Borussia Dortmund will have the chance to close the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Wednesday against Mainz away from home.

Marco Rose’s side are currently seven points behind Bayern Munich, having played one less game. Die Schwarzgelben could not play against Mainz according to the original schedule, due to an outbreak of COVID-19.

Dortmund defeated Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 last weekend, but Mainz could provide a tougher test.

Bo Svensson’s side will be hoping to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Union Berlin in their last outing.

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Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund H2H

Dortmund dominated the encounters between the two sides, winning 18 and drawing eight.

Mainz have only won five times against Dortmund, the last of which came in June 2020 at Signal Iduna Park.

Mainz form guide (all competitions): LWDWL.

Borussia Dortmund forms guide (all competitions): WDDWL

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Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund Team News

Mainz

Alexander Hack and Dominik Kohr are suspended. Jeremiah St. Juste has a shoulder problem and Matt Dahmen has an ankle injury. Robin Zentner and Lasse Rieß are questionable starters, fresh out of COVID-19 isolation.

Hurt: Jeremiah St. Just, Finn Dahmen.

Doubtful: Robin Zentner, Lasse Riess.

Suspended: Alexander Hack, Dominik Kohr.

Unavailable: Any.

Borussia Dortmund

The trio of full-backs Thomas Meunier, Mateu Morey and Marcel Schmelzer are not expected to feature due to injury. Forward Steffen Tigges is also not expected to return this season.

Giovanni Reyna and Erling Haaland came off the bench against Arminia Bielefeld and are expected to be part of the squad again on Wednesday.

It remains to be seen whether the duo Raphael Guerreiro and Mats Hummels will return from COVID-19. Marco Rose has alternatives for the duo. Marco Reus could return from illness after missing last weekend’s clash.

Dan-Axel Zagadou and Manuel Akanji remain doubtful, while Youssoufa Moukoko is not expected before the end of March.

Hurt: Thomas Meunier, Mateu Morey, Marcel Schmelzer, Steffen Tigges, Youssoufa Moukoko.

Doubtful: Raphaël Guerreiro, Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Manuel Akanji, Dan-Axel Zagadou.

Suspended: Any.

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Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund Predicted Lineups

Mainz Probable XI (3-4-2-1): Tristan Mohn; Stefan Bell, David Nemeth, Moussa Niakhate; Silvan Widmer, Anton Stach, Niklas Tauer, Aaron Martin; Jae-Sung Lee, Jonathan Burkardt; Karim Onisiwo.

Probable eleven from Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Gregor Kobel; Nico Schulz, Emre Can, Marin Pongracic, Felix Passlack; Axel Witsel, Mahmoud Dahoud; Jude Bellingham, Thorgan Hazard, Gio Reyna; Donyell Malen.

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Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund Prediction

Although Borussia Dortmund have several players absent, they might have enough to get the job done and stay in Bayern Munich’s wake.

Goal prediction: Mainz 1-2 Borussia Dortmund.

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Robert Lewandowski says the chance to make history with Bayern Munich has him and his team-mates chasing a 10th consecutive Bundesliga trophy and further UEFA Champions League success.

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No team in one of Europe’s top five leagues has ever managed to win 10 domestic titles on the spin, but Bayern are currently in pole position to become the first to do so.

Julian Nagelsmann’s men enter Matchday 25 eight points ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund; a position they hold thanks to the remarkable contributions of their Polish striker.

After scoring a record 41 goals in a season in 2020/21, Lewandowski has been relentless again this term.

The 33-year-old has been responsible for 28 Bundesliga goals in just 24 appearances, and he has revealed the chance to make even more history with the Bavarians continues to be his driving force.

Look: All of Lewandowski’s Bundesliga goals so far in 2021/22

“Winning our 10th league title in 10 years would be historic,” he said. Telefoot. “People in the future will say, ‘Wow, what team was that. Who was playing on that team?’. We are lucky to become the first team to win a major league 10 times in a row.”

Lewandowski won’t be satisfied with domestic glory alone, however, and has his eyes set on lifting the Champions League trophy for the second time.

Bayern still have a second leg of the round of 16 with Red Bull Salzburg, but Lewandowski is adamant that his side are the team with the biggest target on their backs.

“We are still among the favorites for the [UEFA Champions League] title,” he said. “If we stay fit, we’ll have a great chance of winning.”

Bayern last triumphed on the continent in 2020, reaching new heights with Hansi Flick’s hat-trick side setting the bar for Nagelsmann’s side to follow.

A leader in 2020, Lewandowski’s form in 2021 is near perfect as the Poland captain set a new top-flight German benchmark for most goals in a calendar year.

He was subsequently crowned FIFA Men’s Player of the Year 2021 and has already maintained that form in 2022. But there is no time for reflection and with another year in the bank, Lewandowski – who has yet to 18 months on his current Bayern contract – focus on those to come.

Fortunately, he promised us a lot more fun, with Lewandowski saying: “I want to play for many more years, at least five years!” If I start to decline in two years, I might think about retirement, but not yet.

Impressive winners of Borussia Dortmund in the knockout stages, Scottish champions Rangers host Serbian counterparts Crvena zvezda in the round of 16 first leg of the UEFA Europa League, a stage of the competition from which the Glasgow side have been knocked out each times. of the last two seasons.

• Rangers clinched a place in the UEFA Europa League knockout stage with one game to spare, finishing second behind Lyon in Group A on eight points, before beating Dortmund 6-4 on aggregate (4-2 a, 2-2 h) with Captain James Tavernier. scoring three of their goals in the tie.

• Crvena zvezda topped Group F in the autumn ahead of Braga, Midtjylland and Ludogorets but as section winners with just six goals – the same number Rangers managed in Group A. That was the first time the Belgrade team had ever finished first in a European group.

Rangers vs Crvena zvezda: the latest match news

Previous meetings
• Rangers and Crvena zvezda have already played three times in UEFA competition, with the Scottish side having the advantage with two aggregate wins against one.

• A play-off in London was needed to separate the teams when they first met, in the 1964/65 European Cup preliminary round, after Rangers won the first leg 3-1 in Glasgow and Crvena zvezda s won 4-2 in Belgrade. to return to. With no away goals rule in place, the Scottish side qualified after winning the extra game 3–1 at Arsenal’s Highbury.

• The teams only met in the second round of Crvena zvezda’s triumphant 1990/91 European Cup campaign, with Darko Pančev scoring in both matches as the Belgrade side went on to a 3-0 home win with a 1-1 draw in Glasgow.

• The most recent encounter, however, belonged to Rangers, as they eliminated Crvena zvezda from the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, Nacho Novo’s 90th-minute goal in the first leg at Ibrox s ‘proving to be the only goal of the meeting. . Walter Smith’s side would end this European campaign as UEFA Cup runners-up.

• Rangers’ only other UEFA game against a Serbian opponent was a 2006/07 UEFA Cup group game at home to Partizan, which they won 1-0 thanks to an Alan Hutton goal for reach the knockout stage. They are therefore undefeated at home by the Serbian visitors (W3 D1).

• Crvena zvezda’s all-time home and away record against Scottish opponents is W2 L3. Beaten by Celtic in the 1968/69 European Cup second round (1-5 a, 1-1 h), they beat Hearts on away goals in the Cup Winners’ Cup qualifying round European 1996/97 (0-0h, 1-1y). They still have to win in five trips to Scotland (D2 L3).

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Form Guide
Rangers
• Unbeaten champions Scotland in 2020/21 as they won a record 55th domestic league title, Rangers also made 13 appearances in the UEFA Europa League, progressing from the second qualifying round to the round of 16, where their journey ended with Slavia Prague (1-1 a, 0-2 h).

• Rangers returned to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a decade this season but lost both third qualifying round matches 2-1 to Malmö and were therefore transferred to the UEFA Europa play-offs League, where they edged out Alashkert to reach the final. group stage for the fourth consecutive season. Although they lost their first two group games – against Lyon (0-2 h) and Sparta (0-1 a) – they remained unbeaten thereafter, taking four points from Brøndby (2-0 h, 1-1 a) and taking second place. place with a 2-0 victory over Sparta at Ibrox on matchday five in their first game under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who had replaced Steven Gerrard.

• This is Rangers’ fourth appearance in the UEFA Europa League round of 16, and their third in a row, a record. However, in the previous three campaigns they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals, coming out at PSV Eindhoven in 2010/11 (0-0 a, 0-1 h), at Bayer Leverkusen in 2019/20 (1-3 h, 0-1 a) and Slavia last season. They are therefore yet to win a game at this stage of the competition, scoring just two goals and losing all three home games.

• The Glasgow giants have lost just five of their last 31 European home games (W19 D7), although three of those defeats have come in the last seven – against Slavia, Malmö and Lyon. In the UEFA Europa League knockout stage, their record at Ibrox is W2 D2 L3, with all three eliminations all triggered by those home defeats.

Crvena zvezda
• A fourth consecutive Serbian SuperLiga title for Crvena zvezda in 2020/21, and second under manager Dejan Stanković, was completed with a first victory in nine years in the Serbian Cup. The club’s first domestic double since 2006/07 capped a season in which they also played a dozen games in Europe, reaching the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League, where they lost goals at the outside against AC Milan (2-2 h, 1- 1a).

• This season’s bid to return to the UEFA Champions League group stage, where Crvena zvezda played in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, was thwarted by Moldovan champions Sheriff in the third qualifying round after that the Belgrade team had eliminated Kairat Almaty. CFR Cluj were then convincingly beaten in the UEFA Europa League play-offs to secure Crvena zvezda’s third appearance in the group stage. After advancing as runners-up in each of their two previous campaigns, in 2017/18 and 2020/21, they clinched top spot in Group F on 11 points with a 1-1 draw against second-placed Braga. the 6th day.

• This is the Belgrade side’s first appearance in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16. They lost in the Round of 16 to CSKA Moskva (0-0h, 0-1a) in 2017/18 and to Milan last season. It is the club’s biggest advancement in a UEFA competition for 30 years.

• Crvena zvezda have lost just two of their 11 away matches in the UEFA Europa League proper (W3, D6), conceding just six goals in the process. Despite being beaten on the road in both UEFA Champions League qualifiers this season, they are unbeaten in seven away matches in the UEFA Europa League, including this season’s fixtures at CFR (2 -1), Ludogorets (1-0), Midtjylland (1 -1) and Braga.

UEFA Europa League squad changes
Rangers
In: Amad Diallo (Manchester United, loan), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus, loan), James Sands (New York, loan)
Outside: Juninho Bacuna (Birmingham City), Ianis Hagi, Filip Helander, Nathan Patterson (Everton)

Crvena zvezda
In: Nemanja Motika (Bayern Munich II), Ohi Omoijuanfo (Molde), Cristiano Piccini (Valencia)
Outside: Miloš Degenek (Columbus Crew), Lois Diony, Marko Lazetić (AC Milan), Njegoš Petrović (Granada)

Links and stories
• Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor, who made his 100th appearance in UEFA club competition in the first leg against Dortmund, kept a clean sheet in both games for the Ibrox club by beating Crvena zvezda in 2007/08 UEFA Champions League qualifying.

• Crvena zvezda Austrian international defender Aleksandar Dragović was part of the Leverkusen side that eliminated Rangers from the UEFA Europa League two seasons ago, starting the first leg at Ibrox and coming off the bench in the second leg.

• Aleksandar Katai, who converted crucial penalties for Crvena zvezda in both group games against Braga, also found the net for Serbia against Scotland in the UEFA EURO 2020 play-off penalty shoot-out, where Scotland, with Ryan Jack of Rangers, won 5-4 in Belgrade.

• Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield and Crvena zvezda goalkeeper Milan Borjan both played international football for Canada.

• Opposing managers Van Bronckhorst and Stanković met for the Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro respectively in a group stage match at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with the Oranje winning 1-0 in Leipzig. Both players have won over 100 caps at senior international level (Van Bronckhorst 106, Stanković 103).

• Rangers are in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League for the third successive season. Only one team, Sevilla (2013/14–2015/16), have already scored the treble.

• Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos’ goal in the first leg against Dortmund was his 31st in all rounds of the UEFA Europa League, qualifying included, making him the third-highest all-time goalscorer in the league UEFA Europa League and UEFA Cup combined – level with Radamel Falcao and Aritz Aduriz and behind only Henrik Larsson (40) and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (34).

• Rangers and Crvena zvezda are the only two defending domestic champions to make the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 this season. The Serbian club is one of three national cup winners on the pitch, along with Barcelona and Braga.

• Crvena zvezda are one of three former European Cup/UEFA Champions League winners involved in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, along with Barcelona and Porto.

• Serbia have a club in the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 for the first time, making them the 23rd nation represented at this stage of the competition.

• Rangers and Crvena zvezda currently sit second in their domestic league standings behind their arch-rivals, the first three points behind Celtic, the bottom two behind Partizan.

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In this edition of his weekly column, ESPN’s senior Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae writes that while Borussia Dortmund are technically in the hunt for the league title, no one at the club wants to talk boldly about winning Bayern. Munich. The team’s plans for the future are intriguing, but several question marks hover over them. Overall, it is an uncertain time.

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Admit it: some of you were waiting for Borussia Dortmund to live up to all the clichés about them last Sunday. Bayern having suffered a hair-raising and chaotic 4-2 loss at VfL Bochum the day before (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the US), the scene seemed set for Schwarzgelben to spoil their chance to reduce the deficit at the top of the Bundesliga table to six points. After all, it’s happened before.

Instead, Marco Rose’s side delivered one of their most assured performances of the season as they accelerated away from Union Berlin at Kopenick. There was nothing flattering about the 3-0 triumph in which captain Marco Reus scored twice in the first 25 minutes and played a starring role (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the US).

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In most leagues, being six points behind with 12 rounds remaining – and a head-to-head with the leaders to come – would represent a fighting chance. However, from Dortmund’s perspective, the specter of Bayern’s nine successive titles looms large and no one dares to get carried away at a single swing of the clock. After all, Dortmund had spent the past week at their Brackel HQ, digesting and trying to remove from the collective memory bank an error-ridden 5-2 loss at home to their closest pursuers in the battle for second place. : Bayer Leverkusen. First of all.

So what did BVB do well in the southeastern outskirts of Berlin? It started with much more effective form in a 4-2-3-1 formation that allowed much better protection from a previously exposed back four.

One of Dortmund’s problems this season has been getting caught by the opposition as they Aufbau (or “build-up”) themselves. The new form, with midfielders Axel Witsel and Mahmoud Dahoud acting as windshield wipers, has allowed Dan-Axel Zagadou (who endured a nightmare against Leverkusen) to look much calmer. Having Mats Hummels healthy again by his side in defense also visibly helped.

The other benefit of this tactical adjustment was that it put Reus in his preferred No.10 position. At times, in Rose’s oft-favorite 4-3-3, Reus had to move further to the right of attack and he’s never quite the same potent threat when he’s not immediately behind the main striker, from where he can make well-timed runs. and cause havoc for those tasked with retrieving his movement.

Criticism was leveled at BVB for their overreliance on Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, but Haaland was again out due to his muscle injury and Bellingham had one of his most ordinary outings.

After the victory, having closed the points gap, Reus and Hummels refused to be drawn into discussions about what it would take to ‘stop’ Bayern. Reus looks like he’s had enough of this kind of talk, and he said it. Hummels felt it was more important to be 12 points ahead of fifth-placed teams, including Union.

Cementing a Champions League spot is the No. 1 priority. Avoiding mishaps in this pursuit, as opposed to chasing the recording mastersomething that former Bayern central defender Hummels considers a good thing to dream about more than a realistic scenario, represents the realpolitik of the situation in which Dortmund finds itself.

Remember: Dortmund had to give up from start to finish to enter Europe’s premier club competition. The fact that they failed to progress from what looked like a manageable Champions League group this season is a bitter disappointment. Club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has tried to motivate the players in the Europa League knockout stage, which kicks off against Rangers on Thursday. Win a trophy that BVB have never won before, according to logic, and recoup some of the money lost in the Champions League mishap. It may be difficult, but why not?

With 2. Bundesliga upstarts St. Pauli having knocked out holders Dortmund from the DFB-Pokal, one gets the feeling that they are a side that feel they have something to prove in every game. Better than the others, apart from Bayern, but still well below their main enemies.

Looking ahead, the summer promises to be exciting. Michael Zorc will step down from his sporting director chair after nearly a quarter of a century, and it will become Sebastian Kehl’s show. Kehl, a big club (like Zorc) on the pitch, have already pulled off a coup by securing Niklas Sule from Bayern as a free agent for next season, and they will do their best to sign Nico Schlotterbeck from SC Freiburg and FC Salzburg. Karim Adeyemi.

Of course, there will be departures to bear, and probably important ones if Haaland and Manuel Akanji decide to end their respective stays at the club. There is also always a big concern about a lack of depth; for example, there is always a right-back problem. Thomas Meunier has improved this season, but were fans expecting a more complete player? I believe him. The scarcity of strong options at both fullback positions is alarming.

Hand on heart, did Nico Schulz exude confidence when he replaced Raphael Guerreiro? Not especially. Schulz seems to me to be someone who really needs to play every week, but for a club a little lower in the rankings.

That said, there’s plenty to be excited about. In Giovanni Reyna, Dortmund have the kind of young talent who can light up any top league with his dynamism. But Kehl’s challenge is to find the right balance of squad, not just sparkling individuals, which has been elusive for BVB for several years.

The law of averages says that one of these years Bayern will slip, even if only marginally. Borussia Dortmund need to make sure they are armed enough to clench their fists when that happens.

Bundesliga duo Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are said to have ‘joined the transfer pursuit’ for Arsenal target Armando Broja.

After a brief stint at Tottenham Hotspur, Broja rose through the ranks at Chelsea.

The 20-year-old made his senior debut for the Blues as a late substitute against Everton in March 2020.

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Warnock talks shit – Chelsea are ‘lucky’, not Azpilicueta

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This is Broja’s only appearance for Chelsea. He impressed for Vitesse last season and is currently on loan at Southampton.

The Albania international has scored six goals for Saints in 20 Premier League appearances.

Chelsea are under no pressure to sell their striker as he is under contract until 2026.

It was revealed earlier this week that Arsenal are interested in him.

The sun now report that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have now ‘joined the hunt’ for Broja. They say the Bundesliga duo are ‘monitoring their progress’.

Kevin Campbell suggested that Broja might be difficult to get out of Stamford Bridge:

“The problem is that with Chelsea they have so many players,” Campbell said.

“They could well say they don’t want to sell it to a rival. But if the youngster wants a career, he won’t want to be on loan all the time or stuck in the reserves – he’ll want to move.

“I don’t know how strong the interest is, but he’s certainly performing brilliantly at Southampton. He looks like a good handful and he’s a young striker, which fits Arsenal’s model in this moment.

“I don’t know what their stance is on selling to a top four rival, but Chelsea won’t be able to please everyone this summer – that’s for sure.”

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards was blown away by Broja’s performance against Man Utd as Southampton drew 1-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Richards was impressed with his ability to intimidate two experienced centre-backs, he told BBC Sport: “Broja, I know we’ve mentioned it before, but he’s not only intimidating Maguire but he’s also intimidating Varane, that that I couldn’t.” completely understandable for someone so young.

Arsenal and Newcastle United have suffered a blow in the race for Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca, with Inter Milan opening talks for the Serie A striker.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter transfer managers Giovanni Carnevali and Beppe Marotta have met over the past few weeks to discuss a move to Scamacca, with reigning champions Scudetto keen to sign the striker as well as his Sassuolo teammate Davide Frattesi.

According to the report, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig made moves for the 23-year-old in January, however, Scamacca were keen to stay with Sassuolo to continue his development, with Arsenal and Newcastle also eyeing the striker.

As FC Inter News reports, Premier League clubs are both keen on the Italian, who has been compared to Swedish and Serie A legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his attacking style of play.

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With Inter now moving to Scamacca, the news will come as a blow to the PIF-backed owners of Arsenal and Newcastle, with the forward being one of the most exciting talents in European football.

With nine Serie A goals this season, Scamacca is forging a strong reputation in Italy, and his style of play and obvious potential have been a strong indicator of why Arsenal and Inter are interested in the youngster.

Inter target Scamacca is a left-field option to save Arsenal forward’s problem

While Newcastle fulfilled their striker needs in January with Chris Wood, Arsenal did not sign anyone in winter to act as their long-term option to lead the line, and Scamacca could be a candidate if Inter fail. to sign the striker.

Athletic, ball-holding and impressive in build-up play, Scamacca could be a cheaper alternative to Alexander Isak and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Arsenal this summer if Inter struggle to secure a deal for the 23-year-old. old this summer.

In other news, ‘I have no idea what he’s thinking’: Sky Sports pundit can’t believe Tottenham player’s mistake

(NEXSTAR) – Football goes foreign again in the next NFL season, with Germany gearing up to host its first-ever regular season game in 2022.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Munich and Frankfurt will host four games over four years. The partnership begins this year at the stadium of FC Bayern Munich, aka Allianz Arena, home of the Bundesliga champions.

Two of the four games will take place in Munich and two at Frankfurt Stadium, otherwise known as Deutsche Bank Park.

The Allianz Arena, which opened in 2005, has over 75,000 seats and is mainly used by FC Bayern Munich. It also hosted the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020 matches. You can take a 360 degree tour of the stadium here.

FC Bayern Munich Stadium, Allianz Arena

Frankfurt Stadium, also known as Deutsche Bank Park, opened in 1925. The Frankfurt Galaxy, an American football team playing in the NFL Europa league, called the stadium home from 1991 to 2007.

Frankfurt Stadium, Deutsche Bank Park

It’s unclear who will play those games in Munich and Frankfurt, but the NFL previously released a list of four teams — Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — that have been granted access to Germany for Marketing, Fan Engagement and Commercialization.

According to the league, nine German cities initially expressed interest in hosting NFL games when the selection process began last year. Three – Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich – were invited to participate in a comprehensive assessment.

As part of their agreement, the NFL, Munich and Frankfurt agree to offer fan engagement activities, community involvement programs and other initiatives.

During the 2022 season, five matches will be played abroad, with one scheduled in Mexico and three in the UK.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are already set to play a game at the iconic Wembley Stadium, home of English football. The other two matches will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The NFL says teams and dates won’t be released until the full 2022 schedule is released later this year. Under the league’s new 17-game schedule, all teams will have to play at least one away game every eight years.

According to the league’s operations site, six NFL executives lead the schedule development process, and thousands of cloud-based computer models are used to find the schedule with the least amount of travel and logistical hurdles. . The NFL is working on expanding international venues to Canada, South America and other European cities in the coming years.

The NFL’s first game outside the United States was on October 2, 2005, in Mexico City, when the Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 at Estadio Azteca, the team’s home country’s national football club.

RB Leipzig’s recent revival under new manager Domenico Tedesco will face the ultimate test in the Bundesliga this weekend as they travel to league leaders Bayern Munich under former manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Life after Nagelsmann left for Bayern at the end of the season was difficult for Leipzig.
After finishing in the top three in each of the previous three campaigns, they struggled to get going this time around, before Tedesco arrived to steady the ship.
Leipzig have lost just once since the Italian took charge in early December, winning each of the last three league matches to once again edge closer to Champions League qualification places.
However, Nagelsmann will be close to countering this run against the team he helped build.
The current Bayern boss revealed in an interview this week that he was so obsessed with the game that he had developed strange sleeping habits.
“Sometimes when I sleep after a game, I shout my players’ names,” he told Bayern magazine ’51’.
“My wife told me that once. Sometimes it wakes her up at night.”
Nagelsmann’s new side haven’t given him too many reasons to stay up at night as they close in on a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title this season.
They have scored four times in each of their last two Bundesliga matches, winning 4-0 at Cologne and 4-1 at Hertha Berlin, to maintain their six-point advantage over top-flight Borussia Dortmund.
The weekend’s other blockbuster clash sees a Borussia Dortmund side, who have found their scoring touch in recent weeks, host third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
German media report striker Erling Haaland, who scored for free, will miss the game through injury, giving Leverkusen increased hope of securing victory at the Westfalenstadion to close the gap with Dortmund to five points. .
The Norwegian has scored 80 goals in 79 competitive appearances for Dortmund, including 16 in 14 Bundesliga appearances this season. This gives him the best minutes-to-goal ratio in the division, with a goal looted every 72 minutes.
A 5-1 win over Augsburg in their last game suggests Leverkusen have kicked into high gear, with Moussa Diaby scoring their first Bundesliga hat-trick, as Bayer set a new club record of 49 goals after the first 20 games. a championship season.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga this weekend, fourth-placed Union Berlin aim to continue defying the odds in Augsburg, while struggling VfL Wolfsburg seek to end an 11-game winless streak in all competitions and then welcomes full-back Greuther Fuerth.

Rangers are leading the hunt to sign Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey on deadline day, according to Sky in Italy.

The Scottish club are in talks with Juventus on a loan deal with an option to sign him permanently this summer.

A number of Premier League clubs are considering a move for Ramsey in this window.

However, we’re told Crystal Palace and Wolves are focusing their attentions elsewhere.

Burnley are interested but believe Ramsey is destined for another club.

Sources have also mentioned Borussia Dortmund as a possible destination for Ramsey – but they are not currently pursuing a deal, according to Sky in Germany.

Sky Sports News was told Juventus were prepared to continue paying Ramsey’s high wages to facilitate a move.

Sky in Italy have previously reported that Juve will only pay part of his salary.

It is understood that any player signed by Rangers would have to adapt to their salary structure.

The Welsh midfielder has made just five appearances for Max Allegri’s side this season.

Can Ramsey still cut it?

Sky Sports’ Jack Wilkinson:

Ramsey was widely applauded for taking the leap to play overseas, and it was a move that was almost certainly justified.

Although he didn’t quite reach the levels he achieved in his final season at Arsenal, Ramsey’s first two campaigns at Juventus under Maurizio Sarri and then Andrea Pirlo were successful and saw the Welsh win the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup titles.

However, problems have arisen this season under Massimiliano Allegri, mainly in the form of injuries, which have limited him to just three Serie A appearances this season.

In fact, Ramsey has missed 17 games this season, as many as in his first two seasons combined at Juventus.

Ramsey will undoubtedly look back on his time at Juventus, the success he enjoyed and the opportunity to discover a new football culture, with fondness, but for a 31-year-old player, and with a good part of his career. remaining, he cannot appear as rarely as he did.

With Juventus expected to take Ramsey’s big salary off the wage bill, leaving the club could suit both the club and the player.

A clearer indication of the prowess Ramsey still possesses and his eventual suitability for Rangers can be seen by studying his performances for Wales since moving to Juventus, rather than his struggles last season at Turin.

Remarkably, Ramsey has scored more goals for his country, 13, since joining Juventus than he actually has for Juventus, and this despite playing three times as many Serie A games. .

In terms of name and reputation alone, three-time FA Cup winner Ramsey would certainly sprinkle stardust on Giovani van Bronckhorst’s side, who head into 2022 in position to retain the Premiership title Scottish.

But with hours to go before the January window closes, Rangers need to consider whether Ramsey’s form for Juventus and Wales warrants adjusting their wage structure and whether Ramsey is a calculated gamble worth taking. To be taken.

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Borussia Dortmund are assessing star striker Erling Braut Haaland’s injury just weeks before the German giants face Rangers in the Europa League.

The 21-year-old Norwegian international striker is widely regarded as an exceptional talent and is already regarded as one of the best strikers in the world game.

But as Rangers prepare to travel to German shores for the first leg of their knockout clash with BVB on February 17, Dortmund boss Marco Rose has revealed the club are facing a sweat on the physical form of Erling Haaland.

This is after the former Salzburg star went to rest with a muscle complaint in the 3-2 Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim at the weekend, with Haaland opening the scoring for his side.

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The Norwegian striker would be substituted just after the hour mark for Axel Witsel, but coach Marco Rose was calm as the German side waited to find out the extent of the thigh problem before commenting.

“He felt something in his adductor. We have to wait and see,” Rose said. [Bundesliga News].

“I can’t say anything about Erling yet. First we need to examine it.

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland faces the sweat of Rangers Europa League

In what could potentially be his final year with Borussia Dortmund, Rangers fans now face a double-edged sword when it comes to Erling Haaland and his injury situation.

On the one hand – the one most Bears will want to play – Dortmund lose a standout player and Rangers have a better chance of winning the game over two legs.

But on the other hand, Rangers fans might miss the chance to see the striker play against their side as he prepares to potentially leave Dortmund.

Top European clubs such as Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona are said to be interested in the striker, with Haaland’s release clause dropping to around £65million at the end of the season. [Marca].

A phenomenal goalscoring talent, Erling Haaland has scored 80 goals and provided 21 assists in just 79 games for Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking of phenomenal goalscoring skills, find out how a former Rangers youngster scored five goals in one game over the weekend, albeit at a considerably lower level.