Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac confirmed that Leon Goretzka will make his second Bundesliga start for the club against former club Schalke on Saturday.
The midfielder, who joined Bayern on a free transfer in June, made his only start of the season so far in a 3-0 win at Stuttgart on September 1.
But Kovac, who left Goretzka out of his squad for the subsequent victory over Bayer Leverkusen and then used him as a late substitute in the Champions League win over Benfica, said the 23-year-old had done enough to earn a start this weekend.
Leon Goretzka is playing well so far, Kovac told reporters.
He has integrated well in the team. I m convinced that he will do well tomorrow and will be in the starting 11.
Against Schalke we want to pick up wh…
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United must use the pain of their narrow FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City to improve and eventually catch their dominant neighbours.
The eyes of the footballing world were on Wembley as these rivals went toe-to-toe in a major cup final for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring with a stunning volley after 12 seconds, with Bruno Fernandes’ penalty cancelling out the quickest goal in FA Cup final history.
This season’s pain becomes next year’s motivation.
Win together, learn together. ||
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
But City regained the lead through another Gundogan volley to seal a 2-1 win, giving them a chance to emulate United’s 1999 treble heroes in next…
Moroccan midfielder Adel Taarabt is close to completing a move to Serie A side Milan.
The 24-year-old, currently on loan to Fulham from QPR, has landed in the city and expressed his excitement at playing for new Milan coach Clarence Seedorf.
I am honoured to be able to play in the best club in the world, he told Milan Channel.
Seedorf and I talked. We were both happy.
I like to play behind the strikers. I do not know (striker Mario) Balotelli personally, but I know who he is and I am pleased to be able to play with him.
Taarabt began his career at Lens before moving to Premier League side Tottenham in 2007.
After impressing on loan at QPR, he made a permanent switch to Loftus Road in 2010, but then joined Fulham temporarily in the close-season.
…
Former Poland manager Pawel Janas has been named coach of Polish top-flight side Polonia Warsaw after Spaniard Jose Bakero left the club, it announced on Monday.
In a statement issued shortly after it confirmed former Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Spain midfielder Bakero was leaving by mutual consent, Polonia said Janas had signed a two-year contract.
Bakero, 47, joined Polonia at the end of 2009 and helped stave off relegation from the first-tier Ekstraklasa.
They also made a solid start to this season, with a four-match unbeaten run, but dropped from top of the table to fourth place after losing 1-3 away on Saturday to Korona Kielce.
Janas, 57, was a defender during Poland s golden age, playing in the team that came third in the 1982 World Cup.
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West Bromwich Albion are set to battle Crystal Palace for the services of Mamadou Sakho this summer, according to the .
The France international is currently on loan at Palace from Liverpool, and with a return to Anfield unlikely a bidding war could be in the offing.
Sakho has been in splendid form since joining up with Sam Allardyce’s side, helping them win five of their last six games with four of those victories coming to nil.
Prior to his switch to Selhurst Park the twenty-seven year old racked up eighty appearances for his parent club, scoring three goals having made over two hundred outings for Paris Saint Germain.
Internationally, he has been capped twenty-eight times for his country, scoring twice and was part of their squad that attended t…
Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has hinted that he may leave the Saints on permanent basis in the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old has impressed since joining Villarreal on a season-long loan, and his excellent showings in Spanish La Liga helped him break into the France national team.
It remains to be seen whether Areola will be staying at El Madrigal beyond the current campaign, but the player appears determined to continue playing on regular basis, which may not be possible if he returns to Parc des Princes.
“I will have the club meeting. For now, I finish my season here,” Areola told L’Equipe. “The objective is to continue playing.
“After three full seasons at the professional level, I did not want to stop. The need t…
Roberto Mancini is looking forward to working with rising star Sandro Tonali ahead of Italy s games against Portugal and the United States.
Brescia midfielder Tonali, 18, was called up after impressing in Serie B this season, building on his two goals in 19 appearances in 2017-18 with another strike in his first 11 games this term.
Mancini heaped praise on the teenager as he looked forward to the opportunity to add to his side s 1-0 Nations League victory over Poland in October, their first win in six matches.
When asked about Tonali, Mancini told reporters: I want to stress again that he s incredibly gifted and has clear margins for growth.
I ll get to know him better over the next few days.
The 27 players in s squad to face a…
Darren Randolph made a string of superb saves as the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland drew 0-0 in Dublin.
Northern Ireland have been plagued by poor finishing in their UEFA Nations League campaign and that profligacy came to the fore again in Thursday s friendly, with Randolph at his best.
Having made a brilliant stop to deny Gavin Whyte early on, the Middlesbrough goalkeeper pulled off two top-class saves in the second half to keep Liam Boyce and Jordan Jones at bay.
While Northern Ireland s troubles in front of goal have resulted in their relegation from Nations League Group B following Austria s draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Randolph s form will at least give the hosts confidence heading into Monday s potentially crucial clash against Denmark.<…
Europa League champions Atletico Madrid can book their place in the competition s last 32 with a win over Aris Thessaloniki on Wednesday.
As well as looking for passage into the next round, Quique Flores Atletico side who sit second in Group B on seven points will also be keen for revenge over the Greek side, after their 1-0 away defeat in their opening game.
For Aris, who sit third in Group B on four points, the clash at the Estadio Vicente Calderon is a must-win affair to avoid an early exit from the tournament.
Group leaders Bayer Leverkusen have eight points and can also secure their path into the second round with a win over bottom side Rosenborg, who need a win to stay alive.
In Group A, Manchester City will be looking to rebound from a 3-1 defeat…
Manchester City will take on Greek outfit Aris Thessaloniki in the Europa league round of 32, while Liverpool do battle with Sparta Prague.
Scottish champions Rangers who qualified for the Europa League knockout stages by finishing third in their Champions League group will meet Sporting Lisbon.
But perhaps the pick of the fixtures thrown up by Friday s draw will be that of Italians Napoli against Spain s Villareal, with the sides sitting in third place in Serie A and La Liga respectively.
Belgium s Anderlecht will face Ajax, who like Rangers qualified through the Champions League, while Polish side Lech Poznan take on Portugal s Braga.
Zenit St Petersburg, who won the UEFA Cup in 2008, take on Swiss side Young Boys and Dynamo Kiev meet Turkey s Besiktas…