Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri was relieved at avoiding another quarter-final clash against Barcelona but instead Juventus meet Real Madrid, a team be believes are favourites, in the last eight. Allegri's side lost 4-1 to record 12-time champions Real Madrid in last season's final after eliminating five-time winners Barcelona 3-0 on aggregate at the […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp has slammed Premier League fixture schedulers after the Merseyside derby was rearranged between the two legs of Liverpool's Champions League tie against Manchester City. Klopp's side face a Saturday lunchtime kick-off against Everton next month and the Reds boss is unhappy with the lack of recovery time after the quarter-final […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho mounted an impassioned defence of his record at Manchester United on Friday after stinging criticism following his side's miserable exit from the Champions League. After the struggles of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal following Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, the Premier League club turned to the Portuguese […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Manchester City will face Liverpool in a mouthwatering all-English Champions League quarter-final while Juventus have a chance to gain revenge on holders Real Madrid in a repeat of last year's final. Lionel Messi's Barcelona were paired with AS Roma in the draw made in Nyon on Friday, while Sevilla's reward for […]

The Hague (AFP) – Ronald Koeman, new coach of World Cup qualifying casualties the Netherlands, named five debutants in his first squad with Justin Kluivert, the son of former striker Patrick Kluivert, chief among them. France and Switzerland qualified ahead of the Netherlands who miss the 2018 finals and will attempt to start laying fresh […]

Madrid (AFP) – Struggling Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata's woes continued Friday when he was left off Spain's squad list for international friendlies with World Cup big guns Germany and Argentina, against whom the returning Diego Costa should feature. Morata began strongly after he arrived at Chelsea in the summer but his form has deserted him […]

London (AFP) – Will Grigg's lead role in Wigan's memorable run to the FA Cup quarter-finals has been celebrated with a "hot and fiery" pie named in his honour. Grigg scored the winning goal in third tier Wigan's shock 1-0 win over Premier League leaders Manchester City in the fifth round and also netted in […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Shaun Malone once dreamed of becoming a star on London's West End stage but after a brush with death his goal is to be a full-time coach at Manchester United's Foundation. Malone, when just 15 years old, was struck down with a bout of sinusitis that spread to his brain […]

Shanghai (AFP) – France's Ligue 1 will make a belated play for the lucrative Asian market when Paris Saint-Germain take on Nice in a specially scheduled match on Sunday. Entering a time slot long occupied by rival European competitions, the game will kick off at 1200 GMT — 1:00 pm in France, and 8:00 pm […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – London club Arsenal will take on CSKA Moscow after being drawn together in a Europa League quarter-final in Nyon on Friday at a time of strained relations between Britain and Russia. British Prime Minister Theresa May this week expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning of a former spy, […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Manchester City will face Liverpool in an all-English Champions League quarter-final while Juventus have a chance to gain revenge on holders Real Madrid in a repeat of last year's final. Surprise qualifiers Sevilla take on Bayern Munich while Barcelona were paired with AS Roma in the draw made in Nyon on […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has hailed Dele Alli as the best young player in the world as he rejigs his side to cope with the absence of the injured Harry Kane. The 21-year-old Alli has been criticised for some inconsistent performances this season for a Spurs side chasing a top-four spot in […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian league leaders Lokomotiv Moscow must switch their focus back to domestic league action on Sunday when they face Akhmat Grozny days after crashing out of the Europa League. The railway-backed side, who lost 5-1 at home to Atletico Madrid on Thursday to crash out of the Europa League 8-1 on aggregate, […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russia's international forward Alexander Kokorin will likely miss the World Cup after suffering an injury to the cruciate ligaments of his right knee during Thursday's Europa League match of his club Zenit St Petersburg. "The examination of the injury that Kokorin has suffered in the match with RB Leipzig revealed the rupture […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United have little time to lick their wounds from an embarrassing Champions League exit as Brighton's visit to Old Trafford in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final represents their last realistic hope of winning a trophy this season. However, United aren't alone in seeing the Cup as a last chance for silverware as […]