Gareth Southgate says England know they are close to ending their long wait to win a major trophy as they prepare to try to seal World Cup qualification.
The Three Lions suffered the heartbreak of losing to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley in July, three years after crashing out of the World Cup in Russia at the semi-final stage.
It is 55 years since England won their only major trophy in the 1966 World Cup on home soil, but they are well on course to get another opportunity in Qatar next year.
England are four points clear at the top of Group I ahead of an away clash with Andorra on Saturday and an encounter with Hungary at Wembley three days later.
Southgate has been impressed with the way his players reacted to missing out on Eur…
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta admitted Eden Hazard will be a big loss as the Europa League winners prepare to say farewell to their two-goal Baku hero.
Star attacker Hazard revealed the 4-1 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday is almost certain to mean goodbye with an expected switch to Real Madrid seemingly moving closer.
Olivier Giroud and winger Pedro also got on the scoresheet to help make the Belgium international s potential goodbye appearance a memorable occasion.
Hazard, 28, joined Chelsea from Lille in 2012 and ranks as one of the London club s greats, having won two Premier League titles and enjoyed success in the FA Cup and Europe.
It s a big loss for us, as a player and as a person, Azpilicueta told beIN Sports.
We came here togethe…
Sevilla star Vitolo says the fans at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan are well aware of the importance of Thursday s Europa League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.
The holders sealed a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the semi-final thanks to Kevin Gameiro s penalty, giving them a slight advantage heading into the return fixture with Mircea Lucescu s side.
Sevilla are seeking a remarkable third Europa League triumph in three seasons and have won 11 of their last 12 home matches in the tournament, while Shakhtar have failed to win any of their last five games against Spanish opposition.
With the form book on their side and a place in history beckoning, Vitolo expects the home fans in Andalusia to create an intimidating atmosphere for Thursday s game.
I don t have to say…
Jerome Boateng is considering leaving Bayern Munich to test himself in a foreign league once more.
Germany international Boateng is tied to Bayern until 2021, but confessed ahead of the DFB-Pokal final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday which he missed due to a thigh injury that he is thinking about a move abroad.
The 29-year-old spent a solitary season at Manchester City before joining the Bavarian giants in 2011 and feels he would make such a stint far more successful with another opportunity.
However, Boateng acknowledged it would be difficult for him to leave Bayern after 14 trophies in seven years.
Foreign countries are always interesting. You do not have many chances. Everyone has to decide for himself whether he wants to gain experience aga…
Arjen Robben believes Louis van Gaal laid the foundations for Bayern Munich s success over recent seasons and has backed Carlo Ancelotti to build on the work of the Dutchman and his fellow predecessors Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola.
Van Gaal was in charge at the Allianz Arena between 2009 and 2011, leading the club to a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2009-10.
Heynckes subsequently oversaw a famous league, cup and Champions League treble in 2013, before handing over to Guardiola who won three straight Bundesliga titles with Bayern before departing for Manchester City.
And Bayern winger Robben believes the Bavarian giants are still reaping the rewards from Van Gaal s time at the club as Ancelotti prepares for his first season in charge at the Allianz Arena.
Pau Victor scored twice as Barcelona maintained their unbeaten record in pre-season, beating rivals Real Madrid 2-1 to give Hansi Flick his maiden El Clasico triumph.
Victor scored twice either side of half-time with two instinctive finishes inside the area, with Nico Paz scoring late on for Madrid to set up a nervy final 10 minutes.
But Barca, who beat Manchester City on penalties earlier this week, were able to hold on in front of a sell-out crowd in New York.
The game was suspended for an hour after a wild storm around MetLife Stadium and when play continued, Barcelona showed Real why they won t have it all their own way in La Liga again this season.
Despite Madrid dominating possession, their opponents created the better chances and took the lead t…
Thomas Tuchel has set a new Paris Saint-Germain record after winning each of his first six competitive matches in charge.
PSG beat Saint-Etienne 4-0 at the Parc des Princes on Friday to extend a perfect start to the 2018-19 Ligue 1 season under their new head coach.
Neymar was rested for the game and Kylian Mbappe was suspended but goals from Julian Draxler, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Moussa Diaby earned a comfortable victory.
PSG s latest victory adds to Ligue 1 wins collected against Caen, Guingamp, Angers and Nimes, as well as a 4-0 demolition of Monaco in the Trophee des Champions.
Tuchel s men move six points clear of nearest rivals Dijon ahead of Tuesday s trip to Liverpool in their first Champions League match under the German s stewardshi…
Manuel Pellegrini says he will not return to Real Madrid and claims conditions were untenable at times during his spell as head coach.
The 63-year-old spent the 2009-10 season at the Santiago Bernabeu following a successful five-year stint with Villarreal, but he was sacked at the end of the campaign after failing to deliver a trophy.
Pellegrini has spoken in the past of the difficulty of working under president Florentino Perez, who spent vast sums on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso without consulting the coach over his plans to build a squad.
The Chilean feels going back to the club is not something he will consider, though he insisted he was proud of their performances in LaLiga, as they finished second to Barcelona despite amassing what…
Arsenal are interested in signing AC Milan attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu in the summer of 2021, according to . Juventus and Chelsea are also reported to want the 27-year-old, who is out of contract at Milan at the end of the season and will become a free agent.
Milan want Calhanoglu to sign a new contract and have offered him a deal worth €4 million per year. However, the Turkey international wants €5 million a year, and that too without bonuses. The attacking midfielder has been on the books of the Rossoneri since 2017 and has been an important player for the first team over the years.
Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly made offers to Calhanoglu’s entourage, according to the report, but they are lower than what Juventus are ready to pay him. According to…
Manchester City are closing in on a 90million euro (£77.5million) deal for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.
Leipzig were said to be holding out for a fee of 100m euros (£86m) for the Croatia international.
However, it appears City have been able to push the transfer through and Gvardiol is expected have a medical later this week.
Gvardiol would add competition on the left side of City’s defence, having helped Croatia reach the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and then the final of the Nations League, where they were beaten by Spain.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic is so far City’s only summer signing, with the Croatian having moved from Chelsea during June.
City saw captain Ilkay Gundogan leave for Barcelona on a free tran…