Barry Robson believes Aberdeen’s experience of big occasions in Europe will stand them in good stead as they bid to upset Rangers in Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final and land their first silverware in almost a decade.
The Dons have played eight matches in continental competition this term – home and away against Hacken, PAOK Salonika, Eintracht Frankfurt and HJK Helsinki.
Although they have now exited the Europa Conference League, the Pittodrie side took heart from the way they performed in most of their matches and in particular from Thursday’s campaign-concluding 2-0 victory at home to the German side, just days after they had thrashed Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich 5-1.
Next up, the Final
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC)
Manager Robson feel…
Manchester City are interested in signing Rodrygo from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that City, who won the Premier League title last season, have held talks with Rodrygo, who helped Madrid clinch La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season.
According to the report, City manager Pep Guardiola, who is out of contract at the end of the season, greatly admires Rodrygo. Although the Brazil international forward’s camp insist that he is happy at Madrid, if he were to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, then a move to the Etihad Stadium would appeal to him.
Rodrygo can play as a winger or as a forward. The 23-year-old has been on the books of Madrid since 2019 when he joined from Santos. The Brazil international …
Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said he was not surprised by Jadon Sancho s quality after the on-loan forward helped the German side to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first-leg tie of their Champions League semi-final.
Sancho joined Manchester United from Dortmund for 85 million euros ($91.11 million) in August 2021 but failed to hold down a regular spot and returned to Germany after becoming embroiled in a row with manager Erik ten Hag.
After impressing on the right wing against PSG, Terzic said he always sees Sancho s quality in training.
It s maybe not so easy to bring it onto the field, especially when you haven t had rhythm for a while, he told reporters.
We know his quality, and we saw it again today. We knew we needed a performance…
Germany head coach Joachim Low is considering a dramatic U-turn that would see Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels invited back to the national team.
With the delayed Euro 2020 finals coming up in June, Low wants Germany to be as strong as possible, and a 6-0 thrashing by Spain in November was a result that pointed to a need for a change in direction.
Low s own future has come in for scrutiny, and there have even been suggestions Bayern Munich s treble-winning boss Hansi Flick could replace him.
The 2014 World Cup-winning coach declared in March 2019 that it was time for Germany to move on from the old guard, stating that Muller, Hummels and Jerome Boateng – all world champions themselves – would no longer be part of his plans.
It was a decision that Mul…
Manchester City will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 10. The two clubs have never played each other in a competitive match but manager Pep Guardiola does have some experience of facing the Italians. Here, the PA news agency looks back on those meetings.
September 2009: Inter 0 Barcelona 0 (Champions League, group stage)
All four of Guardiola’s past encounters with Inter came during his Barcelona side’s 2009-10 Champions League campaign, at a time when both clubs were among the most powerful forces in Europe, and pitted him against someone who would go on to become his fiercest rival, Jose Mourinho. The first of those games was a goalless draw at the San Siro.
November 2009: Barcelona 2 Inter 0 (Champions League, group stage)
Barca, the reigni…
Lionel Scaloni empathised with Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain spent another birthday away from home .
Messi, who turned 37 on Monday, and his team-mates are preparing to resume their Copa America title defence against Chile on Tuesday.
The reigning champions, who began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Canada, celebrated their skipper s big day by presenting him with a cake.
Messi wrote on Instagram: Thank you so much for all the greetings and congratulations! Another year that coincides with my birthday being with the National Team, so celebrating a little bit more and we keep getting ready for our next game.
And Scaloni understands it must be difficult for the Inter Miami forward not to have the opportunity to celebrate with his family.<…
Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo says Spain, Germany and the Netherlands are favourites to win Euro 2012.
The tournament gets underway on June 8 and the 27-year-old touted the trio of nations as the main contenders to lift the trophy.
Spain have a good chance. Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, why not? But the first three have the great chance to win Spain, Germany and Netherlands, Ronaldo said.
We don t have a lot pressure. The pressure is for Spain, Germany, Netherlands, but not Portugal.
We have to enjoy it, to do the best we can, and let’s see what is going to happen. It will be very difficult.
The prolific Real Madrid forward said Group B, which features Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, was the toughest.
For…
While the football has been the focus of attention in Kazan at the World Cup, there has been plenty to enjoy away from the pitch in the Tatarstan Republic s capital city.
Chief among them is arguably the local Sabantuy festival, in which our man on the ground Ryan Benson took part in an egg-and-spoon race, letting his country down in woeful fashion.
The action on the pitch began with Australia losing 2-1 to France, Paul Pogba playing a key role in the winner in front of his family, who enjoyed lots of attention pre-match.
There has also been dancing, vodka and impressive murals enjoy our recap of a hectic week-and-a-bit in Kazan with our Twitter moment below.
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Clarence Seedorf has achieved virtually everything there is to do in the game. Born in the football backwater of Surinam, he was the child prodigy who played his way into the last great Ajax team, winning the Champions League aged 19 alongside his hero Frank Rijkaard.
He wasted no time in cashing in on his talent with a move to Italy before settling down at Real Madrid where the trophies and glory nights continued to flow. Back to Italy again to add a Scudetto and two more Champions League crowns to his glittering CV and you would think his career would be complete - having just turned 32.
But what has he ever done for Holland ?
Seedorf yesterday made the surprising …
Ilkay Gundogan has announced his retirement from international football after captaining Germany on home soil at Euro 2024.
Gundogan captained Germany in all five of their matches as they reached the quarter-finals of their home tournament, ultimately suffering a 2-1 extra-time defeat against Spain.
The midfielder was initially handed the captain s armband by Hansi Flick in the absence of the injured Manuel Neuer last year, retaining it under new head coach Julian Nagelsmann despite Neuer s return to fitness.
Gundogan played a total of 82 games for his country, scoring 19 goals including two at major tournaments – versus Japan at the 2022 World Cup and Hungary at this year s Euros.
Amid rampant speculation over his future at club level, the Barcelona ma…