´Very happy´ Neymar drops contract hint

Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard believes the Red Devils struggles this season are due to complacency against mid-table teams.

United have beaten Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester City, and drawn with Premier League leaders Liverpool and Arsenal this term, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men still languish in eighth position.

The struggling giants have flourished with their counter-attacking pace but have come unstuck against teams defending deep – beaten by Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Watford.

United have also been held by Wolves, Southampton, Sheffield United, Aston Villa and Everton, leading Lingard to question the club s mindset ahead of the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle.

It s strange, Linga…

Jose Mourinho has the utmost respect for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich but insists they were not friends during his two stints as manager at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho takes his Manchester United side to London on Sunday, his first return to Stamford Bridge after being sacked by Abramovich in December 2015, just seven months after leading the club to the Premier League title.

It was the second time he had left Chelsea after a three-year spell came to an abrupt end in 2007 with reports suggesting it was the result of a falling out with the club s billionaire owner.

The Portuguese was eager to stress he held Abramovich in high regard but refused the offer to call him a friend.

He told Sky Sports: No, but we always had that kind of relationship. He was the o…

It all started in 2002 when Betfair made the first online sports betting platform for its customers.

It had an instant success that revolutionized the sports betting industry.

Soon, other big companies followed this trend, and with the advancement of technology, online betting became today the most popular and easiest way to place a bet on your favorite sport or game.

What is Live Football Betting

In-play or live football betting simply means wagering on sports during the relevant event, as opposed to before it starts. It’s one of the ways in which the advancement of online sports betting has managed to innovate the gambling scene.

Picture it this way – you’re watching your favorite game and placing the bets as the action unfolds. It’s…

Frank Lampard questioned why Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk avoided a red card in Saturday s Merseyside derby after the Dutch defender s late tackle on Amadou Onana.

The centre-back went into referee Anthony Taylor s book for the 76th-minute challenge, when Van Dijk got his timing all wrong and caught Onana just above the ankle.

A gripping match finished goalless, but a red card at that stage of the game could have lifted hosts Everton for the closing minutes.

Manager Lampard could not understand why Taylor was not called to look at the incident again by the video assistant referee.

He said: If you look at the moment he connects with Amadou s shin and Amadou s foot is on the ground… I m surprised it hasn t gone to VAR and the referee hasn t been a…

France coach Didier Deschamps has credited Joachim Loew for masterminding Germany s resurgence on the international stage.

Deschamps said France had a lot to learn from Loew, who guided Germany to the last four at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012.

France entertain Germany at the Stade de France, Paris, on Wednesday as both teams continue to prepare for their next World Cup qualifiers.

Germany are a model team, Deschamps said.

They knew how to change their football. It started somewhere around 2000-2004, they maintained their roots.

They are warriors with physical impact, players good at playing one-on-one, but they added new qualities with the arrival of quick and technical players, like (Mesut) Ozil, even though (Marco) Reus and (Mario…

Jermaine Pennant came off the bench to score a late free-kick as Stoke City recorded a 1-0 Premier League win at West Ham on Saturday.

The visitors were the better side and kept West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen busy throughout the match, particularly in the first half.

West Ham did improve after the break but Pennant curled in a delightful free-kick with eight minutes to play for the visitors.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce made 11 changes to the side that beat Cheltenham Town in the League Cup on Tuesday, recalling key men Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis among others.

Stoke were also victorious during the week as a Kenwyne Jones hat-trick inspired them to a 3-1 win over Walsall, and the forward kept his place in the side, while winger Matthew …

France coach Didier Deschamps insists the door is not closed on Karim Benzema s future with the national team, but insists the Real Madrid striker will only be recalled if it is in Les Bleus best interests.

Benzema was not considered for selection at Euro 2016, where France reached the final on home soil, due to his alleged role in a blackmail attempt surrounding international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena.

The 28-year-old has not represented his country since October 2015, but Deschamps is open to including Benzema in future squads.

However, Deschamps says that Benzema will only return if he sees a spot for him in the starting XI as he does not believe the former Lyon striker should be warming the bench. 

There is no Benzema case for me. That is something…

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was shocked to hear the news that Ian Harte has retired from professional football.

Harte, a free agent after leaving Bournemouth in the close-season, announced his retirement on Thursday.

And Howe was quick to praise the former Republic of Ireland international, who joined Bournemouth from Reading in 2013.

He was a leader every day and I can t give him a bigger compliment than that, and I don t even need to talk about his left foot, Howe said of the 37-year-old, who started his career at Leeds United.

I only just heard the news, and I was surprised because I thought he still had a lot to offer in a footballing capacity.

He was always a real team player and someone who reinforced all of the things we strive for …

Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed Kingsley Coman has sustained a muscle injury, and he is unsure how long the France international will spend on the sidelines.

Bayern host Stuttgart on Saturday in the Bundesliga after a 2-0 win at Inter in their opening Champions League group stage game.

Nagelsmann stated his intention to rotate some players, including starting Leon Goretzka for the first time this season, though he did suggest Joshua Kimmich will play despite sustaining an eye injury in the win at San Siro on Wednesday.

However, Coman will not feature after the winger suffered a muscle tear in training, with the Bayern boss waiting to learn how long he faces out of action.

King suffered an injury during training and is getting an MR…

Prediction: Real Madrid win

Best Odds: 

Bookmaker: 

The Spanish La Liga season has thrown up many twists and turns up to this point, and while it may not be quite on the same level of the English Premier League in terms of regular chaos, there are definitely plenty of talking points to get through as this bizarre campaign ventures on into the month of February. Today, we re going to take a look at a game between two sides in very different positions this season Real Madrid and Getafe.

Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane has often been hailed as a genius and a hero for what he s been able to accomplish since turning from player to coach, but for whatever reason, things haven t quite panned out for him and Real Madrid so far this season. Both on the pitch and o…