Competition: Euro 2016 qualifier
Market: Netherlands to win against Latvia
Odds:

Netherlands are desperate to get their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, with the Oranje on the brink of missing out on an automatic qualifying place in Group A. Gus Hiddink’s side has so far struggled with the side after taking over from Louis Van Gaal, with Netherlands six points adrift of the automatic places.

They need a win at the minimum against Latvia this afternoon to maintain their pressure on first-placed Iceland and second-placed Czech Republic, as anything less than all three points could see the duo out of sight. Despite Netherlands having already lost to the Czech Republic and Iceland, they are being tipped to win against Latvia which could see them just three point…

Bukayo Saka scored two and assisted another as Arsenal eased past Crystal Palace 4-1 on Sunday to move eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners were eliminated from the Europa League by Sporting CP on Thursday, but they showed no sign of a hangover against managerless London rivals Palace.

Gabriel Martinelli s 13th league goal of the season gave Arsenal the lead at Emirates Stadium and Saka, who set up that opener, added a second before half-time.

Granit Xhaka put the game out of the reach of Palace, who did pull one back through Jeffrey Schlupp, before Saka s second made certain of a sixth league win in a row.

Arsenal survived an early scare when Schlupp played in Wilfried Zaha, who cut onto his right foot and f…

Does a Premier League switch beckon for Raphael Varane?

Varane has starred for Real Madrid, winning LaLiga and Champions League titles.

But Varane could be sacrificed in the Spanish capital, with Chelsea reportedly interested.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA FRONTRUNNERS FOR VARANE

Chelsea are ahead of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Varane has been linked with a move away from Madrid, who are looking to raise funds as they target PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland.

United have reportedly emerged as strong suitors but Chelsea are believed to be at the front of the queue to land the France international.

…

Palmeiras successfully defended their Copa Libertadores crown as they battled to a 2-1 extra-time win over Flamengo.

The Brazilian sides were both bidding for their third Libertadores title in Montevideo on Saturday, and it was Palmeiras who came out on top to become the first side to win the tournament in successive seasons since Boca Juniors did so in 2000 and 2001.

Palmeiras made a flying start, with Raphael Veiga scoring the earliest goal in a Libertadores final since 2008, but at the stadium where they won their maiden title in 1981, Flamengo s second-half dominance was rewarded when Gabriel Barbosa restored parity.

Having scored early in regulation time, Palmeiras repeated the feat in the additional period – substitute Deyverson proving their hero.…

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…

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…