Thomas Tuchel is anticipating a special experience for Chelsea ahead of their tie against Real Madrid and the Blues rates Karim Benzema as one of the best players in the world.
Chelsea host LaLiga leaders Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday. Tuchel s team beat Los Blancos 3-1 over two legs in the semi-finals last season en route to becoming European champions for a second time.
The holders could become the first English team to eliminate Madrid from the knockout stages of the competition on multiple occasions.
History is certainly on Chelsea s side, with Madrid having faced the team from west London more times without winning than they have against any other side in European competition (five).
Madrid have been c…
Gareth Barry, who holds the record for the most appearances in the Premier League, has retired at the age of 39.
The former England midfielder played for Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton before finishing up at West Brom, where he spent two seasons in the Championship.
Barry played in 653 top-flight games and won 53 caps for his country, scoring three goals during an international career that included playing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He was also an unused member of Kevin Keegan s Three Lions squad at Euro 2000, having become a regular by then in the Villa first team.
Linked with a move to Liverpool at one time, Barry eventually left Villa Park in 2009 to join City, going on to win both the FA Cup and the Premier League under Roberto M…
Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw
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Empoli and Sampdoria will face each other in Serie A next week. The match between Gli Azzurri and I Blucerchiati will take place at Stadio Carlo Castellani and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time next Monday.
Empoli
Empoli won promotion from Serie B to Serie A at the end of the 2020-21 season and did well last season. They ended up as high as 14th in the league table, picking up as many as 50 points from 38 matches. And things are going the same way this time around.
Paolo Zanetti’s side are 13th in the Serie A table at the moment with 19 points from 17 matches. They are above the likes of Hellas Verona, Sassuolo and Sampdoria in the standings, and it shows just how good the…
Is a Manchester United reunion on the cards for Cristiano Ronaldo?
Ronaldo s future at Juventus has dominated headlines this season.
But returning to Old Trafford is reportedly not in the pipeline.
TOP STORY – NO UNITED REUNION FOR RONALDO
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will not be returning to Manchester United, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
A report earlier this month claimed United were looking to re-sign Ronaldo, who won three Premier League titles and the Champions League in six years at Old Trafford before joining Real Madrid in 2009.
But Romano says United are focusing on different players and not Ronaldo – also a reported target for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
De Bru…
Bruno Genesio revelled in a great night for everyone , as incredible Lille stunned Champions League holders Real Madrid 1-0 at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Jonathan David s first-half penalty after Eduardo Camavinga handled from Edon Zhegrova s free-kick ended Madrid s 14-match unbeaten streak in this competition, while condemning them to a first reverse overall in 36 games.
Genesio also had Lucas Chevalier to thank after the Lille goalkeeper made a string of superb saves to keep Carlo Ancelotti s side at bay, including a wonderful instinctive stop to thwart Antonio Rudiger right at the death.
Indeed, Madrid simply had no answer to their stubborn hosts, despite the introduction of a fit-again Kylian Mbappe during the second half.
And Genesio saluted his players f…
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Jordi Alba in the summer transfer window, according to . Alba is leaving Barcelona and is available on a free transfer, and former La Liga champions Atletico are keen on securing his services.
Alba joined Barcelona back in 2012 from Valencia and has been superb for the Blauugrana over the years. The Spain international is one of the best left-backs of all time and has won multiple times with Barca. Alba won the La Liga title six times, the Copa del Rey on five occasions, and the UEFA Champions League once with Barcelona.
Barcelona won the La Liga title this season after picking up 88 points from 38 matches, 10 points more than second-placed and bitter rivals Real Madrid. Atletico ended the season third in the standings with 77 p…
Tottenham have given Harry Kane permission to fly to Germany to complete his proposed move to Bayern Munich.
The England captain is set to undergo a medical ahead of a reported £95million switch to the Bundesliga champions.
The PA news agency understands reports that Spurs had refused the 30-year-old permission to fly out to Munich are false.
But there could still be some small conditions to change in the deal to prise the striker away from the Premier League.
Kane is about to enter the final year of his Tottenham contract, meaning he would be free to leave for nothing in 12 months’ time.
Chairman Daniel Levy is believed to value the striker closer to £120m, but the risk of the club’s star asset departing for nothing in under a year has unde…
Marquinhos is set to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain in the next few days, according to .
The Brazilian centre-back, also capable of playing as a defensive midfielder, has become the main figure in the PSG back line since Thiago Silva joined Chelsea in 2020. The club tried to replace one veteran with another by bringing in Sergio Ramos, but the former Real Madrid captain hasn t been able to justify expectations due to constant injury issues, and Marquinhos is still the one in command ahead of the goalkeeper.
The 27-year-old joined PSG from AS Roma in 2013 and has so far made a total of 355 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants in all competitions, scoring 34 goals. Even though his current deal has over two years left to run, it s clear that the club see him st…
Massimiliano Allegri called on Juventus to turn around their recent poor form when they host Atalanta on Sunday as he expressed his disappointment at a run that has seen them fall 18 points behind Inter Milan.
Juve topped Serie A as recently as late January, but their title challenge looks all-but over after they collected just five points from their last six games.
They were beaten by defending champions Napoli last time out, with Inter now looking increasingly likely to claim their first title since 2021.
Coach Allegri meets the press ahead of Sunday s :
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Two camps looking to pick up some real momentum ahead of EURO 24, the Netherlands will welcome Scotland to Amsterdam for a friendly showdown on Friday night.
Netherlands
Starting with the hosts, while the Netherlands might have initially struggled to find their feet when Ronald Koeman was reappointed last year, the European giants signed off 2023 in the midst of a real purple patch. Eventually cruising their way to a major tournament return, the former Barcelona boss will be dreaming of the chance to mount a genuine EURO 24 charge this summer. Drawing a line under their qualifying adventure with a routine 6-0 romp away at Gibraltar, Holland also collected six victories from their final seven Group B appearances. Although the Netherland…