Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said he was preparing for bad news after losing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo to injury during his side's Europa League quarter-final success against Anderlecht. "I want to wait, but my feeling is not good for both," Mourinho told reporters after his side's 2-1 extra-time […]

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Real Madrid are defending champions and Monaco the most "feisty" but Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says that Atletico Madrid are the "trickiest". Buffon shut out Lionel Messi and Barcelona over two legs in the quarter-finals but his Juventus side must beat one of the above in the last four to keep […]

Paris (AFP) – Champions League semi-finalists Monaco return to the business of attempting to win their first French league title since 2000 with a tricky visit to Lyon on Sunday. By that time Leonardo Jardim's young stars may well have been knocked off top spot in Ligue 1 by reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, who will […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha says it is up to his side to find and exploit Celtic's weaknesses when the Glasgow giants clash in their Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden on Sunday. Celtic have enjoyed a flawless domestic season under Brendan Rodgers having already won the League Cup and wrapped up the Scottish […]

Milan (AFP) – Roma striker Edin Dzeko insists the pressure is on Napoli in their Serie A battle for second spot, but called for a return to consistency with a Champions League-boosting win at Pescara on Monday. Now eight points behind record-chasing leaders Juventus after a 1-1 home draw with Atalanta last week, Roma are […]

Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale faces a race against time to be fit for Sunday's potentially title-deciding La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, many Madrid fans won't be losing any sleep should the Welshman miss out as Real have thrived despite another injury-ravaged season for the world's second most expensive player. "There […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino has warned Chelsea that success starved Tottenham are ready to underline their arrival as a major force by knocking the Premier League leaders out of the FA Cup this weekend. Pochettino's vibrant young side have emerged as the only serious opposition to Chelsea in the title race and on Saturday […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Doubts over the long term Everton futures of Premier League leading scorer Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Ross Barkley could ease if they beat West Ham on Saturday to all but guarantee a place in next season's Europa League. Both Lukaku — who tops the scoring charts with 24 goals — and Barkley […]

London (AFP) – Ashley Young has challenged Manchester United to storm to the finish line in the race to make the Premier League's top four, while Liverpool aim to take another step towards the Champions League. With leaders Chelsea and second placed Tottenham clashing in the FA Cup semi-finals, the fight for Premier League supremacy […]

Paris (AFP) – Bastia will have to play their next home game at a neutral venue and behind closed doors as punishment for crowd violence which led to Sunday's match with Lyon being abandoned, French Ligue 1 officials said. Supporters of the Corsican side twice invaded the pitch and attacked the visiting Lyon players which […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-finals for the first time after beating Anderlecht 2-1 on Thursday, but at the cost of a potentially serious injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The talismanic Swede, 35, had to go off after damaging his right knee late in the game at Old Trafford and […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Lyon ended the Europa League dream of Turkey's Besiktas in an epic penalty shoot-out in Istanbul Thursday, with the French side pulling into the semi finals despite travelling with virtually no fans after first leg clashes between supporters. With the result ending 2-1 to Besiktas on the night and 3-3 on aggregate, […]

Sheffield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Neil Robertson booked a World Championship second-round clash with Hong Kong's Marco Fu as the Australian crushed Thailand's Noppon Saengkham on Thursday. Robertson, the 2010 world champion, wasted little time turning an 8-1 overnight lead into a 10-4 victory at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The 35-year-old, now based in […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Marcus Rashford scored an extra-time winner as Manchester United defeated Anderlecht 2-1 and 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday. After the first leg of the quarter-final had ended 1-1, United took a 2-1 lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan slammed in a low shot in the 10th […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Barcelona's Brazilian superstar Neymar, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James were among seven sports figures named Thursday in Time Magazine's annual list of the world's most influential people. Polarizing NFL free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick also appeared on the list that included pioneers, artists and leaders. […]