Huntelaar ruled out of UEFA Champions League play-off

Thomas Tuchel has stressed Borussia Dortmund cannot afford to underestimate Werder Bremen in Saturday s Bundesliga encounter.

Dortmund sit second in the Bundesliga table with 23 points from 10 games, some 13 points above 14th-placed Bremen.

Nevertheless, Tuchel has warned his side against complacency at Weserstadion.

It is very hard to say what to expect from Bremen. They could cause us problems, Tuchel said at his pre-match news conference on Friday.

There is always a great atmosphere in Bremen. We need to put in a great performance in order to get something out of the game.

We are on the right path and want to continue on this road.

Right-back Matthias Ginter has been a key figure for Dortmund going forward and Tuchel is delighted …

Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs believes Juan Mata has earned the trust of manager Jose Mourinho for his performances this season.

The Spain international was sold to United by Mourinho when he was Chelsea manager in January 2014, and his future at Old Trafford was called into question when the Portuguese took over from Louis van Gaal this year.

Mata was furious when he was substituted in the Community Shield win over Leicester City just 27 minutes after being brought on in the second half, but he has gone on to establish himself as a key component of Mourinho s side and scored his fourth goal of the season in Saturday s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

And Giggs, who was United assistant manager under Van Gaal and a coach under predecessor David Moyes, believes t…

Mitch Duke and debutant Jason Cummings scored as Australia beat New Zealand 2-0 in Auckland on Sunday to secure back-to-back wins over the All Whites ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

The Socceroos had beaten New Zealand 1-0 in Brisbane on Thursday and triumphed again at Eden Park despite fielding an entirely different starting XI, netting twice in the second half.

New Zealand arguably were the better side in the first half with a handful of half chances, but lost star striker Chris Wood to an apparent rib injury in the 32nd minute.

Marco Tilio inexplicably missed a golden opportunity on the stroke of half-time from Duke s cutback before the Japan-based forward headed in Connor Metcalfe s cross in the 54th minute.

The hosts had a sniff in the 68th minute when …

Premier League clubs have spent more on players this season than any other, figures released by Deloitte have revealed.

Spending in the January window was roughly £130million, taking the league s total for 2013-14 to £760m breaking the £700m barrier for the first time.

Manchester United signed Juan Mata for a club-record £37.1m in January s biggest move with Chelsea investing £12m of that into the signing of Kurt Zouma, although the Frenchman will remain with Saint-Etienne for the remainder of the season.

This year s total was well below the record for a January window, £225m in 2011, but a series of big-money moves earlier in the campaign have helped the overall figure.

Arsenal smashed their transfer record to sign Mesut Ozil for £42.5m, with Chelsea spen…

Manuel Pellegrini believes the mental scars of a poor 2017-18 season are to blame for West Ham s concerning start to the new Premier League campaign.

Thumped 4-0 at Liverpool last weekend, the Hammers slumped to a second loss as Bournemouth overturned a half-time deficit to win 2-1 at London Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts were thoroughly outplayed in the second half with a creaking defence causing particular concern for Pellegrini just two games into his tenure.

The former Manchester City boss has identified a lack of confidence as the issue and admitted last season, much of which was spent fighting against relegation, is weighing on his players minds.

Yes, I think so. That s one of the reasons why in the second half we changed so much and tried to keep …

According to Marca, European champions Real Madrid wanted to sign Edin Dzeko during the summer transfer window. The Bosnian forward, who has been a revelation in front of goal since moving to Roma back in 2016, was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea during the summer. Alas, it turns out that Real were also interested in the idea of signing him, with Dzeko even speaking to officials at the club about the possibility of making the move happen.

In the end, the 32 year old veteran decided to remain with the Italians for at least another season as he continues to thrive in the prime of his career. Dzeko often isn t viewed as a stereotypical goalscorer given his stature, but as he moves into the latter stages of his career, you could make the argument that he s one of the most und…

In-form Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace proved enough for Manchester United to edge past battling Luton after their electric start threatened to turn into a chastening Kenilworth Road collapse.

Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils have enjoyed an unbeaten start to 2024 and are hoping for a brighter future under Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the Ineos chairman prepares to officially become minority owner next week.

United racked up a fifth straight win in all competitions on Sunday but made hard work of their 2-1 victory against Luton after Hojlund had struck twice in the opening seven minutes.

The opener came just 37 seconds after kick-off and saw the 21-year-old replace Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock as the youngest player to score in six straight Premier League matches.