Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed that he expects to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season.
Former Spain right-back Arbeloa has made 236 appearances for Madrid since joining from Liverpool in 2009, but has been limited to just four outings in La Liga this term.
Dani Carvajal s return to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013 shunted Arbeloa to second choice, while Danilo s arrival ahead of the current campaign has limited his options even further.
After playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in the league in 2015-16 at Las Palmas on Sunday, Arbeloa thanked coach Zinedine Zidane for the run-out, but confirmed he will be looking for a new club for next season.
I am aware that these are my last few months at Real Madrid, Arbeloa told reporters. I train very …
Werder Bremen have appealed the three-game ban handed to Papy Djilobodji for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a throat-slitting gesture in the 1-1 draw with Mainz on Saturday.
The 27-year-old, on loan at Werder from Chelsea, made the signal at a grounded Pablo de Blasis after battling for possession with the attacker during the Bundesliga clash, something the German Football Association (DFB) took a dim view of.
However, Werder refuse to accept the DFB s decision and have appealed the centre-back s suspension.
Werder have been told by the DFB that Papy Djilobodji has been handed a three-match ban. Werder do not agree with this decision and have decided to appeal the decision, a statement on the Bremen website read.
Papy Djilobodji has been accused o…
Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic lauded mastermind Jose Mourinho and said the manager made his decision to move to Old Trafford an easy one.
Ibrahimovic, 34, reunited with Mourinho in July, signing a one-year deal with United after his time at Paris Saint-Germain came to an end.
The pair won the Serie A title together at Inter in 2008-09 before Ibrahimovic left Italy for Barcelona.
Ibrahimovic was full of praise for Mourinho, who has led United to three Premier League wins from as many games ahead of Saturday s Manchester derby.
Mourinho is a mastermind. He knows everything about the game, the striker said.
I do not have many regrets, but I do regret that I did not get to play under Mourinho for longer. When the opportunity came again f…
Pep Guardiola will enjoy a special occasion when Manchester City take on Barcelona at the ground where he progressed from boyhood fan, to key player and head coach.
City lie two points behind Barca in Champions League Group C heading into matchday three and will aim to overturn a run of four consecutive losses in the tournament against the LaLiga kings.
Guardiola was also on the receiving end of a beating when he returned to Camp Nou with Bayern Munich in 2015, as Lionel Messi inspired a 3-0 win on the way to a semi-final triumph and the European title.
Nevertheless, the 45-year-old conceded this can never simply be a routine fixture for him as a visiting coach.
It was one-and-a-half years ago when I came here with Bayern Munich. It is always special for…
There have been some changes at Manchester United recently, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to buy a stake at the club and CEO Richard Arnold stepping down from his role.
United s results on the pitch so far haven t been nearly good enough from the supporters point of view, as well as from the point of view of the club hierarchy, but manager Erik ten Hag apparently isn t close to losing his job just yet.
Erik ten Hag knows how the business works but he knows at the moment he s not under immediate threat
Kaveh Solhekol explains what could change at Manchester United following news of Richard Arnold leaving as CEO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL)
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Xavi has challenged Barcelona to demonstrate their growth under his leadership when they face a huge Champions League test at Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Barca have only twice beaten Bayern in 13 attempts and have never won this fixture away from home.
In the Champions League, the Blaugrana have lost eight of their 11 meetings with the Bundesliga giants – twice their number of defeats inflicted by any other opponent (four v Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint Germain).
Barcelona fell to one of the most embarrassing defeats in their history against Bayern in August 2020, being hammered 8-2 in the quarter-finals in Lisbon, and they were beaten twice by Julian Nagelsmann s men last season.
But the Catalan giants have steadily improved since November 2021, when …
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Following a first battle in Bucharest that left unresolved the progress in the next phase of the Champions League qualifiers, Romanian champions FCSB will cross the border to settle the tie with Maccabi Tel Aviv. The game will be played at the neutral ground in Budapest at Bozsik Arena where the Romanian fans are expected to fill most of the 8500 seats.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
A regular presence in the European Competitions since 1992, Maccabi Tel Aviv is keen to match their best Champions League presence when they reach the group stage on two occasions. Despite hitting their peak at the European level, the Tel Aviv side failed to make a statement against Europe s best.
Recording four points from 1…
Lukaku wants to continue in Europe
The future of Romelu Lukaku is up in the air at the moment, with his loan at Inter Milan about to expire and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino not giving any indication of counting on him despite the obvious need for a designated striker in his ranks.
The Belgium international has reportedly received a lucrative offer to be a part of the contingent of players leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia this summer, but he has decided his time for taking that road hasn t come yet.
Thomas Partey to leave Arsenal?
Thomas Partey has made significant impact at Arsenal since his arrival from Atletico Madrid three years ago, despite frequent injuries limiting his contribution to an extent.
However, the 30-year-old Gh…
Timo Werner showed why he is still an important player for Chelsea by scoring a pair of goals in Saturday s 6-0 thrashing of Southampton.
A £47.5million move from RB Leipzig to Stamford Bridge in June 2020 is yet to work out for Werner, whose double at St Mary s took him to nine Premier League goals in 51 appearances.
All three of the 26-year-old s league goals this season have come against Saints, with his overall tally against them standing at five. He is yet to score against any other opponent more than once in the Premier League.
Werner could have easily scored more against Southampton – he hit the woodwork three times in the first half – but Mason Mount s double and goals from Marcos Alonso and Kai Havertz contributed to a resounding success.
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Italy head coach Roberto Mancini is excited by the prospect of facing England in Euro 2024 qualifying, declaring it will be nice to meet again .
England and Italy were drawn alongside Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta in a challenging qualification group on Sunday, from which the top two will qualify automatically for the tournament in Germany.
The duo met as recently as last month, when Giacomo Raspadori s goal condemned England to relegation from the top tier of the Nations League, while Mancini also led the Azzurri to victory over the Three Lions in last year s Euro 2020 final.
England s dismal Nations League campaign meant they – alongside world champions France – were in pot two for the draw in Frankfurt.
Although Mancini claims he expected Ita…