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      Former Chelsea star and Match of the Day pundit returning to UK after quitting football to become PREACHER in Canada

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      FORMER Chelsea star Gavin Peacock is returning to the UK after leaving to become a PREACHER in Canada. Peacock spent three years at Chelsea after signing in 1993 from Newcastle.Gavin Peacock is returning to the UK after leaving to become a preacher in CanadaCredit: Phil Shephard-Lewis – The TimesHe also played for Bournemouth and QPR before his move to Stamford Bridge and later Charlton after leaving the Blues. He retired in 2001 and later moved into punditry with the BBC, working on Match of the Day and Football Focus. It was after Euro 2008 – where he worked as a pundit – that Peacock moved to Canada to become a preacher.But according to The Express, the ex-forward is plotting a return home to spend a year as pastor at Bethersden Baptist Church in Kent.READ MORE IN football Peacock has been a Christian since his teens and has taken part in a number of ventures to discuss links between religion and football.Explaining his decision to move to Canada, he said: “[The TV work] was all going very well. “So when I gave everything up, it did surprise a number of people. It’s been the hardest few years of my life – but coming away from the UK has given me some anonymity. “Here in Canada, they consider me a preacher, not a footballer or pundit.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS “In 2006, my wife got an illness and was in hospital for a couple of weeks.”That recalibrated my thinking and I thought about going into church leadership, and eventually gave up my media career. “Being a pastor really is calling to me. I’ve played at Wembley in an FA Cup final but feel a stronger sense of responsibility when I’m giving a service to 30 people.”Peacock spent three years with ChelseaCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdPeacock, middle, also worked as a commentatorCredit: Getty More

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      Supercomputer predicts FA Cup fifth-round draw with Man Utd facing brutal away clash and bitter rivalry renewed

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      A SUPERCOMPUTER has predicted the FA Cup fifth-round draw, with Manchester United facing a feisty away tie.The Red Devils booked their place in the last-16 with a controversial 2-1 win over Leicester City on Friday.Man Utd face a difficult fifth-round fixture in the FA CupCredit: ReutersThe Red Devils face a trip to The Den to face Millwall, according to SunSport’s simulatorCredit: ReutersHarry Maguire’s last-gasp winner appeared to be offside – but the use of VAR was not permitted during the match due to FA Cup rules.As a result, the goal stood, leaving Ruud van Nistelrooy and Co furious.VAR will be introduced from the fifth round regardless of venue, meaning some Championship and EFL clubs might have to install it just for one match if they are drawn to play at home.That could be the case for Millwall – as a simulation of the draw has picked the Lions to host Premier League giants Man Utd.Read More in FootballSunSport’s FA Cup draw simulator has predicted each fifth-round fixture, with only three potential all-Prem ties.According to the simulator, United face their first trip to Millwall in 35 years in what would be a blockbuster clash.The London side beat Championship leaders Leeds United 2-0 at Elland Road on Saturday to progress.Across the capital, Fulham have been tipped to host Burnley in another Premier League vs Championship match-up.Most read in FA CupCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSMan City could host Cardiff CityCredit: GettyUnited’s rivals, Manchester City, are predicted to draw Cardiff City at home following their narrow win over Leyton Orient.In what could potentially be the most exciting match of the round, Aston Villa have been tipped to face Carabao Cup finalists Newcastle at Villa Park.BBC makes half-time innovation in FA Cup clash between Leyton Orient and Man CityAnd Prem sides Ipswich and Wolves have been drawn against each other, with Portman Road to host.The winner of Doncaster vs Crystal Palace – set for Monday evening – has been predicted to face Brighton away in the next round.And the winner of Exeter vs Nottingham Forest on Tuesday will host Bournemouth, according to the simulation.The FA Cup fifth round draw is set to take place on Monday night.Broadcast on The One Show on BBC One, it will be hosted by Kelly Somers, with Alex Scott and Theo Walcott drawing the balls.The simulated draw has tipped Aston Villa to host NewcastleCredit: GettyFA Cup draw simulatedPreston North End vs Plymouth ArgyleMillwall vs Man UtdExeter/Nottingham Forest vs BournemouthBrighton vs Doncaster/Crystal PalaceFulham vs BurnleyIpswich vs WolvesMan City vs Cardiff CityAston Villa vs Newcastle More

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      It’s now perfect time for Dream Team bosses to back impressive Bournemouth players

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      IT’S an excellent time for Dream Team managers to put their faith in Bournemouth’s impressive stars.The Cherries have won plenty of admirers this season and find themselves three points off top four in the Premier League table.Bournemouth have exceeded expectations this seasonCredit: GettyThe schedule has been against Andoni Iraola’s troops at times this campaign, limiting the viability of their top players from a Dream Team perspective, but the fixture list appears to favour them at this point in time.Gameweek 24 brings an away day to bottom-of-the-league Southampton, the most favourable match-up on offer in the top flight this term.Gameweek 25 features a double header against Wolves (h) and Brighton (a) while Gameweek 26 will play host to an as yet undecided FA Cup tie.Gaffers who have been reluctant to recruit Bournemouth assets need not be so timid now as there could be plenty of points on offer across the next three weeks or so.Shot happyCredit: AlamyAntoine Semenyo (£3.9m) is the top points scorer in the squad with 172 in total to his name.The Ghana international also boasts the highest points-per-game average (6.6) among Bournemouth players.Interestingly, only two Dream Team midfielders – Cole Palmer (£5.9m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£3m) – have registered more shots on target than Semenyo in all competitions this season.Justin Kluivert (£3.9m) is just five points behind his team-mate on 167.Most read in FootballThe Dutchman is the most selected Bournemouth asset with a current ownership of 8.5%.He’s scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 2024/25, averaging a goal involvement every 97.4 minutes.Kluivert is also first-choice penalty taker, a very useful trait in the world of Dream Team.Kluivert could feast in the coming weeksCredit: GettyElsewhere, Dango Ouattara (£3.5m) has risen to the occasion since stepping into the boots of injured strikers Evanilson (£3.9m) and Enes Unal (£1.9m).The 22-year-old has amassed 65 points across the last seven Gameweeks.At the back, Milos Kerkez (£3.6m) is clearly the optimum option among Bournemouth defenders.The highly-rated Hungarian left-back has contributed to seven clean sheets, chipped in with five goal involvements, and leads the way among Bournemouth players for bonus points.Simply put, if ever there was a time to go cherry picking, it’s now.Score PredictorPlay Score Predictor with Dream Team this season!FREE to play£250 weekly prizePredict scores of five selected Premier League fixtures and earn points for accuracyMost points wins weekly cash prizePLAY NOW More

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      ‘No way this is real’ – Fans can’t believe what Antoine Griezmann swapped his shirt for with fan after Atletico win

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      FANS can’t believe what Antoine Griezmann swapped his Atletico Madrid shirt for after Atletico Madrid made the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey.The Frenchman has gone viral for exchanging his match-worn shirt for a rare set of Pokemon trading cards.Footie fans can’t believe that Antoine Griezmann swapped his Atletico Madrid shirt forGriezmann was lucky to find a famous YouTube streamerGriezmann swapped his shirt with a fan for a rare set of Pokemon cardsThe 33-year-old is a huge fan of PokemonAfter helping Diego Simeone’s side to a 5-0 win over Getafe in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup, he made the trade with a fan in the stands.Griezmann was caught on video exchanging his shirt with popular Pokeman streamer Darizard and the YouTube guru’s son.They offered the former French international two sealed boxes of the highly sought-after Prismatic Evolutions set of cards.In return, Griezmann handed over his sweaty red and white jersey to the streamer and his delighted kid.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd the fan reaction surrounding the 33-year-old World Cup winner’s trade has been wild.One wrote: “No way is this real 🤣.”A second said: “As a collector Griezmann just won.”Another commented: “That’s not a fair trade! Can’t believe he’s done this”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSWhile one more replied: “This is how hard it is to get Prismatic Evolutions!”Griezmann – who is Atletico’s record goalscorer with 196 goals – is a well-known lover of Pokemon and trading cards in general.World Cup winner and 137-cap legend Antoine Griezmann shockingly retires from international duty He previously expressed his love of the phenomenon on X in 2016, when he posted a picture of himself alongside Pikachu with the caption: “Pokemon hunting”.He told Topps in 2022: “A couple of years ago, I started with a chrome card from my first year, my rookie card.”I think Koke, our captain, has some chrome cards of his own, but I’m a real collector and I believe there is no football player that is collecting like me with rooms full of cards.”Asked about his favourite card, he said: “I have a Topps Mercury of Victor Wembanyama, maybe that one. “But I would love to have Michael Jordan one of one.”Meanwhile, the draw for the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey is on Wednesday.Atletico are joined by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Real Sociedad in the last-four.Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club. More

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      Sir Alex Ferguson interrupted Coronation Street to ask me to join Man Utd – but I’d already decided to join Arsenal

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      ARSENAL icon Alan Smith has revealed that he was personally asked by Sir Alex Ferguson to join Manchester United before moving to north London.Smith, 62, joined the Gunners from Leicester City in 1987 and went on to score 113 goals in 340 appearances.Alan Smith has revealed Sir Ale Ferguson attempted to persuade him to join Man Utd before he signed for ArsenalCredit: GettyThe legendary United manager called him while he was watching Coronation Street with his mumCredit: GettySmith scored 113 goals for ArsenalCredit: GettyHe famously scored in the historic First Division title-deciding match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Anfield in 1989 which saw George Graham’s side end their 18-year wait to be crowned champions.However, things could have been very different had the striker accepted an offer from Man Utd.Speaking to ex-team-mate David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast with Betway, Smith revealed that he received a phone call from Ferguson regarding a move to Old Trafford.He said: “I spoke to Alex Ferguson. I was getting a bit of interest.Read More in Football”One January evening, I was living with my mum and dad still and we were watching Coronation Street, I’ll always remember it.”The phone goes in the hall and my mum picks it up and she says, ‘Alan, it’s Alex Ferguson on the phone for you.’ I thought she misheard the name.”Alex had only been at United for about a year and they were struggling. So it’s not like it was ‘the Sir Alex’ calling but he was obviously a big name, he’s the Man United manager.”I went into the hall and spoke to him. He said he wanted me to wait until the summer when I would have been a free agent.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”I said, ‘Mr Ferguson, I’m sorry but I’ve made up my mind, I want to join Arsenal.'”Arsenal wanted to sign me on deadline day, I had already spoke to them in a roundabout way. ‘Love this for him’ – Arsenal fans go wild as Aaron Ramsey, 34, goads Stoke supporters 15 years after injury horror”It was a short conversation, I put the phone down and thought, ‘have I done the right thing there, saying no to the Manchester United manager?'”But they went four of five years really without winning anything and Alex was close to getting the sack.”After an eight-year spell with Arsenal, Smith decided to hang up his boots in 1995.He is now a co-commentator and pundit for Sky Sports. More

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      FA Cup 5th round draw ball numbers: Who is in the hat for huge draw?

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      THE FA CUP is rolling on at pace as we head towards the fifth round draw.The shock of the round Plymouth Argyle will be ball number 10, after the Championship’s bottom side knocked out the Premier League’s top side Liverpool on Sunday night.The FA Cup fifth round draw takes place on MondayCredit: GettyPlymouth pulled off an all time cupset against LiverpoolCredit: AFPManchester United left it late to beat Leicester on Friday night, Harry Maguire scored late, and they are ball number one.Cardiff had to battle their way into the fifth round, going from leading, to losing, and then drawing at Stoke, before winning on penalties. They are ball number 16.FA Cup fifth round draw numbersManchester UnitedMillwallBrightonPreston North EndExeter or Nottingham Forest IpswichWolvesFulhamNewcastlePlymouthBournemouthAston VillaBurnleyManchester CityDoncaster or Crystal PalaceCardiff CityHow can I watch the FA Cup fifth round?The FA Cup fifth round draw will take place TONIGHT on BBC’s The One Show.The fifth round draw takes place at 7:10pm GMT.The full draw will also be available for streaming on FA social media channels X, Instagram and Facebook.The draw will be hosted by Kelly Somers, with Alex Scott and Theo Walcott drawing the balls alongside Somers.Are there any more FA Cup games in the fourth round?Yes, there are two more games to go before we know all 16 teams in the next round of the FA Cup.On Monday, February 10 – tonight – Crystal Palace will travel to Doncaster, with kick-off ay 7:45pm GMT.On Tuesday, February 11 – tomorrow – in-form Nottingham Forest travel to Exeter to take on the League One side, that game gets underway at 8pm GMT. More

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      Players forced to flee as football match is interrupted by dust tornado… but hardy fans giggle on sidelines

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      A FOOTBALL match had to be halted following a dust tornado.A game was taking place at Bogado Island in Luque, Paraguay but it was brought to a sudden stop.A football match in Paraguay had to be halted due to a dust tornadoCredit: https://x.com/AnthonyPaez595Fans were left witnessing scenes out of a Hollywood movieCredit: https://x.com/AnthonyPaez595Some of the fans were heard giggling at this sightCredit: https://x.com/AnthonyPaez595A massive dust tornado swept across the pitch forcing the players to abandon the game.Fans in attendance watched in absolute shock at scenes similar to a Hollywood movie.Yet some didn’t seem too concerned, with a few giggling while witnessing the unbelievable situation.Someone recorded the entire incident and shared it on social media where it went viral. Read More on FootballTwitter users were left in awe as they stormed the comments’ section.One tweeted: “Someone is playing Age of Mythology.”Another commented: “Mini tornado about to take everyone away.”A third joked: ” I wish we had played there.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThis fan said: “Ghost walking around.”And that one exclaimed: “Dust devil.”How Arsenal humbled Man City with Arteta’s genius double pressIt is unknown which teams were playing in what appears to have been an amateur football match. More

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      Man Utd STILL outsiders to retain FA Cup despite four of ‘top six’ being knocked out, latest odds reveal

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are still outsiders to win the FA Cup – despite four of the traditional Big Six being out of the competition.The Red Devils’ kickstarted their defence of the trophy last month with a shootout victory over Arsenal at the Emirates.Manchester United are the current FA Cup holdersCredit: GETTYBut the bookies haven’t placed the Red Devils as the favourites to win the tournamentCredit: REXRuben Amorim’s troops booked passage to the fifth round last Friday with a controversial 2-1 win over Leicester City.United’s chances of winning the trophy increased on Sunday when Prem leaders Liverpool suffered a shock defeat to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle.But they’re NOT the favourites to win the trophy.Multiple bookmakers have struggling Premier League champions Manchester City as the favourites to win the competition.READ MORE MAN UTD NEWSNewcastle United are the second favourites ahead of United, who have blown hot and cold this season.High-flying Aston Villa are the bookies’ fourth favourites to win the competition.Unsurprisingly, League Two outfit Doncaster Rovers have been given the longest odds to win the tournament.Those odds, however, will likely shorten should they dump out Crystal Palace in their fourth-round clash this evening.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSAnd Rovers boss Grant McCann insists his troops won’t sacrifice their style to secure a giant-killing victory.He said: “We’ll approach the game as we always do, it’s not for us sitting behind the ball and letting Crystal Palace have 80 per cent possession.Fans spot Sir Alex Ferguson YAWNING as he watches woeful Man Utd – but get distracted by who he’s sitting next to”It’s not the way I play, not the way this team wants to play, so we’ll be aggressive as we always are.”We’ve played three games away from home to get here, all tough games in different ways, and we’ve come through them unscathed.”So we’ve deserved this opportunity to test ourselves against a very good Premier League team.”We want to put a good performance on for the fans to go, ‘They’re not a bad side, Doncaster, I want to go back and watch them again.'”We know the better we perform, the higher we are in the league, the more fans come to our game.”The fifth-round draw will take place prior Palace’s visit to the Eco-Power Stadium. More