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Christian Pulisic has accepted being his best self is all the United States want from him after spending years obsessing about being the team s talisman.

The Chelsea forward is set to play a big part when the USA launch their Qatar World Cup campaign against Wales on Monday.

Gregg Berhalter s team later face games against England and Iran, and their presence at the finals comes as a huge relief after the team surprisingly missed out four years ago.

The US missed out on the Russia 2018 finals after losing 2-1 against Trinidad and Tobago in their final qualifier, described by Pulisic as a freak game .

All the results that had to go against the Americans did just that, and they were left despondent and distant from the action that unfolded.

Pulisic s…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic apologised for the red card that cost Milan dearly in their Coppa Italia exit to rivals Inter, coach Stefano Pioli has revealed.

Ibrahimovic, who had scored his 499th club career goal to give Milan the lead, was sent off for a second bookable offence as he felled Aleksandar Kolarov just before the hour-mark.

Romelu Lukaku equalised from the penalty spot soon after and Christian Eriksen s stoppage-time free-kick settled a controversial Derby della Madonnina encounter.

Ibrahimovic had earned his first yellow card in a confrontation with former Manchester United team-mate Lukaku.

The two forwards went head-to-head in a heated exchange that saw Ibrahimovic aim offensive language in the direction of his opponent.

It was a major misst…

Juventus, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and now Manchester United are all reportedly chasing Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Days out from his 22nd birthday, Donnarumma has reportedly closed a deal with the Red Devils.

Is David de Gea s future in doubt?

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS SWOOP FOR RECORD-BREAKER

Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has agreed to a provisional deal with Manchester United, according to Todo Fichajes.

The report claims the deal would make the Italy star the best paid goalkeeper ever in world football.

United have had goalkeeping issues this season, with number one keeper David de Gea making a number of errors, while understudy Dean Henderson has made a handful of appearances.

Donnaru…

Manchester United are interested in signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Zirkzee has a release clause of €40 million in his contract at Bologna, and that Premier League giants United could trigger it.

The report has noted two potential problems that United face in their quest to sign Zirkzee. Firstly, there are Financial Fair Play (FPF) issues that could stop the Red Devils from investing in Zirkzee in the January transfer window. Secondly, Zirkzee s previous club, Bayern Munich, have a 50% sell-on clause and could decide to sign the 22-year-old in the January transfer window for €20 million and then sell him for a profit.

Zirkzee has been on the books of Bologna since 2022 and is one of the b…

Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a loan deal for Atletico Madrid club-record signing Joao Felix in January.

Felix, 23, was signed in 2019 for €126million after winning the European Golden Boy award with Benfica, shattering Atletico s previous transfer record of Thomas Lemar by over €50m.

However, despite netting 33 goals for his new club, Felix has struggled to consistently earn a spot in their starting XI, with seven of his 12 LaLiga appearances this season coming as a substitute.

Having made such a substantial investment, Atletico are not willing to sell him at a massive loss just yet, and while they have made him available for transfer, a loan move to rehabilitate his value appears far more likely.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO LOAN DEAL TO ADD…

For 15 minutes or so the farmers were making hay at Estadio Jose Alvalade, granted plenty of open field to harvest by their well-heeled opponents.

As they did in their stunning 3-1 quarter-final victory over Manchester City, Lyon made a mockery of the derisory labels attached to Ligue 1 as they repeatedly scooted past Bayern Munich s high wire high line.

Pep Guardiola s uncharacteristic caution against Lyon has been rightly castigated, but how that game might have looked had City just gone for it was illustrated by an uncomfortable opening for Hansi Flick s in-form Bundesliga champions.

For all the enviable attacking gifts of Bayern s wide defenders Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies, it was Lyon s more unheralded wing-backs Leo Dubois and Maxwel Cornet roving in…

The huge spending of the Saudi Pro League has served as an extra motivation for players plying their trade in the Gulf state, says Fabio Martins.

Four Saudi clubs – Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli – made huge moves over the course of the transfer window.

Karim Benzema, Neymar, N Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Marcelo Brozovic, Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessie and Ruben Neves were among the big names to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the Thinking Football Summit, Martins, a Portuguese winger who first played in Saudi Arabia in 2020 and now plays for Al Khaleej, believes the eyes of the world are now on the Saudi Pro League, and that is only an extra motivation for players who are able to go up against superstar nam…

Fabinho believes Liverpool are well-placed to benefit from the World Cup break as Jurgen Klopp s team look to chase down their Premier League rivals.

Having fallen narrowly short of winning a second title of the Premier League era when amassing 92 points last season, Liverpool now sit sixth in the top flight, seven points adrift of a top-four place.

Jurgen Klopp s side did improve before the Premier League paused in November, and they could win three consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

With France s Ibrahima Konate the only Liverpool player to remain involved beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup, Fabinho believes the break has benefited the Reds.

It can be good, he told the club s website. I h…

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Marseille will lock horns with Manchester City in the Champions League this week. The Group C match at Stade Velodrome is slated to kick off at 8pm UK time on Tuesday, and it promises to be a hugely exciting and entertaining game of football.

Marseille

Marseille kicked off their 2020-21 Champions League campaign on a disappointing note. Andre Villas-Boas’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Olympiakos away from home in Greece last week. Ahmed Hassan’s goal in the first minute of injury time proved to be the difference between the two sides. The French club bounced back from that loss with a narrow 1-0 victory over Lorient away from home in Ligue 1 at the weekend.

Les Olympiens finished…

Barry Robson believes new goalkeeper Ross Doohan will be an “important asset” to Aberdeen.

The 25-year-old has joined the Dons on a two-year deal from EFL League Two side Forest Green to become Robson’s sixth summer signing.

After graduating through the youth ranks at Celtic, Doohan had a loan spells at Ayr, Ross County and Dundee United before he joined Tranmere in 2021, initially on loan, before making the move permanent.

Doohan, capped 13 times at Scotland Under-21 level, earned a move to Forest Green in January 2023.

“Despite his age, Ross has gained a lot of experience, at various levels both here in Scotland and in England,” Robson said.

“He is composed and decisive and we look forward to helping Ross continue his professional de…