Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen believes former club Ajax have an advantage over every other club because their young players are trained to be fearless.

Ajax have taken the Champions League by storm this season, stunning Real Madrid and Juventus away from home in the knockout stages with thrilling displays en route to the semi-finals.

But Vertonghen, who came through at Ajax before joining Spurs in 2012, has not been surprised by the Eredivisie giants exploits.

The 32-year-old suggested that part of the development in the Ajax academy sees players instilled with a winning attitude and a confident approach.

That s what they do, Vertonghen said ahead of facing his former club. Always, when you re six or seven years old, you start and you re in the best …

Competition: Serie A

Market: Juventus to beat Genoa

Odds:

Serie A is back for yet another huge weekend as the competition continues to simmer away nicely. The fans will be desperate to see their favourite players return to the pitch and they will want them to mark it by claiming all three points on offer, and with this in mind, Juventus host Genoa on Monday.

Juventus have looked very strong this season and they are battling with Napoli at the top of the table. After 20 games they have won 16, drawn twice and lost twice, while they have scored a league-high 49 goals and conceded 15 times. In their last five they have drawn once and won four times, which has seen them onto 50 points for the season so far, 11 clear of fifth-placed Roma. Juventus a…

Matchday thirty-six in the Premier League kicks off at Anfield where Liverpool take on relegation threatened Stoke City.

The Reds fresh from putting five past Roma in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday evening will be looking to return to winning ways in the league after squandering a two-goal lead at bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion a week ago.

Three points will see them move into second place, with Manchester United not playing until Sunday afternoon while a defeat to Stoke could leave them on the brink of relegation.

Brink

Should Paul Lambert’s side fail to win and Swansea City beat Chelsea later in the day they will be all but down while a loss for the Potters coupled with a win for the South Wales side would d…

Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham have already passed plenty of tests this season – but he will not let the absence of nine first-team players at Wolves offer up an excuse for a dropoff in performance.

Spurs suffered their first defeat of the Premier League campaign on Monday in a chaotic 4-1 home loss to Chelsea, which could have further consequences in the long term.

Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero were sent off during the London derby, while Micky van de Ven (hamstring) and James Maddison (ankle) suffered serious injuries that will rule them out until January.

Postecoglou, however, is no stranger to a challenge given Harry Kane’s departure on the eve of the new campaign.

“The first test? Losing the greatest ever player in this competition th…

Cringeworthy as it was for many viewers, Antoine Griezmann s The Decision could still prove to be a landmark moment in Atletico Madrid s modern history. But not the one they expected. 

The blockbuster, made in association with Gerard Pique’s production company and premiered to millions last year, saw Griezmann oh-so-dramatically agonise over his future before confirming he would be rejecting Barcelona to stay at Atletico. 

As LaLiga s top two prepare to meet at Camp Nou on Saturday, Griezmann would hope to be getting ready for a decisive fixture, a chance to vindicate his choice and fire Atleti towards a first league triumph since 2013-14. In reality, with the gap standing at eight points, even a victory for the visitors looks unlikely to stop Barca secur…

Andre Silva will relish playing with the best in the world Cristiano Ronaldo if he is picked to start alongside the Real Madrid star for Portugal against Morocco at the World Cup.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos opted to pair Goncalo Guedes with Ronaldo from kick-off in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi, where the captain of the Euro 2016 winners netted a stunning 88th-minute free-kick to deny one of the favourites, who were reeling from the shock sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament. 

Ronaldo, 33, became the oldest scorer of a hat-trick in World Cup history and just the fourth player to find the back of the net at four different editions of the tournament.

And should Santos elevate Silva to the starting XI, the AC Milan forward…

What the papers say

Arsenal’s attentions are again turning to Douglas Luiz, 25, as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his midfield options. The Daily Mirror reports Arsenal are expected to make a fresh bid for the Brazilian in January.

Brazilian Marcos Leonardo is expected to spark interest after his agent said he is keen on leaving Santos in January. The Evening Standard reports Arsenal and Manchester United are among the potential suitors for the 20=year-old forward.

Kylian Mbappe believes “there will be time to talk” about his future at Paris St-Germain, according to the Daily Mail, via Telefoot. The France forward, 24, has been the subject of increased speculation as his contract enters its final few months.

Jadon Sancho’s path out of Manchester United…

Monterrey star Carlos Sanchez has skipped his club s Liga MX final to be available for a Luis Suarez-less Uruguay in their sole Copa America Centenario warm-up friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.

Uruguay welcome Trinidad and Tobago to Montevideo on Friday as they gear up for their Copa campaign, which begins against Mexico at the University of Phoenix Stadium on June 5.

La Celeste will be without their captain and talisman Suarez, after he sustained a hamstring injury during Barcelona s Copa del Rey final victory over Sevilla last Sunday.

Suarez who missed last year s Copa due to suspension  has joined up with the rest of Oscar Tabarez s squad, but is not expected to feature in any of Uruguay s three Group C fixtures.

However, experienced midfielder Sa…

Enzo Maresca got his first win as Chelsea boss with a dominant 3-0 victory over Club America in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke were on target from the penalty spot on either side of Marc Guiu s first goal since signing for the Blues.

It was a nightmare start for the Mexican side as Cristian Calderon gave away a penalty with just 72 seconds on the clock, and Nkunku coolly converted from 12 yards.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could have had two goals on his first Chelsea start, but after failing to hit the target, he set up Guiu to nod it past the flailing Luis Malagon.

Javairo Dilrosun gave Maresca s side a warning just before the break, striking the frame of the goal, but they failed to build on that threat in the second half.

…

Christian Eriksen s love for football brings joy to Kasper Hjulmand, who believes Denmark must set out to win the World Cup.

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark s first game of Euro 2020 against Finland in Copenhagen last year.

Denmark s players shielded their team-mate from the eyes of the crowd and cameras as Eriksen received emergency medical treatment.

The midfielder made an incredible recovery and six months later returned to action when he signed for Brentford, having been unable to play for Inter after having a cardioverter defibrillator device fitted.

Eriksen was superb for the Bees and earned a move to Manchester United, where he has made a strong start to the season and is back to spearhead Denmark s bid to go deep into the World Cu…