Neto could leave Barcelona for Napoli

Best odds: 2/5

Bookmaker:

Borussia Dortmund are set to start their Bundesliga campaign when they welcome FC Koln to the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, in what will be a sort of a rematch of the 2-2 draw between the two teams in the last round of the previous season which ended up costing the Black-and-Yellow the Bundesliga title.

Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund s start to the new season with a resounding 6-1 victory over Schott Mainz in the DFB-Pokal demonstrates their attacking prowess and ability to dominate matches. The statistics, such as their high possession percentage and the number of shots taken, highlight their control in the game and their capacity to limit their opponents chances.

Sebastien Haller s brace and the contributions from players like J…

Rafael Leao scored one and assisted another as Milan continued their unbeaten Serie A start with a dominant 2-0 victory over Bologna.

Stefano Pioli s side had to recover from a goal down in each of their opening two league games, winning one and drawing the other, but did not need another rescue act on Saturday.

Leao was a constant threat down the left flank and grabbed a deserved goal in the first half, before setting up a smart Olivier Giroud finish in the second half to cap an impressive performance.

Victory at least temporarily moved Milan to the top of the embryonic Serie A table, while the Rossoneri are now unbeaten in 19 top-flight games – the longest ongoing undefeated streak in Europe s top five leagues.

Pioli s men started slowly but kicked …

Paul Pogba could face a lengthy ban after failing a drugs test, according to reports in Italy which emerged shortly after the Juventus midfielder revealed he almost walked away from football after allegedly being blackmailed by an organised crime gang.

It is claimed the France international tested positive for testosterone in a random drugs test following Juventus’ Serie A game against Udinese on August 20, when he was an unused substitute.

Elevated levels of testosterone were reported to have been found, which means Pogba’s second sample would also need to be checked.

According to Italian media, Pogba has three days to produce a counter-analysis of the result. If found guilty of doping, a suspension of between two and four years could reportedly be handed ou…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reached an agreement with VfB Stuttgart over the proposed transfer of Sasa Kalajdzic, according to David Ornstein of . The Premier League side are set to part with a sum of €18 million to get it done before the summer window closes this week.

With Fabio Silva gone to Anderlecht on loan and Raul Jimenez injured ahead of the season, Wolves started the campaign without a single recognized striker in their ranks, highlighting the need to turn to the market as soon as possible to solve the problem. Even though Jimenez has recovered since, the need for a new player to bring goals is still rather obvious as Bruno Lage s team failed to win any of the four Premier League matches played so far.

Having joined Stuttgart from Admira Wacker in 2019, Kal…

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Chelsea central defender Antonio Rudiger in the summer of 2022, according to . The Germany international is out of contract at the 2021 Champions League winners at the end of next season, and French powerhouse PSG are keen on securing his services on a free transfer.

Rudiger has been at Chelsea since 2017 and has established himself as one of the best players in manager Thomas Tuchel’s side. The 28-year-old has won the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League once each other with the London club.

Rudiger scored one goal in 19 Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season. The centre-back also made 10 starts and one substitute appearance in the Champions League for Tuchel’s side, providing one assist in the…

Robert Lewandowski smashed home a rebound to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao in an absorbing LaLiga clash on Saturday.

A deflected strike by teenager Lamine Yamal in the 24th minute gave Barca the lead.

The visitors levelled in the 42nd minute when Oihan Sancet struck home from the penalty spot after defender Pau Cubarsi fouled Alex Berenguer inside the box.

Lewandowski, who had struck the woodwork in either half in his attempts to double Barcelona s tally, scored the winner in the 75th minute from a rebound by the goalkeeper, striking a first-time effort to give the hosts their second win in as many games.

Barcelona are level with Celta Vigo at the top of the LaLiga standings with six points. Athletic are 15th with one point from two mat…

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea are a “healthy group” after watching them edge beyond Newcastle on penalties at Stamford Bridge to book a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Newcastle looked to have done enough to progress after holding Chelsea at arm’s length for much of the game following Callum’s Wilson’s first-half strike.

Then at the death, Mykhailo Mudryk appeared inside the box to nick the ball away from Kieran Trippier, clipping a finish inside the far post to rescue Pochettino’s side.

Chelsea were on target with all four spot-kicks as Trippier again was culpable for Newcastle, failing to hit the target before Matt Ritchie saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Earlier, Wilson had given Newcastle a deserved lead, taking…

Rio Ferdinand was delighted to be named among 15 nominees for the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Introduced in 2021, the Hall of Fame has inducted eight players in each of the past two years, adding managerial greats Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger on Wednesday.

Voting for the latest round of player inductees has begun, with greats nominated from across the last 30 years of the Premier League.

The 2023 class of inductees is dominated by defenders, including former Arsenal captain Tony Adams, ex-Chelsea skipper John Terry and Manchester United stalwarts Ferdinand and Gary Neville.

Former Chelsea and Arsenal duo Petr Cech and Ashley Cole are also nominated, along with ex-United defender Nemanja Vidic.

Midfielders Michael Carrick and Yaya Toure represe…

Time is running out for clubs across Europe to finalise last-ditch deals but multiple big moves could yet go through.

Paris Saint-Germain are bound to be active players as Monday s transfer deadline forces heavyweights in France, Italy, Spain and Germany to make tough decisions on squad strengths and weaknesses.

Bundesliga teams have until 18:00 local time (17:00 BST) to conduct their business, while the window shuts at 20:00 local time (19:00 BST) for Juventus, AC Milan, Inter and the rest of Serie A.

All close-season movements across Europe s top five leagues will be then finalised when the deadline for LaLiga and Ligue 1 sides is reached at midnight local time (23:00 BST).

Mauro Icardi (Inter)

The Inter outcast, stripped of the captaincy earlier t…

Verdict: Home Win

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Having successfully avoided meeting any of Spain’s two biggest clubs in the Copa del Rey semi-final, Real Betis and Valencia will both relish their chances of booking their place in the big final.

Real Betis

Dream of a Copa del Rey final on their own ground is just two steps away from Real Betis who will need to find the way to get past Valencia in two legs of the semi-final. Betis are eager to put an end to Barcelona’s dominance in the competition and will be keen to replicate the 2005 success which was the last time they lifted the Copa del Rey trophy after beating Osasuna.

Los Beticos booked their place in the semis by getting past Espanyol in a 4-2 aggregate victory achieved in the extra time of …