Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres returned to training on Monday after recovering from a sickening head clash, suggesting he could play in Wednesday's Champions League tie against Bayer Leverkusen. Torres lost consciousness in a challenge with Deportivo la Coruna's Alex Bergantinos in a 1-1 draw on March 2 but was later discharged […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid have reached agreement to buy La Peineta Stadium from city authorities for 30 million euros, Madrid Town Hall announced on Monday. The Spanish giants will move from the Vicente Calderon, their home for 50 years, to the new stadium to be renamed Wanda Metropolitano after their sponsors Chinese property company Dalian […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Craig Shakespeare said there were "no grudges" between himself and Claudio Ranieri on Monday after he succeeded the Italian as Leicester City manager. Ranieri was sacked last month, nine months on from Leicester's fairytale Premier League title triumph, after the club slid towards the relegation zone. Shakespeare took over as […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United could be without a recognised striker for Monday's FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea on Monday. Marcus Rashford has reportedly been ruled out through illness, joining the already injured Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the sidelines. It had looked as if Ibrahimovic's three-game domestic ban for […]

London (AFP) – Marouane Fellaini insists Manchester United are confident of avenging the worst moment of Jose Mourinho's reign when they return to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Monday. Mourinho's first visit to Stamford Bridge since his sacking as Chelsea boss last season ended in humiliation as his former club romped to a […]

Here are the ten things we learned from Week 2 of the 2017 MLS season. 1. Nightmare Pt. 2 For Minnesota Minnesota United made their MLS home debut in a blizzard on Sunday afternoon in front of more than 35,000 fans at TCF Bank Stadium, and, somehow, managed to get beat worse than they did […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur and Millwall have both promised to assist a Football Association inquiry into the racist abuse directed towards Spurs forward Son Heung-Min during Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final. South Korea star Son was taunted by Millwall supporters during Tottenham's 6-0 victory at White Hart Lane and responded to the jibes with a […]

Paris (AFP) – Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne is targeting another deep Champions League run, although Pep Guardiola's side must first negotiate a tricky last 16 second leg against Monaco this week. City recovered from twice falling behind to outgun the French league leaders 5-3 in the opening leg in Manchester, but Monaco's formidable attacking […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane hailed goalkeeper Keylor Navas's contribution as the European champions leapfrogged Barcelona into top spot in La Liga despite the latest a series of blunders this season from the Costa Rican on Sunday. Navas pulled off a stunning stoppage time save from Antonio Sarabia to secure a 2-1 […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund hope to set up a mouth-watering clash against holders Bayern Munich by ending the run of third-division minnows Sportfreunde Lotte in Tuesday's rescheduled German Cup quarter-final. The tie has been moved to Osnabruck's Bremer Bruecke stadium after the original fixture at Lotte's tiny ground had to be postponed because a […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino says Son Heung-Min has proved he can replace the injured Harry Kane after the Tottenham forward's hat-trick silenced Millwall's racist taunts. Son found himself thrust into the spotlight at White Hart Lane on Sunday as he scored his first goals since January in Tottenham's 6-0 FA Cup quarter-final thrashing of […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he is happy for his team to win "ugly" during the remainder of the Premier League season if it brings results such as the fortunate 2-1 victory over Burnley at Anfield on Sunday. Klopp's team improved their chances of finishing in the top four, and qualifying for […]

Milan (AFP) – A "tormenting" decision to ditch his bride-to-be may still haunt Massimiliano Allegri, but as the Champions League quarter-finals loom the Juventus coach should be more than ready for his next life-changing decision. A talented midfielder who ultimately failed to reach the heights in Serie A, Allegri is set to steer the Turin […]

London (AFP) – A relative unknown on the global football scene just weeks ago, Craig Shakespeare now stands poised to steer Leicester City into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The jocular coach was promoted from his role as assistant manager following Claudio Ranieri's shock dismissal last month, which he said left him feeling like […]

New York (AFP) – David Villa scored twice as New York City FC bounced back from their opening weekend defeat with a 4-0 rout of DC United in Major League Soccer on Sunday. Former Spain and Barcelona star Villa scored once and created another in a dominant first-half display as New York responded to last […]