Tag Futebol

The USMNT defender has opened up about his experience competing in the Champions League with the Bhoys, expressing confidence in his abilities

• Defender thriving under pressure of elite European competition
• Former Arsenal player believes in his ability to compete at highest level
• Celtic center back appreciates path from MLS to Champions League

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  U.S. international Auston Trusty says he’s loved every second of Champions League football since joining Celtic from Sheffield United in August 2024. The 26-year-old American defender believes his time in the Premier League and Championship prepared him well for facing top-tier opposition.

  “I love every second. I mean I back myself against any player really," Trusty said on with Herculez Gomez. "Come out here playing the Premier League, now playing in the Champions League, you have to have your ability, you have to have the ability to back yourself mentally as well. Any chance I get to play with these guys and to play against these historic teams, I always go back to me as a little kid growing up, and just like this was not even reality, really!

  “Like this was this wasn't even like possible for me to be here, living my dream day in day out be where I am at, where I'm at mentally and also physically, and it goes like wise as a player. I'm just, I'm living my life. I'm living my dream, man.”

  Trusty shared that the confidence in his abilities has been there since he was a little kid, just starting to play football, and while he’s been through ups and downs, he continues to back himself.

  “I don't think it starts there,” Trusty explained. “I think it started since I was a little kid, all the opportunities…There are plenty of ups and downs. And I think through those moments through those times, I've slowly layered by layer of the layer, backing myself and showing myself my ability.”

Advertisement

• WHAT AUSTON TRUSTY SAID

  Trusty wasn’t included on the U.S. men’s national team roster for the 2025 Gold Cup, but the Celtic center-back has remained supportive of the program and believes the tournament was a valuable learning experience for the group.

  Trusty further touched upon the USMNT’s Gold Cup summer and believes that while the team initially had a tough run, he thinks that they’ve learnt a lot and that the blocks are in place.

  “Obviously, I would love to go and represent the country,” Trusty said. “That's my entire dream. Any call up I can get, I'll be eager to take full advantage…I back coach back the team and obviously, you had some bad results. No one wants these results, but I think the team is just learning.

  He added, “Some of those guys were key guys who have been on the team in the past, and they brought in some new people. So we’re just finding our way, but I think we do have time. I think on the outside, it seems like, ‘oh, what's going on?’ But I think Poch really has a good idea what's going to happen, and he's still like building the blocks, but I think we’re in a good spot.”

  The center back also praised Pochettino for the tactical knowledge he’s brought to the setup, reflecting on his own experience in early camps under the Argentine.

  “He called me in the first couple of camps, it was great, they were great. And I haven’t had too much conversations [or been] in touch since then, but it's all good standing…I think the coaches have been really good and obviously they're highly qualified and experienced too," he said. “Poch is an extremely experienced coach, so you know he knows what he’s talking about, so to be in those environments, to put yourself in that environment to maybe adapt to doing certain things or do things, maybe, maybe you’re not used to doing, it only benefits yourself. So I've only looked at that in a really positive way."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Trusty signed for Celtic in the summer of 2024 and has since made 38 appearances for , scoring one goal and winning the Scottish Championship as well as the Scottish League Cup in his debut season. Not only that, he has earned four caps for the USMNT, making his debut in March 2023, with his last cap coming in November 2024.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  Celtic's Champions League campaign provides Trusty with continued opportunities to establish himself at the elite level of European competition. The defender is currently a part of the club’s preseason activities as he prepares himself for the 2025-26 season.

Venue also picks up demerit point after hosting the shortest result Test in history

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2024

Uneven bounce was a constant feature of the Newlands pitch•Halden Krog/Associated Press

The ICC has handed an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point to the pitch that hosted the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town.Cricket South Africa has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that it will not appeal the sanction, which an official called a “fair” assessment of the surface. On Wednesday, the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA), the cricket board which runs Newlands, issued a statement saying they will “work closely with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to review the Match Referee’s report thoroughly and identify all areas for improvement.”The match, which India won by seven wickets, ended in less than five sessions and lasted just 642 balls, which made it the shortest result Test in the game’s history. Fast bowlers dominated the game, extracting seam movement and uneven bounce with new ball and old, and neither team bowled a ball of spin.Related

Stats – Cape Town the shortest completed Test ever

Rohit calls out ICC for supposed double standards in rating pitches

SA bemoan 'sad state' of Newlands 'slug-fest'

What is a bad pitch?

ICC match referee Chris Broad handed out the “unsatisfactory” rating after consulting with captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, both of whom, according to an ICC release, felt the pitch “was below standard”.”The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on,” Broad said. “The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it difficult to play shots. Several batters were hit on the gloves and many wickets also fell due to the awkward bounce.”Under the ICC’s monitoring process, pitches and outfields can be rated very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or unfit. One demerit point is awarded to venues for an unsatisfactory rating, and three demerit points for an unfit rating.Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period. A venue stands to be suspended from hosting international cricket for a 12-month period if it accumulates six demerit points, and suspended for 24 months if it reaches a threshold of 12 demerit points.The sanction is the latest setback for WPCA, which finds itself in financial distress following the construction of an office block in the stadium precinct. While the building has several tenants, WPCA continues to service the debt it incurred to erect the structure and has had to rely on a multi-million Rand bailout from CSA in order to operate this summer. CSA’s funds have been used to ensure the New Year’s Test and the SA20 can take place. WPCA, in their statement, said they are working with CSA and have “committed itself to a comprehensive turnaround strategy to address the recent misfortunes at WPCA, which includes restoring Newlands Cricket Ground to its former glory.”

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres has issued an ultimatum to president Frederico Varandas as they refuse to sell the player below their valuation.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Gyokeres issues ulimatum to Sporting president
• Threatens to make his stance public
• Refuses to join pre-season training

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In an exchange of private messages between Gyokeres and Varandas, the striker threatened to go public with his stance on the ongoing transfer saga surrounding him as he is tired of the president making what he says are false statement, according to Portugese outlet . The player who was granted permission to join Sporting's pre-season a week late, has now refused to join on time.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gyokeres’ incredible return of 54 goals in all competitions for Sporting CP has attracted serious interest from Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United.  However, Varandas has made it clear that the club will not consider any offer below their €80 million (£68m/$94m) valuation.

• THE GYOKERES SITUATION

  Gyokeres' agent Hasan Cetinkaya had a 'gentleman's agreement' with Varandas to sell the player below €100 million (£86m/118m). The agreement was reached at €70m (£60m/$82m) which could be split into €60m in fixed fees with €10m in add-ons. Now Varandas' refusal to sell the player at the agreed fee has left Gyokeres furious.

  With his contract running until 2028, Varandas suggested he could end up staying at the club, saying: "Sporting does not need to sell him, but we remain sensitive to the dreams of Viktor and any of our athletes."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SPORTING AND GYOKERES?

  With Sporting set to extract as much as cash as possible from potential suitors, a feisty battle between the player and the club has been ensured with Gyokeres keen to move abroad and play at the biggest clubs in Europe.

Quinton de Kock is set to make his debut in the BBL this season after being selected by Melbourne Renegades in the overseas draft while Melbourne Stars took England star Harry Brook but not before trying to poach Rashid Khan from Adelaide Strikers for the second year running.The second edition of the BBL’s overseas draft was a lot more tactical as clubs tried to fill their needs while also prising out some regulars from other clubs.Ashes stars Brook and Zak Crawley will both return to the BBL but neither with their previous club Hobart Hurricanes, with Crawley heading to Perth Scorchers. But both are likely to be unavailable for the latter stages of the tournament due to England’s Test tour of India, while there is also a white-ball tour of West Indies in December.Renegades were able to snare de Kock at pick four having gone in without a wicketkeeper on their list. He is listed to be available from December 10 to January 5 which would make it seven of Renegades’ first eight games. But that is only the case if de Kock does not play in either of South Africa’s scheduled T20I and ODI series against India which run from December 10 to December 21. Renegades also picked Mujeeb Ur Rahman to get him back for a second year running.Stars selected Rashid with their first pick, this time the first of the draft, for the second year running but Strikers were having none of it, immediately activating their retention to keep the star legspinner in Adelaide. Strikers also took men’s Hundred player of the tournament Jamie Overton in one of the biggest coups of the night and he is likely to be fully available for the 10 home and away matches to add a quality allrounder that they were missing.Zak Crawley was picked up by defending champions Perth Scorchers•ECB via Getty Images

After missing out on Rashid, Stars took Brook despite a clear need to find a high-class spinner having gone into the draft without even a domestic spinner on their list after Adam Zampa was traded to Renegades. But they made up for it later in the draft. They picked Stars favourite Haris Rauf with pick nine but added fellow Pakistan legspinner Usama Mir their last selection having thought the tall legspinner might be taken earlier in the draft.Brook wasn’t the only England Ashes star to get picked. Crawley could have been retained by Hurricanes at any stage in the first two rounds but he slipped all the way to pick 16 which forced Scorchers to make a late decision to take him having not expected him to slip that far. Head coach Adam Voges noted Crawley had the attributes to succeed on bouncy surfaces at Perth Stadium.Hurricanes looked elsewhere with their tactics as they needed a bowling allrounder. Sydney Sixers had the retention rights to both Tom Curran and Chris Jordan but could only take one of them. Hurricanes took Curran with pick three and Sixers retained him immediately. Hurricanes then took Jordan. They also picked middle-order batter Sam Hain who was not retained by Heat. Hurricanes later added another allrounder in Corey Anderson.Heat instead chose Sam Billings to ensure they got both of last year’s high-profile overseas batters back into their line-up, having earlier got Colin Munro, to cover the absences of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne due to international duty. Munro and Billings are both ILT20 players and should be available until deep into the tournament. Heat also added English allrounder Paul Walter who they believe will be an asset at the Gabba.Sixers had a nervous wait until pick 14 to see if James Vince would be taken by another club having used their retention pick on Curran but Vince got through. They later added young England legspinner Rehan Ahmed in the last round.Sydney Thunder made a predictable selection in the first round calling out Alex Hales. They produced a surprise later, selecting Pakistan quick Zaman Khan. They also only took two overseas like Renegades and Scorchers, with the option to sign another post the draft. Scorchers took Laurie Evans with pick 17.How the draft played outMelbourne Stars Harry Brook, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir
Adelaide Strikers Rashid Khan (retained), Jamie Overton, Adam Hose
Hobart Hurricanes Chris Jordan, Sam Hain, Corey Anderson
Melbourne Renegades Quinton de Kock, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Sydney Thunder Alex Hales, Zaman Khan
Sydney Sixers Tom Curran (retained), James Vince, Rehan Ahmed
Brisbane Heat Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Paul Walter
Perth Scorchers Zak Crawley, Laurie Evans

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 30 teams across Major League Soccer

The Philadelphia Union are officially putting pressure on the Vancouver Whitecaps. Bradley Carnell's men secured a stoppage-time victory against Charlotte FC over the weekend, while the Canadian outfit fell to the Columbus Crew in an Eastern Conference clash.

Philly is back at the top of the Supporters' Shield, with a two-point lead over the Whitecaps – though Vancouver has a game in hand.

Matchday 19 of the MLS campaign featured some big performances, highlighted by the Eastern Conference lighting up. All top-five teams in the conference all secured big wins, highlighting just how competitive this is becoming just over midway through the season.

In the West, San Diego FC defeated MNUFC in a battle between No. 2 and 3, while Austin FC came from behind to knock off RBNY as they crept into the final playoff spot.

With the Gold Cup break now on the way, teams will have a brief period to rest up and get healthy before games restart in 10 days.

Who's leading the pack, and who's falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest 2025 MLS Power Rankings.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now

Imagn30CF Montreal

Prior Ranking: 30

Results: Defeated Houston Dynamo 3-1

Ramifications: Huge performance and a much-needed win for the Canadian side. In their first victory across all competitions in their last six games, they were completely dominant, with Prince Owusu and Jalen Neal getting the goals.

They're still last in the East, but this was a big performance.

Advertisement29Los Angeles Galaxy

Prior Ranking: 28

Results: Drew CITY 3-3

Ramifications: This was Gabriel Pec's best performance of the season, as the 2024 MLS Newcomer of the Year bagged a brace, including what he thought was a late winner. But the theme of poor defending once again took over. LA had three points on the cards, but conceded a 95th-minute equalizer.

Has to be frustrating for Pec, though, who carried them throughout the match.

28St. Louis CITY SC

Prior Ranking: 29

Result: Drew LA 3-3

Ramifications: Joao Klauss's hat-trick secured a point in a match in which they arguably deserved nothing – so, in that context, this is a good result for CITY. The Brazilian forward found the back of the net in the 35th, 47th, and 95th minutes, bringing his 2025 goal total to five.

It hasn't been the best of campaigns for him, but this was a brilliant performance from the veteran forward. For CITY, though, they're still 14th in the West and without a permanent head coach.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

27Toronto FC

Prior Ranking: 27

Result: Did not play

Ramifications: Remain 14th in the East on 13 points through 17 matches

وجه محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا، لاعب الزمالك، رسالة إلى ثنائي القلعة البيضاء بعد رحيلهما عن الفريق بشكل رسمي.

وعبر حسابه على موقع إنستجرام، نشر شيكابالا مقطع فيديو، تحدث فيه عن محمد عبد الشافي وحمزة المثلوثي.

طالع| برسالة مؤثرة.. الزمالك يعلن رحيل لاعبه

وقال شيكابالا: “أشكر جمهور الزمالك، الذي تواجد في استاد القاهرة خلال نهائي كأس مصر، وعلى ما فعلوه مع محمد عبد الشافي، هو لم يكن يعرف أن جماهير الزمالك تحبه بهذا القدر، وأرسل لي يشكرني بعد ذلك”.

وأضاف: “عبد الشافي أعظم من دخل غرف الملابس في نادي الزمالك من وجهة نظري، كان يستحق أكثر من ذلك، لن أستطيع أن أوفيه حقه بالكلام، لذلك أشكر الجماهير الذين أشعروه بقيمته عند اعتزاله”.

وتابع: “عبد الشافي ضحى كثيرًا من أجل الزمالك، ولم يتسبب في أي أزمة من قبل، ونحن كلاعبين كنا نعلم أهميته كقائد، وغرفة الملابس بالنادي ستفقد الكثير بسبب عدم وجوده”.

وعن المثلوثي، أكمل: “منذ أول يوم له في الزمالك وحتى آخر يوم وهو يعمل فقط، ولم يفتعل أي أزمة، كان أحد قادة الفريق، شعرنا بأنه واحد منا منذ بدايته، وجمهور الزمالك دائمًا يقدر اللاعبين الذين يخلصون للفريق”.

واختتم: “من الممكن أن تكون بداية المثلوثي مع الفريق غير جيدة، لأنه كان قادمًا من فترة راحة كبيرة، لكنه في فترة قليلة أصبح لديه قيمة كبيرة لدى جماهير الزمالك، هو الآن في الإمارات، ورابطة الزمالك هناك ستقيم له حفلًا”.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe said it best on Monday afternoon, when speaking about Manchester United’s talismanic skipper: “The captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno [Fernandes]. Without him it would be really tough.”

Those comments from the INEOS chief came just a day on from the 30-year-old’s stunning opener in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, the playmaker curling home a delightful free-kick to mark his 25th goal involvement of the season.

The Portuguese genius certainly has his critics – Roy Keane among them – but it really does beg the question as to where this team, this club, would be without his match-saving moments.

Now up to 170 goals and assists in just 275 games for the club in all competitions, the former Sporting CP star stands head and shoulders above the rest as the finest signing of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Yes, there may be question marks over his credentials as a captain – a point Amorim noted when reflecting on Fernandes’ “frustration” toward his teammates – yet do the positives not majorly outweigh any negatives? Did Keane, for instance – a man who racked up 11 red cards during his legendary stint at Old Trafford – not make plenty of mistakes of his own?

The debate over United’s number eight will continue to rage on, but what his signing unequivocally represents is a real success story in the transfer market. It may be early days, but perhaps Ratcliffe and co have already landed another ‘bargain’….

Man Utd's mixed signings since Fernandes

Signed from Sporting on an initial £46m deal back in January 2020, Fernandes has been a stark anomaly in an otherwise wretched period of recruitment for the Old Trafford side.

£73m was forked out on Jadon Sancho. £70m was splashed out on Casemiro. A further £86m was spent on Antony. All players name-checked by Ratcliffe as ‘inherited’ costs from the previous regime.

Attempting to find a success story since Fernandes walked in the door truly is a difficult task. No senior player signed in the summer 2020 window – excluding Amad – remains at the club. The same is also true of the summer of 2021, with only third-choice goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, still on the books.

As for the summer of 2022, the aforementioned Antony is now on loan at Real Betis, Lisandro Martinez has been struck down by another significant injury, while Casemiro looks set to be sold, should a suitable buyer be found. Christian Eriksen, meanwhile, is set to leave at the expiry of his contract this summer, while Tyrell Malacia is now out on loan at Feyenoord.

Heading into 2023, the three marquee additions were Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund – both of whom were also mentioned by Ratcliffe – and Mason Mount, the latter of whom has scored just once and registered only one assist for the Red Devils to date.

It has perhaps taken until the arrival of the INEOS regime for a sensible and successful signing to have been acquired, with £13m man Noussair Mazraoui continuing to shine…

Man Utd's 'bargain of the year'

In retrospect, last summer’s transfer dealings were far from perfect, yet there have been signs of life of late from those who walked in the door during the final days of Erik ten Hag.

Indeed, Matthijs de Ligt has begun to find his feet after looking particularly “faultless” against Real Sociedad, as per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, while Manuel Ugarte appears a perfect fit for Amorim with the pair having worked together at Sporting.

Leny Yoro, meanwhile, remains a bright hope for the future, while Joshua Zirkzee has also shown flashes of his quality, after scoring the opener in San Sebastian last week.

Player

Games

Goals

Assists

Bruno Fernandes

42

12

13

Amad

36

9

7

Alejandro Garnacho

43

8

7

Rasmus Hojlund

37

7

1

Marcus Rashford

24

7

3

Joshua Zirkzee

42

6

2

Christian Eriksen

25

4

4

Casemiro

30

3

0

Harry Maguire

28

3

0

The greatest success story lies in Mazraoui, however, with the Moroccan sensation – who arrived from Bayern Munich, alongside De Ligt – looking like the “bargain of the year”, according to journalist Liam Canning.

As Canning also noted, the 27-year-old is particularly useful as he is “so intelligent and versatile”, with Amorim describing him as the “future of our team”.

That quality was on show against the Gunners last time out, with the flexible full-back coming close to getting on the scoresheet, only to see his effort expertly saved by the feet of David Raya.

Operating in a right wing-back berth – having played as part of the back three in Thursday’s Europa League clash – Mazraoui was heavily involved in United’s late charge against Mikel Arteta’s side, having produced a brilliant turn and pull-back for Fernandes at the death.

As Amorim alluded to, Mazraoui is such an asset both in and out of possession, showcased by the fact that he ranks among the top 5% of full-backs in the division for tackles made per 90, as well as in the top 21% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

With the Netherlands-born star’s value having soared to £36m, as per Football Transfers – almost three times more than what INEOS forked out for him – it does look as if he bucks the trend in relation to post-Ferguson and post-Fernandes signings.

Hopefully, such an astute signing is a sign of things to come with Ratcliffe and co at the helm.

124 goals since leaving: Man Utd have already sold their answer to Mateta

Manchester United once had their own version of Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta.

ByDan Emery Mar 11, 2025

Dany Rohl is now hopeful a “brilliant” Sheffield Wednesday player will soon return following his recent injury, according to a recent report.

Sheffield Wednesday injury news

The Owls suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Burnley last weekend, meaning it is now back-to-back defeats for the Championship side. But they don’t have long to wait to end that run, as they welcome Sunderland to Hillsborough on Friday night, a team who have had their own struggles in recent weeks.

Ahead of that game against the Black Cats, Wednesday have suffered a fresh injury blow as winger Anthony Musaba has suffered an injury setback, meaning he will miss the game against Sunderland and likely a few more.

Sheffield Wednesday suffer new injury setback for "really good" 24 y/o

This is not what Danny Rohl wants to hear.

ByHenry Jackson Feb 24, 2025

“At first it looked good; he trained on Sunday (after the Coventry game), but he got a small reaction. Now he has had two rejections.” Rohl said.

“I hope it is this week, then next week, and then before Plymouth he is back. Sometimes at first an issue starts in one part of the body, and then maybe with some different movements it goes into another part.

“It is a shame, but he is positive, and I think he will be available for the end of the season, maybe the last eight or nine games. We are working on it; he is still positive. It is harder, of course, to have him out of the squad.”

Rohl hopeful "brilliant" Sheffield Wednesday player will return from injury

But while Musaba may have suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, Rohl has revealed that defender Dominic Iorfa is close to a return and is hopeful he will be available after the March international break.

The 29-year-old, who has been dubbed “brilliant” by teammate Barry Bannan, has been out injured since the middle of January, but he is now closing in on a return, as his recovery is being stepped up. The defender has done light training this week and is expected to train on a more serious basis next week, before he is considered to be in contention to be part of the matchday squad again.

Rohl told The Star: “We are on a schedule. The only thing with Dom is that we first said we would give him two extra weeks because it was a second injury in a short time. Normally, with this injury, you can carry on earlier, but it was a decision from our side to give him a little bit more time.

Apps

182

Goals

6

Assists

5

“The good thing is that he trained now this week, and it is now about next week, making sure he can go again. We will train with him on a bigger pitch, where he comes through the acceleration and the longer sprints. It is good to see him, and in the short term, hopefully by the international break, we will have one more option.”

Iorfa has featured in 17 games in all competitions this season, 16 of which have come in the Championship. The centre-back, who can also play as a full-back, has been a key player for Rohl, starting 13 league games.

Leeds United and Millwall face off in the FA Cup this Saturday, with both Championship sides looking to make it into the last 16 of the famous cup competition.

In what is sure to be a heated encounter between the two rivals, the Whites will play host to the Lions at Elland Road as Daniel Farke and Alex Neil’s sides clash in Yorkshire.

FA Cup 2024/25: Cup final details, results, TV picks & more

Find all the latest and key FA Cup info here ahead of the weekend’s final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.

1

By
Ross Kilvington

May 12, 2025

Both clubs’ main focus will be on winning promotion to the Premier League, with Leeds currently top of the second tier and Millwall having one eye on the playoffs after an impressive run, but an FA Cup run won’t hurt either side.

Leeds v Millwall team news

Leeds

Farke looks likely to have a relatively fully fit Leeds squad to pick from on Saturday. The only absentee in recent weeks has been Patrick Bamford, with the striker missing with a hamstring issue.

A number of changes could be on the cards, including goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who came in for Illan Meslier in the last round.

Millwall

Neil recently relayed some positive Millwall injury updates ahead of the trip to Leeds, saying Femi Ameez is back in full training, whereas Josh Coburn is also back on the grass.

However, Ryan Leonard remains sidelined until the end of March and Shaun Hutchinson and Aidomo Emakhu are both making progress but won’t be returning this weekend.

Where to watch Leeds v Millwall on TV

Unfortunately, the match between Leeds and Millwall, scheduled to kick-off at 12:15pm (GMT) on Saturday 8, February, wasn’t selected for live broadcast by the BBC or ITV.

Supporters who aren’t at the game can still follow the action via radio, with BBC Radio Leeds covering the action.

Leeds v Millwall referee

The referee selected to be in the middle to attempt to keep control of the match between Leeds and Millwall is Gavin Ward. Daniel Leach and Alistair Nelson will assist the 54-year-old with Tony Harrington the fourth official.

Interestingly, Ward’s first game officiating Leeds came back in 2009 against Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup and the Whites have won their last five with him in charge, conceding just once during that time.

Despite taking charge of 25 Millwall games, this will be the first FA Cup fixture involving the Lions for Ward.

Gavin Ward record	Leeds	Millwall
Games	12	25
Record	8W, 1D, 3L	13W, 5D, 7L
Cards received	24 Yellow, 0 Red	53 Yellow, 1 Red
Cards to opponents	23 Yellow, 2 Red	37 Yellow, 1 Red
Penalties for/against	3/0	2/2

Leeds v Millwall form

Leeds

Leeds come into the FA Cup clash in brilliant form, unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions and keeping six clean sheets in succession.

A midweek win at Coventry City saw the Whites stretch their lead at the top of the Championship to five points and in their last match at Elland Road, they hit Cardiff City for seven.

Leeds’ last five results (all competitions)
Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
Wed 5th Feb	Coventry (a)	Championship	W 0-2
Sat 1st Feb	Cardiff (h)	Championship	W 7-0
Mon 27th Jan	Burnley (a)	Championship	D 0-0
Wed 22nd Jan	Norwich (h)	Championship	W 2-0
Sun 19th Jan	Sheffield Wednesday (h)	Championship	W 3-0

Millwall

Neil was appointed as Millwall boss at the end of 2024 and his team are now starting to find form at the right time.

Three successive Championship wins in recent weeks have seen Millwall steer way clear of the drop zone, and they’ll have one eye on a playoff spot between now and May.

Millwall’s last five results (all competitions)
Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
Sat 1st Feb	QPR (h)	Championship	W 2-1
Tue 28th Jan	Portsmouth (a)	Championship	W 0-1
Sat 25th Jan	Luton (a)	Championship	W 0-1
Tue 21st Jan	Cardiff (h)	Championship	D 2-2
Sat 18th Jan	Hull (h)	Championship	L 0-1

Leeds v Millwall head-to-head

Leeds and Millwall have met on 43 occasions in the past, but never in the FA Cup.

Last time out, Millwall won 1-0 at The Den thanks to a goal from defender Japhet Tanganga, ending a run of three victories on the bounce for the Whites against the Lions.

Leeds v Millwall head-to-head (all competitions)
Leeds wins	19
Draws	5
Millwall wins	19

Chelsea held “a lot” of January talks to sign a player who’s tipped to “become an idol” very soon, according to one side’s former president and close advisor.

Chelsea sign new midfielder for Enzo Maresca after request

The January window is now over, and Chelsea finished it by concluding a late deal for Saint-Etienne starlet Mathis Amougou at around £12 million.

Chelsea tried to sign another £80m Premier League player in record deal

His club issued brutal response to the Blues.

ByHenry Jackson Feb 4, 2025

Reports in the build up to that transfer suggested that Enzo Maresca was personally very keen on bringing in midfield cover for the likes of Roméo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, prompting them to even initiate contact over signing Man United starlet Kobbie Mainoo (Simon Phillips).

Brighton (away)

February 14th

Aston Villa (away)

February 22nd

Southampton (home)

February 25th

Leicester City (home)

March 9th

Arsenal (away)

March 16th

However, swooping for a player of Mainoo’s ilk proved too difficult of a deal to do in January, with Amougou arriving instead of the England international and going straight into the Chelsea first-team – despite some rumours he’d be heading to sister club Strasbourg first.

The 19-year-old has put pen to paper on an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, and Amougou is thrilled to be at a club showing so much faith in younger players.

“I’m very happy,” said Amougou on joining Chelsea.

“It’s an honour for me to sign for such a big club like Chelsea. They believe in young players and the process they have in place to develop us is fantastic.”

Alongside Mainoo and Amougou, it is also believed by some that Chelsea held a serious interest in signing Reda Belahyane, before his move to Lazio.

The Moroccan was a mainstay for Hellas, with Sky transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio claiming Chelsea pushed hard to sign Belahyane and held talks for him to replace Cesare Casadei in midfield.

However, other reliable journalists like Fabrizio Romano also denied any interest from Chelsea in the 20-year-old, so there are real discrepancies in this story.

Hellas Verona chief Maurizio Setti reveals Chelsea talks for Belahyane

Speaking to La Lazio, as transcribed by Sport Witness, former Hellas president Maurzio Setti has moved to state that Chelsea were in fact in talks for Belahyane at one stage.

Setti, who was forced to sell his shares in the club midway through January, now acting as an advisor for the Serie A side, also says that the west Londoners were extremely keen on the former Nice midfielder and held “a lot” of negotiations.

Reuters/Lee Smith

“Chelsea wanted to sign him, and we talked about it a lot, but they wanted a ready player, in the end they didn’t consider him as such, worse for them, at this point better for Lazio,” said Setti.

“But there were also Marseille and Rennes, plus other important Italian teams that had appeared before. Lotito was the most convinced and fastest [in making a move happen].

“We both made a deal, Verona and Lazio, you’ll see that you’ll thank me, he’ll become an idol at Lazio and make the fans fall in love.”