Filling the void left by Neymar is no easy task, but Santos forward Gabriel is determined to grasp his opportunity when Brazil visit Paraguay for Tuesday s World Cup qualifier.

Influential captain Neymar is suspended for the contest in Asuncion following an accumulation of bookings after being cautioned in Friday s 2-2 draw against Uruguay.

The absence of the skipper is a blow to Brazil, who sit third in the CONMEBOL group, but it does present an opportunity to Gabriel.

The 19-year-old says it is impossible to replace Neymar and he will attempt to bring his own qualities to the national team.

Taking the vacant spot left by Neymar is very good, but I will not replace him, said Gabriel, who has represented Brazil up to Under-23 level.

He is our…

Lille midfielder Marvin Martin has vowed to take criticism on the chin as he looks set to finish another campaign without a goal.

Martin joined the Ligue 1 club from Sochaux in 2012 after impressing at the Stade Auguste-Bonalbut, but failed to find the net in his debut season at Lille.

Having suffered with knee injuries recently, Martin has again failed to score in his 21 appearances for the club this term.

With another season set to pass without Martin finding the net, the 25-year-old acknowledges he has not yet lived up to his potential after displaying promise at Sochaux.

It s understandable. I too am impatient, I really want to score, he told L Equipe.

I work in training but I have to try more. I know.

I do not particularly want to play the mar…

Here we are on the eve of the biggest game in the European calendar and I somehow find myself wondering how the two teams are in the Champions League final.

Neither Chelsea nor Bayern Munich were champions of their domestic leagues last season, and neither have been champions this season.

Change

The competition is called the Champions League yet the two teams in the final are not actually champions. The competition should be looked at by the trades description act.

I think maybe UEFA should look at renaming the competition and regressing back to the old name of European Cup(unlikely because of corporate deals).

Ironically for the majority of time that the competition was the European Cup, only teams who were national champions qualified for the c…

Ralph Hasenhuttl says he is clear what Southampton need to do in the transfer market before next season, having been frustrated by their end to the 2018-19 campaign.

The Saints were steered away from relegation trouble by Hasenhuttl, but they finished on a five-game winless run, including a final-day 1-1 draw at home to rock-bottom Huddersfield Town.

Angus Gunn s error allowed Terriers to equalise and the Southampton coach believes his side s mentality must be improved.

The former RB Leipzig coach suggested he has identified signings that will be required before they attack the Premier League again.

It is a very clear picture for me now what we are still missing in our game, he said. Maybe we know that we only win games when we have the perfect commi…

England open their FIFA World Cup campaign on Saturday against an Italy side who knocked them out of their last major tournament.

The Group D rivals meet in Manaus just short of two years since they last met competitively at UEFA Euro 2012, when Italy won on penalties in the last eight before reaching the final.

A number of players who featured in Kiev will again lock horns as the respective nations look to gain early momentum as they seek to reach the knockout stages.

With a dangerous Uruguay side taking on Costa Rica earlier in the day, defeat for either England or Italy could prove costly.

There has been something of a change of personnel for both nations, with England perhaps shading it in terms of new faces and systems.

Forced to rely on a defensiv…

Jarrod Bowen put the disappointment of missing out on England s latest squad behind him by scoring twice against AEK Larnaca to become West Ham s record European scorer.

David Moyes men booked their place in Friday s Europa Conference League quarter-final draw with a 6-0 aggregate win over the Cypriot side.

Bowen, who earned all four of his caps last June, was not named in Gareth Southgate s squad earlier on Thursday for England s opening two Euro 2024 qualifying fixtures.

The 26-year-old was clearly not affected by that snub as he struck twice in as many minutes at the start of the second half against Larnaca at the London Stadium.

Gianluca Scamacca had earlier opened the scoring for West Ham and teenager Divin Mubama rounded off a 4-0 win on the day –…

An investigation has been launched after Tenerife midfielder Marc Crosas was pictured having killed a baby endangered shark.

The town council of Santa Cruz, the island s capital and largest city, announced they will probe the incident, which occurred as the team took part in pre-season training exercises on Las Teresitas beach.

Crosas, who was seen holding a slalom pole used for training drills with the angelshark harpooned on the end, apologised for what he described as an unfortunate incident , adding in a statement: I accept the consequences and will try to do everything in my power to make amends for the issues caused .

The club also issued an apology, but Zaida Gonzalez, Santa Cruz s deputy mayor, said the appalling act would face further scrutiny from the r…

English Premier League newcomers West Ham United have made a record bid for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, .

Carroll joined Liverpool for £35 million from Newcastle United in January 2011, but has been linked with an Anfield exit this summer.

In fact, the Magpies tried to for the England international in mid-July. However, Liverpool rejected Newcastle United s loan bid for the 6 3 front-man.

Now the Reds and new boss Brendan Rodgers must answer to West Ham, who have submitted their own massive bid for Carroll.

West Ham have offered the Merseysiders £2 million to take Carroll on loan until the end of the 2012-13 season, with the option of making the move permanent for an additional £16 million.

The aforementioned proposal will be …

Lionel Messi is determined to help Barcelona win trophies after admitting the saga surrounding his future has affected him this season.

The Argentine superstar appeared determined to leave Camp Nou in the previous transfer window, believing he was entitled to depart on a free transfer due to a clause in his contract.

However, Barca refused to sanction a move without a fee being involved, so Messi confirmed he would stay for the 2020-21 campaign, the final year on his current deal.

His long-term future still remains unclear, with more potentially becoming known when an in-depth interview with the 33-year-old is broadcast by LaSexta on December 27.

RAC1 released a short excerpt on Monday, in which Messi outlined his continued commitment to the caus…

Leicester City will host Chelsea in a mouthwatering third-round League Cup clash, while minnows Northampton Town will face a visit from Jose Mourinho s Manchester United.

Claudio Ranieri s Leicester will take on the team they surprisingly deposed as Premier League champions last term, with Chelsea aiming to reclaim the League Cup prize they also won in 2015.

That triumph came under former manager Mourinho, who is now looking to add to his impressive haul of trophies at United, but they must negotiate their way past a potential banana-skin in the form of League One Northampton.

Holders Manchester City face a trip to Swansea City, while the other all-Premier League ties see Hull City visit Stoke City and Southampton tackle Crystal Palace.

Liverpool will pl…