Darmstadt v Borussia Dortmund: Gundogan confident amid injury troubles

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes coach Thomas Tuchel has the squad strength to cope with their current injury woes ahead of Wednesday s visit to Darmstadt.

Tuchel saw his side struggle to break down 10-man Hoffenheim in their 3-1 win at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday, with Dortmund missing centre-backs Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mats Hummels, while Gundogan was only fit for the second half after illness.

The likes of Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lukasz Piszczek all shook off injury or illness to feature as an initially lacklustre Dortmund eventually prevailed with three late goals after Sebastian Rudy had seen red for Hoffenheim.

It keeps Dortmund within eight points of leaders Bayern Munich amid a hectic fixture schedule t…

Appiah eager to avoid injury problems

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah is eager to avoid injuries in their final friendly before the FIFA World Cup against South Korea on Monday.

Appiah s men face South Korea at Sun Life Stadium in Miami as they finish their preparations for Ghana s tournament opener against the United States next Monday.

Ghana reached the World Cup quarter-finals in South Africa in 2010, but face a tough task if they are to replicate that feat in Brazil, having also been drawn in Group G alongside Germany and Portugal.

A number of teams have suffered high-profile injuries in the lead up to the competition, with group rivals Germany seeing Marco Reus ruled out due to an ankle problem suffered in last Friday s 6-1 win over Armenia.

And Appiah is keen to ensure that he has a full squad of pla…

Germany boss Low wants names in Russia World Cup doping row

Germany head coach Joachim Low has called for clarity in the controversy over doping allegations levelled at Russia s 2014 World Cup squad.

A report in the Mail on Sunday claimed that Russia s 23-man squad at the finals in Brazil, along with another 11 footballers, are people of interest to officials at the heart of the probe into state-sponsored doping in Russia.

FIFA is still investigating the claims, which relate to players mentioned in the McLaren Report, which last year claimed more than 1,000 Russian sportspeople benefitted from a highly organised state-doping scheme, described as corruption on an unprecedented scale that led to a ban on Russian athletes competing at the Rio Olympics.

Both FIFA and Russian officials have pointed out none of their players ha…

Toulalan set for Bordeaux move

Jeremy Toulalan is set to move to Bordeaux after his request to be released by Monaco was accepted.

Former France international Toulalan joined Monaco from Malaga in 2013 and had one more season remaining on his contract.

However, the club from the principality agreed to the captain s request for a move to Bordeaux, with the Nantes-born player citing a desire to move closer to his hometown.

The 32-year-old will arrive in the south west next week for a medical and to sign a deal with Jocelyn Gourvennec s team.

I spent three wonderful seasons with Monaco and I am proud to have contributed to the club s return to the forefront of the French and European stage, he said in a statement.

It is time for me to take on a different challenge that will also…

Brighton bring Locadia back to send him to MLS

On the last day of transfer window, there was a lot of activity from Brighton and Hove Albion, but one of their moves was particularly interesting. The Seagulls had signed Jurgen Locadia in January 2018 from PSV Eindhoven in a deal that was worth just under 15 million pounds. But since then, the Dutch forward has not done very well for the Premier League side and he was loaned to Hoffenheim last summer.

But now Brighton recalled him from a loan and not for them to give him a new chance, but rather to sell him elsewhere. It was reported a few days ago that FC Cincinnati are interested in Locadia ahead of the start of the new Major League Soccer season.

Cincinnati want to make him one of their star players and offer him a Designated Player deal, whilst Brighton see this a…

Juventus 3 Chievo 0: Allegri´s men cruise despite Ronaldo penalty save

Douglas Costa, Emre Can and Daniele Rugani all scored their first goals of the season as Juventus eased to a 3-0 Serie A win over struggling Chievo on Monday, despite Cristiano Ronaldo having a penalty saved.

Massimiliano Allegri s men were comfortable throughout in Turin and kept their healthy nine-point lead at the Serie A summit following Napoli s win over Lazio, though things would have been even more comprehensive had Ronaldo been accurate from the spot.

Although the visitors started positively, Juve still managed to take an early lead in style through Costa, before Can made it 2-0 late in the half – the Germany international scoring for the first time since joining from Liverpool.

Ronaldo wasted the chance to extend the advantage in the 52nd minute, thou…

Chalobah signs Chelsea contract until 2026

Trevoh Chalobah has been rewarded for his excellent start to the season with a new four-and-a-half-year contract at Chelsea. 

The 22-year-old defender has become an important part of Thomas Tuchel s squad this season, featuring in 10 games in all competitions after an impressive debut in the UEFA Super Cup final win over Villarreal in August.

He became the second youngest player to score on his Premier League debut for Chelsea when he struck against Crystal Palace that month and was on target again versus Southampton in October.

Having joined the Chelsea academy at the age of eight and spent the past three seasons out on loan at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town and Lorient respectively, Chalobah was elated to have tied himself to the Blues until 2026. 

Aubameyang relishing Arsenal reunion as Chelsea boss Potter says World Cup puts players in ´tricky p

Chelsea boss Graham Potter admits every player with World Cup aspirations is in a tricky position as domestic football continues just days before teams fly to Qatar.

The Blues are waiting on news of Ben Chilwell s hamstring injury, as he headed for a scan on Friday amid fears the muscle is torn, which would rule him out of England s plans.

Potter understands players have concerns about suffering injuries at such an unfortunate moment, but will demand his squad hold nothing back in Sunday s Premier League meeting with Arsenal.

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is poised to face his former club, and unlike many of his team-mates does not need to worry about the World Cup, which starts on November 20, having retired from international football within months …

Barrios unsure on Chile return

Paraguay s Lucas Barrios has mixed feelings about playing Chile in Tuesday s World Cup qualifying fixture.

The Borussia Dortmund striker is uncertain how he will react as he prepares to return to the country which propelled him to stardom.

Argentina-born Barrios played six years in Chile with three different clubs, but it was his spell with Santiago giants Colo Colo which made him an international-class player.

Barrios scored 53 goals in just 56 games for the club before moving to Germany in July 2009.

Speaking on Monday, the 27-year-old said he had a great deal of affection for Chilean football, but that he was 100 per cent committed to Paraguay.

The love that I have for Chile is enormous, because playing there opened doors for me in my career…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola bemused by Roy Keane words about Erling Haaland (Video)

Following Manchester City s underwhelming attacking performance against Arsenal on Sunday, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said Erling Haaland, the current record holder for the most Premier League goals scored in a season, looked like a League Two player.

To be honest, City boss Pep Guardiola probably wasn t the only one bemused by these words.

“Erling Haaland a League Two player?!”

“It surprises me when it comes from former players… the memory disappears quickly”

“I’m not the guy who will criticise his colleagues when I retire”

Pep FIRES BACK at Roy Keane and other pundits for criticising players

— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV)