Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola is remaining calm with his Manchester City side one game away from finally achieving their long-held desire of winning the Champions League when they face Chelsea in Saturday's final in Porto. Thirteen years after a takeover by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour transformed City's fortunes, the English champions have reached […]

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Chelsea are set to be at full strength for Saturday's Champions League final against Manchester City with N'Golo Kante and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy having now fully shaken off injury problems in the run-up to the game. "Best news ever: no injuries and let's hope it stays like this until after training […]

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea are in Porto as tension builds towards Saturday's all-English Champions League final showdown in the Portuguese city which was named as a last-minute host for the match. It is the third final of Europe's elite club competition to be played between two Premier […]

Madrid (AFP) – Austrian defender David Alaba will join Real Madrid on a five-year contract after leaving Bayern Munich, the Spanish giants confirmed on Friday. The announcement of the signing of the 28-year-old, who had also been linked with several English Premier League clubs, comes a day after Zinedine Zidane quit as Real coach. "Real […]

Florencio Varela (Argentina) (AFP) – Brazilian referee Edina Alves has made history by becoming the first woman to officiate a match in the Copa Libertadores, South America's top club competition. The group match between Argentine side Defensa y Justicia and Independiente del Valle of Ecuador on Thursday had an all-woman refereeing team. Alves was supported […]

Porto (Portugal) (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne believes Manchester City's season will be judged on the outcome of Saturday's Champions League final against Chelsea despite already winning the Premier League and the League Cup. Victory in Porto would not only complete a treble for Pep Guardiola's men, but deliver on the ambitions of the club's […]

Strasbourg (France) (AFP) – Former Rennes coach Julien Stephan has taken over from Thierry Laurey at Strasbourg, the Ligue 1 club announced on Friday. Laurey, who had been at the helm since 2016 and secured promotion from Ligue 2 in his first season, was free to leave at the end of his contract. Stephan enjoyed […]

London (AFP) – Brentford manager Thomas Frank says his side will ignore the ominous omens of their painful play-off history when they face Swansea for a place in the Premier League on Saturday. Brentford have failed to win promotion via the play-offs in nine previous attempts in the Football League. The Bees were beaten by […]

Rome (AFP) – Massimiliano Allegri has returned to Juventus after the Turin giants sacked coach Andrea Pirlo following a single season in charge, the deposed Italian champions announced on Friday. "Welcome back home, Max!" Juventus said in a tweet to announce the re-appointment of the coach who won five straight Serie A titles with the […]

Rome (AFP) – Hellas Verona announced the departure of their coach Ivan Juric on Friday, becoming the eighth club of Serie A's top 10 to change manager since the end of the season. The Croatian, who took charge in June 2019, led Verona to ninth and 10th-place finishes in his two campaigns at the club. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Friday he is "moderately optimistic" Lionel Messi will stay but would not guarantee the future of Ronald Koeman, with further talks planned between club and coach next week. Laporta also remained defiant over Barca's continuing membership of the European Super League, insisting they will not apologise […]

Paris (AFP) – A source close to Paris Saint-Germain told AFP on Friday "nothing" should be read into the reports that their coach Mauricio Pochettino has been contacted by his former club Tottenham. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was common for a club to discuss with a former coach but that […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus have sacked coach Andrea Pirlo after a single season in charge, the deposed Italian champions announced on Friday. The club released a statement headlined "Good Luck, Andrea Pirlo" after a season in which Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates lost the Serie A title to Inter Milan and were eliminated in the […]

London (AFP) – Wales manager and former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs will face trial next year accused of deliberately headbutting his ex-girlfriend and controlling her throughout their relationship. In a 15-minute hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Friday the date was fixed for proceedings to take place at the same court on January 24, […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham have made contact with former manager Mauricio Pochettino — currently boss of Paris Saint-Germain — about a return to the club, according to widespread reports in the British press on Friday. The 49-year-old left Spurs in November 2019 after five years in charge and was replaced by Jose Mourinho, who was […]