Inter s faltering Scudetto challenge could be dealt another blow this weekend when they face city rivals AC Milan at San Siro.
Roberto Mancini s side had led the way for most of the Serie A campaign until recent weeks, but have slipped to fourth after one win in their last five matches.
That poor run of form has seen Inter drop six points behind leaders Napoli, and should their struggles continue in the derby on Sunday their dreams of a first title since 2010 will fade further.
We need to rediscover the togetherness and determination we had before and get back to playing the way we were, goalkeeper Samir Handanovic told Mediaset.
The derby is unlike any other game but it s still three points up for grabs.
So far it s been a balanced leagu…
The consolatory cliche might state life begins at 30 but, as a footballer, Lionel Messi must know he is now entering the final stretch.
Tick into your fourth decade and, no matter who you are, talk of your peak in the past tense is more or less unavoidable.
Nevertheless, the man who has done so much to shatter long-held norms of what constitutes excellence is still nothing short of a phenomenon.
Messi has only a Copa del Rey medal to show for his efforts with Barcelona last season but the Catalan club have arguably never been quite so reliant upon him.
When he shot from prodigious talent to irresistible superstar under Pep Guardiola, the impish forward from Rosario had a majestically well-oiled machine working in smooth order all around him.
In 20…
In a tournament as ubiquitous in coverage as the World Cup, it s hard for any team to come up with a secret weapon.
As Croatia star Ivan Rakitic said to a packed news conference in Nizhny Novgorod, where Croatia will face Argentina on Thursday: With the analysis of today, if you didn t know a player, you could learn everything about him in 30 minutes.
Argentina, however, might just have an ace up their sleeve. And it seems the time to deploy it is now.
Cristian Pavon is a relatively unknown name to audiences outside of South America, albeit one linked with Barcelona and Arsenal, among others. The Boca Juniors winger has spent his career to date in Argentina s top flight and only made his debut for the senior national team last November, in a 1-0 win over World …
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has predicted PSV will use an attacking gameplan at Camp Nou in the Champions League.
PSV visit the LaLiga champions in their opening group game on Tuesday, with Barca aiming to win the tournament for the first time since 2015.
Former Barca midfielder Mark van Bommel has led PSV to 6-1 and 7-0 victories in their last two league games ahead of the clash with his old club.
And Valverde is not expecting PSV to give up their attacking instincts in a bid to contain Barcelona s talented forwards.
They are the Dutch champions and are used to taking the initiative, Valverde told a news conference.
I don t see them changing that. Most teams want to maintain their style. They will want to attack and we are going to h…
West Ham United are interested in signing James Tarkowski from Premier League rivals Burnley in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the Hammers have made a bid of £22 million for the defender.
However, according to the report, Burnley want as much as £50 million as transfer fee for Tarkowski. With the Clarets an established club in the Premier League, there is no need for them to sell the defender if they do not get what they want.
Tarkowski has been at Burnley since 2016 and is one of the better players in the Premier League. The defender has also earned two caps for England, and if he is to join West Ham this summer, then he will make manager David Moyes’s side better and stronger at the back. West Ham narrowly avoided the dreaded …
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke would be willing to spend €100million to bring Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski back to the club, saying: We could handle that.
Dortmund have spent a combined €53m on centre-back Abdou Diallo and midfielders Thomas Delaney and Marius Wolf ahead of the 2018-19 season but Watzke made it clear he would happily break the club s transfer record to secure the services of one of Europe s top strikers.
Lewandowski left Dortmund for Bayern in 2014 and has since scored 106 Bundesliga goals in four seasons.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness insisted the 29-year-old, who is contracted until 2021, is not for sale at any price, but Watzke would not be afraid to make a nine-figure bid for his services.
It s a great ho…
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe says Anthony Gordon could be on England boss Gareth Southgate’s radar after his fine performance in the 8-0 romp at Sheffield United.
Gordon came on as an early substitute for the injured Harvey Barnes at Bramall Lane and gave the Blades defence nightmares, scoring a fine goal in the second half and also assisting Sean Longstaff’s opener.
The 22-year-old has taken his time to find his feet at St James’ Park following his January move from Everton, but has started the season well.
And having been part of England Under-21s’ successful European Championship campaign, he could now be in contention for a call-up to the senior squad for next month’s matches.
Well played, !
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)
How…
Harvey Elliott has set his sights on regular game time for Liverpool after signing a new long-term contract with the club.
The 18-year-old agreed fresh terms with the Anfield club on Friday and now wants to make his mark in the first team.
Elliott has played nine times for Liverpool and impressed last season when he was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.
He had seven goals and 11 assists in 41 Blackburn outings in the league, a spell he hopes boosts his chances of getting in and around the starting XI under Jurgen Klopp in 2021-22.
I think that s got to be everyone’s aim: to get in the team. to get in and around it at least, Elliott, who joined Liverpool from Fulham in 2019, told the club s website.
It s not going to come easi…
Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa recorded a 10th successive Premier League home win with a 6-1 thumping of Brighton.
Watkins netted a first-half brace and Pervis Estupinan put through his own net as Villa scored three goals in the space of 13 minutes before the interval to blow Brighton away.
Striker Watkins completed his hat-trick in the second half and set up substitute Jacob Ramsey for the home side’s fifth goal after Ansu Fati had briefly reduced the deficit before Douglas Luiz completed the scoring deep into added time.
Oliver George Arthur Watkins.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
Victory for Unai Emery’s side extended their winning run to three matches, while Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton were denied the chance to go joi…
In what was a sweltering showdown at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Wednesday night, Rangers saw their European dreams slip through their fingers as they fell to a heartbreaking penalties defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Making the trip out to Sevilla with their sights set on making Europa League history, the Scottish giants failed to drag themselves over the finish line after Joe Aribo s second-half opener.
Backed by a euphoric travelling support who constantly made themselves heard throughout, it simply wasn t meant to be for Giovanni van Bronckhorst s squad here.
Watching Eintracht Frankfurt s Rafael Santos Borré level the scoreline just 12 minutes after Aribo s strike, the Eagles managed to top off what has been a remarkable European adventure this…