Arbeloa: These are my last months at Real Madrid

Beaten finalists at the hands of Mamelodi Sundowns in last season s final, Zamalek began their quest for 2017 CAF Champions League glory with a 2-0 win at home to CAPS United.

The Zimbabwean visitors went into the break level in Borg El Arab, but Bassem Morsi broke the deadlock in the 56th minute and Stanley Ohawuchi sealed the win by netting the hosts second goal with seven minutes to go in the Group B fixture.

Wydad Casablanca, who lost to Zamalek in the 2016 semi-finals, had goals from William Jebor and Amine Attouchi to thank for a routine 2-0 victory at home to Cotonsport.

Vita Club suffered the double indignity of giving up the lead and having a man sent off, as they went down 3-1 at ES Tunis. Yazid Atouba saw his brilliant early solo goal cancelled out by …

Liverpool are set to make one last attempt to sign Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to the Express.

The England international, who opened the scoring in the Three Lions’ 2-2 World Cup Qualification draw with Scotland on Saturday, is close to signing a new £100,000-per-week deal with the Gunners but the Merseyside outfit remain keen on securing his services themselves.

Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to the Emirates Stadium from Southampton in the summer of 2010 and has since racked up almost two hundred appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty times.

He was part of the squads that have seen the North London club win the FA Cup in three of the past four seasons while he helped the Saints achieve promotion in 2010 with nine goals in thirty-f…

Juventus take on Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Saturday. Here we look at Tuesday s build-up.

Luis Enrique: Everything about Juventus worries me

He may have secured a domestic double beating Real Madrid in the process but Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique is pretty concerned about this weekend s clash, praising Juve s strength all over the pitch. However, the thought on a unique treble is keeping the 45-year-old going, a feat that would see him match Pep Guardiola s achievements in 2008-09.

Lichsteiner concerned by Barca s experience

Juventus defender has repaid the compliment bestowed on his side by Luis Enrique in suggesting Barcelona are favourites to lift the trophy. Speaking to Sky Sport I…

that Tottenham Hotspur are ready to sell Roberto Soldado, with Sevilla the front runners in the race to secure his services.

The Spain international moved to White Hart Lane in the summer of 2013, but has failed to recreate the form that earned him his big money move to England’s top flight.

In seventy-six appearances in all competitions for the North London club, the thirty year old has scored just sixteen goals, while he had a ratio of at least one in two for both of his previous clubs.

His record for his country is also impressive, with the former Valencia man hitting seven goals in twelve outings, though he was not part Spain’s all conquering squads for either the 2008 and 2012 European Championships or the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Se…

Japan coach Vahid Halilhodzic plans to use the East Asian Cup to test a number of untried players when they take on North Korea on Sunday.

Halilhodzic s men return as defending champions for the sixth edition of the regional four-team competition and will open the tournament against minnows North Korea at Wuhan Sports Center Stadium.

As the tournament falls outside of the official FIFA international calendar, clubs are not obliged to release players, meaning Japan s European-based stars are absent.

Halilhodzic s 23-man squad is made up entirely of players plying their trade in Japan, with nine debutants included after midfielder Naoyuki Fujita and goalkeeper Yuji Rokutan replaced Yosuke Kashiwagi and Shuichi Gonda.

Despite being presented with a rare oppo…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Fulham are interested in trying to sign defender Cedric Soares from Arsenal.

The belief is that all parties involved are confident they can get a deal done before the end of the window and, in equal measure, that it will be on a loan basis.

Marco Silva has reportedly made Cedric his main priority in this window. He wants to add some experience at full-back, giving the Cottagers an even better chance of maintaining their place in the top half of the Premier League table. The two know one another courtesy of their time together at Sporting Lisbon.

Cedric currently has 18 months left on his contract. His last start, however, was back in May 2022, with the Gunners moving forward without him.

He still seems to hav…

America visit Deportivo Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions League as DC United meet Alajuelense.

DC United are targeting a positive result at Alajuelense in their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final first leg, while America are also heading to Costa Rica.

Ben Olsen s DC are still in pre-season, with their MLS campaign not kicking off until early March.

But they must find some rhythm and form quickly as they prepare for a meeting with Alajuelense at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto.

DC attacker Fabian Espindola said his team needed to recover physically as they aim to start the tie well.

We need to get some good rest and know that we have to go there and do our good job, he told the club s website.

It s just two games, that s it. The…

Newcastle United defender Fabricio Coloccini insisted the Premier League strugglers cannot afford to be relegated for a second time in six years.

Newcastle are bottom of the Premier League table on goal difference after eight matches, losing five and drawing three as pressure mounts on manager Steve McClaren.

The Tyneside club were relegated in 2008-09, having finished 18th, though they came back up the following year as Championship winners.

Coloccini was one of the players who stayed at Newcastle that season and the 33-year-old admits they cannot suffer the same fate again.

In that season we started better, then had bad times in the middle of the season, Coloccini told the Mirror. 

Four managers. This time we have enough time to turn this aro…

The Premier League is looking at a cap on a club’s wage bill in order to keep the top flight competitive, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said.

The league is looking at a variety of ways to maintain competitive balance, including anchoring – capping the richest club’s wage bills as a multiple of the television money earned by its bottom club.

“As far as competitive balance (is concerned), people need to be bold,” Parish said at the Leaders Week conference at Twickenham.

The Eagle has landed.

— Leaders Business (@LeadersBiz)

“I think there is change afoot. UEFA’s squad-cost caps are one idea. Maybe something that is a bit more rigid than that, with a hard cap at the top, that doesn’t take turnover into account, where …

England have booked a place in the Euro quarterfinals by edging out Slovakia after extra time in the round of 16, with Jude Bellingham finding a very late equalizer to cancel out Ivan Schranz s 25th-minute opener, before Harry Kane put the Three Lions ahead and set the final score at 2-1 immediately after the start of the added 30 minutes.

Gareth Southgate s team was strongly criticized for their performances in the group stage, and though they didn t exactly shine against Slovakia either, Bellingham believes this victory will have silenced the critics.

Sometimes it feels like there s a pile-on from the fans moments like tonight throw it back to some people

Jude Bellingham on how England s dramatic 2-1 win over Slovakia can hush the doubters

— Sky S…