Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid will have to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the quest for a club-record 16th straight La Liga win after coach Zinedine Zidane said both will miss Sunday's trip to Espanyol. Bale was forced off early by a hip knock as Real came from behind in dramatic fashion […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has urged midfielder Paul Pogba to forget his world-record price tag and concentrate on producing the goods for the team. United broke the world transfer record to bring Pogba, 23, back to the club from Juventus last month in a deal worth an initial 89 million pounds […]

Although it’s tough to better the raw passion of a city derby, tussles between rivals from separate regions can occasionally be just as encapsulating. Matches between Inter Milan and Juventus capture the emotion that can be stirred from these clashes perfectly. Known as the Derby d’Italia, down the years these games have historically carried enormous […]

London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refused to countenance the suggestion his side might be Premier League title contenders following their impressive 2-1 victory at Chelsea. Dejan Lovren's close-range volley and Jordan Henderson's sublime 25-yard curler earned Liverpool victory at Stamford Bridge on Friday, with Diego Costa replying for the home side. Liverpool have […]

London (AFP) – Mauricio Pochettino admits Harry Kane is feeling the strain of a testing summer but is convinced the striker will rediscover his scintillating form of last season. The 23-year-old England international and his Tottenham Hotspur team-mates will attempt to bounce back from the disappointment of Wednesday's defeat at Wembley to Monaco in the […]

Watford (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho insists Manchester United will get back on track at Watford in the Premier League on Sunday after successive defeats ruined a promising start to his reign. United won the Community Shield and reeled off three consecutive Premier League wins to raise hopes Mourinho's influence had quickly revitalised a […]

Milan (AFP) – AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca came off the bench to win the 'Battle of the Colombians' with a late strike in a 1-0 win at Sampdoria on Friday. Bacca started on the bench amid reports of a midweek spat with Rossoneri coach Vincenzo Montella. But amid the ever-present danger of a Sampdoria […]

Paris (AFP) – Edinson Cavani shrugged off his Champions League woes to score four goals in the first half as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a one-sided 6-0 win at Caen in Ligue 1 on Friday. The Uruguayan, charged with filling Zlatan Ibrahimovic's sizeable boots this season, was criticised for missing several gilt-edged chances in PSG's […]

London (AFP) – Jordan Henderson scored a stunning winning goal as Liverpool ended Antonio Conte's unbeaten record as Chelsea manager with an impressive 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Friday. In a dominant first-half display, Liverpool took the lead through Dejan Lovren before England midfielder Henderson curled home a superb effort from distance in the […]

Paris (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain have successfully appealed against the red card picked up by Italian midfielder Marco Verratti towards the end of Tuesday's Champions League draw with Arsenal, the French champions confirmed. Verratti was shown a second yellow card along with Arsenal's Olivier Giroud after the pair clashed off the ball in injury time […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Striker Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a contract extension with Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola revealed on Friday. City are due to announce that the Argentina international has agreed a one-year extension to his current deal, which will commit him to the club until 2020. Guardiola said he was […]

London (AFP) – New Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will be given opportunities to nail down a first-team place after dropping out of the starting XI, manager Arsene Wenger said on Friday. Wenger spent 35 million pounds ($46 million, 41 million euros) to prise Xhaka from Borussia Moenchengladbach during the close season, making him one of […]

London (AFP) – West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis does not expect much to change at the club following its acquisition by a Chinese investment group, he said on Friday. Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited, led by Chinese entrepreneur Guochuan Lai, formally completed its takeover of the Premier League club on Thursday. Former chairman Jeremy […]

Turin (Italy) (AFP) – Torino and England goalkeeper Joe Hart said Friday he has no hard feelings towards Pep Guardiola despite being unceremoniously forced out at Manchester City and replaced by Claudio Bravo from Barcelona. Hart, who joined City as a teenager in 2006, signed for the unfashionable Serie A club on a season-long loan […]

Madrid (AFP) – Highly rated coach Diego Simeone said Friday he has shortened his contract with Atletico Madrid by two years until June 2018, a move likely to stir fresh speculation about his future. The 46-year-old Argentine, who took Atletico to the Spanish league title in 2014 and the Champions League final last season, has been […]