Laurent Blanc will launch Paris Saint-Germain s title defence with a tough encounter against the 2011-12 champions Montpellier on Friday.

The new PSG boss faces a tricky-looking trip to the Stade de la Mosson to take on Jean Fernandez s charges in the first game of the new Ligue 1 season.

However, they look set to be without two of their three big-name signings, with Marquinhos and Edinson Cavani struggling for fitness.

Blanc will be hoping to better the 1-1 result achieved there in 2012 when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge.

A strong start is also imperative for the champions as their main competitors Marseille face a decidedly easier contest against the newly promoted Guingamp on Sunday.

Jocelyn Gourvennec has seen his team earn a place back in the top fligh…

Equatorial Guinea will host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have confirmed.

Morocco had originally been set to host the tournament, but then asked for it to be delayed due to fears over the spread of the Ebola virus, which has claimed over 5,000 lives across Africa.

CAF rejected that request and subsequently stripped Morocco of the tournament, as well as ejecting their national team from the competition.

Equatorial Guinea co-hosted the 2012 staging of the AFCON with Gabon, but has taken on sole duties this time around.

Talks with CAF chief Issa Hayatou were held on Friday and a decision was quickly made to take the tournament to Malabo, Bata, Mongomo and Ebebiyin.

A CAF statement read: The Head of State …

Liverpool took their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 13 points as they edged out a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers to round off 2019. Of course, that only tells a very small part of the story, as VAR played yet another huge role in a game of such importance.

Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the lead in the first half after the ball bounced off of Adam Lallana s shoulder in the build-up to the goal. The goal was checked by VAR, and while it was given, some felt as if Virgil van Dijk also handled the ball before playing the initial pass. Then, Pedro Neto s equaliser was ruled out due to a very marginal offside from Jonny Otto.

Tense affair

Liverpool held on to claim all three points, with the pressure now being back on Leicester City and Manchester Ci…

The old year is about to end and the new one is arriving, so you should make some New Year resolutions. Of course, health comes first, but if you could pocket a bit of cash it would be nice. Well, the ever-generous Mr Green got you covered there, because he is giving away a total of €100,000 in cash!

The 2020 game collection is waiting for you (Age of Asgard, Hanzo’s Dojo, Spina Colada, Cazino Zeppelin, Holmes And The Stolen Stones, Double Dragons, The One Armed Bandit, Ozwin’s Jackpot) and if you play them from 30th December to 6th January, you could pocket one of 300 cash prizes.

A singe bet could win you a reward, but the best part of the story is that there are no limitations on how many prizes a single player can collect. to start competing for your rewards …

Arsene Wenger has slammed Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell for the tackle which left Arsenal winger Theo Walcott nursing a potentially serious knee injury.

Walcott was forced off before half-time in the Gunners 3-1 win over City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday following a hefty tackle from Ridgewell.

The England international was left in a crumpled heap after the defender crashed into him, winning the ball but also crunching into the back of his legs.

Walcott played on for another 20 minutes before being withdrawn and will undergo a scan on Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

Wenger has ruled out the possibility of cruciate ligament damage but fears Walcott might have twisted his medial ligaments, which would rule him out of Tuesday s Cha…

Following Bayern Munich s Champions League exit at the hands of Manchester City on Wednesday, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was asked about the reported interest in his services from Liverpool and a potential move to the Merseyside this summer, but he understandably refused to make any comments.

Liverpool s interest in Gravenberch reportedly goes a while back; it s not just a result of their decision to pull out of the race for Borussia Dortmund s Jude Bellingham. However, the situation with the 20-year-old Netherlands international appears very complicated. Having joined Bayern from Ajax last summer, he hasn t been playing nearly as much as he would ve liked to. But for the time being, according to Fabrizio Romano, he remains a part of the Bavarians plans, as well as the plans o…

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique will likely recall his star names against Deportivo La Coruna after resting several key players in midweek.

After resting a host of big-name stars in the Copa del Rey in midweek, Barcelona head coach Luis Enrique looks set to recall his key men for Sunday s La Liga visit to Deportivo La Coruna.

Boasting a 5-0 first-leg advantage over Elche in their last-16 tie, Barca gave the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez the night off on Thursday in a bid to keep players fresh for this weekend s game.

The Catalan giants coped comfortably without their high-profile absentees, running out 4-0 winners at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero to seal their progress to a quarter-final tie with Atletico Madrid by a 9-0 aggregate scoreline…

Didier Drogba would like to continue his career at Chelsea beyond the end of this season.

Didier Drogba has underlined his desire to stay at Chelsea beyond the end of the current season, when his contract expires.

The Ivorian enjoyed a stellar eight years at Stamford Bridge in his first spell, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups before sealing the UEFA Champions League with the decisive penalty in the shootout against Bayern Munich in the 2012 final.

Many thought that spot-kick would be Drogba s last act in a Chelsea shirt, but, following brief stints at Shanghai Shenhua and Galatasaray, the 36-year-old returned to be reunited with Jose Mourinho at the start of this campaign.

And the striker, who signed a one-year deal, says he would li…

Cesare Prandelli hopes to restore stability at Valencia and regain the club s spot in the Champions League.

Prandelli was appointed as Pako Ayestaran s successor at the end of last week, making him the LaLiga club s eighth head coach in a little over four years.

Caretaker boss Voro ended a run of four consecutive defeats with back-to-back 2-1 wins over Alaves and Leganes, but, as Prandelli took up a watching brief at the Mestalla on Sunday, a 2-0 win for league leaders Atletico Madrid left Los Che third bottom.

The former Italy boss is taking on his first coaching post since being sacked by Galatasaray in November 2014, spoke at a media presentation on Monday.

I think Valencia have an interesting football project, he said. I m optimistic. There are inter…

Spanish daily newspaper that Valencia were keen on signing Portuguese goalkeeper Anthony Lopes from Lyon.

Los Che were desperate to sign a replacement for Brazilian Diego Alves in the summer after he had suffered a difficult injury.

And it has now been revealed that the Lyon shot-stopper was one of their primary targets, before Valencia decided to recruit Matthew Ryan from Club Brugge.

Los Che remain interested in the 24-year-old footballer, but their chances of luring Lopes to Mestalla are very slim now that the player has signed a new five-year deal at Stade Gerland.

The Portugal international has spent his entire career with les Gones, making 83 Ligue 1 appearances for the club.

Lopes has been a member of Portugal national team since 2013, bu…