Ronald Koeman will return to one of his former clubs for his first European game with Southampton after they were drawn against Vitesse in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
Koeman led Southampton into Europe in his first season in charge as the south-coast club finished seventh in the Premier League.
And his immediate reward is a tie with Vitesse, a club he managed from 2000 to 2001 and one that qualified for the competition via the Eredivisie s play-off system.
Southampton s domestic rivals West Ham may not have to leave the British Isles if they make it to the next round, having taken a 1-0 first-leg advantage against Birkirkara.
Should the London club progress they could meet Inverness Caledonian Thistle, providing the Scottis…
Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid will soon submit an official proposal for Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah, according to the chairman of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The highly rated footballer is reportedly a top target for los Blancos, after bagging impressive 18 goals in 23 Premier League fixtures on his return to England.
And just weeks after Egypt boss Hector Cuper stated that Salah was good enough to represent Real Madrid, the EFA president Hany Abo Rida has gone one step further.
Real Madrid will make an offer for Salah during the summer.
Salah is now looking to improve his game. Obviously if an Egyptian plays for a club as popular around the world as Real Madrid, it s going to be great for Egyptian football.”
Mohamed Salah h…
Schalke are set to sign Daniel Caligiuri from Wolfsburg for an undisclosed fee.
The 29-year-old winger will formally pen a contract until June 2020 upon completion of his medical.
The Gelsenkirchen side had initially planned to bring in Caligiuri at the end of the season, but opted to complete the transfer earlier following Baba Rahman s knee injury.
We have signed a versatile player who is capable on both the left and right wings and knows the Bundesliga well, commented sporting director Christian Heidel.
After the injury to Abdul Rahman Baba we found ourselves needing another player in that position, so we decided to bring forward the deal which was initially arranged for the summer.
Caligiuri started his professional career at Freiburg a…
Scotland have announced the appointment of Steve Clarke as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
Clarke replaces Alex McLeish, who was sacked last month after a poor start to qualifying for Euro 2020 which included a humiliating 3-0 loss away to Kazakhstan.
The former West Brom boss was appointed by Kilmarnock in October 2017 and enjoyed an impressive first full season at Rugby Park last term, leading them to third spot in the Scottish Premiership and a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds.
Clarke won both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers Association manager of the year awards for the 2018-19 campaign.
PFA Manager of the Year 2018-19
SFWA Manager of the Year 2018-19
SFWA Manager of the Year 2017-18
Your new Scotlan…
Galatasaray concluded a productive deadline day by signing Colombia striker Radamel Falcao on a free transfer.
Falcao has penned a three-year deal with Galatasaray, the 22-time Turkish champions confirmed on Monday.
The 33-year-old enjoyed an ultimately restorative spell at Monaco after form and fitness woes meant his temporary stints in the Premier League with Manchester United and Chelsea proved frustratingly barren.
Former Atletico Madrid favourite Falcao returned to Stade Louis II for the 2016-17 season, where he captained a Monaco side featuring the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar to a stunning Ligue 1 title triumph.
Overall, Falcao scored 65 goals in 108 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco, netting a further 11 across 22…
Cristiano Ronaldo s decision to leave Juventus and rejoin Manchester United is not a surprise in the view of the superstar forward s former team-mate Gianluigi Buffon.
Five-time Ballon d Or winner Ronaldo finalised his return to United last Tuesday for an initial fee of £12.9million (€15m), signing a two-year contract with the option of a third.
That brought an end to the Portugal captain s three-season stay at the Allianz Stadium, during which time he scored 101 goals across 134 matches in all competitions.
Ronaldo s stint in Turin was rather more mixed on the trophy front as Juventus won the Scudetto in his first two seasons but missed out to Inter in 2020-21, despite the 36-year-old s league-high 29 goals.
That made Ronaldo, who last week became the…
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
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Valencia and Real Madrid will face each other in La Liga this weekend. The match will be held at the Mestalla Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Sunday.
Valencia
Valencia endured a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. The former Spanish champions and UEFA Cup winners finished as low as 13th in the La Liga table last season and will be determined to do much better this time around.
Los Che have started the new season on fire. José Bordalás’s side are as high as second in the La Liga table at the moment with 10 points from four matches, level on points with leaders Real Madrid and defending champions and third-placed Atletico Madrid.
Team News:
Maxi Gomez wi…
Jan Vertonghen was critical of Belgium s performance following a surprise 2-0 defeat to Morocco, referencing things he better not say .
The Red Devils would have become the second side to clinch their spot in the round of 16 with victory, but they were well short of their best, failing to create opportunities before succumbing to two late goals.
Regarded as the last chance for glory for Belgium s golden generation, Roberto Martinez s side have now lost seven of their last 19 matches across all competitions (W9, D3), as many defeats as they had suffered across their previous 74 games combined (W57, D10).
While Vertonghen feels Belgium were strong for the majority of the clash, he did not shy away from expressing his frustration at the manner in which the opening g…
Kolo Toure has been announced as Wigan Athletic s new manager, with the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender joining on a contract through to June 2026.
The ex-Ivory Coast international departs Leicester City, where he was a first team coach under Brendan Rodgers, to take charge at the struggling Championship outfit.
Wigan, who are currently 22nd and embroiled in a relegation battle, dismissed Leam Richardson after six losses in seven games earlier this month, just weeks after he signed a new contract.
We are delighted that Kolo has become the new manager of Wigan Athletic, chief executive Malachy Brannigan issued in a statement.
From the earliest of conversations we had with Kolo, it was evident to us that he had instantly bought into the values…
Sydney FC have re-signed three of their top young talent in a welcome boost for the struggling A-League side.
Terry Antonis, 19, Rhyan Grant, 21, and 23-year-old Sebastian Ryall announced on Friday that they have each signed new two-year deals at the club, taking them through to the end of the 2014/15 season.
Sky Blues coach Frank Farina said it was vital for the club to hang on to the young trio.
All three of the boys have done very well this year and they have impressed me since I arrived with their enthusiasm, commitment and obviously their ability on the pitch, Farina said.
They are all local boys and have been at Sydney FC for a few years now so it s great news they have agreed to stay at the club.
Midfielder Antonis, who won his first c…