Robert Lewandowski continued what has felt like a one-man argument for the Bundesliga s status quo as he inspired Bayern Munich to a 4-0 Klassiker victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena.
On the face of it, these are changing times in Germany s top flight, not least for Bayern.
The reigning champions were playing their first league game under interim head coach Hansi Flick after Niko Kovac didn t so much run out of road as go careering off the autobahn during last weekend s miserable visit to his old employers Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lewandowski got Bayern s goal to briefly punctuate the misery at the Commerzbank-Arena. Of course he did.
Saturday s opener to begin another Dortmund ordeal in Bavaria continued his run of scoring in every Bundeslig…
Arsenal are interested in signing Mohammed Kudus from Ajax in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the former Premier League winners have asked about the midfielder’s current situation following his impressive performances for Ghana at the ongoing 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
Kudus has been on the books of Ajax since 2020 and has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in Eredivisie. The 22-year-old has done well for Ajax, both in the Dutch domestic league and in European club competitions.
The former Nordsjaelland midfielder has made five starts and nine substitute appearances in the Eredivisie for Ajax so far this season, scoring five goals in the process. Kudus has also made five starts and one substitute appea…
Willian marked his 300th appearance for Chelsea with the winner as Frank Lampard s side dug deep to beat Lille 2-1 and get off the mark in the Champions League.
The Brazilian had a mostly quiet game but produced a rare moment of quality in the second half, cracking a powerful volley beyond Mike Maignan in the 77th minute to secure three points.
Tammy Abraham had earlier marked his 22nd birthday with his first Champions League goal, but Victor Osimhen headed Lille level by half-time.
The first half had been vibrant, but the level of both sides dipped in the second 45 minutes. Chelsea were happy to take the spoils by any means, however, having lost their opening Group H match to Valencia at Stamford Bridge.
Lille, meanwhile, have suffered back-to-back def…
Market: Over 1.5 goals
Odds: 2/5 @
Desperate to claim a Championship boost in midweek, West Brom will travel to the New York Stadium when they meet Rotherham on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Rotherham might have eventually clung to their Championship status last season, it appears that the Millers are facing another major uphill struggle this time around. Last seen over the weekend getting hit with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Swansea, interim boss Wayne Carlisle finds his downbeat squad sat rock-bottom of the table and rightfully tipped as a leading relegation contender. Mustering just 13 points from their first 20 Championship appearances this season, the Yorkshire-based outfit are also without a win from any of their previous eight straight outi…
Zinedine Zidane said he would have liked his relationship with Real Madrid and president Florentino Perez to have been a little different following his Los Blancos exit.
Zidane led Madrid to the 2019-20 LaLiga title in his second spell in charge, but the Frenchman elected to move on after the club s runners-up finish behind city rivals Atletico Madrid in 2020-21.
In his first spell, from January 2016 to May 2018, Zidane delivered three successive Champions League triumphs and one LaLiga title.
Drawn back to the club in March 2019, his second tenure did not prove quite as successful, although he led Madrid to LaLiga success in the 2019-20 season.
Zidane departed after a barren campaign on the trophy front, however, with Madrid losing early to minnows Alco…
The Champions League has reached the quarter-final stage, with all four ties to be played over one leg in Lisbon over the next four days.
Last-eight regulars Barcelona and Bayern Munich meet in arguably the pick of the fixtures, while much-fancied Manchester City take on Juventus conquerors Lyon.
Elsewhere, quarter-final debutants Atalanta and RB Leipzig will be looking to pull off upsets against Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid respectively.
Ahead of the mouthwatering ties, we take a look at the key Opta statistics.
Two hurdles from the final. Who makes it?
YOU decide! Sim your own Final 8 now |
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
ATALANTA V PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
0 PSG have never won a game against Italian opp…
Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Atletico Madrid left-back Renan Lodi on a season-long loan.
Forest will reportedly pay Atleti an initial £4.2million (€5m) loan fee for Lodi, who has also renewed his deal with the LaLiga club until 2026.
Lodi becomes promoted Forest s 18th signing of a busy transfer window.
The Brazil international joined Atleti from Athletico Paranaense in June 2019 and has made 84 appearances in the Spanish top flight, scoring four goals and adding six assists.
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Barcelona head coach Xavi believes everyone is prepared as he highlighted the importance of squad players after the 3-0 victory over 10-man Elche at Camp Nou.
Memphis Depay s strike and Robert Lewandowski s double saw Barca cruise to a fifth win in their opening six La Liga games, while adding a fourth consecutive league clean sheet.
The three points moved them top of the table ahead of Sunday s Madrid derby, and Xavi believes squad depth will be vital as Barcelona bid to land their first LaLiga title since the 2018-19 campaign.
We are a broad squad, in which everyone trains well. Everyone is prepared and plugged in when the team needs it, and that s what s important, Xavi said.
It s an atypical year with a tight schedule. We won t rest for a few w…
Nathaniel Clyne has joined Crystal Palace on a short-term contract, returning for a second spell at Selhurst Park after eight years away.
Clyne was released by Liverpool, who he joined from Southampton in 2015, earlier this year.
The 29-year-old is reunited with Roy Hodgson, under whom he won 13 of his 14 England caps.
I m a London boy, this is where I grew up. I m back home and all my family and friends are here, Clyne told the club s website.
It s surreal being back, enjoying it and hopefully I can just crack on and enjoy my football again.
Palace have six points from their opening four Premier League matches, with victories over Southampton and Manchester United followed by back-to-back losses against Everton and Chelsea.
C…
Portugal have booked their place in the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar with a 2-0 win against Uruguay at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail on Monday evening.
The win means that the 2016 European Championship winners are at the top of Group H at the moment with six points from two matches.
Portugal are three points ahead of second-placed Ghana, while South Korea and Uruguay are on one point each and are third and fourth respectively in the standings.
Fernando Santos’s side have ascertained their place in the knockout rounds at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and will win the group with maximum points against South Korea.
Even a defeat will suffice as long as Ghana do not win by a big margin against Uruguay.
Portugal got the better …