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Wales boss Wayne Pivac believes the use of words like “hate” in pre-match rhetoric is unnecessary. England flanker Lewis Ludlam upped the ante ahead of Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland when he said: “They hate us and we hate them.” Ludlam bristled at a perception that Celtic nations play with more passion than England. “I disagree actually,” Ludlam said. “We are emotionally there. They hate us and we hate them. There is no difference. “It’s just another place to go. It’s a battle. It’s going to be a war and it’s something we are excited for and we will be ready for.” Ahead of England’s Guinness Six Nations opener against France last weekend – which they lost 24-17 – head coach Eddie Jones said Les Bleus would face “brutal physicality.” Jones has also described Scotland as “a niggly side” in the build-up to this weekend’s encounter at Murrayfield. Pivac, though, said: “Hate is a pretty strong word, isn’t it, and I don’t think there is any need for that. ...

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane offered no excuses after the LaLiga leaders were dumped out of the Copa del Rey following a 4-3 home defeat by Real Sociedad. Los Blancos had been on a 21-match unbeaten run across all competitions. However, a team showing seven changes from the win over Atletico Madrid came up short as Sociedad battled to a well-deserved triumph to book their place in the semi-finals. “This is football. Things have not gone as we wanted,” Zidane told a post-match press conference. “It was a complicated game, but we tried until the end and the reaction was good. “Despite losing 1-4, we have fought until the end, but it has not been possible. “We must congratulate the opponent and also accept losing.” https://www.zet-esports.org/

Inaki Williams’ stoppage-time header gave Athletic Bilbao a 1-0 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Barcelona had reached the final of the competition in each of the last six years, winning four of them, but were dumped out this year after some late drama at San Mames. With the five minutes of added time played, and the tie appearing set for extra-time and possibly a penalty shoot-out, Williams glanced the ball past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to snatch a dramatic victory. Barcelona, winners of the competition a record 30 times, had just one change from their last LaLiga match as Sergi Roberto came in for Antoine Griezmann. It did not take long for Lionel Messi – whose row with director Eric Abidal had overshadowed the build-up to the match – to carve open the home defence as he set Ansu Fati clear, but the 17-year-old forward sliced his shot wide. Athletic, whose last of 23 Copa del Rey triumphs came in 1984, thought they had opened...

What the papers say The path appears to be opening up for Paul Pogba to leave Manchester United, with The Sun reporting the club have dropped his asking price by £30million. In June the Frenchman said that he wanted a “new challenge” while dressing room sources recently said Pogba’s “head is not currently at the club”. His former side Juventus and Real Madrid are among the European teams who could now hand over the required £150m for the 26-year-old midfielder, who the Daily Star says has been excluded from United’s warm weather camp in Spain. Adama Traore could leave Wolves for Barcelona at the end of the season, according to the Daily Mail. Wolves are preparing for a bidding war for the 24-year-old, who has impressed since signing at Molineux in August 2018. The Mail reports he is wanted back at the Nou Camp, having left to join Aston Villa in 2015. The Liverpool Echo reports Everton are not considering acquiring Brazil forward Everton Soares from Gremio. The 23-year-old had sai...

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton believes Wales counterpart Alun Wyn Jones “is a great example” of a player who is able to put pressure on referees. The experienced duo are set to go head to head when their teams meet for a compelling Guinness Six Nations clash in Dublin. Fly-half Sexton replaced retired hooker Rory Best as skipper ahead of the tournament and was frustrated his team were on the receiving end of some puzzling penalty calls from French referee Mathieu Raynal during the opening-weekend win over Scotland. <figcaption class='imgFCap'>Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones is preparing to win his 136th international cap (Steven Paston/PA)</figcaption> Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones is preparing to win his 136th international cap (Steven Paston/PA) The 34-year-old is keen to avoid a repeat and pointed to Welsh lock Wyn Jones as a prime example of someone who has the personality to pressurise match officials into reviewing decisions. “There were a few things I ...

Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale says he is "hopeful" that England captain Joe Root could appear in five County Championship matches this season. The 29-year-old, who only played two four-day games in 2019, has no England commitments in April or May. "He wants to come back and he wants to play. He likes playing, he doesn't like time off," Gale told BBC Radio Leeds' Cricket Show. "He feels he's in good form now and he wants to continue that." Yorkshire start their 2020 campaign on 12 April against Gloucestershire, with a trip to champions Essex the following week. Root will be in Sri Lanka for the two-Test series, the second of which is scheduled to finish on 31 March. England's first Test match of the summer against West Indies at The Oval begins on 4 June. https://www.vinnande-online-casino.info/

Rain has delayed the start of England's second one-day international against South Africa in Durban. Prospects of play are looking slim at Kingsmead with more rain forecast and a minimum of 20 overs per side required to constitute a complete game. The hosts are 1-0 up in the three-match series after victory by seven wickets in the first ODI in Cape Town on Tuesday. The third ODI takes place in Johannesburg on Sunday at 08:00 GMT. England's previous two ODIs against South Africa in Durban in 2005 and 2009 were both abandoned because of rain. https://www.vinnande-online-casino.info/

Former Australia batsman and coach Darren Lehmann will have a heart bypass operation after falling ill on Wednesday, his 50th birthday. Lehmann suffered chest pains while watching his son Jake, 27, captain a Cricket Australia XI against England Lions on the Gold Coast. Lehmann, who played in 27 Tests, will have surgery in Brisbane on Saturday. "I would like to thank everyone in the Australian cricket family for their concern," he said. Australian ball-tampering: Darren Lehmann to quit as Australia coach "I am receiving the best of medical care and am confident I'll be back on my feet soon." Lehmann, who also played in 117 one-day internationals and helped Australia win two World Cups, coached the national team from 2013 to 2018. He returned to coaching for the latest Big Bash League, which concludes on Saturday, but failed to lead Brisbane Heat into the play-off phase. https://www.vinnande-online-casino.info/

Jofra Archer will miss England's two-Test tour of Sri Lanka next month because of a low-grade stress fracture in his right elbow. The fast bowler, 24, missed the last three Tests of England's 3-1 series win in South Africa and scans on Wednesday revealed the extent of the damage. Archer will also miss the 2020 Indian Premier League season. He will now aim to be fit for the English summer and the three-match Test series with West Indies in June. Archer took six wickets in the first-Test defeat at Centurion in December, sat out the matches in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and pulled up in the warm-up ahead of the final Test in Johannesburg. He had a scan when the injury was first diagnosed which did not show anything significant, but was sent home for a more sophisticated scan after the Tests, which showed that he is suffering from a low-grade stress fracture in his right elbow. https://www.vinnande-online-casino.info/

Natalie Sciver led England to a four-wicket win over India in their third match of the T20 tri-series. Sciver's composed 50 from 38 balls rescued England after they slipped to 28-3, chasing 124 for victory at the Junction Oval in Melbourne. India had earlier posted an underwhelming 123-6 from their 20 overs, with pace bowlers Anya Shrubsole taking 3-31 and Katherine Brunt 2-23. Despite losing regular wickets, England secured victory with seven balls left. England lost their opening match against India before beating Australia in a super over on Saturday. They face Australia again on Sunday (00:40 GMT) before the final takes place on 12 February. T20 tri-series - fixtures, results & scorecards India started well, with Smriti Mandhana in particular looking strong down the ground, but she was the only batter to find any fluency on a slow pitch. Mandhana made 45 from 40 balls, hitting seven fours and India's sole six of the innings, but after she was stumped o...

Aston Villa may have lost at Bournemouth, but their new signing scored on his Premier League debut - and created a little bit of history too. Mbwana Samatta's 70th-minute header made him the first player from Tanzania to score a goal in the Premier League. Who knows when someone else will join him? For now, he stands alongside 17 others as the only players from their respective nations to have found the net in the Premier League. https://www.thesportsnext.com/

David de Gea joined a very special club this weekend. The goalkeeper made his 300th Premier League appearance for Manchester United on Saturday, as they drew 0-0 with Wolves at Old Trafford. Below is a list of 35 players who have also achieved 300 starts in the top flight of English football with a single club during their career. All you have to do is read the clues and try to name as many players as you can in four minutes. https://www.thesportsnext.com/

Why be a professional footballer if you can't indulge in performative shows of wealth, like buying an already ridiculously exclusive sports car and then customising it with a reflective chrome wrap? What else are you supposed to do with that money?! Now on BBC Three, Peter Crouch gets Norwich players Tim Krul, Todd Cantwell and Kenny McLean, as well as Tom Cairney, Steven Sessegnon and Marcus Bettinelli of Fulham to trade in their usual £200k whips for a £2k hatchback for the day, whilst Chris Stark puts them through a series of forfeit games. It all involves mild electrocution, water jets and, generally, Chris trolling the poor lads something terrible. https://www.thesportsnext.com/

Billy Cann was a season-ticket holder at Newcastle United for 35 years before he decided he'd had enough. He had been watching his team since 1969 but when owner Mike Ashley sacked Chris Hughton in 2010 the 63-year-old decided not to renew and many fans have since followed. Their issues are numerous, but chief among them is an owner who they feel does not match their ambition. "I don't want to give Mike Ashley any more of my cash," Cann tells BBC Sport en route to a goalless draw with bottom-of-the-table Norwich City for which he has borrowed a ticket. That is why news of a potential £340m takeover featuring Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has been greeted on the streets of Tyneside with excitement rather than any moral outcry. https://www.thesportsnext.com/

Before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer headed out into the Old Trafford corridors after his post-match news conference, the Manchester United manager said to the assembled journalists: "Enjoy your break." After the 0-0 draw against Wolves, United do not play again until 17 February, when they visit Chelsea, the team currently in the fourth spot which, in terms of the Premier League, is now Solskjaer's target. But there are more issues than merely trying to haul back the six-point lead Frank Lampard's side have that need to be addressed by United. And it is not certain, even with the additions of Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo, that they have all the answers. https://www.thesportsnext.com/

Wayne Rooney will face his former side Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup after Derby beat Northampton in their fourth-round replay. Holders Manchester City will travel to Sheffield Wednesday. Chelsea will host Liverpool after they overcame Shrewsbury in a replay, while Arsenal travel to League One Portsmouth. All eight ties will be played across three midweek nights from 3-5 March. Rooney, who is United and England's all-time record goalscorer, joined Championship club Derby County as a player-coach in January from MLS side DC United. Now 34, he played 559 times for United, scoring 253 goals. He won five Premier League titles and each of the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup once after joining from Everton for £27m in 2004. https://www.sportsvisit.org/

The Poland striker nodded in his first just before half-time before scoring in the second half to make it 4-1. Bayern's Jerome Boateng and Hoffenheim's Benjamin Hubner had both scored early own goals before Thomas Muller put Bayern 2-1 up. Munas Dabbur's late double set up a tense finale but Bayern held on. Lewandowski's 35 goals have come in just 29 games in an incredible season for the Poland striker, who has now scored in each of Bayern's last four games. https://www.sportsvisit.org/

If you were born on 5 February and you're not a professional footballer, you could be in the wrong job. It just so happens this particular day is a birthday jackpot in the world of football. There are not just a couple of big football names who share this birthday, there are actually quite a few. We'll start with easily one of the best in the business, ever... Cristiano Ronaldo, 35 Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is celebrating his 35th birthday on Wednesday... just days after scoring his 50th goal in 70 appearances for Juventus. We're used to his routine brilliance but his CV is still stunning to consider - 623 goals in 830 club appearances, plus five Champions Leagues, six league titles and captaining Portugal when they won Euro 2016. And that's just some of his achievements. https://www.sportsvisit.org/

Christian Eriksen says he was "the black sheep" at Tottenham for being "very honest" over running his contract down at the club. Denmark midfielder Eriksen joined Inter Milan for £16.9m last month, ending six and a half years with Spurs. The 27-year-old's admission he wanted to leave in the aftermath of the Champions League final defeat by Liverpool led some fans to turn on him. "I did get the blame for a lot of stuff, for being the bad guy," he said. His contract at Spurs had been set to expire this summer. By the time Inter boss Antonio Conte offered an exit route, Eriksen says he had grown tired of the speculation about his future and weary of the finger-pointing from the stands. https://www.sportsvisit.org/

Odion Ighalo says he was so desperate to join Manchester United he took a pay cut to make the deal happen and did not sleep the night it was agreed. The 30-year-old Nigeria forward has joined United on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season. The ex-Watford player says his mum cried at the news and there were parties on the street where he grew up. "A few other clubs had shown interest, I said: 'Please, just pick United, if it's going to be possible,'" he said. Speaking to the club website,  he added: "At 11pm in Shanghai, my agent called me [to say] that United want to do the deal, so I woke up that night and started looking for a translator to go to the directors' room and hit his door. "'My agent wants to speak to you. United are coming for me, you have to make this happen.'" https://www.sportsvisit.org/

Dele Alli says Tottenham "deserve a trophy" as they seek to end their 12-year wait for silverware. Spurs, who scored two late goals  to beat Southampton 3-2  on Wednesday to reach the FA Cup fifth round, have won nothing since they lifted the League Cup in 2008. "For the fans, we have to win something," said the 23-year-old. "We deserve a trophy, it's been a long time coming, but no-one's going to give it to us and we have to keep pushing." As well as losing 2-0 to Liverpool in last June's Champions League final, Tottenham finished second in the Premier League in 2016-17 and have reached the semi-finals of a domestic cup competition in each of the past three seasons. They trailed 2-1 against the Saints in their home FA Cup fourth-round replay before Lucas Moura equalised in the 78th minute and Son Heung-min converted an 87th-minute penalty to take them into the last 16. "It says a lot about the great character we have," a...

Saint-Etienne have condemned the violence which marred Wednesday's Ligue 1 match at home to Marseille. Clashes took place outside the Geoffrey Guichard Stadium between rival sets of supporters following the arrival of buses carrying 400 visiting fans. Kick-off was delayed 15 minutes and police took the decision not to allow Marseille fans into the ground. Saint-Etienne said they "deplored the incidents that occurred on the margins of the match". Tear gas and water cannons were used to separate fans with Marseille supporters put back on buses and immediately sent home, a distance of 207 miles, without seeing the game. Saint-Etienne added: "The Prefecture of the Loire took the measures it considered necessary to allow the smooth running of the meeting, but also to ensure the safety of the public." Marseille won the game 2-0, with ex-West Ham player Dimitri Payet scoring one of the goals. https://sportsuptodate.net/

Bournemouth have given a teenage fan a lifetime ban after he pleaded guilty to chanting racist abuse during a fixture at Tottenham in November. Earlier on Thursday, a court imposed a three-year football banning order on the 17-year-old. "Discrimination has no place in any area of society and these actions have absolutely no place at our football club," said a Bournemouth statement. The teenager was also fined £55 plus a £21 surcharge. Metropolitan Police inspector Matt Ashmead said: "We'll take robust action against those who are found to have committed these crimes during matches." https://sportsuptodate.net/