Champions League Preview: Marseille - Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund must win at managerless Marseille to be sure of reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.Jurgen Klopp's men – runners-up to Bayern Munich last season – currently sit second in Group F courtesy of their superior head-to-head record against Napoli.Yet any slip up at the Stade Velodrome would give the Italian side, who host Arsenal on matchday six, an opportunity to qualify.Victory will guarantee Dortmund's progression as they also have the edge over Arsenal, who currently hold a three-point cushion at the top of the group, when it comes to meetings between the two.

Posted on: 9 December 2013 | 9:55 pm

Premier League : Sunderland - Manchester City

Free-scoring Manchester City will be plotting to heap more misery on struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.Manuel Pellegrini’s side have scored 12 goals in their last two games against Norwich and CSKA Moscow, meaning Sunderland - who sit second-bottom in the Premier League - ...

Posted on: 8 November 2013 | 6:03 pm

Premier League : Tottenham - Newcastle United

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will return for the visit of Newcastle United on Sunday after his concussion against Everton.The Frenchman was knocked out following an accidental collision with Romelu Lukaku late in the game at Goodison Park last week, but got up and finished the match - a decision that sparked huge controversy.

Posted on: 8 November 2013 | 6:00 pm

Fellaini seals Manchester United switch

Manchester United have secured the signing of Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini for a fee of £27.5million. United boss David Moyes had pursued the Belgium international for much of the transfer window and finally got his man late on the last day. A statement on Everton's official website confirmed: "Marouane Fellaini has moved to Manchester United for a £27.5m fee...Fellaini's exit ended a summer long period of speculation after the Belgium international emerged as one of former Everton manager David Moyes' prime targets for his new club." Fellaini became Everton's club-record signing after arriving fro...

Posted on: 3 September 2013 | 1:55 am

Transfer Wrap: La Liga

After a number of moves were thrashed out on a typically frantic transfer deadline day, we round up the biggest deals in La Liga. Although Gareth Bale's reported world-record move from Tottenham to Real Madrid was confirmed before Monday, the Spanish capital still saw plenty of transfer action on the final day. Real's cross-city rivals Atletico were busy, bringing in two players to help bolster Diego Simeone's squad. Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld arrived for a reported €10million from Dutch champions Ajax, while Josuha Guilavogui made the switch to the Vicente Calderon from Saint-Etienne. But, along with officially unveiling Bale to reporters, Real were mostly caught up in allowing play...

Posted on: 3 September 2013 | 1:54 am

Transfer Wrap: Serie A

After a number of moves were thrashed out on a typically frantic transfer deadline day, we round up the biggest deals in Serie A. Kaka was undoubtedly the headline arrival in the Italian top flight, as he ended a disappointing three-year spell in La Liga with Real Madrid in order to return to Milan. "I'm coming home," he told Sky Italia after finalising his switch. 'I'm very happy and now I get to live lots of new joyous moments with Milan." There was also a departure from the San Siro, with 18-year-old striker Andrea Petagna joining Sampdoria on a season-long loan with the option of co-ownership. 

Posted on: 3 September 2013 | 1:53 am

Champions League - Qualification: PAOK Vs Schalke - Betting Tip

The first leg of this Champions League qualifier ended 1-1. Schalke had plenty of chances on 1-0 to cement their Champions League ticket but failed to convert. When you defend as sloppily as Schalke 04 has done so far this season a 1-0 lead is nothing. The Gelsenkirchen outfit learnt that the hard way as Miroslav Stoch scored the equalizer.Schalke 04 has played one match since the first Champions League qualifier. A game they lost 2-1 away to Hannover. It was quite a game as Schalke had a man sent off within the first quarter of an hour, and one more towards the end. Hannover also saw a man sent off with 25 minutes still to go.Schalke has no new injury worries to report, that means Huntelaar and Papadopoulos still are out.PAOK lost 2-0 away to Panaitolikos domestically on Saturday. I’m sure they had Schalke on ...

Posted on: 26 August 2013 | 7:39 pm

Champions League - Qualification: Basel Vs Ludogorets - Betting Tip

Ludogorets Razgrad is 2nd in Bulgaria after five matches played with 4-0-1.  In their last match they racked up a good away win (1-0) to 4th Botev Plodiv. In Champions League qualification so far Ludogorets has knocked out decent opposition in Slovan Bratislava and Partizan Beograd. They have a couple of Bulgaria internationals at both senior and youth levels in the first eleven and looks quite a handful.Basel played their way into the hearts of many underdog loving football fans in the 2011/2012 season when they participated in the group stages of the Champions League. They knocked out Maccabi Tel Aviv in the last round of qualification. Domestically they are 4th with 2-2-1 in their first five matches. That puts them 7 points behind Young Boys. Not a good start in other wor...

Posted on: 26 August 2013 | 7:36 pm

Premier League : Manchester United v Chelsea

Manchester United manager David Moyes will take charge of his first home Premier League fixture at Old Trafford against Chelsea on Monday. Moyes saw his side post an excellent 4-1 win on the opening day of the season at Swansea City last weekend, with Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck scoring doubles for the Premier League champions.But they are likely to face a sterner test against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, who started their campaign with consecutive home wins against Hull City and Aston Villa.Since being confirmed as Alex Ferguson's successor, Moyes has had to wait more than 100 days for his first competitive fixture in front of the club's supporters. And although it is a match United will ent...

Posted on: 25 August 2013 | 7:03 am

Fernandez: Montpellier not afraid of PSG

Montpellier boss Jean Fernandez has insisted his team do not fear reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the new Ligue 1 season. Montpellier were shock winners of the French top-flight title in 2011-12, but mustered a meek defence of their crown last season as they could only finish in ninth place. However, ahead of his first season in charge at Stade de la Mosson, Fernandez has claimed his squad are not scared of going toe-to-toe with the big-spending Parisians. "We are not afraid of PSG. They are certainly the best team in the league," he said. "But as I said before, the league is already won for them. What they want is to win the Champions League. Leonardo said and I agree with him, they certainly have the best attack in the world....

Posted on: 7 August 2013 | 1:26 pm

Marseille reach Khelifa agreement

Marseille are close to capturing Saber Khelifa after agreeing a fee with the striker's current club Evian.The 26-year-old will now undergo a medical ahead of completing his switch to the Stade Velodrome. Khlifa scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 25 appearances in the French top flight last term to help Evian avoid relegation by two points. He will now hope to contribute to Marseille's attempts to improve on their second-placed finish, as they look to overhaul champions Paris-Saint Germain.Khelifa, who has been capped on 23 occasions by Tunisia, scored with an audacious effort from his own half during a win over Nice last term. Marseille have also confirmed that Modou Sougou will move to Evian on a season-...

Posted on: 7 August 2013 | 1:25 pm

Redknapp believes Remy loan deal is unlikely

QPR manager Harry Redknapp does not believe that striker Loic Remy will leave the club on loan, for Newcastle or anywhere else. The Frenchman has been linked with a temporary move to St James' Park - a switch that would see him link up with a club he rejected in order to join Redknapp at Loftus Road in January.  However, Redknapp insists that a loan deal is not on the agenda, highlighting the Championship side's desire to recoup close to the £8million they paid Marseille for him midway through last season.  Remy has a release clause following QPR's relegation from the Premier League, and the former Tot...

Posted on: 2 August 2013 | 4:24 am

Isco pleased with Real start

Real Madrid new boy Isco believes that he is adapting well to life at the club, thanks to the help of his new team-mates. The Spain Under-21 international moved to the Bernabeu from Malaga in June, and he is pleased with how the switch has panned out so far. "My team-mates make it easy for me to adapt," he said after playing a part in Real's first two goals during their 3-1 pre-season win over LA Galaxy on Thursday. "I try to play football and I am happy with how things are going so far. "The team is finding its rhythm in matches and in the pre-season...

Posted on: 2 August 2013 | 4:23 am

Guardiola happy with Bayern pre-season progress

Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola was pleased with his side's 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the final of 2013 Audi Cup.Goals from Thomas Mueller and substitute Mario Mandzukic were enough to see Bayern crowned winners of the pre-season tournament on Thursday after Alvaro Negredo had given City a second-half lead. The match spelled the end of Bayern's pre-season campaign, with a DFB-Pokal clash against fourth-tier club BSV-Schwarz-Weiss Rehden looming next week. "It's not easy to play against City with (Samir) Nasri, (Stevan) Jovetic and Negredo," Guardiola said. "They all are incredible and if Dante and Javi (Martinez) were at full fitness it would have been a nice competition.

Posted on: 2 August 2013 | 4:21 am

Pellegrini: City on right track despite loss

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes his side will be better for their loss to Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup final. Alvaro Negredo opened the scoring for City on Thursday before Thomas Mueller and Mario Mandzukic hit back to guide Bayern to victory in the pre-season tournament. Despite the loss, Pellegrini was pleased with how his team had been tested by Bayern and argued it will serve City well in the upcoming English Premier League season."I think this was a very useful match to prepare," the former Malaga head coach said after the game."We played a very good match against a strong team that won the UEFA Champions League last season, in their stadium."I am really glad how my team played and at this moment...

Posted on: 2 August 2013 | 4:20 am

Bony feeling good after Swansea debut

Wilfried Bony was a happy man as his two goals put Swansea in pole position in their UEFA Europa League tie with Malmo. Swansea cruised to a 4-0 victory over their Swedish opponents at the Liberty Stadium on Thursday, giving them a good chance of making it into the play-offs of this year's competition. Michael Laudrup's side took the lead early through Michu, but it was the Spaniard's link-up play with strike partner Bony that really impressed.The Ivorian arrived at the Premier League side in July having scored 37 goals for Vitesse Arnhem in all competitions last season, and he was happy to make a scoring start for his new club. "I feel good," he told ITV4. "It's very good for us, we can enjoy tonight and think about the next game.

Posted on: 2 August 2013 | 4:19 am

Higuain ready to fire Napoli to Serie A title

Gonzalo Higuain has set his sights on helping Napoli depose Juventus and lift the Serie A title in his first season at the club.Following his big-money move from Real Madrid last month, the 25-year-old is tasked with replacing the departing Edinson Cavani as the Naples club's main goal threat.But he is confident of filling the prolific Uruguayan's boots, and wants to help his new team go one better than their second-placed finish in the Italian top flight last term."We want to fight for everything, we have a great team and a great manager. We know that Juventus are favourites for the Scudetto but we can achieve this objective," he said.Higuain also cited the legacy of fellow Argentinian Diego Marad...

Posted on: 1 August 2013 | 12:49 pm

Bundesliga 2: Karlsruher SC Vs St. Pauli - Betting Tip

Karlsruher SC Vs St. Pauli – Two second round matches in the Second Bundesliga are scheduled for this Saturday, and we are going to analyze a match between two teams that have recorded victory in the first round. The new second-league team Karlsruhe had pleasantly surprised, when they celebrated with 0-1 away, while Hamburg won with the same result at home, which means that both teams are without received goals. Obviously, they had not played together in the last season, because they were not in the same rank of competition, but two seasons ago, St. Pauli defeated Karlsruhe in both matches without a received goal. Overall, St. Pauli is much more successful in their mutual matches, while Karlsruhe is waiting for its victory since 2002. Begins: 27.07.2013 – 15:30 CE...

Posted on: 26 July 2013 | 7:14 am

Champions League - Qualification: Ludogorets Vs Slovan Bratislava - Betting Tip

Ludogorets v Slovan Bratislava – This is a rematch of the Champions League second qualifying round, which is somewhat more attractive than the others as the first match between the Bulgarian champion Ludogorets and Slovakian Bratislava has ended with the minimal victory of the Slovakian champion of 2-1. Begins: 24.07.2013 – 19:30 CETLudogoretsBut we can safely say that Ludogorets was a much better team in that match, and only a combination of unfortunate circumstances prevented them to achieve a better result. What happened is that guests from Bulgaria had controlled the game from the beginning and in the 65th minute through stopper Mantyle took the lead, but in the continuation of the match had apparently got sleepy as they with one player more have received even two goals by the end of the match. Before that the hosts missed a penalty,...

Posted on: 24 July 2013 | 6:02 am

Champions League - Qualification: Zeljeznicar Vs Plzen - Betting Tip

FK Zeljeznicar (Bih) Vs FC Viktoria Plzen (Cze) – This is certainly one of the most interesting rematches of the second pre-qualifying round of the Champions League, as the first match between Plzen and Zeljeznicar ended with somewhat surprising result as the Czech champion won with a minimal goal difference of 4:3. Begins: 23.07.2013 – 21:00 CETFK ZeljeznicarIt is a fact that champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina are much more satisfied with such outcome, especially as they scored even three goals in the away game. Now, they will try to surprise the favoured opponent and playing at their home pitch and being solidly confident will seek to achieve a minimal victory, which if materialise would mean a placement...

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 9:51 am

Honda keen to speed up Milan move

Keisuke Honda is to enter further talks with CSKA Moscow with a view to sealing a move to Milan, the midfielder's agent has revealed. The Japan international has been a long-term target of the Serie A club, and has reportedly already agreed to sign for Massimiliano Allegri's side on a free transfer when his contract with CSKA expires in January. However, Milan are eager to secure Honda's services in this transfer window, and his brother and representative Hiroyuki Honda confirmed the player is now waiting for CSKA to finalise the deal. "We'll meet with CSKA again today for more talks," he told TuttoMercatoWeb.

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 7:21 am

New signings have lifted Everton, Osman says

Everton stalwart Leon Osman believes the club's new signings have inspired the squad ahead of the new season. The 32-year-old midfielder has spent his entire career at Goodison Park and, after helping his side finish sixth in the Premier League last season, hopes the new additions will improve their performance in 2013-14. New manager Roberto Martinez has already recruited four players, with his former Wigan charges Joel Robles, Antolin Alcaraz and Arouna Kone being joined by 19-year-old Barcelona attacker Gerard Deulofeu, who agreed a season-long loan deal.  "We’ve brought four new signings in already and it’s b...

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 7:19 am

Arsenal hit by Monreal blow

Spanish left-back Nacho Monreal has been added to Arsenal's lengthy injury list after hurting his back while on holiday. Monreal was given an extended break after playing a part in Spain's Confederations Cup campaign, which meant the 27-year-old defender was not taken on Arsenal's tour of Japan. But during that time off, Monreal has injured his back and although Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger does not know what caused the injury, he believes the former Malaga man will miss the start of the English Premier League season. Monreal's injury means Wenger may only have one left-back option for Arsenal's league opener against Aston Villa - Kieran Gibbs. "Honestly I don't really know," Wenger said ...

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 7:18 am

Moyes: United fear factor keeps me focused

David Moyes admits that a fear of failing to maintain the success enjoyed under Alex Ferguson is motivating him at Manchester United.Succeeding Ferguson, who won 38 trophies during his 26 years in charge at United, is arguably the toughest job in world football, meaning the pressure on Moyes to succeed is high and brings with it a level of scrutiny that he has yet to experience. The former Everton manager is well aware of the size of the challenge ahead, but is keen to meet it head on. "There's not one person who would turn around and say: 'Taking over Manchester United, you think you can walk in there and breeze in and think you can do it easily'," he said. "Of course not. There has to be an e...

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 7:17 am

Barcelona appoint Martino

Barcelona have confirmed the appointment of Gerardo Martino as their new manager.The 50-year-old takes over from Tito Vilanova, who stepped down on Friday to continue his treatment for throat cancer. Martino, who guided Newell's Old Boys to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores before parting company with the Argentinian side earlier this month, has agreed a two-year contract.The former Paraguay national team manager's availability moved him ahead of reported candidates Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, who recently signed with Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao respectively. Martino, who was voted as Newell's best ever player in 2010, walked away from his role with the Rosario club on July 10 following th...

Posted on: 23 July 2013 | 7:15 am