De Bruyne to skip Nations League fixtures to manage workload

Kevin De Bruyne has asked to skip Belgium s remaining Nations League fixtures for 2024 in order to manage his workload, coach Domenico Tedesco has revealed.

On Friday, Tedesco named his 23-man squad for the Red Devils upcoming games against Italy and France in Group A2, with De Bruyne the headline omission.

De Bruyne played both of Belgium s games in the September international break, as they beat Israel 3-1 before losing 2-0 to France in Lyon.

After that latter match, he made headlines by questioning the mentality and fighting spirit of Tedesco s team, but he has reaffirmed his commitment to continuing on the international stage until at least the 2026 World Cup.

With Manchester City facing a gruelling schedule this term after qualifying for the first 3…

Bayern and Palhinha agree personal terms

According to multiple sources, Bayern Munich have reached a full agreement with Joao Palhinha over the personal terms of the contract for the Portugal international. They are currently locked in negotiations with Fulham over a transfer fee, with the figure of €45 million serving as the focal point of the talks.

Bayern were interested in Palhinha last summer and were reportedly on the verge of completing the transfer on Deadline Day, but they eventually failed to wrap things up for the transfer to actually happen. They obviously didn t give up throughout the 2023/24 season, and even though other links occasionally appeared, it seems they re very close to getting the 28-year-old to strengthen their midfield section before they attempt to reclaim the Bundesliga title from Bayer …

Brazil´s Neymar and Danilo ruled out of Switzerland clash

Neymar and Danilo have been ruled out of Brazil s clash with Switzerland through injury.

Both players sustained ankle problems in Thursday s 2-0 win over Serbia with Neymar later seen in tears on the bench after being caught by a strong challenge from Nikola Milenkovic.

Brazilian media were speculating the Paris Saint-Germain forward was unlikely to play again until the knockout phase but doctor Rodrigo Lasmar would only go as far as confirming both players would not be ready to take on Switzerland on Monday.

He said: Neymar and Danilo started treatment on their injuries immediately after our match on Thursday.

This morning they were re-evaluated, we thought it was important to have MRI scans in order to have further information regarding the recovery of…

Schweinsteiger slams Germany defending after shock World Cup defeat to Japan

Bastian Schweinsteiger criticised Germany s defence after a shock 2-1 defeat in their World Cup opener against Japan on Wednesday.

The former Germany international and 2014 World Cup winner singled out Niklas Sule, who was utilised at right-back by head coach Hansi Flick instead of his usual position as centre-back.

Germany took the lead through an Ilkay Gundogan penalty in the first half, before goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano dramatically turned things around in the second.

Speaking to German broadcaster ARD, Schweinsteiger said: We made big mistakes again in defence, and as long as we do that we will lose games, it s that simple!

The former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder then went into detail on Doan s equaliser, highlighting Su…

Southgate non-committal on Kane role against Wales following foot injury

Harry Kane is fit to face Wales, but Gareth Southgate stopped short of confirming the England captain would start.

Kane sustained a foot injury in England s World Cup opener against Iran, only to recover in time to lead the Three Lions out again against the United States.

The Tottenham forward struggled to impact that goalless draw, however, and there have been calls for him to be dropped for the final group game against Wales.

England are not yet through but would have to lose by four goals at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday to fall short of the knockout stage.

Discussing his team selection, Southgate outlined the need to balance freshness with stability .

Ahead of playing the United States, the England manager said it would be a brave decision …

Diaz rejects favourites tag as Liverpool star prepares for ´dream´ Madrid meeting

Luis Diaz insists Liverpool are not favourites to beat Real Madrid in Saturday s Champions League final, as he prepares for a dream appearance in European football s showpiece event.

Having already lifted the EFL Cup and FA Cup this season, Jurgen Klopp s team are looking to make up for missing out on the Premier League title by being crowned European champions for a seventh time in Paris.

Such a triumph would see Liverpool draw level with Milan s tally of European Cup/Champions League successes, leaving only Madrid (13) with more titles in the competition s history, as well as avenging their 2018 final loss to Los Blancos.

Liverpool have been touted as favourites after ending their domestic league campaign with a 19-match unbeaten run (16 wins, three draws), whi…

Maresca promises to bring excitement to Chelsea, tells fans to ´trust the idea´

Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea s supporters to trust the idea and promised to instil an enterprising, aggressive style of play at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca led Leicester City to the Championship title last season before making the move to West London after Mauricio Pochettino s surprise departure.

Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only campaign at the helm, also overseeing their penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in February s EFL Cup final.

Despite an upturn in the second half of 2023-24, Pochettino failed to win over Chelsea s fanbase after the Todd Boehly regime sanctioned an outlay of around £390million (€464m) before the season began.

Maresca s Leicester were known for their progressive brand of football, rank…

´A beautiful adventure´ – Pele congratulates Vinicius and Marcelo after Madrid´s Champions League tr

Pele has congratulated fellow Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Marcelo for their contributions to Real Madrid s triumphant Champions League campaign, which he hailed as a beautiful adventure . 

Vinicius converted Federico Valverde s cross in the 59th minute to fire Madrid to a 1-0 final win over Liverpool at the Stade de France, as Los Blancos were crowned European champions for a 14th time seven more occasions than any other team.

With his decisive strike, Vinicius became the first Brazilian player to score the winning goal in a Champions League final since Juliano Belletti did so for Barcelona against Arsenal in 2006, also in Paris.

The winger s sixth goal in the Champions League this season, combined with his previous four assists, made him the first South A…

´We want to win the Champions League and Premier League´ – Spurs coach Conte sets sights high for ne

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has outlined an aim to win the Champions League and Premier League ahead of his side s Premier League opener against Southampton this weekend.

Spurs finished last season strongly to pip rivals Arsenal to fourth place and Champions League qualification.

They have since been very active in the transfer window in order to beef up their squad as they look for silverware this upcoming campaign, having not lifted a trophy since 2008.

Richarlison, Everton s top goalscorer last season, arrived in a £60million deal, while Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Djed Spence and Clement Lenglet, on loan, have all also been signed.

This business has raised expectations at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but that is no issue for Conte, who …

Harry Kane embracing new pressure after Bayern Munich move

An outstanding 2017 resulted in Kane finishing 10th in the Ballon d’Or list but Spurs have endured a difficult few seasons since they made the Champions League final in 2019.

With Kane aware his chances of winning silverware were reducing at Tottenham, the forward made the decision to leave the north London club after a 19-year association.

He hinted part of the decision to leave Spurs was to play in the Champions League and have no regrets at the end of his career.

Kane added: “If you’re winning your league, winning the Champions League and we obviously have the European Championship next summer as well, I think as we’ve seen with the Ballon d’Or, you have to be winning team trophies to achieve that.

“Yeah, if I am scoring goals and we’re w…