Jurgen Klopp enjoyed a welcome boost as Borussia Dortmund booked a place in the UEFA Champions League last 16 by beating Galatasaray 4-1.
The 2012-13 runners-up are struggling domestically in the Bundesliga following five straight defeats, but rallied to maintain their 100 per cent record in Group D in Europe s elite club competition on Tuesday.
Having previously crushed the same opponents 4-0 in Istanbul after earlier wins over Arsenal and Anderlecht, the German outfit are already safely through to the knockout stages.
I told my players to enjoy this, said Klopp.
It s important we ve got to feel the good things as there are now five days until the next league game.
Dortmund dominated Galatasaray from the outset in Turkey, but the return game …
Uncertainty continues to shroud the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations heading into this weekend s crucial round of qualifying fixtures.
Morocco was stripped of the right to host the finals by CAF on Tuesday after requesting that the tournament be postponed due to fears over the spread of the Ebola virus.
Additionally, Morocco s team have been disqualified from competing at the event.
African football’s governing body CAF is now scrambling to find an alternative location just two months before the AFCON is due to start, although president Issa Hayatou expects a new host to be confirmed in the next two to three days.
The furore has not affected the final two rounds of qualification, the first of which takes place this weekend with reigning champions Nigeria bat…
It was little wonder Mikel Arteta had his head in his hands and that was before Chelsea grabbed a late winner in a 2-1 victory at Arsenal on Sunday.
The new Gunners head coach had seemingly produced a masterclass, outmanoeuvring Frank Lampard a week on from the Chelsea boss own breakout tactical
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display away at Tottenham.
But then Bernd Leno, one of Arsenal s more consistent performers in this miserable season, failed to intercept Mason Mount s deep 83rd-minute free-kick and instead left an open goal for Jorginho, who might have been sent off six minutes earlier and was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for wrestling Matteo Guendouzi to the ground.
As has so often been the case for Arsenal this term, worse was still to come.
Tammy Abra…
Teenager Jason Knight scored twice to end 10-man Derby County s seven-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the final match before the start of Wayne Rooney s Rams playing career.
Player-coach Rooney is in line to debut against Barnsley this week, formally completing a January transfer from DC United, but his new side had largely struggled in the Championship in his absence until Monday s improved display at Pride Park.
It was a player 16 years Rooney s junior who made the difference with his first senior goals, the opener a brave, stooping header after just 10 minutes.
The hosts were dealt a blow when ex-Charlton loanee Krystian Bielik was shown a straight red card for an awful, late lunge on Conor Gallagher, but the 10 men remained in co…
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes insists Robinho still has a future at Eastlands despite the Brazil forward s reported admission that he would love to join Barcelona.
Robinho is currently sidelined with an ankle injury but he fuelled speculation of a January move to the Nou Camp when he was quoted this week saying that it would be a dream to play for Barca.
It is not the first time Robinho has been linked with a move since joining City from Real Madrid in 2008.
But Hughes said on Friday: There is always speculation and noise surrounding Robinho. That has been the case since he came to the club.
He is a great guy. We are not in the process of taking outstanding players out of the team.
We want to complement the outstanding players at the club…
Chelsea are prepared to consider offers for Armando Broja this summer, according to several sources.
Journalist Ben Jacobs reports that Fulham hold serious interest in the Albanian striker. Wolverhampton Wanderers also want him in their ranks, but at this point, they would prefer a loan for the rest of the season to a permanent transfer. West Ham were interested in Broja in the past, and therefore might re-enter the race at any point.
Chelsea s main problem this season has been inability to convert chances, and it seems manager Mauricio Pochettino doesn t consider Broja to be the solution.
The 22-year-old recovered from an ACL injury at the start of the season, and he s been getting gradually back to full fitness. He started four of the last seven Premier League…
Liverpool are closing in on an £8m deal for Paris Saint Germain forward Ezequiel Lavezzi, .
The Merseyside club have been given a boost in their hopes of landing the Argentina international, with the Ligue 1 Champions ready to move for Benfica’s Nicloas Gaitan as a replacement.
Lavezzi moved to the French capital in the summer of 2012, and has since made one hundred and nine appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals, while he has been part of the squads that have won back to back titles, as well as the French League up last year.
Internationally, he has scored four goals in thirty-seven games for his country, with one of those appearances coming in last summer’s World Cup final in Brazil where Argentina lost to Germany in extra time.
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Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has insisted the club will not sell former Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic during the January transfer window.
Bojan, 24, joined the Potters on a four-year deal last summer, but has recently been linked with a move to Liverpool.
However, according to Hughes, the former Spain Under-21 international is not for sale this month.
He s done exceptionally well. We knew it would take a little bit of time for him to get to grips with the Premier League and he s done that, said Hughes.
He s playing well. He s a talented football player and I think he s proving that in the Premier League.
At this stage of his career that he s had disappointments such as being sent out on loan by Barcelona, the disappointments he ha…
Does Mandzukic deserves a better chance at Juve this season? / Image via playingfor90.com
Last couple of seasons have been fairly frustrating for Croatia international striker Mario Mandzukic who could be on the move once again, for the third time in just two years’ period.
The towering striker has gained somewhat a reputation of a footballing nomad as he went from Bayern to Atletico and over to Serie A champions Juventus in unexpectedly short timeline for a player of his calibre.
Just little over a year since his arrival to Turin, the 30-year-old striker is being linked with a move away from Juventus but there is plenty to suggest that the Croat was being perhaps undeservedly pushed over to the margins in his last three clubs. And that is exactly the main top…
Per Mertesacker claims that sealing back-to-back victories has given Arsenal a well-timed confidence boost ahead of their Champions League clash with Olympiacos.
Arsene Wenger s side, playing in their 18th consecutive campaign, host the Greek champions on Tuesday as they look for their first victory in Group F.
Arsenal were dispatched 2-1 by Dinamo Zagreb on matchday one, while Olympiacos also tasted defeat in losing 3-0 at home to 2013 champions Bayern Munich – their only loss of 2015-16 so far.
The clubs have been drawn together at this stage in three of the previous six seasons, with the home side prevailing in each of those meetings.
And Mertesacker, who started his first Premier League game in over a month in place of the suspended Gabriel in…