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Rio Ferdinand believes Frank Lampard can be Chelsea s answer to Pep Guardiola as Maurizio Sarri reportedly nears a move to Juventus.

Chelsea head coach Sarri is poised to sign a three-year deal to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Serie A champions Juve, according to reports.

Former Chelsea midfielder Lampard has emerged as one of the favourites to take over if Sarri leaves after almost guiding Derby County to the Premier League via the Championship play-off in his first season at the helm.

Ex-Manchester United defender Ferdinand – who played alongside Lampard with England – likened the 40-year-old to Manchester City manager Guardiola prior to the Spaniard being appointed Barcelona boss in 2008.

That is genius!  

One from the archives, and it …

Best Odds: 2/3

Bookmaker:

In what is a heavyweight FA Cup showdown on Friday night, Manchester City will travel to north London when they meet Tottenham.

Tottenham

Starting with the hosts, while Tottenham might still face a real battle in their bid to book a Champions League return, Ange Postecoglou’s side have continued to receive a string of praise. Last seen snatching an action-packed 2-2 stalemate away at Manchester United, the former Celtic boss should find the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. Signing off 2023 with an action-packed 3-1 victory at home against Bournemouth, the Lilywhites have continued to impress with their success in north London. Extending on their FA Cup adventure earlier in the month as they secured a 1-0 win against Bournemouth, T…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/5 @

With it all still to play for on Thursday evening, Sporting Lisbon will make the trip to Midtjylland for what could be an enjoyable second-leg showdown.

Starting with the hosts, while Midtjylland might have been tipped as a real Europa League underdog this month, Albert Capellas side should be smelling the chance to collect an eye-catching scalp on Thursday evening. Putting in a gritty display as they left Lisbon with a 1-1 draw following their first-leg meeting last week, the Danish outfit are enjoying another extended flurry. Picking up some perfect momentum over the weekend as they claimed a routine 4-0 romp away at Viborg, the Wolves have certainly hit the ground running after returning from the World Cup s winter brea…

According to a recent report by The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur have resigned themselves to the likelihood of losing Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United. The Spurs defender has been linked with a move away from North London for what feels like forever, with some suggesting that Old Trafford is the most likely destination for him. The 30 year old has been with Tottenham since back in 2015, turning himself into a fan favourite in English football. He is also a Belgium international, having made his debut for the senior team in 2009.

Toby himself hasn’t been shy when it comes to discussing his future, and given the way the season is going for Spurs, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see him search for a move elsewhere. The price tag is certainly an interesting anecdote, es…

Having failed to do so twice, Real Madrid finally managed to book their first victory away from home in the 2024/25 La Liga season, beating Real Sociedad at the Anoeta 0-2.

Both goals were scored from the penalty spot, the first by Vinicius Junior in the 58th minute, and the second by Kylian Mbappe in the 75th.

The teams

Imanol Alguacil in the home dugout arranged his team in a 4-5-1 formation. The back four, in front of goalkeeper Alex Remiro, consisted of Jon Aramburu, Igor Zubeldia, Nayef Aguerd and Javi Lopez. Martin Zubimendi was the central figure in midfield, with Sergio Gomez and Luka Sucic tasked with more creative roles in the middle of the park. Former Real Madrid man Tafekusa Kubo played wide on the right, and Sheraldo Becker covered the left flank. With Mi…

Best odds: 41/50

Bookmaker:

Borussia Dortmund, already secure in their qualification, will host a Paris Saint-Germain team still vying for a spot in the Champions League last-16 draw in an exciting Group F finale on Wednesday.

A single point is all the hosts need to secure their first-place position in the group. However, Luis Enrique s PSG must secure a victory at the Signal Iduna Park to be certain of going through, or risk leaving their hopes to chance.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund started this season s Champions League in the challenging group of death with a disappointing 2-0 defeat against their upcoming opponents at the Parc des Princes. However, they ve since showcased their European prowess, securing a spot in the knockout rounds with a third con…

Chile start their bid for a third successive Copa America title in Sao Paulo on Monday, as they go up against Japan in their Group C opener.

La Roja defeated Argentina on penalties in both the 2015 and 2016 finals, though much has changed since then. Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi departed after the team s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, with Reinaldo Rueda appointed as his replacement.

The Colombian has won just five of his 13 games since taking charge in January 2018, though he has a squad containing a plethora of famous faces for the tournament in Brazil.

Arturo Vidal is one of the senior players included and the Barcelona midfielder believes Chile can come good at just the right time to defend their crown, which would see them join Argentina as the o…

Franck Ribery is to take on a new challenge in Serie A at the age of 36, having agreed a deal to join Fiorentina.

The winger has signed for La Viola on a free transfer after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

Ribery enjoyed 12 hugely successful years in Munich but is excited by the prospect of playing for a big team in a beautiful city , while others of a similar age elect to wind down their careers on less high-profile shores.

The former Marseille man says he spoke with ex-team-mate Luca Toni before accepting Fiorentina s offer a wise decision, given Toni is one of only four people to have represented both clubs as player or head coach.

Below, we look at how the others got on

A Firenze!  

— Franck Ribéry (@FranckRibery…

Borussia Dortmund head coach Nuri Sahin believes a player strike may be close and should be taken seriously, amid their increased workload this season.

Along with their Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal commitments, Sahin s Dortmund are one of several sides involved in the expanded Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup competitions.

Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri said earlier this week that players could be close to a strike due to the increase in commitments at club and international level.

And Sahin concurs that they may not be far away.

When players are already talking about strikes, you know it s [close to happening], he told reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday s trip to Stuttgart.

Coaches like Jurgen Klopp …

Konstantinos Tsimikas scored the winning penalty as Liverpool kept their quadruple hopes alive with a 6-5 shoot-out success over Chelsea in an absorbing FA Cup final.

Extra-time substitute Tsimikas sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way with the decisive spot-kick after Alisson saved from Mason Mount, as Jurgen Klopp s side secured a repeat of February s EFL Cup final win after two hours of action ended 0-0.

Liverpool had been dealt a huge blow when Mohamed Salah was forced off through injury in the first half, with Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson also substituted after 90 minutes were through.

But the Reds dug deep to condemn Chelsea to their third consecutive FA Cup final loss, and they could yet add the Premier League and Champions League trophies to their do…