London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool have not changed their defensive approach despite their record of only one clean sheet in their eight games so far this season. The European champions are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after five straight wins but the backline has been breached in four of […]

London (AFP) – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not concerned by Marcus Rashford's recent lack of goals, pointing to the Manchester United forward's hunger and determination to improve. Teenager Mason Greenwood saved his teammates' blushes on Thursday, scoring in United's unconvincing 1-0 win against Astana in their Europa League opener at home. United started brightly but […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is poised to extend his dream start to the season this Saturday with the Polish star striker in the form of his career. Unusually for the defending champions, Bayern are not having things their own way in the Bundesliga and are fourth in the table after four […]

Madrid (AFP) – Both Barcelona and Real Madrid travel to Andalusia this weekend in search of precious Liga points after stuttering form in Europe and in their domestic campaigns as table-toppers Sevilla await Zinedine Zidane's injury-stricken outfit. Real, thrashed in the Champions League by PSG midweek, face a daunting challenge to regroup at Sevilla, while […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Morocco will miss injured stars Ayoub el Kaabi and Mahmoud Benhalib when they begin their defence of the African Nations Championship title away to Algeria on Saturday. El Kaabi starred at the 2018 tournament, scoring nine goals in six matches for the host nation as they won the competition restricted to […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League's elite have little time to lick their wounds from a series of blows in European competition as domestic action offers an immediate chance of redemption for Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham. Manchester City were the only English side to win their Champions League opener in midweek, but have problems of […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Fernandinho stepped seamlessly into Manchester City's backline in midweek to ease Pep Guardiola's defensive woes but the Premier League champions know their stretched resources will be tested by a physical Watford side on Saturday. The clubs last met in the FA Cup final in May, with City romping to a […]

Paris (AFP) – Last season's runners-up Arsenal romped to an impressive 3-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in their Europa League opener on Thursday as Mason Greenwood spared Manchester United's blushes and Rangers got the better of Feyenoord. On a night which featured five British clubs in action, Unai Emery's much-changed side enjoyed the best result […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – The Europa League group stage might be a turn-off for some, but for Celtic it is a valuable platform on which to measure themselves and Neil Lennon's side can take plenty of positives from a 1-1 draw away to French Cup winners Rennes on Thursday. The Glasgow giants again missed out […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Teenager Mason Greenwood rescued a much-changed Manchester United from an embarrassing start to their Europa League campaign with the only goal to beat Kazakh champions Astana 1-0 at Old Trafford on Thursday. At just 17, Greenwood became the youngest goalscorer for United in European competition with a composed finish under […]

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Teenage winger Bukayo Saka said it was a "dream come true" to score his first goal for Arsenal in their 3-0 victory away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. Saka, 18, claimed his first senior goal Thursday as Arsenal scored twice late on after Joe Willock gave the Gunners […]

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) – Arsenal youngsters Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka claimed goals as a rotated Gunners side romped to a 3-0 win at 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday in the Europa League. Willock, 20, one of seven changes by Arsenal manager Unai Emery to the team which started Sunday's 2-2 draw at Watford, […]

Rennes (France) (AFP) – Ryan Christie scored a second-half penalty as Celtic kicked off their Europa League group-stage campaign with a battling 1-1 draw away to French Cup holders Rennes in a heated encounter on Thursday. Christie's 59th-minute spot-kick cancelled out M'Baye Niang's penalty which had given Rennes the lead in the first half in […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi quashed speculation over his future by signing a new five-year deal with the Premier League side on Thursday. The 18-year-old was a target for Bayern Munich with his previous contract set to expire at the end of this season. Hudson-Odoi had reportedly been reluctant to commit his future […]

Paris (France) (AFP) – Dimitar Berbatov, Bulgaria's joint all-time leading international scorer, said on Thursday that he was retiring as a player after more than a year without a club. "Although when I think about it, it's never The End, because I will stay in the game in one way or another, the time has […]