London (AFP) – Frank Lampard admits his first match as Chelsea manager at Stamford Bridge will be a proud occasion, but only a win against Leicester will make Sunday's homecoming a truly memorable occasion. After successive defeats in his opening two competitive games in charge, Blues legend Lampard is desperate to get his reign up […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola wants to see the on-form Raheem Sterling break the 30-goal barrier for the first time in his career this season, but will only judge the England forward on his overall contribution to the Manchester City team. Sterling has started the new campaign in prolific form, scoring in the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona made a nightmare start to the defence of their La Liga title on Friday by losing Luis Suarez to injury and then losing 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao, after a sensational late volley from substitute Aritz Aduriz. Suarez hobbled off in the 37th minute with what looked like a calf injury before […]

Berlin (AFP) – A brace for Robert Lewandowski was not enough to save Bayern Munich from making a spluttering start to the new Bundesliga season as the reigning German champions were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin on Friday. Lewandowski insisted that visitors Hertha had been "lucky" after he saved a […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona have an "agreement in principle" to send Philippe Coutinho on loan to Bayern Munich, both clubs confirmed Friday. Coutinho was left out of the squad for Barca's La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao on Friday, with club director Guillermo Amor confirming the Brazilian is close to joining Bayern. "We can confirm […]

Paris (AFP) – Italy's Felice Gimondi, who won five Grand Tours in his career, died on Friday at the age of 76 after suffering a heart attack while swimming in Sicily. "A great champion who made our sport more human has left us, a great man," said the Italian cycling federation in a statement. Nicknamed […]

Lyon (AFP) – Lyon forwards Memphis Depay and Moussa Dembele both scored twice to guide their side to a 6-0 drubbing of Angers in France's Ligue 1 on Friday. Midfielder Houssem Aouar and new face Jean Lucas also helped coach Sylvinho and sporting director Juninho to continue the perfect start to their tenures. A large […]

Berlin (AFP) – A brace for Robert Lewandowski was not enough to save Bayern Munich from making a spluttering start to the new Bundesliga season as the reigning German champions were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin on Friday. Hertha, who finished 11th last season, frustrated Bayern and took a shock […]

Madrid (AFP) – Luis Suarez joined Lionel Messi on the sidelines on Friday after injuring his calf during Barcelona's opening game of the season against Athletic Bilbao. Suarez hobbled off in the 37th minute against Bilbao, leaving Barca without their two premium strikers for the start of the defence of their La Liga title. Messi […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona have an "agreement in principle" to send Philippe Coutinho on loan to Bayern Munich. Coutinho was left out of the squad for Barca's La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao on Friday, with club director Guillermo Amor confirming the Brazilian is close to joining Bayern. "We can confirm that there is an […]

Paris (AFP) – World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi has joined Galatasary on loan from Roma, the Italian club announced on Friday. Midfielder Nzonzi, 30, who played five times during France's campaign in Russia in 2018, made 39 appearances for the Stadio Olimpico side last season. "As part of the agreement, Galatasaray have the option to […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur may have finished fourth in the Premier League last season, far behind champions Manchester City and Champions League winners Liverpool, but City manager Pep Guardiola has branded Spurs the "second best team in Europe" ahead of the two sides’ meeting on Saturday. Guardiola was referring to the fact […]

Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Neymar was included on Friday in Brazil's squad for friendlies against Colombia and Peru next month amid speculation of a departure from Paris Saint-Germain and a return to La Liga. Coach Tite's announcement comes as former captain Neymar appears set to leave the French outfit and head back to Spain […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino says the uncertainty over Denmark star Christian Eriksen's future is not the reason he started on the bench for their opening Premier League game last Sunday. The 27-year-old midfielder — who has been at Spurs since 2013 — has just a year left on his contract and […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was left disgusted by racist abuse of striker Tammy Abraham online after the UEFA Super Cup final defeat to Liverpool midweek and called on social networks Friday to do more to prevent the publication of offensive content. Abraham saw his penalty saved by Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian on Wednesday […]