Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos will be fit for a decisive weekend in LaLiga s title race, news that also hands Spain a major boost for Euro 2020.
Eden Hazard, though, has sustained an injury that will rule him out on Saturday, after head coach Zinedine Zidane delivered a pre-match injury update at his news conference.
Real Madrid are two points behind leaders and city rivals Atletico Madrid ahead of the final round of fixtures.
Atleti travel to relegation-threatened Real Valladolid while Real Madrid are at home to seventh-placed Villarreal.
— Real Madrid @realmadriden)
If Atleti are crowned LaLiga champions it means Madrid will end the season without a major trophy, and there has been speculation that Zidane will quit as head coach…
English Premier League club Tottenham were allowed to sign Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid on Wednesday after their last-ditch move for the Dutch playmaker on deadline day.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp moved for van der Vaart just two hours before the transfer window closed late on Tuesday, causing a frantic scramble to file the paperwork in time, and the north London outfit were left to wait overnight to discover if the Premier League would ratify the deal.
Redknapp was finally able to plan a team that includes van der Vaart on Wednesday after the Premier League rubber-stamped the most impressive deadline day coup by an English club.
We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart, a stat…
that Leicester City have slapped a £30m price tag on star striker Jamie Vardy, amid links with Manchester United.
The East Midlands side have no interest in parting company with the twenty-eight year old who scored in a record eleventh consecutive Premier League game – against United at the weekend.
The former Fleetwood Town man is currently earning £40,000 per week and could expect to pocket a significant amount more should he seal a move away.
Since moving to the King Power Stadium in the summer of 2012 Vardy has played one hundred and thirty-one times in all competitions, scoring forty goals.
He received his first England call up back in June, and has now been capped four times.
His strike on Saturday took his season total to fourt…
Fabio Capello has been appointed as head coach of Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning on an 18-month contract.
Former England manager Capello has been without a club since July 2015, when he was relieved of his duties as Russia s head coach.
The Italian has now returned to football with Suning, who finished second in the Chinese Super League in 2016 but are struggling in the relegation zone this time around.
The decision to sign Mr. Capello is made out of the club s strategic development needs, a club statement said.
Apart from guiding Jiangsu Suning forward, he will also be tasked with bringing in the most advanced ideas and methods in club management, coaches training and youth development.
Under his guidance, the Jiangsu football and …
Cody Gakpo says it was a shame for him, Manchester United and PSV Eindhoven that his proposed Premier League transfer did not go through, calling the English club one of the biggest around the globe.
The Netherlands international was heavily linked with a transfer from the Eredivisie outfit to join compatriot Erik ten Hag following the Dutchman s arrival in the Old Trafford dugout.
But a pursuit of the winger ultimately faltered, while late-window moves to both Leeds United and Southampton were ultimately scotched as Gakpo chose to remain with his boyhood club.
Now, the 23-year-old has reflected on his transfer saga and acknowledged the conversations he held with Ten Hag, while admitting it was a stressful time as he mulled his future.
I was close to lea…
Former Argentina international Diego Simeone has backed Lionel Messi to thrive on the pressure at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Simeone, who made 11 appearances at three World Cups during his playing career, has seen Messi close up for Barcelona in recent seasons as coach of Atletico Madrid.
His Atletico side got the better of Messi and Barca this term to win La Liga but the 44-year-old feels the four-time FIFA Ballon d Or winner can deliver the goods in Brazil.
Messi has struggled to consistently replicate his club form during two World Cup campaigns, playing eight times and scoring once as Argentina suffered quarter-final eliminations in 2006 and 2010 respectively.
However, Simeone claims pressure around his performance could help the captain and Arg…
Thibaut Courtois has committed his future to Chelsea by signing a new five-year contract with the Premier League club.
The Belgium international has been installed as the London club s first-choice goalkeeper this season at the expense of Petr Cech.
Courtois spent the last three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, but sees his future at Chelsea after breaking into Jose Mourinho s first team.
He told the club s official website: I m very happy with this new deal, it s really nice to have signed this new contract for five years.
My future was already sorted but it s nice to know I m going to be here for another five years and now I can just concentrate on playing games.
The 22-year-old joined Chelsea from Genk for an undisclosed fee in 2011 on a f…
Riyad Mahrez wants to talk to Roma about a transfer but has vowed to continue giving his best for Leicester City in the meantime.
Roma have reportedly had two bids for the Algeria winger turned down but are reported to be preparing another approach.
The Serie A club are reportedly readying a bid of €35million for Mahrez, though Leicester s asking price is thought to be closer to €40m (£36m).
Mahrez told Sky Sports News: I know Roma came in, but nothing was accepted so there is little I can do.
They are a great club who I would like to talk to but I can t until Leicester accept a deal.
Leicester know my thoughts, but I will continue to give my best for the club as I always have.
Clearly, it is flattering whenever you get linked with…
The Newcastle Jets confirmed the appointment of former Wales international Carl Robinson as their head coach.
The former Vancouver Whitecaps boss has signed a deal until the end of the 2022-23 A-League season and replaces Ernie Merrick, who was sacked last month, as the Jets permanent coach.
Robinson made 52 appearances for Wales during his playing career, in which he also featured for the likes of Sunderland, Wolves and Norwich City.
The 43-year-old s first senior coaching job was with the Whitecaps, where he was at the helm for almost five years ending in September 2018.
I am thrilled to be taking charge of the Jets. Everything I have seen about the club so far has been top class, they are desperate for success and hopefully we can achieve that togethe…
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Hoping to find a route into the Champions League spots, Roma will travel to Apulia on Monday evening when they meet Lecce.
Lecce
Starting with the hosts, although Lecce might have entered March’s international break with a gritty 1-0 victory away at Salernitana, Luca Gotti’s men have struggled to find any kind of stability this season. Looking over their shoulder at a looming relegation scrap over the final couple of months, the Wolves have recorded just a pair of wins from any of their previous 13 straight appearances a rut that stems all the way back to December 16th. Signing off February with a nightmare 4-0 drumming at the hands of runaway leaders Inter Milan, the former Udinese boss will also have a huge headache over his si…