Diego Simeone expects Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid to give their lives in a decisive final match in the LaLiga season.
Atleti head into Saturday s contest with a two-point lead over city rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table.
They know that a victory will guarantee their first top-flight title since 2013-14, when a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on the final day denied the Catalans the trophy.
However, the stakes are also high for Valladolid, who must win to stand a chance of avoiding relegation to the second tier.
History is on Atleti s side: Valladolid have not won any of their past 11 league meetings and failed to score in seven of the previous eight, while Sergio Gonzalez has gone eight LaLiga games without defeating Simeone, more than he has again…
Wolves have become the first club to be sanctioned by the Football Association solely over the homophobic chant of ‘Chelsea rent boy’ by their fans.
The Premier League side have been hit with a six-figure fine and imposed with an action plan by the FA after supporters chanted the slur during a fixture against Chelsea in April.
While the FA has always condemned the use of the term, a statement from the governing body in January confirmed to clubs they could now be charged with disciplinary action if their fans engage in discriminatory behaviour – including the use of the term ‘rent boy’.
Wolves have accepted breaches to FA rule E21 following incidents where written reasons for the charges stated: “a chant by a large number of supporters for a prolonged…
Cristiano Ronaldo and many others will leave if Juventus fail to qualify for the Champions League, according to Christian Vieri.
It has been a forgettable season for Juve, who had their run of nine consecutive Serie A titles snapped by newly crowned champions Inter, amid doubts over Ronaldo and first-year head coach Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo s position is under intense scrutiny as Juve languish fifth in the table, with Champions League qualification now out of their hands ahead of Saturday s showdown against Inter.
Ronaldo also continues to be linked with a move away from Juve amid reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain and former club Manchester United.
Italian great Vieri – who played for both Juve and Inter – warned of a mass exodus if the Bianconeri…
Kieran McKenna believes Ipswich Town can take so many positives from their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa.
The Tractor Boys, who are back in the Premier League after 22 years away, extended their unbeaten league streak to four matches, after Liam Delap s strike secured a share of the spoils at Portman Road.
Delap had given Ipswich an eighth-minute lead, but goals from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins saw Villa turn the match on its head just after the half-hour mark.
Nevertheless, the hosts dug deep with Delap levelling in the 72nd minute to secure their fourth successive draw, which moves them out of the relegation zone to 15th place.
And McKenna was thrilled with the character his players demonstrated.
I think we created the better chances in the …
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is pleased with how his players have responded to recent setbacks but warned them not to take anything for granted against Midtjylland.
The Premier League champions were sensationally hammered 7-2 by Aston Villa prior to the October international break, then lost Virgil van Dijk to a serious knee injury on their return to action.
Defender Van Dijk was hurt in the early stages of the 2-2 draw with Merseyside rivals Everton, a game the Reds twice led before eventually having to settle for a point.
However, since then Liverpool have recorded a win away at Ajax in the Champions League and also fought back from a goal down to beat Sheffield United.
It s all about showing a reaction you cannot influence the things that have happene…
Before every major tournament, eyes are trained on the next generation of stars set to take the football world by storm.
This year s rescheduled Copa America is no different with the likes of Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, Brazil right-back Emerson Royal and Colombia forward Jaminton Campaz on the scene.
But there is still no changing of the guard as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, among others, continue to dominate on the international stage.
Stats Perform looks at six players above the age of 30 and their eye-catching numbers heading into the 47th edition of the Copa America.
ROMPIERON REDES
¿Lo sabías?
Estos son los máximos goleadores de cada selección en las CONMEBOL
ELES TÊM FARO DE GOL
…
Renato Veiga and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall each scored their first Chelsea goals in a cracking 4-2 victory over Gent in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
Enzo Maresca decided to make wholesale changes in the Blues opening match of the league phase of Europe s third-tier competition, but they were still a class above their Belgian opponents.
Full-back Veiga headed Chelsea into a 12th-minute lead after Mykhailo Mudryk stood up a brilliant cross from the right and Dewsbury-Hall fired into the side-netting when he ought to have scored soon after.
Despite their domination of the ball, it took the Blues until the 46th minute to double their lead when Pedro Neto took hold of Axel Disasi s long punt and fired into the roof of the goal.
Some slack Chelsea defe…
The three teams relegated from the Premier League have been handed a seemingly-comfortable start to the new season after Thursday’s release of the new campaign’s EFL fixtures.
Leicester, Leeds and Southampton will begin life back in the Championship under new managers with their sights set on an immediate return, and the fixture computer looks to have been kind – at least in the early stages.
The PA news agency has analysed the three divisions’ schedules using an aggregation of leading bookmakers’ odds and identified the most notable runs.
Settling-in period
Leicester boss Enzo Maresca faces Coventry in his first game in charge and, while the Sky Blues reached last season’s play-off final, they are ranked only 11th in the aggregated promotion odds th…
Marco Silva admitted it will be really difficult to replace Aleksandar Mitrovic and to strengthen his squad as Fulham’s hunt for new players hots up ahead of the September 1 transfer deadline.
The Cottagers will be without the Serbian striker, who netted 14 goals in the Premier League last season, after they sold him for a club-record fee to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
Silva hinted Fulham have left it too late to find the right profile of players to fill his under-sized squad with just one week before the market closes until January.
On the squad: We have a great group of players. They are always giving their maximum for the shirt.
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC)
“In this moment in the market I have to say it is really difficult (t…
Liverpool s title hopes were hit as Tottenham raided Anfield for a point on Saturday, snatching a 1-1 draw that made Manchester City the big winners of the day without kicking a ball.
City will go three points clear, with three games remaining, if they beat Newcastle United on Sunday.
Brighton inflicted fresh humiliation on a Manchester United side who must be used to it by now, crushing Ralf Rangnick s travel-sick Red Devils 4-0 at the Amex Stadium.
Watford s relegation was confirmed by a 1-0 defeat for Roy Hodgson s team at Crystal Palace, while Chelsea frailties were exposed in a 2-2 draw with Wolves.
After a compelling Saturday of action, Stats Perform looks at key Opta facts from four key games.
12 17 Tottenham s Son Heung-Min has both sc…