Barcelona face daunting task at PSG, Liverpool hope to finish job against Leipzig – Champions League

Jose Mourinho was on Wednesday named Mauricio Pochettino s successor at Tottenham.

It s a remarkable return to English football for one of the game s most successful, and controversial, managers.

A quick look at the fixture list shows the Portuguese will have to hit the ground running if he is to turn Spurs season around the north London side are 14th heading into the weekend clash at West Ham, 11 points adrift of a Champions League spot.

After the cross-capital clash on Saturday, Mourinho will have to plot a route through a congested fixture list that also sees clashes with some old friends and foes.

Jose s back.

After Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United, the Portuguese has now rocked up at Tottenham.

His spell at Old…

Emil Forsberg is confident RB Leipzig will progress to a higher level when Julian Nagelsmann takes over as head coach next season.

Leipzig confirmed in June that Nagelsmann would take over at the Red Bull Arena at the end of his contract with Hoffenheim, who he steered clear of relegation after taking over from Huub Stevens in February 2016 before leading them to successive top-four Bundesliga finishes.

The 31-year-old suffered a 2-1 defeat against his future employers last Saturday, but Forsberg has no doubt the club have made the right choice in naming him their coach from the 2019-20 campaign.

I don t know him personally. From what I see, he is a great manager. He is very popular here in Germany. He did a great job at Hoffenheim, Forsberg told Omnisport.

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Negotiations are continuing as Manchester United seek to secure out-of-favour Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix on a loan deal this month.

Joao Felix became Atletico s club-record signing back in 2019 when they purchased him from Benfica for €126million, but he has failed to live up to his potential under Diego Simeone.

The Portuguese international with 28 senior caps has only started seven of the 15 LaLiga fixtures he has been available for this campaign, but has recently hit some form, scoring four goals in his past three appearances prior to Sunday s 1-0 loss to Barcelona.

Joao Felix s performances at the World Cup, coupled with his rediscovered nose for goal, have begun to rehabilitate a depressed transfer value – and he is said to be United s for the ta…

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City, Liverpool and the other Premier League heavyweights are pushing one another on to higher levels in the manner of tennis greats Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

City beat West Ham 4-0 on Saturday and are unbeaten after 13 games of their title defence, with 35 points on the board.

Normally, such a return would see them established as runaway leaders but Liverpool s hard-fought 3-0 win at Watford means Jurgen Klopp s side are only two points off the summit.

Chelsea were also undefeated heading into the weekend before being taken apart 3-1 by Tottenham at Wembley, who themselves have 30 points.

Guardiola overcame West Ham counterpart and City predecessor Manuel Pellegrini at London Stadium, a coach with w…

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and sporting director Paul Mitchell had reportedly fallen out over the perceived failures of the summer transfer window. The club tried to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi and Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga and failed on both fronts.

However, according to , Howe and Mitchell have resolved their differences after Howe publicly called for the club to stand united ahead of the international break. They ve apparently moved on, and are now working together towards identifying potential transfer targets for January.

The Magpies are believed to have made four attempts at bringing Guehi in from Selhurst Park in the summer, and they hope Crystal Palace will lower their price which, in August, exceeded £70 million. Come January, the E…

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and on-loan Aston Villa forward Nicolo Zaniolo are returning to their clubs from Italy’s training camp after it emerged they were being investigated by the Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The Italian Football Federation said the decision was taken because the players “are not in the necessary condition” to be involved in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and England, as well as “for their protection”.

The statement from the FIGC did not specify the nature of the investigations which Tonali and Zaniolo, who is on loan at Villa from Galatasaray, were facing.

Reports in Italy claim it is relation to an investigation into illegal betting. On Wednesday, it was reported that Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagio…

Anthony Knockaert s stunning goal secured a 2-1 Premier League win for Brighton and Hove Albion against rivals Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The game appeared to be petering out for a draw before Knockaert picked up the ball on the right in the 74th minute, waltzed inside and whipped a delightful finish in off Vicente Guaita s right-hand post.

Glenn Murray s 100th league goal for the Seagulls had put Chris Hughton s side ahead in the 19th minute before Luka Milivojevic s eighth penalty of the season pulled the hosts level five minutes after the restart.

Palace looked more likely to find a winner after that but Knockaert had other ideas, curling in his second league goal of the season to move Brighton level on points with Roy Hodgson s men.

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Enzo Maresca felt Chelsea reaped rewards for getting your t-shirt dirty , as they snatched a late victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The Blues endured a steady start with their hosts generating the greater attacking threat for most of the contest, with Robert Sanchez keeping out Evanilson s first-half penalty.

Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie also struck the woodwork for the hosts, but substitute Christopher Nkunku landed the decisive blow five minutes from time.

And Maresca was pleased with his side s response to a difficult first-half performance.

We played two different games, he told Sky Sports. The first half, we struggled. We didn t win duels, we didn t win second balls. The second half, we were much better.

We knew before…

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney described Charlie Wyke as “special” after his double clinched a 2-1 League One win at Derby.

Wyke suffered a cardiac arrest during training in November 2021 and now plays with a defibrillator fitted in his chest.

Maloney was delighted with his team but acknowledged the significance of Wyke’s contribution.

“Charlie Wyke is a special case,” he said. “Any recognition he gets he deserves every single bit of it.

“What he and his family have been through I can’t put words to that really. It’s taken time for him to get in the mental condition and then physically, he’s come back in incredible shape this summer.

“From the very first days of pre-season, he felt like a different player.

“We’ve bee…

Antonio Conte is ready for a new challenge as he aims to get Inter back to the highest level , not just in Italy but also in Europe as well.

After a year out of coaching following his departure from Chelsea at the end of last season, the former Juventus boss return to the touchline in Serie A was confirmed on Friday.

Inter have not won the league title since their historic treble-winning season in 2009-10 and Conte is relishing the task of restoring the club to their former glories.

For me, it s a new experience, a new chapter in my life, a new challenge. This is what I live for and I m really excited to begin this new chapter,  he told the club s official website.

Through my work, I ll try to repay all of the trust that the club and directors have…