Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo faces former club Manchester United for the first time in a mouth-watering Champions League last-16 first leg at the Bernabeu on Wednesday dripping in history and intrigue.
'If you look at the points we've lost at home -- all the matches where we draw -- you're thinking about 10 or 12 and, with these points we wouldn't just be speaking about the top four, we'd be speaking about the top two or the top one'
IMAGES from the soccer matches played across European leagues over the weekend.
New Napoli boss Rafael Benitez believes Arsene Wenger is the best coach in the Premier League and has backed Arsenal as genuine contenders this season.
Middlesbrough handed Chelsea only their second Premier League defeat this season with a 3-0 victory.
'Don't get that worried about what the manager's said about you... you get out there and play. You can follow it up after the match but when the game's going on liven up. Play with pride, play with energy, play with spirit.'
The duo are young young, articulate, and have shown themselves to be shrewd tacticians and expert motivators in leading two comparatively modest teams to the final
Lionel Messi stole Cristiano Ronaldo's thunder again by plundering yet another hat-trick for Barcelona and Basel ruined Jose Mourinho's Champions League return with a shock win at Chelsea.
Tracking the key moves this week in the European transfer market
"If I leave Porto, I can't guarantee it will be England but if the alternative is Italy then England will be my choice," said Porto coach Jose Mourinho.
Inter Milan signed Ricardo Quaresma from Porto on a five-year deal on Monday after the Portugal winger passed a medical, the Serie A champions said on their website (www.inter.it).
IMAGES from Serie A matches played on Saturday.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said elite-level coaches cannot give guarantees about their touchline behaviour due to the pressure that comes with being involved in the Premier League but he urged his counterparts to set higher standards.
Chelsea were hit with disciplinary action by the English FA on Wednesday as manager Jose Mourinho, midfielder Ramires and coach Rui Faria were charged following last week's Premier League home defeat against Sunderland.
Chelsea captain John Terry will miss the Champions League knockout game with Porto on Tuesday following his head injury suffered in last weekend's League Cup final win over Arsenal.
Terry had surgery in France last week to cure a back problem and has been sidelined since a league win over Newcastle United on Dec. 13.
Real Madrid targets, Paris St Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti and Malaga midfielder Isco, are close to joining the club, president Florentino Perez said on Monday.
Champions Manchester United will travel to Swansea City for their first Premier League match under new manager David Moyes while Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City are at home to Newcastle United on August 17.
Bayer Leverkusen have signed South Korean forward Son Heung-min from Hamburg SV and have agreed with Chelsea for the transfer of winger Andre Schuerrle as the club prepare for next season's Champions League, they said on Thursday.
Branislav Ivanovic's first-half cracker and Jose Mourinho's tactical mastery helped classy Chelsea claim a 1-0 win on Monday at Premier League title rivals Manchester City who failed to score at home for the first time this season.
Jose Mourinho's side have been the most impressive of any of the title contenders.
A preview of the main matches coming up this weekend in the English Premier League.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said the injury-hit holders were capable of at least scoring an away goal in Tuesday's Champions League last-16 first leg match against Inter Milan. Inter coach Jose Mourinho expects United to go on the defensive at the San Siro and thinks the tie will only be decided at Old Trafford on March 11, possibly in extra-time.
Israeli Avram Grant has signed a four-year deal as Chelsea's manager and first team coach.
Napoli kept alive their hopes of advancing from Group C after Lorenzo Insigne, Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano secured a 3-0 home win over Legia Warsaw.
New Chelsea manager Avram Grant believes he can improve the style of the team's football.
Israeli Avram Grant and Steve Clarke will take charge of the Chelsea first team from Thursday.
The dismissal of Nani for a second-half foul on Alvaro Arbeloa wins hands down as the talking point of the game.
Chelsea almost stole the points at the death but Argentine Hernan Crespo wasted two good chances while defender Ricardo Carvalho headed over.
Pep Guardiola is expected to take a sabbatical after quitting Barcelona but there are plenty of clubs who would be eager to entice him back to football.
'Last season it was the same -- we won here and it was the referee. Today as well'
Diego Costa has turned into a pale imitation of the player who took the Premier League by storm last year and Chelsea must get him firing on all cylinders again to have any hope of salvaging their wretched season.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola congratulated local rivals Manchester United on securing the services of striker Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal even though the Chilean international has not formally completed his transfer.
Jose Mourinho said he was sad to see midfielder Juan Mata leaving Stamford Bridge after confirming that the Spaniard's move to Manchester United was imminent on Friday.
The 28-year-old Portugal midfielder joined the English Champions until the end of the season.
A clash between supposedly the two most expensive lineups in history overseen by two of the most decorated coaches will end the phoney war and ignite the Premier League season for real when Manchester United host Manchester City on Saturday.
After the Champions League semi-final exit and Premier League loss to Manchester United, Jose Mourinho's is hoping to at least win the FA Cup.
