Genk (Belgium) (AFP) – While Liverpool hope to have Mohamed Salah back alongside Sadio Mane in attack in time for Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Genk in Belgium, their opponents have their own African forward who is a superstar in his home country. Mbwana Ally Samatta's 23 league goals last season helped fire the unfashionable […]

Amsterdam (AFP) – Chelsea's young guns will test their run of form at one of the homes of youth development on Wednesday as they attempt to stop an Ajax team on course to replicate last season's thrilling Champions League run. The Blues are on a five-match winning streak in all-competitions after beating Newcastle United 1-0 […]

Sheffield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsenal slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United as Lys Mousset condemned the Gunners to their latest away-day flop on Monday. Unai Emery's side are without an away Premier League win since the opening weekend of the season after failing to rise to the challenge posed by fired […]

Paris (AFP) – While Megan Rapinoe is the leading candidate for the second ever women's Ballon D'Or, the holder of the men's award, Luka Modric, and the world's most expensive player Neymar missed out as France Football unveiled nominees in four categories on Monday. Modric, fresh from guiding Croatia to a World Cup final, broke […]

London (AFP) – Former Stoke boss Gary Rowett was hired as the new manager of Championship strugglers Millwall on Monday. Rowett takes over from Millwall legend Neil Harris, who resigned earlier in October after four and a half years at The Den. The 45-year-old was chosen by Lions owner John Berylson after the American flew […]

San Francisco (AFP) – Major League Soccer on Monday confirmed Sacramento will be home to the league's latest expansion team, with the franchise due to kick off in 2022. The long-expected move was confirmed at a news conference in the California state capital attended by MLS commissioner Don Garber and California Governor Gavin Newsom. The […]

Bruges (Belgium) (AFP) – Still fighting for full fitness France World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe will feature for Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League group game at Club Brugge on Tuesday, but will not play 90 minutes according to coach Thomas Tuchel. The lightening quick 20-year-old forward has been suffering from a thigh strain since […]

Istanbul (AFP) – Zinedine Zidane has admitted he feels irritated by the criticism of him as Real Madrid coach as his side prepare for their crunch Champions League game away at Galatasaray on Tuesday. Madrid head to Turkey in desperate need of a victory after one point taken from two games has left them sitting […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino accepted on Monday his job will come under scrutiny if fails to rally the flagging fortunes of last season's Champions League finalists. Spurs have endured a terrible start to the season, winning just three of their first 12 games in all competitions, which has seen Pochettino face prolonged […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the English champions are still not strong enough at either end of the field to count themselves as realistic contenders to win the Champions League for the first time. City are the bookmakers' favourites to finally win the biggest prize in European football after […]

Rome (AFP) – Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo gave coach Maurizio Sarri a vote of confidence on Monday when he said he was happy with the "more attacking" approach the club had adopted since Sarri came on board in the summer. "I think the team is getting better," said Ronaldo on the eve of Juve's Champions […]

London (AFP) – A new study carried out by Glasgow University has found former footballers are approximately three-and-a- half times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population. The report, released on Monday was commissioned by England's Football Association and the Professional Footballers' Association to assess the medical records of 7,676 men […]

Sofia (AFP) – Bulgaria appointed Georgi Dermendzhiev as new national football coach in place of Krasimir Balakov who quit last week in the wake of a 0-6 loss against England overshadowed by racist abuse. "Georgy Dermendzhiev is the new Bulgarian national team coach. All has been agreed, he's the new manager. We'll finalise the documents […]

Tokyo (AFP) – Wales have played their "get out of jail card", coach Warren Gatland said Monday of his team's nail-biting victory over France that set up a World Cup semi-final against South Africa this weekend. The Welsh edged France 20-19 in their quarter-final in Oita, but will face the Springboks without No 8 Josh […]

Paris (AFP) – Ivorian Junior Lago stole the show among Africans in the major European leagues at the weekend by snatching the La Liga winner for Real Mallorca against Real Madrid. Forward Lago struck the only goal of the match after seven minutes to give Mallorca a first home win since 2006 over the […]