Anderlecht coach Besnik Hasi will be hoping to save his job in the Europa League against Shakhtar Donetsk as the 33-time Belgian champions continue to falter on the domestic front.
Hasi s side sit third in the Jupiler League table, nine points behind leaders Club Brugge following a 2-1 loss away to Mouscron-Peruwelz to make it no wins in three league games.
Only the club s Europa League form has given Hasi a leg to stand on, having progressed to the round of 16 courtesy of an extra-time win over Greece s Olympiacos.
Upon the draw, Hasi admitted his side faced a tough task against the Ukrainian giants saying: [Shakhtar] is favourite no matter what happens.
I had no preference for the draw, but I hoped still to avoid Shakhtar.
Due to the current p…
Sergio Busquets has signed his new contract at Barcelona and is now tied to the Spanish champions until at least 2021.
The 28-year-old agreed terms on the deal in May but put pen to paper on Thursday to extend his stay at Camp Nou.
Busquets is now under contract for the next five years with the terms also including an option to extend by another two depending on the number of games he plays.
The Spain international has made 390 first-team appearances after coming through the ranks and making his debut under Pep Guardiola in the 2008-09 season.
Always in a Barça shirt. And for many years more, Sergio!
— Josep Maria Bartomeu (@jmbartomeu)
He has amassed an astonishing collection of winners medals, helping Barca to three Champions Leag…
AC Milan signed Sergino Dest on loan from Barcelona on the final day of the summer transfer window, and as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, the 21-year-old USA international has revealed that Milan have an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. He also expressed hope that the Serie A giants will trigger that option when the time comes.
A right-back who can play on the left as well if need be, Dest rose through the youth ranks at Ajax, and Barcelona paid over €20 million to sign him in 2020. He was prominent for the Catalan side in his first season at the Camp Nou, but injuries kept him out of action at whiles last term and towards the end, he lost his place in Xavi Hernandez s team to veteran Dani Alves. At the moment, the right-back slot at Barcelona is filled…
Ederson has hit out at reports of a rift between himself and fellow Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega.
The Brazilian was substituted after suffering a fractured eye socket in City s penultimate game of the Premier League season, a vital 1-0 win over Tottenham.
Ortega replaced him and made a brilliant save to deny Son Heung-min as City maintained their slender lead over Arsenal at the top of the table, sealing an unprecedented fourth straight title by beating West Ham five days later.
Ortega was widely lauded for his role in that triumph, and an article published by The Athletic this week suggested Ederson took issue with that praise.
However, the goalkeeper – who missed the Copa America as a result of his injury – has now moved to shut down t…
Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid s history helped inspire their sensational Champions League semi-final comeback against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Los Blancos recovered from the brink of defeat to snatch a dramatic 3-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu and book their place in the final in Paris, where they will play Liverpool on May 28.
Ancelotti s side fell 5-3 behind on aggregate when Riyad Mahrez stuck for City in the 73rd minute, but Rodrygo struck twice in the space of 91 seconds to force extra-time.
And the hosts turned the tie on its head when Karim Benzema s penalty set up a showdown with Liverpool and a repeat of the 2018 final, which Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv thanks to a stunning Gareth Bale cameo.
It was the third successive round in wh…
Mauricio Pochettino has called for unity at Paris Saint-Germain following fan protests during their 1-0 win over Rennes on Friday.
PSG were made to work hard for their three points against the only team to have beaten them in Ligue 1 so far this season.
Kylian Mbappe eventually scored in the 93rd minute, but that strike did little to appease frustrated supporters.
The Collectif Ultras Paris group sent a powerful message as one end of the Parc des Princes was left empty for half an hour at the start of the match, while various banners were later unveiled.
The supporters took issue with a range of issues relating to their club, with PSG s indifferent displays this term – despite a 16-point lead in the league – not helping matters.
This comes as …
Kai Havertz is not getting carried away with his first Arsenal goal from open play or the Gunners’ rise to the top of the Premier League.
Germany midfielder Havertz climbed off the bench to score a last-minute winner at Brentford on Saturday evening.
It was only his second goal since joining Arsenal from Chelsea for £65million in the summer, and his first since netting a penalty in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth.
It feels good to be back
Check out the best photos from our late win over Brentford
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
“I think most important is always the team and to have the three points is very good for me as well, personally,” Havertz told the club website.
“I worked quite hard to get these moments again and I got it so…
Alfred Schreuder will take over from Manchester United-bound Erik ten Hag as Ajax head coach.
Ten Hag will head to Old Trafford at the end of the season, having seen his Ajax team wrap up the Eredivisie title on Wednesday with a 5-0 rout of Heerenveen.
Ajax on Thursday confirmed Ten Hag s replacement, announcing they have reached an agreement with Club Brugge boss Schreuder.
The 49-year-old, who served as Ten Hag s assistant in 2018-19, when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals, has signed a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Schreuder only joined Belgian side Brugge in January, and is hoping to lead them to glory in the play-offs for the Belgian championship.
He coached Hoffenheim in 2019-20, though left in June of that season …
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes criticism of Jose Mourinho is undeserved and that the Portuguese should be given more credit for his record at Old Trafford.
United are 10th in the Premier League and face Everton on Sunday, when they will again look to kickstart an underwhelming start to the season.
Persistent speculation over Mourinho s future and his relationship with star players, such as Paul Pogba, has provided the backdrop to a campaign that has brought four wins from nine attempts in England s top flight and an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Derby County.
There have been calls for the 55-year-old to lose his job, but Neville – who made 602 appearances for United before his retirement in 2011 – feels United should stick by their man…
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has accused the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) of employing scare tactics and says Luis Rubiales is not fit to run the organisation.
The pair s frosty relationship plumbed new depths last week when the RFEF urged Tebas to resign following a setback in his bid to stage a LaLiga match in the United States.
A Madrid court ruled the league could not take the December fixture between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid to Miami without permission from the RFEF, which opposes the idea.
The RFEF released a statement indicating such a move could put the clubs at risk of UEFA and FIFA sanctions and called for Tebas immediate dismissal or resignation.
Asked about his working relationship with Rubiales, a former footballer with Lev…