Manchester City dream of winning the Champions League, but Pep Guardiola will not let success or failure become an obsession.
Expectations in Europe have grown even greater for City following a second successive Premier League title.
An agonising quarter-final loss to Tottenham ended their run last term and forced a domestically dominant outfit to watch from afar as Liverpool went on to lift the trophy in an all-English final.
City s best Champions League result, a semi-final berth in 2015-16, was achieved under Manuel Pellegrini but his successor, a two-time winner of the competition with Barcelona, will not be consumed by the idea of making history.
It s important, I know it s important but if it doesn t happen it will be important too, Guardiola said…
Lucas Moura stepped up impressively in the absence of Harry Kane and Dele Alli by plundering a hat-trick for Tottenham in their 4-0 Premier League win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Kane is only likely to feature again for Spurs this season if they reach the Champions League final after suffering an ankle injury in Tuesday s quarter-final, first leg victory against Manchester City, while Alli injured his hand in the same game.
Mauricio Pochettino s side initially struggled to break down their already relegated opponents, but two goals in the space of three first-half minutes from Victor Wanyama and Lucas set them up for the most routine of victories.
Lucas added two more in the closing stages as Spurs moved a point ahead of Chelsea into third ahead of…
Aleksandar Kolarov insists Serbia have no plans to take their foot off the pedal as they look to qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup with victory over Switzerland.
A 1-0 win over Costa Rica and Brazil s surprise 1-1 draw with Switzerland has left Serbia on the cusp of advancing from Group E in Russia.
Serbia have not progressed to the knockout rounds of the World Cup since their independence, failing to get beyond the group stage in both 2006 and 2010.
Kolarov, whose stunning free-kick saw off Costa Rica, stressed Serbia will maintain their intensity when the Balkan nation face Switzerland in Kaliningrad on Friday.
If we do the math and start playing for a draw then it will not be successful, Kolarov said. Of course we want to win.
Switzer…
Franck Ribery intends to continue playing for another year or two and has left the door open for a return to Bayern Munich afterwards.
Bayern confirmed on Sunday the former France international will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, but Ribery indicated he would be open to coming back to the Allianz Arena in a non-playing role.
The 36-year-old said he has options on the table but stopped short of confirming his next destination as he prepares to bring his 12-year spell with the Bavarian giants to an end.
I do not know what I m going to do next season, Ribery, who has been linked with Al Sadd and Western Sydney Wanderers, told a news conference.
There are a few options. Maybe I ll play another year or two. After that, I w…
Branislav Ivanovic has ended his nine-year stay at Chelsea by agreeing a move to Russian giants Zenit.
Ivanovic s contract at Stamford Bridge was set to expire at the end of the season and he has struggled for game time under Antonio Conte this term, making just 16 appearances in all competitions the last of which came in a goalscoring farewell appearance in the 4-0 FA Cup win over Brentford.
The 32-year-old has consequently opted for a new challenge at Zenit, with whom he has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal.
I can say I m very happy to come here, and to be at a big club like Zenit, I hope together we ll have success, he told Zenit s official website after the club had announced the deal.
I had a very big hope to come back to Russia and to play here.…
Pep Guardiola insists he is committed to Manchester City as England continue their search for a new manager.
The Football Association is recruiting for Gareth Southgate’s successor after he stepped down from the role following last month’s defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Guardiola, who helped City claim a record fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, has a year left on his contract and is expected to leave the club next year.
The 53-year-old has won 225 of his 304 league games in charge of the Citizens, scoring 755 goals in that time and averaging a win rate of 74.01%.
But when asked about the potential of managing the Three Lions in the future, Guardiola was quick to distance himself from the position.
“I am here, I…
DeAndre Yedlin s late own goal ensured Maurizio Sarri s perfect start to life in the Premier League continued as Chelsea beat Newcastle United 2-1 in a frantic and controversial finish.
Chelsea had appeared to have adapted quickly to Sarri s famously expansive style of play, winning their opening two league games after being well beaten by Manchester City in the Community Shield.
However, they came up against a stubborn and well-organised defence at St James Park and struggled to break Newcastle down despite a dominance of possession that bordered on the ridiculous.
The visitors were handed a huge boost 14 minutes from time as referee Paul Tierney ruled Fabian Schar had fouled Marcos Alonso in the box, despite replays suggesting the Switzerland internati…
Verdict: Home Win
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Pep Guardiola is in for an emotional return home on Wednesday night as his Manchester City prepare to face Barcelona with a huge pressure on their shoulders. Only a victory will suffice for the Premier League outfit as a defeat would provide Celtic or Borussia Monchengladbach with a fighting chance.
Barcelona
The Catalans went off to a flying start in the UEFA Champions League this season with back-to-back wins over Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach and are well aware that another three points against Manchester City would push them further towards securing the place in the knockouts. Having been surprised to a 4-3 defeat at Celta Vigo, Barcelona worked hard to show the loss was just a one-time slip-u…
Harry Kane is playing with a freer mind for England following a strong end to his club campaign with Tottenham.
The 28-year-old helped Spurs to topple fierce rivals Arsenal for fourth place in the Premier League, meaning the return of Champions League football next season.
He scored five goals in Tottenham s final five league games to take his tally to 17 for the campaign in the top flight.
That is Kane s joint-lowest tally in the competition in his eight seasons as a regular, alongside 2018-19, and is down on the 23 goals registered in 2020-21.
Kane s lower-than-usual goals return can be put down to a slow start to the campaign when failing to score in his first eight Premier League games of the season.
That came amid a backdrop of uncertainty re…
England midfielder Keira Walsh’s World Cup hangs in the balance after a scan revealed she did not suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the Lionesses’ 1-0 victory over Denmark on Friday.
The 26-year-old will miss the Lionesses’ final group-stage clash with China on Tuesday but will remain in Australia as she undergoes further medical assessments.
Walsh left the pitch on a stretcher in the 38th minute of England’s second group game and could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff “I’ve done my knee” after sliding to collect the ball late in the first half.
The Champions League winner later appeared on crutches.
Following a scan late on Saturday afternoon, we can confirm Keira Walsh has not suffered an anterior cruciate li…