Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale could miss Wednesday's Champions League semi-final, first leg at home to Bayern Munich due to illness, Spanish media reported on Tuesday.
The last thing Real Madrid wanted was another Champions League semi-final clash against Bayern Munich and on Wednesday they will need to get the better of a familiar foe who very much appears to have their number.
Bayern Munich have left Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger out of their squad for Saturday's Bundesliga match at Borussia Dortmund, a dress rehearsal for this month's Champions League final.
Borussia Dortmund boss Hans-Joachim Watzke and his colleagues will not have lunch with their Bayern Munich counterparts before Saturday's Bundesliga match, saying relations between the Champions League finalists had gone cold.
Bayern Munich began to lay the foundations for this season's impressive run to the Champions League final immediately after their defeat to Chelsea in last year's showpiece, coach Jupp Heynckes said on Wednesday.
Brazilian Douglas Costa was in fine form as Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 1-0 in a pre-season tournament.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was back on the training pitch on Thursday as he bids to rid himself of a hamstring injury before Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine was condemned by the sporting community on Thursday, with President Vladimir Putin's country losing hosting rights for the UEFA Champions League final while Formula One drivers said it was "wrong" to race there this year.
The Ballon d'Or will not be awarded this year for the first time in its 64-year history after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the football calendar, organisers France Football magazine said on Monday. The prestigious award, voted for by journalists, is an annual prize given to the best male footballer in the world since 1956. The women's Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 2018.
Bayern, who won the Champions League in 2013, have yet to hit top form this season, with many players tired after the World Cup and others, including Thiago Alcantara, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Rafinha, out injured.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Real Madrid top Forbes' most valuable soccer teams list, followed by their La Liga counterparts, FC Barcelona. Here is the list of the 10 most valuable soccer teams (in billions):
Pep Guardiola is well known to be a perfectionist and even Saturday's 6-1 win at VfL Wolfsburg has failed to fully satisfy the demanding Bayern Munich manager.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal is hoping as many Spain players as possible feature in the Champions League final on May 24 so the holders have less time to prepare for their June 13 World Cup Group B clash.
Bayern Munich moved closer to a record-extending 30th league title after their Polish striker Robert Lewandowski ended a personal jinx in a 5-0 drubbing of struggling Fortuna Duesseldorf in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The result left leaders Bayern, who are chasing an eighth successive league title, top of the standings on 67 points from 29 games, 10 ahead of closest rivals Borussia Dortmund who visit bottom team Paderborn on Sunday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes it is too early to judge whether English sides are in decline in the Champions League despite three of the four Premier League sides losing the first leg of their last 16 ties.
Daniel Sturridge led Liverpool to a great win over Swansea while Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to go top of the La Liga table, after shock defeats of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with a 3-0 win over Elche at the weekend. Chelsea clung to top place in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Everton, while Bayern Munich opened a 19-point lead in the Bundesliga with their 14th successive league win while closest rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund lost. Rediff.com brings you a glance of the footballers of the weekend.
Images from the Champions League Round of 16, first round matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
The German football body will decide on the criteria for the distribution of the solidarity fund.
Arsenal will be out to show they have learnt the lessons of last season's painful home defeat by Bayern Munich when the sides meet again in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in London on Wednesday.
After years of trying, South American coaches are finally gaining a foothold in European football and their growing influence will be heavily felt as the Champions League round of 16 gets under.
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery is out of the Champions League last-16 first leg at Arsenal on February 19 after having an operation on burst blood vessels in his buttocks.
A round-up off all transpired on and off the football pitch
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid maintained their perfect records in La Liga while Premier League club Arsenal dropped points but returned to the top of the table.
Pique and Pedro put Barcelona on top of the La Liga on goal difference with a 3-0 win over Malaga and Atletico Madrid won 4-2 at Rayo Vallecano to stay hot on their heels. Check out the footballers who shone over the weekend.
Images from the EPL matches played across England on Saturday.
Last season's Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund are eager to set the record straight against France's Olympique Marseille in their Group F clash on Tuesday after losing to them twice two years ago.
Germany midfielder Ilkay Guendogan has been ruled out of Euro 2016 after sustaining a serious knee injury in training with Borussia Dortmund, the club said on Friday.
Bayern Munich fans celebrated long into the night after their team's 2-1 Champions League triumph over Dortmund at Wembley on Saturday ensured two defeats in the previous three finals were quickly forgotten.
When Bayern Munich take on Borussia Dortmund in the first all-German Champions League final on Saturday, it will not only be a clash of footballing cultures but also a showdown of two different coaching styles.
With Poland sure to rely just as heavily on Robert Lewandowski in their matches against Spain and Sweden, their hopes will rest on coach Paulo Sousa finding a system that better suits their top player.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick for Real Madrid illuminated an opening night goals bonanza as the leading contenders began the Champions League group stage with a bang on Tuesday.
Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino will make his Champions League debut when Ajax Amsterdam visit the Nou Camp on Wednesday with a run of patchy defensive performances and a lack of killer instinct in front of goal his main concerns.
Chelsea winger Eden Hazard will miss Wednesday's Europa League final against Benfica with a hamstring strain while John Terry's ankle problem is still being assessed, interim manager Rafa Benitez said.
Champions Bayern Munich lifted their 22nd Bundesliga trophy on Saturday after a comfortable 3-0 over Augsburg as they prepare for the all-German Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund in two weeks.
Barcelona's Champions League humbling by Bayern Munich on Wednesday will not prompt wholesale changes to the squad and the 7-0 aggregate reverse would have been avoided had the team not been decimated by injury, coach Tito Vilanova said.
Nine-times winners Real Madrid will play Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League after the draw was made at UEFA's headquarters in Switzerland on Thursday.
Bayern Munich swatted aside Raja Casablanca 2-0 in a one-sided Club World Cup final on Saturday that did little to boost the credibility of a tournament which struggled to an anti-climax.
Brazil (Selecao) might be the most loved -- and most successful -- football team across the globe, but the Germans (Die Mannshaft), says Bikash Mohapatra, are easily the most consistent in the history of football.
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