Michael Carrick expects Manchester United s burgeoning Premier League title push to be put to the test at his former club Tottenham.
Following a comprehensive 3-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day, United have now taken 22 points from their last eight top-flight outings and sit third in the table.
The form being shown by Louis van Gaal s team is fast making a nightmare 2013-14 campaign under the stewardship of David Moyes a distant memory, and has even led to suggestions that they could challenge Chelsea and Manchester City for the title.
Indeed, despite the fact they remain some 10 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea, Carrick feels United are c
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apable of upsetting the odds.
However, the in-form playmaker knows Sunday s trip …
Chelsea s Mason Mount is feeling good after undergoing surgery on a pelvic issue that threatens to sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Mount has endured a frustrating few months, with six of his last seven appearances coming from the bench – including all three of his outings since Frank Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge as caretaker manager.
The England international has made 20 Premier League starts this term but only managed three goals and two assists during a season of upheaval for Chelsea.
On Tuesday, Lampard said Mount could face four weeks on the sidelines after being troubled by a pelvic issue, which required him to undergo minor surgery.
Mount s Chelsea contract expires in 2024, and with fresh terms yet to be agreed, the 24-year-o…
Vicente del Bosque faces his first test in charge of the Euro 2008 winners when Spain take on Denmark in Copenhagen Wednesday, with continuity uppermost in his mind.
Del Bosque replaced 69-year-old Luis Aragones after the nation s 1-0 defeat of Germany in the final of Euro 2008 in June.
He wants to work and to keep things as they are, said captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who played under del Bosque at Real.
Guys, I m not going to change anything, del Bosque told the squad s first training session in Madrid on Monday.
Having won two Champions League trophies and two Spanish league titles when he was in charge of Real Madrid, he has the credentials to gain the respect of the players.
The match against Denmark will launch Spain s preparat…
Manchester United are set to have two new attacking weapons at their disposal, with deals to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan likely to be completed by the end of the week.
Free agent striker Ibrahimovic, 34, has long been linked with United after opting to leave Paris Saint-Germain following a prolific four-year spell in France.
Attacking midfielder Mkhitaryan, meanwhile, has been swiftly targeted by new manager Jose Mourinho as United pounce for the attacking midfielder who only has one year left on his Borussia Dortmund contract in a reported £33million deal.
Here, with the help of Opta data, we analyse the performances of Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan during 2015-16 compared to United s current crop of attacking talent.
GOALS: I…
Marcelo Bielsa has agreed to take over as the new head coach of Lazio, the Serie A club have confirmed.
Bielsa has been without a club since resigning from Marseille one game into the 2015-16 Ligue 1 season.
The Argentinian joins as a permanent replacement for Stefano Pioli, who was sacked on April 3 following a 4-1 defeat to arch-rivals Roma.
As revealed in the media, SS Lazio announces that is has registered the contract of Mr Marcelo Bielsa and his co-workers, a club statement released on Wednesday read.
The coach and his staff will be in Rome on Saturday July 9.
Youth team coach and former striker Simone Inzaghi took temporary charge of first-team matters, steering the club to an eighth-place finish in Serie A.
However, Inzaghi has…
Sao Paulo s Denilson has scored a howler own goal as his Sao Paulo side went down 2-1 to Sao Bernardo.
The former Arsenal midfielder got his feet mixed up at the back post and deflected a corner straight into this own net.
Denilson, who struggled to establish himself in the English Premier League with the Gunners, has been on loan at Sao Paulo from Arsene Wenger s side since 2011.
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Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has dismissed talk of a possible swoop for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Wenger, 63, has been linked with a return to France at the end of the season, with PSG touted as a potential destination.
But Al-Khelaifi has backed incumbent Carlo Ancelotti to stay after the Italian guided the team seven points clear in Ligue 1, as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona on Tuesday.
Arsene Wenger is a great manager, Al-Khelaifi told Sky Sports News.
He is doing a great job with Arsenal and he has got a contract for another year I believe, which is what I hear from the media.
I cannot talk on his behalf and I do not know what he will decide, but for us we have Carlo and we are v…
Brazil finished their Copa America Group B campaign with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Ecuador on Sunday.
With their place in the knockout stages already secured before the clash at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico, Tite opted to make 10 changes to the side that beat Colombia three days ago, with only captain Marquinhos keeping his place.
Eder Militao put the Selecao ahead shortly before half-time, but Ecuador improved after the break and deservedly sealed a point through Angel Mena.
Brazil will play the fourth-placed team in Group A in the quarter-finals on Friday, while Ecuador will play the winner of that group a day later.
The much-changed Brazil starting XI struggled in the early stages, only testing Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez throu…
Barcelona recovered from 1-0 down to defeat Real Sociedad 2-1 on Wednesday and close to within six points of the LaLiga summit.
Willian Jose put the visitors in front at Camp Nou against the run of play to give them hope of ending an eight-match run without a league win over the Catalans.
A fine strike from Jordi Alba restored parity before Frenkie De Jong prodded in what proved to be the winner before half-time as Barca secured a result that will go some way towards easing pressure on head coach Ronald Koeman.
The loss was only Sociedad s second in the league this season and ensured they missed out on leapfrogging Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.
Barca were in control of the opening 25 minutes but failed to test Alex Remiro in the visiting goal…
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O Neill says the pressure is on his side ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifying clash with Poland in Dublin on Sunday.
Poland sit top of Group D after picking up three wins and a draw from their opening four fixtures, while Ireland are part of a three-team chasing pack on seven points.
In their last home qualifier, Ireland thumped Gibraltar 7-0, but O Neill knows the visit of the group leaders presents an altogether different challenge.
Naturally, we are at home and the onus is on us to try to get forward and try to win the game, and that s what we are going to try to do, he said.
But there are a number of games left in the competition. You mentioned the top two places [qualify] automatically it s a tough old group we are…