Barcelona and Bayern in Christensen race

Manchester United versus Liverpool is the most decorated and prestigious rivalry in English football.

United s 20 top-flight titles to Liverpool s 18, eight European Cup/Champions League wins between them it is a rivalry steeped as much in history as it is animosity.

But, while both retain an interest in claiming Europe s biggest prize and United still have designs on the FA Cup this season, they are absent from the conversation over who is the best team in England right now.

In truth, it isn t much of a conversation. Manchester City s swashbuckling, goal-laden procession towards Premier League glory looks certain to be completed over the coming weeks.

Second-best is not usually something worth contemplating when it comes to United-Liverpool matches, but …

Juventus vice-captain Giorgio Chiellini insists his team will need to improve if they are to retain their stranglehold on Italian football.

The Turin-based giants were unbeaten during the 2011-12 Serie A season as they claimed their first top-flight title in nine years, while they also won the Coppa Italia during a wonderful campaign.
Antonio Conte s side have backed up their feat this season and although they have lost – a mere four times – they are nine points clear of second-placed Napoli in the Serie A table with just one match to play.
Juventus also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League this season, but despite his side having won back-to-back Serie A titles and being littered with a superb crop of Italian talent, Chiellini is adamant they cannot stand …

Alan Hutton admitted he never thought he would play for Aston Villa again following his match-winning performance on Tuesday.

Hutton has not played a competitive fixture for Villa since Paul Lambert took charge of the Premier League club in 2012 spending time away on loan at Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton Wanderers.

However, the 29-year-old right-back is back on the manager s radar after scoring the only goal of the game as Villa downed Walsall 1-0 in a pre-season clash.

Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Hutton said he intends to make the most of his chance ahead of Villa s Premier League opener against Stoke City on August 16.

The manager said that everybody would be starting from scratch again and he s given me the opportunity to come in and s…

Lionel Messi hopes the craziness never ends after scoring his 100th goal and ninth hat-trick for his country amid Argentina s homecoming World Cup celebrations on Tuesday.

La Albiceleste routed Curacao 7-0 in Santiago del Estero, with Messi s 20th-minute opener bringing up his 100th international goal, joining only Cristiano Ronaldo (122) and Ali Daei (109) in achieving that feat.

Messi became the first world champion to score 100 international goals, and he showed no signs of stopping there with further first-half strikes for a treble, taking him to 102.

The milestone came as Argentina rounded out their first two games back in their homeland since December s World Cup triumph with wild celebrations, initially in Buenos Aires for Thursday s 2-0 win over Panama.

Bayern Munich forward Lukas Podolski has been recalled to the Germany squad for World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Wales, coach Joachim Loew announced Thursday.

Podolski has spent much of this season on Bayern s bench behind first-choice forwards Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, but injury to the pair has given the 23-year-old his chance with three goals in his last three games.

And with Klose, top scorer at the 2006 World Cup, out of the qualifiers with an ankle injury, Podolski is back in the squad having missed the friendly defeat to Norway last month.

It is very pleasing that Lukas is playing well for Bayern again, said Loew.

Regardless, we would have invited him into the squad for the two international matches, because we always said Luka…

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard stressed he is no Jose Mourinho clone ahead of the Blues trip to Tottenham this weekend.

Lampard enjoyed great success under current Spurs boss Mourinho during the Portuguese s first spell at Stamford Bridge, the midfielder an integral part of two Premier League title-winning sides. 

Chelsea s all-time record scorer went into management himself after retiring and, when in charge of Derby County last season, his side claimed a penalty shoot-out victory over Mourinho s Manchester United in the EFL Cup.

The apprentice is now following in his master s footsteps at Chelsea, yet Lampard insists he is his own man.

Asked if there were anything he had taken from Mourinho into his coaching career, Lampard said: Not one thing, no…

Prediction: Nigeria win

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

The Africa Cup of Nations is well underway, and we ve already seen a series of entertaining clashes between some of the continent s biggest and best national teams. In addition to that we ve also been treated to a few surprise packages that weren t really expected to do much in this year s tournament, but even with all of that, we still want more. There s a lot of potential in this tournament, and given how early it still is, we truly do believe that the best is yet to come.

Nigeria

Nigeria may not have quite been able to live up to the hype that their magnificent kit created during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but they were still unlucky to not progress further than they did. As a national team they ve been i…

Real Betis have secured the services of Antonio Sanabria from Roma for a transfer fee of €7.5million, the 20-year-old signing a five-year deal with his new club.

Roma will also receive 50 per cent of any future transfer fee should Betis sell the Paraguay international, while the Serie A side have also included a buy-back clause, which allows them to re-sign the striker for €11m in the first two seasons and €14.5m during the third.

Sanabria joined Roma from Sassuolo in August 2014 after a previous spell with Barcelona, but the promising attacker failed to secure regular first-team action at the Stadio Olimpico.

He made just two appearances for Roma in 2014-15 and was sent out on loan to Sporting Gijon last term, where he scored 11 goals in 29 LaLiga appe…

Mainz guaranteed their place in next season s Bundesliga with a shock 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.

Goals from Ridle Baku and Yoshinori Muto secured the visitors first away win against Dortmund in the top flight, despite Maximilian Philipp halving the deficit.

The result moves Mainz six points clear of Wolfsburg, who occupy the relegation play-off place, while Dortmund must avoid defeat to Hoffenheim on the final day to make certain of a Champions League spot.

Mainz stunned RB Leipzig with a 3-0 win last time out and Baku s fine finish silenced the home fans only four minutes in, after they had honoured the retiring Roman Weidenfeller with a rousing tifo.

  Danke, Roman!

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB)

M…

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is confident the club will be in contention for a 14th Premier League title in 2015-16.

After seeing Manchester City and Chelsea pick up the last two crowns, United are desperate to improve on last season s fourth-placed finish.

Following the disastrous tenure of David Moyes in 2013-14, the arrival of Louis van Gaal last year signalled an upturn in fortunes at Old Trafford, with the Dutchman able to guide the club back to the UEFA Champions League.

But Rooney feels they can progress further next season, as they aim to pose a sterner challenge to the likes of City and Chelsea.

I honestly believe we will go far next year and won’t be far off challenging for the league,  he said on his official website.

If…