Real Madrid´s Silva returns to Cruzeiro on long-term loan

Kevin De Bruyne suggested Manchester City s Premier League title hopes would have petered out had they not beaten rivals Liverpool in January.

A 4-1 final-day victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday ensured Pep Guardiola s side retained their crown by a point from Jurgen Klopp s Reds.

The 98 and 97 amassed by City and Liverpool are the second and third-highest points totals achieved in Premier League history, behind the 100 De Bruyne and his team-mates collected in 2017-18.

It underlines a race of fine margins but, when Liverpool arrived at the Etihad Stadium after the turn of the year with a seven-point lead, they were in danger of running away with it.

Sergio Aguero put City in front after John Stones remarkable goal-line clearance and, although R…

England s tactics are similar to those of Liverpool and European champions Chelsea, so says Gareth Southgate.

The Three Lions reached the final of Euro 2020, only to lose on penalties to Italy after a 1-1 draw at Wembley after extra time.

With a squad packed with attacking talent at his disposal, Southgate often faced clamour to find a way to fit as many of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden into his starting XI as possible.

While all those players played their part, Southgate started every game with a holding pivot of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips in midfield, with England lining up in a back three in the final itself.

England, who had the tightest defence at Euro 2020, conceding just two goals, were outshot by 19 …

Market: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 4/7 @

Looking to cause another real upset on Wednesday night, Stoke will make the trip to an empty Vicarage Road in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, slumping to what was a worrying 1-0 defeat away at relegation contenders Barnsley over the weekend, Watford have struggled to get themselves out of the traps this season. Sacrificing their Premier League status over the summer, the Hornets have now failed to win any of their last three Championship matchups on the bounce and some feel that the pressure could already be on new boss Vladimir Ivić. While 18-year-old João Pedro might have impressed many since bursting onto the scene at Vicarage Road, Watford have failed to record more than a single strike on their three-match winless run…

England secured a 3-1 victory over home favourites Australia to reach the Women’s World Cup final.

Having fallen at the semi-final stage in the previous two tournaments, the Lionesses are now beginning preparations for Sunday’s showpiece against Spain.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how Sarina Wiegman’s European champions saw off the Matildas to make history.

Toone on song

Having been criticised for her form earlier in the competition, Manchester United attacking midfielder Toone set England on their way with a fine opening goal.

In doing so, she became the first player in England history – male or female – to score goals in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of amajor tournament after enjoying a fine Euros last year.

Laure…

Best odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

Bayern Munich, the perennial champions of the Bundesliga, will be kicking off their 2023/24 season with a trip to the Weserstadion in Bremen as they aim for a 12th consecutive title. Werder will, on the other hand, be seeking a way to make a strong statement against such a formidable rival in front of their own fans.

Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen s recent struggles in the first game of Bundesliga seasons and their historical record against Bayern Munich certainly highlight the challenging task they face in this upcoming match. The fact that they have not won their opening fixture in the past eight seasons adds an extra layer of pressure to their start.

The slim home loss to Bayern Munich towards the end of the previous season sho…

Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland is back to business after his four-goal demolition of Wolves that kept Manchester City in touch of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The Gunner dispatched Bournemouth 3-0 earlier on Saturday but Haaland s first-half hat-trick – including two penalties – started a roaring response from City at Etihad Stadium.

Haaland added his fourth after the interval before Julian Alvarez wrapped up the scoring, with Hwang Hee-Chan s second-half strike a mere consolation in a 5-1 hammering of Wolves.

Victory extended Man City s unbeaten run in the Premier League to 20 games (W16 D4), while they have won each of the last six in a row, netting 4+ goals on five occasions in that run.

Moving just a point with Arsenal and still boasting a g…

Erik ten Hag has hit back at Jose Mourinho after the former Manchester United manager said he did not get the same level of support as the Dutchman.

Mourinho, who spent two and a half years in charge of United, suggested in an interview with the Telegraph that he did not have the same backing in the transfer market, or the same level of trust instilled in him as Ten Hag.

The former Ajax manager recently spoke to Sky Sports about failing to sign stars like Harry Kane, with the club instead choosing to invest in younger players with potential, like Rasmus Hojlund.

Ten Hag is facing an uncertain future at the club with just one year left on his contract following a disappointing second campaign. New co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has given no guarantees that he will keep hi…

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein says FIFA has been decimated by the recent corruption scandal but remains confident of change after criminal proceedings were opened against president Sepp Blatter.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland opened proceedings against Blatter on Friday suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation.

The FIFA president is suspected of signing a contract with the Caribbean Football Union in 2005 that market experts claim handed World Cup television rights for the 2010 event in South Africa and the 2014 showpiece in Brazil to Warner for a fraction of their value.

Blatter, 79, is also alleged to have made a disloyal payment to UEFA president Michel Platini in 2011, relating to work carried out between 1999 and 2002 wh…

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has completed his move to AC Milan, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.

The two clubs agreed a deal on Tuesday afternoon for 20 million pounds that will be spread over five years, while the Italy international is taking a pay cut on his 110,000-pound-per-week salary to join the Serie A side.

The 22-year-old Italy international brings an end to a controversial two-and-a-half-year stay in England with Roberto Mancini s side, during which he scored 20 goals in 54 league appearances before helping the club win both the Premier League title and FA Cup.

A statement from the Serie A club read: AC Milan announces that it has acquired from Manchester City Mario Balotelli, who has signed a contract until 30 June 2017.

…

Bayer Leverkusen have announced the signing of Mitchell Weiser from Hertha Berlin on a five-year contract.

The former Germany Under-21 right-back has excelled at Hertha since joining on a free from Bayern Munich in 2015 and will now link up with Leverkusen as they prepare to return to European competition.

The club are all but guaranteed a Europa League place, yet could still qualify for the Champions League, with sporting director Rudi Voller noting the need for transfer activity to boost the squad.

This is absolutely necessary in light of the fact that we have qualified for Europe for the coming season, Voller said.

In order to handle the additional burden of international competition, as well as the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, and to continue to be suc…