London (AFP) – Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will spearhead Arsenal's attack against Stoke City on Saturday as their ongoing contract talks continue to dominate the club's off-pitch agenda. The decisive duo will both be out of contract in 2018 as things stand, prompting fears they could leave the club. Arsene Wenger has vowed they […]

Every footballer supporter thinks their club has a fine crop of young players bubbling underneath the senior setup. Ask any fan of any team about a prospect in the youth setup and there’ll be one in particular that has everyone excited. Investing down the rungs of the club hierarchy can be a crutch when times […]

Metz (France) (AFP) – Metz were handed a partial stadium closure until further notice by the French league (LFP) on Thursday after firecrackers were thrown at Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes during a game last weekend. The decision means the stand behind the goal at the Stade Saint-Symphorien, from where projectiles were thrown at Lopes, must […]

Paris (AFP) – Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored his first Manchester United goal to set up a 2-0 win over Zorya Luhansk in Ukraine on Thursday and take Jose Mourinho's side into the last 32 of the Europa League. United required only a point to secure progress from Group A but Mkhitaryan's 48th-minute strike and a late […]

Paris (AFP) – A brilliant late goal by Manuel Trigueros gave Villarreal a nervy 2-1 win over Steaua Bucharest on Thursday that took the Spanish club into the last 32 of the Europa League. Nicola Sansone gave Villarreal the lead at El Madrigal only for substitute Vlad Achim to equalise for the Romanians, who then […]

London (AFP) – Former Chelsea player Gary Johnson said on Thursday he should receive more financial compensation from the club after being sexually abused by their former chief scout Eddie Heath. It recently emerged Chelsea, the current Premier League leaders, paid Johnson 50,000 pounds ($63,850, 59,230 euros) in 2015 not to go public with his […]

London (AFP) – Arsenal lynchpins Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil will not be allowed to leave the club before their contracts expire in 18 months' time, manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday. British media reports this week suggested Chilean forward Sanchez and German playmaker Ozil want new deals that will put them on a par […]

Buenos Aires (AFP) – It is ranked as the top match to see before you die: the ferocious tie between Boca Juniors and River Plate, who meet on Sunday in the Argentine league. In a country where football is power, and even a matter of life and death, the Buenos Aires derby is the ultimate […]

Singapore (AFP) – FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on Thursday said Asian countries backed his plan to expand the World Cup to 48 teams — and added that up to three countries should be allowed to co-host the tournament. Infantino, speaking after a three-day FIFA summit in Singapore, said Asian football associations "unanimously" supported a larger […]

Hanoi (AFP) – Vietnamese football authorities apologised on Thursday after fans hurled stones at the Indonesian team bus shortly after their Suzuki Cup semi-final tie in Hanoi, breaking a window and injuring two of the visiting team's staff. The second leg of the fiercely contested tie at the My Dinh stadium on Wednesday night ended […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Juventus don't care who scores, as long as they win, coach Massimiliano Allegri insisted after Gonzalo Higuain ended his five-week goal drought to help secure a precious 2-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb. Juventus, beaten finalists in 2015, will head into the draw for the last 16 seeded as Group […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino insists Tottenham's 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow was more than an upbeat farewell to the Champions League because the stylish success showed his team have got their swagger back. Pochettino's side were already eliminated from the Champions League before their last Group E fixture on Wednesday, but they rounded off […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane is hoping to avoid a return to Juventus in the Champions League last 16 after the holders blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Borussia Dortmund and qualify second from Group F. A double from Karim Benzema had Real well on course to leapfrog the Germans […]

Most of us have used NBC Sports App to watch Premier League matches whether it's on our computers, smartphones and tablets, or Roku and AppleTV devices. But how many times have we stopped to take a closer look at the features and functionality of the app that's used on NBCSports.com to get the most out […]

Madrid (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund set a new record of 21 goals in the group stages of the Champions League in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Real Madrid. Karim Benzema's double put Madrid 2-0 up before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus netted for Dortmund. The point was enough to see the Germans finish top of the […]