The Champions League returns on Tuesday as the round of 16 gets underway, and what a way to kick things off.
Paris Saint-Germain host Real Madrid in what is widely considered to be the tie of the round, with particular interest in PSG duo Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe for differing reasons.
Sporting CP welcome Manchester City to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the other first-leg encounter, with Ruben Amorim s men hoping to spring a surprise against the champions of England.
What do the numbers say about the opening games of the Champions League knockout stage, though? Stats Perform takes a look to decipher who is likeliest to come out on top.
4 Paris will face Real Madrid in the knockout stage of a European competition for the 4th time. PSG have qualifie…
Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Denmark and Sweden to draw
Odds:
Denmark and Sweden lock horns at the Parken Stadion in Copenhagen, and have a difficult task to get one over the Blågult after having lost in the first leg. The Danes did pull a goal back, meaning a 1-0 win tonight would see them through into next year’s tournament, but Sweden have a solid away record and will be set up to nullify their opposition.
The visitors have lost just once on the road in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, conceding just three goals from the five games in the process. Russia were the only team to have got the better of them on their travels, and there’s certainly no shame being defeated by the now-qualified outfit. Sweden have won two and drawn two of the four remaining matc…
Brighton have announced the signing of German midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year-old will join Albion on a four-year contract on July 1 following the expiry of his deal with the Bundesliga club.
Syria-born Dahoud, who was capped twice by Germany in 2020, becomes the Premier League side’s third signing of the summer following deals for Joao Pedro and James Milner.
Seagulls head coach Roberto De Zerbi told his club’s website: “I’m excited to have Mahmoud in my team.
“I wanted him when I was at Sassuolo and I’m sure he is going to be a top player for us.”
Dahoud began his career with Borussia Monchengladbach before moving to Dortmund in 2017.
He went on to make 141 appearances for this season’s Bunde…
Leeds missed the chance to go top of the Sky Bet Championship after being held to a disappointing goalless draw by Sunderland at Elland Road.
Daniel Farke’s promotion-chasers climbed back into the top two but another below-par display saw them fall short of usurping leaders Leicester, who slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Millwall.
Leeds, who were beaten in the league for the first time this year at Coventry on Saturday, extended their unbeaten home Championship record this season to 21 matches.
But, after misfiring against resolute opponents, the stalemate left them one point behind Leicester and level with third-placed Ipswich, with both promotion rivals having a game in hand.
Sunderland made clear their intentions from kick off as they sat deep and invited …
Cristiano Ronaldo stated his club future does not matter after a beautiful moment that saw him set a World Cup record.
The superstar forward netted from the penalty spot in Portugal s 3-2 win against Ghana in their Group H opener at Stadium 974 to become the first player to score in five different World Cups.
It means more headlines for Ronaldo, who agreed a mutual termination of his Manchester United contract on Tuesday following a blockbuster interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised manager Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family, and several former team-mates.
Consequently, Ronaldo is without a club but, while questions over his future will naturally continue to dominate the conversation, his immediate focus remains on performing for his country in Qatar.
Martin Odegaard says Arsenal have to stay calm after moving five-points clear at the top of the Premier League by beating Wolves 2-0 on Saturday.
The Gunners captain scored both goals in the second half at Molineux, with Arsenal capitalising after Brentford s surprise 2-1 win against Manchester City earlier in the day.
It leaves Mikel Arteta s side top of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 2007-08 season, with no Premier League football to be played until Boxing Day due to the World Cup in Qatar.
Arsenal will return after the tournament with a target on their backs and Odegaard urged his side to remain level headed.
We had to dig deep today. The first half was difficult, they defended well. We were a bit slow but we know the quality we h…
Napoli are interested in signing Nicolas de La Cruz from River Plate, according to . The report has claimed that Napoli, who won Serie A last season, have shown genuine interest in De La Cruz and are keen on bringing the 26-year-old to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
De La Cruz is one of the best midfielders in South American football. The 26-year-old Uruguay international has been on the books of River Plate since 2017 and has been a huge success with the Argentine club. De La Cruz has won the Copa Argentina once, the Supercopa Argentina twice, the Copa Libertadores on one occasion, the Recopa Sudamericana once, the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional once, and the Argentine Primera Division title twice.
Napoli are third in the Serie A table at the moment with 14…
´Our Serie A has become the Serie B of Europe´ – Milan president Scaroni offers scathing Italian foo
Milan president Paolo Scaroni has criticised the state of Italian football, saying it must commit to change to begin competing with the top European leagues.
Speaking to newspaper Il Foglio, the chief of the reigning Serie A champions said: You need to propose a product that you like, because football is not only sport but also entertainment.
There has not been an Italian winner of the Champions League since the 2009-10 season, when Milan s city rivals Inter overcame Bayern Munich 2-0 in the final.
Since that campaign, all trophy-winning teams in the competition have hailed from Spain, Germany or England.
Our Serie A has become a Serie B when compared with the other major European leagues, said Scaroni.
Scaroni pointed to clubs struggling to se…
UEFA on Friday said their visit to Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine had been useful but offered no positive comment on the country s state of preparations for European football s showcase tournament.
UEFA considers the visit by its official delegation to Ukraine to have been useful, yielding much information, European football s governing body said in a statement after the end of its visit to the Ukrainian capital.
UEFA notes that the fact that the Ukrainian government is committed to doing everything possible to meet the requirements needed for a well-organised Euro 2012, it said, adding that it had been happy to receive new information from Ukrainian authorities.
The dry statement is in stark contrast to the positive assessment handed down by the same 10-strong U…
Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The great rivals are the first managers to enter the Hall of Fame, which was established in 2021.
Ferguson managed Manchester United from the start of the Premier League era until his retirement in 2013, winning a record 13 titles.
Wenger led Arsenal to three championships in the longest-serving reign in competition history – from 1996 until 2018.
Only Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (four) and Roma coach Jose Mourinho (three) have joined Ferguson and Wenger in winning multiple titles.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: We are delighted to welcome our first two managers into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Sir Alex Ferguson …