Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane had a pointed message for La Liga rivals Barcelona on Saturday by claiming the European champions "don't depend" on anyone else to win. Barca produced the biggest comeback in Champions League history on Wednesday with a remarkable 6-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain to complete a 6-5 aggregate […]

Paris (AFP) – Ligue 1 title-chasing Nice suffered a fresh injury blow after Wylan Cyprien was ruled out for the season on Saturday with a knee injury. The 22-year-old midfielder suffered ruptured cruciate ligaments during Friday's 2-2 draw against modest Caen. The injury "will require surgery in the coming days," Nice said in a statement. […]

Berlin (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke says he expects star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to remain with the Bundesliga giants, for now. The Gabon hot-shot has hit 28 goals this season, including the hat-trick against Benfica on Wednesday which fired Dortmund into the Champions League's quarter-finals. He has scored seven goals in three games […]

Middlesbrough (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday as Pep Guardiola showed he is taking the competition seriously. Goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero were scant reward for City as they easily out-classed Middlesbrough, who must have feared such an outcome when […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino has pleaded with Tottenham and Millwall fans to keep the peace when the London rivals clash in a potentially volatile FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday. Since being drawn to face Millwall at White Hart Lane, Tottenham officials have been liasing with police in a bid to a keep a lid […]

Liverpool (AFP) – Liverpool’s season in the Premier League has developed a pattern of success against the top teams and struggles against those sides lower down. It is why last Saturday’s convincing 3-1 win over Arsenal, rivals for a top four place, was no great surprise, and why it would be no shock either if […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery received the "full and entire support" of the club's demanding Qatari owners on Friday despite presiding over their 6-1 Champions League humiliation at Barcelona. "Unai has the qualities in which we believe. He has my full and entire support," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi told Le Parisien newspaper. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola indicated on Friday his tenure as Manchester City manager will not be a long one if his first season in charge ends without a trophy. Sheikh Mansour, the club's owner, gave Guardiola his full support when they met in Abu Dhabi last month, and there is no suggestion […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus went 11 points clear in Italy on Friday when a contentious injury time penalty gave them a 2-1 win over 10-man AC Milan and a 31st successive home triumph. The defending champions looked set to be held by their old rivals, who had stunned the 32-time Serie A winners 1-0 at […]

Paris (AFP) – Mario Balotelli helped Nice salvage a 2-2 draw against modest Caen on Friday in a result that could prove costly to the south coast side's Ligue 1 title dream. Balotelli's strike deep in the second half followed minutes later by Anastasios Donis' leveller pushed Nice into provisional second. But by the end […]

London (AFP) – Antonio Conte promised Friday he would have no qualms in celebrating another Chelsea win over Manchester United on Monday despite riling rivals boss Jose Mourinho the last time the Red Devils were at Stamford Bridge. The two English powerhouses meet in the FA Cup quarter-finals for the latest chapter of a rivalry […]

Miami (AFP) – Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will play each other in a one-off pre-season "El Clasico" in Miami in July, organizers confirmed Friday. The La Liga arch-rivals will meet at the Hard Rock Stadium, the 65,000-seat home of the NFL Miami Dolphins, on July 29. The match is part of the International […]

For viewers in the United States, the 2017 International Champions Cup will be televised live on ESPN and ESPN2, which will include the highly-anticipated game between Barcelona and Real Madrid on Saturday, July 29 — the first time ever el Clasico has been played in the United States. Out of the 12 games in the 2017 […]

London (AFP) – Lincoln manager Danny Cowley accepts his non-league side have just a "one in a thousand chance" of beating Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals but is determined they do more than just "enjoy the day". The Imps are the first non-league team to reach the last eight of the FA Cup, football's […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone believes Fernando Torres will be free to return from a sickening head clash in time for next week's Champions League meeting with Bayer Leverkusen. Torres lost consciousness in a challenge with Deportivo la Coruna's Alex Bergantinos eight days ago, but thankfully he was released from hospital a […]