Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has not been surprised by the way Conor Bradley has handled the spotlight after breaking into the Liverpool side with a string of impressive performances.
Northern Ireland fans have long been aware of the 20-year-old’s exciting talent as Bradley has earned 13 caps since making his senior debut in May 2021, a figure that would be much higher had he not missed the bulk of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign through injury last year.
Since returning to fitness, Bradley has broken into Jurgen Klopp’s side and turned in a series of eye-catching displays, helping Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup last month.
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O’Neill welcomed back Bradley to international duty when he named his squad on Thursday for the upcoming friendlies against Romania and Scotland, and said Bradley has moved up a gear since recovering from a back injury.
“Conor was a big loss to us in the qualification campaign,” O’Neill told the PA news agency. “But physically he’s come back even stronger than he was prior to the injury.
“Athletically he’s demonstrated that in games – he’s played some extremely intense games, massive games for Liverpool and he’s excelled in those games. He’s not just held his own but in most of the those games people have come away talking about his level of performance.
“That’s something, going forward, we expect and hope he can bring to the international stage.”
Bradley spent last season on loan at League One Bolton, but has made the step up to Premier League and European football look seamless – something O’Neill said comes down to his character.
“The biggest thing for me is Conor’s mentality, to be able to play in those games at such a crucial stage of the season,” he said.
“He’s a very humble lad, he’s not one to get carried away. He takes it in his stride. He’s experienced already some of the ups and downs of football and it’s great to see him play at this level. He’s going to be a very important player for us going forward…
“If you know Conor and his background and his upbringing, how he’s handled it is exactly how I would expect. He’s not one that courts the spotlight, he’s not one I imagine does very much on social media.
“His focus is on his football and his performances. Away from the pitch he prefers a quiet life so he’s got all the traits you need to be a top player in the modern era.”
While Bradley is back in O’Neill’s squad, a number of senior players remain absent, with Jonny Evans sitting out this international window nursing a calf injury.
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As expected, it is still too soon for either Stuart Dallas or Corry Evans, long-term absentees, although O’Neill expects to see both players during next week’s training camp in Manchester.
Dallas, 32, has been out since suffering a broken femur in April 2022, having been frustrated by a number of setbacks in his recovery, while Corry Evans, 33, suffered a serious knee injury in January 2023.
“Both lads are coming to see us in Manchester so we’ll probably get a clearer picture then,” O’Neill said when asked about possible return dates.
“Their focus is to get back playing, to get back fit, and then they’ve both got contract situations to deal with as well, so international football is not at the forefront of their minds at this time.”
Olympiacos 2-0 Aston Villa (6-2 agg): Villans fall in last four as El Kaabi strikes again
Olympiacos will face Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final after an Ayoub El Kaabi double secured a 6-2 aggregate win over Aston Villa.
After a stunning 4-2 win at Villa Park last weekend to take the ascendancy in the semi-final tie, first-leg hat-trick hero El Kaabi struck early before netting again late on to stamp out any hopes of a Villa comeback.
After a strong start from the visitors, El Kaabi scored his fourth goal of the tie just 10 minutes into Thursday's second leg at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki, getting on the end of Quini's low cross to turn home at the far post.
It looked an uphill battle for Villa, who dominated the possession throughout the contest in Greece but struggled to make a dent in the stubborn hosts.
Douglas Luiz saw a long-range effort saved by Kostas Tzolakis while the Olympiacos goalkeeper also denied Moussa Diaby. El Kaabi made sure late on, getting on the end of a long ball to fire past Martinez and secure Olympiacos' final berth.
The fairytale comeback never materialised for Villa, and it will be Olympiacos who take on Fiorentina at the Agia Sophia Stadium in the Greek capital of Athens on May 29, looking to utilise familiar surroundings to claim their first major European trophy.
Data debrief
El Kaabi was the hero again for Olympiacos as his two second-leg finishes took him to 10 Europa Conference League goals for the campaign, more than any other player, while his 13 strikes in major European competitions are also more than any other player when factoring in his three Europa League goals.
Villa had 73.9 per cent of the ball in the second leg, yet their 1.14 xG (expected goals) was still inferior to Olympiacos' 1.23 as the Greek Super League side's ruthlessness clinched their spot in the final.
Charlotte FC v Nashville: Smith looking to grow 'belief' following Montreal triumph
Gary Smith believes his Nashville side's thumping of CF Montreal last weekend is a step in the right direction as they look to build their "belief".
The 4-1 victory over Montreal, which saw striker Sam Surridge net a hat-trick, ended a run of five games without a win and moved Nashville up to 12th in the Eastern Conference.
As Nashville look to push further up the table when they travel to Charlotte FC this weekend, Smith is looking for his players to build on the Montreal performance.
"[The Montreal victory was] the first step in a long journey for us to get back to some rhythm, some success, put ourselves back in a position where there’s some belief here again that we can get results," Smith told reporters.
"We've seen we can score goals. I think that belief that we can win games again, this is the first step on that road.”
Charlotte also tasted victory last time out, beating the Portland Timbers 2-0 at home to leave them sixth in the East.
Midfielder Ashley Westwood hopes he and his team-mates can carry on the momentum from that triumph, saying: "It was a complete performance.
"During the game it felt comfortable. We felt like were in control with the ball and without the ball. We need to push on from that now."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Charlotte FC – Nikola Petkovic
Petkovic scored his first goal of the season against Portland, becoming one of 10 different players to score a goal for Charlotte this term, the most of any MLS team. Having netted his first of the campaign, he will be hungry for more this weekend.
Nashville – Hany Mukhtar
Mukhtar has scored four goals in four career regular season matches against Charlotte FC, one of five opponents he's scored at least four times against in his MLS career. Though Surridge got the plaudits last time out, Mukhtar may be the main goal threat against a side he seems to have success against.
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Charlotte have lost only two of their last 24 home matches in all competitions since March last season (13 wins, nine draws). Every MLS team besides Charlotte and the Columbus Crew (one loss) have at least four home losses in that time.
Nashville's 4-1 win over Montreal was just the club’s second win since the beginning of March in all competitions. Nashville's only other win in that time was a victory over Charlotte on March 16.
Charlotte won their first meeting with Nashville, a 4-1 home victory in July 2022. However, Nashville are unbeaten in the three meetings since, and though they are on the road, they may have enough to earn a point this weekend.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Charlotte: 38.1%
Nashville: 32.2%
Draw: 29.7%
Girona boss Michel targeting historic second-place finish in LaLiga
Girona boss Michel has called on his team to end their remarkable season on a high by finishing second in LaLiga, ahead of Friday's trip to Alaves.
Girona fought back to beat Barcelona 4-2 last weekend, a result that left Real Madrid with an unassailable lead in the table as they clinched a record-extending 36th Spanish top-flight title.
It also ensured Girona confirmed Champions League qualification with four games to spare, putting them 13 points clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao and taking them above Barca into second.
Girona's previous highest finish in the Spanish top flight is 10th, which they achieved in both 2017-18 and 2022-23, and Michel is now keen to add further gloss to an unforgettable campaign.
"The objective is to be second and we need to win all four games, although we go game by game. Right now the team is above Barca and the objective is this," Michel told reporters on Thursday.
"We are now a rival of Barcelona because they are below us and we have the same objective. But until now we were not.
"If our objective is to compete against Madrid we will always be in a situation where we don't reach our objective and I don't think that's fair because Madrid, Barca and Atletico are made for other things. Now, we have earned the chance to fight against two of them."
The Spaniard said Girona, who will be without striker Cristhian Stuani and midfielders Borja Garcia and Jhon Solis through injury, cannot afford to take their foot off the gas, warning Alaves will pose a threat.
"I expect a very difficult and complicated game, but I don't expect Alaves to be any different to what we've seen all season," Michel said.
"They have a spectacular transition, with players with a lot of speed. They are a very good team with a very good dynamic and very well-worked. That's why we have to be at our best.
"In attack we have to be able to find the space to cause damage. But they are a team that controls very well in defence and they know how to run very well."
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