Walter Samuel has taken up a coaching role with the Argentina national team.

The Argentina FA confirmed Samuel s appointment on Friday and he will link up with the squad for September friendlies against Guatemala and Colombia.

Pablo Aimar and Martin Tocalli are also working under the interim coach Lionel Scaloni, who has replaced Jorge Sampaoli.

Former Roma, Real Madrid and Inter defender Samuel won 56 caps for Argentina between 1999 and 2010, appearing in two World Cups.

Samuel, 40, hung up his boots in 2016 after two title-winning seasons in the Swiss Super League with Basel.

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Roberto Mancini has tipped Argentina to win their third World Cup as Lionel Messi and team-mates chase glory in Qatar.

Mancini s Italy side will not be involved after a shock 1-0 play-off defeat to North Macedonia in March.

Italy s absence from Qatar comes despite them being the reigning European champions, having beaten England on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

That triumph subsequently saw them face off against Argentina in the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima at Wembley in June, after Lionel Scaloni s men won the Copa America.

Argentina comfortably beat Italy 3-0, and Mancini says that performance plays a part in him ranking them as favourites for the World Cup.

There are many strong teams, Mancini told reporters. If I had to choose one, I d go fo…

Market: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 2/3 @

In what looks like it could be another cagey affair from the Almondvale Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Livingston will welcome Ross County to West Lothian.

Starting with the hosts, while Livingston might have opened up the 2023/24 campaign dreaming of the chance to mount a genuine top-half charge, the Lions find themselves in the midst of a major Premiership crisis. Marking their return from November’s international break with another worrying performance last weekend as they slumped to a 1-0 loss at the hands of St. Mirren, David Martindale’s side sit rock-bottom of the table. Suddenly tipped as a leading relegation contender this season, Livingston have now lost each of their previous six straight appearances a run that …

Harry Kane surpassed Gary Lineker as England s all-time record goalscorer at major tournaments with his effort against Senegal.

The Tottenham striker fired home the second of his side s goals during Sunday s 3-0 win at Al Bayt Stadium, as the Three Lions set up a Qatar 2022 quarter-final tie with France.

It was Kane s first goal at this year s tournament and took his tally in World Cups to seven in 10 matches, having claimed the Golden Boot award in Russia four years ago.

The forward also scored four times for England in their run to the Euro 2020 final last year, making it 11 goals in major competitions – one more than Lineker managed.

The 29-year-old is now one goal short of equalling Wayne Rooney (53) as England s all-time record scorer, with Kane s …

Starting from scratch, David Beckham s Inter Miami are coming together on and off the pitch ahead of their highly anticipated MLS debut.

From a team name, logo, building a new stadium, to assembling a squad and the search for a head coach. A lot has been happening behind the scenes but Inter are on track to make history against Los Angeles FC on March 1, 2020.

It has been a long time coming for co-owner Beckham, who exercised his option to purchase an expansion team – built into his LA Galaxy contract – at a discounted fee in 2014. Inter were granted the 25th MLS franchise in January 2018.

The proposed 25,000-capacity Miami Freedom Park complex is the jewel in Inter s crown. Costing almost $1billion, the world-class facility – scheduled to open in 2022 – …

Morecambe boss Derek Adams gained sweet revenge over his former club Bradford as his youngsters enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory at the Mazuma Stadium.

Adams, who was sacked by the Bantams after less than a season in charge in February 2022 before returning for a second spell with the Shrimps, had plenty to smile about.

Michael Mellon scored twice and JJ McKiernan added another in a one-sided clash.

“I was delighted with the way we managed the game,” he said.

“They are one of the favourites to go up this year, as they have been for so many years, but they couldn’t deal with us and the manner of the victory was fantastic.

“I’m delighted for the players because they gave everything. Bradford changed their formation but no matter how the…

Sadio Mane has been named African Footballer of the Year for 2022, seeing off competition from former Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah and Chelsea s Edouard Mendy at Thursday s CAF awards.

The Bayern Munich new boy, who was also crowned the continent s top player in 2019, helped Senegal win their first Africa Cup of Nations title in February, scoring the winning penalty to down Salah s Egypt in the final.

The forward scored three goals throughout the competition in Cameroon, after which he was crowned Player of the Tournament.

One month later, Mane was influential in another shoot-out win over the Pharaohs, as Senegal sealed qualification for the World Cup in Qatar later this year. 

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For the Barcelona players and staff, there was nowhere to hide in the glare of the Estadio da Luz. 

An unprecedented, unmitigated, humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Friday laid bare the serious malfunctioning of one of the world s grandest clubs. 

President Josep Maria Bartomeu has already confirmed that announcements will be made next week, likely beginning with the future of coach Quique Setien, but Barca s problems run far deeper, from the boardroom to the dressing room. 

Nobody is safe, said Gerard Pique after the match.  It is not the first time, the second time or the third time, it s very tough. I hope it is useful for something.  

The defender needs nobody to tell him that significant changes must be made a…

Best Odds: 7/10

Bookmaker:

Looking to mark their return from the international break with an upset on the road, Alaves will travel to Vallecas when they meet Rayo Vallecano on Friday night.

Rayo Vallecano

Starting with the hosts, while Rayo Vallecano might have opened the 2023/24 campaign with an early-season flurry, Los Franjirrojos certainly came crashing back down to earth prior to September’s international break. Last seen earlier in the month getting hit with a 1-0 loss away at Real Betis, Francisco’s side are seeking some much-needed stability. Coming under plenty of scrutiny on August 28th as they were hit with an infamous 7-0 drumming at the hands of Atletico Madrid, the former Girona boss should also be concerned by his most recent meeting against …

Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud were on target as France picked up their first Nations League victory of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Thursday.

Les Bleus faced serious injury difficulties heading into the international break, with Paul Pogba and N Golo Kante among the absentees, and often lacked fluidity at the Stade de France.

But Mbappe stepped up after 56 minutes to drive past numerous defenders and finish past Patrick Pentz before Giroud headed in to help Didier Deschamps side to victory.

The winners of the last edition, France will now have their Nations League relegation fate in their hands, but cannot progress through Group A1 after leaders Croatia downed Denmark.

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— UEFA Nations League (@EURO2024)

Mbappe…