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      European fixtures key to huge points for Dream Team managers across next two Gameweeks

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      ANY Dream Team manager worth their salt knows to squeeze the schedule for all it’s worth.The logic is simple and undeniable: more fixtures equals more point-scoring opportunities.
      This ploy isn’t totally fool-proof but it generally pays dividends over the course of a season.

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      Smart options for Gameweeks 26 and 27?Credit: Dream Team
      Looking at the next fortnight or so, it appears the upcoming European games hold the key to plentiful points.
      In Gameweek 26, five teams will fulfil two fixtures with Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham, Brighton and Aston Villa all in continental action in midweek after a full round of Premier League games at the weekend.
      Pep Guardiola’s side host neighbours Manchester United on Sunday before welcoming FC Copenhagen to the Etihad on Wednesday night.
      Given Erling Haaland (£7.5m) plundered 40 points in Gameweek 25, the captaincy debate is likely to be a simple one for most gaffers.
      Elsewhere, Liverpool travel to Nottingham Forest and Sparta Prague in what has to be considered a favourable double header.
      Dream Team bosses eagerly await availability updates on Mohamed Salah (£6.7m) and Darwin Nunez (£4.5m).
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      Salah will be a popular recruit if deemed availableCredit: Getty
      Brighton also have back-to-back away days in the form of Fulham in the league then Roma in the Europa League.
      Pascal Gross (£4.5m) is among Dream Team’s most in-form players at present having earned 49 points across his last five outings.
      West Ham are the third and final English team still active in the Europa League.
      The Hammers face Freiburg (again) after a trip to Everton at the weekend.
      Jarrod Bowen’s (£4.5m) hat-trick against Brentford on Monday suddenly looks very timely indeed.
      The England international provided healthy returns for much of last season thanks in no small part to his ultimately triumphant Europa Conference League commitments.
      This season it’s Aston Villa who are set to take part in the knockout stages of the continent’s tertiary competition.
      31 goal involvements and countingCredit: Getty
      Unai Emery’s side drew a big name in the round of 16 in the form of Ajax but it’s worth noting that the Dutch giants have been below par for much of 2023/24.
      Jordan Henderson and company are without a win in their last four league games and currently reside fifth in the Eredivisie table.
      Ollie Watkins (£4.5m), Douglas Luiz (£3.9m), John McGinn (£3.7m), Emi Martinez (£3.1m) and Leon Bailey (£3m) are therefore all tempting options.
      The former has scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions this season while the latter has quietly amassed 20 goal involvements.
      The Villains travel to Luton on Saturday for their Premier League match-up with the Hatters having just shipped six goals to City in the FA Cup.
      Back among the goalsCredit: Getty

      Looking forward to Gameweek 27, it’s Arsenal who will be in Champions League action in Man City’s place for their second leg against Porto.
      Whereas Liverpool, Brighton, West Ham and Aston Villa will all fulfil their respective second legs in consecutive Gameweeks.
      These four clubs are therefore the only teams with two fixtures each in Gameweeks 26 and 27.
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      This clearly hasn’t escaped Dream Team bosses as the four most-popular recruits ahead of Saturday’s deadline are currently: Watkins, Bowen, Virgil van Dijk (£3.9m) and Douglas Luiz.
      Targeting the midweek European fixtures is likely to be a profitable strategy.

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      Xabi Alonso ‘not interested in Bayern Munich, Liverpool or Real Madrid’ as World Cup winner predicts next move

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      XABI ALONSO is going to snub Liverpool, Bayern Munich AND Real Madrid – according to Germany legend Lothar Matthaus.Former Bayern star Matthaus would love Alonso to be the next boss of his old team, but reckons the Spaniard will spurn interest from a number of big clubs to stay for at least one more year at Bayer Leverkusen.
      Bayern Munich and Germany legend Lothar Matthaus believes Xabi Alonso is going nowhere this summerCredit: Getty
      Matthaus said: “His dream may be to one day coach Bayern, Liverpool or Real Madrid. But, in my opinion, he is not done at Leverkusen yet.
      “Xabi is not someone who gets carried away by big names, he has celebrated too many successes as a player for that. 
      “He, in addition, is not going to be guided by the economic aspect. What matters to him is what he has built and who he has built it with. 
      “He knows where he comes from and what he owes to others. That’s why I don’t think he’s going to sign for another club next season.”
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      Former Kop idol Alonso is believed to be Liverpool’s top choice to replace Jurgen Klopp when the German leaves Anfield at the end of the season.
      But another of the Spaniard’s former clubs, Bayern, are also in the market for a new head coach after confirming that Thomas Tuchel would be on his way this summer.
      And Real Madrid, another club that Alonso graced as one of the most stylish midfielders of his generation, have also been linked with him.
      Matthaus, who won seven Bundesliga titles with Bayern and the 1990 World Cup with West Germany, knows exactly where he would like Alonso to pitch up next.
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      Matthaus, 62, now a Sky Germany pundit, said: “As for the search for Tuchel’s successor, I would first like to say one thing: Xabi Alonso has to top Bayern’s list because of his resume, his authority and his successful work at Leverkusen. 
      “I can’t think of any coach in Europe or the world who fits Bayern Munich better than Xabi Alonso.
      Xabi Alonso and De Zerbi are two names who could replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer
      “But Alonso is focused on Bayer Leverkusen and I think that is good. Xabi Alonso is not yet interested in Bayern Munich, nor in Liverpool or Real Madrid. 
      “He is only interested in winning three titles with Leverkusen in the next two and a half months.
      “The way he was a player, he is the same now as a coach.
      “He is true to his character. The stories that are unfolding now and in the coming weeks and months don’t matter to him. 
      “He has no pressure and can take things easy.” More

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      Luka Modric, 38, tipped for stunning Premier League return and would ‘easily’ start after leaving Real Madrid

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      LUKA MODRIC is tipped for a stunning Premier League return according to his former Tottenham team-mate Jamie O’Hara.The 38-year-old rolled back the years for Real Madrid on Sunday as he scored a late winner against Sevilla.
      Jamie O’Hara reckons Luka Modric will return to the Premier League this summerCredit: Alamy
      O’Hara played with Modric during his time at TottenhamCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

      Modric has dropped down the pecking order at the Bernabeu this season following the arrival of Jude Bellingham in the summer.
      Bellingham stunning goalscoring form, with 16 goals in 21 games, has fired Real to the top of LaLiga.
      But, with the England star out injured, it was Modric’s turn to be the hero again.
      Modric came on from the bench in the 75th minute before his late strike earned all three points for Los Blancos.
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      And O’Hara reckons the Croatian midfielder, whose contract expires in June, has showed he could “easily” start in any Premier League side.
      He said: “I had the pleasure of playing with Luka Modric and let me tell you, he was absolutely unbelievable.
      “You couldn’t get the ball off him in training. He’s just gone from strength to strength.
      “He’s been unbelievable at Real Madrid and ended up having a brilliant career playing with some of the best players ever.
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      “He could probably still play in the Premier League – he could go to Manchester United and easily slot into midfield and even Manchester City, to be honest.”
      Fans say ‘there’s something seriously wrong with this guy’ as Rudiger squeezes second player’s nipple in two games
      Modric spent three years with O’Hara at Spurs after joining in 2008 for a fee worth £16.5million.
      O’Hara then left North London in 2011 to join Wolves while Modric remained at the Lilywhites until 2012 before he headed to the Spanish capital.
      And what a career Modric has had since.
      He joined Los Blancos for £30million and in his second term won the Champions League.
      Modric was then a key man when they won it again, three times in a row, between 2015-16 to 2017–18.

      In total, he has won 24 major trophies at Madrid, including five Champions League titles, three La Liga crowns, and two Copa del Reys.
      Alongside he is the Croatia national team captain leading them to the World Cup final in 2018 and third place in 2022.
      O’Hara continued: “We all know he’s getting older and that Real Madrid are changing things to go with a more youthful approach, but Luka Modric could go anywhere he wants this summer.
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      “What a player and what a career he’s had – he’ll probably go down as one of the best midfielders ever.
      “If he was English or Brazilian you would put him in the category of every other top midfielder who’s ever played the game.” More

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      Erling Haaland posts picture with his grandma in touching tribute after she died days before Champions League clash

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      ERLING HAALAND posted a picture to remember his late grandmother on Instagram following her death earlier this month.His dad Alfie’s mother Tone Rasdal passed away in a nursing home in Norway at the age of 80 on February 10.
      Erling Haaland shared a tribute to his late grandmother Tone RasdalCredit: Instagram @erlinghaaland
      Haaland scored twice against Everton on the same day as Tone”s passingCredit: Getty
      On the same day of discovering the devasting news, Haaland scored twice in Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Everton.
      And two weeks on the grieving striker took to social media to share a photo of himself alongside Tone.
      Alongside the pic, he put two emojis – a heart and a dove – on his Instagram story.
      Her goalscoring machine of a grandson has smashed it in the Premier League over the last 18 months.
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      Despite being injured for part of the campaign, the Norway international has bagged 22 strikes from 29 games this season.
      The 23-year-old came back three days after his grandmother passed in a 3-1 Champions League win against Copenhagen.
      Haaland may have missed many chances against Chelsea in City’s 1-1 draw last weekend.
      But he returned in full force in Pep Guardiola’s side’s 1-0 victory over Brentford last Tuesday, grabbing a 71st-minute winner.
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      The Spaniard hit back at his superstar’s critics as he revealed the forward has been having a difficult time away from the pitch.
      Guardiola said: “Top strikers score a lot of goals. Don’t criticise, because he will shut your mouth.
      Erling Haaland SHOVES camera after worst-ever Man City game as Sky Blues drop points to Chelsea,
      “Sooner or later, he is there. He was out for two months. He’s had an incredibly tough week, losing his grandmother. 
      “It’s not easy for a human being and he’s not in his best shape. In these types of games like Brentford, you need Erling.” More

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      I’m a Real Madrid legend and Ballon d’Or runner-up, Jude Bellingham is the best player I’ve seen in a very long time

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      JUDE BELLINGHAM strikes fear within the ranks of Real Madrid’s rivals, according to a football legend.The Brit, 20, has been revelation since arriving at the Bernabeu last summer for an initial £88.5million transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
      Jude Bellingham has been praised by one of Real Madrid’s greatest legendsCredit: Rex
      Real legend Raul claims Bellingham is the best player he’s seen in a very long timeCredit: Getty
      Twenty goals in 29 appearances, including 16 in LaLiga, is making a strong case for the midfielder to be considered the best player in the world this season.
      His first campaign in the famous white colours of Madrid saw him nominated on Monday for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.
      Raul is a club legend at Madrid, having won six league titles and three Champions Leagues as part of the Galacticos era.
      And the retired Spanish forward, 46, said: “Jude Bellingham is one of the players who has impressed me the most in the past few years.

      “I had the opportunity to see him training and playing in a few games, of course.
      “I think as the president of Real Madrid Florentino Perez would say, he was born to play in Real Madrid.
      “In such a short time, he’s known how to connect with people, with the values that Real Madrid and sports in general transmit.
      “And then, despite his young age, he’s very mature in his way of expressing himself, connecting with people. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a player with those qualities.
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      “I wish him all the best because he’s just starting out. He hasn’t even been here in Madrid for six or seven months yet.
      “But I think Real Madrid fans are enjoying him a lot. Rivals fear him, which is a really good sign.
      Erling Haaland tells Jude Bellingham to ‘get back to training’ in Yorkshire accent

      “And I think he’s a guy with a very clear mind. He knows what he wants and I think he’s going to give a lot to Real Madrid.
      “He’s also going to give a lot to his national team, too.
      “Because he’s going to be a role model to all those girls and boys, who want to be a footballer or be involved in sports. Mainly through hard work, he’s achieving his dreams.”
      Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning Manchester City team and Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland head the list of nominations for the 25th Laureus World Sports Awards.
      Football superstar Lionel Messi, tennis world No1 Novak Djokovic, F1 world champion Max Verstappen and South Africa World Cup-winning rugby captain Siya Kolisi have all been shortlisted for accolades.
      The winners of the Awards will be revealed in Madrid on Monday, April 22. More

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      Liverpool quadruple odds slashed by bookies after Wembley heroics in Chelsea cup final win

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      LIVERPOOL have secured the first quarter of what could be a fairytale final season under Jurgen Klopp.That extra-time Wembley win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final was labelled by Klopp as his ‘most special’ trophy success in his time at the club, despite securing the Premier League and Champions League during his tenure.
      The Reds still have three trophies to play for after securing the Carabao CupCredit: Getty
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      But given the lengthy injury list, star-studded players watching from the stands and finishing the game with three teenagers just starting out their careers made, you could see it meant a lot to Klopp.
      With some big hitters to come back and their current leading position in the Premier League table, is there more to come for the German and his players this year?
      Bookmakers Betfair certainly think so and have been forced to slash the odds of a clean sweep of trophies into just 25/1 from 1500/1 at the start of the season.
      Despite leading the way, Liverpool are 23/10 second favourites behind Manchester City to win the Premier League this season.
      They also trail Pep Guardiola’s men at 16/5 in the betting for the FA Cup, with a 5th round clash at home to Southampton to come this weekend.
      Liverpool trophy specials this seasonOdds of winning multiple trophies

      Premier League and Europa League 15/2
      FA Cup and Europa League 9/1
      Premier League and FA Cup 10/1
      Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League 25/1 (was 1500/1 at start of season)

      Odds in the remaining competitionsBetfair odds
      Premier League winner

      Manchester City 4/5
      Liverpool 23/10
      Arsenal 16/5

      Betfair – FA Cup winner

      Man City 9/5
      Liverpool 16/5
      Man Utd 8/1
      Newcastle 9/1
      Chelsea 10/1

      Betfair – Europa League winner

      Liverpool 7/4
      AC Milan 13/2
      Brighton 10/1
      West Ham 14/1
      Sporting Lisbon 16/1
      Roma 16/1

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      On the continent, they’re expected to steamroll to success in the second tier competition, leading the way by far in the betting markets as the 7/4 favourites – with Milan second favs at 13/2.
      Adding the Premier League and Europa League to their Carabao Cup success is a 15/2 shot, the FA Cup and Europa League is 9/1 while a domestic treble of League Cup, FA Cup and Premier League is a 10/1 go.
      Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “Odds have been slashed on Liverpool winning the quadruple with the Reds now 25/1 to complete a clean sweep, having been 1500/1 at the start of the season.
      “The Reds, who are 23/10 second favourites to win the Premier League, are as short as 15/2 to win a second treble under Jurgen Klopp. The Reds are 16/5 to add the FA Cup to the mantelpiece this season, while they are the 7/4 favourites to lift the Europa League.”
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      Mauricio Pochettino hits back at Gary Neville’s ‘billion pound bottlejobs’ jibe after Chelsea lose Carabao Cup final

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      MAURICIO POCHETTINO hit back at Gary Neville’s “blue billion-pound bottlejobs” taunt after his megabucks Chelsea lost to Liverpool’s kids in the Carabao Cup final.The Blues – who famously spent more than a billion quid on players in the Todd Boehly era – were undone by Virgil van Dijk’s header with two minutes of extra time to go.
      Mauricio Pochettino reckons Gary Neville’s criticism was ‘unfair’Credit: Rex
      Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Conor Bradley show their youthful delight after Liverpool’s Wembley defeat of ChelseaCredit: Getty
      That was despite Liverpool having rookies Jayden Danns, 18, Bobby Clark, 19, and James McConnell, also 19, on the pitch by the end of the game.
      It led to Neville’s bottlejobs barb in commentary, which Poch branded as “unfair”.
      The Argentine said: “I didn’t hear what he said, but if you compare the age of the two groups, I think it is similar.
      “I have a good relationship with Gary and I don’t know if that’s how I can take this opinion. But I respect his opinion.
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      “Of course, we made a few changes with (Conor) Gallagher and (Ben) Chilwell in extra time.
      “But it is true we didn’t keep the energy of how we finished the second half.
      “I don’t know how you can describe this situation. But for sure I feel proud. I feel proud of the players, I think they made a big effort.
      “We are a young team and (it is) nothing to compare with Liverpool (just) because they finished with also a few young players. I think it’s impossible (to compare the two sides).
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      “He (Neville) knows, he knows the dynamics are completely different.
      “I think it’s not fair to talk in this way, if he said that.
      Chelsea fan Astrid Wett suffers ultimate Wembley nightmare before fellow Blues supporter steps in to save the day
      “But I think we are going to keep strong and keep believing in this project and see what we can do in the future.”
      Chelsea’s team at the end of the game may have cost the earth and had no teenagers in it, but ironically its average age of 22.6years was younger than Liverpool’s of 24.1.
      The defeat saw Pochettino’s long wait for a trophy in English football continue, having lost the 2015 League Cup final to Chelsea and 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool during his five-year reign at Tottenham.
      They can still win the FA Cup this season and face old rivals Leeds in the fifth round on Wednesday, but have dropped to 11th in the Premier League.
      Former Southampton boss Pochettino said there was still plenty of time for his youngsters to win silverware – but the same can not be said for himself.
      The 51-year-old, who won Ligue Un as Paris Saint-Germain boss in 2022, added: “My emotions, it is the same as the players.
      The players need to feel the pain… We need to work more, we need to do better things.Mauricio Pochettino
      “I am so disappointed, it is so painful. I am an older guy that has less time to win titles, they are younger than me and for sure they have time.
      “But in football always it is about when you have the opportunity.
      “Now we need to move forward. But the players need to feel the pain. We played for a trophy and we didn’t get it.
      “They need to realise we need to work more, we need to do better things, we need to improve.”
      Pochettino urged his side to take inspiration from Jurgen Klopp’s side, who themselves lost major finals before eventually becoming serial winners.
      He added: “To compete at this level against a team that is in the last five, six, seven years is competing for big things, it is about to arrive here first and then feel what it means to play for a big trophy.
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      “I remember after three or four years Liverpool lost the Champions League final, they lost the Europa League final, and they believed in the project.
      “They were in the next seasons stronger until they get what they wanted. That is a good example if we want to challenge a team like Liverpool.” More

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      ‘I really wanted to leave & join PSG’, says ex-Chelsea star as opens up on life at the Blues under Frank Lampard

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      FORMER Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has opened up about his struggles under Frank Lampard at Chelsea.The German defender played for the Blues between 2017 and 2022, making 203 appearances for the club.
      Rudiger has revealed he did not like playing under Frank LampardCredit: Alamy
      Rudiger wanted to move to Paris to get away from LampardCredit: PA
      He then left the side to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.
      Despite being seen as Chelsea’s best centre-back by the time he left, Rudiger lost his spot in the Chelsea side under Frank Lampard, who has managed the club for two separate spells now.
      Lampard’s first stint in charge coincided with Rudiger’s time at the club and during that time, the German international found himself behind Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen in the pecking order.
      Speaking on the matter, Rudiger said: “To be honest, I still can’t say exactly what happened back then. That’s part of football. 
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      “Maybe he [Lampard] had other ideas or saw other players better. But the good thing about football is that the answer is on the pitch and I think I gave the perfect one. 
      “Nothing like that has ever happened in my career. I even played under Lampard again at the end of his tenure. Let me put it this way: if it doesn’t fit at some point, then it doesn’t fit anymore. But no footballer in this world loses on purpose. 
      “I really wanted to leave. I wanted to leave. I wanted to join Paris Saint-Germain, that was my wish.”
      The defender was desperate to play for Thomas Tuchel in Paris, who he describes as an “honest manager”.
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      He was full of praise for the struggling Thomas Tuchel, howeverCredit: Reuters
      As fate would have it, Tuchel would be the man that replaced Lampard in West London in January 2021.
      His reign at the Blues was a remarkable success, with the German manager guiding Chelsea to a Champions League triumph that season.
      I played under Frank Lampard but we didn’t get on at all… if we met on a night out we’d probably get into a fight
      He also led Chelsea to a Club World Cup the following season, Rudiger’s final one at the club.
      But the German tactician is having a less successful time of it at Bayern Munich since taking over this time last year.
      He was dismissed from his role last week following a run of three straight defeats, although he will continue to manage the side until the end of the season.
      The manager will no doubt be grateful for Rudiger’s praise during a season that has been full of bad PR. More