Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes Barcelona are guaranteed a place in this season s Champions League final.
The Madrid boss, speaking after his side s 5-2 win over APOEL at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, claimed a meeting with his former side Chelsea at Munich in May is impossible.
When asked about the two semi-finals in a television interview in the tunnel straight after the final whistle, Mourinho alluded to favouritism towards the Catalan club, telling TeleMadrid: For me the big question is knowing who will play against Barca in the final.
It will be a great semi-final, Bayern against Real Madrid, and the best team will go on to play against Barca.
Mourinho then walked away from his interviewer, who quickly followed up by asking the Port…
Henrik Larsson has agreed to return to Barcelona to join the coaching staff under new boss Ronald Koeman.
The former Sweden striker won two LaLiga titles, the Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League during a two-year spell at Camp Nou as a player.
Larsson scored 22 goals in 62 appearances in all competitions but is perhaps most fondly remembered for coming off the bench to set up both Barca goals as they beat Arsenal 2-1 to become champions of Europe.
The former Celtic and Manchester United forward, who was head coach at Helsingborgs last year, has signed a two-year contract at Camp Nou.
Joining Larsson in taking up a role under Koeman is Alfred Schreuder, who has also signed a deal until June 30, 2022.
Schreuder was appointed head coach of H…
Fenerbahce have confirmed they have opened talks with Gregory van der Wiel and expect to wrap up a deal with the Netherlands international on Monday.
Van der Wiel is a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and had previously been linked with Roma and Lazio.
However, the 28-year-old now seems set to continue his career in the Turkish top flight instead.
Fenerbahce have opened negotiations with Gregory van der Wiel over a transfer, a brief statement on the club s official website reads.
The Dutch player is expected to arrive in Istanbul on July 4 to complete the deal.
Van der Wiel came through the ranks of the Ajax youth academy and made over 100 Eredivisie appearances for the Amsterdam side before joining PSG in 2012.
He had since…
Mbappe ready to sacrifice season to force free Real Madrid move
Kylian Mbappe is reportedly ready to sacrifice the whole upcoming season and not play at all, if that s what he needs to do to get his wish to join Real Madrid as a free agent next summer. His latest stance is a reaction to being left out of Paris Saint-Germain s pre-season tour of Japan.
It has been said that Chelsea might explore a move for the French star this summer (it has been played down since), and other reports say he s of interest to Saudi side Al-Hilal who are apparently prepared to pay more than €200 million for his services. PSG would have no issue with selling to a Saudi club, but Mbappe is still believed to be only interested in Real Madrid as his next club.
Kane no…
Carlos Vela repaid the faith of Miguel Herrera by marking his Mexico return with a double in Wednesday s 3-2 friendly win over Netherlands.
Vela was making his first appearance for the national side for three-and-a-half years at the Amsterdam Arena after refusing several call-ups in recent times, with his unwillingness to play for his country seeing him miss the 2014 World Cup.
However, the Real Sociedad striker accepted the latest olive branch from Herrera and wasted no time in illustrating his worth with a well-taken brace.
Vela s two goals were separated by a powerful volley from Wesley Sneijder on a night that saw the Galatasaray star become the third-most capped Netherlands player with 110 international appearances.
But Javier Hernandez added a third…
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy would love to bring competitive Premier League and Champions League matches to the state.
Football is thriving in North America right now, with Lionel Messi joining Major League Soccer side Inter Miami three years out from the USA, Mexico and Canada hosting the World Cup.
The so-called ’39th’ Premier League game has been discussed before and UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin recently hinted that a Champions League final could one day be played in the US.
“I know that the clubs have not been wild about that in Europe but I’d love to think that it would happen,” Murphy said.
“You would have Barcelona playing Real Madrid in New Jersey at some point in a regular season or in a Champions League game. I would love tha…
Marco Giampaolo has moved a step closer to becoming AC Milan s new head coach after leaving Serie A rivals Sampdoria.
The 51-year-old has been heavily linked with the vacancy at San Siro following Gennaro Gattuso s departure last month.
Giampaolo joined Sampdoria in 2016 from Empoli and guided them to 11th, 10th and ninth-place finishes respectively during his three seasons at the club.
He had been contracted until June 2020, but the club confirmed on Saturday that he has left the Stadio Luigi Ferraris along with his backroom staff.
Giampaolo told the club s official website: I thank the president and everyone at Sampdoria for three incredible seasons. I had a good time in Genoa, and we had a good time together.
My thanks to all the managers, c…
Southampton will sign Werder Bremen winger Eljero Elia on loan in January.
Manager Ronald Koeman announced his intention to bring fellow Dutchman Elia to St Mary s Stadium in a press conference on Tuesday.
And Southampton released a statement a matter of hours later confirming that Elia will arrive on the south coast on January 3 on an initial loan deal until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent transfer.
Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce that it has reached an agreement over the signing of Eljero Elia, it read.
Holland international Elia moves from German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, having previously played in Italy and his homeland.
The 27 year-old began his career with ADO Den Haag before moving to FC Twente.…
Things are not going great for Newcastle United these days, but at least there will be one thing less for the club to stress about Christian Atsu is happy to stay at St James Park next season. The Ghanaian talked to Football Made in Ghana about his future and he said that he would be glad to stay at the club amidst its insecure future.
Atsu said: I m very happy at Newcastle and I m happy with the fans. I m especially happy with [Rafa) Benitez, the staff and everybody at the club. I d like to stay there as many years as possible but it will depend on me and my performances.
It is a tough situation for Newcastle this summer, as no one really knows what will happen with Rafael Benitez as club s manager, while also the situation of the potential new buyer remains unknown.…
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Two sides who are seeking some much-needed Serie B stability, Atletico GO will welcome Sampaio Correa to the Antonio Accioly on Saturday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Atletico GO might have claimed a much-welcomed 3-1 victory at home against Sport Recife earlier in the month, the Dragons have largely failed to build on that performance. Hit with a downbeat 1-0 loss away at Guarani last weekend, the Goias-based outfit have recorded just a single win from any of their last six Serie B appearances and they already find themselves sat in second-tier limbo. Needing a real miracle in their bid to book an immediate Serie A return in 2023, the Reds have shown some extended defensive issues on either side of June’s internatio…