Italian manager of the year Allegri targets long Juve stay

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Hertha will be facing Bayer Leverkusen on the final day of the 2018/19 Bundesliga season at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, in a game that could prove hugely important, especially for the visitors.

Hertha

Apart from pride and the responsibility of giving a good performance in front of their fans, Hertha have very little to play for. They sit 10th, in the middle of the table, quite safe from relegation, and too far from any European spot. However, the fact that it is the last game with coach Pal Dardai in charge may provide some motivation. Dardai will soon be replaced by Ante Covic.

Their recent form reflects the table position: two wins, two draws and a defeat in the last five league games.

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Midfielders Pal…

Former Arsenal striker Carlos Vela has insisted he is happy at Real Sociedad amid ongoing speculation linking him with a sensational return to the Emirates Stadium, .

Vela, 23, was loaned out to Real Sociedad in August 2011. The San Sebastián-based club decided to make the switch permanent after the 23-year-old striker bagged 12 goals and seven assists in 35 league appearances during his debut season.

The Mexican striker is enjoying another productive season at the Anoeta, having tallied 11 goals and five assists in 24 appearances in La Liga this term.

In fact, Vela s scintillating form has led to rumours linking him with a return to Arsenal in the summer, according to the Spanish media.

However, the 23-year-old has played down this specula…

England Under-21 international winger Andros Townsend is hoping to impress parent club Tottenham Hotspur while on loan at Queens Park Rangers, .

Townsend, who was playing second fiddle to Gareth Bale at White Hart Lane, joined QPR to find regular first-team football.

Townsend, 21, has been in fine form since joining QPR on loan until the end of the season on transfer deadline day.

The 21-year-old winger scored the match-winning goal and set up Jermaine Jenas 90th minute strike against Sunderland at Loftus Road on Saturday, helping the Super Hoops record consecutive league victories for the first time this season.

The England Under-21 international is keen to prove his worth to Tottenham Hotspur in the coming weeks, as Spurs ace Gareth Bale cont…

Villarreal moved into first position in the Spanish Primera Division with a 2-0 win over Racing Santander on Wednesday.

Joan Capdevila, who formed part of the Spanish team that won Euro 2008, opened the score after 27 minute.

And Llorente made it 2-0 five minutes later, after which the visiting side never managed to find their way back into the game.

Atlético Madrid won 1-2 at Getafe and are now second in the league. Sinama-Pongolle was responsible for both of Atlético s goals, of which the second came at eight minutes from the end. Albin scored Getafe s only goal.

Atleti do share the second place with city rivals Real Madrid, who achieved a very convincing win over Sporting Gijón.

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Paris Saint-Germain slumped to a dismal 2-0 defeat against Rennes in Ligue 1, with Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netting to amplify the pressure on Christophe Galtier.

PSG were booed off at half-time by the Parc des Princes crowd after Toko Ekambi broke in behind to hand Rennes a surprise lead, following a series of misses from Kylian Mbappe.

Things quickly went from bad to worse for the disjointed leaders, with former PSG forward Kalimuendo converting Lesley Ugochukwu s cross to provoke more fury from the home fans.

PSG s four-game winning run in Ligue 1 ended with a whimper as Rennes stood firm, and Galtier s under-fire side could see their lead at the summit reduced to seven points when Marseille visit Reims later on Sunday.

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After coming from behind to snatch three vital points of fellow Champions League hopefuls Chelsea last weekend, Jose Mourinho s Manchester City side will travel to Selhurst Park to face a Crystal Palace side who have now failed to win any of their last five matches.

Crystal Palace

Although admirably turning their season around under former England boss Roy Hodgson, the Eagles have begun to slip back to their old ways and Palace now once again find themselves at the heart of a relegation battle. With talisman Wilfred Zaha still sidelined, Hodgson s side have now failed to win any of their last five matches and carry on a remarkable run that has seen them fail to win a game without Zaha since April 2016. Drawing two and losing three of their last five, the Eagles now find thems…

Idrissa Gueye will continue his Premier League career having joined Everton from Aston Villa on a four-year deal.

Gueye, who has been capped by Senegal 32 times, moved to Villa Park from Lille in 2015 and made 38 appearances in all competitions as the club were relegated to the Championship.

The 26-year-old midfielder has signed a contract that will keep him at Goodison Park until 2020, with Villa coach Roberto Di Matteo admitting last Friday his release clause, reported to be set at £7.1 million, had been triggered.

I am very happy to be here at Everton and I am very happy and excited to put on the blue shirt to start the new season here, Gueye told Everton s official website.

Everton is a big team with big players and great fans. The manager told me …

New France coach Didier Deschamps will assume control for the first time in Wednesday s friendly against South American champions Uruguay.

Deschamps was appointed following the departure of Laurent Blanc, who left his position in the wake of France s disappointing Euro 2012 campaign.

Blanc had taken France to the European Championship as one of the favourites, with their 23-game unbeaten streak only ended by a 2-0 loss to Sweden in the last group match of the tournament.

But France finished second to England in Group D before bowing out of the competition in the knockout stage with a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain.

That loss was marred by a row between Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri and reporters, while Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Jerem…

Saint Etienne ended their three-year losing French Cup record on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Bordeaux to reach the last 32 and keep coach Alain Perrin on course for an unprecedented Cup treble.

Bafetimbi Gomis grabbed the only goal of the game in the 76th minute on a treacherous and slippy surface at Bordeaux s Jacques-Chaban-Delmas stadium.

Bordeaux, coached by former Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc, were missing a host of their South American stars who had been given permission to stay on their Christmas vacation.

That would have delighted Perrin who coached Sochaux to the 2007 French Cup title and Lyon in 2008.

Meanwhile, Lyon s march to a possible second successive league and cup double was put on hold when their tie at fourth division …

Treating Barcelona captain Lionel Messi like a normal opponent will only end in El Clasico misery for Real Madrid, Raphael Varane has warned.

France international Varane and his fellow Madrid defenders will have their hands full when they square off against Barca s expensively assembled front three for the first time on Wednesday.

Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann have already scored four goals between them in December and will hope to help fire the champions three points clear of their LaLiga title rivals at Camp Nou.

Barca captain Messi remains the most obvious danger to the visitors 11-game undefeated streak and, though the Ballon d Or winner has failed to score in his past three Clasico appearances, centre-back Varane insisted every single Madrid player wou…