Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker:

Looking to extend on their hometown romp in the early hours of Wednesday, Independiente will welcome Newell’s Old Boys to the Estadio Libertadores de America.

Independiente

Starting with the hosts, suffering last-gasp heartbreak away at Gimnasia over the weekend as they eventually had to settle for a 1-1 draw, Independiente will be seeking an immediate response here. Almost finding themselves sat in Primera Division limbo, Ricardo Zielinski’s men are still trying to find some stability on either side of June’s international break. However, while El Rojo might have only mustered a pair of wins from their previous seven domestic appearances across all competitions a run that stems back to May 13th the Buenos Aires-based outfit shou…

Valencia have confirmed the exit of president Anil Murthy following a turbulent few weeks at Mestalla, stating the club must regain the trust of the fans .

The 49-year-old has been embroiled in controversy since April when a man purported to be Murthy suggested to someone else in audio leaked by Superdeporte that he had threatened to kill  Carlos Soler s reputation in the press if he did not sign a new contract.

Valencia did not deny Murthy was the person depicted but claimed the reports were part of a smear campaign against the club, insisting the recordings were taken out of context from a private conversation and recorded illegitimately without the permission of the president of Valencia, Anil Murthy.

The club also reported death threats against Murthy t…

Diego Maradona lampooned Lionel Messi for using the bathroom 20 times before a game and suggested the Argentina star stay in the international wilderness.

Messi has not appeared for the national team since the last-16 loss to eventual champions France at the World Cup in Russia.

Caretaker coach Lionel Scaloni remains hopeful the Barcelona skipper will eventually end his self-imposed exile, but Maradona is less convinced of the 31-year-old s present value to the team.

The Albiceleste great and former head coach, who at times handed Messi the armband during the 2010 World Cup, is adamant any return should come with the caveat of no captaincy.

Messi is a great player, but he s not a leader, Maradona told Fox Sports Mexico.

Before speaking to th…

Manchester City fans experienced that rare feeling of Premier League defeat under Pep Guardiola as Norwich City overcame the odds in sensational style at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Many were suggesting the heavily depleted Canaries best hope was to avoid a cricket scoreline against the defending champions.

But a clinical performance, coupled with some questionable Man City defending, saw Daniel Farke s side secure a memorable 3-2 victory, with Kenny McLean, Todd Cantwell and the in-form Teemu Pukki on the scoresheet for the hosts.

The loss marked an end to a 25-match unbeaten streak against promoted sides for Man City, while Norwich had lost 11 of their previous 12 encounters against the team defending the Premier League title – their last such victory coming aga…

Dodi Lukebakio scored a stunning hat-trick as Fortuna Dusseldorf secured a 3-3 Bundesliga draw with Bayern Munich on Saturday to pile the pressure onto Niko Kovac.  

Defeat to Borussia Dortmund before the international break had added to speculation over Kovac s future and the Bayern boss will come under increasing scrutiny after his side threw away a 3-1 lead against their lowly opponents.

They looked set for a routine win when Niklas Sule and Thomas Muller scored in the space of three first-half minutes, but Fortuna clawed their way back into the game after 44 minutes through Lukebakio.

Muller restored Bayern s two-goal advantage shortly before the hour, but Lukebakio had the final say, scoring breakaway goals in the 77th minute and three minutes into stop…

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker:

Hoping to briefly climb to the top of the Serie A table, Juventus will welcome Napoli to Turin on Friday night for a heavyweight affair.

Juventus

Starting with the hosts, while Juventus might have dealt with a string of issues behind the scenes in Turin last season, the Italian heavyweights are in the midst of a stellar Serie A romp this time around. Continuing to shine on either side of November’s international break, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have certainly gained a string of plaudits. Knowing that another statement victory on Friday night would see them leapfrog Inter Milan to top spot, the Old Lady should find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Picking up some notable scalps this season and mustering 19 points from thei…

Graham Arnold plans to break with his tradition of naming his starting line-up the night before a match when Australia face United Arab Emirates in the Asian Cup quarter-final.

The Socceroos take on the hosts on Friday in Al Ain, hoping to become the first reigning champions to reach the last four of the tournament since Japan in 2007.

They have been made to work in their run to the last eight, recovering from an opening defeat to Jordan to progress to the round of 16, where they defeated Uzbekistan on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Head coach Arnold believes that spot-kick success has instilled some confidence in his side and he hopes his players can tap into their renewed belief.

He intends to inform the squad of the team to face UAE on the morning of the …

David Silva is using the experience of past glory to help Manchester City in their Premier League title race with Liverpool and Tottenham.

Defending champions City have the chance to move level alongside Liverpool atop the table when they welcome Chelsea to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

There appeared to be nerves creeping into rivals Liverpool s game following back-to-back draws prior to Saturday s 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

Silva has won three Premier League titles since arriving from Valencia in 2010 and the Spanish star believes that experience will prove beneficial this season.

I think the next one is always the most important. The experience of many years and many games in the Premier League helps you a lot in moments like this, Silva said. Because …

Bruno Fernandes believes Manchester United s transfer business is arming them to compete with the best , which was his aim before agreeing to a new contract at Old Trafford.

Midfielder Fernandes is the captain and star man at United and committed his long-term future to the club last week ahead of the start of the new Premier League season.

This was despite United falling to eighth last season, their lowest finish in the Premier League era.

Erik ten Hag s men did win the FA Cup, beating Manchester City in the final, but they were unable to consistently compete with their rivals at the top of the table.

That needed to change for Fernandes to remain happy in Manchester, but he is encouraged by the early signs, with United signing Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, …

RB Leipzig have agreed an extension to Angelino s loan from Manchester City to keep him at the club for the 2020-21 season.

The deal includes an option for Champions League semi-finalists Leipzig to purchase Angelino permanently on a deal until 2025.

Leipzig signed the left-back on loan in January and he scored one goal and supplied five assists in 18 appearances for the club.

I m very happy that I m staying in Leipzig and that we can continue our journey together, said Angelino.

The first six months with RBL were great; I had a lot of playing time from the start, I like the way the coach and the team approach the game. We also had a strong season in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

I m looking forward to the future and many more succes…