Former Champions League referee Tagliavento to manage Ternana

Renato Sanches is content to adhere to Niko Kovac s instruction by remaining at Bayern Munich, so long as he gets opportunities to play.

Restricted to four Bundesliga starts last season, midfielder Sanches boosted his case for first-team opportunities with a strong showing in the 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup (ICC).

The Portugal international helped Bayern established superiority during the opening 45 minutes and could take on a more prominent role following the end of James Rodriguez s two-season loan deal.

Speaking ahead of the Madrid match, Kovac confirmed the club had told Sanches to forget abou
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t finding new employers, advice that has been heeded by the player.

I m ready to stay,  Sanches told Bild.

…

Eden Hazard and Virgil van Dijk have been revealed as two of the cover stars for the FIFA 20 video game.

Three editions of FIFA 20 will be released, with Hazard now at Real Madrid following his move from Chelsea on the cover of the standard version of the game.

Liverpool s Van Dijk, who led the Reds to Champions League glory last season, will take up the cover on the champions edition . A cover star for the ultimate edition is yet to be confirmed.

Hazard starred for Chelsea in 2018-19, scoring 18 goals across all competitions as the Blues finished third in the Premier League and won the Europa League final.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, was the key cog in a Liverpool defence that conceded 22 goals in the league, as they finished a close second behind Manchester…

The chief executive of English Premier League basement club Portsmouth expressed his astonishment Thursday at allegations of tax evasion and promised to clear his name.

Peter Storrie went on the offensive after receiving a letter from Britain s HM Revenue and Customs warning him of impending prosecution over charges relating to the transfer of midfielder Amdy Faye from French club Auxerre for 1.5 million pounds (2.49 million dollars) in August 2003.

Storrie has been on bail since being arrested in November 2007 on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting.

It has been alleged Faye was paid a 250,000 pounds (415,000 dollars) signing-on fee on which tax was not paid.

The move against Storrie is the latest in a series of off-field problems for…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 8/11 @

Two sides who lost their Premier League status over the summer, Burnley will welcome Norwich to Turf Moor on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Burnley might have got a new era underway at Turf Moor this summer, it appears that the Clarets are enjoying life under Vincent Kompany. Although some around Lancashire might have been shocked to see the former Manchester City skipper arrive at the club back in June, they have lost just one of their opening eight Championship outings. Although Burnley might have been left heartbroken last weekend as they watched West Brom snatch a last-gasp 1-1 draw on the road, Kompany s side have their sights firmly set on clinching an immediate Premier League return this year. Breezin…

Monaco will open their Coupe de la Ligue campaign with an away trip to Reims after the draw for the third round was made on Thursday.

Claudio Ranieri s men sit top of the Ligue 1 table and are undefeated after the first five games, with star striker Radamel Falcao already finding the net on four occasions.

However, the principality club have not won a major trophy since 2003, when they beat Sochaux 4-1 in the Coupe de la Ligue final, and they will start their quest to regain the crown against a Reims side that has lost just once so far this season.

Rennes, who reached last year s final only to lose to Saint-Etienne, host Ligue 2 Nancy, while Brittany rivals Nantes and Lorient face-off at the Stade de la Beaujoire.

Bastia have been drawn against Corsican neighbour…

Jurgen Klopp is hopeful his Borussia Dortmund side can learn from past experiences ahead of their UEFA Champions League game with Marseille.

Both sides head into the game having lost their opening matches against Napoli and Arsenal respectively, but it is Marseille who perhaps hold the psychological advantage after doing the double over Dortmund in the 2011-12 campaign.

The Bundesliga side were eliminated in the group stage in that season, but they will likely go in as favourites for this clash at Signal Iduna Park following their run to the final last term.

Still, Klopp is wary of the threat posed by Marseille, and is hoping his side can avenge their previous losses to their Ligue 1 counterparts.

You cannot buy experience, the manager said.

We had bad exp…

Milan to return for Witsel

that AC Milan are ready to reignite their interest in Zenit star Axel Witsel.

The Rossoneri managed to recruit quite a few quality footballers in the summer transfer window, but they were unable to lure the Belgium star to Stadio San Siro.

Nevertheless, AC Milan aim to make things right in the winter and finally secure the services of the 26-year-old footballer.

And while the Rossoneri would prefer to sign Witsel on loan with an option to buy, Zenit would only agree to such an arrangement if an obligatory buy-out clause is included.

The midfielder himself is keen on moving to AC Milan, so everything suggests the transfer will go ahead.

The Rossoneri haven t enjoyed such a good start to the new season, but they…

Real Madrid have once again been linked with a move for Liverpool star Raheem Sterling, .

The 20 year old is currently considering a new deal posed by Reds – the club he has spent the entirety of his short career so far.

He only broke into the Reds first team in March 2012, but has already racked up one hundred and ten appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-one goals.

He was one of the driving forces in Liverpool’s impressive 2013/14 campaign, where the club got back in to the Champions League and fell just short of winning a first league title in twenty-four years.

Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur yesterday evening to remain well in the hunt for a Champions League spot this season, with the victory moving them to within just three point…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 

Meeting for the second time in six days after playing out a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup last week, Cardiff will welcome Reading to South Wales on Friday night.

Starting with the hosts, putting in what was a season-best display and picking up a 2-1 win over title contenders West Brom in South Wales in midweek, Cardiff suddenly find the mood in their camp on the rise. While they may have only played out a 1-1 draw against the Royals on FA Cup duties last week, new boss Neil Harris finds his side in the midst of a six-match unbeaten run across all competitions. While the former Millwall boss might see his side enjoying a much more clinical edge in the final third, it should be noted that Cardiff have failed to record a clean sheet in t…

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker:

Looking to make a real European statement on Thursday night, Brighton will welcome Manchester United to the Amex.

Brighton

Starting with the hosts, making a rampant return to winning ways last weekend, Brighton have only continued to gain a string of plaudits since they welcomed Roberto De Zerbi to the Amex back in September. Eventually breezing past Wolves thanks to a 6-0 romp on the south coast, the Seagulls now have their sights firmly set on clinching a famous European spot over the next few weeks. While the top-six contenders might have been left heartbroken at Wembley on April 23rd as they watched their FA Cup adventure come to an end at the hands of Thursday’s opponents following a heartbreaking penalties defeat, Brighton shou…