Danilo linked with Rangers exit as January window nears closing
Rangers have received a bid for Danilo worth €2 million from Champions League side Pafos Danilo’s future at Rangers looks like it could be over as he is heavily linked with a move away from the club. Original interest from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen looks to be overruled, as recent reports suggest that the Brazilian could be on his way to Cyprus. Earlier on this afternoon, Pafos FC submitted a €2 million bid for the Gers striker, as they are interested in Danilo joining the Brazilian superstar, David Luiz. Danilo, who is still contracted at Rangers until 2028, has had a tough time at Ibrox with major injuries being a key factor. And with only three goals to his name in the league and two strikers in front of him in terms of team selection, a move away could offer Danilo the chance to rebuild the confidence that earned him a €6 million move to Ibrox in the summer of 2023. With Danilo’s departure imminent, Rangers are eyeing up his replacement already, German striker Ryan Naderi looks like the one that could be filling Danilo’s shoes. The 22-year-old has 13 goal contributions in 17 matches in the third division of Germany, and is reported to be very eager to join Rohl’s squad who are deep in the race to lift the Scottish Premiership come May.
Arsenal vs Kairat Almaty – Match Preview
Arsenal return to Champions League action on Wednesday, looking to respond after losing against rivals Manchester United on Sunday. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of a 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United, which was their first defeat since December 6th, when Aston Villa scored a late winner at Villa Park. Kairat Almaty come into this fixture off the back of a 4-1 defeat at home against Club Brugge. In Kazakhstan, the league works differently. The season runs from March until October. In their last league outing, which was back on October 26th, Kairat drew 1-1 at home to FC Astana to clinch the title and book their spot in the UEFA Champions League qualification rounds, where they beat Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana 3-1 on aggregate, Finnish side KuPS 3-2 on aggregate, after losing the first leg 2-0 away, Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava 4-3 on penalties, after a 1-0 win at home and a 1-0 loss away, and finally Scottish Champions Celtic 3-2 on penalties after both legs finished goalless, to book their spot in the Champions League group phase for the first time in the club’s history. Although Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled in the Premier League recently, their Champions League form has been immense. The Gunners have played 7 and won 7, with their most recent win coming against Serie A leaders 3-1 in Milan. In those 7 games, Arsenal have scored 20 goals and only let in 2. Kairat currently sit bottom of the Champions League table. The Kazakhstan side have played 7, drawn 1 and lost 6, with that 1 draw coming against 30th place Pafos, who had a man sent off after 4 minutes. Despite being bottom, the fact Kairat reached the group stage and have earned the chance to play some of Europe’s elite is a special achievement and one that will go down in Kairat’s history. Both Mikel Merino and Declan Rice will be suspended for Wednesday night’s match after both players picked up a yellow in Milan. Bukayo Saka after Manchester United defeat: “I think we didn’t show our best level for the full game, which is frustrating. “It’s such a big game with a lot riding on it. Obviously, the Emirates has been a place where we’ve been so strong this season. “It’s a tough loss to take, but we have to stick together. We go again next week; we’ll try and get back to winning ways. “In football, you can score, you can concede – it’s your reaction after it. Obviously, we would have wanted to make it 2-0, but we didn’t. Overall, we’re just not too happy with the performance.” Mikel Arteta’s reaction to defeat against Manchester United: “First of all, I congratulate Man United for the victory – a game of moments, I would define it. “The first 30 minutes was total dominance from our side in the areas that we wanted to score the goal, had another two massive chances to score. “I take full responsibility [today], they have to take full responsibility for what they’ve done for seven months, in the manner that they behaved, how much they want it. And now, in the process of winning, you have to lose or draw. It’s how you react to that. Now we have another opportunity, the best place to talk is on the pitch, in three days’ time, when we play in the Champions League again.
St Johnstone vs Ayr United – Match Preview
St Johnstone are back at McDiarmid Park on Tuesday night where they will face fellow Championship outfit Ayr United in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Challenge Cup. The last meeting between these sides finished 4-2 to St Johnstone at Somerset Park. McKenzie and Murphy scored first half goals to put The Honest Men 2-0 up going into the break, but second half goals from Foulds, a brace from McPake and a stoppage time goal from Fotheringham meant that St Johnstone left with all 3 points. In the previous meeting at McDiarmid Park, the game finished goalless. St Johnstone come into this fixture off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Dunfermline Athletic, which was The Saints’ first home league defeat of the season, ending an unbeaten run of 11 games. As a result, the Perth outfit now sit 2 points ahead of Partick Thistle in 2nd, who come to McDiarmid Park on Friday night. Before their defeat against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic, St Johnstone had not lost in 7 games in all competitions, winning 5 and drawing 2, and in that run, Simo Valakari’s side kept 6 clean sheets. Ayr United come into this fixture off the back of a 2-1 league defeat against Partick Thistle at Firhill. As a result, Ayr United have moved below the play-off spots in 5th, behind Dunfermline Athletic on goal difference. Scott Brown’s side have only won 1 in 5, with that win coming at home against League 2 outfit Stranraer at home in the Challenge Cup. In continuation, Ayr have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 8 matches in all competitions. To reach this stage of the competition, The Saints defeated Hearts B away from home, Gullan got the goal which sent them through. In the last 16, St Johnstone beat Championship strugglers Ross County 2-0 at McDiarmid Park, a goal from McPake and a first Saints goal from Lloyd sent them through to the quarter-finals. To reach this stage of the competition, Ayr United defeated Peterhead 2-1 at home, Dowds and McAllister got the goals. And in the previous round, the Ayrshire outfit defeated League 2 side Stranraer. Main, Dempsey, Finney and Thomas all got on the scoresheet. Simo Valakari on his side’s defeat against Dunfermline: “Dunfermline were very dangerous up front and very solid at the back. One action decided the game. They took their chance and we didn’t take ours. That’s why we can have no argument about the result. Most of the season we have been on the right side of the small margins because we’ve been doing so many right things. This afternoon they didn’t go for us. Maybe we weren’t at our best – especially in the opposition’s box. We created moments. You get these kinds of games, but still the boys gave everything. When we win, we celebrate and tonight we suffer.” Ayr United assistant manager, Steven Whittaker, on Tuesday night’s Challenge Cup meeting with St Johnstone: “It’s a competition we have aimed to do well in. It’s a tough draw but we go there having had a good performance earlier in the season. “We need to re-group, learn from today and hopefully go up there and put a good performance in.”
“It Probably Will Go Down To The Last Couple of Games” – Callum McGregor
Celtic captain Callum McGregor admits that the title race may go down to the wire after his side missed a chance to cut the gap on leaders Hearts yesterday in a 2-2 draw at Tynecastle. The defending champions were ahead twice thanks to goals from Benjamin Nygren and Hyun-jun Yang, but a late Claudio Braga equaliser after an Austin Trusty sending off meant the gap between the sides remained at six points. And with Rangers’ revival under Danny Rohl bringing them above Celtic into second place, McGregor believes the three-horse-race will go to the final stages of the season. He said: “I think if everyone is sensible about it then it probably will go down to the last couple of games. “We know where we are, we know where we need to be, and today you know, you have to stay in touch, and given the circumstances, a point is a decent result. “We are a little bit disappointed that we don’t hang on, but you know that Hearts are going to come strong, they’re strong on set-pieces, they have been all season. “So you know that the game is always in the balance but that fighting mentality, we showed it on Thursday night, we showed it again today, and we’ll need it for every game between now and the end of the season, that’s for sure.” Celtic received their second red card in as many matches when Austin Trusty was sent down the tunnel after a VAR review with Celtic leading 2-1. McGregor feels that there would be less questions being asked had official Steven McLean shown the red initially, rather than having his decision being overturned. “It’s probably one if he gives a red off the bat, you’re probably not too surprised. “But when he gives the yellow, I think the only question is ‘is that an obvious enough error to then go to the monitor?’, I’m not sure.” There has been speculation surrounding the midfielder’s future at Parkhead, with reports linking him away with an astonishing reunion with former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers in Saudi Arabia. When quizzed on the rumours, McGregor was straight to the point. “No, no. I’m here.” The 32-year-old rarely made media appearances throughout the ill-fated reign of axed gaffer Wilfried Nancy, and conceded that it has been a more ‘struggling’ period as a Celtic player for him. “It’s certainly not been easy, but I don’t think that’s been the case for anyone. “When you’ve been so successful and you win so much and then you go through a spell where you’re sort of struggling and the team are struggling, then of course it’s difficult. “But that’s gone now, we have to draw a line under it and move forward, and I think the reaction again since Martin [O’Neill] and Shaun [Maloney] and Fozzy [Mark Fotheringham] and the guys that have come back in has been first class. “It’s now about what we do between now and the end of the season.” Celtic face FC Utrecht of The Netherlands this Thursday in the Europa League knowing that a win guarantees them a spot in the next round of the competition. Their next domestic encounter takes place at Celtic Park on Sunday in the form of John McGlynn’s Falkirk.
Scotland to face AFCON Quarter Finalists as World Cup preparations take shape
Scotland will face Côte d’Ivoire in a friendly at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Steve Clarke expects a “stern test” from the Elephants. The friendly is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st (7:30 pm kick-off), and will be the first meeting between the international sides. Scotland will travel to Merseyside three days after hosting Japan at Hampden, and with one overseas friendly to be announced, the preparations are taking shape for Clarke’s team. Speaking on the Scotland National Team website, Clarke said: “We’re pleased to confirm Côte d’Ivoire as our second opponents for the March international window, following on from Japan’s visit to Glasgow. “We wanted to face African opposition before we play Morocco in the summer, and I’m sure Côte d’Ivoire will give us a really stern test. “It will also be good to play at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool. The supporters will enjoy the opportunity to visit the new stadium.”
