Matchday five of the Champions League could mean qualification for the last 16 for some and spell trouble for others.
Bayern Munich and Manchester City are already through, but their respective opponents, Atletico Madrid and Porto, could do with positive results.
Real Madrid recorded a valuable win at Inter last time out but must do better against Shakhtar Donetsk than they did on matchday one, while the Nerazzurri themselves know nothing but a victory at Borussia Monchengladbach will do.
Liverpool need just a point at home to Ajax to progress, but with injury problems mounting and a 2-0 home loss to Atalanta last week, their progress no longer looks to be such plain sailing.
Classic matchday 5 goals!
Favourite? |
— UEFA Champions…
Boca Juniors have distanced themselves from suggestions a return for club icon Carlos Tevez is imminent, saying they are oblivious to any negotiation .
Tevez left Juventus in 2015 to return to La Bombonera, but after helping them to the Primera Division title that year he was tempted to the Chinese Super League with a lucrative offer from Shanghai Shenhua.
The 33-year-old is widely believed to be the best-paid player in the world, but talk of a move back to Boca emerged amid disappointing form – he scored just four goals in 16 appearances in the CSL.
Boca vice-president Horacio Paolini claimed at the weekend that a deal would be completed this week – comments president Daniel Angelici branded irresponsible – but a statement from the club suggests tha…
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic is quietly confident of his side s chances of success at Euro 2012.
Bilic s side kick-off their Group C campaign against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, looking to emulate the success they had at Euro 2008 when they reached the quarter-final stage.
But Croatia have suffered a significant blow with Bayern Munich forward Ivica Olic out with a thigh injury.
Basically the bottom line is that every group is hard. Every opponent is hard because we are playing in the Euros, Bilic said.
It s a cruel sports tournament and more cruel than the World Cup and not to mention the Olympic Games. This group is very hard, we have world champions and European champions and we have Ireland.
But, four years ago our group was very ha…
With the likes of the Championship making its return on Friday night, we have another intriguing set of fixtures from across Europe.
So, for those of you looking to stick on a Friday flutter, we have found a couple of helpful tips that can offer a great return for your bet.
16:30 HIFK vs KaPa
While HIFK might have shown a string of domestic issues on either side of June’s international break, Friday’s hosts have come roaring back in some style over the past few weeks. Skyrocketing their way up the Ykkonen standings, fans around the Bolt Arena are starting to believe that their side can secure an immediate top-flight return this season.
Signing off July with another stunning performance as they eventually snatched an action-packed 3-2 win away at Ja…
Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas admitted he was worried about his future at the club before proving head coach Antonio Conte wrong last season.
Fabregas struggled for game time in Conte s first campaign in charge before breaking his way in, helping Chelsea win the Premier League.
The Spain international has already started 12 league games in 2017-18 – one fewer than he managed all of last season.
But Fabregas said he was concerned about his future at the club during the start of 2016-17.
I would be lying if said I wasn t worried. Maybe worried is not the right word but you can imagine, he said ahead of his side s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
I wasn t playing, not really part of his initial plans and at that point you can do…
Verdict: Juventus win
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Juventus are coming into this game as favourites and rightly so. Juventus sit on top of the Seria A League table on 45 points , 4 points clear of Roma. However, Juventus with this game in hand can extend their advantage to 7 points. The home team are currently placed 9th in the table and have only lost 1 of their 5 games at home, while Juventus have lost 2 of their last 5 games away. However, sit a massive 18 points ahead of their rivals and they consequently go into the game as strong favourites.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina have been in great form at home and most recently defeated Chievo in the Coppa Italia 1-0. However, the last time Fiorentina won against Juventus came in the Coppa Italia 2014/2015 season. The…
Sydney FC hammered Melbourne Victory 6-1 in the Big Blue to end the A-League champions hopes of defending their title in this season s Grand Final.
Steve Corica s side led 3-0 at half-time at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday and added to their lead further after the interval.
A second-half brace from Adam Le Fondre ensured Sydney delivered a battering to Victory, who have competed in each of the past two Grand Finals.
Sydney, who lifted the trophy by beating Victory in 2016-2017 but lost to the same opposition in the semi-finals last season, will now face Perth Glory in the A-League Grand Final.
FT | See you in Perth next Sunday!
It s a Mother s Day massacre at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium!
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC)
Former Brazil international Ramires is keen on the idea of joining Inter as he considers a move away from Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning.
Ramires has spent the last two years in the CSL after Jiangsu paid a reported £25million to sign him from Chelsea.
But the 2014-15 Premier League winner, who has not played for the national team since his time at Stamford Bridge, is open to a return to Europe.
Inter have long been linked with moving for the 30-year-old and Ramires is eager to link up with Luciano Spalletti s side, with the San Siro club and Suning sharing the same parent company.
If Inter talked with my agent it s positive, if a great club shows interest in me then it means I m doing well, Ramires told Sky Sports Italy.
I d …
Cristiano Ronaldo is now the leading goalscorer in the history of men s international football after breaking Ali Daei s world record.
The Portugal star, who completed a stunning return to Manchester United this week, scored late on in Wednesday s World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland to bring up his 110th international goal.
Ronaldo s record-breaking goal came in the final minute of normal time. Moments after he saw a free-kick parried away by Gavin Bazunu, he was on hand to plant a trademark header into the bottom-left corner from Goncalo Guedes teasing cross.
That header restored parity in Faro, and he then doubled his tally in the dying embers of stoppage time to claim the points and take his total to 111 goals.
EWYGUHSDJ…
Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs interested in signing Djed Spence from Middlesbrough in the January transfer window, according to . Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are also keen on the 20-year-old full-back and have made regular checks on the youngster.
Spence has been on the books of Middlesbrough since 2018 when he joined the Championship club after leaving Fulham. The 20-year-old was introduced into the first-team fold by then Boro manager Jonathan Woodgate last season, and he has developed into an important player for the team under manager Neil Warnock.
According to , the full-back made 18 starts and four substitute appearances for Middlesbrough last season, scoring one goal in the process. So far this campaign, Spence has scored one goa…