Berlin (AFP) – Ralf Rangnick says the Bundesliga will flaunt its future on Saturday when his "sexy" second-placed RB Leipzig face unbeaten Hoffenheim with both aiming to chase down leaders Bayern Munich. "We are proud, modern and attractive, sexy even," Leipzig's director of sport, who has taken the Red Bull-backed upstarts from the fourth division […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid host high-flying Real Sociedad on Sunday aiming to reverse an alarming dip in form that has seen Zinedine Zidane's seemingly unbeatable squad just two weeks ago fail to win in three of their last four matches. The European champions bowed out of the Copa del Rey to Celta Vigo in […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri is expected to ring the changes but hinted his new-look tactical formation could be deployed again when the champions travel to Sassuolo on Sunday. Allegri has regularly had to choose whether to pair Paulo Dybala or Mario Mandzukic with Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain as his side target a […]

Kingston upon Hull (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho took a sarcastic swipe at his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp after his side booked their place in the League Cup final. A day after Liverpool had been bundled out of the competition by Southampton, United progressed with a 3-2 aggregate win over Hull […]

Libreville (AFP) – Senegal coach Aliou Cisse insists Africa Cup of Nations opponents Cameroon are favourites to win the eagerly-awaited quarter-final in Franceville on Saturday. Pundits beg to differ, though, making the Senegalese Teranga Lions favourites not only to reach the semi-finals, but to go on and win the competition for the first time. Senegal […]

London (AFP) – Cesc Fabregas is not happy at his lack of game time under Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and on Saturday he can make a case for more opportunities in the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brentford. The 29-year-old former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder — a member of the Spain side that won the […]

London (AFP) – Manchester City supporters must once again wait to see which version of Pep Guardiola's team shows up in Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round game at Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. City have won by four goals or more on five separate occasions, but have also fallen to two 4-0 defeats — at Barcelona […]

Southampton (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Arsene Wenger says Arsenal travel to a confident Southampton in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday determined to avenge their League Cup exit. Claude Puel's underdogs won 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in November in the League Cup and on Wednesday clinched their place in that competition's final by […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will recover from a nightmare run at the start of 2017 when they face Championship club Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round at Anfield on Saturday. A gruelling schedule of 10 fixtures, starting with the New Year's Eve victory over Manchester City, has seen Liverpool collect only […]

London (AFP) – Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is to visit Hull midfielder Ryan Mason in the hospital because the former Spurs player remains a very special person to the Argentinian manager. Mason, whom Pochettino sold to Hull for a reported £13million (15.3m, $16.3) just prior to the beginning of this season, fractured his skull in […]

Barcelona (AFP) – Barcelona eased into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for a seventh consecutive season 6-2 on aggregate as Denis Suarez scored twice in a 5-2 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday. Already leading 1-0 from the first leg, Barca gave Sociedad a mountain to climb as Denis Suarez finished off a […]

Kingston upon Hull (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United survived a scare to reach the League Cup final after Oumar Niasse's late goal earned Hull City a 2-1 victory in Thursday's semi-final second leg. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, United saw their advantage at an ice-cold KCOM Stadium halved by Tom Huddlestone's 35th-minute penalty […]

Marseille (AFP) – Former France full-back Patrice Evra indicated Thursday he saw himself as the old cool head to stabilise Marseille after joining the club from Juventus. "I am someone who looks after the wellbeing of the dressing room," said the 81-cap, 35-year-old former Manchester United star, who has been released from the last six […]

London (AFP) – England great Steven Gerrard says that only time will tell whether he measures up as being good enough to be a football manager. The 36-year-old, capped 114 times and a rampaging midfielder in his pomp, begins his new career in February as a youth coach at his beloved Liverpool, who hired him […]

Oyem (Gabon) (AFP) – Stadiums may not be full at the Africa Cup of Nations but the supporters who do turn out create a noisy and colourful atmosphere — and in the case of DR Congo the government is giving a helping hand. The DRC's capital Kinshasa is the home of "Sape", a French acronym […]