Juan Mata believes the Premier League rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United makes it the biggest game in English football.
Mata s comments will likely be read as a dig at United s local rivals Manchester City, who sit 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
The Spain midfielder hit a brace at Anfield in March 2015, including a superb scissor-kick volley.
And Mata ranks the United-Liverpool rivalry above games such as the north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, as well as the Manchester derby.
It is the biggest game for both teams and maybe in English football as well, Mata told MUTV, The rivalry, the history of both clubs and the atmosphere as well.
Any game against Liverpool is special and, if you are able to…
Former Manchester United full-back Alexander Buttner strongly rejects he was a flop during his time at Old Trafford because he won more Premier League titles than Liverpool great Steven Gerrard.
Buttner spent two years at United, winning the league in 2012-13 in Alex Ferguson s final season as manager, before he departed Manchester upon Louis van Gaal s arrival in 2014.
The 27-year-old Dutchman struggled to make an impact in 28 appearances, but Buttner who completed a return to Eredivisie outfit Vitesse on Monday denies he failed at United, pointing to Gerrard s inability to get his hands on the Premier League trophy.
I was on the pitch for United 30 times. Who can say that he has been a champion in England? I can. Even Steven Gerrard did not succeed, Buttner t…
Prediction: France win
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The European Championship qualifiers often throw up a few entertaining encounters for us to enjoy during the international break, and the October offering is no different. Nations from around the continent will continue their push for a place in next year s Euro 2020 tournament, and with only 24 places up for grabs, it s going to be an interesting race to the finish line. The game we ll be taking a look at today marks a rematch from the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 between France and Iceland.
Iceland
Iceland have positioned themselves as the ultimate underdogs in world football after putting in a great shift at Euro 2016 before qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Now, though, the question is whether or …
Cameroon kicked off their Africa Cup of Nations title defence with a 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau in Tuesday s Group F clash.
The 2017 winners were made to work hard for their victory in Ismailia, as both goals arrived in a three-minute period in the final half-an-hour of the match.
Yaya Banana broke inexperienced Guinea-Bissau s resolve with a header in the 66th minute and substitute Stephane Bahoken made a swift impact by adding a second.
Guinea-Bissau, competing in the finals for just a second time, struggled to create much over the 90 minutes and relied on Jonas Mendes to keep them on level terms until Cameroon eventually made the breakthrough.
FULL TIME | Cameroon Guinea-Bissau 2-0
— CAF (@CAF_Online)
Christian Bassogog fired over…
Market: Barnsley double chance
Odds: 5/7 @
Two sides who find themselves leading the chase to claim a play-off spot, Barnsley will make the trip to Peterborough on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Peterborough might have opened the 2022/23 campaign with their sights set on securing an immediate Championship return, Grant McCann s men are in the midst of a worrying rut. Last seen over the weekend when watching their FA Cup adventure come to an end thanks to a shock 3-1 drumming away at Shrewsbury, the former Hull boss does find some pressure on his shoulders. Slipping their way down the League One table, the Posh have now lost four of their last five matchups across all formats. Likewise, with just a single win to their name since opening November, Pe…
Jules Kounde was sent off as Sevilla missed the opportunity to crank up the pressure on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona on Tuesday.
Los Nervionenses, who secured a last-gasp win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, went ahead shortly after the half-hour mark thanks to a smart set-piece routine finished by Alejandro Gomez.
Barca took a point back to Catalonia, though, courtesy of Ronald Araujo s header in the 45th minute, with Kounde seeing red in the 64th minute for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba s face after a coming together between the two players.
The result meant Sevilla failed to close to within three points of Carlo Ancelotti s leaders, while Barca passed up the chance to go fourth.
Barca dominated the …
Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor is determined to help his team-mates maintain their four-point advantage over rivals Arsenal.
Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor is determined to help his team-mates maintain their four-point advantage over rivals Arsenal.
The striker left Arsenal in 2009 for Manchester City, but after failing to make a lasting impression at Etihad Stadium, joined Tottenham last season on loan before completing a permanent deal in the off-season.
Adebayor told The Telegraph: Everyone knows there s a big rivalry between Arsenal and Spurs.
When I was at Arsenal, my job was to score goals for them. Now I m at Tottenham and I have to help the team finish in the top four.
We have a big chance this season to finish on top of the…
Gordon Strachan described his pride after Scotland became just the second side to beat Croatia in Zagreb in competitive action on Friday.
Robert Snodgrass 26th-minute goal was enough to seal a memorable 1-0 success at the Maksimir Stadium, with a 4-1 defeat against England in 2008 being the hosts only previous loss there.
Three points for Strachan s side lifts them off the bottom of FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group A and also ensures that they will not be among the bottom seeds for the next campaign.
Strachan who also sealed his first competitive win as manager told BBC Sport: I m incredibly proud there was a bit of ability in there at times and they played from the heart.
We worked hard on our shape and that takes a lot of hard graft.
The former Leeds United man di…
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic talked up Daniel Sturridge as the forward seemingly nears a Liverpool exit.
Sturridge, 27, looks set to leave Anfield in the off-season after making just five Premier League starts this campaign.
The England international is reportedly a target for West Ham, who are 14th in the league table.
Bilic is an admirer of Sturridge and said the forward, at his best, was a star.
When he is on fire, he is a great player. We are going to see. We have our list of strikers. If you go back two or three seasons he was unbelievable, the Croatian said.
He plays very rarely but I watched Stoke against Liverpool. He came on and, with a couple of passes, he broke their defence.
So of course he is showing that when he plays, bu…
David Villa has revealed a decreasing amount of game time saw him make the decision to leave Barcelona for Atletico Madrid in 2013.
The Spaniard was purchased by Barcelona from Valencia in 2010 and spent three seasons at the club, winning a total of eight trophies.
However, a number of substitute appearances in 2012-13 under Pep Guardiola saw Villa decide to leave the Camp Nou.
The 34-year-old went on to win a La Liga title under Diego Simeone, before moving on to New York City in the MLS.
I had a contract at Barcelona, and they wanted me to continue, but I felt like I had lost prominence and I wanted to get it back at another club. I went because of that, he told beIN Sport.
I have always said playing with [Lionel] Messi was fantastic. …