Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is more worried about avoiding injuries on a poor pitch in Beijing than he is about winning their pre-season derby against Manchester City in the International Champions Cup (ICC). Mourinho criticised the conditions at the Bird's Nest stadium where torrential rain is forecast for next 24 hours. "I think Beijing is unlucky because the pitch is very wet," the manager told reporters on Sunday.
Croatia will need their big-game players to step up.
Borussia Moenchengladbach's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League suffered a blow as they were beaten 2-0 at bottom club Hanover 96 on Friday.
Here is a round-up of results from the European League matches played on Wednesday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
New of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Saturday.
A summary of Saturday's action in La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga.
Arsene Wenger withdrew Jack Wilshere from the heat of battle against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday and said he may have to protect the midfielder from his own desire to play.
A toothless and haggard Real Madrid slumped to a humiliating 10th Liga defeat of the season on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at struggling neighbours Rayo Vallecano.
German champions Bayern Munich sacked coach Carlo Ancelotti on Thursday, a day after they suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League.
The 31-year-old is still recovering from the knee injury which forced him to limp out of the Euro 2016 final against France in the first half, coach Fernando Santos said.
Arsenal and Galatasaray are facing disciplinary action after supporters of the Turkish club lit red flares and threw them onto the pitch, briefly holding up play, in their Champions League group match on Wednesday.
Here are five talking points from the weekend's action in La Liga.
The reigning Ballon d'or winner gave a perfect start to his side's new campaign by scoring twice in Madrid's comfortable 3-0 win over Cypriot visitors APOEL in the opening match.
'Our plan is to put the best foot forward for the upcoming tournament and play good matches'
Former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur coach Andre Villas-Boas will take over Russian side Zenit St Petersburg this week after agreeing on a two-season contract, the club said on Tuesday.
A round-up Wednesday's football news on and off the field.
"This was one of the reasons why I took this opportunity. To train with all these personalities and this talent."
Barcelona have been frighteningly good at home this season, scoring 15 goals in three games at the Nou Camp.
These eight images show that we live in a crazy, mad world!
Tottenham Hotspur's success in claiming a top-four Premier League finish on Wednesday to guarantee Champions League football next season has been a "massive achievement", manager Mauricio Pochettino said.
Fans protested against Monday night football in the Bundesliga as Eintracht Frankfurt beat visiting RB Leipzig 2-1, delaying the start of both halves of the match, the second by throwing hundreds of tennis balls onto the pitch.
Sergio Busquets called on Barcelona to sign more players after the club's 3-1 Spanish Super Cup defeat by Real Madrid on Sunday.
Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw on Friday while Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in an all-Premier League clash.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Schalke 04 needed Leon Goretzka's late deflected winner and an own goal to snatch a 2-1 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday and leapfrog them into fourth place in the Bundesliga in the battle for a Champions League spot.
Werder Bremen snatched a 1-1 draw at VfB Stuttgart thanks to Anthony Ujah's second-half equaliser in a relegation derby of former German champions on Sunday to stay one point above the relegation zone.
Inter, Liverpool sweating on last-16 spots
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League
Germany's defensive midfielder Sami Khedira has been offered to Manchester United at 2,00,000 pounds-a-week by Real Madrid, as he will be out of contract in the summer and the top Premier League clubs have been alerted about the same.
The new managers of Manchester United and Manchester City will face an early confrontation when the teams meet in a friendly in Beijing on July 25. Jose Mourinho, officially confirmed as United boss on Friday, and old adversary Pep Guardiola, who is replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City, will renew hostilities in the pre-season International Champions Cup. There was little love lost between the pair when Mourinho was in charge at Real Madrid and Guardiola led Barcelona. The rivalry is likely to be just as fierce when United attempt to make up ground on their neighbours, who have finished above them in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey scored a contender for goal of the season when he blasted home a 30-metre volley to help his team cruise past Galatasaray 4-1 to finish second in Champions League Group D.
Since winning 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg in September, United have scored only twice in three Champions League games. In the Premier League the record is five goals in the last six games.
Bayern Munich eased into the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 victory over 10-man VfL Bochum on Wednesday with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice to keep their treble hopes on track.
Unai Emery begins the task of steering Arsenal into a brave new post-Arsene Wenger world.
The Mariners confirmed on Tuesday the Olympic sprint champion would train "indefinitely" with the club, which finished bottom of Australia's 10-team top flight last season and plays in one of the country's smallest soccer markets.
Italian side Napoli has moved into second place in their Champions League Group F on Wednesday with a 3-2 win over French side Marseille at Sao Paolo.
Luka Modric's top priority is to win La Liga this season, the midfield maestro said on Wednesday after signing a new contract that will keep him at Real Madrid until 2020. The Croatia international has claimed two Champions League titles, a King's Cup, UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a fee of 35 million euros ($38.36 million).
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
VfB Stuttgart continued their unbeaten run under new coach Thomas Schneider on Friday, climbing to sixth with a 1-1 home draw against Nuremberg who are still looking for their first Bundesliga win of the season.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances