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Manchester City are reportedly taking an interest in Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes ahead of the summer, and if he were to join, it could be the catalyst for Benjamin Mendy leaving the Citizens.

According to Portuguese news outlet Record,  City have made initial contacts over a move for the 18-year-old, who reportedly has a £60 million release clause with the Liga NOS side.

Although it suggests that the teenager could well be loaned back to Sporting as part of the deal, it looks as if City are targeting him as a long-term option at left-back, which suggests that Mendy could well be on his way out after a nightmare few seasons with the Citizens.

The Frenchman has shown glimpses of immense quality during his time working under Guardiola, particularly in the 2018/19 season when he managed five assists in just 10 Premier League appearances, which saw him average an impressive 7.29 rating.

However, he has endured some awful injury problems with City, which have prevented him from ever really enjoying a run of games in the first-team.

This season has seen Guardiola primarily utilise Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo at left-back, with Mendy having made just eight appearances in the top-flight, in which he has averaged a disappointing 6.45 rating.

Therefore, if Mendes were to join City, you feel that the Frenchman would be the one to leave, as he is simply too unreliable because of injury problems, and he is already arguably third-choice left-back, whilst the likes of Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte have also shown that they can play there if needed.

Mendes has impressed this season so far, making 19 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight, in which he has contributed one goal and one assist, averaging a superb 7.22 rating, so it is easy to see why he is attracting so much interest.

The young Portuguese defender certainly looks to be a wonderkid, and if sporting director Txiki Begiristain can negotiate a deal to bring him to the Etihad this summer, it would not be a surprise to see Mendy depart as a result.

And, in other news… £99m-rated City star’s place could be under threat after 23 y/o’s super display 

How to watch Wales vs Latvia in the Euro 2024 qualification stage from the UK, US, and India, as well as kick-off time and team news

Wales take on Latvia in their second EURO 2024 qualificationgame at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday.

📺 Watch Wales vs Latvia live on Viaplay in the UK

💻 Watch Wales vs Latvia live on Fubo in the U.S.

Wales kicked off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia.

Latvia, on the other hand, will begin their qualifying campaign on Tuesday. They played a friendly match against Ireland in preparation for the qualifiers, which they lost 3-2.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier fixture Wales vs Latvia, plus team news, recent form and more.

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  Kick-off time

  Date:	March 28, 2023
  Kick-off time:	7.45pm GMT / 2.45pm ET / 12.15am IST (March 29)
  Venue:	Cardiff City Stadium

  The game is scheduled for March 28, 2023 at Cardiff City Stadium. It will kick off at 7.45pm GMT in the UK, 2.45pm ET in the US and 12.15am IST (on March 29) in India.

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  How to watch Wales vs Latvia online – TV channels & live streams

  TV channels & streaming options

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  UK	Viaplay Sports 2, S4C, S4C Red Button	Viaplay App, Viaplay UK
  U.S.	Fox Soccer Plus	Fubo, VIX+
  India	N/A	Sony LIV

  The Euro 2024 qualifying round match between Wales and Latvia will be broadcast on Viaplay Sports 2, S4C and S4C Red Button and can be streamed on Viaplay App and Viaplay UK in the UK.

  In the U.S., the match can be watched on Fox Sports Plus and can be streamed on Fuboand VIX+.

  Fans in India can catch all the action on the Sony Sports Network.

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  Team news & squads

  Wales team news

  Wayne Hennessey and Ben Davies have not been named in the squad due to injuries, while Brennan Johnson misses the clash due to a groin problem.

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Tom King, Danny Ward, Adam Davies
  Defenders:	Morgan Fox, Neco Williams, Ben Cabango, Chris Mepham, Joe Rodon, Connor Roberts, Ethan Ampadu, Tom Lockyer
  Midfielders:	Ollie Cooper, Harry Wilson, Aaron Ramsey, Joe Morrell, Jordan James, Daniel James, Sorba Thomas, Nathan Broadhead
  Forwards:	Tom Bradshaw, Luke Harris, Kieffer Moore, Wes Burns

  Latvia team news

  There are no major injury concerns in the Latvia squad ahead of the crucial Wales clash.

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Pāvels Šteinbors, Roberts Ozols, Nils Toms Puriņš
  Defenders:	Vladislavs Sorokins, Mārcis Ošs, Antonijs Černomordijs, Kristers Tobers, Maksims Toņiševs, Roberts Savaļnieks, Raivis Jurkovskis, Elvis Stuglis, Daniels Balodis
  Midfielders:	Renārs Varslavāns, Eduards Emsis, Janis Ikaunieks. Andrejs Cigaņiks, Dāvis Ikaunieks, Alvis Jaunzems, Artūrs Zjuzins, Aleksejs Saveljevs
  Forwards:	Vladislavs Gutkovskis, Raimonds Krollis, Roberts Uldriķis

  Head-to-head record

  Date	Result	Competition
  18 August, 2004	Wales 2-0 Latvia	International friendly

  Wales and Latvia have only met once before, in an international friendly in 2004 – with Wales emerging with a 2-0 victory.

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  Useful links

  • Wales team page

  • Latvia team page

  • Live football on TV in the UK

  • Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

And then there were 29.

Four matches in, and three teams have already been eliminated from this season's Champions League: Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and Celtic.

However, some of Europe's elite are teetering over the edge after another matchday filled with drama in Europe's elite club competition – one that also saw five teams book their spots in the draw for the last 16.

There was also perhaps the most dramatic group-stage match ever at Camp Nou and a shock defeat on the road for one of Italy's most storied teams, while PSG managed to play a match amid the latest Kylian Mbappe soap opera.

But who were the biggest winners and losers from matchday four?

Allow GOAL break it all down for you…

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  WINNER: Mohamed Salah

  Without an open-play goal for almost a month, and after being hauled off with the game on the line against Arsenal on Sunday, there is no question that Mohamed Salah needed even the smallest of wins.

  But when he was named on the bench against Rangers on Wednesday, it seemed like the wait for that win would last at least a few more days.

  Against a team as inferior as the Scottish side, though, Salah does not need long to make an impact.

  Despite being on the field for just 22 minutes and having only nine touches at Ibrox, the Egyptian star still found the time to not just score a hat-trick, but score the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history.

  Confidence presumably restored, his sights are now set on continuing that form against Manchester City this coming weekend.

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  LOSER: Spanish teams (again!)

  For so long, Spanish teams had a stranglehold on the Champions League. This season, though, there is a real chance that La Liga will have just one representative in the knockout stages.

  Barcelona's likely demise will take most of the headlines, with the Blaugrana now requiring favours from lowly Viktoria Plzen to qualify after their dramatic 3-3 draw with Inter.

  The potential financial disaster that elimination would spark at Camp Nou means that their exit is set to be one of the biggest footballing stories of the next few months, but that should not mean the other underperforming Spanish sides in the competition should be ignored.

  Atletico Madrid have picked up just four points from their opening four games in the competition after their goalless home draw against Club Brugge.

  Sevilla, meanwhile, showed improvements under new manager Jorge Sampaoli in earning a point away at Borussia Dortmund, but a five-point gap is a lot to make up in two matches, especially when you factor in a trip to the Etihad Stadium is still to come.

  Even Real Madrid looked ropey despite securing their passage to the next round, with the defending champions requiring Antonio Rudiger to go the extra mile in stoppage time to rescue them from defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk.

  No wonder they all keep prattling on about the Super League…

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  WINNER: English midfielders

  While there are host of question marks surrounding the England team heading into the World Cup, Gareth Southgate will have been pleased to see some of his talented midfielders proving their readiness for Qatar by starring on the European stage.

  Mason Mount put on a masterclass for Chelsea in Milan on Tuesday, playing a key role in both goals while almost getting on the scoresheet himself in a performance that showcased exactly why he is so trusted by every coach he comes into contact with, either at club or international level.

  Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, is still earning Southgate's trust, but the case for him to start against Iran on November 21 grows by the game.

  His goal against Sevilla meant he has now scored in all four of Dortmund's Champions League games this season. The only other teenagers to score in four successive top-tier European matches? Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. It's decent company to be keeping.

  There was even time for Harvey Elliott to score his first Champions League goal in the closing stages of Liverpool's thrashing of Rangers, and there is surely a case for the 19-year-old to be given a chance at senior level with the Three Lions in 2023.

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  LOSER: The Old Firm

  Four games into what was meant to be a triumphant return to the Champions League for Scotland's most iconic clubs, and both Celtic and Rangers have already been eliminated.

  Celtic will rue missed chances against RB Leipzig, as they again matched the Bundesliga side for much of the game at Parkhead, only to give up two second-half goals that sealed their exit with two games still to play.

  Rangers, meanwhile, have been a massive disappointment. Last season's Europa League finalists came into the competition with good recent memories of causing shocks on the continent, but they have been thoroughly outclassed.

  No team has conceded more than the 16 goals that they have shipped in their four matches, and with a trip to a buoyant Napoli next up, things might be about to get a whole lot worse.

A football finance guru has outlined a potential ‘problem’ that Newcastle United may have that could well harm their chances of a takeover at St. James’ Park.

Speaking to Football Insider, Kieran Maguire has claimed that potential new investors would be inheriting a ‘problem cost’ in Joelinton should they take over in the North East, which may see the Tyneside club’s chances of a takeover potentially harmed as a result:

“Newcastle’s squad is worth more money because they’ve invested more. That has good aspects and bad aspects to it.

“The elephant in the room is the Joelinton factor. Who’s going to sign him given that he’s not delivered for two seasons?

“You’re inheriting a problem cost which you won’t have to the same extent at Derby. There is more flexibility with them.”

Joelinton may be a problem

It is easy to see where Maguire is coming from in terms of the Magpies having a player like Joelinton still at the club.

The Toon reportedly signed the 24-year-old from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim for a club-record £40m transfer fee, which is big money for a club like NUFC to gamble on.

Joelinton’s time at Newcastle has been nothing shy of miserable ever since, with a mere seven goals scored in 71 games in total over all competitions across the last two consecutive terms (Transfermarkt).

The potential new owners would almost certainly not be able to offload the Brazilian striker for anything near to whet they would hope, and so they would likely be left with him stuck on their wage bill.

Nonetheless, any prospective buyers may well be put off by the current valuation of the Magpies squad as Maguire suggests, with some players such as Joelinton potentially becoming a ‘problem’ for them.

In other news, find out which five managers Lee Ryder has named who could replace Steve Bruce here!

Sports journalists from the region give their views on who will carry the day when the Lions of Teranga take on the Pharaohs at Olembe Stadium on Sun…

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  Senegal or Egypt?

  Senegal and Egypt will face off in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde on Sunday.

  The Lions of Teranga will feature in their second straight final after losing 1-0 to Algeria in the last edition held in Egypt in 2019. Senegal, under former captain Aliou Cisse have made 16 appearances in the African competition but are yet to win the trophy.

  Meanwhile, Egypt, who will miss the services of their suspended coach Carlos Queiroz, are the most successful nation in the cup’s history, winning the tournament seven times. They also won an unprecedented three consecutive titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

  GOAL sought to know if the Lions of Teranga will end their wait to lift the title or whether the Pharaohs will stop them? Below is what journalists from East Africa had to say.

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  Seth Willis

  It will be a tight game, bringing together two teams that have been defensively solid. They have both conceded two goals from the group stage all the way to the final.

  However, Senegal have been impressive especially from the last 16 round, after a rather slow start. Their midfield is quite strong as opposed to Egypt and their front line is also better. Having lost two finals, the Lions of Teranga will be highly determined to win.

  I don't think Egypt stand a chance.

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  Milton Nyakundi

  The Afcon final is an interesting one and very hard to predict because both Egypt and Senegal have the quality to carry the day, the game will be decided on very fine margins.

  The teams have quality in all departments and really it will be the unlucky side that will lose the game so for me going by recent history I think Senegal have been unlucky twice and this should be the time lady luck smiles on them at the third time of asking.

  Surely, they can’t be that unlucky?

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  Vincent Voiyoh

  It will be a tough encounter for both sides in the final. Of course, the two teams are powerhouses in the continent in matters of football. Egypt have bragging rights based on the number of titles they have won with Senegal still struggling to win the diadem.

  Since their first outing, Egypt have been compact defensively and in midfield, to go through to the final. They are not really dependent on their star forward Mohamed Salah meaning; they are in good shape psychologically to play as a unit.

  Going into the final, Senegal should ensure they score early to keep Egypt out of control but failure to do so; and it will be a tall order for them against the seven-time winners.

There's plenty of Aussie talent that could be tapped into this month

With most A-League squads boasting their full quota of foreigners, finding Australian talent will be the priority for many clubs in January.

Already this month, Kwame Yeboah has returned from Germany to sign for Western Sydney Wanderers, while Melbourne Victory have offered NPL star Elvis Kambosa a deserved deal.

So who else is out there and where could they end up?

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  1Kerem Bulut

  No, that's not a joke, I'd love to see Bulut given one final crack in the A-League.

  A free agent after being banned from playing in Turkey for reported drug use, the former Wanderers striker would certainly add some colour to the A-League. 

  At 26, he'd be hoping he still has plenty of goals left in him too and would be eager to redeem himself after his last stint with Western Sydney ended poorly.

  A club would have to take a considerable gamble on him first though and perhaps a side with not much left to lose, like the Mariners, could profit from a roll of the dice. 

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  2Chris Herd

  After showing so much promise, it's been a painful few years for the midfielder, who is a free agent after a short stint in Thailand.

  Herd failed to impress across his one season stint with the Wanderers, but is just 29 and surely still has something left to offer. 

  A move to Brisbane Roar could make sense with Brett Holman and Stefan Mauk struggling with injuries. 

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  3Liam Rose

  Yet another former Mariner, who is a free agent after a short stint in Armenia.

  Only 21, Rose has 71 A-League appearances to his name so is no stranger to the demands of the competition. 

  A defensive midfielder by trade, he'd be a handy addition for any A-League side in need of some depth in the middle of the park. 

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• 4Alex Gersbach

  Desperately short of game time over the past year in Norway, the left-back was lucky to make the Socceroos Asian Cup squad.

  Unlikely to start for Australia in the UAE, Gersbach must secure more minutes at club level sooner rather than later.

  With his contract at Rosenborg expiring in a few months, a short spell in the A-League could be what he needs to rejuvenate his hopes of European football. 

  While Sydney FC don't need him back, the Mariners and Wanderers could use him on their left flank. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the European Championships delayed by a year, after a number of top players had been set to miss out

The coronavirus outbreak has thrown the world of sport into disarray, and football has been no different.

In March, it was decided that Euro 2020 would be postponed by a full year, until the summer of 2021.

While it may be far down the list of players' priorities as the virus spreads, the delay will nevertheless have a big impact on players and teams alike – particularly those coming toward the end of their careers, who may now miss the tournament.

However, plenty of others may have been given a second chance by the delay, after suffering from injuries, bad form, or competition for places.

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  Eden Hazard

  Hazard is one of the undisputed stars of Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’, but looked like missing out on the tournament after suffering a fractured ankle in February.

  Now, he has the chance to regain his fitness and discover some consistent form at Real Madrid.

  With him, Belgium will be looking to make amends for their semi-final exit at the 2018 World Cup.

  Hazard will be 30 by the time the tournament is scheduled to begin. He already has more than 100 senior international caps to his name, as well as 32 goals for his country.

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  Robert Skov

  Hoffenheim’s 23-year-old winger Skov is one of the leading talents in Danish football right now, but he is still short of international experience.

  In his final season at Copenhagen, he broke the Danish Superliga’s goalscoring record with 30 goals.

  Since moving to the Bundesliga, the flow has been slowed. He has three goals to his name in 18 league games for Hoffenheim.

  Another year of development could see Skov hit his peak by the time the Euros start, and add to his three goals from four appearances for Denmark so far.

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  Marcus Rashford

  Rashford was in the form of his life for Manchester United, and looked set to lead the line for England when Harry Kane was injured.

  Then, Rashford was ruled out too. And, while he was adamant that he was aiming to make the Three Lions’ squad, Gareth Southgate would have had a difficult decision to make.

  With time to recover his fitness, Rashford will be a near certainty to start, and he will be hoping to have another few months of deadly form for United under his belt.

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  Marco Asensio

  The 24-year-old Asensio would likely have been looking at the 2019-20 season as an opportunity to kick his game onto the next level, developing into a regular match-winner for Real Madrid.

  Instead, his season ended before it began. He scored in a pre-season game against Arsenal but went off with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

  With Euro 2020 looming, it was a huge ask for Asensio to recover fitness and show enough form to make Spain’s squad, but the postponement has given him every chance of staking a claim.

West Bromwich Albion did well to get a point on the weekend after Semi Ajayi was sent off in the first half. However, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes that the Baggies got lucky with one other call.

Halsey discusses Premier League clash

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern about the incident in the match where Burnley thought they should have had a penalty as Kyle Bartley seemed to handle the ball, Halsey said:

“I think West Brom got away with one there. I thought was a penalty, I thought it was a deliberate act, a deliberate movement of the arm towards the ball. If he keeps his arm down by side and it hits his arm, it’s not going to be a penalty because his arm would be in a natural position, but his arm moved out and it was in an unnatural position.

“I wouldn’t criticise Mike Riley in that situation because if you look, his view is blocked. VAR didn’t think it was a clear and obvious error, but everyone’s saying West Brom were lucky to get away with that and I agree, I think Burnley can feel unlucky that they didn’t get a penalty in that situation.”

It was a big moment in the match

Handball decisions always seems to split many pundits in the footballing world, so the decision in the match isn’t an easy one to make. At the end of the day, VAR has been brought in to help make a difference when it comes to these decisions but it still seems to be causing more issues than it’s solving.

West Brom, like most teams, have been on the wrong end of VAR calls this season, but it does look like they may have escaped one in this instance. However, whilst the Baggies were lucky to get away with the decision, they definitely did enough with ten men to earn a vital draw in their relegation battle.

In other West Brom news, Baggies fans slammed this man’s performance against Spurs, find out more here!

GOAL gives you the best 25 Arab Players of 2017.

Arabian Football has never been in a better state after four nations qualified for the 2018 World Cup and three Arabian clubs out of four reached the Asian and African Champions League Finals in 2018. We have also seen Arabian players excel in one of the strongest, if not the strongest league in the world, the English Premier League and the leagues around it. 

Hence, we at GOAL welcome you to the 2017 GOAL Best 25 Arab Players Award, where we give you the best players in and out of the Arab World across the last 12 months.

• 25 | Ali Mabkhout – Al Jazira – UAE

  The talented Emirati striker led Al Jazira to the UAE Arabian Gulf League, scoring 33 goals in the league to win the top scorer award. 

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• 24 | Muaiad Ellafi – Al Shabab (KSA) – Libya

  The Libyan was excellent with Ahli Tripoli in Libya and contributed to their qualification to the quarter finals of the CAF Champions league.

• 23 | Abdulla Al-Mayouf – Al Hilal – Saudi Arabia

  The Al Hilal goalkeeper was a key player for the side that won the league and reached the final of the AFC Champions League alongside earning qualification to the FIFA World Cup with Saudi Arabia.

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• 22 | Rachid Ghezzal – Lyon – Algeria

  The Algerian midfielder helped Olympique Lyonnais to a 4th placed finish in the French League and the semi final of the UEFA Europa League.

Recent reports have suggested that Sepp van den Berg could be allowed to leave on loan this month, which reflects that Jurgen Klopp simply does not rate the Dutch defender at this moment in time.

What’s the word?

According to Goal, Liverpool are willing to let the 19-year-old leave on loan this month, despite their current injury crisis.

The report suggests that the Merseyside club have held discussions from three different clubs, from Belgium, Germany and Switzerland respectively, as they look to get the 6 ft 2 youngster some first-team football experience under his belt.

Does he have a future with Liverpool?

The fact that Klopp has trusted Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams, both of whom had never appeared in the Premier League before, ahead of Van den Berg this season, is perhaps a damning reflection of where the 19-year-old currently stands at Liverpool.

The centre-back joined the Reds from PEC Zwolle in the summer of 2019 and he has four first-team appearances to his name, having established himself as a regular in the first-team with the Eredivisie side.

He has also made seven appearances in the U’23 side so far this season, in which he has contributed one goal but he has clearly not done enough to prove to Klopp and the Liverpool coaches that he was capable of stepping up in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip this season.

Liverpool journalist was full of praise for the young defender after his performance in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury Town last season, saying:

“I thought against Shrewsbury he was absolutely brilliant. I mean that was by far and away the best I’ve seen him play, for him to take on that responsibility and he seemed to be far more aggressive than he normally has been.”

Hopefully, if he does leave on loan, he can do get some regular first-team experience but there is definitely a worry that Klopp doesn’t rate him, as he has not been given an opportunity to impress at all this season, despite Liverpool’s injury crisis in defence.

And, in other news… Klopp must ruthlessly axe LFC ace TAA dubbed “world-class”; he was abysmal vs AVFC