Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining a serious knee injury.
The Belgium international is believed to have suffered the anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee in training and will undergo surgery in the coming days.
A statement on Real’s official club website read: “Following tests carried out on Thibaut Courtois, the player has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The player will undergo surgery in the coming days.”
Courtois medical report.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden)
The 31-year-old has made over 200 appearances for the club since joining from Chelsea in August 2018 and has been a near ever-present in the Spanish capital.…
Manchester City must be almost perfect between now and the end of the season if they are to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal dropped points for just the third time this season in Tuesday s goalless home draw with Newcastle United, but they are still eight points clear of second-placed City.
The reigning champions play their game in hand away at Chelsea on Thursday, though Guardiola accepts Arsenal may well be uncatchable on current form.
The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games, Guardiola said at Wednesday s pre-match press conference.
They have an average and they re going to do 100 points or more if they carry on, and we won t catch them. We will have to be almost perfect.
…
Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic has revealed that his future remains in the air.
I don’t know what’s gonna happen for my extension with Inter, he said, as quoted by . But you can’t manage the situation like this with important players. You can’t wait until the end.
The 33-year-old Croatia international has had a rather illustrious career so far. Having passed through the ranks at Hajduk Split, Sochaux, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg, he joined Inter in 2015, and spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Bayern Munich. In all competitions, he s made a total of 252 appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring 54 goals and contributing 48 assists, helping them take Juventus of the throne of Italian football last season by finally winning the Scudetto, as w…
Antonio Conte has promised to bring attractive football to Tottenham in a bid to earn the trust of supporters.
The 52-year-old was appointed by Spurs on an 18-month contract on Tuesday following the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Conte has enjoyed previous success in English football with Chelsea, whom he guided to the Premier League and FA Cup during his two seasons in charge.
Indeed, of all managers to have taken charge of at least 20 Premier League games, only Pep Guardiola (73 per cent) has a higher winning percentage than Conte (67 per cent).
He also won the Scudetto three seasons running with Juventus and once in his two years with Inter either side of that Stamford Bridge spell and a two-year stint as Italy head coach.
The Italian is now l…
Milan must show courage if they are to overcome Atletico Madrid and keep their dream of advancing in the Champions League alive, according to the great Franco Baresi.
The Rossoneri have made an unbeaten start to their Serie A campaign with five wins and a draw from their first six matches, but they were defeated 3-2 by Liverpool at Anfield in their opening European game of the season two weeks ago.
That was Milan s first match in Europe s elite club competition in seven and a half years, and the narrow defeat leaves them bottom of Group B, with Atletico and Porto sharing a point apiece in the other match.
Milan welcome LaLiga champions Atletico to San Siro on Tuesday and history is not on their side, having won only won of their past 17 games against Spanish op…
Kylian Mbappe has returned to training ahead of Paris Saint-Germain s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, raising the prospect of the forward featuring after he was thought likely to miss the game.
Mbappe sustained a hamstring injury in PSG s 3-1 win at Montpellier on February 1, leading the French giants to announce he was likely to be sidelined for three weeks.
PSG boss Christophe Galtier has stressed the need to carefully manage Mbappe s injury, while Bayern counterpart Julian Nagelsmann accused the Ligue 1 champions of playing poker regarding his availability.
On the eve of Tuesday s round-of-16 first leg between the two European giants, PSG were handed a boost as Mbappe was pictured in training with his team-mates.
Mbappe s potential return c…
Harry Kane says a top-four Premier League finish will not make Tottenham s season a success, admitting Spurs are lacking something as speculation over Antonio Conte s future grows.
Spurs have seen their hopes of avoiding another trophyless season evaporate within the space of a week, following up an FA Cup loss at Sheffield United with a Champions League exit against Milan.
Tottenham suffered a dire Premier League defeat at Wolves between those two eliminations, and they have now failed to score in three successive games for the first time since a three-match losing run in April and May 2019.
With Spurs now facing a battle for a top-four berth, Kane says a 15th consecutive campaign without silverware is unacceptable.
Where we re at as a club, we should …
Cristiano Ronaldo hopes to end his wait for an international trophy at the Euro 2016 finals in France.
The three-time Ballon d Or winner has won the league and Champions League with Real Madrid and Manchester United in a glittering career to date, but has failed to land a major title with Portugal.
Ronaldo was part of the side that lost the Euro 2004 final to Greece on home soil, but the 30-year-old is confident there is enough young talent within the squad to challenge next year.
At club and individual level I ve won everything, but I m missing an international title. It would seal a great career and I have hope. Hopefully it ll be in 2016, Ronaldo told Marca after being awarded his fourth European Golden Shoe.
We have a good team and an excellent pr…
Jose Mourinho is a good fit in Serie A and could be the man to take Roma back to the top, according to former Inter midfielder Ciriaco Sforza.
Mourinho was this week appointed as Roma s head coach for next season, replacing Paulo Fonseca.
It is a return to Italy for a coach who celebrated the treble with Inter in 2009-10 before departing, having also won the league in the previous campaign.
Mourinho won 62.0 per cent of his 108 games in charge of the Nerazzurri, yet standards have since slipped.
The Portuguese lasted only 86 matches at Tottenham, winning a disappointing 51.2 per cent, before his dismissal last month.
But Sforza, who reached the 1997 UEFA Cup final with Inter, believes both Mourinho and Italian football can benefit from their reuni…
Bruno Fernandes says comparisons with Manchester United icon Eric Cantona motivate him to become even better.
The Portugal international has enjoyed a sensational season for the Red Devils, scoring 28 goals and making 18 assists across all competitions.
Eighteen of his goals and 12 of the assists came in 37 Premier League appearances as United secured second place and consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since 2013.
Fernandes form helped him win United s Player of the Year award for a second straight season, the midfielder receiving an overwhelming 63 per cent of the votes cast by supporters.
Fernandes followed in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and David de Gea to become only the fifth player in Unit…