London (AFP) – Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said he will fight back if given the chance after his side lost 1-0 at Southampton on Friday to fall to a fifth consecutive defeat. Adam Armstrong scored the only goal after just three minutes as he ended a nine-game goal drought in style by smashing into […]

London (AFP) – Aston Villa slumped to a fifth consecutive defeat as Adam Armstrong's early strike earned Southampton a 1-0 win on Friday. Armstrong had not scored for nine games since netting on his debut on the opening weekend of the season after a £15 million ($20 million) move from Blackburn. But he showed no […]

Berlin (AFP) – The Bundesliga's best defence takes on the club which has scored the most goals this season on Saturday when unbeaten Freiburg visit league leaders Bayern Munich and South Korea forward Jeong Woo-yeong faces his former club. Jeong, 22, joined the Bayern Munich academy as a teenager in 2018, but a year later […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte said he wants Tottenham's team to match the surroundings of the club's gleaming £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) stadium as he welcomed the "big challenge" that awaits him on his return to the Premier League. The Italian, who has won league titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, was appointed Spurs' […]

Doha (AFP) – Barcelona's attempt to appoint Xavi Hernandez as coach was held up on Friday over his Al Sadd release clause, with Xavi and Barca considering splitting the payment to complete the deal. Al Sadd announced in a statement earlier on Friday that Barca had agreed to pay the clause in Xavi's contract, which […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel revealed on Friday that Mason Mount could miss England's World Cup qualifiers next week due to infected wisdom teeth. Mount missed the European champions' wins at Newcastle and Malmo this week due to illness. Tuchel explained that was due to an infection in his wisdom teeth that has […]

London (AFP) – Roberto Firmino is facing a month on the sidelines after suffering a "serious" hamstring injury in Liverpool's midweek Champions League win against Atletico Madrid, manager Jurgen Klopp said on Friday. The Brazil forward lasted just over half an hour as a substitute during the 2-0 win at Anfield before he was forced […]

Paris (AFP) – Lionel Messi will again be missing due to injury for Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 game at Bordeaux this weekend, but coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Friday he is hopeful the six-time Ballon d'Or winner will be able to feature for Argentina in the upcoming international window. PSG said Messi would miss the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Carlo Ancelotti admitted on Friday that Eden Hazard is unhappy with his lack of playing time at Real Madrid. Hazard has not started any of Madrid’s last six matches and he was an unused substitute on Wednesday in the Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk. The 30-year-old is fit again after an […]

London (AFP) – Harry Kane says Tottenham's appointment of Antonio Conte to replace the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo shows "great ambition" from the Premier League club. The Italian, named as the new Spurs boss earlier this week, won his first game in charge on Thursday as they beat Vitesse Arnhem 3-2 in the Europa Conference […]

Doha (AFP) – Barcelona are set to announce Xavi Hernandez's dramatic return to the club as coach, after Al Sadd confirmed on Friday a deal has been agreed between the clubs. The Qatari club said in a statement Barca had paid the release clause for Xavi, who has been coaching in Qatar since 2019 and […]

Brussels (AFP) – Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said on Friday forward Romelu Lukaku will miss next week's World Cup qualifiers with an ankle injury, with the Red Devils only two points away from clinching qualification for Qatar. Chelsea striker Lukaku's fitness issue adds to the absence of Besiktas' Michy Batshuayi with Martinez calling up uncapped […]

Madrid (AFP) – Xavi Hernandez left with Barcelona the envy of the world and returns to save them from mediocrity, the club's legendary midfielder brought back as coach with the mammoth task of restoring his team to its former glory. "When he is not playing football, he is watching football, he will become a coach […]

Doha (AFP) – Barcelona are set to announce Xavi Hernandez's dramatic return to the club as coach, after Al Sadd confirmed on Friday a deal has been agreed between the clubs. The Qatari club said in a statement Barca had paid the release clause for Xavi, who has been coaching in Qatar since 2019 and […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – A month on since a takeover from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund sparked scenes of wild celebration at St. James' Park, Newcastle fans are still waiting for their windfall. Without a win in the Premier League after 10 games and rooted in the relegation zone, six points adrift of safety, […]