Benfica head coach Rui Vitoria has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2020.

Vitoria joined Benfica in 2015 and his old deal was set to expire at the end of the 2017-18 season.

However, he has penned fresh terms with the Lisbon club and is excited about the future at Estadio de Luz.

It is a huge pleasure to work in a club of this magnitude, he told Benfica s official website.

Rui Vitória renova até 2019/2020!

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica)

My career was built step by step. This will continue to make me happy every day and I have passion in what I do.

Now, the aim is to continue with this project, to have the greatness that Benfica has and to look to the future.

I feel more and more integral in t…

Thomas Muller has extended his deal with Bayern Munich until the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the Bundesliga champions have announced.

The Germany international, who has spent his entire 14-season senior career with Bayern, was due to be out of contract at the end of the next campaign.

However, after playing a vital part in the Bavarian giants 10th successive league triumph this season, Muller and Bayern have agreed to fresh terms.

I m delighted to have extended my contact with FC Bayern Munich until 2024, Muller told the club s official website on Tuesday.

The journey we ve been on since I joined the FCB academy in 2000 has been a fantastic success story up to now.

It gives me immense pleasure to hold up the red colours year after year, on and…

France s build-up to the World Cup was dominated by talk of the so-called holders curse and Didier Deschamps uncertain future.

A few weeks later Les Bleus are on the verge of becoming the first reigning champions to reach the final since Brazil in 1998 – you have to go back another 50 years to the last time a European nation achieved such a feat when Italy did so in 1938.

Deschamps preparations were not helped by injuries to important players, but France s ruthlessness going forward has inspired another deep run into the tournament after seeing off England in the quarter-finals despite arguably being second best.

France go into Wednesday s semi-final at Al Bayt Stadium against Morocco as overwhelming favourites.

It will be the defending champions sevent…

Hansi Flick has been appointed the new head coach of Barcelona following the club s shock decision to sack Xavi.

A club announcement on Wednesday revealed Flick will take over ahead of next season after penning a two-year deal at Camp Nou.

Xavi initially announced in January he would leave Barca at the end of the season, but club president Joan Laporta managed to convince him to prolong his tenure.

However, just 30 days after that U-turn was announced, the club reversed its decision again, stating Xavi would be dismissed come the end of the campaign.

On Wednesday, the club formally announced Xavi s backroom staff would join him in departing, thanking the former midfielder for his commitment, dedication and generosity as well as his willingness to work tow…

Christopher Nkunku proved Chelsea s hero as his late strike secured a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The forward climbed off the bench to strike the winner five minutes from time at the Vitality Stadium, where Robert Sanchez kept out Evanilson s first-half penalty.

Bournemouth looked the more likely to take all three points in the contest, with Marcus Tavernier s long-range thunderbolt rattling the crossbar early on.

Sanchez then came to rescue on 38 minutes by denying Evanilson from 12 yards, albeit after he had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on the Brazilian.

The woodwork denied the Cherries again after the break, with Ryan Christie seeing his precise low effort hit the outside of Sanchez s right post.

However, it was …

Rangers have announced the almost inevitable departure of Michael Beale and have put club favourite Steven Davis in charge.

Calls for Beale’s departure increased following the 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen at Ibrox on Saturday, with the players again booed off the park.

A third loss in seven cinch Premiership fixtures left the Light Blues seven points behind leaders Celtic and with their title hopes already in jeopardy.

Rangers Football Club can confirm it has parted company with men’s first-team manager, Michael Beale.

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC)

Ahead of the Europa League tie against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night, the Ibrox club released a statement which outlined the changes.

It read: “Rangers can confirm it has p…

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker:

Desperate to claim a first-leg advantage and make a heavyweight Champions League statement, Arsenal will welcome Bayern Munich to north London on Tuesday night.

Arsenal

Starting with the hosts, making a real statement over the weekend as they stormed their way to a 3-0 romp away at Brighton, Arsenal are in the midst of what has been a remarkable purple patch. Edging their way past Portuguese giants Porto last month as they punched a quarter-final ticket, Mikel Arteta’s young squad find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Smelling the chance to put down a real European marker in north London, Arsenal have collected 31 points from just their previous 11 Premier League appearances. Along with gaining a fearsome reputation for thei…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/7 @

In what could prove to be an enjoyable Bundesliga battle on Sunday afternoon, Heidenheim will welcome Augsburg to the Voith-Arena.

Starting with the hosts, springing what was an almighty Bundesliga upset last season, Heidenheim certainly underlined their status as one of Europe’s ultimate surprise packages. Continuing to receive a string of plaudits from across the continent, Frank Schmidt’s men find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Booking an iconic Europa Conference League group stage ticket earlier in the week as they clinched a 5-3 aggregate victory against Swedish outfit Hacken, the Reds will be looking to make another statement here. Opening up the 2024/25 campaign with a routine 2-0 win away at St. Paul…

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker:

Looking to extend on their remarkable start to the 2023/24 campaign, Girona will travel to the Nuevo Los Carmenes on Monday night when they meet Granada.

Granada

Starting with the hosts, although Granada might have claimed a much-needed 3-2 victory at home against Mallorca last month, it appears that might have just been a minor boost for Paco Lopez’s struggling squad. Last seen heading into September’s international break with an action-packed 5-3 defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad, the Nasrids are seeking some crucial stability. Although the Andalusia-based outfit might have gained plenty of praise as they secured a La Liga return last season, Granada have lost four of their opening five appearances. Getting proceedings under…

Austin FC may have suffered a disappointing loss last time out, but Josh Wolff is aiming to bounce back against Los Angeles FC to give themselves a playoff chance.

The Black and Verde were beaten 2-1 by Toronto FC at the weekend after failing to find a late equaliser, condemning them to a second consecutive defeat.

Austin currently sit 11th in the Western Conference but are losing ground on the playoff spots as they are 10 points behind Houston Dynamo in seventh.

Wolff admitted that their task is now harder but is determined to make sure his team are still in the conversation come the end of the regular season.

I think there s a points total that we have in mind, Wolff said, but we need to work on things.

We re going to be able to get chances, b…