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…
Young striker Jordan Ayew has been included in Ghana s 25-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
But there was no room for veteran goalkeeper Richard Kingson, who was dropped from coach Goran Stevanovic s squad for the tournament starting next month.
Ayew, the son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, has been in good form for Ligue 1 side Marseille and will play alongside his brother Andre Ayew.
New Edubiase striker Emmanuel Baffour was one of three local players who made the cut after topping the goal scoring chart in the Ghana top flight this season. The other two from the Ghana Premier League are goalkeepers Daniel Adjei and Ernest Sowah.
Kingson represented Ghana at the 2010 Nations Cup and FIFA World Cup but has not played si…
Argentina defender Marcos Rojo wants to return to hometown team Estudiantes when his contract expires at Manchester United in 2019.
Rojo began his professional career with Estudiantes, having progressed through the La Plata club s youth ranks.
International colleague Sergio Aguero has regularly spoken of his desire to conclude his playing days with Independiente back in Argentina when he leaves Manchester City.
Rojo is far from such an established fixture at United, having shuffled between left-back and centre-half while suffering injury setbacks during his two seasons under Louis van Gaal, but outlined similar career plans in an interview with TyCSports.
I miss the club, my family and my friends, said Rojo, who has also represented Spartak Moscow and Sp…
Marc-Andre ter Stegen says he is committed to Barcelona for the long term, brushing off suggestions he could return to Germany in the near future.
The goalkeeper joined Barcelona from Borussia Monchengladbach in May 2014 and has since made 417 appearances for La Blaugrana in all competitions, keeping 175 clean sheets.
In his 10 years with the Catalan giants, he has won five LaLiga titles, five Copa del Reys, a Champions League and a Club World Cup, with his current contract set to run out in 2028.
He is now set to step up as Germany s number one following Manuel Neuer s international retirement, and when asked if he could also see himself filling the 38-year-old’s shoes at Bayern Munich, Ter Stegen claimed that was not on his mind.
Wow, I still have a …