Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking conceded his side s hopes of UEFA Europa League progression are slim on Thursday, but reflected on a positive campaign for his men.

Hecking led the Volkswagen Arena outfit to the last eight of a European competition for the first time since 2009-10, but they are on the brink of a swift exit after a 4-1 home loss to Napoli in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

Ahead of the second leg at Napoli s Stadio San Paolo on Thursday, Hecking was realistic about Wolfsburg s chances but could not help but believe in the dream turnaround.

Unfortunately, last week we had a game with a bad referee, an unlucky early deficit and where Napoli then controlled the game because we lost our cool, Hecking said. 

Those are very important…

Former A-League player Andy Brennan has become the first Australian male footballer to come out publicly as gay.

Brennan played for Newcastle Jets in the top flight between 2015 and 2017 and now lines up for Victorian National Premier Leagues side Green Gully.

While the 26-year-old says his decision to go public has been a big weight off his shoulders, he does not want to pressure others to do the same if they are not ready.

You ve got to realise that s who you are and you ve just got to be who you are – whether you re gay or whatever, whoever you are, he told the Herald Sun.

There will be people out there thinking, Why has he got to voice his own personal whatever to the world? . The reason I wanted to do this in the first place was to make me feel …

Paris Saint-Germain have stressed their condemnation of all forms of discrimination and racism after confirming forms with illegal contents were used by a recruitment section of the club s academy.

A report by Mediapart and television programme Envoye Special  alleged, following an investigation on the back of recently released  Football Leaks documents, that PSG s scouts have been required to document the ethnicity of potential academy signings.

The report also claimed a promising French player was not signed by PSG because of the colour of his skin and that the club signed only one black player for their academy between 2013 and 2018. 

Responding to the claims, PSG said in a statement: Paris Saint-Germain reaffirms its firm condemnation of all forms of…

Mohamed Salah wants silverware more than any personal accolades as Liverpool seek success on multiple fronts.

The Egypt international was imperious in a 44-goal 2017-18 season that nonetheless ended without any trophies for Jurgen Klopp s side.

Liverpool – beaten Champions League finalists and fourth-placed finishers in the Premier League last season – host Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday, where Salah can reach a personal milestone.

He needs a double to break Liverpool s record for most goals scored in a player s first 50 league games for the club, but such landmarks are secondary to his desire to add titles to his CV.

My target last season was not only to break the [goalscoring] record but also to win something with the club, Salah told Sky Spor…

Prediction: Germany to win 3-0

Best Odds:

Bookmaker: 

Germany and Hungary will face each other in their final Euro 2020 Group F game this week. The match is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Wednesday and will take place at the Alianz Arena in Munich.

Germany

Germany are second in Euro 2020 Group F with three points from two matches. The former world champions are a point behind leaders France and level on points with third-placed Portugal.

Joachim Low’s side kicked off their European Championship campaign with a 1-0 defeat to France. In their second game, the Germans actually fell behind to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal to Portugal, but they came back strongly to win 4-2.

Team News:

Serge Gnabry and Kai Havertz all should start fo…

Jose Mourinho accused Pep Guardiola of lying about David Silva being injured this week and, frankly, all power to the Manchester United manager.

Relations between the tempestuous Portuguese and his feisty Catalan sparring partner have been almost nauseatingly cordial since they arrived in Manchester last year.

But with their teams heading the Premier League pack, will we see a return to the fractious mood that saw Guardiola turn the air blue in the Santiago Bernabeu press room before his Barcelona faced Mourinho s Real Madrid in the 2011 Champions League semi-final?

Even if the two managers keep their powder dry this weekend, we ve thrown together Jamie Smith and Dom Farrell to state the respective cases of the red and blue halves of Manchester. After all, what i…

Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois, alongside Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, are the three nominees for the 2021-22 UEFA Men s Player of the Year Award.

The three are joined by bosses Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, plus Liverpool s Jurgen Klopp, on the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men s Coach of the Year Award.

Ahead of this week s Ballon d Or nominations, France forward Benzema has further enshrined his frontrunner status, after firing Madrid to a continental double last term in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

But there is no room for any player from Liverpool, the side who Ancelotti s men vanquished in last season s final in Paris.

Five Reds stars Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fab…

Competition: Premier League

Market: Brighton to beat West Brom

Odds:

The Premier League returns for another huge weekend of footballing action as England s top league continues to simmer away nicely. Every side in the division will want to return to league action with a win following their FA Cup duty, with focus now firmly back on success and survival. With all of this in mind, Brighton travel to play West Brom on Saturday.

West Brom have been struggling massively this season and they are in need of a run of wins to get out of the danger they have found themselves in. After 22 games they have just two victories to their name, while they have drawn 10 times and lost 10 games. The Baggies have netted 16 goals this season, but they have conceded …

Competition: Premier League

Market: Everton to beat Crystal Palace

Odds:

The Premier League returns this weekend for yet another massive round of matches that will surely only bring more goals and excitement. The table has remained incredibly tight this season meaning that a win can see a side rise out of the relegation zone or into a European place. With this in mind, Everton host Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Everton have been struggling lately and they will want to embark upon a run of wins that could likely secure their place in England s top league for next season. After 26 matches they have won eight, drawn seven and lost 11 times, scoring 29 goals and conceding 45 times. In their last five they have only won once, drawing once and losing t…

Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen revealed just how intense the club s training methods are ahead of his return to Arsenal.

Vermaelen and his Barca team-mates travel to Arsenal for the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie on Tuesday, and the defender provided an insight into the European champions practice sessions. 

The first thing I noticed here was the intensity of the pressing, Vermaelen told the Telegraph.

The pressure is on straight away when we lose the ball. We do a lot of positioning games, focusing on getting the ball back. The pressure the players put on you is incredible, you have no time on the ball.

The Belgian spoke about how Barcelona regularly work on a piggy-in-the-middle game known as a rondo .

He said: We…