Leverkusen´s Volland out until 2017

Antonio Conte warned Tottenham cannot expect Champions League football to be sealed with just a couple of months of work and one transfer window.

Spurs have been revitalised since Conte s arrival as the former Inter head coach became the first manager in the club s history to remain unbeaten through his first seven league games in charge.

That unbeaten streak leaves Spurs in seventh, just five points behind fourth-placed north London rivals Arsenal, though Conte s side boast two games in hand over the Gunners.

However, Conte attempted to quash the expectations on his team as he warned that Spurs recent form, or possible transfer activity in January, does not guarantee Champions League qualification.

Honestly, and I have been in football for many years, y…

Leicester boss Dean Smith has challenged his players to carry the psychological burden of their relegation battle.

The Foxes host Liverpool on Monday desperate for victory as they sit two points from safety with three games left.

Leeds’ 2-2 draw with Newcastle added extra pressure on the 2016 champions and dropped them to second bottom in the Premier League.

Smith, who replaced Brendan Rodgers until the end of the season last month, knows the importance of the Foxes keeping their heads.

“My approach has always been to challenge the players in terms of their performances because that’s the only thing they can control,” he said.

“When they go into the game their decision-making has to be good and they’ve made good decisions because other…

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has proven to be a godsend for Milan, says Stefano Pio
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The Milan boss added the Rossoneri squad have already been helped on and off the pitch by the forward s arrival.

Ibrahimovic signed for Milan as a free agent after leaving Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy, returning to the club where he spent two seasons between 2010 and 2012 before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.

It did not take long for the 38-year-old to make an impact, with Ibrahimovic scoring on his first start in a 2-0 win over Cagliari last time out in Serie A.

Milan, now unbeaten in three matches in all competitions following their 3-0 win over SPAL in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday, sit 10th in Serie A, and Pioli has hailed Ibrahimovic s immediate impact…

Much has changed in European football in the past five years – and few clubs illustrate that greater than fallen giants Barcelona.

On this day in 2017, Barca were thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in the most remarkable Champions League turnaround ever, becoming the only side in the competition s history to overturn a four-goal first-leg deficit.

Now, Neymar and Lionel Messi – the two stars of that Blaugrana side – are preparing to play Real Madrid as PSG players.

Meanwhile, Barca are not even in the Champions League knockout stages, instead facing Galatasaray in the Europa League last 16 while battling to return to UEFA s flagship competition next season.

Indeed, Barca s recent European past has found them on the wrong end of epic Champions League …

Manchester City great Francis Lee said a move for Harry Kane would be very difficult as he questioned whether the England captain would be a long-term option.

Kane has given his strongest indication yet that he wants to leave Tottenham at the end of the season, stating his desire to play for a trophy-winning side.

Premier League champions City would fit that bill, while Kane has also been linked with the likes of Chelsea and neighbours Manchester United.

Kane, who will turn 28 in July, is level with Mohamed Salah at the top of the Premier League scoring charts heading into the final weekend of the season.

That suggests he remains in the very top bracket of Europe s top strikers, but Lee needs convincing that Kane would be capable of being a force for Cit…

Philippe Coutinho thanked Lionel Messi for allowing him to take a confidence-boosting penalty as Barcelona hammered Sevilla to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Coutinho has endured a difficult season with Ousmane Dembele seemingly preferred by Ernesto Valverde, but the France winger s hamstring injury has opened a spot in Barca s attack.

And Coutinho grabbed his chance with both hands in Wednesday s second leg, scoring twice as Barca heaped more Copa del Rey misery on Sevilla, who they battered 5-0 in last year s final.

Barca s 6-1 victory overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg, when Messi was rested by Valverde, but the captain was in inspirational form at Camp Nou.

Not bad going, eh?

2019 Semifinalists (for now)
2018 Champions
2017 Ch…

Leyton Orient have paid tribute to supporter Derek Reynolds, who died after being taken unwell towards the end of the League One match against Lincoln on Tuesday night.

After fans had gone on to the pitch to alert the referee to the medical emergency in the East Stand, the match was halted in the 82nd minute and eventually abandoned.

The London Ambulance Service confirmed on Wednesday morning that despite extensive treatment and the combined efforts at the scene – which included an incident response officer, two medics in fast-response cars and an ambulance crew – the 74-year-old man had later been pronounced dead.

Leyton Orient Football Club is devastated to confirm that the supporter who was taken ill at Tuesday s game against Lincoln City has sadly passed …

Pep Guardiola is convinced the floodgates are about to open for his Manchester City team and Saturday s opponents Burnley may already be fearing the worst.

On their last three visits to the Etihad Stadium, Burnley have lost 5-0 on each occasion, with a pair of Premier League thrashings coming either side of an FA Cup trouncing.

Speaking this week, Guardiola said he would need to find a solution to his City team s scoring problem, which has seen them net a modest 10 goals in their opening eight Premier League fixtures this season.

He mentioned the importance of fixing little details , adding: In one or two games, this kind of thing will get better. The season is still so young and I m fully optimistic we re going to do a good season.

Given he recently sig…

Marseille head coach Andre Villas-Boas urged FIFA to withdraw the number 10 for all competitions to honour Diego Maradona.

Maradona, widely regarded as one of the best players of all-time, died at the age of 60 on Wednesday after a suspected heart attack.

He starred in the number 10 for Napoli and Argentina during his playing career, and the shirt was retired by the Serie A club in his honour in 2000.

Villas-Boas wants to see FIFA go one step further and withdraw the number 10 completely.

For Maradona, it s a hard blow. I would like FIFA to withdraw the number 10 for all competitions, all teams, he told a news conference after Marseille s 2-0 Champions League loss to Porto on Wednesday.

I think it s the best tribute that can be given to the grea…

The Football Association intends to vote against a rule change which would allow UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin to serve a further term in 2027, the PA news agency understands.

National associations, including the English FA, will be asked to amend a raft of UEFA statutes at Thursday’s Congress in Paris.

Within that bundle of rule changes is a move to amend Article 69 which would mean the first partial term Ceferin served from September 2016 would not be counted within the three-term limit, and would therefore allow him to serve a further full term from 2027 to 2031.

The proposal has already led to the resignation of UEFA’s technical director Zvonimir Boban, who had previously been a strong ally of Ceferin.

The FA is understood to have pushed for t…