Varane likely to miss Champions League final, a doubt for Euro 2016

Luis Enrique is confident that Paris Saint-Germain s 3-1 win against Lille will stand them in good stead ahead of their quest for Champions League glory.

The Spaniard watched on as his side took their scoring to 13 from their first three Ligue 1 games and maintaining PSG s perfect start to the campaign.

Vitinha s penalty and Bradley Barcola s strike gave the visitors an advantage at the break, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring in second-half injury time to confirm the win after Edon Zhegrova had halved the deficit.

The Parisiens enter the international break two points clear of Marseille at the summit, but their attention will quickly to the Champions League later this month.

Enrique s side have been handed a difficult draw for the competition, squaring o…

Andre Onana will link up with the Cameroon squad for the Africa Cup of Nations after Manchester United play Tottenham on January 14, the PA news agency understands.

It had been reported that United were in talks with Onana’s national team over the goalkeeper’s release date for the tournament in Ivory Coast that gets under way a week on Saturday.

The 27-year-old is now set stay with the club for their Premier League match against Spurs at Old Trafford the following day before joining up with Cameroon – whose campaign then starts on January 15 with a match against Guinea.

United also have one fixture before the Tottenham game, playing at Wigan in the FA Cup third round next Monday.

The Cameroonian football association is understood to have agreed to b…

Brendan Rodgers could be set for an unlikely return to Celtic four years and four months after his sudden exit for Leicester.

The former Liverpool manager is reportedly set for further talks after majority shareholder Dermot Desmond made him made the number one target to replace Ange Postecoglou.

Rodgers won all seven major Scottish trophies he competed for during his first spell as Celtic boss and completed an unbeaten campaign in his debut season of 2016-17.

Here, we look at how two other managers fared when they returned to Celtic for a second time.

Billy McNeill

Billy McNeill

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In what was a heavyweight Premier League affair on Sunday afternoon, Manchester United and Tottenham played out a thrilling 2-2 stalemate at Old Trafford.

With Erik ten Hag’s side opening the scoring after just three minutes as Rasmus Hojlund powered home his second Premier League strike of the season, United knew the importance of claiming maximum points on home soil.

However, pegged back midway through the first half as Brazilian ace Richarlison glanced home, both sides had an abidance of early chances.

While England international Marcus Rashford might have handed United a slender 2-1 lead heading into the interval,  Rodrigo Bentancur wiped out their advantage a minute after the restart with a blistering effort.

While Ange Postecoglou’s side might…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Habib Diallo from Strasbourg in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Magpies are joining the race for the Senegal international striker after watching him score for his country in the 4-2 win against Brazil in a friendly international in Lisbon.

The report has claimed that other clubs in the Premier League club are also keen on Diallo. Strasbourg are aware of the increasing interest in the striker and are willing to sell him if they get a transfer fee of £20 million. It remains to be seen if Newcastle will be willing to pay that transfer fee for the 28-year-old.

Diallo made 32 starts and five substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg last season. The 28-year-old scored 20 goals and …

Francis Lee was a former player and chairman of Manchester City, an England international, highly-successful businessman and racehorse trainer.

Lee, a striker, also played for hometown Bolton and Derby in his distinguished football career.

Lee will primarily be remembered as one of City’s greatest players, regardless of his dismal spell as chairman in the 1990s which did, at the time, tarnish his reputation.

The stocky forward was a huge fans’ favourite and an integral member of the City side which won the First Division title in 1968, the FA Cup 12 months later and the League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup double the year after that.

Critics claimed he went to ground too easily, but his uncanny knack of winning and converting penalties – refle…

Napoli head coach Walter Mazzarri has stressed a Champions League place is still attainable for the Serie A title-holders as they prepare to host Hellas Verona on Sunday.

After winning a first Scudetto in 33 years last season under Luciano Spalletti, the Partenopei have had a significant drop off in a 2023-24 campaign that saw new boss Rudi Garcia replaced by Mazzarri in November.

Their nine league games since then have comprised three wins, two draws and four losses, and they are currently ninth in the table, four points behind fourth place.

Looking Maradona-ready

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli)

Asked at a press conference if the Champions League spots remained a realistic objective for Napoli, Mazzarri said: “I don’t loo…

Prediction: Maccabi Haifa to win 5-0

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Maccabi Haifa and Hamrun Spartans will lock horns with each other in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Qualifying First Round this week. The match between the team from Israel and the club from Malta will be held at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa and is scheduled to kick off at 6pm UK time on Tuesday.

Maccabi Haifa

Maccabi Haifa are one of the biggest clubs in Israel that regularly play in major European competitions. They win the championship in Israel quite frequently and have had some brilliant players in the past. Maccabi will expect to get into the UEFA Champions League group stage this campaign.

The Greens won the 2022–23 Israeli Premier League title. They finished l…

Cristiano Ronaldo was labelled a giant by incoming Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, who is itching to work with the Portugal great.

Veteran forward Ronaldo returned to United from Juventus on a two-year deal, with the Red Devils retaining an option to extend that by a further 12 months.

Despite scoring 18 Premier League goals in 30 top-flight appearances this term there have been rumblings Ronaldo could cut short his return at the end of a hugely underwhelming season for the club.

United are sixth heading into their final game of the campaign against Crystal Palace on Sunday, with defeat giving West Ham the chance to leapfrog them in the standings.

But Ten Hag, speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, stated in no uncertain terms he is excited by t…

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In what could prove to be a season-defining affair from Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, Tottenham will travel to the Midlands.

Aston Villa

Starting with the hosts, while Aston Villa might have eventually been forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate away at Dutch giants Ajax in midweek, Unai Emery’s men are enjoying a history-making flurry this season. Last seen in Premier League action snatching a dramatic 3-2 victory away at relegation scrappers Luton, the former Arsenal boss finds the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. Opening this weekend’s fixtures holding a five-point buffer in the top-four chase and with a famous Champions League ticket at the top of their agenda in 2024, Aston Villa have won all of their previous three domest…