Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien faces a great challenge of his international career when he captains Ghana against Ivory Coast here on Friday.
The box-to-box workaholic with the biting tackle and thunderous drive must inspire an injury-ravaged Black Stars side against the under-pressure Africa Cup of Nations title favourites in a crunch Group B clash.
It will be the second fixture in this restive northern Angola enclave where an ambush last Friday claimed two lives as the Togolese delegation crossed the border from a Congo training camp.
Togo later withdrew, leaving Ghana, Ivory Coast and outsiders Burkina Faso fighting for two quarter-fianls places and the Burkinabe threw a spanner in the works by forcing a goalless stalemate with the Ivorians.
Ghana …
Besiktas have been expelled from this season s UEFA Europa League after the club’s appeal against a match-fixing ban was rejected on Friday.
The Turkish side who beat Norwegian outfit Tromso 2-0 (3-2 on aggregate) to reach the group stage of the competition on Thursday were initially banned by UEFA for match-fixing offences relating to the 2010-11 Super Lig campaign.
Slaven Bilic s men had been permitted to compete in the play-off round while their appeal which was heard on August 20 was assessed.
However, following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), it is the Scandinavian club who will progress to the group stage, the draw for which is set to take place at 12:45 CET in Monaco on Friday.
A statement on the CAS website read: The Court of A…
Bayern Munich s superstar forward line allowed two less glamorous team-mates a rare share of the spotlight on Saturday, as Spanish defenders Javi Martinez and Juan Bernat scored in a 3-0 win to end Cologne s long unbeaten run at home and move the champions seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
The hosts had not tasted defeat at RheinEnergie Stadion in the league since April 2016, but the omens were not good for them when Martinez put Carlo Ancelotti s visiting heavyweights ahead midway through the first half, Bayern having previously gone on to win every time the former Athletic Bilbao star had struck for them in the Bundesliga.
And that streak remained intact, thanks in no small part to his fellow Spain international Bernat, who afforded the visitors a comfor…
Patrice Evra was left out of the Juventus squad for Sunday s match at home to Bologna as he considers his future at the Serie A champions, according to chief executive Giuseppe Marotta.
French defender Evra has been an important figure for Juve since joining from Manchester United in 2014.
The 35-year-old, who has added two Scudetti to his career trophy haul during his time in Italy, has been linked with a return to Old Trafford, as well as a potential move to Spain with Valencia.
And Marotta confirmed the France international could be set to leave Juventus Stadium during the transfer window.
Evra was not called up to the squad because he s thinking about his future, he told Sky Sport Italia.
If he leaves, we will not sign a replacement.
Conor Gallagher says scoring his first Chelsea goal against his former side Crystal Palace was written in the stars as he sealed a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park.
Substitute Gallagher had been on the field only 14 minutes when he curled a sublime late winner past ex-team-mate Vicente Guaita in the final minute of normal time to see Chelsea triumph in their first league match under Graham Potter.
It was the England international s first goal for Chelsea on his seventh appearance for the club.
Gallagher was given a chance to impress in the Premier League during last season s spell on loan at Selhurst Park, where he was crowned the club s Player of the Year, and the 22-year-old believes there was a sense of inevitability to his winner.
It s a very special moment …
Manchester United are interested in signing PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Premier League giants United wanted to secure the services of the 23-year-old winger in the summer transfer window and remain keen on bringing the youngster to Old Trafford in January.
United made a bid of £25 million for Gakpo in the summer of 2022, but Dutch gains PSV turned it down. Leeds United, Everton and Southampton also wanted to sign the Netherlands international winger.
Gakpo has scored eight goals and provided six assists in eight Eredivisie appearances for PSV so far this season. The winger has also scored one goal in one UEFA Europa League match so far this campaign.
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Juventus go back on the road to face Parma after responding well to their first Serie A defeat of the season in their previous away match.
Antonio Conte s men recorded convincing home wins over Genoa and Catania to undo some of the damage inflicted upon them by the 4-2 loss at Fiorentina, when they surrendered a two-goal half-time lead.
That result saw the champions lose ground on Serie A leaders Roma but their overall form, which has seen them drop just five points from the 30 available, still has them in a strong position heading into Saturday s match.
And their response to the setback has been impressive, with six goals scored in the previous two games without reply while only Roma and Inter can better Juve s 22-goal haul this term.
Parma s home record has bai…
Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque was in jubilant mood after his team made history by reaching the World Cup semi-finals for the first time.
New Barcelona signing David Villa scored the only goal of the game eight minutes from the end of their quarter-final clash against Paraguay to spark ecstatic scenes from Ellis Park to Madrid.
And the quiet and unassuming Del Bosque then spoke of his joy ahead of Wednesday s last four duel with Germany in Durban.
I believe in what we re doing here and reaching the semi-final represents a great moment for Spanish football, he said.
We re amongst the four best teams in the world. It s fantastic to be playing Germany again, we beat them in the last European Championships (final).
Germany and Spain are amongst th…
Jurgen Klopp could feel the emotion inside Anfield as Jon Flanagan made his Liverpool return after almost 18 months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Flanagan received a rapturous ovation from the Liverpool faithful as he made his first competitive appearance for the senior side since the final day of the 2013-14 Premier League season against Newcastle United.
The 23-year-old came on as a substitute and replaced Connor Randall in the 51st minute of Wednesday s 3-0 win over Exeter City in the FA Cup third round replay.
The German was touched by Flanagan s return and his reception, praising the defender s character and spirit for getting himself back to fitness.
When Flanno [Flanagan] came in it was a great moment after this long time. To be hon…
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri claims he does not care about his side equaling the club s run of successive Serie A victories, but praised their convincing display in Sunday s 4-0 win at Chievo.
Alvaro Morata scored twice in the first half at the Stadio Marc Antonio Bentegodi before Alex Sandro and Paul Pogba completed the triumph in Verona.
It matched Juve s record run of 12 successive league victories in a single season set during 2013-14 and kept the pressure on Napoli in the title race.
Aside from a Roberto Inglese effort well saved by Gianluigi Buffon in the final stages, Juve were rarely troubled and Allegri was thrilled to see his side continue the recovery from a woeful start to their Scudetto defence.
But, asked about equaling the …