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KANE OF GOALS! England Striker Eyeing 100 International Goals

KANE OF GOALS! England Striker Eyeing 100 International Goals

Harry Kane is aiming for 100 international goals as he tries to become the 10th male England player to score 100 caps against Finland on Tuesday.

After winning his 99th cap in a routine 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, Kane will lead England out at Wembley as they look to make it two Nations League wins from two against the Finns.

The 31-year-old’s tally currently stands at 66 since netting on his debut as a substitute against Lithuania in 2015, while he has been the country’s all-time leading goalscorer since overtaking Wayne Rooney’s previous record of 53 in March last year.

Despite England reaching the final of Euro 2024 during the summer, the Bayern Munich striker was criticised for his overall play as he failed to find the kind of form that saw him score 44 times in his debut season with the Bundesliga side.

Asked whether he would be following up his landmark appearance by targeting a century of goals for his country, he said: “Yeah. What is it, 34 goals (to go)?

“One hundred caps have come round so quick, especially the last few years playing three major tournaments in such a short space of time. In those years I’ve done around 15, 16, 17 caps a year whereas a normal year would be 10.

“The goals were similar. I felt I was on 30 goals and then I went to 50 and then 60. It is definitely there and definitely possible. I feel like I am in a good place and these are good targets to try to reach.

“Some people may see them as unrealistic but I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it rather than be comfortable just saying I will be happy with 70 or 80 goals.”

Kane averaged almost a goal a game for Bayern last season, while his England record is slightly above one goal in two.

He acknowledged that the strike-rate of the world’s top goal-scorers has risen significantly in recent years, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at their peak regularly scoring more goals in LaLiga than the number of matches they had played.

That trend has since been observed in the Premier League, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scoring 36 goals in 35 games during his debut season in England.

“It (one in two) probably was good back then but nowadays the bar has shifted a little bit,” said Kane. “When you see even my numbers last year and Haaland, Ronaldo, Messi, the standard is getting higher than that.

“One in two is not a bad record, don’t get me wrong, but maybe we have all set the standards and expect more from ourselves.

“My England record is a bit better than that and I hope to maintain that for as many caps as I have.”

Kane, who is set to be awarded a gold cap on the Wembley pitch ahead of kick-off against Finland, will become the first player to reach 100 appearances since Rooney achieved the feat in November 2014.

“To consistently play at a high level is really difficult,” he said. “That’s why I have so much respect for Ronaldo, Messi and these players.

“To be able to do it for 15 years or 20 years is some mindset and some achievement. For now, 100 caps, that’s part of the reason I am really proud.

“As an England number nine you come up against some good competition, some of the best strikers in England trying to take your place.”

 

Premier League

Scholes suggests Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players at Man United

Scholes

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes that current manager Ruben Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players as part of a major rebuild.

Scholes stated that Amorim faces a far bigger rebuilding job than Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal, citing the challenges Amorim has encountered since taking over at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old manager recently referred to the team as the worst in the club’s history.

Scholes highlighted Arteta’s transformation of Arsenal, which began when he inherited a team in disarray. Arteta’s success came through significant player changes, such as moving on Matteo Guendouzi, Mesut Ozil, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Amorim appears to be following a similar path. He has left Marcus Rashford out of his matchday squad for over a month and has also sidelined Casemiro.

 

“The trouble Amorim’s got is there’s not just three of them,” Scholes told The Overlap fan debate. “You could be talking about 13 or 14 of them he doesn’t want.”

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Slot rests key players for Champions League clash against PSV

 ‘Something Is Wrong’ With Liverpool' -  Arne Slot Admits Ahead Of AC Milan Clash

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has opted to leave out several key players for their upcoming Champions League match against PSV on Wednesday night.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and seven other prominent players have not made the trip to the Netherlands, with Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Luis Díaz also being rested.

Slot is focusing on Liverpool’s busy schedule, with important Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures ahead.

Caoimhin Kelleher is set to start in goal, while fringe players such as Wataru Endo, Darwin Núñez, Federico Chiesa, and Harvey Elliott are expected to feature. Cody Gakpo, a former PSV player, will also be part of the squad and could face his old team.

Liverpool’s squad for the match includes:

Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Davies.
Defenders: Quansah, Bradley, Norris, Nallo, Tsimikas, Robertson.
Midfielders: Endo, Mabaya, McConnell, Morrison, Morton, Nyoni.
Forwards: Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Kone-Doherty, Danns, Núñez.

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Premier League

PGMOL stands by referee Michael Oliver amid controversial red card, assigns him to key fixtures

Michael Oliver

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has decided not to drop referee Michael Oliver for the upcoming Premier League fixtures despite recent controversy.

Oliver has faced criticism for his decision to send off Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly during Saturday’s match against Wolves. The 39-year-old referee issued a straight red card to Lewis-Skelly after he caught Wolves defender Matt Doherty’s calf and ankle with his studs. The decision was upheld by VAR, and Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory at Molineux.

There had been speculation that Oliver would be sidelined due to the backlash and online abuse. However, he is scheduled to referee Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona and Atalanta.

The Premier League has confirmed that Oliver will officiate Ipswich Town’s match against Southampton at Portman Road on Saturday.

Additionally, he has been assigned to handle next month’s rescheduled Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park.

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