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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter in disappointed fashion after it was revealed that they would be playing Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Red Devils haven’t faced the reigning Spanish champions competitively since the 2011 final of this competition, in which Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona dispatched Sir Alex Ferguson’s United by three goals to one at Wembley.

Would you rather your club won the Premier League or Champions League? In the video below, Pl>ymaker FC’s Matty believes English clubs have already decided…

Obviously, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and some bloke called Lionel Messi in their ranks, the Catalans are one of the strongest teams left in the competition and will be hard work for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to overcome.

However, if they do manage to progress, a possible semi-final tie against arch-rivals Liverpool awaits if the Reds can beat Porto – if that isn’t motivation, then what is?

It’s safe to say that the United fans on Twitter aren’t happy with the draw, which has been unkind to them to say the least…

احتفل ستيفان الشعراوي بثنائيته مع المنتخب الإيطالي أمام مولدوفا، في المواجهة التي انتهت بفوز الآتزوري (6-1)، كما تحدث عن فشل عودته لروما.

طالع تقرير المباراة وشاهد الأهداف 

وقال في تصريحاته لـ “راي سبورت”: “إنها ليلة خاصة مُرضية للغاية، لأنها أول مرة أسجل هدفين مع المنتخب وقد فعلت ذلك وأنا أرتدي شارة القائد”.

وأضاف: “هذا يُظهر أنه لا يجب أن تستسلم أبدًا، يجب أن تتعلم الانتظار وستأتي الأشياء الجيدة، لقد كنت أتدرب بمفردي لمدة شهر وانتظرت اللحظة المناسبة”.

وأردف الشعراوي: “لقد أثبتنا أن هذه فرقة كبيرة مليئة بالمواهب، وهناك العديد من الخيارات للاختيار من بينها، نشعر بالحماس ونتابع ما يقوله المدرب، نشعر بإيجابية كبيرة”.

الشعراوي كان على وشك العودة إلى روما على سبيل الإعارة من شانجهاي شينهوا في يوم الموعد النهائي لسوق الانتقالات، لكن لم تحسم الصفقة.

وعلّق: “الدوري الصيني متوقف حتى فبراير، لذلك كنت حريصًا على اللعب، كنت دائمًا على استعداد للتكيف وقبول العودة، بما في ذلك مايتعلق بالراتب، لذلك إذا لم تنته المفاوضات بشكل جيد، فهذا ليس بسببي”.

Rafa Benitez expressed his delight at Newcastle legend Alan Shearer’s positive comments about the St James’ Park atmosphere during the second half comeback win against Everton.

Shearer described the noise from the stands as the loudest he’d witnessed in a long time, and Rafa admitted that the increased decibels show that the team are doing things right on the pitch.

Speaking to NUFC TV about Al’s comments, Benitez said: “Obviously he knows what it means to have this atmosphere around the stadium, so I’m really pleased also with these words.

“What that means is that something is right at the moment in the stadium and around the team.”

As long as Rafa has the public backing of former Newcastle stars — particularly those with legendary status, like Shearer — the Spaniard will always keep the fans on his side. It makes his position stronger when it comes to negotiations with the club hierarchy about the sticking points of a new contract.

Speaking of the importance of the three points against Everton in the context of the relegation battle, and the fact that the usually muted reactions from the bench were replaced by wild celebrations when Perez struck the winner, Benitez said: “Obviously we know that we are in the relegation battle and that we have to win a lot of games if we want to stay up.

“So I think everybody was feeling how important it was to get the [winning] goal, how important the result was – and this reaction [the celebrations] is normal.

He admitted it is helpful when other results go your way, it is more pivotal to win when they don’t — as was the case on Saturday.

He added: “It’s always important to do your job and just try to keep winning games, [and] it was therefore important for us to show the fighting spirit throughout the game.

“You could see the team was pushing and pushing until the end, and that is the key if you want to stay up.”

There will still be many ups and downs between now and the end of the season, but as long as the fans, and legends, keep backing the team as they did on Saturday, then surely safety will be achieved sooner rather than later, then the real issue of Rafa’s new contract can be addressed.

Were you at the game on Saturday? What were your thoughts on the atmosphere? Let us know…

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The 2018-19 campaign is not finished, but Newcastle United’s signing of Salomon Rondon last summer has to be considered a success.

Following a whole host of speculation, Rondon joined Newcastle on loan from West Bromwich Albion, with Dwight Gayle moving in the opposite direction.

The powerful forward has scored seven times in 21 appearances for the Magpies, including six Premier League goals for Rafael Benitez’s side.

Newcastle are currently 16th in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone, despite winning two of their last four in the league.

This weekend, Benitez’s team have a huge game at home to Huddersfield Town.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

On Thursday, Rondon shared a video of a smart finish that he produced during a training session ahead of the clash with the struggling Terriers.

And the Newcastle fans have urged the South American to do the same this weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOnly Brendon McCullum showed any intent, but Ashish Nehra nipped him out before he could inflict serious damage•AFP

New Zealand were at the receiving end of another humiliation as a hapless batting performance led to their lowest score against India and sealed a 0-5 whitewash. On a dry pitch susceptible to the influence of the overcast weather, New Zealand were keen to make the most of initially favourable batting conditions. But their edginess against pace at the start of the innings, and capitulation to spin later on, ensured their misery in ODIs continued.The pitch offered limited assistance to the bowlers and was not responsible for the domination that India showed; New Zealand’s inability to survive perhaps was. The seamers were crafty enough to make use of the hint of swing and movement available early on, the spinners, led by R Ashwin, varied their lengths, pace and worked the angles well to prove more than a handful against the middle and lower orders.Praveen Kumar’s control and Ashish Nehra’s quick recovery from a Brendon McCullum onslaught in his first over set up India. Praveen earned his prize straight away, beginning with three straight-ish deliveries before getting one to nip away and prompt a fatal poke from Martin Guptill. Nehra had a contrasting start, struggling for line and length, dragging one short to be dispatched over square leg and providing width to be slammed through the off side for two boundaries. McCullum’s aggressive posture, characterized by his advances down the wicket as well as moving well across to look for scoring opportunities, promised an entertaining counterattack. It caused his downfall instead, as he shuffled across to Nehra and was done in by the inswing to be caught on the pads, leaving New Zealand 14 for 2.

Smart stats

• This is the second time India have won an ODI series 5-0. The only previous instance was against England in 2008-09, when a seven-match series was curtailed to five due to the terrorist attack in Mumbai. India won each of those five games.

• For New Zealand, it was their fourth 5-0 drubbing in a five-match series. Three of those four series defeats have happened since 2003.

• New Zealand’s total of 103 is their lowest in a completed innings against India. It’s their second-lowest in India – they’d scored six runs fewer against Australia in Faridabad in 2003.

• India won with 173 balls to spare, which is their fourth-highest in all ODIs and their best against New Zealand. For the visitors too, it’s the fourth-heaviest defeat in terms of balls remaining.

• Over the five-match series, Indian batsmen averaged 56.95 runs per wicket, at a strike rate of 94.05 runs per 100 balls, and scored four hundreds. New Zealand averaged 24.38 at a strike rate of 80.43, and didn’t manage a single hundred.

• Ashish Nehra became the 11th Indian bowler to take 150 ODI wickets.

The pitch largely behaved itself for the duration of the innings and the Indian bowlers, for their part, provided reasonable opportunities to ease the pressure. Ross Taylor looked confident, piercing the field with some delicious drives past mid-off, but his stay ended with an instinctive attempt at a pull against Nehra, and the ball scraped the glove on the way to Parthiv Patel. Jamie How appeared on course to lend some respectability to what’s been a miserable series with some lovely flicks off his pads and Scott Styris seemed determined to get the innings back on track, but the steadiness that they had painstakingly brought to the innings was obliterated by spin.The slow bowlers were expected to play a prominent role as the day wore on and it didn’t take long for Yuvraj Singh to step into the act. In the 17th over, after having built a stand of 43 with Styris, How tried to play across the line and was bowled as the ball straightened. Styris misread the length and played the sweep, almost as an afterthought, against Ashwin in the next over to be caught plumb. And Grant Elliott, included in the line-up to strengthen the batting, made no impact, failing to read the straighter one from Yuvraj to be lbw.Three wickets in three overs, and the departure of Daniel Vettori to a catch at slip not long after indicated New Zealand were in a hurry to finish the game even before the weather, overcast and ominous, was given a chance to intervene. Sure enough, Kyle Mills’ inability to read Ashwin’s carrom ball and Tim Southee’s gifting a catch to short leg marked a sorry end to a line-up that bats deep.The early wickets of the in-form Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were the only consolation as New Zealand succumbed to a 0-5 battering, with their World Cup preparations in disarray following a bitter experience in two recent assignments in the subcontinent. India, for their part, have been boosted by the successful return of Yusuf Pathan and the consistency of Ashwin, while consecutive fifties from Parthiv Patel have further spiced up the selection race for the World Cup.

The recent sale of Scott Sinclair and pending departure of Lewis Morgan have prompted fresh questions regarding Marian Shved’s future at Celtic during a season in which he has featured in just 15 minutes of SPFL action.

The 22-year-old was signed at the beginning of 2019 and was immediately loaned back to Karpaty.

Anticipation naturally began to build prior to his full arrival at Celtic, with a record of 15 goals and four assists in 26 appearances in all competitions during the 2018/19 season lending reason to believe the Hoops were onto a winner.

However, his career has fallen flat thus far and the fact he has been selected in the matchday squad just three times attests to the extent of his anonymity in Glasgow.

But could movements in the transfer market hand the Ukraine international an opportunity to make a breakthrough?

That remains to be seen but recent quotes from Neil Lennon suggest the youngster made a fine impression in Celtic’s Dubai training camp.

In response to his quotes, plenty of the supporters urged Lennon to give the youngster an opportunity to impress during the remainder of the season.

For one fan Shved’s absence this season is difficult to understand.

Dubbed as “one of the best ballers” in the squad, the pattern of the season so far is rather mysterious.

One fan, meanwhile, expressed scepticism over his potential to influence the SPFL title race during the final months of the season.

Indeed, Shved was a key talking point at Celtic Park during the summer and much was expected of him, but his career has failed to take off.

His prolonged absence from the first team squad since his cameo against Ross County, however, suggests there is a long way to go before he breaks into the starting XI.

Finally, this supporter alluded to earlier comments from Lennon and argued his change in tone could be a sign that the player is now settling into his new environment.

Manchester United’s season is an up and down one this term, with smatterings of being at their best being followed by some dismal displays.

Jose Mourinho’s men appear to be light years behind their rivals in the top four, and it would take a miracle of sorts for the Red Devils to even make a half decent run at securing a Champions League spot given their form so far in opening few months of the season.

It’s clear to us here at the Transfer Tavern that United need some new top end talent added to their squad, and with the January window just around the corner, we think that the club should be desperately trying to add some new central midfield players to the ranks, and midfield players who can come straight in and improve the first XI.

The likes of Paul Pogba are simply not doing it for United, and a club with the stature and history of the Red Devils should have no problem attracting new players if they do choose to splash come cash in the January window.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at TWO midfielders who Man United should be looking at going into the January window…

Thiago Alcantara

The Bayern Munich and Spain midfielder is well up there with the best in the world in the middle of the park, and he’d be a superb capture for the Red Devils.

Thiago has long been admired by coaches and managers around Europe, with Pep Guardiola a massive fan of the classy Munich maestro.

United need world class talent in the middle of the park, and Thiago fits the description. If they could indeed convince the Spaniard to move to Old Trafford, they would have quite the player on their hands, and crucially, a difference maker in the midfield.

Marco Verratti

The PSG midfield ace is a quality operator and someone who at first glance would appear to be ideally suited to life in the Premier League.

Tough tackling and tenacious but equally as good in possession, Verratti is a class act, and at 25, would have even more time to develop into a truly world class talent at Old Trafford.

Snapping up one of Europe’s top midfielders like Verratti would be a huge boost to United, who are desperate for quality in the middle of the park.

Oliver Burke moved to West Bromwich Albion from RB Leipzig in 2017.

The winger arrived at The Hawthorns with plenty of promise, but he started just two Premier League games and came off the bench in a further 13.

The Scotland international suffered with fitness issues and was unable to help the Baggies stay in the top flight.

Many would have assumed that the 21-year-old would get more minutes following the club’s drop into the Championship.

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However, this season the 21-year-old has played just 14 minutes of league action and has featured in the EFL Cup twice.

For the majority of the campaign so far, Burke has had to settle for the Under-23s and on Monday night he impressed by scoring a goal and bagging an assist.

His performance led some fans to question why he is not a regular in Darren Moore’s squad, while others believe that Burke is not quite good enough to break into a team that boasts an attack of Dwight Gayle, Jay Rodriguez and Harvey Barnes.

Jordan Henderson was largely instructed to play more of a holding role at Liverpool last season.

The midfielder and club captain has always had his critics, but he had a decent campaign at Anfield as he led the team to a top-four finish and the Champions League final.

At the World Cup in Russia, England manager Gareth Southgate has so far selected Henderson ahead of Eric Dier, and it has proved to be the right call.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

However, during the Three Lions’ dramatic last-16 win over Colombia on Tuesday night, the 28-year-old did not play an influential role.

England were a matter of minutes away from moving into the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win, but a late equaliser forced the decider into extra-time and then penalties.

Henderson put his nation’s progression into doubt by missing from the spot, but his blushes were saved as England won 4-3.

The penalty miss was disappointing, but that can always be down to luck, therefore it should not hugely impact on Henderson’s performance.

The midfielder  – valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt – was mainly required to carry out defensive duties in the middle of the park, but he failed to make an interception and he committed just one tackle

In terms of his distribution, Henderson made only one key pass, but he did show strength in aerial challenges.

Due to the recent arrival of Fabinho in the Liverpool team, the Reds’ club captain could find himself without a position.

However, judging by the performance against Colombia perhaps it would be in the player and Liverpool’s best interests to allow him to play further up the park in midfield, or alternatively switch him out wide right.

One display should not be enough for Klopp to rip up his entire plans for Henderson, but it does give the manager food for thought.

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ESPN pundit Steve Nicol believes that Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho is a better player than his Tottenham Hotspur counterpart Christian Eriksen.

Both players tend to position themselves in the number 10 role for their respective clubs, but one certainly had a better season.

Eriksen scored 13 goals and provided 23 assists in 48 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, and in doing that helped his team finish second in the Premier League.

As for Coutinho, he had a spell on the sidelines with injury during the winter months, which restricted him to 36 appearances in total, and in that time scored 14 goals and made nine others.

It is clear that the Brazilian is a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team, and his quality attracted rumours of a possible move to Barcelona.

Nicol, who played for the Reds between 1981 and 1994, knows who he would rather have in his team out of Coutinho and Eriksen.

He told ESPN:

“The last time I heard I didn’t hear Christian Eriksen being mentioned in the same breath as Barcelona. As good as Christian Eriksen is you’re taking Coutinho over Eriksen every day of the week.”