Torres wants Mourinho at Chelsea

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel has been ruled out for the rest of the year after being hospitalised by an awkward fall at his home.

Witsel, who played a full part in Saturday s 5-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf, underwent oral and facial surgery at Klinikzentrum Nord Hospital over the weekend.

The Belgium international has been discharged from hospital but will miss at least four matches ahead of the mid-season break, starting with Tuesday s Champions League clash with Slavia Prague.

Witsel will sadly be out for the rest of this year, BVB boss Lucien Favre confirmed at Monday s pre-match news conference.

Witsel has suffered a facial injury and will be out for the rest of the year.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, Axel! 

— Borussi…

Marseille to bid for Aurier

Marseille look set to challenge Arsenal for Toulouse full-back Serge Aurier, according to Le Parisien.

The highly rated defender is likely to become one of the hottest commodities in the summer transfer window and everything suggests he will be leaving le Tefece for a bigger club.

And while Premier League giants Arsenal reportedly see him as a perfect replacement for Bacary Sagna, Le Parisien reports that Marseille are keen as well.

The same source has suggested that OM chairman Vincent Labrune has resumed talks with the player s agents with a view of luring him to Stade Velodrome.

Marseille are also looking at Mauricio Isla, but Aurier remains their number one target for the right-back position.

The 21-year-ol…

Watford have confirmed the return of Matej Vydra, initially signing the striker on loan from Serie A outfit Udinese.

Udinese and Watford are owned by the Pozzo family, who also control La Liga outfit Granada.

As a result, Vydra was loaned to the Championship club in the 2012-13 campaign and the Czech Republic international proved a hit.

The forward – who was at West Brom last term – has signed until the end of the 2014-15 season.

A Watford statement read: Watford FC can today (Thursday) announce the signing of Matej Vydra on an initial season-long loan.

The striker enjoyed a fruitful season at Vicarage Road during 2012-13 when he hit 22 goals and collected the Championship Player of the Season award for his displays during his first campaign …

Massimiliano Allegri paid no attention to Juventus Serie A points deduction as he declared his side will be facing Inter on Sunday to defend second place .

The Bianconeri were served with a 15-point deduction in January for financial irregularities, sending them tumbling down the standings and facing a fierce fight to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

Juventus sit seventh in the table, 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Milan, but Allegri sees things differently and considers the clash with Inter to be a fight for the runners-up spot.

His team would sit second but for their punishment, three points ahead of Inter but still 15 points behind runaway leaders Napoli.

We go to San Siro to defend second place, Allegri told a press conferenc…

Brighton and Hove Albion pulled off arguably the biggest surprise of the opening day in the Premier League campaign, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford by 1-2. Both goals were scored in the first half by Pascal Gross, before and own-goal from Alexis Mac Allister later on provided very bleak consolation for the 20-time English champions.

30’ Groß
39’ Groß

Pascal Groß on his brace at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

…

Sam Allardyce felt Everton gifted victory to Burnley after his struggling side were beaten for the fifth successive away game in the Premier League.

Cenk Tosun s first for the club gave the Toffees a 1-0 half-time lead at Turf Moor, but goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood secured a first win of 2018 for the Clarets, Ashley Williams late dismissal capping a bad day for Everton.

Gylfi Sigurdsson missed a good opportunity before Wood s late header won it for the hosts and Allardyce bemoaned poor decisions at both ends of the pitch.

We lost it by not scoring the second goal when we had clear, clear opportunities. At least three in the first half, he told BBC Sport.

Burnley hadn t won in 11 and if we went 2-0 up it would have been hugely difficult for th…

N Golo Kante is adamant his decision to leave Leicester City for Chelsea does not jeopardise his dream to play Champions League football.

The Stamford Bridge side missed out on European football after an underwhelming 2015-16 campaign, but Kante is confident they will soon be back among the continent s elite under Antonio Conte.

It s not a gamble. For me this is a new step. To stay at Leicester and play in the Champions League would have been a good step, but joining Chelsea is a good step too, the 25-year-old was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror.

Of course, I have never played in the Champions League. But everyone knows that Chelsea are a big club and I hope I will be playing in it next year. 

Playing in the Champions League is a big dream of mine. W…

Javier Mascherano believes there is no point comparing his team-mate Lionel Messi and Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

The midfielder has played alongside Messi for many years for the national side and for the past two seasons has also played his club football with the 25-year-old after completing a move to Camp Nou from Liverpool in 2010.

When asked about whether Messi rates alongside Maradona, Mascherano was quick to dismiss such comparisons.

There is no need to compare Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, Mascherano told Goal.com.

Maradona was the greatest striker of his era and Messi is currently the best footballer in the world.

He (Messi) has won the Ballon d Or three times. Argentine people are very proud of him because he is the first pl…

Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala put Juventus back on top of Serie A as records fell in a 2-1 victory at Sampdoria.

Brazilian defender Alex Sandro had a hand in both goals for Juventus, a thumping header from Ronaldo after a spectacular leap and a brilliant volley by Dybala, with the Turin giants pulling three points clear of Inter.

Inter, who face Genoa on Saturday, can reclaim first place going into the mid-season break, but this was a night to savour for Juventus.

Gianluigi Buffon could not keep a clean sheet, but the veteran goalkeeper matched Paolo Maldini s all-time record of 647 Serie A appearances, and a 479th outing in the division for Juve meant he broke Alessandro Del Piero s top-flight mark for the Bianconeri.

In Juve s final leagu…

Smart finishes from Yeremi Pino and Gerard Moreno gave Villarreal a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano.

The hosts sloppily gave the ball away at the back and Pino made them pay with his sublime 73rd-minute finish into the far bottom-left corner.

Diego Simeone s side desperately tried to find an equaliser but could not do so and Moreno added a second deep into stoppage time, after Nahuel Molina was sent off.

Atletico were left disappointed not to follow up their opening victory at Getafe, while Villarreal s 100 per cent start in LaLiga continues.

3 Yeremi Pino has been involved in three goals in three games for against (1 goal, 2 assists), all three in his two games against them at Cívitas Metropolitano. Measure.

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