Madrid (AFP) – Gareth Bale will make his return from a three-month injury layoff when Real Madrid host Espanyol on Saturday, coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday. However, Zidane has handed a weekend off to a host of other key men as Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas were not included in […]

There are a selection of players who have always endured stick at any Premier League ground they rock up at. While it’s not desirable, it’s understandable in some cases. During his time as a Liverpool player, Luis Suarez was a regular target, as he did little to earn favor among neutrals despite his obvious brilliance. […]

London (AFP) – For Micky Stephens, assistant manager of English non-league team Sutton United, Monday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Premier League giants Arsenal carries a vivid sense of deja vu. In January 1989, Stephens was a pivotal member of the Sutton team that stunned Coventry City, FA Cup winners 19 months previously, in one […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic compared himself to the action movie hero Indiana Jones after scoring his first hat-trick for Manchester United. Just as fictional archaeologist Jones, played in a series of Hollywood movies by screen star Harrison Ford, usually returns from his adventures with a trophy, so too has the career of […]

London Colney (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger said on Friday that he will make a decision on his Arsenal future "in March or April" as he vowed to remain in football management come what may next season. The Frenchman is out of contract with the north London side at the end of the current […]

Berlin (AFP) – After thrashing Arsenal in mid-week, leaders Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga business at Hertha Berlin on Saturday with captain Philipp Lahm backing Thomas Mueller to return to form. Bayern head to the capital with a seven-point lead in Germany's top flight and one foot in the Champions League's quarter-finals after hammering Arsenal […]

Paris (AFP) – Toulouse coach Pascal Dupraz knows his team have reasons to be fearful this weekend as they travel to face a Paris Saint-Germain side fresh from a crushing win over Barcelona. PSG stunned Lionel Messi and co and sent a clear signal of intent to the rest of Europe by winning their Champions […]

Milan (AFP) – Edin Dzeko hit his second successive Europa League hat-trick to edge closer to his all-time season record, and give Roma's title hopes a timely boost ahead of Sunday's visit of Torino. Dzeko, who also hit a hat-trick against Viktoria Plzen in November, took the match ball home from Villarreal after a 4-0 […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Breaking up is never easy, but Rangers supporters are still seeking clarity on the club's split with former manager Mark Warburton following what has been another chaotic week in the life of the Glasgow giants. The club's board announced last Friday that Warburton, his assistant, David Weir, and the club’s head of […]

Madrid (AFP) – Still reeling from their humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona can't afford a Champions League hangover as they return to La Liga action at home to Leganes on Sunday. Barca trail league leaders Real Madrid by a point, but have also played two games more than their title rivals, leaving […]

Huddersfield (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola faces a double selection quandary as he prepares for an FA Cup fifth round visit to in-form Championship club Huddersfield Town on Saturday. The Manchester City manager, still active on three fronts as he seeks silverware in his first season in the English game, will be without injured […]

Wolverhampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Chelsea will look to avoid an FA Cup upset at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday with the mood still upbeat despite being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw at Burnley last Sunday. The Londoners hold an eight-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League but the Cup could give them […]

London (AFP) – The manager of Sutton United will have no qualms about doing all he can to add to the burden of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger when their teams meet in the last 16 of the FA Cup. The tie of the fifth round, at least for those who still believe in the "romance […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho accused his players of not showing an appropriate level of mental preparation during their 3-0 Europa League victory over Saint-Etienne. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's hat-trick earned United a handsome win in Thursday's last 32 first-leg match at Old Trafford, but the scoreline did not tell the full […]

Milan (AFP) – A top Italian art critic lined himself up for a venomous backlash by fans after calling emblematic Roma captain Francesco Totti a "cretin" who is blindly backing the club's plans for a new stadium. Totti, 40, is playing out his 25th and final season with the club he helped lead to only […]