Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's desire to lift the Champions League outweighs any inexperience as they prepare for their first final in the competition against Chelsea on Saturday. A decade of heavy investment from City's Abu Dhabi owners has delivered five Premier League titles, three of which have come since […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's desire to lift the Champions League outweighs any inexperience as they prepare for their first final in the competition against Chelsea on Saturday. A decade of heavy investment from City's Abu Dhabi owners has delivered five Premier League titles, three of which have come since […]

London (AFP) – England manager Gareth Southgate has told his players they should not be afraid to voice their ambition of winning Euro 2020 as he prepares to name his squad. England, who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, were crowned world champions on home soil in 1966 but their record […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said on Monday his side can approach this weekend's Champions League final against Manchester City with confidence after recent victories against Pep Guardiola's Premier League winners. The Blues will face City in Porto on Saturday after securing a top-four finish in the English top-flight despite a 2-1 defeat […]

Paris (AFP) – Sadio Mane scored twice for Liverpool against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League at the weekend — the eighth consecutive match against the London club in which he has netted. The brace from the Senegal attacker enabled the Reds to win 2-0, finish third and secure Champions League football next season. […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain coach Luis Enrique on Monday left veteran defender Sergio Ramos out of his Euro 2020 squad but called up centre-back Aymeric Laporte, who recently switched his football nationality. Ramos, the 35-year-old Real Madrid captain has struggled with injury this season and has featured just five times since the start of the […]

Madrid (AFP) – Spain coach Luis Enrique on Monday left veteran defender Sergio Ramos out of his Euro 2020 squad but called up centre-back Aymeric Laporte, who recently switched his football nationality. Ramos, the 35-year-old Real Madrid captain has struggled with injury this season and has featured just five times since the start of the […]

Paris (AFP) – Japan defender Hiroki Sakai announced on Monday he was leaving Marseille after five seasons at the Ligue 1 club. "At the end of this season, I have decided to leave Europe and put an end to my Marseille dream," the 31-year-old posted on Instagram. "Indeed, when I arrived in Marseille, I had […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli says he is determined to come back stronger and fitter after enduring the "most difficult" season of his career. The 25-year-old spent much of the campaign frozen out by Jose Mourinho before coming back into the fold under temporary boss Ryan Mason. Alli, who made just […]

Rome (AFP) – The Italian Super Cup will return to Saudi Arabia next season when champions Inter Milan face cup winners Juventus, the Italian League announced on Monday. "The next Super Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, with fans, as stipulated in our contract," league president Paolo Dal Pino told Italian radio. The 2017-18 […]

Lille (France) (AFP) – Seven people were arrested as thousands of fans gathered despite a coronavirus curfew to celebrate Lille's Ligue 1 title, the prefecture of the Nord region said on Monday. The fans gathered in the northern French city after Lille won at Angers to clinch the title in their last game of the […]

London (AFP) – Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a move to Barcelona that would unite him with fellow Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. City's record goalscorer, who has spent a decade at the Etihad, scored a quickfire double in the champions' 5-0 win over Everton in his final […]

Seoul (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur's prolific striker Son Heung-min was named Monday to lead a 28-strong South Korea squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers. Fixtures in Asia's eight qualifying groups for the 2022 finals in Qatar will be completed at centralised venues next month because of the coronavirus pandemic. The remaining Group H matches […]

Milan (AFP) – Antonio Conte orchestrated a shake-up in Serie A this season with Inter Milan denying his former club Juventus a 10th consecutive title to lift a first Scudetto in 11 years. Here AFP Sport looks at the winners and losers of the 2020-2021 campaign which ended on Sunday: Conte perfectly conducts Inter 'orchestra' […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City cruised to their third Premier League title in four seasons, but Pep Guardiola's side are likely to face a tough defence of the crown next season. Liverpool and Manchester United look capable of pushing the champions, while Chelsea should be in the mix after Thomas Tuchel's impressive impact on the […]