Isco is a genius, says Reus

Borussia Dortmund attacker Marco Reus has praised Malaga star Isco ahead of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

The Spain international has developed into one of the most sought-after players since joining Malaga from Valencia in the summer of 2011, and his rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed in Germany.

Isco is a genius. He is a natural and a huge talent, Reus said.

The gifted forward also singled out Martin Demichelis as another key player for the La Liga side, while stressing that Malaga cannot be underestimated.

I also know Demichelis, who spent several years at Bayern Munich and has a lot of quality. Malaga have a great team that can trouble a lot of opponents, he said.

They are having a superb season, despite some internal str…

Prediction: Leicester vs Manchester City

Verdict: Manchester City win and both teams to score

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Desperate to bounce back from last weekend s shock 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola s side will travel to the King Power Stadium on Boxing Day afternoon.

Leicester

Starting with Wednesday s hosts, although many around the King Power were worried that Leicester would drop out of the top half of the table following a poor run of form entering Christmas, the Foxes 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge last weekend has certainly given Claude Puel s side a much-needed boost. Ending their four-match winless run on Saturday, a run that also saw them crash out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Manchester City earlier in the month, the former Southampton boss will still know that he must…

Football rumours: Arsenal hoping third bid enough to secure Declan Rice

What the papers say

Arsenal have entered their third bid, worth £105million for West Ham star Declan Rice after Manchester City had a bid rejected at £90million, the Guardian said.

West Ham will reportedly wait for Manchester City to submit another offer on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich’s first bid of around £60million plus add-ons for Harry Kane has been deemed too low by Tottenham, the Guardian reported.

The club are demanding £100million for the England and Tottenham captain, who is said to be keen to move to the club.

Inter Milan are looking to acquire Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku on loan again next season with an £25million option to buy him at the end of the year, the Telegraph said.

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Tottenham are now closing in on Jam…

Ramsdale revels in Arsenal heroics: ´It was one of those days where I saved everything´

Aaron Ramsdale was left revelling in the fact he saved everything during an inspirational performance as Arsenal beat Leicester City 2-0 on Saturday.

Arsenal were buoyed by two early goals as Gabriel Magalhaes and Emile Smith Rowe had them comfortably ahead inside 18 minutes, but from then Ramsdale was the key man.

A maligned pre-season arrival from Sheffield United, Ramsdale has dislodged Bernd Leno as Arsenal s first-choice goalkeeper and showed why that is the case at the King Power Stadium.

He saved all eight of Leicester s shots on target, which improved his overall save percentage for the season to 85.7, which is bettered by only Edouard Mendy (89.7) among goalkeepers to have faced more than two shots.

Further to that, according to Stats Perform s x…

Manchester City and Liverpool to clash in EFL Cup fourth round

EFL Cup holders Liverpool will go up against fellow Premier League giants Manchester City in the fourth round of the competition.

Liverpool needed penalties to get past League One side Derby County on Wednesday, while City have already seen off top-flight rivals in Chelsea thanks to a 2-0 win.

But the two were paired together in Thursday s draw, meaning there will be at least one major casualty in the fourth round, with games due to take place just a few days after the World Cup final.

If City can see off Liverpool, they will fancy their chances of going all the way once again, having won the EFL Cup six times in the past nine seasons.

Four of those successes have come since Pep Guardiola took charge, and one more will see them equal Liverpool s all-time …

Prediction: Australia vs Japan

Best Odds: 4/7

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Two nations who are desperate to book an automatic route to this year s World Cup finals, Australia will welcome Japan to the Accor Stadium in Sydney on Thursday morning.

Australia

Starting with the hosts, while Australia might have already at least guaranteed themselves a spot in the fourth-round of this year s qualifying adventure, they are seeking some kind of stability. Last seen on February 1st when throwing away the lead twice and having to settle for a late 2-2 draw away at Oman, Head Coach Graham Arnold has seen his side pick up a single point in three of their last four outings. Marking their return to action on Thursday morning sat three points adrift of breaking into the top-two, the Socceroos should at least be boosted by t…

Cristiano Ronaldo reaches another milestone in Al-Nassr’s Saudi King Cup success

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 26th goal of the season as Al-Nassr swept aside rivals Al-Shabab to reach the semi-finals of the Saudi King Cup.

Ronaldo netted his side’s fourth in a 5-2 win with 16 minutes of the match remaining.

The breakthrough took his goal tally for the calendar year to 50.

Into semi-final

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN)

Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane was also on target for Al-Nassr, who are hunting for their first King Cup win since 1990.

Qualification for next year’s AFC Champions League would be assured were they to achieve it.

Belgium has to qualify for World Cup 2014

The Belgium national team visit Wales tomorrow night in the first game of qualifying for the World Cup in 2014.

The team from the low countries of Europe have not qualified for a major tournament in a decade, after previously being part of the furniture at earlier international tournaments.

Generation

However, the current generation of players in the Belgium national side is regarded as of the best they have ever produced.

Not only does Belgium have players reaching their peak, but they also have some outstanding youngsters coming through as well.

These should be exciting times for fans of the Red Devils. They have achieved some impressive results in recent times, including a 4-2 friendly win over neighbours Holland.

Established

A…