Barcelona coach Luis Enrique insisted Lionel Messi will be 100 percent fit to face Sporting Gijon on Saturday despite suffering a series of knocks in Barca's 8-0 hammering of Deportivo la Coruna. "He didn't have much luck with the blows in the game the other day, but he trained today and is in perfect condition," […]

Roberto Martinez is urging Everton to put their poor Premier League form behind them when they face Manchester United in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. The Toffees travel down to London just days after an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Liverpool in this week's Merseyside derby raised fresh questions about Everton manager Martinez's […]

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will miss his side's visit to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday to ensure he will be fit for their Champions League semi-final, first leg at Manchester City on Tuesday. The club confirmed on Friday that Ronaldo suffered a thigh strain as he hobbled off towards the end of […]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger complained that criticism of his team was misplaced following their 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion and said that stay-away supporters were not necessarily protesting. Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal returned to winning ways on Thursday following successive draws, climbing above Manchester City and into third place in the Premier […]

Struggling Serie A giants AC Milan were left red-faced amid a social media backlash that mocked the club for a bizarre pre-match 'Haka' ritual dance prior to a Serie A game on Thursday. Seven-time European champions Milan hosted relegation-haunted Carpi at the legendary San Siro stadium looking for a win to boost their bid to […]

His exploits with Leicester City have alerted Hollywood scriptwriters, but an on-pitch indiscretion by Jamie Vardy has compromised his unheralded team's extraordinary bid for the Premier League title. With 22 goals in the season to date, Vardy has become the symbol of a football fairytale, but his dismissal during last weekend's 2-2 draw with West […]

When the PFA Premier League Team of the Year was announced on Thursday there was quite an omission from the prestigious list of players. Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil, despite nearing the Premier League record of assists in a single season, was overlooked by the voters. Instead of the Germany international, the PFA decided to go […]

Barcelona's Brazilian star Neymar will miss the Copa America Centenario in the United States in June, but will be released to represent his country at the Rio Olympics in August, the Catalan giants announced on Wednesday. "FC Barcelona thanks the Brazilian football federation and their president Marco Polo del Nero, who have accepted the proposal […]

Michael Keane has praised Burnley's never-say-die spirit after the club again showed their ability to strike in 'Fergie time'. The Clarets extended their unbeaten run to 20 games in midweek thanks to Keane's last-gasp equaliser against Sky Bet Championship leaders Middlesbrough. The defender, 23, kept Burnley on Boro's tail with a scuffed stoppage-time finish from […]

A potentially serious injury to in-form striker Divock Origi cast a shadow over Liverpool's 4-0 thumping of Everton in the 226th Merseyside derby. The usually ebullient Jurgen Klopp admitted he found it difficult to raise a smile despite Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho completing a rousing victory over their near-neighbors. Origi, who […]

Quique Sanchez Flores will lead Watford out at Wembley on Sunday with question marks surrounding his future. The Spaniard has guided the promoted Hornets to Premier League safety with room to spare and to an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace. Yet Watford's owners are reportedly unhappy at the club's recent slump in form, with […]

Under-fire Roberto Martinez faced further fan fury as his Everton side crashed to a humiliating 4-0 derby defeat at the hands of rivals Liverpool on Wednesday. There was also controversy as Toffees defender Ramiro Funes Mori was sent off for a poor challenge on Liverpool goalscorer Divock Origi, who consequently left the field at Anfield […]

Barcelona presented plans for the extensive renovation of their Camp Nou stadium on Thursday that will see the capacity of Europe's biggest stadium extended to 105,000 and an open facade to allow views across the city. "It will be a unique stadium," said club president Josep Maria Bartomeu at the presentation inside the stadium attended […]

Soccer is an outlier in the landscape of American sports in that the major debates shaping the sport are about the leagues themselves. In the other sports leagues, the debates are about the rules of the game or how players are perceived, but only among American soccer fans are the major debates about the competence […]

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal reacted angrily to suggestions that his club's supporters had voted with their feet by missing a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The Premier League side announced a near-capacity crowd of 75,277 for the win which maintained their bid to finish in the top four and claim […]