Milan (AFP) – Italy's stunned internationals return to the mundane setting of Serie A this weekend days after their star status in world football imploded with a shocking World Cup exit. Goalkeeping great Gianluigi Buffon was back training with Juventus after his emotional retirement from international duty after two decades, preparing for Sunday's game at Sampdoria, […]

Paris (AFP) – Claudio Ranieri, the wily Italian who masterminded Leicester City's remarkable Premier League triumph, hopes to spring another surprise when his Nantes side visit French leaders Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Since his arrival at Nantes in June, Ranieri has built on the club's strong second half of last season under then-coach Sergio Conceicao […]

Berlin (AFP) – Thomas Mueller should return to action for Bayern Munich against Augsburg this weekend after three weeks on the treatment table. Bayern will look to extend their perfect run under Jupp Heynckes on Saturday. The champions have won seven games out of seven since Heynckes took the reins last month. Having trailed Borussia […]

Madrid (AFP) – Accustomed to unrelenting success in recent seasons, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid enter Saturday's first ever Spanish capital derby at Atletico's new Wanda Metropolitano stadium with little room for error. Early season struggles have left both sides eight points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona and four points back on a […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic's Kieran Tierney says he's enjoyed a crazy couple of years at the Glasgow giants as he stands on the verge of making a century of appearances for the Scottish champions. Since making his debut for the Hoops back in April 2015 the defender has firmly established himself as a first-team regular […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger has warned Tottenham that Arsenal will use Saturday's derby showdown to prove the balance of power in north London hasn't shifted permanently. After decades of lording it over their neighbours from the other end of the Seven Sisters Road, Wenger's side have found themselves in the unpleasant position of playing […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea can put an indifferent start to their Premier League title defence further behind them by extending a winning streak at troubled West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Antonio Conte's side are nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City after just 11 games. Yet the champions have won their last four domestic fixtures […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool have been besieged by fitness dramas as they prepare to face Southampton in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday, with even Jurgen Klopp not immune. The manager was forced to miss training on Wednesday, having had a series of checks at a local hospital after complaining of feeling unwell. He […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Sergio Aguero is in contention to feature for Manchester City at Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday despite suffering a health scare while on international duty. The striker was taken to hospital as a precaution after complaining of dizziness as Argentina lost 4-2 to Nigeria in the Russian […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United supporters could be treated to the long-awaited returns of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba when their team resume their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on Saturday. The pair, so instrumental in United's success last season, are back in full training and may be named on the bench […]

Miami (AFP) – The governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF) confirmed a radical overhaul of international soccer in the region on Thursday, announcing plans for a competitive "League of Nations" tournament aimed at replacing friendlies. The new competition would see 41 CONCACAF members split into three divisions, playing each […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund have dropped star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from their squad to play Stuttgart on Friday for "disciplinary reasons", the club announced. The Gabonese forward is the club's top marksman with ten Bundesliga goals so far, but he has failed to score in the past three games with Dortmund in a slump. […]

Lausanne (AFP) – The Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) on Thursday rejected an application for urgent provisional measures by Portuguese midfielder Adrien Silva to allow him to play for Leicester City. The court could still rule in the player's favour, but did not agree to allow the English Football Association to register him while […]

Asuncion (AFP) – A court in Paraguay ruled Thursday that ex-South American soccer chief Nicolas Leoz could be extradited to face trial in the United States over alleged bribery and money laundering. However the judge, Humberto Otazu, said his ruling was conditional on a medical board being set up to evaluate the health of 89-year-old […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid announced that it issued new shares on Thursday to allow an Israeli to invest 50 million euros ($59 million) in the club in exchange for a 15 per cent stake. In radio interviews late on Wednesday and early on Thursday, Enrique Cerezo, the Atletico chairman, refused to name the group […]