Mark Hughes is eager to celebrate signing a new contract by ending Stoke City s long wait for an away win against his former club Chelsea on Saturday.
Stoke have lost their last eight games at Stamford Bridge and you have to go back to January 2009 to find the last time they scored at the home of the Premier League leaders.
The Staffordshire outfit have failed to hit the back of the net in seven visits since then and not since a 1-0 League Cup success back in 1995 have they secured an away win over Chelsea.
Stoke s winless streak at Chelsea in league matches goes back to 1984 and Hughes, who last week agreed a three-year extension to his current deal, knows they are overdue a victory over the club where he spent three years in his playing days.
He…
Zlatan Ibrahimovic s landmark Serie A goal was the only highlight of a poor display for Milan as they were beaten 3-1 at Udinese on Saturday.
On his first start since January 2022 following his recovery from a knee injury, Ibrahimovic became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history, overtaking Milan legend Alessandro Costacurta.
The 41-year-old converted a penalty at the second attempt in first-half stoppage time, cancelling out Roberto Pereyra s opener at Stadio Friuli, yet Udinese nevertheless went into the break with the lead thanks to Beto s effort two minutes later.
Kingsley Ehizibue added a third in the 70th minute, sealing eighth-placed Udinese s first home league win since they defeated Inter in September.
1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the oldest goalsc…
Massimiliano Allegri has put off contract talks until the end of the season but insists he has not fallen out with Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli.
A report in Libero claimed Allegri is at risk of being sacked in the coming days after an argument with Agnelli this week, with Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte lined up as possible replacements.
It is claimed the Juve head coach met with Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta over the prospect of taking over at San Siro for next season, which incensed Agnelli to the point he has considered firing Allegri before the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid next Tuesday.
However, Allegri denied any such disagreement and says they agreed together at a dinner on Wednesday that talks over a possible new deal will be picked up…
Verdict: Newcastle win
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Looking to continue their form prior to the international break, Rafa Benitez s side will travel to a struggling Turf Moor on Monday night.
Burnley
Starting with the hosts, while Burnley may have enjoyed a record breaking season that saw them claim a Europa League qualifying position last year, it has been a very sluggish start for Sean Dyche s side. Playing out a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Leicester prior to the international break, the Clarets are now without a win in their last five Premier League matches. Now sat just a single point above the drop zone many fans around Turf Moor concerned they could be at the heart of a relegation scrap. If Burnley are to mount a push up the table, Dyche will know the…
Robert Lewandowski s latest Barcelona double helped take them another step closer to the LaLiga title with a 4-0 win over rock-bottom Elche on Saturday.
The Poland international s goals either side of an Ansu Fati finish helped the Blaugrana cruise to a comfortable victory at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
Ferran Torres added a fourth as Xavi s visitors moved 15 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid in the table to further underline their domestic dominance this season.
For Sebastian Beccacece, Elche s fourth different boss of the season, it was a chastening reminder of the task at hand.
7 Robert Lewandowski has opened the scoring seven times in 2022/23, more than any other player in the competition this season.
Opener.
— OptaJos…
Long-serving Marseille goalkeeper and captain Steve Mandanda revealed he might have played his last match for the club following Saturday s 4-2 Coupe de France loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Out-of-contract France international Mandanda was helpless to prevent defeat at Stade de France as Zlatan Ibrahimovic s brace helped PSG to a second successive domestic treble.
Mandanda, who will feature at Euro 2016 in June, has attracted interest from across Europe with his contract due to expire next month, and the 31-year-old seemingly farewelled Marseille after eight years on the south coast of France.
There is a good chance that tonight was my last game, Mandanda said afterwards. That s why the disappointment and frustration are even greater.
Mandanda who has be…
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…