When the Champions League last-16 draw took place in December, Paris Saint-Germain versus Manchester United looked set to be the headline fixture.
However, a technical fault resulted in a re-draw, dashing hopes – at least at this stage – of seeing Lionel Messi take on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Instead, we get to take in Messi vs Real Madrid. All in all, it s not a bad trade-off.
There are plenty of side stories to assess heading into Tuesday s first leg in Paris. Will Neymar be back fit in time? What will Sergio Ramos think if he has to sit out the game injured? How about Kylian Mbappe going up against the side for whom he seems destined to sign at the end of the season?
Messi, though, is used to making headlines against Madrid, of course, and the Barcelona …
Ukraine finally ended their play-off curse by beating 10-man Slovenia 3-1 on aggregate to reach Euro 2016 after drawing the second leg 1-1 on Tuesday.
The country had lost five two-legged play-off matches to reach major tournaments in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2010 and 2014 but held on to progress to the tournament in France next year.
Slovenia captain Bostjan Cesar ensured they would be in for a nervous night by heading in an early opener and it was he who came closest to scoring a second that would have sent the tie to extra-time, forcing Andriy Pyatov into a vital late save.
Ukraine were deserving of their place in the Euros, though, having kept Samir Handanovic busy throughout the contest as they looked to put the match beyond doubt, before sealing their progress…
Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has been released following the expiry of his contract, the club has confirmed.
The 28-year-old was signed by former manager Antonio Conte shortly after the team’s last Premier League title triumph in 2017 but had not played for the club since the end of his first season.
He has since spent time on loan at AC Milan – with whom he won the Serie A title in 2022 – Napoli and former club Monaco.
The list of players retained for the 2023/24 season has been published, with Tiemoue Bakayoko’s departure from the club now confirmed.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
He arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £40million deal after helping Monaco to a surprise Ligue 1 title success, having been part of the team that also featu…
With many left shocked last month as it was announced that Mauricio Pochettino would be leaving after only a year in charge, the Blues are set to get a new era underway.
With it confirmed on June 3rd that now-former Leicester boss has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League giants, Chelsea face what is a crucial summer ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
While the Blues might have seen pass on the chance to secure a move to west London and looking like he will instead be heading to German giants Bayern Munich, Barcelona youngster looks set to sign a long-term contract over the coming days.
Although there might have been suggestions that Chelsea could be working within some stick financial restrictions, they look set to be active during this summer’s…
´I don´t know if the VAR wasn´t paying attention´ – Ghana boss exasperated by Ronaldo penalty decisi
Ghana coach Otto Addo fumed at the decision to award Portugal a penalty in their thrilling win over the Black Stars on Thursday, declaring: I don t know if the VAR wasn t paying attention .
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to net at five editions of the World Cup when he opened the scoring from the spot at Stadium 974, as Portugal eventually ran out 3-2 winners.
Ghana, however, were incensed by referee Ismail Elfath s decision to award the spot-kick, believing Mohammed Salisu won the ball with his challenge on the five-time Ballon d Or-winner.
Addo hit out at Elfath s performance and revealed he was denied the chance to speak to him after Ghana s defeat.
Asked whether Ronaldo benefitted from a favourable decision, Addo said: I think you d have to…
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated Lionel Messi always has his home at the club.
The Argentina superstar left Camp Nou in August 2021 to join Paris Saint-Germain, after financial issues left Barcelona unable to tie their academy graduate to a new contract.
Speculation of a return to Catalonia has been present ever since and have heated up ahead of 2023, when Messi is set to become a free agent unless he agrees to a fresh contract in the French capital.
Whether an emotional return materialises remains to be seen but Laporta is keen to stress that Messi will always be welcome.
Leo knows that at Barca he always has his home, he told Sport.
But let me not talk about Leo because he is a player of another team and we would enter again int…
With Manchester City making the trip to title rivals Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, we certainly have a heavyweight Premier League schedule from up and down the country.
On a Sunday that also sees both Newcastle and Liverpool make their respective returns to Premier League duties, we have taken a glance at some of the most intriguing betting markets that are available.
Sunday, October 8th
14:00 West Ham vs Newcastle
Putting in a famous Champions League performance earlier in the week as they claimed a stunning 4-1 romp against French giants PSG, Newcastle find the mood in their camp at an iconic high. Unbeaten in each of their opening two European appearances and riding a major wave of momentum, Eddie Howe’s side will now have their sights set on laying down an…
Alessandro Del Piero believes the imminent returns of Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba to Serie A will be a great move for Italian football.
Juventus are poised to re-sign Pogba following his departure from Manchester United, while Inter are pushing to bring Lukaku back from Chelsea following a disappointing year in the Premier League.
Both players will represent marquee additions for the two Serie A title hopefuls as they seek to knock Milan off their perch next season, while also boosting them in the hunt for glory in the Champions League.
Juventus legend Del Piero believes the deals have further significance, however, as he feels they can help to push Italian football to compete with the other top leagues in Europe following a number of years off the pace.
Poland s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Timoshenko on Monday pledged their countries will be ready to host Euro 2012, amid jitters about preparations for the football showcase.
Poland and Ukraine were given the chance to organise Euro 2012 and both countries will together steer this to a happy end, Tusk told reporters at a joint press conference with the visiting Ukrainian premier.
Timoshenko, meanwhile, said the slogan for Poland and Ukraine was two countries, one team .
The meeting was the first between Poland and Ukraine s leaders devoted to the tournament since April 2007, when the neighbours were UEFA s surprise pick to host the 2012 edition of the quadrennial, 16-nation championships, beating Italy and joint bidders Hunga…
Erik ten Hag hailed Alex Ferguson as the defining personality in Manchester United s recent history following his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The league confirmed on Wednesday that Ferguson and his former rival Arsene Wenger are the first two inductees of 2023.
During a remarkable 27-year managerial stint at Old Trafford, Ferguson took standards to an altogether different level and he arguably remains the benchmark.
He took charge in 1986, six years before the foundation of the Premier League, and went on to win the competition 13 times – that is nine more than any other coach or manager.
United are waiting for their first Premier League title since Ferguson s retirement in 2013, and Ferguson s legacy still lauds over every manager w…