London (AFP) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola told his players there will be "no excuses" if his bruised team comes up short in their triple trophy pursuit. City face rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday, just three days after their stormy Champions League mission against Atletico Madrid. The match […]

London (AFP) – Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker are major doubts for Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool on Saturday, Pep Guardiola has confirmed. The pair were both substituted after suffering injuries in Wednesday's fractious Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital. That game ended 0-0 but City progressed to […]

London (AFP) – Mikel Arteta believes both Arsenal and Southampton will be "hurting" ahead of the Premier League meeting between the sides at Saturday but predicted more "twists" in the race to finish in the top four. Arsenal had been on an impressive run as they sought to secure a Champions League place for next […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday urged his side to turn "misery into momentum" as they return to Bundesliga action on Sunday after a shock Champions League exit to Villarreal. League leaders Bayern travel to relegation candidates Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday, hoping to move a step closer to a seemingly inevitable […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick says fans are entitled to voice their opinions ahead of an expected protest against the club's unpopular ownership before Saturday's Premier League match against lowly Norwich. The 1958 group has announced plans for supporters to march to Old Trafford ahead of the game. They plan to […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said Friday he had been subjected to online death threats after his team's surprise Champions League exit to Villarreal this week. "I know I will always get criticism from all sides, that's normal and I can deal with it. But with 450 death threats on Instagram, it's […]

London (AFP) – The Ricketts-led consortium announced on Friday it had withdrawn its bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea, which is being sold by owner Roman Abramovich. The Chicago Cubs owners and their partners opted not to submit a final bid for the Blues, with the consortium members understood to be unable to agree […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona midfielder Pedri sustained a hamstring injury in his side's defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarter-finals, the Spanish club announced Friday. "Tests on Friday morning have revealed that Pedri has ruptured the femoral biceps in his left hamstring," Barca said. "It means he will be unavailable for selection until he recovers […]

London (AFP) – Eddie Howe has warned Newcastle fans not to expect a summer revolution as the Premier League club prepares to enter the transfer market again. The Magpies' new Saudi-backed owners were the biggest spenders in the January transfer window, splashing out about £85 million ($111 million) to bring in Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, […]

London (AFP) – Thomas Tuchel revealed Friday he had apologised personally to Conor Gallagher after Chelsea blocked the England midfielder playing for Crystal Palace against the Blues in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final. Palace made an official request for Chelsea loanee Gallagher to be given permission to play against his parent club in the last-four clash […]

London (AFP) – Relegation-threatened Premier League club Burnley announced on Friday they had sacked long-serving manager Sean Dyche. The Clarets are 18th in the Premier League, four points adrift of safety having won only four matches all season. "Results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial […]

Paris (AFP) – Marseille travel to face bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain this weekend in buoyant mood as they target Champions League qualification and a European trophy to finish the season. PSG these days dominate French football and are closing in on an eighth Ligue 1 title in 10 seasons, but Marseille can still claim to […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid against Sevilla on Sunday could have been a key game in La Liga's title race but instead it will decide the extent of Madrid's lead and how worried Sevilla should be about finishing in the top four. A Real Madrid win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan would send them 15 […]

Istanbul (AFP) – They had already fled their home in eastern Ukraine for Kyiv when their shiny new stadium was battered by shelling in the first weeks of a Russian-backed insurgency in 2014. Now the players of Ukraine's perennial football champions Shakhtar Donetsk are training in Turkey because of the all-out invasion by Russia of […]

Tokyo (AFP) – He is known as the "Thai Messi" and grew up idolising Diego Maradona — now Chanathip Songkrasin is making his own name after joining one of Asia's top clubs. The 159-centimetre (five foot two) attacking midfielder is a hero in Thailand, where he captains the national team and advertises everything from credit […]