London (AFP) – Chelsea icon John Terry looks primed to be thrown straight back into action on Saturday against struggling Hull in a bid to end a run of two successive Premier League defeats. Both losses to Liverpool and Arsenal have been since Terry damaged ankle ligaments but having returned to training this week and […]

Moscow (AFP) – Russian Premier League table-toppers Spartak Moscow hope to bounce back from last week's 1-0 home defeat to minnows Ufa when they visit Zenit St Petersburg on Sunday. Despite last weekend's shock, Spartak still have a one-point lead at the top over second-placed reigning champions CSKA, while Zenit sit third, two points further […]

Paris (AFP) – Lucien Favre's extended honeymoon on the Cote d'Azur pits his surprise Ligue 1 leaders Nice against Lorient this weekend, while Lyon host bitter foes Saint-Etienne in the Rhone derby. Favre, who replaced Southampton-bound Claude Puel in the summer, has overseen a remarkable start to his tenure at the Allianz Riviera with Nice […]

Liverpool (AFP) – An in-form Liverpool head to Swansea City this weekend without Mamadou Sakho as he looks to repair his rocky relationship with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp. The France international claimed in a late-night Snapchat post before Liverpool's 5-1 win over Hull City last weekend game that the club were telling "lies" about his […]

Madrid (AFP) – After another stellar week for Spanish clubs in the Champions League, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid resume their three-way battle for La Liga supremacy on Sunday. Real were the only Spanish side not to win in midweek, but got a creditable 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund to remain on course for […]

Milan (AFP) – Juventus and Napoli get back to Serie A basics after impressive Champions League wins while Inter Milan's league-leading scorer Mauro Icardi looks to add to his tally away to Roma on Sunday. Champions Juventus, favourites for a record sixth consecutive 'scudetto', can feel confident of maintaining their one-point lead on Napoli at […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Scottish giants Rangers' return to the top tier is proving a rude awakening to those fans who thought they would be automatically challenging bitter rivals Celtic for the Premiership title. They host bottom side Partick Thistle on Saturday badly in need of a win to offset recent troubles on and off the […]

Berlin (AFP) – A sixth straight Bundesliga win for Bayern Munich, at home to Cologne on Saturday, will see coach Carlo Ancelotti equal the record for the best start in Germany's top flight. Borussia Moenchengladbach's Andre Schubert, who managed the feat last year, and Willi Entenmann, with Stuttgart in 1986, are the only two Bundesliga […]

London (AFP) – Premier League chiefs will hope attention returns to on-field matters this weekend after an uncomfortable few days in the spotlight for English football. Sam Allardyce's one-game career as England manager came to a shock end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments made to undercover reporters, which continued Thursday with […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho rued the "poisoned gift" of his side's fixture schedule as he contemplated a potentially seismic run of matches in October. United got their Europa League campaign off the ground with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Zorya Luhansk at Old Trafford on Thursday and host Group […]

Paris (AFP) – Francesco Totti at 40 continues to shine for Roma, Manchester United needed Zlatan Ibrahimovic's height to see off stubborn Zorya Luhansk while Mario Balotelli got on the score sheet for Nice again in Europa League action. AFP Sports picks out the best of the games from matchday two on Thursday: Three assists […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed in a 69th-minute winner as Manchester United got their Europa League campaign off the ground with a laboured 1-0 home win over Zorya Luhansk on Thursday. Beaten 1-0 at Feyenoord in their Group A opener, Jose Mourinho's side struggled to break down their unadventurous Ukrainian opponents until […]

Milan (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was targeted by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea last year but was blocked by an agreement between his agent and Juventus, the Frenchman's agent Mino Raiola said Thursday. Pogba, who left United for free to join Juventus in 2012 at the age of 18, returned to Old Trafford […]

Paris (AFP) – Inter Milan were stunned at Sparta Prague, Schalke 04 put their Bundesliga woes to one side when cruising past Salzburg while Mario Balotelli got on the score sheet for Nice again in Europa League action. AFP Sports picks out the best of the early games from matchday two on Thursday: Schalke reborn […]

Milan (AFP) – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was targeted by Jose Mourinho for Chelsea last year but was blocked by an agreement between his agent and Juventus, the Frenchman's agent Mino Raiola said Thursday. Pogba, who left United for free to join Juventus in 2012 at the age of 18, returned to Old Trafford […]