Some of England s biggest stars may feel on trial this weekend as Fabio Capello s team play their final World Cup warm-up match against Japan just 48 hours before the squad is cut to the final 23 who will go to South Africa.
The announcement of an England squad for a major tournament is always a nervous and emotional affair and the reaction of Paul Gascoigne, who famously let his anger get the better of him in then coach Glenn Hoddle s hotel room when told he would not travel to the 1998 World Cup, shows how much it means to the players.
Gascoigne s omission only goes to show that even the most high profile player cannot rest easy in these situations.
So it is not only fringe performers such as West Ham s Scott Parker and Aston Villa s Stephen Warnock who are fe…
Chelsea closed in on a fourth successive Women’s Super League title as first-half goals from Guro Reiten and skipper Magda Eriksson earned them a 2-0 home win over Arsenal.
Reiten put the Blues ahead with a 22nd-minute strike before Eriksson – who earlier in the week had announced she will be leaving the club at the end of the season – added a finish just before the break.
Katie McCabe had the chance to pull a goal back with a penalty on the hour but put it wide as Emma Hayes’ side went five points clear of Manchester United at the top.
Chelsea legend.
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW)
United failing to win their penultimate game of season, the derby against Manchester City at Leigh Sports Village that kicks off at 6.45pm, would see Che…
Benfica have agreed a €1.5million deal with Barcelona to sign full-back Alejandro Grimaldo.
The Liga champions announced the news on Tuesday, citing a clause in the agreement that sees Barca retain a sell-on percentage.
Grimaldo, 20, has spent seven years at Camp Nou without making a first-team appearance, coming through the Catalan giants famous La Masia academy.
He captains the club s B team, but endured a prolonged spell on the sidelines when he tore cruciate ligaments in February 2013.
Benfica won the Primeira Liga last season and Rui Vitoria s men, who will take on Zenit in the last 16 of the Champions League, sit third after 14 matches this term.
Barca s statement did not include a completion date for the transfer.
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Sevilla president Jose Castro insists in-demand striker Ciro Immobile will not be sold, despite a number of offers from Italian clubs.
Immobile arrived at Sevilla in the off-season from German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund but the Italian has scored just two goals since his arrival.
In the 2013-14 season, Immobile scored 22 goals for Torino and despite having scored only five club goals for Dortmund and Sevilla since, he remains in high-demand in the Serie A.
However, Sevilla have no plans to let the 25-year-old depart, with Castro telling EstadioDeportivo: There s nothing concrete on the sales front.
We ve received several offers from Italy for Immobile, but we have no plans for him to leave Sevilla.
The La Liga club have suffered inconsistent…
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Mohamed Salah are all included in a stellar field for the FIFA Puskas Award.
The prize recognises the best goal scored over the past year in world football and previous winners include Olivier Giroud, James Rodriguez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar.
Fans will vote for their favourite goal via the FIFA website after the shortlist was announced as part of the Best FIFA Football Awards nominations.
Messi has been overlooked for the Best FIFA Men s Player accolade, with Ronaldo, Salah and Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric in the running.
But his wonderful World Cup goal for Argentina against Nigeria in St Petersburg grants the Barcelona superstar his sixth nomination for a prize he is yet to win.
Ross Barkley is determined to work hard at Chelsea to keep his place in Gareth Southgate s England side after returning to the international fold in Friday s 0-0 Nations League draw with Croatia.
Barkley had not featured for England since 2016 after struggling for form and fitness in the latter stages of his time at Everton and early in his Chelsea career.
But the 24-year-old has played in all but one of the Blues Premier League matches under Maurizio Sarri and appears to have put those concerns behind him.
Asked whether Friday s match felt like a second England debut, Barkley told Sky Sports: No, because I ve been here before, so I know what it s like to play for England and how much it means to everyone and myself.
Over the years I ve worked hard and w…
Thomas Tuchel insists he will give everything to Bayern Munich ahead of his departure in the summer and hopes the decision over his future allows the team to play with “freedom”.
Tuchel has been unable to arrest a downturn in form, and speculation over his position came to a head this week when the club announced he would be leaving at the end of the current campaign.
Saturday’s game against RB Leipzig will be his first in charge since the news became public, with Bayern looking to end a three-game losing streak following losses to title rivals Bayer Leverkusen, Lazio and Bochum.
Tuchel on the remainder of the campaign: We have aims and will still try to win the league. We won t give up until it s finally over. We ve got a second leg to come in the Champio…
Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed Chelsea manager on a two-year deal.
The former Tottenham coach, who has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain last year, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard – who oversaw his final game in charge against Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.
It brings to an end an almost two-month process to find a permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
The PA news agency understands Pochettino had been the club’s first choice from early in the search, which was led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
He was the only candidate the club got into serious talks with, despite conversations that took place with former Ba…
Lyon midfielder Yoann Gourcuff insists he was right to turn down a new contract with the Ligue 1 club, claiming they do not have faith in him.
Gourcuff, who has started just seven Ligue 1 matches this season, made a big-money switch to Lyon from Bordeaux in 2010.
Lyon paid €22million for his services but have been frustrated ever since, with a string of injuries interrupting his time at the club.
The 27-year-old has not played for France since June and feels the time is right to move on – claiming he is left on the bench too often by manager Remi Garde.
Speaking about his refusal to sign a new deal, Gourcuff told L Equipe: I will let my lawyer handle it.
An extension must be a sign of confidence from both parties, with everyone being satisfied.
Th…
New Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says there will be no hard feelings when he comes up against World Cup final referee Howard Webb on Saturday.
Van der Vaart is in line to make his Tottenham debut against West Brom at the Hawthorns following his deadline day transfer from Real Madrid.
The Holland star s first taste of the Premier League will be officiated by the man who Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk and his players blamed for their World Cup final defeat against Spain.
Webb will take charge of a competitive game for the first time since Spain s 1-0 win over Holland in Johannesburg in July, when he issued nine yellow cards to van der Vaart s team and sent off Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga.
The 39-year-old, who was criticised for failing to sen…