Atletico Madrid did little to improve their underwhelming position in the league table as they were held to an entertaining 0-0 draw by Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica, making it three games without a win for Los Colchoneros.
Diego Simeone was looking for a response to the 1-0 defeat to Barcelona that left them trailing LaLiga s top three by five points, but a wasteful showing meant they were unsuccessful.
A rip-roaring opening 45 minutes produced chances aplenty at either end, but the post and poor finishing stopped Atletico from taking advantage, while Jan Oblak was in inspired form in the visitors net.
After the break there was initially a similar pattern to the contest, before Atletico upped the ante towards the end, but a woeful miss from Renan Lodi sum…
Tony Pulis has warned his arrival at West Brom does not guarantee Premier League survival despite his record of never being relegated.
The 56-year-old was confirmed as new head coach at the Hawthorns on Thursday, replacing Alan Irvine as chairman Jeremy Peace looks to revive the club s fortunes.
Much is expected of Pulis after his heroics last season at Crystal Palace, who finished 11th having been in the bottom three when the Welshman took over in November 2013.
However, he insists that his appointment provides no guarantees, and expects months of hard work from West Brom s players if they are to remain in Premier League.
I think it s the right club at the right time, he said on Friday.
I have got a decent record of going and helping tur…
Dinamo Zagreb have revealed that their leading scorer Duje Cop has agreed to join Serie A strugglers Cagliari.
Croatia international Cop has scored 15 goals in all competitons this season after finding the back of the net 33 times in the 2013-14 campaign.
The 24-year-old s outstanding form caught the attention of Cagliari, and Dinamo revealed on Sunday that Cop is set to link up with Gianfranco Zola s side.
Cop told Dinamo s official website: I have mixed feelings: I am happy and proud, but also a little sad.
I spent a wonderful two years here. I developed as a player and as a man, and I want to thank all the coaches and team-mates for beautiful experiences.
On the other hand, after two and a half years I wanted to try something new, an…
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Looking to book their Champions League quarter-final ticket on Tuesday night, Manchester City will welcome RB Leipzig to the Etihad for their second-leg meeting.
Manchester City
Starting with the hosts, while Manchester City might still be facing an uphill struggle if they re to defend their Premier League crown in 2023, Pep Guardiola s side are riding a recent wave of momentum. Last seen over the weekend eventually picking up a 1-0 victory away at Crystal Palace, the English heavyweights have now won each of their last four domestic matchups on the bounce. Although the former Barcelona boss might have been disappointed after his squad had to settle for a 1-1 draw out in Germany for their first-leg meeting on February 22nd, the Sky Blu…
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte had particular praise for Dejan Kulusevski s big impact from following a dominant win over Southampton.
A 4-1 victory in north London on Saturday marked Spurs biggest opening-day victory since beating Aston Villa 3-0 in August 1986.
Kulusevski was the star of the show, assisting Ryan Sessegnon s equaliser before adding his own name to the scoresheet in the second half, taking his impressive Premier League record to six goals and nine assists in 17 matches.
He crafted three chances for team-mates and finished with a hugely impressive 92.1 per cent passing accuracy, while also making four tackles – proof of his ability to work back defensively.
Dejan made a big impact but also last season. He and Rodrigo [Bentancur]…
Giacomo Bonaventura scored the only goal of the game as AC Milan made it 10 matches unbeaten in all competitions with a 1-0 Serie A win over Sampdoria.
The Rossoneri have experienced a significant upturn in fortunes under Gennaro Gattuso and they dominated an eventful contest at San Siro.
Ricardo Rodriguez saw a seventh-minute penalty saved, but Milan were not punished for his profligacy and Bonaventura netted what proved to be the decisive goal six minutes later.
But the remaining 77 minutes were filled with incident, Milan seeing a Leonardo Bonucci effort ruled out for offside while Hakan Calhanoglu struck the crossbar.
A lifeless Sampdoria team did not offer a genuine threat until Gianluca Caprari squandered a late chance to equalise and seventh-placed…
New Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes he can help the likes of Eden Hazard reach the level of the world s best.
The 2015-16 season was a campaign to forget for Chelsea, who finished 10th in the table as they surrendered their Premier League crown to Leicester City.
Hazard was significantly off the pace compared to the previous title-winning season, when he won numerous individual accolades, though the Belgium star did end the term with four goals in his final five matches.
And Conte, who oversaw a 2-0 defeat to Rapid Vienna in Saturday s opening pre-season friendly, insists Chelsea have men who can become top, top, top players .
These players, with work, can still improve a lot, said Conte. Because now we have players, fantastic players, who have …
Manchester City s Vincent Kompany has refuted claims he fouled Fernando Torres in the box late in his team s 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea.
The Belgium defender appeared to tug the shirt of the Blues striker inside the penalty area as Rafa Benitez s side mounted a comeback during the closing minutes of the Wembley encounter, with Torres insinuating that referee Chris Foy needed glasses.
But Kompany denied it was a penalty and said he did everything right in the challenge.
I thought it was great defending, he told ITV Sport. I put my body in the way, I did everything I could. He pulled, I put my body in the way this is football. It was a well fought game and not easy for both teams.
The victory sees City s bid to regain the trophy they last won …
Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi is nearing a comeback from a nightmare time on the sidelines with a knee ligament problem.
Rossi moved to Florence from Villarreal in January despite not having played competitive football since October 2011, and he is now finally nearing a return to first-team action and a long-awaited debut.
The striker s agent Andrea Pastorello revealed the Italian international could make an appearance for Vincenzo Montella s side before the end of the season.
Giuseppe is finally out of the tunnel, Pastorello told Radio Blu.
Maybe there will be time for him to debut, but you have to consider that he has been sidelined for a year and a half.
He really likes Florence, he gets on with his new team-mates and he has settled in …
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola handed Phil Foden a first Premier League start of the season in Sunday s clash at Arsenal.
Midfielder Foden has made seven league appearances for City this season but all had come from the bench before his promotion at Emirates Stadium.
The 19-year-old s inclusion came as one of four changes made by Guardiola to the side which lost the Manchester derby last weekend as Nicolas Otamendi, Bernard Mendy and Ilkay Gundogan were also recalled.
John Stones, David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Angelino were the players to make way.
Foden told Sky Sports: It s the hardest league in the world, so to get a start means everything. I have to keep proving myself and showing what I can do on the pitch. I am confident in my ability…