Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain go to Ligue 1 leaders Lyon in a mouth-watering encounter that could shape the title race.
Paris Saint- Germain boss Laurent Blanc has expressed his pleasure with Thiago Silva s return to form ahead of their crucial Ligue 1 battle at Lyon.
Two of the league s heavyweights will clash at the Stade de Gerland on Sunday, with leaders Lyon hoping to extend their two-point lead on both Marseille and the Parisians.
The match shapes as crucial in what appears to be a three-way Ligue 1 title race and Lyon are without key men Alexandre Lacazette (hamstring) and defender Milan Bisevac (knee).
But while Lyon will lick their wounds, Blanc is thankful towering defender Silva is back to his best form.
The Brazilian miss…
Real Madrid have a one-point lead on rivals Barcelona in La Liga, but will be backing up from European action this weekend.
Real Madrid will have to back up from mid-week European action when they travel to Elche on Sunday, while Barcelona host Malaga on Saturday in La Liga.
Barca can go provisionally top with a win at Camp Nou, and Real will be battling fatigue after playing in Germany on Wednesday when they were 2-0 winners over Schalke in their last-16 first leg.
While trying to defend their European crown, Real are also trying to reclaim the domestic title something midfielder Toni Kroos said was a priority.
Every game in the Champions League is of the highest international level, against the best players in Europe. Battles like that help you gain ex…
I am writing this piece before England’s game in Belarus and therefore realise that if England have been beaten, one of the main points of the article will have blown up in my face!
Chuffed
I was absolutely chuffed to read about how honest stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand has been about the whole England set-up before Fabio Capello arrived. He has voiced what so many fans and journalists have said over the past few years and to hear it coming from a player is utterly refreshing.
Ferdinand has said that he believes, as do so many of us, that the 2006 World Cup campaign, which stuttered and stumbled along until the inevitable defeat on penalties, was damaged by the celebrity culture surrounding the squad.
He said,
We became a bit …
Franck Ribery left the pitch with ice on his left knee following a clash with goalkeeper Steve Mandanda during France training here on Saturday on the eve of their clash with Uruguay.
However the player said on leaving the pitch it s nothing and the signs are he will be available for selection for Wednesday s friendly at the Stade de France friendly.
The 25-year-old Ribery s start to the season had been blighted after tearing ankle ligaments in Euro 2008 meaning a three-month hiatus, returning in mid-September.
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Juanfran has been diagnosed with a hamstring problem, adding to Atletico Madrid s injury issues.
Fellow full-back Filipe Luis fractured his fibula in Thursday s Europa League defeat of Lokomotiv Moscow and is expected to miss the World Cup.
While Juanfran s injury is less serious, it adds to Atletico s issues after the January departures of Yannick Carrasco, Nicolas Gaitan and Miguel Angel Moya reduced Diego Simeone s options.
Juanfran was taken off during half-time in our Europa League match against Lokomotiv Moscow due to some muscular discomfort, Atletico said in a statement.
He underwent medical exams in Madrid and was diagnosed with an injury to his left hamstring.
Medical exams can confirm has fractured his left fibula. Here’s to a spe…
Verdict: Both teams to score
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Sevilla will have to quickly recover from the heartbreaking defeat to Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup match as they are set for a two-legged tie with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. The Catalans did not exactly impress in pre-season, and they can really use the two competitive fixtures before the start of the La Liga campaign.
Sevilla
Arguably world’s leading transfer guru Monchi and his associates keep showing year after year that football clubs do not need heavy investments to produce great results. Sevilla have now won the Europa League trophy three times in a row, while turning a healthy profit in each of those seasons, and it is quite remarkable how los Rojiblancos keep the results at a v…
Manchester City have confirmed that striker Sergio Aguero has extended his deal with the club until 2017.
The Argentine forward has been linked with a move to Real Madrid following a season in which he has struggled to find consistent form, netting only 17 goals in all competitions compared to the 29 he hit in 2011-12.
However, Aguero has now quashed the speculation, signing a one-year-extension to his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The former Atletico Madrid man joined the deposed Premier League champions in 2011, and scored the winning goal against QPR in the last minute of injury-time to snatch the league crown from Manchester United on the final day of the 2011-12 campaign.
City fell short in their attempts to retain the title, as they finished 11 points behind Manch…
Brazil have dropped to their lowest-ever position in the FIFA rankings, falling three places to 22nd.
Luiz Felipe Scolari s side, who have won the World Cup on five occasions, are now between Ghana and Mali due to a combination of poor results and non-competitive fixtures.
With Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup, they have had no qualifiers to play and have simply featured in friendly fixtures, with the last five of these seeing one win for the South Americans and four draws.
Scolari s men will have the chance to move up the rankings when they play their first competitive game since July 2011 at the Confederations Cup later this month.
Elsewhere in the rankings, the top four remains unchanged with Spain, Germany, Argentina and Croatia occupying these spots, while top-10 si…
England captain John Terry has insisted he is focused on football ahead of Saturday s friendly international against Slovakia after newspaper reports his mother and mother-in-law had been cautioned for shoplifting.
The Chelsea defender told reporters here on Friday: I ve got experience of seeing many headlines and as a player you get on with it and fully concentrate on football, like I did in training this morning it doesn t affect players.
David Beckham will set a new record of 109 caps for an England outfield player if he comes on against Slovakia, breaking the record of 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore.
He fully deserves the accolades and the caps he s getting, said Terry of the AC Milan midfielder, who made his name at Manchester United.
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In the dark days of communism, foreign footballers in Russia would have been as welcome as a biting, Siberan winter.
But the country s rapid transformation from drab, central control to enthusiastic private wealth has created a Russian revolution in soccer with its clubs claiming two of the last four UEFA Cup titles, successes built on bringing in some of the best playing and coaching talent.
I earn ten to 15 times more here than I received being a Palmeiras player at home, said CSKA Moscow s Brazilian international striker Vagner Love, the Russian league s top scorer with 20 goals last season.
Signing international players is still a new concept in Russia.
In addition to a more business-oriented approach to the sport, the country s youth football infr…