International Football
Leicester Dreams Champions League
New Leicester City manager, Craig Shakespeare believes his team is capable of winning the Champions League ahead of their “great opportunity” against Sevilla.
The Premier League champions are 2-1 behind in the last-16 tie ahead of Tuesday’s second leg at the King Power Stadium, but Shakespeare believes Jamie Vardy’s away goal gives them every chance of progressing.
And Shakespeare is ruling nothing out if Leicester can secure their place in the last eight of the competition.
Asked if Leicester can win the Champions League, Shakespeare said at his pre-match media conference: “Why not? We are in it. We have to try and be competitive every game.
“There is a great opportunity for us (against Sevilla) and we will give it our best shot.
“We have to compete for the 90 minutes or extra time. We have practiced penalties and we try to leave no stone unturned. By the way the penalties were good!
“We knew by getting the away goal it gave us a great opportunity. We give ourselves a great chance.
“It makes it very interesting. It will be a special occasion and the atmosphere will be electric.
“We are not going to be open but I want to play on the front foot. Hopefully I will stay calm so the players are not overemotional, but of course I will be excited.
“Sevilla have huge experience in Europe. I will expect them to play the same way. They have talented players. It is more about the players than me pitting my wits against (Jorge Sampaoli).”
The Sevilla clash is the first game since Shakespeare was confirmed as Claudio Ranieri’s replacement until the end of the season on Sunday, with the former assistant boss having previously been in caretaker charge.
“I’m still settling in,” he said. “I’m delighted and comfortable with it being until the end of the season.
“I understand the challenges that are ahead. Some massive ones and none more so than Tuesday night.
“I’m not looking beyond this season. We have massive games coming up and we have to focus on that. We will have plenty of time in the summer to take stock and evaluate things then.
“For me how you treat and talk to people is so important. Man management is a real big component, of course there will be decisions that have to be made but as long as you explain it to people players will be happy with that.”
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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