Basel win Swiss Cup

A player recently regarded as one of Europe’s brightest prospects endured a difficult time of late.

During two tough years away from his boyhood club – Benfica – the youngster struggled to make his presence known despite claiming the European Golden Boy award in 2016.

Carlo Ancelotti shipped him out on loan at Swansea City where his most notable moment was becoming a viral sensation for passing the ball to an advertising hoarding. Low on confidence, he got back to Bayern Munich where new boss Niko Kovac is finally getting the best out of the Portuguese.

The 21-year-old came under the light due to a lengthy injury list at Bayern Munich but ended up grabbing the opportunity firmly with both hands in an inspired display against his former club Benfica in the …

Modern day football game has been best described through its dynamism.

It’s not necessarily the best attribute to use in a sport where everything can be so short-lived and last no longer than a blink of an eye. For young players coming through a demanding world of professional football – such as Bayern Munich talent Renato Sanches – patience truly is a virtue.

Portuguese international’s name has been echoing around since 2016 and it is easy to forget the former Benfica teenager is still only 21 years of age.

And in the week he went back to his boyhood club with the Bavarian giants, Renato Sanches will have gone a full circle from a rapid rise, devastating fall and a triumphant ascend all over again.

It was at the Stadium of Light – Est…

Juventus star Paulo Dybala would like to meet Barcelona in the Champions League final in what would be a repeat of the 2015 decider.

The Serie A champions eased into the quarter-finals on Tuesday, beating Porto 1-0 at home to complete a 3-0 aggregate success.

Dybala, who joined Juve from Palermo ahead of the 2015-16 campaign, said a clash against the LaLiga giants in the final would be ideal, two years on from Barca s 3-1 victory in Berlin.

Do I want to meet Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich? I would leave Barca for the final, the Argentina international told Premium Sports.

As it was two years ago, when I wasn t there.

FULL TIME: 1-0 (3-0 agg.) quarter-finals, here we come!

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)

Also in the…

A new-look Australia side will test themselves against Ecuador in an international friendly in London on Wednesday.

Ange Postecoglou s second game in charge of the Socceroos sees his team taking on South American opposition – just like they will when they meet Chile at the FIFA World Cup.

But his squad is filled with largely inexperienced names, especially on the international stage.

Chris Herd (Aston Villa), Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town) and Curtis Good (Dundee United) could make their debuts.

They are part of a squad missing ever-present names, including the likes of Lucas Neill and Mark Bresciano.

Preparing for Brazil 2014 and beyond – perhaps with an eye to the 2015 Asian Cup on Australian soil – Postecoglou has a big ask to be competitive at the …

(GSM) Patrice Evra, first choice at left back for Sir Alex Ferguson, has revealed that he is happy and proud for having played more games at Manchester United.

Evra was named in 51 of United s 56 match day squads this season, with only one omission (CSKA Moscow away) down to injury.

It s a source of obvious pride for the full-back, who was one of the Reds most consistent performers across the season. But for Wayne Rooney ss breathtaking form, Evra may well have picked up one or two individual awards.

I’m pleased and very proud [to have played 51 games] because you can easily have an injury, Frenchman told MUTV.

I was in good form and my team-mates, the gaffer and everyone have congratulated me for my season.

It was not only about playing th…

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The 2019/20 Premier League season is slowly coming to its closure, and though some things, like Liverpool winning the title and Norwich City s relegation, have already been decided, there are several important matters yet to untangle before the end. Fierce battles for the last two Champions League places, the places leading to Europa League, as well as to avoid the remaining two relegation spots, are still ongoing.

In the 37th round, Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Leicester City to north London and it is certainly a big game for both sides.

Tottenham Hotspur

It has been a rather turbulent season for last season s Champions League finalists. Despite such success in the previous campaign, Mauricio Pochettino spent just over fiv…

Getafe coach Luis Garcia admits he would have no complaints if he were to lose his job after 12 league games without a win.

Defeat to rock-bottom Real Betis on Saturday sees Getafe sit a point outside the relegation zone and with no Liga win since November pressure is beginning to build on Garcia.

As they continue to slip down the league table Garcia admitted he would understand if president Angel Torres decided to replace him.

If the president decides that s what is best (sacking him) then I won t have any problems with it, he said.

But if I stay I ll be back in work on Monday, with the same enthusiasm as always.

If he feels someone else is better to take the team forward then I ll be professional and accept it, without any problems or bad words.

Th…

Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester United will meet for the first time in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash in Ukraine.

The two sides come into the game having won their opening Group A fixtures, with Shakhtar defeating Real Sociedad 2-0 in Spain while United ran out 4-2 victors over Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.

Shakhtar have won all three of their previous home fixtures against English opposition in the Champions League, with successes over Arsenal in 2000-01 and 2010-11 before last season’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea, which helped eliminate the then-holders of the competition.

United’s last visit to Ukraine was a successful one though, ending in a 4-2 win over Dynamo Kiev in the 2007-08 group stage.

And Mircea Lucescu s men head into the fixture on…

Antoine Griezmann s integration at Barcelona has been difficult but the Frenchman will justify his signing if given time, according to team-mate Arturo Vidal.

Griezmann joined Barca from Atletico Madrid in pre-season, costing the Blaugrana €120million after a protracted transfer saga.

Barca had reportedly been chasing the France international for well over a year, and although they eventually got their man after being rebuffed in 2018, the start of their union has been unspectacular.

Griezmann s largely ineffective performances have been widely criticised, with many expecting more from him than the three goals and two assists in seven LaLiga outings.

Vidal accepts Griezmann s adaptation could have gone better, though he remains confident in the forward.…

Stoke City midfielder Giannelli Imbula will spend a second consecutive season out on loan after he joined LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano.

The 25-year-old made 28 appearances for Toulouse in Ligue 1 in 2017-18, scoring once as the club narrowly escaped relegation.

The former Marseille midfielder cost the Potters a club-record fee of £18.3 million when he joined from Porto on a five-and-a-half-year contract in 2016.

He made 26 Premier League appearances but fell out of favour with former Stoke boss Mark Hughes and has been deemed surplus to requirements at the bet365 Stadium this season under Gary Rowett.

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