-
)
Serie A
03 Feb 21:45
)
Bologna
)
ACMilan
0 3 -
)
Bundesl
06 Feb 21:30
)
UnionBerli
)
EintrachtF
- - -
Serie A
06 Feb 21:45
)
HellasVero
)
Pisa
- - -
)
Ligue 1
06 Feb 21:45
)
Metz
)
Lille
- - -
)
Premier
06 Feb 22:00
)
LeedsUnite
)
Nottingham
- - -
)
LaLiga
06 Feb 22:00
)
CeltaVigo
)
Osasuna
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 14:30
)
Manchester
)
TottenhamH
- - -
LaLiga
07 Feb 15:00
)
RayoVallec
)
RealOviedo
- - -
Bundesl
07 Feb 16:30
)
Freiburg
)
WerderBrem
- - -
Bundesl
07 Feb 16:30
)
FCHeidenhe
)
HamburgerS
- - -
Bundesl
07 Feb 16:30
)
Mainz05
)
Augsburg
- - -
Bundesl
07 Feb 16:30
)
St.Pauli
)
VfBStuttga
- - -
Bundesl
07 Feb 16:30
)
Wolfsburg
)
BorussiaDo
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 17:00
)
Burnley
)
WestHamUni
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 17:00
)
Arsenal
)
Sunderland
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 17:00
)
AFCBournem
)
AstonVilla
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 17:00
)
Fulham
)
Everton
- - -
Premier
07 Feb 17:00
)
Wolverhamp
)
Chelsea
- - -
LaLiga
07 Feb 17:15
)
Barcelona
)
Mallorca
- - -
Ligue 1
07 Feb 18:00
)
Lens
)
Rennes
- -
FAVORITES OR VICTIMS? CAN MOROCCO BREAK THE HOST NATION AFCON CURSE
Morocco enters AFCON 2025 as the top seed, but with only one title from 1976, can they finally handle the immense home pressure?
Morocco enters the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as the favourite. They’ve got a talented team and an impressive unbeaten record playing at home. Still, history isn't on their side. They've had their share of disappointments in the past, and host countries haven't done great in the tournament over the last 20 years.
Morocco hasn’t lost at home since a friendly against Gabon back in 2019. Their last loss in a competitive home game was against Cameroon in 2009 during a World Cup qualifier.
After their 2022 World Cup run to the semi-finals, the best for an African team, they're seen as the top team. The other 23 teams will have a tough time beating them for the title.
But we've seen this before. The Moroccan team has come into the Cup of Nations as a favourite before, only to disappoint.
Take the Ivory Coast tournament a couple of years ago. Their team was full of stars but lost 2-0 to South Africa in the Round of 16.
Despite all their talent, Morocco hasn't reached the semi-finals of the Cup of Nations since they came in second to Tunisia in 2004. Their only win was way back in 1976 in Ethiopia.
The pressure from the home crowd will for sure be on them, and that can mess with players.
The last time Morocco hosted in 1988, they were also the favourites. They lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the semi-finals and then lost to Algeria in the third-place match.
It's just one example of a host nation not living up to expectations.
"Sure, there's extra pressure, but we're not shying away from it," said Morocco's coach, Walid Regragui. It's not just on me but on the players too. It's a big deal, and we're okay with it.
Some (Morocco) fans have been waiting to see us win this since 1976.
The fans and the team need to be united. This pressure has to be a good thing, and if it gets bad, we'll deal with it. We're ready and have what it takes to have a great tournament.”
Morocco is in Group A with Mali, Zambia, and Comoros, which won’t be easy.
We respect all the teams in our group. Everyone wants to win, but with the talent and drive we have, we believe we can make our fans happy.”
Regragui said earlier this year that he’s the right person to win the trophy for Morocco.
You won't find anyone better than me for the next African Cup of Nations. I believe I can win it. If Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti could promise us the trophy, I'd give them my spot. But that's not going to happen.”
Ivory Coast won at home two years ago, even though they barely made it out of their group and lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea.
But they're the first home team to win in 10 tries, since Egypt in 2006.
Looking back, there have only been three home wins in the last 16 tournaments—Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006), and Ivory Coast (2023). Before that, South Africa won as hosts in 1996.
In the 34 tournaments so far, 12 hosts have won, but eight of those were before 1991.
The hosts who've won are Egypt (1959, 1986, 2006), Ethiopia (1962), Ghana (1963, 1978), Sudan (1970), Nigeria (1980), Algeria (1990), South Africa (1996), Tunisia (2004), and the Ivory Coast (2023).
Three host nations lost in the final: Tunisia (1965), Libya (1982), and Nigeria (2000).
The worst a host can do is get knocked out in the group stage, which happened to Ethiopia (1976), Ivory Coast (1984), Tunisia (1994), and Gabon (2017).
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.
Read More News