Premier League fixtures: Mourinho and Guardiola to promptly renew rivalry

Jose Mourinho will not have to wait for long to renew his rivalry with Pep Guardiola when Manchester United take on Manchester City at Old Trafford on September 10.

United and City meet in what will be the fourth Premier League game in charge for both managers, who famously clashed when they managed Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively in La Liga.

Mourinho and Guardiola have done battle a total of 16 times as managers, with the Catalan winning seven, six matches ending in draws and three wins for The Special One .

The most recent meeting came in August 2013 when Guardiola s Bayern Munich defeated Chelsea on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw in the UEFA Super Cup final in Prague.

The second Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium is due to take place on…

Conte masterclass marks end of an era for Spain

Eight years on from a painful night in Vienna where they inadvertently started it all, Italy clinically and mercilessly snuffed out the last embers of one of the greatest sides in the history of international football at the Stade de France.

Spain prevailed via a quarter-final penalty shootout at Euro 2008 a first competitive triumph in 88 years over a nation who understandably filled them with dread. Fernando Torres scored the winner in the final against Germany but proclaimed beating Italy as the moment Spain took a second European title into their possession.

They added a third by thumping the Azzurri 4-0 in Kiev in 2012, with a World Cup in between thrown in for good measure. But this last-16 encounter in Saint-Denis was one both teams entered with scars.

For…

Jurgen Klopp admits Trent Alexander-Arnold may be the middle man Liverpool need

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has softened his opinion over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s versatility as a potential midfielder but still believes he best serves the team from his natural right-sided role.

Just over two years ago, after the 25-year-old was deployed in a central position against Andorra by England boss Gareth Southgate, Klopp said there was no need to change the defender into a midfielder.

Those lines have been blurred since Alexander-Arnold started performing the hybrid role of stepping into central areas when Liverpool are in possession and Klopp took it one step further in last month’s Carabao Cup win at Bournemouth when he brought him on to replace holding midfielder Wataru Endo for the final half-hour.

Alexis Mac Allister has been performing …