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Following Liverpool’s stalemate draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday night, BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson believes that, contrary to the panic surely felt by the Kop that a trip to the Allianz Arena could go either way, the Premier League side holds all the cards in the clash set to take place on 13th March.

What’s he said?

Well, writing for BBC Sport, the former defender said:

“When I look through the Bayern side, it does not really frighten me the way it did in the past when the likes of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were in full flow.

“They [Bayern] had clearly done their homework and made very few mistakes defensively at Anfield, and at the back they read the game very well.

“But they never really looked like getting an away goal, which means there is a good chance they will have to win the return on 13 March to go through.

“If they go on the attack at any time, they have to be very wary of Liverpool’s threat on the counter.”

Indeed, the Bavarians sat back and soaked up the Reds’ pressure very effectively, yet also largely looked unwilling to get forward and counter. Does the 0-0 actually mean advantage Liverpool going into the second leg?

A warning for Bayern

Even without the suspended Virgil Van Dijk, Jurgen Klopp’s side completely nullified Robert Lewandowski – admittedly the Pole wasn’t afforded much support or service from his teammates, who were far more concerned with keeping a clean sheet it would seem.

However, the big Dutchman will be available, assuming he is fit, for the clash in under a month’s time and that will, first of all, be a huge confidence boost to Liverpool but also make Bayern’s job a lot harder.

One assumes that Fabinho will return to the midfield where he is best used, while the added defensive security provided by van Dijk’s restoration at the heart of defence and the Brazilian’s deployment further afield will give Liverpool a strong platform to defend Bayern when they inevitably look to attack next time out.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

Niko Kovac surely knows that he cannot play quite so defensively at the Allianz Arena as Liverpool will likely make no mistake in taking any one of the many opportunities they had at home, giving the visitors the away-goal advantage that will then be almost insurmountable for the Bundesliga champions.

Bayern have to attack Liverpool and, when they do, the Reds will do what they do best by nicking the ball back and countering at full pace and force.

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According to the Basque outlet Noticias de Gipuzkoa, Everton are set to do battle with Merseyside rivals Liverpool over the signature of Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente, who is attracting interest from afar thanks to his fine performances in La Liga.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees are keen to sign the Spanish international to bolster their backline for next season, but it will come at some cost. The report claims Llorente has a £43m release clause written into his contract with the Basque side, and city rivals Liverpool are said to be readying a £25m offer for the 25-year-old’s services.

Llorente, formerly of Real Madrid, has already racked up 70 La Liga appearances and has become a Spanish international due to his form, and seems to be improving every season.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The centre-back is also a versatile player, who can play capably in a defensive midfield position thanks to his tactical intelligence and his composure on the ball.

Bad news for Yerry Mina?

One would assume that Chelsea will not sanction the departure of Kurt Zouma whilst they are under a transfer ban, so that leaves Marco Silva with just Phil Jagielka, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane as his options in defence.

Should the Toffees win the race for Llorente, it is likely that he would go straight into the starting lineup given the amount that he looks set to cost – and Everton could end up with three centre-backs who cost upwards of £25m at the club, with Mina costing £27m last summer whilst almost £30m was spent on Keane.

Additionally, Silva often deploys a four-man backline with two centre-halves, so one of Mina or Keane could potentially be dropped to the bench to accommodate Llorente.

Both of the aforementioned Toffees defenders cost a fair bit of money, but it’s Mina who has struggled to justify his transfer fee the most. He’s made just 12 appearances for the Toffees since his summer arrival, largely due to injuries, and has struggled to impress when given the chance.

Keane, meanwhile, despite a tough debut season himself has shown in patches that he can become a solid long-term investment for the Merseysiders.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Bates gave Auckland their first breakthrough during a testing spell•AFP

Sialkot Stallions entered their maiden Champions League T20 with an awe-inspiring domestic record. They had won Pakistan’s Twenty20 competition seven out of nine times and possess a world-record winning streak of 25 matches. However, on a Wanderers pitch that bounced and seamed, they were undone by Auckland Aces’ pace attack and their own desire to swing with abandon.The predominant features of Sialkot’s innings were batsmen playing and missing and an abundance of dot balls; their attempts at counter-attacking were short lived. Their batsmen cleared the Wanderers’ boundaries ten times but managed to score only 130. It was the third-lowest total for an innings that contained ten sixes; the first two were chases in which the target was easily achieved.The target was well below par and Auckland’s openers, Martin Guptill and Lou Vincent, handled the bounce better than their counterparts did. The opening stand of 32 put the chase on course and the second-wicket stand of 51 between Guptill and Azhar Mahmood gave them an opportunity to win with a high net run-rate. They lost a couple of wickets in quick succession but New Zealand’s domestic champions managed to get home with 17 balls to spare.Gareth Hopkins, the Auckland captain, got what he wanted despite losing the toss, and Kyle Mills and Michael Bates made excellent use of the conditions. On a green-tinged pitch, the right and left-arm combination harried the Sialkot openers with short-of-a-length deliveries. After Imran Nazir was smacked painfully on the glove, Shakeel Ansar attempted a big hit in Bates’ first over and holed out to mid-on. The No. 3 batsman Haris Sohail took 12 deliveries to get off the mark, before Nazir ended two consecutive maiden overs by pulling Bates over the fine-leg boundary.There were 24 dot balls in the first five overs, after which Sialkot were 11 for 1. Mills’ figures were 3-1-4-0. The sixth went for plenty. Mahmood’s length was poor and Sohail hit him for two sixes in an over that cost Auckland 18. Both Sohail and Nazir, however, were caught at point attempting aggressive shots in successive overs, leaving Sialkot 30 for 3.Shahid Yousuf was Sialkot’s best chance at recovery and he hit Andre Adams, bowling extremely quick for a five-step run-up, for consecutive sixes in the ninth over. In the next, Yousuf took two fours off Colin Munro’s only over. At the other end, however, Shoaib Malik was struggling, scoring only 3 off his first 11 deliveries.Yousuf was reprieved twice off Ronnie Hira – Hopkins failed to collect and stump the batsmen – before the spinner took a catch off his own bowling to stunt the Sialkot recovery. Malik’s innings ended via a catch at long-off and Sialkot slumped to 97 for 6 before the tail got stuck into Hira’s final over, the 18th. Naved-ul-Hasan and Ali Khan took 21 runs off it. Mills, however, returned to clamp down on Sialkot once again. His last over went for only two runs and he finished with figures of 4-1-6-2.Faced with a middling target, Auckland began the chase aggressively. Vincent charged, pulled and slashed to provide the early propulsion. He was beaten often as well, but managed 20 off 16 balls before being caught at third man on the cut. Guptill began at around run a ball and steered Auckland through the first half of the chase. His only six came in the tenth over, a 98 metre blow over long-on, and he was out in the next, pulling powerfully to the fielder on the midwicket boundary.Then followed Auckland’s most tentative phase, as Mahmood and Colin de Grandhomme were dismissed in the space of four balls by Sarfraz Ahmed, a left-arm bowler who delivers off the right foot but well after his front foot as landed. The asking-rate, however, was never an issue and Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro hacked at the equation with a series of powerful blows to accelerate the finish.

Everton fans slammed the club after appointing Graeme Sharpe to advise the Toffees’ board of directors as the Players’ Life President.

The former Blues striker is second only to legend Dixie Dean in the club’s all-time goalscoring table, having netted 160 times in 447 appearances, as per Sky Sports, and previously returned to Goodison Park in an ambassadorial position in 2000. The Scotsman moved to Everton from Scottish side Dumbarton for £180,000 in 1980 and spent 11 seasons on Merseyside, before joining Oldham Athletic in 1991, according to TransferMarkt.

The Toffees made the official announcement on their website, where Bill Kenwright said that he could not imagine Everton without Graeme Sharp. Despite this, some fans were fuming with Sharp’s new role and made their feelings clear on social media. One fan described it as “pointless”, while another said that “it was just another wage to pay out as they cannot let the past go”.

Check out some of the best comments from Everton fans down below…

Everton fans! What do you make of the appointment of Graeme Sharp? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Jermaine Jenas has revealed to Playmaker FC that Arsenal and Tottenham’s unforgettable 4-4 draw back in 2008 remains his favourite North London Derby.

The former England midfielder faced the Gunners more times than any other club throughout his career and featured against them on ten occasions while representing bitter rivals Spurs, including a thriller at the Emirates Stadium that took place just over a decade ago.

Arsenal surged to a 3-1 lead but Tottenham staged a late comeback in which Jenas scored their third goal with only a minute left of normal time. Aaron Lennon then bagged the all-important equaliser in stoppage time.

“The 4-4 has to be the favourite,” Jenas said while speaking to Playmaker FC’s Natalie Polycarpou. “It’s historic. That is like Premier League gold.”

Jenas then added; “They didn’t leave happy, Tottenham fans, trust me. They left and came back… and then left happy!”

Arsenal and Tottenham face each other again on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup.

Check out what Jenas had to say about Arsenal and Tottenham’s classic encounter in the video above!

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Mauricio Pochettino’s failure to sign a single player for Tottenham during the summer transfer window has been well documented but it is likely he will avoid a similar situation in January by investing in his squad.

Having signed the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Christian Eriksen from Ajax in recent years, speculation suggests that Pochettino is ready to raid the Eredivisie giants once again as Spurs are attributed with an interest in a number of their starlets.

Tottenham have been linked with heavy interest in Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong, who cost Ajax just €300,000 (approximately £215,000 at the time), while they are also said to be ready to join the hunt for midfielder David Neres and are stated to be keeping tabs on Brazilian ace Donny van de Beek.

Reported interest in the trio follows reports from earlier this year that stated Spurs lodged a bid to sign highly-rated defender Matthijs de Ligt, which raises questions as to who Pochettino’s priority should be as there is no way Spurs can afford all four players.

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With Mousa Dembele’s contract rapidly approaching it’s conclusion, De Jong would be the ideal target to fill the void that would be left by the departure of the veteran Belgium international and Spurs should go all out for the 21-year-old.

Do you agree Spurs fans? Which Ajax starlet would you like Pochettino to sign? Let us know your thoughts in our poll below…

According to Football Insider, Rangers have made a bid of £3 million for Millwall’s Jake Cooper.

Cooper enjoyed an excellent season at centre-back last time out, and has naturally attracted the interest of bigger clubs. Steven Gerrard’s Glasgow giants appear to have made their move, but it isn’t too late for any other interested clubs to intervene. 

Having failed to secure last season’s impressive loanee, Frederico Venancio, on a permanent deal, Sheffield Wednesday are in the market for a centre-back. Cooper could be the perfect option for the Owls.

The Breakdown

Wednesday boss Jos Luhukay has made his intentions to bolster his defence this summer clear as he aims to make his side genuine promotion contenders.

Jake Cooper, who is valued at £450k by Transfermarkt, was a rock at the back at The Den last season, and the 23-year-old would be a great addition to this Wednesday squad.

The left-footed Englishman is confident on the ball and a committed defender. He also provides something of a bonus goal threat, as his 4 Championship strikes last season prove. 

It could be tricky for Luhukay to sell Hillsborough as a more desirable destination than Ibrox to Cooper, especially with football icon Gerrard now in charge of the Scottish outfit. A promise of a push for Premier League football could sway him though, and that is what Jos Luhukay is looking to achieve this season.

If Wednesday could outbid Rangers and land Cooper then their promotion hopes would be given a real boost.

According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, via The Sun, Arsenal have had a £15m bid rejected for Napoli midfielder Jorginho and have been told that he won’t be sold this summer.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen to strengthen his squad this summer but it doesn’t appear as though he will be getting the Brazilian-born Italian, despite the fact that he isn’t even guaranteed a spot in the starting line-up.

Wenger is a long-term admirer of the player, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, via The Sun, but the 25-year-old made just 31 appearances in all competitions for Napoli last term and often found himself on the substitutes’ bench in favour of Amadou Diawara and Allan.

However, he showed his quality by making more than 100 passes in nine of his Serie A outings – an impressive record.

Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media and while many believe that Jorginho would be a brilliant addition, others know that they have no chance of signing him this summer – especially for £15m.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

As reported in an exclusive by The Sun, Manchester United are interested in signing Red Bull Salzburg’s talented teenage defender Dayot Upamecano.

What’s the word?

Jose Mourinho is trying to build a side worthy of the winning tradition at Old Trafford and to that end is continuing his quest to improve the first team. He also needs to build for the future and that’s where Upamecano may come in.

The Sun say that United are very interested in bringing him to Manchester and are likely to place a bid for £7m rated defender in short order.

The Red Devils face a big battle though with sister club Red Bull Leipzig also very keen in signing him from Salzburg, according to the paper.

Who is he?

Still only 18 and having made less than 50 professional appearances in his career so far, Upamecano is very much one for the future when it comes to Manchester United.

He is however thought to have a bright future in the game and has represented France at four youth levels, winning the European U17 Championship with his country in 2015. He was named in the team of the tournament and played in all six games.

With Jones and Rojo in exceptional form, it’d be tough for teenager to replace them this term but teams don’t pay fees like £7m for teenagers if they don’t have talent so if he does arrive at Old Trafford he has every chance of being a long-term success at he club.

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Each season there always seems to be a side that get carried away through the opening months. A run of a few good results suddenly snowballs, and before we all know it Christmas is approaching and an unlikely top four contender is in place. Leicester City’s rise this season has been notable, but far more intriguing is the form of West Ham.

Last season a top four challenge looked a distinct possibility until a tough winter derailed the Irons’ push, and although the same may happen, this time they look far more impressive under Slaven Bilic than they did with Sam Allardyce at the helm.

Only two points separates the Londoners from the top of table as things stand, which, although hugely unlikely, makes even an outside title challenge a possibility. After all, is this West Ham that far from Liverpool’s challengers in 2013/14?

Not on board the Upton Park hype train yet? Well you may be after this!

Current form

With 20 points from ten games, West Ham are averaging the two points-per-game return that practically guarantees as fine finishing position. In fact, only once – 2013/14 – has a tally of 76 points not been enough for a top four finish, so if West Ham can maintain their current return (a big ask, sure) Champions League qualification is firmly on the cards.

It’s hard to argue against the Hammers doing it on current form, too. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea have all been beaten – the former three away from home – and as long as bizarre results like the back-to-back losses against Leicester and Bournemouth can be ironed out, who knows what’s possible?

Watford away this coming weekend could offer a real insight into what this side are capable of, it seems.

Options, options everywhere

The depth and quality in the West Ham squad is truly staggering this season. In every position Bilic can call upon seasoned professionals or talented youngsters, allowing him to rotate his options for specific games or change the way his side are playing in-play.

‘Up top’ is the area in which the Hammers’ choices are, arguably, most impressive, with the aerial prowess of Andy Carroll, the all-round ability of Diafra Sakho, the pace and power of Enner Valencia and the clinical finishing of Nikica Jelevic all available.

Behind the frontline the likes of Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Mauro Zarate can be changed for the pace of Victor Moses or Michail Antonio, while at the back James Collins is a terrific option to rotate around Angelo Ogbonna – a Champions League finalist – and Winston Reid.

Genuine star quality

Signing Payet for a mooted £10.7m looks like daylight robbery now. The Frenchman, who was Ligue 1’s most creative player last term, has taken to Premier League football like a duck to water, and his swagger on the pitch has given the Hammers genuine star quality.

Last season the Londoners were impressive, but ultimately not having a real game changer on the pitch cost them when the going got tough.

This season, though, they have a player that, on form, would walk into 95% of the Premier League’s starting XIs – only Man City have superior quality in his role – while options alongside such as Manuel Lanzini and Mauro Zarate are capable, on their day, of being match-winners.

No European burden

Although the manner in which the Hammers slipped out of Europa League qualification action at the hands of Astra Giurgiu was pretty embarrassing, it’s, perhaps, a blessing in disguise. Irons supporters would have loved top-level continental football for their last season at Upton Park, but the nature of Thursday night action and a, likely, extremely tough group given their coefficient would have, perhaps, already hit confidence and drained energy in east London.

Meanwhile, rivals such as Spurs and Liverpool, as well as last season’s top four must all balance hectic fixture lists and the added risk of injury. They may have better players, but the issues surrounding European action could prove to be a leveller.

The form of rivals

With Chelsea nearer the relegation zone than the top four, Liverpool unable to win games and Spurs always capable of imploding, West Ham have their best chance in years of making the top four.

Add to that the wobbly nature of this season’s title contenders, and an unlikely tilt for the biggest prize suddenly looks a whole lot likelier.

West Ham have given themselves the perfect foundation to press on, and with just two points between them and Arsenal – whom they’ve already beaten – anything is possible at this stage.