Berlin (AFP) – Midfield maestro Thiago Alcantara is expected to make his long-awaited return for Bayern Munich on Saturday, when the runaway Bundesliga leaders face Wolfsburg. The Spaniard has been out for nearly three months after picking up a thigh injury against Anderlecht in November. Bayern are 18 points clear at the top of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Before their Champions League clash with Chelsea in London, Lionel Messi and Barcelona put their unbeaten record in La Liga on the line against Eibar in the rather less glamorous surrounds of Ipurua on Saturday. The modest 7,000-seat ground in the Basque Country welcomes a Barca side who have laboured to draws […]

Milan (AFP) – Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri blasted his side's "bad attitude" in a 3-1 Europa League defeat to RB Leipzig on Friday but stressed that his team's focus this season was on the Serie A title. "It was a bad defeat, we lacked enthusiasm, hunger and determination," said Sarri after the last 32, first […]

Naples (Italy) (AFP) – Timo Werner scored a brace as RB Leipzig took a big step towards the Europa League last-16 on Thursday with a 3-1 comeback win at Serie A leaders Napoli. Algerian international Adam Ounas had put Napoli ahead after 52 minutes at a sparsely-attended San Paolo Stadium only for Ralph Hasenhuettl's side […]

London (AFP) – Alex McLeish will return for a second spell as Scotland manager according to widespread reports on Thursday, ending the Scottish Football Association's (SFA) four-month search for a successor to Gordon Strachan. The SFA have called a press conference for 11.30GMT on Friday when they will formally announce McLeish's return on a two-year […]

Paris (AFP) – Mesut Ozil scored as Arsenal eased to a 3-0 victory at Swedish minnows Ostersunds in the first leg of their Europa League, last-32 tie on Thursday, while Michy Batshuayi snatched Borussia Dortmund a dramatic win over Atalanta. Left-back Nacho Monreal put Arsenal into an early lead with his fifth goal of the […]

Paris (AFP) – Congolese striker Cedric Bakambu fully expects his transfer to Chinese Super League club Beijing Guoan to be officialized once the club get home from a tour of Portugal, the former Villarreal striker told AFP on Thursday. Bakambu's move from Villarreal to China comes at a time when the Chinese Football Association (CFA) […]

Berlin (AFP) – A revolution is brewing in Germany, where the Football League (DFL) fears it is falling behind Spain and England and wants to make investing in clubs more attractive. "The league board has decided to reconsider" the sacred "50+1" rule, DFL director general Christian Seifert told international journalists on Thursday. The rule means […]

Paris (AFP) – Runaway Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain find themselves under pressure for the first time this season after Wednesday's Champions League defeat at Real Madrid. Unai Emery's men have blown away all before them domestically this term, but with world-record signing Neymar failing to fire and captain Thiago Silva left to sulk on […]

Milan (AFP) – New interim Italy coach Luigi Di Biagio has organised his first training camp ahead of friendlies against Argentina and England, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said Thursday. The three-day training camp from Monday, February 26 to Wednesday, February 28 will take place at Italy's Technical Centre at Coverciano in Florence. Di Biagio […]

London (AFP) – Often overshadowed by team-mate Mohamed Salah's debut season, Sadio Mane burst back into the spotlight as the first Senegalese player to hit a Champions League hat-trick in Liverpool's 5-0 demolition of Porto. Salah and Roberto Firmino were also on target on Wednesday as Liverpool's three lightning-quick forwards took their joint tally for […]

London (AFP) – Leicester boss Claude Puel says Manchester City should have shown his club more respect in their late bid to sign star forward Riyad Mahrez in January. The winger was back in the Foxes squad last weekend against City after a self-imposed 10-day absence from the club following the breakdown of a proposed […]

Milan (AFP) – FIFA president Gianni Infantino revealed Thursday his dispair at Italy's failure to reach the World Cup finals where he had hoped to hand the trophy to Azzurri captain Gianluigi Buffon. "I'm sad, yes I'm sad for the World Cup. I almost cried," Infantino, who holds both Swiss and Italian nationality, said in […]

Madrid (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain face a huge task to reach the Champions League quarter-finals after Cristiano Ronaldo defied predictions his powers are waning with two goals as Real Madrid won 3-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie. Billed as a contest between World Player of the Year Ronaldo and his Brazilian heir-in-waiting […]

Madrid (AFP) – Neymar insisted that Paris Saint-Germain can still qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals despite losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday. He was in the Barcelona side that lost 4-0 away to PSG in the first leg of the last 16 last season, before […]