Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is in optimistic mood as he prepares to face an old friend in Middlesbrough handler Aitor Karanka, despite facing the prospect of being without his captain. Wayne Rooney was absent with a minor thigh problem as Manchester United recorded a fourth successive Premier League victory […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois believes the key to their stunning turnaround in form lies in the defence that has conceded just two goals during the club's 12-game winning streak. The Premier League leaders face Stoke City next at Stamford Bridge on Saturday aiming to secure a 13th consecutive league win in a […]

London (AFP) – Pep Guardiola confronts one of the few opposition managers to have regularly outwitted him when Manchester City visit Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the Premier League's stand-out New Year's Eve fixture. Klopp was a thorn in Guardiola's side during their time as rivals in the Bundesliga, with his Borussia Dortmund team overcoming the […]

London (AFP) – Bob Bradley should have been given more time to see if he could turn round the fortunes of Premier League strugglers Swansea, says West Ham manager Slaven Bilic. The former United States national handler was sacked after Monday's 4-1 home defeat — only his 11th game in charge since replacing Italian Francesco […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Landon Donovan, the all-time US national team scoring leader, has been offered a two-year deal to return to Major League Soccer with Real Salt Lake, according to multiple reports Thursday. Donovan, who has 57 goals in 157 matches with the US side, spent four seasons with the San Jose Earthquakes from […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid will be without midfielders Lucas Vazquez and Mateo Kovacic when the team returns to action in 2017 after picking up injuries in their successful Club World Cup campaign. Vazquez suffered a right leg injury in the 4-2 final win over Kashima Antlers in Japan and will be sidelined for up […]

Jerusalem (AFP) – A UN resolution condemning settlements has raised pressure on FIFA to take action against Israeli football clubs based in the occupied West Bank, Human Rights Watch said Thursday. The United Nations Security Council last week demanded an end to Israeli settlements in the first such resolution in decades. Israel labelled the resolution […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Underpinned by ferocious passion, century-old mistrust and Sectarian conflict, the sound and fury of the Old Firm derby between Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers is unique in modern football. "The noise and the passion, there's nothing like it," said late Rangers star Sandy Jardine. "I've been fortunate to see derby games all […]

London (AFP) – Sunderland's promising young goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will be sidelined for up to eight weeks with a knee ligament strain, manager David Moyes revealed on Thursday. The 22-year-old Englishman sustained the injury during his side's 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Boxing Day. Initial fears he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, which […]

London (AFP) – Reports linking Liverpool with a January move for Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are "nonsense", the Merseyside club's manager Jurgen Klopp said on Thursday. British media reports suggest Liverpool will make a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been in and out of the Arsenal first team, when the transfer window opens next week. […]

Univision delivered record-breaking viewing numbers for the 2016 Liga MX Final featuring Club America against Tigres. The second leg of the final, played on Christmas Day, was watched by 3.3 million soccer fans in the United States, while last Thursday night's first leg was viewed by 2.8 million. Altogether, a combined 6.1 million watched the […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Alex Rae grew up dreaming of playing for Rangers in an Old Firm derby while living in the shadow of Celtic Park. The midfielder, who was on Rangers' books as a youth player before being released, had to wait until he was 34 to realise his dream after spending the majority of […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says the pressure will be firmly on Rangers as the Glasgow rivals prepare to clash in Saturday's Old Firm derby at Ibrox. The Hoops head into the match on New Year's Eve with a 16-point lead over Rangers and a game in hand following their comfortable 2-0 win […]

Shanghai (AFP) – Argentina's former Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has signed for Shanghai Shenhua in the latest big-money Chinese deal, the club said Thursday, reportedly making him the world's best-salaried footballer. The acquisition of the 32-year-old from Buenos Aires side Boca Juniors will "greatly enhance" the team's front line, Shenhua said […]

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Considered a saint by fans of Palmeiras and hailed by Brazilian superstar Ronaldo as his successor, teenage sensation Gabriel Jesus arrives at Manchester City with a skyrocketing reputation. City manager Pep Guardiola sanctioned a £27 million ($33 million, 31.7 million euros) move for Jesus, 19, earlier this year, but allowed him […]