Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic's Moussa Dembele is set to join French side Lyon after the Scottish champions accepted an offer for the unsettled striker. Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers had insisted the former France Under-21 international would not be sold during the transfer window But Dembele arrived for training on Friday after spending much of the […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund twice hit the woodwork but couldn’t find a winner on Friday as they were forced to share the points with Hanover 96 in the first goalless Bundesliga draw of the season. After an opening 25 minutes largely contested in midfield, Maximilian Philipp had the ball in the net, only for […]

London (AFP) – Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel signed a new contract on Friday that will keep him with the former Premier League champions until 2023. Schmeichel was instrumental in Leicester winning the English title two years ago and has maintained that fine form through to this year's World Cup. The Denmark international, the son of […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers oversaw the twilight of Steven Gerrard's legendary career as Liverpool captain, and expects Gerrard to set the same standards in his new role as Rangers boss. Rodgers and Gerrard go head-to-head for the first time on Sunday when Rangers travel to Celtic Park looking to make an early-season […]

Monaco (AFP) – UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Friday he is enthusiastic about the prospect of a joint United Kingdom bid to host the 2030 World Cup finals. The English Football Association recently revealed it was looking into the idea of putting itself forward to host the tournament, and a joint bid with Scotland, […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is confident his side can set the tone for a sea change in Scottish football by beating Celtic in his first experience of the Old Firm derby on Sunday. The former Liverpool captain has made an impressive start to his first senior managerial role in Glasgow. Rangers are […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bundesliga record-breaker Nuri Sahin signed for Werder Bremen on Friday, just before the transfer window closed in Germany, after being frustrated by a lack of chances this season at Borussia Dortmund. Sahin, who turns 30 on Wednesday, won the 2010-11 Bundesliga title with Dortmund and has reportedly signed a two-year deal with […]

The Hague (AFP) – Record-breaking Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder is set to play one last time for the national team next week, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning 15 years and more than 130 appearances. Netherlands national coach Ronald Koeman announced a 25-man squad Friday to face Peru in a friendly in Amsterdam […]

London (AFP) – Unai Emery has banned his Arsenal players from high-sugar fruit drinks as he steps up his overhaul of the Premier League club in the post-Arsene Wenger era. Emery has asked Arsenal's canteen staff to remove non-freshly squeezed juices from the club's London Colney training base. Instead, the Arsenal manager wants the team […]

Milan (AFP) – The Italian Football Association on Friday upheld a one-match blasphemy ban against Udinese's Italian international Rolando Mandragora who was caught on camera swearing. Midfielder Mandragora was suspended for one Serie A game for "blasphemous remarks" during his team's 1-0 win over Sampdoria at the weekend. The 21-year-old midfielder was caught on television shouting […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has backed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to make a big impact this season despite the England midfielder's lack of game time so far. Loftus-Cheek enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace last term and was rewarded with a place in England's World Cup squad. But the 22-year-old remains on […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri warned his side on Friday not to expect "a walk in the park" against former UEFA Cup winners Parma who are back in the top flight and looking to pull off a surprise against the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Italian champions. Two-time UEFA Cup winners Parma were declared bankrupt and […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has told Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to stop complaining publicly about his role as understudy to Alisson Becker. Mignolet has been reduced to back-up status since last season when he lost his place to Loris Karius. Having endured a Champions League final nightmare last term, Karius has since been sent […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has refused to gloat over his old rival Jose Mourinho's troubled start to the season at Manchester United. Guardiola was asked about the pressure which is mounting on his United counterpart following consecutive Premier League losses to Brighton and Tottenham. The pair have had a […]

Madrid (AFP) – After learning who they must face in this season's Champions League group stage, holders Real Madrid and rivals Barcelona sink their teeth into Liga opponents this weekend as the only sides to have won their first two games. Routine wins over Getafe and Girona have ensured that Real, whose main Champions League […]