Newcastle have managed to hang on to highly-rated Spanish boss Rafa Benitez for their promotion-bid in the Championship.

Newcastle United travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the Championship on Friday night, and are firm favourites to come away with all three points to go into the weekend top of the pile.

The Magpies have spent £50M this summer to strengthen the side and retained the manager who almost turn their form around during the tail-end of last season. Will they comfortably see past the perennial underachievers?

Fulham’s poor home form bodes well for Newcastle

Fulham finished 20th in the Championship last season with 51 points from 46 games. The Londoners suffered a staggering 19 defeats in a campaign that saw them fighting for survival…

Valencia playmaker Sergio Canales says he had some good times at Real Madrid, despite featuring sporadically for the club.

The 21-year-old arrived at Real in 2010, but failed to make an impression as he appeared in just 10 La Liga games before moving to Valencia.

I will always appreciate how they (Real Madrid) treated me, Canales told Marca.

It s complicated because they are a team that always want to win a trophy, and that makes it very difficult for young players to be accommodated.

In Madrid I learned a lot, especially tactically, technically and mentally. The fans treated me very well, it was not all bad.

Canales signed for Valencia on a permanent basis this year and has expressed his delight at committing to the club.

Since com…

Former Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet believes Monaco will have problems forming a cohesive team when they are back in Ligue 1 next season.

The principality club sealed promotion to the top flight under coach Claudio Ranieri earlier this month and, backed by Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, are rumoured to be close to sealing the signings of Atletico Madrid s Radamel Falcao and Porto pair Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez.

But Coupet, who retired in 2011 after spells at Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Atletico and Paris Saint-Germain, has questioned the wisdom of Monaco s expected spending spree.

What is nice about football is that it is a team sport, he told RMC.

We don t know whether the combination will make a team. The players are certainly very, very strong i…

Liverpool may have been spared extra-time exertions at the Club World Cup on Wednesday, but the deployment of Jordan Henderson as a makeshift centre-back is an experiment they will not want to repeat.

The Reds needed substitutes Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino to combine in stoppage time to book their place in Saturday s final against Flamengo.

Much has been made of the Reds squad depth in impressive recent wins over Everton and Bournemouth.

However, in only sneaking past Mexican side Monterrey with a late winner in a 2-1 success, it was evident that there is one man Liverpool cannot do without if they are to end their long wait for a Premier League title this season.

Virgil van Dijk was laid low by illness on Wednesday and with recognised…

Roma midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum broke his right leg in training on Sunday, just two weeks after joining the club.

The Netherlands international moved earlier this month on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, with the Serie A side possessing an option to buy.

Wijnaldum won the Ligue 1 title with PSG last term, having joined on a free transfer from Liverpool, but he moved to join Jose Mourinho s side after just a single season with the French giants.

He made his Serie A debut off the bench in Roma s 1-0 victory over Salernitana on the opening weekend but is now set for a stint on the sidelines.

In a statement, Roma said: Following an injury sustained during training this afternoon, Georginio Wijnaldum subsequently underwent medical tests that c…

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson revealed his regret regret over failing to tie Wilfried Zaha s international allegiance to England following the winger s brace against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Abidjan-born forward made two appearances for England under Hodgson s ill-fated stewardship before opting for a switch to Ivory Coast in 2016.

He has since blossomed into a key force for Palace, leading the way in the crucial 3-2 victory on Saturday that lifted his side six points clear of the drop zone. 

With three goals in his last two Premier League appearances and seven in total for the season, Hodgson conceded he erred in not ensuring Zaha s loyalties rested with England. 

I gave him his [international] debut as a Crystal Palace player, he got a…

Competition: World Cup Qualifiers
Market: Wales to win against Moldova
Odds:

Wales welcome Moldova to the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday night in their opening World Cup qualifier, and are big favourites to come out on top to get their campaign off to a perfect start to boost their hopes of topping Group D.

Chris Coleman’s Wales side have Austria, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Moldova and Georgia for company in the group, and will feel they can progress to the finals by topping the table after 10 games. Wales shone in the European Championships this summer, reaching the semi-finals in France, and will hope to pick up where they left off.

Moldova are underdogs as a result of their deficiency in squad quality, while having suffered a poor run of form …

Atletico Madrid defender Toby Alderweireld will hold talks with the club regarding his long-term future next week. 

The Belgium international, who joined Atletico from Ajax in a deal worth €7 million in the summer of 2013, enjoyed a successful loan spell at Southampton last term.

According to Sky Sports, Southampton have the first option to buy Alderweireld, but Atletico can pay the Saints a fee to create a bidding war for the player, who is reportedly attracting interest from several other English Premier League clubs, including the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

I will go back to Spain next week and we will talk,  Alderweireld told Sky Sports HQ.

We will see what happens. I hope a decision will be made quickly, otherwise i…

Catalan newspaper that Barcelona are showing interest in Ghanaian midfielder Clifford Aboagye.

The 18-year-old footballer was not among players tipped to shine at the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey, but he largely impressed in six matches for the Black Stars.

As a result, Barcelona scouts have taken notice, and they now plan to monitor the player s development over the next few years with a view of luring him to Camp Nou.

According to Sport, Udinese, famous for their extensive scouting network, are set to sign Aboagye in the summer transfer window, but that will be no obstacle to a future move to Spain.

Alexis Sanchez also spent several years at Friuli before he was allowed to join Barcelona in the summer of 2011.

Besides Aboagye, Juventus midfiel…

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has confirmed that he is to leave the club during the close-season.

Bent, 29, fell out of favour with manager Paul Lambert last season and is reportedly not in his plans for the new campaign.

The former Tottenham forward has been linked with Newcastle United and Fulham so far in the transfer window, and the England international has declared that he will be moving to pastures new.

I ll be out of here (Villa) very soon, Bent said when pressed over his future by a fan in a video posted on YouTube.

However, Bent, who has worked with both Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and Fulham boss Martin Jol during his career, refused to reveal where his next destination will be.

We ll have to see, he replied when asked if he had a preference …