Tottenham v Ajax: Eight hits and misses to play for both teams

Tottenham against Ajax is not a Champions League semi-final many will have predicted at the start of the season, but it is a welcome tie for those with allegiances to both teams.

There are four members of the Spurs squad who once donned the red and white of the Netherlands most famous outfit, while another four represented each in some fascinating careers.

It is fair to say the majority have been successes in London and Amsterdam – provided you accept that Mauricio Pochettino not winning a trophy does not automatically make him and his team a failure – but that cannot be said for all of them.

Below, we look at eight players to cross this particular divide, and how well they did it.

 
 
 
 

 Our ex- contingent.  

— Tottenha…

The big Friday Premier League quiz

Liverpool will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend after producing a below-par display in their 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The Reds 17-match winning run may have been ended at Old Trafford, but they have won 11 in a row at Anfield ahead of Sunday s visit of Tottenham.

Manchester City are now six points adrift of top spot and next face a home fixture with Aston Villa, who they have defeated in each of their last nine home top-flight meetings.

Ahead of another bumper weekend of Premier League action, test your knowledge with our Opta-powered Friday Premier League quiz!

Answers are at the bottom of the page.

 

1. Tottenham are without a win in their last 10 Premier League away games their longest …

Prediction: Juventus vs Frosinone

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker:

Desperate to claim a welcomed Serie A boost on Sunday lunchtime, Juventus will welcome Frosinone to Turin this weekend.

Juventus

Starting with the hosts, while Juventus might have come flying out of the traps when opening up the 2023/24 campaign, the Italian icons are enduring a recent wobble. Missing out on what they had billed as a potential opportunity last weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate away at Verona, the Old Lady are without a win from any of their previous four Serie A appearances on the spin. Collecting just a pair of points on that four-match wobble, Massimiliano Allegri’s side will know the importance of claiming a crucial response here. Nevertheless, while Juventus might open this weekend’…

March 14th: Thursday’s Europa League Double – 9/1 Special, Betting Tips & Predictions

As the Europa League once again steals most of Thursday’s headlines, we have a stacked schedule from across the continent.

With European heavyweights such as Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen looking to book their respective quarter-final tickets, we could be set for a nervy night of Europa League action.

With eight Europa League showdowns on the cards in midweek, we have found a couple of eye-catching betting markets that are worth taking note of.

20:00 Liverpool vs Sparta Prague

With it announced back in January that Jurgen Klopp will be ending his nine-year stay at Anfield, Liverpool are desperate to make more history this season. While the Premier League giants might have eventually fallen short in their bid to punch a top-four finish among England�…

Lampard to Chelsea: Returning heroes – the hits and misses

Frank Lampard will be the latest man to return to a club where he starred as a player if he agrees to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.

Derby County on Tuesday gave the Blues permission to speak to their former midfielder about the vacancy created by Sarri s departure for Juventus and the 41-year-old is expected to make an emotional return to Stamford Bridge, where he spent 13 years as a player.

Lampard scored 211 goals in his Chelsea career, setting a club record, and if he re-signs will be tasked with reviving the enthusiasm of supporters who struggled to warm to Sarri during a season of mixed fortunes.

Chelsea reached the EFL Cup final and won the Europa League in 2018-19, but fans voiced their dismay after results like the 6-0 hammering at Manchester Cit…

“I Thought I Was Coming Home” – Michael Owen on His Failed Liverpool Return

Michael Owen, who left Liverpool in 2004 and consequently missed the glorious chapter of their history the following season, reveals how close he was to returning to Anfeld after only a year with Real Madrid.

He ended up joining Newcastle, before signing for Manchester United in 2009 something that the majority of Liverpool supporters still haven t been able to forgive.

https://twitter.com/LivEchoLFC/status/1172208251816951808

Pochettino hopeful James can play part for Chelsea after returning to training

Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to have Reece James available for Chelsea s trip to Nottingham Forest following the club captain s return to training.

Chelsea confirmed on their official website on Friday that the England international is back in full team training after five months out.

James latest absence came as a result of undergoing surgery on a recurring hamstring injury, which forced him off in the 2-0 loss to Everton in December.

The 24-year-old has played just 452 minutes for Chelsea in all competitions this season down on the 1,936 he managed in 2022-23.

Back in full team training.

Our captain .

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)

However, James now has a chance of featuring in Saturday s match against relegation-threatened Fore…

Wijnaldum believes Netherlands ´should be a bit more eager to score´

Georginio Wijnaldum suggested the Netherlands must be more eager to score after a dominant display against Latvia only resulted in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win.

Frank de Boer s Oranje bounced back from the 4-2 defeat to Turkey in their Group G opener with an excellent all-round performance in Amsterdam on Saturday.

The Netherlands had 36 shots in total – 16 more than the impressive 20 they managed in losing against Turkey – though only 11 hit the target.

Steven Berghuis and Luuk de Jong were responsible for the two goals, the former curling into the top-left corner before the latter headed in from Memphis Depay s corner.

The Netherlands had 96 touches in Latvia s box, the most since detailed Opta records began in August 2013, far surpa…

Haaland starts for Man City, Liverpool´s Nunez on the bench in Community Shield

Erling Haaland was named in Manchester City s starting line-up for the Community Shield clash with rivals Liverpool, who had Darwin Nunez on the bench.

Haaland joined City from Borussia Dortmund last month in what has been a busy transfer window for the Premier League champions.

The Norway striker scored his first goal for the club in a pre-season friendly win over Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola has selected him to start in the traditional curtain-raiser for the English season, which is being played at Leicester City s King Power Stadium this year.

Haaland will play down the middle, flanked by Jack Grealish and former Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez.

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XI | Ederson, Walker, Dias (C), Ake, Cancelo, Rodrigo, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Ha…

Aguero is Premier League´s GOAT – Dunne

Sergio Aguero can lay claim to being the greatest striker in Premier League history, according to former Manchester City team-mate Richard Dunne.

The Argentina international confirmed on Monday that he would leave City when his contract expires at the end of this season, bringing an end to his 10-year spell with the club.

Aguero joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has established himself as a City legend, his 257 goals representing a club record.

He has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five EFL Cups at City, with a fifth top-flight title on the horizon this term and silverware still up for grabs domestically and in the Champions League.

With Aguero s stunning goal haul having come in 384 games, Dunne put the 32-year-old top of his all-…