Madness, however this Champions League prediction will be a little different.
After the Round of 16 anything goes in terms of the Champions League draw. There runs the risk of two predicted teams meeting at some point before the semifinals. To solve this issue each of the four teams I predict to make it to the semifinals will have an alternate club to take its place.
The FIFA 22 ratings are being revealed ahead of the game’s release on Oct. 1, providing us with some largely agreeable rankings mixed with Alexis Sánchez still ruling the world.
It’s an unenviable task that usually ends with Thomas Müller being as effective as a wind-tossed plastic bag and Shakhtar Donetsk playing like ’82 Brazil, but maybe this is the year it all comes together.
The Panama World Cup qualifying campaign is smooth sailing after the first three games. This is the exact opposite of what we predicted here at The18.
In our Concacaf World Cup qualifying predictions, six out of seven people predicted the Panamanians to finish dead last in the group of eight teams. Only one person had Panama finishing higher than eighth. That individual had the Central American country finishing seventh.
LONDON - As the Premier League resumes following the international break all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo's homecoming party at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the Portuguese international set to resume his Manchester United career after 12 years away.
The 36-year-old re-joined United from Juventus on a two-year deal last month and could make his 'second debut' as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side host Newcastle United.
The USMNT is only two matches into its 14-game CONCACAF World Cup qualifying odyssey, but one look at the early table shows you why Wednesday’s meeting between the U.S. and Honduras in San Pedro Sula is feeling like a must-win.
While qualification obviously doesn’t hinge on the result, there’s a sense that if the tournament successes of the past summer are to have any real meaning, then the U.S. needs to end this September window with its first win of the Octagonal.