Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain: Verratti puts PSG on war footing for Costa

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has warned his team-mates to be on their guard for Diego Costa s warfare when they visit Chelsea in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

For the third season in succession, the reigning Ligue 1 and Premier League champions have been paired together in the knockout rounds, with each side claiming a slender away goals aggregate triumph apiece so far.

Similarly, the latest tie is finely poised PSG holding a 2-1 advantage thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani either side of John Obi Mikel s equaliser at the Parc des Princes.

Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is set to recall Costa to lead the attack after the striker sat out Saturday s 1-1 Premier League draw against Stoke City due to a ten…

Caballero: Argentina respected due to World Cup history

Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, but Willy Caballero believes their exploits at previous editions means they are still respected.

Lionel Messi secured Argentina s place at Russia 2018 with a hat-trick in the crucial 3-1 win over Ecuador in their final qualification game last October.

The South American giants are two-time World Cup winners and finished as runners-up in 2014, beating Belgium and Netherlands before being denied the trophy by Mario Gotze s extra-time winner for Germany in the final.

Chelsea goalkeeper Caballero thinks Argentina s reputation for performing on the big stage holds more sway than one tough qualifying campaign that was overseen by three different coaches.

When I saw the draw for the World Cup groups, I was out o…

Prediction: Bournemouth vs Everton

Verdict: Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals

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After enjoying a stellar start to the new campaign, Eddie Howe s Bournemouth side will look to make it three wins on the bounce when they welcome Premier League big spenders Everton to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Bournemouth

For Saturday s hosts, after breaking the bank this summer and bringing in Columbian international Jefferson Lerma there is a real feeling of optimism around the Vitality Stadium. Picking up an eye-catching 5-2 win at home to Marseille in their final pre-season match, Bournemouth have now won their two opening Premier League matches. Beating Cardiff 2-0 and then fighting back from a goal behind at half-time to leave the Olympic Stadium with all…

City´s Guardiola-era shellackings – Watford the latest victim of prolific Pep teams

Kevin De Bruyne dazzled and Bernardo Silva hit a hat-trick as Manchester City put Watford to the sword 8-0 on Saturday.

The victory is City s biggest in a top-flight match – a fitting landmark to reach on the weekend the club marked their 125th anniversary.

But huge winning margins have become something approaching the norm in the Pep Guardiola era, with this latest rout the 11th time in all competitions since the start of the 2017-18 campaign City have scored six or more in a match. Six of those have come in 2019 alone.

From lower-league cup opponents unfortunately out of their depth to Champions League rivals and European trophy winners, a variety of clubs have felt City s wrath.

Spare a thought for Watford, who account for three entries on the list…

European Under-21 Championship: France knocked out, Portugal edge eight-goal thriller

European Under-21 Championship favourites France were knocked out as the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Germany claimed semi-final spots.

France, boasting a squad littered with senior internationals that included some of the hottest prospects in European football, lost 2-1 to the Netherlands thanks to Myron Boadu s last-gasp goal.

Dayot Upamecano, who will play for Bayern Munich in 2021-22 following his move from RB Leipzig, opened the scoring for Les Bleus, but Boadu equalised early in the second half.

And despite finishing with 14 attempts – six of them on target – France suffered a disappointing exit when Boadu finished on the counter in the 93rd minute, Houssem Aouar having headed a glaring chance over at the other end.

That game was the only…

Neymar needs to leave PSG – Rivaldo

Neymar should move on from Paris Saint-Germain in order to become the best player in the world, according to former Brazil star Rivaldo.

As quoted by, the 2002 World Cup winner said he fully believes in Neymar, but he doesn t see the Ligue 1 champions as the club that would provide the right kind of platform for him to grow into a player that would be considered as the best on the planet. Real Madrid, Barcelona, or some other big clubs from England, some from Germany , that is where Neymar needs to be playing to reach his full potential. Such a stance naturally implies another, one that Neymar s move from Barcelona to PSG for a still-holding world record fee in 2017 was a huge mistake, but Rivaldo said it explicitly.

He said that Neymar should take the path of Ronaldinh…

Schneiderlin hints at Southampton discontent

Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has hinted at discontent at apparently being forced to remain with the club.

France midfielder Scheinderlin and England striker Jay Rodriguez were rumoured to be set to join Tottenham and become the latest members of the mass exodus from the south coast club.

A total of five first-team players have already left St Mary s in the transfer window, with the trio of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren joining Liverpool, and the young defensive duo Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers signing for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.

Those departures came after manager Mauricio Pochettino left the club to take over at Tottenham and club chairman Ralph Kreuger insisted on Tuesday that Schneiderlin and Rodriguez would no…

Ten Hag faces long job with Man Utd’s mentally shot squad, believes Neville

Manchester United should not be expected to win trophies under Erik ten Hag immediately, says Gary Neville, warning it is a long job for the Dutchman with a mentally shot squad at Old Trafford.

The Ajax boss will take the reins from interim manager Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season, with the Red Devils arguably facing their lowest point in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

Questions over whether a squad low on confidence can challenge for Champions League football remains in the air, and several key players look destined for the door.

Hopes are high that Ten Hag can facilitate a fast turnaround but speaking after his appointment, former defender Neville has warned there will be no quick fix at the Theatre of Dreams.

What we re seeing at this current momen…

Arsenal v Hull City: Wenger not taking Bruce´s men lightly

Arsene Wenger is wary of the threat posed by Hull City, despite Arsenal s superb record against Saturday s visitors to the Emirates Stadium.

Hull have lost their last seven meetings with Wenger s men, after recording a memorable 2-1 away win in the first Premier League fixture between the sides in September 2008.

Arsenal s last success against Hull saw them come from two goals down to triumph 3-2 after extra-time in last season s FA Cup final at Wembley.

However, Wenger believes his team will face much stronger opposition this weekend.

When you look at their team-sheet now, it looks like a team that could beat anybody, said the long-serving Arsenal manager.

We expect a tough opponent. They couldn t use [Nikica] Jelavic in the Cup last season si…

Football rumours: Juventus seeking new long-term deal for Adrien Rabiot

What the papers say

Juventus are reportedly working on a new long-term deal for midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The Daily Mail, citing Tuttosport, says the Italian giant is looking to tie the 28-year-old down for a further three years, after he turned down an approach from Manchester United during the summer in favour of extending his time in Turin.

Chelsea are believed to be gearing up for an expensive January. According to The Guardian, the Blues are set to target Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford forward Ivan Toney, after already spending £1billion on new signings in a year.

And the Daily Mirror, via Cadena SER, says Luka Modric is on radar of multiple MLS teams, with Inter Miami believed to be especially keen on the Real Madrid midfielder.

Social media rou…