Platini predicts Messi´s Ballon three-peat

Market: Bromley win

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Meeting for the second time this week, Bromley will welcome Ebbsfleet to Hayes Lane on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, snatching a last-gasp 3-2 victory when they travelled to Ebbsfleet on Boxing Day, Bromley are enjoying a stellar National League romp. Although the Ravens might have suffered play-off heartbreak last season, Andy Woodman’s side are sat firmly in the driving seat to wrap up another top-seven finish in the New Year. Battling it out at the top of the fifth-tier standings and with the mood in their camp at a red-hot high, the London-based outfit will be confident of making another statement here. Collecting 52 points from their 26 National League appearances this year, Bromley have also lost just one of…

Frank Lampard acknowledged Chelsea must be more consistent if they are to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League following a home defeat to Southampton.

The Blues lost for the third time in four Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, Michael Obafemi and Nathan Redmond scoring in either half for Saints on Boxing Day.

Lampard s side beat Jose Mourinho s Tottenham on Sunday but, as was the case with their previous three victories in the Premier League and Champions League, they lost their next game.

Chelsea remain fourth in the table yet Lampard admitted they will struggle to maintain that place if their sequence of up-and-down results continues.

It s a clear statement that you need a form of consistency to come in the top four because it s t…

Premier League clubs spending on new players dropped by 10 percent to 450 million pounds (511 million pounds) during the close-season transfer window which shut on Tuesday.

Even Manchester City s 120 million pounds (136 million euros) spree failed to see the top flight match the record sum of 500 million pounds (568 million euros) spent a year ago.

Football finance experts believe the high rate of the euro and 50 percent tax rate for the very high-earners has contributed to the drop, particularly in terms of players coming from the continent.

Paul Rawnsley, director of Deloitte s Sports Business Group, said the figures were no surprise and net spending has dropped from 200 million pounds (227 million euros) to 80 million pounds (90 million euros) as clubs such a…

Cameroon could move into first place in Group 1 of the African World Cup qualifiers this Wednesday, but also risk having their campaign practically destroyed by Gabon.

The latter are currently in first place in this group, two points ahead of Cameroon who are third. A Gabon win would increase the gap with Cameroon to five points with two games to go. Should Cameroon win on the other hand, they would have one point more than the Gabonese.

These two nations have met three times in the last 16 months. Both Gabon and Cameroon won their away matches in African Nations Cup qualifying in 2008, and Cameroon beat Gabon 0-2 in their first encounter in the current campaign, last Saturday.

All eyes in the return clash will be on Samuel Eto o, who scored one of Cameroon s go…

Hull City owner Assem Allam has labelled the Football Association amateurs over their second refusal to allow the Egyptian to change his club s name to Hull Tigers.

The saga over Hull s 111-year-old moniker has rumbled on since 2013, with Allam preferring Hull Tigers , which he claims will increase revenues at the club.

After having his first application rejected, Allam said he would sell the club and promised not to attempt another name change.

Having reneged on that vow, Allam was no more successful second time round, with a vote of over 70 per cent against his application, despite FA chairman Greg Dyke voting in favour.

Greg Dyke is a very nice man, very experienced and very professional. He understood what I was trying to do, Allam told The Sun.

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Chelsea are reportedly attempting to re-sign Brazilian international defender David Luiz

According to , Chelsea have launched a £30million-plus bid to re-sign former centre-back David Luiz from French big spenders PSG.

The Brazilian international left the Blues for the French capital in 2014 for a fee of around £50million.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is believed to be looking to sign a new centre-back and it seems the Italian has turned his attentions to Sideshow Bob lookalike Luiz with the transfer deadline looming close at 11PM on Wednesday.

The news set receives a mixed reaction with fans

Luiz seems to be Mr Marmite, as people seem to love him or loathe him. His potential return has provoked a mixed reaction from Chelsea fans on social media.…

Jurgen Klopp believes the number of VAR controversies in the Premier League could be reduced if a thicker line was used for offside decisions, ensuring marginal calls go in favour of the attacking side.

A succession of recent goals in England s top flight have been disallowed after VAR reviews showed players to be offside by the slimmest of margins.

In a news conference ahead of Liverpool s first game of 2020, which will see the runaway Premier League leaders host Sheffield United on Thursday, Klopp pointed to a suggestion that was raised at last November s UEFA meeting of leading coaches in Nyon.

UEFA came up with an idea where they said we just make the line thicker, this kind of judging line, explained Klopp.

I didn t think it 100 per cent throu…

Hector Cuper s decision to allow Mohamed Salah more time to recover by leaving him on the bench against Uruguay almost paid off, but in the end it backfired on the Egypt coach.

Salah has been nursing a shoulder injury since his early exit from the Champions League final, the Liverpool forward having limped off following a clash with Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos.

His participation at the World Cup was in doubt initially, but Salah recovered in time to make the squad.

Cuper opted not to start him in Ekaterinburg, though, with one eye on upcoming the Group A matches with Russia and Saudi Arabia.

It looked like a wise move with 89 minutes on the clock as Egypt headed towards a goalless draw and a valuable point against the strongest side in the group.

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Three years ago France beat Portugal in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday both could fail to even reach the 2010 finals as they take narrow leads into their play-off second leg clashes.

France, champions in 1998, hold a 1-0 lead over the Republic of Ireland while Portugal hold the same advantage over Bosnia Hercegovina though the French unlike the Portuguese have the added advantage of it being an away goal.

The other two play-offs see Euro 2008 semi-finalists Russia also looking a bit shaky as they take a 2-1 lead to Slovenia while Ukraine who made the 2006 finals have everything to play for when they host Euro 2004 champions Greece in Donetsk as they are tied at 0-0. Related article: No room for panic, says Russia s Hiddink

The French-Irish clash looks lik…

European champions Spain are convinced they can win the World Cup this time around and are the favourites along with Brazil, says former Spain coach Luis Aragones.

The World Cup is not the fairest competition but the big favourites are those two teams, he told Spanish public radio RNE.

Aragones claimed the Spanish were psychologically more confident since he led them to their Euro 2008 victory, the squad s first major title in over four decades, and are convinced they can win the 2010 World Cup.

Spain climbed back to the top of the FIFA world rankings last month displacing Brazil who had led since July following exhibition wins over fellow World Cup qualifier Argentina and Austria.

They booked their place in South Africa with two matches to spare and we…