Pirlo´s job safe if Juventus qualify for Champions League, says Paratici

Bayern Munich new boy Matthijs de Ligt is quickly adapting to life in Germany, as he hailed the mentality of the Bundesliga giants.

De Ligt, signed from Juventus in a €67million transfer prior to the season, started on Wednesday as Bayern went on to thrash lower-league Viktoria Koln 5-0.

Maiden Bayern goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Mathys Tel gave Julian Nagelsmann s team a 2-0 lead, before second-half strikes from Sadio Mane, Jamal Musiala and Leon Goretzka finished the rout.

And De Ligt believes a defining characteristic he has noticed since arriving in Munich is Bayern s ability to maintain focus in matches they could comfortably cruise through.

Every game is difficult, even if you play against Viktoria Koln today with a lot of fans here, he sa…

Craig Gordon says Scotland will give it everything we ve got in Wednesday s must win World Cup qualifier against Netherlands.

George Burley s side go into the game on a high after beating Macedonia 2-0 on Saturday to move into second place in Group 9.

Scotland keeper Gordon cannot wait for the game against the runaway group winners and says everyone will be up for the challenge.

He said: It s set up for an amazing night on Wednesday and we will give it everything we ve got.

Who knows what will happen? It s a one-off game, it s our cup final to try to get to the play-offs and anything can happen in football.

They ve got nothing to play for now and we ve got everything to play for. It will be a great atmosphere and everybody will be right up for …

Mario Gotze has denied publicly criticising Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola and insists he is very happy with life at the Allianz Arena.

The Germany international  who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final  was quoted after the Audi Cup as saying his time at Bayern would work better if Guardiola talks to me more often , sparking speculation about his future.

Gotze has won two Bundesliga titles and one DFB-Pokal since making his controversial move from rivals Borussia Dortmund in 2013, making 69 starts in all competitions.

Despite his success, Gotze has been linked with a move away from the club amid talk of a tough relationship with Guardiola, something he vehemently denies.

It was taken a little wrong, he told Kicker. It was only part…

England defender Kyle Walker feels moving to centre-back from his preferred position on the right for the national team is a step back .

Walker is set to be used in central defence by Gareth Southgate, whose men will face Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in Group G.

The Manchester City star has developed into one of the leading right-backs in Europe, having starred in the Premier League in 2017-18.

Walker, 28, accepted he was ready to play whatever role was required for England, although his preference is right-back.

Is centre-back my preferred position? Of course not. I want to play right-back, he told UK newspapers.

I have worked my whole life to get to where I am now in a World Cup squad, and to showcase my talent on the World Cup stage, playing i…

(GSM) Avram Grant has been confirmed as the new manager of Portsmouth.

The 54-year-old Israelian replaces Paul Hart who was sacked earlier this week after a dreadful run of results. The former Chelsea manager has been granted a work permit and will be in place in time for the match against Manchester United on Saturday.

Avram is a very experienced and a respected manager who has managed at the highest level. The board believes he is the man to help steer the club out of the relegation zone, said Portsmouth s chief executive, Peter Storrie.

He knows the club, the players and the set-up at Fratton Park, so it was the logical move to make him the next manager, once the board had decided to relieve Paul Hart of the role. He will take charge of training on Friday a…

Ajax Amsterdam have secured the services of Cameroonian Thimothee Atouba, who joins the Dutch side from Hamburger SV.

Atouba, 27, came to Europe to join Neuchatel Xamax in 2002 and since represented FC Basel, Tottenham Hotspur and Hamburger. At Spurs, the left back already worked with current Ajax manager Martin Jol.

The player is not completely free of controversy. In 2008, he was hganded a 60,000 Euro fine by Hamburg for returning late from the African Cup of Nations and for showing his middle finger to fans during a game.

Atouba is the first new reinforcement for Ajax in preparation for the 2009-10 season.

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Maurizio Sarri insists mistakes in his past do not accurately represent his character and will not overshadow his tenure at Chelsea.

The new Blues boss faced the media for the first time on Wednesday and answered questions over a number of controversies during his coaching career in Italy.

Sarri, 59, was labelled a  racist and accused of being a homophobe by then-Inter boss Roberto Mancini following a heated exchange in 2016.

Further criticism followed earlier this year when he insulted a female journalist, but the former Perugia and Empoli coach claims past comments are not indicative of his views.

These were mistakes for sure. I think they do not very well define me, either as homophobic or racist, Sarri said.

I am a very open person. I do…

Wayne Rooney has told a packed courtroom that his agent helped to make him a very wealthy young man .

Rooney and his 23-year old wife Coleen are refusing to pay commissions to Proactive sports management agency dismissing their eight year contract with them was a mistake.

Rooney appeared at Manchester Mercantile Court where he and wife Coleen and two of their companies are being sued by Stretford s former company Proactive. The dispute over contracts came about when Stretford left the company in October 2008.

The young football prodigy was signed by Stretford in 2002 when he was just 17 playing for his home-town club Everton.

Stretford, a founder and director of Proactive, brokered multimillion-pound deals with firms including Nike and Coca-Cola for Roo…

Sevilla coach Unai Emery hopes Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan can prove to be a fortress over the course of a testing week.

Manchester City visit Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday, when a Group D defeat for the hosts could result in their elimination from the competition.

On the back of taking on the Premier League leaders, Sevilla then host Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday.

Emery has overseen three consecutive wins in recent home matches, including a 2-1 triumph over Barcelona at the start of last month.

They re two of the toughest game we could have in the space of a week, the coach told his pre-match news conference.

We know here in our home stadium we have a great ability to play against the best teams. We need to make the most of th…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pinned the blame for Manchester United s limp FA Cup exit on his side s hectic schedule as they suffered a 3-1 quarter-final loss at Leicester City.

United were beaten by a double from in-form Kelechi Iheanacho and one from Youri Tielemans at the King Power Stadium as the Foxes secured just a second victory over the Red Devils in 26 meetings in all competitions.

Mason Greenwood s first-half leveller – his first goal in 16 games – ended up being a mere consolation for the visitors as Brendan Rodgers marked his 100th game in charge by leading Leicester to their first FA Cup semi-final since 1982.

For United, it was a first away defeat in domestic competition since January 19 last year, with manager Solskjaer citing a busy fixture lis…