#european-football

#european-football

Norway, along with European champions Spain, are one of the best two teams on the continent. That is the view of Israel head coach Ran Ben-Shimon, whose team were torn apart by Erling Haaland and company in a 5-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Oslo on Saturday. Norway have not played at a major tournament since Euro 2000, but they are realistically just three points from confirming qualification for next year's World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

With another week of football passing by, we have a whole new set of new performances to set the standard around Europe for who the top players around are. Let's look at who's on top of the world this week. For the unfamiliar, the nature of this list is as follows:- The intrinsic feature of 'power rankings' is to have a recency bias, showcasing who's trending upwards rather than just averaging out the entire season so far.

Crystal Palace's Conference League meeting with Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv is taking place in Poland because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Palace make their full debut in a European competition on Thursday night, but the match will take place at the Motor Lublin Arena in Lublin, Poland. Since the conflict started in February 2022, Ukrainian clubs have played their home matches in Europe in Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, Romania, Czech Republic and Slovenia.

Lucas Paqueta is facing an uncertain future at West Ham United, having been cleared of spot-fixing allegations. Interest from major European clubs is on the rise.

Arthur Masuaku has signed a two-year contract with Sunderland, marking his return to the Premier League after departing Turkish side Besiktas, enhancing the team's defensive experience.

Darwin Nunez completed a $62 million move from Liverpool to Al Hilal, signing a three-year contract, becoming the latest notable addition to Saudi Arabia's soccer league.

Carlos Baleba, a 21-year-old midfielder for Brighton, is drawing interest from top European clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Tottenham, signaling his rapid rise in demand.

Head coach David Gray believes Hibernian must face the atmospheric and intense challenge of playing at Partizan Stadium, calling it a chance to change history positively.

"I want to turn my strengths into super strengths. I know about the expertise of this club to develop players. You've seen that in recent years and I want to be a part of that."

Goncalo Ramos, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, is attracting interest from top clubs due to his limited playing time and desire for a transfer.

Legia Warsaw are arguably the biggest club in Poland and are also the most successful team from the European country. They have won the Polish league title a record 15 times and have also clinched the Polish Cup on 21 occasions.

Al Hilal will ride on the high of beating the tournament's defending champions Manchester City 4-3 in an extra-time thriller in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history on Tuesday.

Valencia have offered Cristhian Mosquera a new contract in an attempt to prevent him from leaving for Arsenal, sources have told ESPN.

Chelsea are set to send Aaron Anselmino out on loan for the season to accelerate his development. While they signed the 20-year-old defender, he was immediately loaned back to Boca Juniors.

While history dictates that winning the transfer window doesn't always equate to success on the pitch, Liverpool have arguably made the most impressive start to their summer business.

"You can't say no when Maldini calls you," Kerkez told Hungarian outlet Nemzeti Sport, reflecting on his 2021 transfer from ETO FC Győr to Milan.