Magpies close to Tiote signing

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday, here we look at the 16 teams that will be competing for the title in Equatorial Guinea.

GROUP A

Equatorial Guinea

Coach: Esteban Becker

Star Man: Juvenal (Santa Coloma) The 35-year-old skipper s presence will be key as the hosts seek to emulate the heroics of 2012, when they reached the quarter-finals

How They Qualified: After being disqualified from the tournament for fielding an ineligible player, Equatorial Guinea were named as replacement hosts following the decision to strip Morocco of the right to stage the competition

Best Performance: Quarter-finals (2012)

Burkina Faso

Coach: Paul Put

Star Man: Jonathan Pitroipa (Al-Jazira) The winger was named play…

A quarter-final berth awaits the winner of Sunday s Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea and Gabon face off for the chance to make a rare foray into the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages on Sunday.

Gabon have only made the last eight on two previous occasions, including in 2012 when co-hosts Equatorial Guinea also made their only appearance to date. 

This year s hosts are yet to win a match, having been held by both Congo and Burkina Faso, while Gabon have one win and a defeat to their name.

Sunday s Group A fixture will be the first AFCON meeting between the sides, and Equatorial Guinea coach Esteban Becker believes his side can continue to make a mark at their home tournament.

Speakin…

New Hamburg head coach Markus Gisdol has backed Alen Halilovic to shine under his tutelage providing he is afforded the necessary time and space.

Halilovic – dubbed the Balkan Messi after coming through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb and sealing a switch to Barca in 2014 – moved to Bundesliga club Hamburg after a fruitful loan spell at Sporting Gijon last term, but struggled for game-time under Gisdol s predecessor Bruno Labbadia.

But Gisdol, who oversaw the development of Roberto Firmino, Kevin Volland and Sebastian Rudy during his tenure at Hoffenheim, is confident he can get the best out of the 20-year-old.

We will all do incredibly well if we take the pressure off Halilovic. The expectations of him are totally inappropriate. He is now very specifically set u…

Napoli have released a statement denying striker Gonzalo Higuain made controversial comments about former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Quotes emerged on Sunday of Higuain reportedly branding three-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo over-rated and egotistical in an apparent interview with Spanish magazine Don Balon.

However, Napoli insisted the Argentina international never made those comments.

Napoli and Higuain categorically deny ever he has been granted an interview with Don Balon , the statement read.

Therefore the sentences attributed to Higuain are considered false and without any foundation.

Higuain, who played alongside Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu before moving to Napoli in 2013, made headlines when he was quoted as saying…

Lionel Messi made his Paris Saint-Germain debut as a second-half substitute as Kylian Mbappe scored potentially his final goals for the club in a 2-0 victory at Reims on Sunday.

Messi was introduced in the 66th minute at the Stade Auguste Delaune, just after Real Madrid target Mbappe had doubled both his and PSG’s tally in the contest with a first-time finish.

The France striker, who had headed his team in front in the first half, helped PSG make it four straight wins at the start of a Ligue 1 campaign for the sixth time in their history as they bid to regain the title.

Mauricio Pochettino resisted the temptation to select Messi from the outset – meaning he joined fellow new recruit Gianluigi Donnarumma on the bench – but the wantaway Mbappe was part of …

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged everyone to stay calm when it comes to handling the futures of some of their biggest stars.

Virgil van Dijk, who along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold has 18 months left on his contract, has said he was curious to see where the club was heading with Klopp’s departure pending and admitted he did not know whether he would be part of a new era at Anfield.

That has sparked concerns a period of inertia – Liverpool currently do not have a sporting director in place after Jorg Schmadtke’s short-term appointment was ended – until the identity of the new manager is known could lead to the break up of a squad which Klopp believes has been rebuilt sufficiently to continue challenging after he has gone.

Asked whe…

Gareth Bale has endured arguably the toughest spell of his career in recent weeks but has the perfect opportunity to silence his critics when Real Madrid face Barcelona in Sunday s Clasico at Camp Nou.

Having adapted well since his mega-money move from Tottenham winning the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League in his debut season a recent lean spell has attracted fierce criticism.

Spanish media have questioned his commitment to the side both on and off the field, while Real fans have made their feelings clear inside the Bernabeu.

So strong has the criticism been that club president Florentino Perez, coach Carlo Ancelotti and Ballon d Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo have all been moved to back the winger of late.

Bale s form despite having been part of a…

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini does not believe Sunday s derby against Manchester United will have a decisive impact on the Premier League title race.

City make the short journey to Old Trafford for the 170th edition of the fixture with a slender two-point advantage over their rivals at the summit, with United behind Arsenal on goal difference.

While Pellegrini appreciates the importance of the game in terms of tackling a close rival with local passions running high, he is more interested in proving that the club he led to the league title in 2013-14 are the best in England over the long haul.

It s an important three points and I always say it s a six-pointer because you re playing the team behind you,  he told a news conference. But it will not be a…

Ivan Rakitic pulled out of the Croatia squad over uncertainty about his Barcelona future, Zlatko Dalic has confirmed.

Croatia s head coach revealed rumoured Juventus target Rakitic would not be able to focus on the national team until his club situation is resolved.

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde has only used Rakitic, who was reportedly offered to Paris Saint-Germain in a proposed deal for Neymar, for 44 minutes over the course of the club s three LaLiga matches this season.

Serie A champions Juve are thought to be interested and the Italian giants have until 20:00 local time (19:00 BST) Monday to finalise a deal before the transfer window shuts.

I talked to Rakitic, who has not yet resolved his status at the club and is not ready for the national team at…

On Monday, the Daily Mail reported that the Premier League have ambitious plans to finish the 2019/20 season at the beginning of May and finish by mid-July. Some have slammed the plans and called them dangerous with the coronavirus still spreading throughout the UK, despite most citizens obeying the government’s social distancing policies.

An unpredictable situation

It would be a risky strategy for the league to recommence in May. The world is in an unprecedented situation in peacetime. Although there are estimates from some very intelligent experts, nobody really knows how the virus will ultimately affect the population.

Like everything else in the world, the plan to recommence the Premier League is Coronavirus-dependent. If the country is still in any state of lock…