Johannesburg (AFP) – Sadio Mane-inspired Senegal will begin their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title defence at home to Benin during June, according to the 2023 qualifying calendar released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Senegal will also visit Rwanda during June, face Mozambique at home and away in September, and play return matches […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta predicted "a lot of twists" in the race to finish in the Premier League's top four, regardless of whether Arsenal beat Manchester United on Saturday. Arsenal revived their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League with a 4-2 win against Chelsea on Wednesday, leaving them level on 57 points […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel admits he is surprised by Chelsea's "fragile" home form as the Blues boss tries to make Stamford Bridge a fortress in time to preserve their Premier League top-four place. Tuchel's side have lost their past three home games, conceding 11 goals in the process, after Arsenal ran riot in a […]

Seville (Spain) (AFP) – Real Betis have an outside shot of finishing in La Liga's top four, a place in the Champions League still within their grasp, but for Nabil Fekir nothing would beat a victory on Saturday. Betis have won three trophies in their 115-year history, the last of them coming in the Copa […]

Milan (AFP) – Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi expects a "fight until the final game" as his team battle AC Milan and Napoli in a three-way fight for the Serie A title. A midweek 3-0 win over Milan at San Siro sent Inter through to a first Italian Cup final since 2011, fuelling hopes of […]

Imola (Italy) (AFP) – Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said Friday that being part of a consortium bidding to take over English Premier League club Chelsea was too great an opportunity to pass by. Hamilton, along with American tennis star Serena Williams, could each invest up to £10 million, according to Sky News, […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick believes Paul Pogba has played his final match for the club after suffering an injury just weeks before his contract runs out at Old Trafford. The World Cup winner, who is a free agent from July 1, came off with a calf problem early in Tuesday's […]

London (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp admits he never expected Liverpool to get so close to winning an unprecedented quadruple as they prepare for Sunday's Merseyside derby against Everton. Klopp's side are bidding to become the first English club to lift all four major trophies in a single season. They have already won the League Cup, […]

London (AFP) – Eddie Howe says his Premier League survival battle at Newcastle has been fuelled by the lingering pain of the one he lost with his former club Bournemouth. The Magpies had just five points when Howe was appointed in November, but are now close to safety after their sixth successive home win, against […]

Johannesburg (AFP) – Kaizer Chiefs have sacked English coach Stuart Baxter after he failed to end a trophy drought, a spokesman for the most successful and popular South African football club confirmed on Friday. Popularly known as the AmaKhosi (Chiefs), the Johannesburg club won a record 53 domestic titles from its formation in 1970 until […]

Paris (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain are poised to clinch the Ligue 1 title this weekend when they require just a point at home to Lens, but behind them the race for France's other Champions League places is intensifying. PSG's season will ultimately be best remembered for their exit from the Champions League […]

Berlin (AFP) – Star strikers Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland go head-to-head for what could be the last time in the Bundesliga in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. A home win over second-placed Dortmund at Munich's Allianz Arena will secure a tenth straight Bundesliga title for Bayern with three games left. […]

London (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne is adamant Manchester City can cope with the intense pressure of battling with Liverpool in the Premier League title race. City survived a tense first half to beat Brighton 3-0 with three goals after the interval at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. De Bruyne was the catalyst as his […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's early goal proved enough as Barcelona sealed a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday to tighten their grip on a top-four finish in La Liga. But Barca's run-in could be hampered after their defence was almost completely wiped out by injuries at Anoeta, with Dani Alves, Ronald Araujo and […]

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Burnley improved their chances of avoiding relegation from the Premier League as Connor Roberts' superb strike inspired a vital 2-0 win against Southampton on Thursday. The Clarets won for the first time since Sean Dyche's sacking thanks to Roberts' sublime curler and Nathan Collins' header. Roberts' first goal for Burnley following […]