Napoli docked two points, players banned

Spanish Primera Liga side Valencia on Friday insisted that star striker David Villa is not for sale , despite earlier reports that he was on the brink of a transfer to Real Madrid.

The decision, if confirmed, could force Real to look for other forwards, with Spanish media pinpointing France international Karim Benzema of Lyon or Atletico Madrid s Uruguayan star Diego Forlan as possible alternatives.

Real were hoping to capture Villa for a fee in the region of 40 million euros, having already this month paid 65 million to take Brazil playmaker Kaka from AC Milan and a world record 94 million to prise Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had said on Thursday that the completion of a deal between the clu…

Everton manager Frank Lampard has no concerns over Anthony Gordon refusing to play in order to force through an exit, amid continued speculation over a move to Chelsea.

Chelsea are reported to have already had multiple offers knocked back for the 21-year-old, the most recent of which was said to be worth £45million.

Lampard s former side Chelsea could yet make another approach prior to Thursday s deadline, with boss Thomas Tuchel hinting he is hopeful of further additions.

While Wesley Fofana has been overlooked for selection by Leicester City ahead of a move to Chelsea, and Willy Boly allegedly refused to play against Newcastle United as he seeks a move away from Wolves, Lampard does not expect any such problems from Gordon.

Anthony wouldn t, shouldn t…

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AS Monaco are set to welcome Nantes to the Stade Louis II on Friday evening in the first game of the opening round of the 2021-22 season in Ligue 1.

AS Monaco

Monaco did very well last season, keeping very close to the very top of the table in the French top flight right to the end, but ultimately some unexpectedly dropped points from the first half of the campaign proved costly as they were obliged to watch Lille knock Paris Saint-Germain off the throne instead. They will now be hoping for greater consistency this time around, though they will certainly be happy with the place in the Champions League qualifications they ve earned.

There have been some changes in the squad under the command of coach Niko Kovac this summer. Ri…

Competition: International Friendly

Market: Peru win and both teams to score

Odds: 

Peru face Scotland in the first of three friendlies before they head to Russia for the World Cup, where they will kick off their tournament against Denmark.

For Ricardo Gareca s Peru side, after beating New Zealand 2-0 over two legs to book their spot in Russia this summer, The Peruvians will be making their first appearance at the World Cup since Spain 1982. Although the hosts may not be favorites to break out of a group consisting of France, Australia and Denmark, Peru are in great form and are an overwhelming favorite on Wednesday. Coming off the back of a 3-1 win away in Iceland, Peru also beat New Zealand and Croatia 2-0, The Peruvians have now not lost a game …

Real Sociedad were delighted to land their two priority targets in Alexander Sorloth and Umar Sadiq after the late sale of Alexander Isak prompted a frantic final week of the transfer window.

La Real sold star striker Isak to Newcastle United last Friday in a club-record €70million deal.

That move happened quickly, with Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay confirming the club had expected to keep Isak in this window as recently as the previous weekend.

It has been a difficult week, he said, presenting Sadiq as a Sociedad player after his signing from Almeria was secured on Thursday.

It s been a summer full of rumours. When a player s [Isak s] agent tells you on a Monday at 10pm that he s coming to San Sebastian with a club the next day, the first thing …

RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose has wished forward Timo Werner all the best ahead of his anticipated loan move to Tottenham.

Spurs have moved for the former Chelsea attacker to bolster their options up front, especially with captain Son Heung-min being away at the Asian Cup with South Korea for the next month.

Werner’s current club Leipzig revealed on Saturday he was not involved in their friendly with St Gallen due to transfer talks and Rose has now confirmed his imminent six-month loan to Tottenham.

Rose told Sky Germany: “It’s right that Timo wants to go on loan. Timo would like to go to the European Championship.

“We wish him all the best and are keeping our fingers crossed for him.”

Germany international Werner will return to the Premier…

Lazio striker Miroslav Klose hopes his wait for a first goal against Juventus will end when the teams meet in Sunday s Supercoppa Italiana.

The 35-year-old has been with the Rome club since 2011 but, despite having faced the Serie A champions seven times in his career, he is yet to net against Juve.

However, he will have another chance when the teams face each other in Rome on Sunday, though their opponents will be out for revenge after Lazio edged them in the Coppa Italia semi-finals last season.

And while Sergio Floccari was the star of that show, heading home in stoppage time to earn the Romans a place in the final, Klose will hope for the spotlight to be on him at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

I am sure that sooner or later I will score a goal against Juve. Hope…

Bayern Munich will approach their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie with Shakhtar Donetsk with caution, according to Manuel Neuer.

Five-time winners Bayern will travel to Ukraine in February for the first leg of the tie, in what will be the first ever meeting between the two clubs.

And Ballon d Or nominee Neuer expects Shakhtarto pose a serious threat to his side s hopes of winning their second Champions League title in three years.

Donetsk are the great unknowns in the last 16 so preparing for the matches won t be that easy, said the goalkeeper. 

But as always, our coaching and analysis teams will provide us with all the information we need. 

I ve never personally faced this team, although I played in Lviv once with Germany when we beat …

According to Sport.es, any potential move to for Paris Saint-Germain superstar has stalled. Apparently, advisers have suggested that for all future moves, the Brazilian should be going to a club who are somewhat struggling in order to increase the value of his brand. Therefore, a switch to Real who have won three Champions League titles in a row wouldn t make sense for him.

The report suggests that a few days after this year s UCL final in Kiev, a representative of NR Sports called Nike and advised them to freeze the development of a potential clothing line which would be done in association with a potential move to the Bernabeu. Obviously, this move would stir up a great deal of controversy considering that Neymar is a former Barcelona player, but beyond that, it would likel…

Carlo Ancelotti believes Zinedine Zidane s respected standing in football has helped him to impress as Real Madrid boss.

Zidane, who scored twice as France won the 1998 World Cup final to help establish himself as an iconic figure in the modern game, was part of Ancelotti s backroom staff when the Italian led Madrid to their 10th European title in 2014.

But after taking the reins at the Bernabeu on the back of Rafael Benitez s ill-fated stint in the hot seat, Zidane surpassed expectations by repeating the trick with a shootout triumph in this year s Champions League final in Milan, where crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid were the victims once more.

When you start, charisma is very important – the fact of being respected for what you ve done in the past, Ancelot…