Mention Diego Lainez to USMNT supporters and they’ll immediately think of Matt Miazga’s relentless trolling of the diminutive winger back in September of 2018. What they won’t recall is that the then 18-year-old was the best player on the field in Nashville, form which he carried over into the Liga MX Apertura playoffs and a $14 million transfer to Real Betis.
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has joined other managers in lashing out at the packed European football calendar after deciding to rest Lionel Messi for Tuesday's Champions League trip to Dynamo Kyiv.
Barca lost Gerard Pique and Sergi Roberto to serious injuries in Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, leaving them with only three defenders in the first team squad for the trip to Ukraine.
Barcelona were facing an injury crisis as well as a results crisis on Sunday after defenders Gerard Piqué and Sergi Roberto were ruled out for significant periods following injuries sustained in Saturday's 1-0 LaLiga defeat by Atlético Madrid.
MADRID — Atletico Madrid pulled off their first La Liga win over Barcelona in more than a decade as Yannick Carrasco capitalised on a blunder from Barca keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to secure a 1-0 victory at an empty Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.
Belgian winger Carrasco broke the deadlock at the end of the first half, pulling off a classy backheel to knock the ball through the legs of Ter Stegen and keep his composure in front of goal after the German had charged out of his area.
Severely depleted Real Madrid conceded a fourth penalty in two games as it drew 1-1 at Villarreal in LaLiga on Saturday, dropping points for the second game in a row.
Zinedine Zidane's side was missing seven players through injury and illness, including the indispensable trio of Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Casemiro, but the champions went ahead in the second minute with a diving header from Mariano Diaz.
MADRID — Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has played down notions of a rift between club great Lionel Messi and fellow forward Antoine Griezmann.
Earlier this month Griezmann's former agent, Eric Olhats, told France Football that the Argentine had a problem with his ex-client, leading Messi to snap at journalists upon his return from international duty.
When asked about the subject ahead of Saturday's visit to Atletico Madrid, Koeman said the duo get along.
MADRID — The last time Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona, Marcos Llorente spent the whole game sitting on the bench.
But in Saturday's match between the two La Liga rivals he will be one of his side's main goal threats after making an remarkable transformation from a little-used holding midfielder to a deadly forward, capable of turning big matches on his own.
Llorente truly announced himself as an unlikely hitman with two stunning extra-time goals in Atletico's 4-2 win over then Champions League holders Liverpool at Anfield in March.
Real Madrid are set to be without captain Sergio Ramos for their Champions League trip to Inter Milan after they confirmed on Thursday that he suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with Spain.
Ramos was substituted in the first half of the team's 6-0 thrashing of Germany on Tuesday.
"After undergoing tests under the supervision of Real Madrid's medical team, Sergio Ramos has picked up a hamstring problem," Real said in a statement.
When Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann returns to face his former club Atlético Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday the Frenchman could be forgiven for wondering how things might have been different had he stayed at the Wanda Metropolitano.
First of all, the chances are that Griezmann will be on the bench as his current and former employers battle. After leaving Atléti, where he was the star man, for the Camp Nou in 2019 few things have gone right for Griezmann. He has struggled to find the form that persuaded the Catalans to pay his $141.98 million release clause.
A frustrated Lionel Messi said he is tired of being blamed for problems at Barcelona after he was accused by Antoine Griezmann's former agent of making life difficult for the French striker at the LaLiga club.