Berlin (AFP) – Bayern Munich turn their focus from their five-star Champions League opener to domestic duty and their bid to keep their perfect start to the season in a derby home to Ingolstadt on Saturday. The reigning Bundesliga champions hammered Russian side Rostov 5-0 in Munich in their Group D opener to continue Carlo […]

Madrid (AFP) – Madrid minnows Leganes get their reward for an unlikely promotion to La Liga when the might of Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar grace the 11,000-capacity Estadio Butarque on Saturday. Leganes have made a fine start to their first season in the Spanish top-flight, winning at Celta Vigo on the opening […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City summer signing Ilkay Gundogan is in line for his first taste of Premier League football as his rampant side seek to maintain their perfect start on Saturday at home to Bournemouth. Under new manager Pep Guardiola City have won all seven of their Premier League and cup games […]

Milan (AFP) – Mauro Icardi's dream of "winning trophies" with Inter Milan has been dealt a Europa League blow and now faces a Serie A acid test in Sunday's visit of champions Juventus for the "Derby d'Italia". The Argentine striker has hit the net six times against the Old Lady of Turin, including three times […]

Leicester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Another momentous week in the extraordinary recent history of Leicester City ends on Saturday with the prospect of a seemingly mundane Premier League game. Yet the English champions insist their return to domestic action at home to Burnley is more important than their debut in the Champions League on Wednesday. […]

London (AFP) – The Premier League season is only four games old, but ahead of Saturday's home game with Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City already appear the team to beat. Last weekend's impressive 2-1 derby win at Manchester United left City with the only 100 percent record in the division and they followed it up […]

London (AFP) – Arsene Wenger will expect his Arsenal side to offer more convincing signs of their ability to compete for the Premier League title when they visit Hull City on Saturday after a testing week in Europe. A 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain ensured the Gunners avoided defeat in their opening Champions League outing […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Colourful Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has apologised unreservedly after being banished from the Scottish Premiership club's training ground for what he called "inappropriate" comments. Barton's future with the Glasgow giants was thrown into doubt after he was sent home on Tuesday following a reported row with team-mate Andy Halliday. Rangers manager Mark […]

Paris (AFP) – Manchester United went down to defeat in their opening Europa League group game on Thursday, while Premier League rivals Southampton won and Irish champions Dundalk claimed an impressive draw in the Netherlands. AFP Sports picks out the best of the action on matchday one: Feyenoord sink United Jose Mourinho's reluctant return to […]

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho's reluctant return to the Europa League ended in embarrassment as Tonny Vilhena fired Feyenoord to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in their Group A opener on Thursday. For a man with a keen eye for his position in the football hierarchy, competing in the Europa League for the […]

London (AFP) – Former player Roy Keane has insisted Celtic need to do a "lot better" in Europe following their 7-0 loss away to Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers tried to insist the defeat at the Camp Nou was not an embarrassment. But as far as one-time Celtic midfielder […]

London (AFP) – Rangers manager Mark Warburton has hit out at the "negative" reaction to his side's 5-1 defeat by arch Glasgow rivals Celtic last weekend. The first Old Firm League meeting between the clubs for four years, following Rangers' return to the top flight after working their way back up following a demotion to […]

You can tell a lot about a manager’s body language. In the case of Arsene Wenger, he seemed to be beaming inside after his team came back from a goal down to Paris Saint-Germain to draw 1-1 in the opening game of the UEFA Champions League Group Stage on Tuesday night. It was an important […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed David Luiz will make his second debut for the club against Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday. Luiz, who returned to the west London club from Paris Saint-Germain in a surprise £32 million ($42.7 million, 38 million euros) move on transfer deadline day, will replace […]

Athens (AFP) – The 2018 Champions League final will be held in Kiev despite Ukraine's conflict with Russian-backed separatist rebels, UEFA's executive committee decided Thursday, officials said. The final will be held only a few weeks before rival Russia stages the World Cup. Ukraine, which was co-host of the 2012 Euros with Poland, submitted its […]