Benzema an inspiration to Real Madrid team-mate Varane

Newcastle head coach Becky Langley has challenged her side to win promotion to the Women’s Championship to pave the way for other aspiring clubs to join them in turning professional.

The Magpies went full-time last summer – 12 months after head coach Langley had done the same – to become the first tier-three outfit to make the move in England.

They currently sit at the top of the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, nine points clear of Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand, and 14 better off than Burnley, who have played three fewer, as they chase promotion to the Championship and ultimately the Women’s Super League.

Newcastle grow the gap

A win for the Lasses and a draw for Nottingham Forest means the gap at the top is n…

Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal s capture of Willian and expects his new signing to make a real difference with his versatility and experience.

Arsenal confirmed the arrival of free agent Willian on a three-year deal on Friday, five days on from the Brazil international s departure from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Predominantly used on the right wing for Chelsea, Willian is also comfortable playing on the left or in a central role and arrives at the Emirates Stadium with an impressive list of honours to his name.

Eyebrows have been raised at the length of the contract awarded to the 32-year-old, but Arteta believes his side s first signing of the close season will prove his worth.

New club. New colours. New beginnings.

Welcome to The Arsenal, ! 

Aston Villa are interested in signing Tiago Santos from Lille in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Villa are on the hunt for a new right-back due to Matty Cash continuing to struggle with injuries and have identifed Santos as a possible target.

Santos has been on the books of Lille since the summer of 2023 when he joined from G.D. Estoril Praia. The 21-year-old Portugal Under-21 international is one of the best young right-backs in the French domestic league. The 21-year-old has made 15 starts and three substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Villa are fourth in the Premier League table at the moment with 49 points from 25 matches, 11 points behind leaders Liverp…

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Desperate to extend on their World Cup qualifying adventure on Thursday night, Portugal will welcome Turkey to the Estádio do Dragão.

Portugal

Starting with the hosts, after being hit with their heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at home against Serbia last time out, there is no doubt that Portugal will be seeking an immediate response here. Throwing away an automatic spot at this year s World Cup finals after falling at the final hurdle, Head Coach Fernando Santos will know that he still has real pressure on his position. Likewise, shocking many as they had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate against Ireland on foreign soil back in November, the Navigators know that they cannot afford another slip-up here. Still holding a stacked squad of Europea…

Andrea Pirlo dismissed the idea Barcelona are a club in crisis as he refused to rank Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo as a superior player to Lionel Messi before their Champions League showdown.

Juventus face a Barca side still reeling from last Saturday s shock 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted Cadiz in LaLiga which left them 12 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid after 10 games.

Ronald Koeman s side have, however, been flawless in the Champions League with five victories from five Group G matches, including a 2-0 win in Turin in October.

Juve s only win at Camp Nou in the Champions League came back in April 2003 (2-1), having failed to win on either of their last two trips there in the competition.

The Bianconeri have not scored in their last four games a…

Inter Milan are interested in signing Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina in the summer transfer window, according to a report in . For Italian champions Inter are on the hunt for a new centre-back, and the Serie A powerhouse have decided on the 24-year-old Serbia international defender.

The Nerazzurri are reportedly looking at Milenkovic as a potential replacement for Milan Skriniar. Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur all are interested in signing the 27-year-old Slovakia international centre-back in the summer transfer window. Inter have also missed out on signing of Gleison Bremer to Juventus.

Milenkovic has been on the books of Fiorentina since 2017 and has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in Serie A. The 24-year-old scored one goa…

Massimiliano Allegri says he will need a year or two to make Juventus Serie A title contenders ahead of Sunday s crunch clash at Roma.

Juve boss Allegri won five consecutive league titles during his previous spell at the club, but took on a rebuilding job when he returned to Turin last May.

The Bianconeri are fifth in the table ahead of their trip to the Eternal City, 11 points adrift of leaders Inter and the champions have a game in hand.

Allegri reiterated that he will need time to make Juve a huge force once again.

I came here knowing that this year we needed to start changing the team, [in order to] be back challenging for the title in a year or two, Allegri said.

We could have done better so far, but it s a matter of experience, it s norm…

So we come to it: the biggest LaLiga game between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for seven years.

Forget the Champions League disappointments, the off-the-field murmurings about money problems and the lingering toxic cloud of the Super League, and get ready for a title showdown.

League leaders Atletico are two points clear of Real Madrid and Barca with four games to go. If the match produces a winner, that team will have the power to decide their own fate. A draw could be enough for Atleti. A defeat for either may prove fatal to their chances.

The last time these two teams met this late in the season with the title still on the line for both was on that famous final day in 2013-14, when Atleti went to Camp Nou knowing they would win the league if they did not l…

Barnsley head coach Neill Collins applauded the resilience of his side as they came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw against travelling Fleetwood.

Devante Cole and Corey O’Keefe provided equalisers for the Tykes after a first-half double from Junior Quitirna.

Collins said: “Today I think it was a winning performance, you look across the season it’s one of our most dominant performances.

“We created loads of chances, created lots of opportunities to create more chances but we obviously shot ourselves slightly in the foot by giving away a really cheap goal and then losing a very good goal from their perspective.

“I think what the fans should be happy with is that we came from behind twice. That’s the first equaliser here (at Oakwell) since t…

Great art will typically have its back to the wall, and for an hour on Tuesday it was a great artist who stood with his back to a red wall on a rainy night in Manchester, unhappy with his lot.

A promising exhibition was turning into a soggy mess as Kevin De Bruyne had his visionary brushstrokes stripped of their customary colour, the false nine lacking his usual lustre.

But then the narrative flipped, and a 50th Champions League appearance in City colours for this wonderful Belgian footballer had its masterpiece, a finish any genuine number nine would admire from substitute Phil Foden s delicious pass. One-nil, and that was how it stayed, a fine result from a taxing evening.

City manager Pep Guardiola had joked about the perception that he can overthink in big…