Panama hope their consistent Gold Cup performances translate into a good run at the Copa America Centenario this month.
Hernan Dario Gomez s men kick off their campaign against Bolivia in Orlando on Monday, lining up in a group that also contains heavyweights Argentina and Chile.
But after reaching at least the semi-finals in the last three editions of the Gold Cup, including a runner-up finish in 2013, Panama are hopeful of doing themselves justice on their Copa America debut.
We want to do things in a good way on the day of the match against Bolivia, said
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midfielder Armando Cooper.
We are doing things well. We are all good, we re healthy.
We want to impose our style and form. We hope that on the day of the match against Bolivia we …
Barcelona entertain arch-rivals Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Saturday in a Clasico that could well have major ramifications in the race for the Liga title.
Third-placed Madrid head to Catalunya knowing that defeat will see them slip 13 points adrift of defending champions Barca, a difference that could prove too difficult to close in the seven subsequent fixtures.
Here, courtesy of Opta, we take a look at the key statistics ahead of the resumption of one of football s greatest rivalries:
0 Barca have never won a league game against Real Madrid when top of the competition and holding an advantage of 10 points or more (D1 L2).
1 Barca have lost just one of their last seven league games at home against Madrid, winning five. Their only defeat in that…
PSG superstar Neymar is continually being linked with a move away from Paris with various reports claiming the Brazilian is keen on a return to Barcelona.
The media outlets across the European continent even claimed Neymar’s father made direct contact with the Catalan club, trying to work out a return to Camp Nou but Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde refused to be dragged into such speculation.
Valverde insists he had not received a phone call urging him to sign Neymar and ads that, if any calls had taken place, he certainly wasn’t involved in them.
It s not a question of Neymar phoning nobody has phoned me. News stories always appear in the press. He s a PSG player and we respect PSG , Valverde said.
The 26-year-old Brazilian left Barce…
Verdict: Both teams to score yes
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Two of the top teams in the English Premier League season will collide this Sunday. Chelsea and Tottenham will meet at Wembley Stadium at 16:00 hrs BST. The hosts will look for their second straight win, while The Blues will try to bounce back following their disappointing loss against Burnley in the season opener.
Tottenham
The Spurs have grabbed headlines this week after securing the services of Davinson Sanchez in an effort to strengthen the side defensively. And while Tottenham have not been nearly as active as some fans expected during the transfer market, they still got off to a good start to the season. The away win over Newcastle United showed Mauricio Pochettino s men are ready to assaul…
Prediction: Draw
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The Premier League returns once again this weekend for the final set of fixtures prior to the last international break of 2021. Every club from top to bottom will have different motives this week, whether it be wanting to carry momentum into the break or simply wanting to survive before regrouping and analysing how the season is going. On Friday, two clubs who have been less than stellar thus far will collide as Southampton play host to Aston Villa.
Southampton
Southampton s squad isn t quite where it once was but in the last few games, Ralph Hasenhuttl has them showing signs of life in the battle against the drop. They ve always been viewed as something of a feeder club with people not really appreciating wha…
Lionel Messi is out of contract but tipped to re-sign with Barcelona.
However, Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly not prepared to give up on prising Messi to Paris.
Messi s future could become clearer after the Copa America.
TOP STORY – PSG STILL DREAMING OF MESSI
Paris Saint-Germain are trying to trump Barcelona s offer to Lionel Messi, according to Diario AS.
Messi is officially a free agent following the expiration of his Barcelona contract and the six-time Ballon d Or winner has been linked with PSG and Manchester City.
While Messi has been tipped to re-sign at Camp Nou, PSG are reportedly refusing to give up hope on signing the Argentina superstar.
Amid uncertainty over Real Madrid and Liverpool target Kylian Mb…
Micah Richards says he wants to stay at Manchester City and elevate himself onto the top 10 of the club s all-time appearances list.
The 23-year-old reached the 200 appearances milestone against Wolves in the League Cup in October, having made his debut in 2005, and says he has no desire to play anywhere else.
I ve always said since I came in that I don t want to leave City, Richards told the club s official website.
Unless someone comes in and takes my place and does a better job, then you ve got to hold your hands up, but I ll keep playing, keep working hard and improving. There s no reason why I can t do that.
As long as I stay fit and healthy, that s the main thing, then to go down in history and get into those top 10 appearances would be a massi…
Former Villarreal striker Nihat Kahveci has attributed his recent retirement to his advancing years.
The injury-ridden 32-year-old announced his retirement from the sport on Tuesday, and now says his decision was prompted by age limiting his ability on the pitch.
When you get old, you can t do anything you want on the pitch, the former Turkey international told NTV Spor.
Nihat ended his seven-year spell in Spain to return to Besiktas, his boyhood club, and readily admits going back to the Super Lig was a mistake.
I must admit my return to Turkey was not a success and it hurt me as a man who was used to success. I was angry at myself, and there was some heavy criticism too, he said.
After I left Besiktas, I thought maybe I could play somewhere …
Millwall manager Ian Holloway is hoping a positive result against Southampton in the League Cup inspires an improvement in the Championship.
Holloway s side started their domestic campaign with back-to-back wins in the second tier, but their two fixtures since have not gone to plan.
A 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday was followed up by a 1-0 home defeat by Rotherham United on Saturday, ending a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Tuesday s second round tie at The Den sees Millwall face another stiff test as Premier League side Southampton come to town and Holloway is eager to spring a surprise in order to regain some momentum in the league.
I m glad we managed to get there [the second round of the League Cup], he told the BBC.
We ll be ta…
Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes has started to attract the attention of a number of top clubs.
The young Scotland international has been prolific in the last few seasons and has found the net 25 times in 21 League One appearances this season.
Important
Huddersfield boss Lee Clark has stated that the prolific striker isn’t for sale. The Terriers are challenging for promotion to the Championship and are currently 3rd in the League One table.
Rhodes goals helped Town to the play-offs final last season and would be dearly missed.
However if the club from Yorkshire receive an offer that is too good to turn down then I believe they will have to sell their top striker. A fee in the region of £4million has been mooted but it remains to be seen if t…