Petrov joins Villa for pre-season camp

Luciano Spalletti has backed Inter to bounce back from a dip in form that has seen his side lose their last three matches in all competitions.

A 1-0 extra-time Coppa Italia quarter-final loss to rivals AC Milan on Wednesday followed Serie A defeats to Udinese and Sassuolo.

Spalletti s side have scored only one goal in their last five matches in all competitions, having been the early pacesetters with a 16-game unbeaten run at the start of the season.

But Spalletti refuted suggestions Inter are in crisis, with Lazio the visitors to San Siro on Saturday.

These guys have done exceptional things, because we have done everything alone, we have a chance to find a solution, Spalletti told reporters on Friday. 

It is in these moments that you are able …

Mohamed Salah s second-half brace sealed a pulsating come-from-behind 2-1 win for Liverpool over Leicester City at Anfield.

Fourth-placed Liverpool are now unbeaten in 12 Premier League matches, a run that owes much to the brilliant Salah.

The Egypt forward now has 23 goals in all competitions this season – more than the total mustered by eight Premier League clubs – and his inspiration was needed after a shaky start.

Virgil van Dijk, who will replace Salah as Liverpool s record signing when his £75million switch from Southampton is completed, looked on from the stands as some abject
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defending allowed Jamie Vardy to score for the seventh time in his past five outings against the Reds inside three minutes.

Claude Puel s side, who remain ei…

West Ham United have had a bid for Carlos Bacca rejected by AC Milan as the Colombian searches for European football next season, according to his agent. 

Bacca joined Milan from Sevilla at the end of last season, scoring 20 goals across all competitions in his debut campaign in Italy. 

However, a seventh-place finish for Milan in 2015-16 meant the Serie A outfit miss out on European football for a second consecutive season. 

Bacca s agent Sergio Barila confirmed West Ham have put in a bid for the 29-year-old, but Milan are not prepared to let their forward go easily. 

There was an offer last week from West Ham which was rejected so we must wait,  Barila told the Guardian.

Carlos is very happy in Milan because it is a very big club and he…

Emmanuel Adebayor has tinges of regret over his time in football, but has not ruled out muscling in on the Ballon d Or conversation as he targets a first league title of his career.

Adebayor has played for Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham, though his sole major trophy came at the Santiago Bernabeu, where a six-month loan took in a Copa del Rey triumph for Los Blancos.

The Togo striker could be set for a league glory in 2017-18, though, having top-scored in Istanbul Basaksehir s march to the summit of the Super Lig at the mid-season break.

Though frustrated with his lot thus far, Adebayor is refusing to give up dreaming of landing big prizes.

I had dreamt of playing for Arsenal and Real Madrid and those dreams came true, Adebayor told …

There may be no better man than Carlo Ancelotti to lead Real Madrid s charge for a historic 10th European crown.

The Italian is a European Cup/UEFA Champions League specialist, having won the competition on four occasions as both a player and a coach for Milan.

And Ancelotti can become only the second manager after iconic Liverpool boss Bob Paisley to lift the trophy three times with a win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Ancelotti was a key component of Arrigo Sacchi s legendary Milan team that won the European Cup in successive seasons in 1988-89 and 1989-90, alongside the likes of Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Marco van Basten.

Fast forward 13 years and Ancelotti tasted European glory from the dugout, as his Milan side edged Juventus on penalties at Old Tr…

Jose Mourinho must sit out the Rome derby after an appeal against his Serie A two-match touchline ban was rejected.

The Roma head coach will be a spectator for this Sunday s game against Sassuolo and the tussle with city rivals Lazio seven days later.

His ban was temporarily suspended last week, allowing him to take charge of a game against Juventus, but it now takes immediate effect.

The 60-year-old was sent off for the third time this season just two minutes into the second half of Roma s 2-1 loss at lowly Cremonese on Tuesday, February 28.

Mourinho clashed with fourth official Marco Serra and was sent to the stands, before continuing to argue his case when entering the officials dressing room after the match.

The Italian Football Association (F…

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Barcelona will be looking to strengthen their position in the La Liga title race when they travel to face Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Barria stadium on Sunday evening, while the hosts aim to regain a foothold in the battle for the table positions which lead into European competitions next term.

Athletic Bilbao

The season overall hasn’t been too bad for Bilbao, but some underwhelming performances and disappointing results in recent league matches have caused them to lose some ground as they strive to appear in Europe in 2023/24.

Their last-six run in all competitions consists of a 4-1 home win over Cadiz, a 1-2 win away to Valencia, a 1-0 defeat to Atletico in Madrid, a 2-3 defeat at home against Girona, a 1-0 loss away…

Hull City will take on Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship play-off final after surviving a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Derby County to progress 3-2 on aggregate.

Steve Bruce s men, who finished fourth in the regular season having been relegated from the top flight at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, ran out 3-0 winners after the Rams capitulated in the semi-final first leg at ipro Stadium last Saturday.

Few gave the demoralised visitors any chance of mounting a comeback in Tuesday s return fixture at KC Stadium.

But a fast start from Darren Wassell s team resulted in the opening goal after nine minutes. Right-back Cyrus Christie drove down the flank and delivered a cross to the back post, where striker Chris Martin headed it down to the centre of the p…

Luis Suarez does not know how long he will be sidelined for after the Barcelona star forward hobbled off in tears during Sunday s Copa del Rey triumph.

Suarez looked visibly distressed as he was helped off the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury just shy of the hour-mark, before Barca went on to win 2-0 after extra time in Madrid.

The muscle injury has thrown Suarez s Copa America Centenario commitments up in the air, with Uruguay set to kick-off their campaign in the United States on June 5.

However, neither Suarez nor coach Luis Enrique could shed light on the injury post-match at Vicente Calderon.

I can t say anything about the injury because I don t know anything, Suarez was quoted as saying.

Tomorrow [Monday] we will have tests.  

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Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has confirmed that there is currently an open race to sign Bayern Munich target Mario Mandzukic.

The Croatian has recently been linked with a move to the Allianz Arena, having put in a series of eye-catching displays at Euro 2012 before his country were eliminated.

The Bavarians have lost Ivica Olic this summer and re-signed Claudio Piazarro, but still want cover for Mario Gomez, and have been priced out of a move for Manchester City s Ediz Dzeko.

But the veteran coach insists the player s destination is far from decided, and that he would like to keep the 26-year-old at the club if possible.

At this point in time it is a fact that there are some clubs interested in signing Mario Mandzukic, he told Deutsche Presseagentur.