David Luiz hailed Maurizio Sarri s amazing impact on Chelsea following the glittering 4-1 victory over Arsenal in the Europa League final in Baku.
Former Napoli boss Sarri lifted his first major trophy after Eden Hazard s double and one apiece from Olivier Giroud and Pedro torpedoed Arsenal s bid to squeeze into next season s Champions League.
Hazard revealed the match is likely to mark a goodbye to the Blues and doubt also surrounds the club s head coach, Sarri having been heavily linked to the vacant Juventus post in recent weeks.
Uncertainty has plagued the Italian since a mid-season slump, which brought criticism of his playing style, but centre-back David Luiz commended his contribution.
He s been amazing for this club, the Brazilian said on the pit…
Lionel Messi will sign another Barcelona contract to ensure he stays at the club for the rest of his career, believes president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
After a long delay and with his deal running down, Messi finally agreed terms on a fresh four-year contract in November, taking him to the end of the 2020-21 season.
Messi will be 34 at the end of that contract, but Bartomeu expects the Argentina star to sign another Barcelona deal before he retires.
We are a club that bets on good football, Bartomeu told Bloomberg. We have a unique style of play and Messi is the best player in the world, our key player.
Andres Iniesta is an example. We want him here not as a player, but as a legend in the future.
And with Messi I hope it s the same. Now he s …
Scottish champions Celtic visit Iceland s KR on Tuesday as qualifying for the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League gathers pace.
The 1967 European Cup winners made it to the group stages after thumping Cliftonville 5-0 over two legs in the second qualifying round last year, but begin the new campaign with a different coach at the helm.
Ronny Deila is the man charged with filling the boots of former Celtic Park boss Neil Lennon, who won five Scottish titles as a player before guiding the club to three consecutive crowns in the past three seasons.
And Deila will be keen to make a winning start in Iceland this week, with the second leg set to take place at Murrayfield as Celtic s Glasgow home plays host to the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
Deila s former clu…
Former Everton defender Shkodran Mustafi has hinted that he could move to German Bundesliga this summer.
The 22-year-old surprisingly made Germany s World Cup squad after impressing for Sampdoria last season, and he went on to make three appearances on the road to the trophy before suffering a torn muscle in the Last 16 stage clash against Algeria.
And with the player proving his worth at the biggest stage of them all, Europe s top clubs have started to take notice.
Mustafi admits that he could join a top European side this summer, while hinting at a move to German Bundesliga.
“The next decision is important. A big club would be the next step,” Mustafi .
“As a German national team player it would be nice to play in the Bundesliga. And there…
Market: Under 3.5 goals
Odds: 4/7 @
Two sides who are seeking some stability in the early hours of Thursday morning, LA Galaxy will welcome FC Dallas to Dignity Health Sports Park in midweek.
Starting with the hosts, while LA Galaxy might have thought they had managed to turn a real corner when ending June thanks to those back-to-back victories against San Jose and Vancouver, they came crashing back down to earth earlier in the week. Still ruing a string of missed chances and failing to find a much-needed clinical edge in the final third, The Whites were hit with a 2-0 defeat against Sporting KC on home soil. Losing ground in the Western Conference title chase, Head Coach Greg Vanney will have a recent headache over his side s problems at Dignity Health Sports P…
Gianluca Scamacca scored his first West Ham goal as the Hammers established a commanding 3-1 lead over Viborg in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off clash.
Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio were also on target for the hosts at the London Stadium, with Jakob Bonde s header providing a consolation for the visitors ahead of next week s return leg in Denmark.
The Hammers fortunes were overseen by first-team coach Billy McKinlay, with manager David Moyes serving a touchline ban following his red card in last season s Europa League semi-final defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt.
Vladimir Coufal wore the captain s armband in the absence of Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell – both also serving continental suspensions – but the hosts took the lead in t…
Sunderland boss David Moyes says centre-back Lamine Kone doesn t want a new contract, prompting fresh speculation that he will leave the club in this transfer window.
Everton have a bid on the table for the 27-year-old although Sunderland have expressed their determination to keep him on Wearside by offering him a new deal worth a reported £50,000 a week.
Kone, who played in the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend, has refused to consider the offer, however, and has also ruled himself out of Sunday s Wear-Tees clash with Middlesbrough due to a back problem.
We want to keep him. We made him an offer of a new contract which as of this moment in time he has refused. He came in this morning with a bad back so he won t be available for the Mi…
Verdict: Bayern Munich
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In-form Bayern Munich continue their Champions League title push in Spain where they will face European specialists Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie.
Sevilla
Los Rojiblancos have been experiencing all sorts of problems this season, but their erratic run of form should not fool anyone into thinking that Vincenzo Montella’s side will be a small fish to fry in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Sevilla boast an impressive European record in their most recent history, having won the Europa League titles for three successive seasons up until 2016. The La Liga side might be sitting in sixth place domestically but their champions pedigree will make them a respectab…
Wilfried Zaha has completed his return to Crystal Palace from Manchester United on a season-long loan, .
The 21 year old was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing as manager of United back in January 2012, spending the remainder of the 12/13 campaign at Selhurst Park before moving to Old Trafford last summer.
However, he made just four appearances under David Moyes last season, spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Cardiff City, where he played eleven times.
New United boss Louis van Gaal did select Zaha in preseason, but has decided that he is not part of his plans following the arrival of Angel di Maria, who completed his record move to the club yesterday.
United have taken just one point from two league games so far this season, and cr…
Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta has put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the club, .
The Spain international moved to Stamford Bridge from Marseille in the summer of 2012, and has since gone on to make ninety-three appearances in all competitions, scoring his one and only goal in a 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the fourth round of the League Cup last season.
He ended the 2013/14 campaign by being named the player’s player of the season before being part of Spain’s squad for the World Cup finals in Brazil while he has played every minute of the Blues’ three league games in August.
Chelsea currently top the Premier League after taking maximum points from their matches against Burnley, Leicester City and Everton, with their next game coming again…