As the World Cup approaches the two-week mark, there is still plenty of football to be played – with two of the big guns in action on Monday.Current champions Argentina face Austria at 6:00pm BST before France play Iraq after at 8:00pm BST.Many fancy both sides to go far into the tournament, having reached the final in Qatar four years ago – a match Argentina edged on penalties to win the World Cup.In the England and Scotland camps, there are some concerning updates regarding injuries.England take on Ghana on Tuesday evening in their second group stage match while Scotland’s final game of the group sees them face Brazil.A positive result for both sides will likely see them secure a position in the knockout stages.
Lineker to Richards: “Shut the f*** up!”
After Gary Lineker’s appearance on ITV, Micah Richards mimicked the former Match of the Day host by introducing their podcast: “Hello and welcome to the Rest Is Football with me Micah Richards.”Lineker jumped in immediately: “Woah, woah, woah, woah. Micah that’s my job.”Richards then appeared on a TV monitor, declaring: “It’s not nice is it? Absolute traitor you are. 26 years of blood, sweat and tears to the BBC then you go over to the rival.”Lineker’s response was blunt: “Hang on a minute Micah. Shut the f*** up,” before switching off the screen.When Richards demanded an explanation, Lineker was ready with his answer.”I was making an appearance to promote my show ‘The Box’, which is also on ITV in September,” he insisted.Read more here.
Scotland triple injury scare
Scotland’s preparations for their pivotal World Cup encounter with Brazil have been disrupted by fitness concerns surrounding three key players.Aaron Hickey, Scott McKenna and Lewis Ferguson were all absent from Steve Clarke’s group training session on Sunday, with the trio instead undertaking individual work at the squad’s North Carolina base.The development comes just days before Wednesday’s decisive Group C fixture against the six-time world champions in Miami.Clarke’s side currently sit third in their group following a narrow victory over Haiti and a subsequent defeat to Morocco, leaving them needing a positive result against Brazil to secure what would be a historic achievement for Scottish football.Read more here.