Guardiola fears a long absence from mainstay Manchester City





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Guardiola fears long absence of mainstay: 'It doesn't look good'

Pep Guardiola fears he will have to miss John Stones for a longer period of time at Manchester City. The 29-year-old center defender dropped out just before half-time in the match against Everton (1-3) on Wednesday and appears to have suffered an ankle injury.

“It doesn't look good, but we'll see,” Guardiola said afterwards. Stones has already missed numerous matches this season due to hip problems. So far, the Englishman has made thirteen appearances this season, spread across all competitions.

Storm Gerrit throws a spanner in the works of the Rangers match

Rangers were actually supposed to play Ross County on Wednesday evening, but that game can be canceled. In Scotland, storm Gerrit is raging across the mainland and although the field is perfectly playable despite the conditions, the match cannot take place.

Opponent Ross County cannot make the trip to Glasgow. The roads are in such poor condition that the team has been advised to abandon the bus tour. Studying the images of Scotland's roads leads to one conclusion: there is something to be said for that.

Bernd Leno under fire after pushing ball boy

Bernd Leno has come under fire in England. The reason was a push on a ball boy on Tuesday during the away match against Bournemouth (3-0). The German quickly apologized, but according to many, the damage had already been done.

Fulham was trailing 2-0 at the time of the incident. In an attempt to quickly resume play, Leno took out his frustration on the ball boy who had to put the ball in play. The boy watched the remainder of the match from the stands at the Vitality Stadium.

“Imagine this is your own child. Leno is a complete disgrace,” writes a fan on X. “What an idiot. You just can't do this to a ball boy.” According to Fulham manager Marco Silva, it was not a push. “He only touched the ball boy.”

The the Dutch Lionesses play in Cádiz

The the Dutch Lionesses will compete with Spain in Cádiz for an Olympic ticket, the Spanish association has announced. On February 23, the two teams will play in the semi-finals of the Nations League at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla. The stadium has a capacity of 20,724 spectators.

If the Netherlands were to lose to Spain and France reached the final, the Netherlands would compete with Germany for third place and thus Olympic qualification.

Fatih Terim is the new coach of Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos has appointed Fatih Terim as its new coach, the club announced on Tuesday through official channels. Terim is the successor to the recently departed Ivan Jovanovic. The Greek superpower has lost five of the last eight games and the Turkish coach must get the team back on track.

Terim became national champion a total of eight times with Galatasaray and he also won the UEFA Cup. In addition, as national coach, he led Turkey to the semi-finals of the 2008 European Championship. Terim was also a trainer of AC Milan and Fiorentina in the past.

Vitesse expects clarity soon

Vitesse and Coley Parry of the Common Group have been invited by the KNVB for a meeting, the Arnhem club announced in a Christmas message to the fans. Parry would love to become the new owner of Vitesse, but is still waiting for the green light from the KNVB. The bottom line hopes to get clarity in early 2024.

“The KNVB licensing committee invited Vitesse and Coley Parry for a consultation in mid-January. This is the first time in the entire takeover process and provides guidance. All research now appears to be coming together in January. We want clarity and, above all, through,” said Vitesse.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will extend his contract with Internazionale

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Internazionale have signed a new agreement, which will see the 34-year-old midfielder from Armenia play at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza until mid-2025. Transfer market expert Fabrizo Romano reported this news on Monday via X.

Mkhitaryan is a permanent fixture in coach Simone Inzaghi's team this year. The 94-time international has already played 1,710 minutes, spread over 23 appearances. Mkhitaryan was good for two goals and five assists.

PSV practices during training camp in Spain against Heracles Almelo and Hamburger SV

PSV will play two practice matches during the training camp in Spain, the club announced on Sunday. The Eindhoven club will stay in the Andalusian coastal town of Estepona from 2 to 8 January and will play its practice matches in Marbella thirty kilometers further north.

Heracles Almelo will be the opponent on Sunday, January 7 at 1:00 PM. The duel with the competition takes place behind closed doors. Later in the day, at 4:30 PM, Peter Bosz's team will take on Hamburger SV. Both matches last ninety minutes and are broadcast live by DPG Media (ED and AD).

Virgil van Dijk angrily asks the referee: 'Have you been drinking!?'

Virgil van Dijk had a remarkable chat with referee Chris Kavanagh on Saturday evening. The Liverpool defender completely disagreed with a referee's decision to award a free kick to Arsenal. Van Dijk asked in words and gestures whether the referee had perhaps been drinking…

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