PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN are the latest club to show interest in Ajax wonderkid Antony according to reports.
Manchester United and Chelsea have been heavily on his tail, but the French giants are eager to swoop him from under their noses.
Meanwhile, Leeds midfield maestro Kalvin Phillips is set to cause a huge blow to admirers having confirmed that he wants to sign a new contract at Elland Road.
And Chelsea look set to lose captain Cesar Azpilicueta on a free transfer this summer to Barcelona.
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Summary of 2022 World Cup draw
The World Cup 2022 draw has concluded – and England have drawn USA, Iran AND possibly Wales or Scotland in Group B.
The final team in Group B is the winner of the European play-off – meaning either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine will join the Three Lions.
But European champions Italy will NOT be in Qatar, having surprisingly lost 1-0 in their qualifier against North Macedonia.
- Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
- Group B: England, Iran, USA, European play-off winner
- Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
- Group D: France, Intercontinental play-off winner, Denmark, Tunisia
- Group E: Spain, Intercontinental play-off winner, Germany, Japan
- Group F: Belgium, Morocco, Croatia, Canada
- Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
- Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
England’s fixtures booked in
England will start their Qatar World Cup campaign on the opening day of the tournament.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions will face Iran on Monday, November 21.
England will then play USA on November 25, before what could be a tasty final game of Group B on November 29.
The 1966 World Cup winners will face either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine.
Wales have already reached the final and will take on the winner of Scotland vs Ukraine – to be played in June, with England forced to wait over two months to find out their final group-stage opponent.
The “Group of Death?”
At the moment, Group E and Group H look like the toughest groups to escape.
Spain vs Germany in Group E is certainly one to look forward to, Japan are not a side to underestimate, and New Zealand or Costa Rica could prove to be strong contenders.
Meanwhile, Portugal and Uruguay will likely battle it out for the top spots in Group H.
Korea Republic and Ghana will not be easy to beat.
England’s World Cup 2022 group games
England v Iran November 21
England v USA Nov 25
England v Wales, Scotland or Ukraine Nov 29
“We’ve got to get out of the group… then we build from there”
When speaking to BBC Sport, England boss Gareth Southgate said: “USA and Iran are teams we’ve not played for a while and the third is an unknown but throws up a possible British derby.
“We’ve got to get out of the group. Out first objective is to get out of the group and then we build from there.
“In this situation all of our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, so when that tie is played out is irrelevant really.
“When you’re seeded you get the advantage of missing out on those big six or seven teams.
“Most of the first seeds would be pleased with the group they get. There are some highly ranked teams in pot two.
“The USA are an interesting one. They’ve got some very good players and we know what they could be capable of, so that one in particular is an intriguing one.”
Credit: Getty The World Cup groups in full
Here are the groups in full, with a couple of play-offs still to play.
England could play a fellow British side at the World Cup for the first time.
It’s no surprise that England have never previously played a British side at the World Cup Finals.
Nor have they played Ukraine, although they beat them in the 2012 and 2020 Euros.
Harry Kane scored twice in Rome in that 4-0 win, Wayne Rooney the only goal in Donetsk in 2012.
England will play Scotland/Wales/Ukraine
Scotland/Wales/Ukraine join England, Iran and USA in Group B.
England vs Iran
England have never played Iran – for obvious reasons, writes MARTIN LIPTON.
Now Southgate’s team will begin their glory push against them, probably at 7pm on November 21 and likely to be at the Khalifa Stadium where Fabio Capello’s England lost to Brazil in a 2009 friendly.
But USA v Iran is the “mother of all football battles”, once again.
England vs USA
USA will be England’s second opponents.
Three Lions have played USA twice in the World Cup – and never won.
Infamously lost 1-0 in Belo Horizonte in 1950.
Rob Green never really came back from his howler in the 1-1 draw in Rustenburg in 2010, after Steven Gerrard scored with the first shot of the match.
England will play Iran
Iran join England and USA in Group B.
England will play USA
The USA join England in Group B.
England in Group B
England have been drawn in Group B.
We await the competitors.
The Draw Conductors are out
Jermaine Jenas, Carli Lloyd and Samantha Johnson come onto the stage to conduct the draw…
Eventually….
Hopefully.
Qatar draw has begun
The World Cup 2022 draw is now LIVE.
Follow along with SunSport’s live updates on our Wolrd Cup draw blog.
World Cup Soundtrack
The first of many songs on the 2022 Qatar World Cup album has been announced.
Hayya Hayya (Better Together) is the first single of the multi-song Official Soundtrack.
It features Trinidad Cardona, Davido & Aisha.
No Ser
Sergio Aguero was forced to retire from professional football last year due to a heart problem, so he will not be playing at this year’s World Cup.
He recently revealed that he had been offered a staff role with Argentina, however he turned it down as he wants to go to Qatar as a fan.
When speaking to ESPN, he said: “The invitation to be part of Argentina’s staff was on the table.
“I spoke with Chiqui [Tapia, Argentina Football Association president] and I was clear with him about my goal to enjoy my time.
“I’m going to Qatar, but as a fan.
“I have a great relationship with everyone from the national team but I don’t see myself in the coaching staff and with the players on a day-to-day basis. They are asking for a role that isn’t for me right now.
“I had a talk with [Messi], he and Scaloni gave me an idea of what they wanted from me.
“I asked them for some time to think about it and then told Chiqui that I wasn’t ready for that.
“I will be available for any event related to the Argentina national team, as an ambassador but I don’t want a day-to-day responsibility with the team.”
Credit: Getty Pot luck
Here’s a reminder of the pots for this afternoon’s World Cup draw.
- Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Portugal, England, Argentina, Spain.
- Pot 2: Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Mexico, USA, Uruguay, Croatia.
- Pot 3: Japan, Serbia, Iran, Morocco, South Korea, Senegal, Poland, Canada.
- Pot 4: Ecuador, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Peru, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine, Costa Rica/New Zealand, UAE/Australia/Peru
“We’re not going to fear anyone”
When asked about the World Cup draw earlier this week, England midfielder Jack Grealish said:
“As a group we don’t really fear anyone. It’ll show in our performances.
“I think I saw something the other day saying that we haven’t been beat over 90 minutes since November 2020 or something like that so I think, yeah, at the moment we have such a confident group and looking ahead to the draw we’re all going to be excited and we’re not going to fear anyone”
Chelsea injury updates
Boss Thomas Tuchel spoke in the press-conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Brentford.
The German gaffer seemed in high spirits after the international break as he gave the injury updates.
He said: “Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chillwell will miss the game tomorrow.
“Callum still has some lower-back problems.
“Everyone else was in training.”
Spider-mount
Mason Mount has swapped the football pitch for the dance floor – showing off his ‘Spider-Mase’ moves to the Spider-Man theme tune.
The 30-second clip shows the England star, 23, using his famous football skills to perform several kick-ups while donning the famous Spidey suit.
Sharing it with his 2.7 million TikTok followers, Mount ends the clip by performing the famous Spider-Man web shooter pose, as a homage to his favourite superhero character.
The Chelsea midfielder then removes the mask to unveil himself.
The Marvel mega fan teamed up with Sony Pictures to mark the home entertainment release of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
He’s such a fan, Mount is even considering a future move to appear on the big screen if he was offered a role in a future Spider-Man movie.
Maximum effort
Eddie Howe has demanded maximum buy-in from maverick Allan Saint-Maximin, OSCAR PAUL WRITES.
“You will never make Maxi be like another winger, he’s unique, and the team has to work around that uniqueness.
“For a player of his type, consistency will always be an issue … but as long as we get the buy-in from him to the team and he is really committed to the things he finds more difficult – recovery runs and working off the ball – the other things will take care of themselves.
“It’s something I’ve had to learn quite quickly because over-coaching him is a negative.
“Part of the strength of Allan is that you can almost let him do his stuff.
“You don’t want him over-thinking the game because his natural talent is so impulsive.
“So I’ve tried to strike that balance while also giving him guidelines that the team needs him to deliver. It’s quite a delicate thing.”
Saint-Maximin, 25, is back up to speed following the international break and he is in line to start against Tottenham tomorrow.
Howe added: “We are just looking for the best Maxi – when he is at his best there is no one like him.
“I’ve never coached anyone quite like him, and that’s a positive thing.
“But it’s about harnessing that and trying to make that function for the team.”
Fifa president’s Italy heartbreak
Fifa president Gianni Infantino “really wants to cry” after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup again.
He told Rai Sport: “I really want to cry.
“For all the Italians it is sad, it is the second World Cup in a row in which the Azzurri do not participate.
“And if they qualify for the next World Cup it will be 12 years of absence.”
Ten Hag ADMITS United talks
Erik Ten Hag has called Manchester United a “great club” – and admits that talks are “always” ongoing with representatives from other teams.
Speaking to broadcaster Sport1, he said: “People know each other in our business.
“There are always talks with representatives from other clubs, that’s normal.
“Man United is a big club with great fans. But I can only repeat that my full focus is on Ajax.”
Ukraine want friendy with Prem club
Ukraine manager Oleksandr Petrakov wants to play a Premier League side to prepare for his nation’s play-off tie with Scotland.
Petrakov’s got his eyes set on a game at Wembley, preferably with a London club.
He told the Guardian: “We could play at Wembley, for example, against a London club.
“It could be a good exhibition game, a response for the Ukrainian army, as well as preparatory work for the Scotland game.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
