World Cup News

Watch extended highlights of Bayer Leverkusen and FC Augsburg, player stats, results and goals from Bundesliga, April 18, 2026 The post Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Augsburg Highlights and Goals appeared first on DasFootball.

Bayer Leverkusen will hope to edge closer to the top four places when they face Augsburg this weekend at the BayArena. Die Werkself enter Matchday 30 of the Bundesliga after…

Giovani Lo Celso, a key teammate of Lionel Messi with Argentina, is back from a lengthy injury just two months ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In recent weeks, the news has not been positive for Argentina, with several players sidelined by injuries in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, Giovani Lo Celso is the exception, returning after an extended spell on the sidelines with the goal of joining Lionel Messi in North America this summer. Lo Celso was included in the 24-man squad selected by head coach Manuel Pellegrini for Real Betis’ match on Sunday against Osasuna in Pamplona. The call-up marks the midfielder’s return following a prolonged absence due to a muscle injury. Gio’s last appearance came on January 22, when he played just six minutes in a UEFA Europa League clash against PAOK before suffering a significant tear in the rectus femoris of his right thigh that forced him to leave the match. If he sees minutes against Osasuna this Sunday, Lo Celso will end an 80-day stretch without official match action. In total, he missed 15 matches at club level across La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Europa League. Our squad list for #OsasunaRealBetis 📋#LALIGARETRO pic.twitter.com/Dbq4hMULvR — Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) April 11, 2026 Lo Celso aims to regain ground with Argentina The muscle injury sustained at Betis also kept Giovani Lo Celso out of Argentina’s plans at the start of the year. He was left off Lionel Scaloni’s roster for the friendlies against Mauritania and Zambia in Buenos Aires during the March FIFA break. With just two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lo Celso’s situation remains uncertain. For years, he has been a key piece of the squad and Lionel Messi’s primary creative partner. However, recurring injuries over the past few seasons have caused him to lose ground, while other players have risen in the manager’s pecking order. At the moment, reports indicate that Scaloni is set on bringing several midfielders to the World Cup, including Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Exequiel Palacios, and Nicolas Paz. Lo Celso is not currently part of that group and will need to deliver strong performances — and, above all, maintain his fitness — in the coming months with Betis to compete for one of the final roster spots. Lo Celso has unfinished business at the World Cup Despite being a regular part of the Argentina setup for most of the past decade, Giovani Lo Celso has yet to play in a World Cup. He was included in the squad for Russia 2018, but then-head coach Jorge Sampaoli surprisingly did not give him a single minute across Argentina’s four matches. Four years later, Lo Celso was a clear starter in Lionel Scaloni’s plans heading into Qatar 2022, but an untimely muscle injury suffered weeks before the tournament while playing for Villarreal ruled him out of the squad. Now, he faces the challenge of earning a spot on Argentina’s roster for North America 2026 and finally settling that unfinished business.

After the early exit in the Champions Cup, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami suffered a drop of four places in the CONCACAF rankings. Inter Miami have struggled to live up to the expectations that surrounded them heading into the season, suffering an early setback with an earlier-than-expected elimination from the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Herons’ inconsistent run has now cost them in the standings, with Lionel Messi‘s side dropping four places in the CONCACAF club rankings. Ahead of the start of both the 2026 MLS season and the Champions Cup back in February, CONCACAF published their updated club rankings with Inter Miami sitting third, ahead of every MLS side and trailing only Toluca and Cruz Azul. Two months on, the picture looks considerably different for the Herons. Cruz Azul has since overtaken Toluca as the top-ranked club in CONCACAF, while Inter Miami have tumbled from third down to seventh in the same two-month span. The Herons have been leapfrogged by Seattle Sounders, LAFC, Club America and Tigres UANL, all of whom have boosted their standing by advancing to the quarterfinals of the current Champions Cup. Nashville’s series: the biggest blow for Inter Miami As CONCACAF explains, its rankings are calculated using a weighted system that factors in performances across domestic leagues, national cups, continental tournaments and global competitions. Inter Miami had climbed to third on the strength of their 2025 MLS Cup triumph, but their recent results have steadily eroded that standing. Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF dribbles the ball against Jeisson Palacios #4 of Nashville SC. The most damaging blow came in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, where Messi and company entered directly at the Round of 16 and were promptly knocked out by Nashville SC in a shocking upset. Combined with an inconsistent MLS campaign featuring three wins, two draws and one defeat, the Herons have seen their status as one of the continent’s dominant clubs take a significant hit. Are Inter Miami relying too much on Messi? Inter Miami’s slide in the CONCACAF rankings is also a reflection of a broader concern about the team’s overall trajectory, having fallen short in one of their primary objectives for the 2026 season. The issue is not a decline in Messi’s individual level, but rather the extent to which the team has become dependent on him to produce. Through six MLS games, Inter Miami have scored 11 goals, with Messi leading the way as the team’s top scorer with five. No other player has managed more than one goal, with the rest of the tally spread across six different scorers including Mateo Silvetti, Telasco Segovia, Rodrigo De Paul, Gonzalo Luján, Micael and most recently Luis Suárez, while designated strikers Tadeo Allende and German Berterame have struggled to find the net. The lack of firepower from the supporting cast is further highlighted by Messi’s own numbers, as the Argentine has yet to register a single assist through five MLS appearances despite posting an expected assists figure of 1.71 on SofaScore and averaging 2.2 key passes per game. After finishing the 2025 regular season with 81 goals in 34 games, a rate of 2.4 per match, Inter Miami’s current average of 1.8 goals per game is a sign of a team running well below its capabilities, and a problem head coach Javier Mascherano will need to address sooner rather than later.

Alejandro Grimaldo scored a brace as Bayer Leverkusen recovered from 3-1 down to earn a vital win against relegation-threatened Wolfsburg, keeping their European qualification dreams alive.

(We accidentally uploaded the wrong file the first time, but it has now been fixed. Sorry!) This week Landon and Florida Man Jeremiah discuss Austin FC's big, fun win in DC, as well as some player links that may have fallen apart. Other questions and topics include: - Progress Texas event w/ Landon and Brad Stuver - What made the offense look so good? - Opportunities ahead to climb the table - Why Uzuni yelled at Dani after the goal - When Playing Out of the Back Goes Right - Bukari's growth ...

This week Landon and Mike accidentally made a very long episode (oops), so feel free to break it up into multiple listening sessions and/or use the timestamps to jump around. Questions and topics include: - All-Star Week Events Preview - Stuver's Laundry Project donations - Transfer rumor updates (29:30) - Austin linked with Serbian center back - Mateja Djordjevic scouting report - Palacios update - Deciphering the Dani Pereira reports - LA Galaxy match analysis (55:50) - Why the weird lineup...

This week Landon and Jeremiah are joined by Mike to discuss the Diego Palacios rumors and play "Landon's Game". Other questions and topics include: - Kerr County Flood Relief Fund - Diego Palacios rumor - Does this mean Rodo doesn't care about 2025? - San Jose Open Cup preview (22:00) - New England Revolution Preview - "Landon's Game" (52:11) - Where did Brad Stuver play in college? - How many of Maxi Urruti's clubs can you name? - Join the Patreon - Free Ticket Giveaway by Sage Wilson Realty...

Chris is here with the latest edition of Redmen Bitesize as he brings you the news that Jan Aage Fjørtoft believes Mo Salah will leave Liverpool by the end of the week to join the Saudi Arabia Pro League. Other news stories include links to Douglas Luiz, Exequiel Palacios & Cheick Doucoure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of Off the Crossbar, Kyle and Trevor discuss Real Salt Lake’s 2-2 draw with Minnesota United, the signing of Nelson Palacios, and a whole lot more.

Back in 2019, Dharms sat down with legendary manager Harry Redknapp for a reveal all chat on his career. In this bitesize version of the interview, he discusses nearly signing Andriy Shevchenko for West Ham, predicting the rise of Frank Lampard and the battle he faced to sign Paolo Di Canio. Redknapp also dismisses rumours he was set to send Gareth Bale out on loan while at Tottenham, before detailing a heart breaking story about Wilson Palacios. He then talks about Tottenham missing out to Chelsea for Eden Hazard. Transfer Talk is a Sky Sports podcast. Listen to every episode here: skysports.com/transfer-talk You can listen to Transfer Talk on your smart speaker by saying "ask Global Player to play Transfer Talk". For all the latest football news, head to skysports.com/football For advertising opportunities email: [email protected]