London (AFP) – Chelsea striker Diego Costa will return for Sunday's home game with Hull City after missing last weekend's 3-0 victory at Leicester City, manager Antonio Conte revealed on Friday. A back problem was the official reason for Costa's absence at Leicester, but there were reports it stemmed from an angry row with fitness […]

Lyon (AFP) – Lyon have completed the signing of Netherlands international Memphis Depay from Manchester United, the French club confirmed on Friday. Depay will be presented to the media at a press conference later on Friday and could make his debut in Sunday's Ligue 1 clash at home to Marseille. The 22-year-old joined United from […]

Berlin (AFP) – Star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has admitted he could leave Borussia Dortmund in the summer — but has insisted he will never join their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. "I will never go to Bayern, that is for sure," Aubameyang told new German sports daily FussballBild, which launched on Friday, while on Africa Cup […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria has insisted he wants to see out his contract with the French champions, dismissing speculation he could move to the cash-rich Chinese Super League. "There are two years left on my contract," Di Maria, who joined PSG from Manchester United in August 2015, told ESPN Argentina. […]

Port-Gentil (Gabon) (AFP) – Ghana can secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a group game to spare if they beat Mali in Group D in Port-Gentil on Saturday. Avram Grant's side, beaten on penalties by the Ivory Coast in the 2015 final, set themselves up nicely in this […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insists he is responsible for the European champions' back-to-back defeats as they look to return to winning ways when Malaga visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Madrid hadn't lost in 40 matches in all competitions stretching back nine months until conceding twice to lose 2-1 at Sevilla […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino wants his players to demonstrate their Premier League title credentials in Saturday's crunch clash with Pep Guardiola's ailing Manchester City. Tottenham climbed to second place in the table last weekend by outclassing West Bromwich Albion 4-0 and are seeking to register seven successive league wins for the […]

Milan (AFP) – Resurgent AC Milan host Napoli looking to avenge a crushing home defeat to the Azzuri last season as the fight for title glory and coveted Champions League places intensifies in Serie A. A week after leaders Juventus suffered a shock 2-1 reverse at Fiorentina to allow Roma to close to within one […]

NBC Sports has teamed up with DIRECTV to present 4K coverage of the Premier League in the United States. This weekend's game between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur (Saturday, 12:30pm ET on NBC) will be the first match available in 4K to viewers in the States. The 4K broadcast in ultra high-definition (UHD) will be […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool striker Divock Origi has challenged his team-mates to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea when they host relegation-threatened Swansea on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp's side are seven points behind Chelsea in third place after losing ground in the title race following a frustrating 1-1 draw at bitter rivals Manchester United […]

Paris (AFP) – Sergio Conceicao has inspired a revival at former French giants Nantes but will face the toughest test of his fledgling tenure on Saturday when champions Paris Saint-Germain visit the Stade de la Beaujoire. Nantes, who claimed the last of their eight Ligue 1 titles in 2001, have won four games in a […]

It’s been a tumultuous two years for Will Johnson. On September 27th of 2014, Johnson, then the Portland Timbers’ captain, collided with Toronto FC defender Mark Bloom less than a minute into a game at BMO Field in Johnson’s hometown of Toronto and broke his right leg. Johnson wouldn’t play first-team football again until May […]

Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United's visit to Stoke on Saturday offers the chance to exorcise some bad memories as Jose Mourinho's side look to reel in the Premier League's top four. United's lowest point of last season came in this fixture when, amid fevered speculation about Louis van Gaal's future as manager, they […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium will feature a transparent tunnel wall enabling fans to peer at the players prior to kick-off, but manager Mauricio Pochettino is not sure about it. Tottenham have unveiled plans for their new 61,000-capacity stadium, due to open in 2018, which will feature a retractable pitch and a huge […]

Milan (AFP) – Radja Nainggolan's maiden Roma brace stole the spotlight as his team secured an Italian Cup quarter-final tie against second division Cesena with a 4-0 romp over Sampdoria on Thursday. Although Luis Muriel hit the post early on for Sampdoria, a sensational Leandro Paredes volley also hit the woodwork at the other end […]