The arrival of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has allowed Marco Verratti to feel that Paris Saint-Germain are on the same level as Bayern Munich for the first time as the teams prepare to meet in the Champions League.
PSG have aspired to challenge meaningfully for UEFA s elite club competition each season since the Qatar Investment Authority s takeover of the club in 2011.
They are yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals in that time and bowed out in the round of 16 last season after capitulating 6-1 away to Barcelona to lose the tie 6-5 on aggregate.
Another of the continent s heavyweights, Bayern, arrive at Parc des Princes for a crunch Group B clash on Wednesday and, asked in a news conference if PSG have an opportunity to make a statement to the rest of Europe,…
Verdict: Villarreal to win at both HT and FT yes
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Two teams facing opposite runs of results will collide this Sunday at La Catedral. Villarreal will put a five-game undefeated streak on the line as they will visit Athletic Bilbao. The Basque side has lost their past three games, and need to start winning to avoid troubles with relegation in the near future. The ball will start rolling at 19:45 BST, and David Medie Jimenez will be the referee.
Athletic Bilbao
It s not a secret that Athletic Bilbao have been struggling of late. The Basque side has collected just four points out of their last 24 in LaLiga, and overall they register just two wins in their past 10 matches across all competitions. That poor run of results has them in 1…
Brentford are interested in signing Folarin Balogun from Premier League rivals Arsenal in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that although the Gunners do not want to sell the striker at the end of the season, if the youngster does push for a move away from the Emirates Stadium, then Arsenal could ask for around £30 million in transfer fees for him.
Balogun is on loan at Reims at the moment. The 21-year-old striker moved to the French club on a loan deal in the summer of 2022 and is scheduled to return to his parent club Arsenal at the end of the season. The England Under-21 international striker has made 27 starts and three substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for Reims so far this season, scoring 18 goals and providing two assists in the process.
Cristiano Ronaldo should feel intimidated at the thought of being coached by Zinedine Zidane, former Juventus defender Ciro Ferrara has said.
The World Cup-winning former France star was named as head coach of Real Madrid this week following the sacking of Rafael Benitez.
Ex-Madrid boss Vanderlei Luxemburgo suggested that Zidane could be undermined by the Portugal star if he allows his ego to get the better of him during the Santiago Bernabeu icon s spell in charge.
But Ferrara, who played alongside Zidane at Juventus during his own glittering playing career, is confident the 43-year-old will comfortably hold sway in a notoriously volatile dressing-room.
When asked if Zidane may feel apprehensive in working with Ronaldo, Ferrara told Omnisport: Well, actu…
Jose Manuel Jurado has left Premier League outfit Watford to link up with Quique Sanchez Flores and Espanyol for the next three years.
Jurado joined Watford ahead of the 2015-16 season but lasted just one year into a three-year deal at Vicarage Road as Walter Mazzarri prepares to take the reins.
The 30-year-old playmaker made 27 Premier League appearances for Watford last season but failed to find the net.
A Watford statement read: The Hornets can confirm that Jose Manuel Jurado has today completed a permanent transfer to Espanyol .. All at Watford FC wish Jose well for the future.
Jurado a Europa League winner with Atletico Madrid in 2008-09 becomes Espanyol s third signing this off-season, along with Jose Antonio Reyes and Roberto.
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Spain head coach Julen Lopetegui believes Dani Carvajal will play a part in the World Cup but the Real Madrid right-back may miss the opening two matches in Group B.
Carvajal suffered a hamstring strain during Madrid s 3-1 Champions League final win over Liverpool at the end of last month but joined up with Lopetegui s World Cup squad to continue his rehabilitation.
Featuring in Spain s much-anticipated tournament opener against Portugal in Sochi next Friday appears unlikely but Lopetegui is satisfied with the 26-year-old s progress.
You have to hold him back slightly, but I m sure he ll be ready, the former Porto boss told a news conference ahead of La Roja s final warm-up match against Tunisia on Saturday.
You want him to take two steps forward inste…
The United States first international friendly on Cuban soil since 1947 ended with Chris Wondolowski and Julian Green inspiring a 2-0 win, as the hosts wasted several chances.
The two countries restored diplomatic relations in July 2015 after decades of political tension and Friday s meeting was their first in Cuba in any capacity since a World Cup qualifier in 2008.
USA unsurprisingly looked superior technically, but the Cubans enjoyed the better chances throughout, with Ethan Horvath forced into a few saves before the break.
Horvath was then rescued by the post in the second half as Maykel Reyes went close, just a few moments before substitute Wondolowski opened the scoring at the other end.
Cuba struck the post again through Alejandro Gomez and were m…
Paris Saint-Germain s Edinson Cavani continues to benefit from the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and could have the Swede s club scoring record in his sights after moving second on the all-time list.
Cavani netted twice as PSG brushed aside Bordeaux 4-1 away from home in the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue on Tuesday.
His strikes at Stade Matmut Atlantique saw him draw level on 109 goals with club great Pauleta, who lit up the Parc de Princes from 2003 to 2008.
109 has now equalled Pedro Miguel Pauleta scoring his 109th goal with Paris in all comps. Legend.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean)
Cavani has some way to go if he is to catch Ibrahimovic, who has 156 PSG strikes to his name.
But at 29, the Uruguay international has plenty of time …
According to the , Arsenal are working hard to strengthen every department within Mikel Arteta s squad this summer.
As the battle for the signature of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice intensifies, Arsenal are expected to make another offer soon. They ve already seen two of them rejected, followed by one from Manchester City that was also shot down by the Hammers, who apparently want no less than £100 million to let their captain go.
Rice has expressed a desire to join Arsenal already, but it is thought that the interest of the 2022/23 treble winners might cause some mixed feelings for the 24-year-old England international.
Meawhile, an agreement with Chelsea over the transfer of forward Kai Havertz is believed to be already in place, and the move of the Germany …
Milan beat Barcelona 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 friendly draw in which Robert Lewandowski scored twice for the Blaugrana.
The Rossoneri stormed into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes at M T Bank Stadium on Tuesday.
Having teed up Luka Jovic s opener with a neat ball across the six-yard box, United States star Christian Pulisic further delighted the American crowd with a dazzling run and finish to double Milan s lead.
Cutting in from the left, Pulisic skipped beyond his marker before lashing a fine effort high into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Yet Barca were back in the contest in the 22nd minute when Lewandowski coolly picked out the bottom-right corner from the edge of the area.
A slick move from Hansi Flick s team saw them draw level mi…