Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid can set a club record by extending their unbeaten run to 35 games when Deportivo la Coruna visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. Deportivo's last visit to Real was Zinedine Zidane's first match in charge back in January and the 5-0 thrashing of the Galicians was a sign of things […]

Milan (AFP) – Jokes about Maurizio Zamparini's notoriously twitchy trigger finger abound, but the prospect of relegation for Palermo has switched the focus on the Serie A club owner's penchant for sacking coaches. Barely 15 games into the season Palermo are on their third coach after Zamparini appointed Eugenio Corini last week to replace Roberto […]

Berlin (AFP) – Bottom faces top on Saturday when basement dwellers Ingolstadt host unbeaten Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig, who are chasing an eight straight win to keep Bayern Munich off the top. RB Leipzig's coach Ralph Hassenhuettl returns to Ingolstadt, who he left in May having taken them from the bottom of the second division […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City forward Nolito admits he has been happy with Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy as he eyes a return to the team to face Leicester City. Guardiola’s side face the defending champions at the King Power Stadium with the City manager forced to make at least one enforced change to his starting […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte's Chelsea juggernaut rolls back into action against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday with the Premier League leaders chasing a ninth consecutive win. Chelsea produced the most impressive display of their winning streak last weekend when they came from behind to win 3-1 at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They have not […]

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 […]