Tottenham have generally enjoyed playing Chelsea this season. A penalty shoot-out win in September saw them progress in an EFL Cup tie, while October s 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge took them top of the Premier League.
Yet Jose Mourinho s men head into Thursday s clash with a little trepidation. After back-to-back defeats and just one win in four in the league, and with Chelsea playing largely without pressure as they get to grips with life under new boss Thomas Tuchel, the onus is on Spurs to deliver and underline their credentials as top-four contenders.
With Harry Kane injured and Son Heung-min without a goal in six games, getting three points looks far from straightforward. There is, however, an unlikely Mourinho acolyte who could lead the charge at Tottenham H…
A number of Premier League clubs are keeping close tabs on Zenit midfielder Roman Shirokov, according to the player’s representative.
Russia’s Player of the Year 2012 continues to prove his worth on both club and international level and is being heavily tipped to move to the English Premier League next summer.
Shirokov’s representative Arsen Minasov has moved to confirm reports linking the highly rated midfielder with a switch to England.
There really is interest in Roman from English clubs, Minasov .
And we are talking about leading teams those who either play in the Champions League or are trying to quality for the tournament.
Roman Shirokov began his professional career at CSKA Moscow, but largely struggled to prove his worth over the…
Liverpool spent a lot of money on Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, and it seems the Hungarian midfielder has started living up to the €70 million price tag.
Szoboszlai put in a proper, top-class performance as the Merseysiders emerged from their clash against Bournemouth victorious on Saturday, despite being a man down for the final 30 minutes.
Bournemouth took an unexpected lead through Antoine Semenyo early on, and Luis Diaz equalized in the 28th minute. Szoboszlai earned a penalty which Mohamed Salah turned into a 2-1 lead from the spot, and his shot in the 62nd resulted in Diogo Jota setting the final score.
The red card given to Alexis Mac Allister in the 58th minute was subsequently overturned on appeal.
A dominant midfield performance from s Dom…
Lazio goalkeeper Federico Marchetti has committed his future to the club by signing a new contract that runs until 2018.
The Italy international made the switch to Stadio Olimpico from Cagliari ahead of the 2011-12 season and has cemented his place as Lazio s number one.
Marchetti s deal was set to expire at the end of the season, with the likes of Juventus, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid reportedly interested in his services.
However, Marchetti who won the Coppa Italia with Lazio in 2013 has opted to stay in Rome.
A Lazio statement read: Lazio announced that Federico Marchetti has renewed his contract with the [club] until 2018.
Marchetti is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained in bizarre circumstances when celebrating a goal in …
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero says he has learned from his injury mistakes in the past and is now looking after his body better.
Aguero has spent several stints on the sidelines since joining City from Atletico Madrid for €45million in 2011.
The Argentine has missed six Premier League games through injury in 2015-16 but insists he has improved upon previous errors.
Nowadays I’ve learnt from that and I try not to make the same mistake, Aguero told Sky Sports.
Now I realise the slightest discomfort and I won’t risk myself, as happened to me for the home game against Sunderland in December.
I started the previous game against Arsenal when I felt a slight pain in my knee, and I was told, ‘That’s it, you’re coming off’.<…
Inter have stated we are and always will be opposed to any form of discrimination amid an Italian newspaper sparking a racism storm with a controversial front-page headline.
Corriere dello Sport previewed the upcoming Serie A game between Inter and Roma with a front-page Black Friday headline between images of Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling, a choice of wording that has attracted widespread criticism.
Black Friday , a term used to describe the first Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States when retail sales mark the start of the Christmas shopping period, saw the publication focus on the reunion of former Manchester United team-mates Smalling and Lukaku, both of whom are black.
Roma quickly criticised an editorial decision they suggest not a single soul …
Mohamed Salah held off a late charge from two-time winner Harry Kane to claim the Premier League Golden Boot.
The Egypt forward, who had started the final day of the season three goals clear of his nearest rival, added to his personal tally with Liverpool s opener in a routine 4-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.
His first-half strike at Anfield lifted his league total for the campaign to 32, a new record for the competition in a 38-game season.
Salah has enjoyed a sensational debut season on Merseyside, with his scoring exploits seeing him scoop a host of individual honours, including the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Players Player of the Year and the Football Writers Association s (FWA) Footballer of the Year.
The 25-year-old becom…
I will give every drop of blood for Arsenal – Arteta prepared for new challenge after ´returning hom
Mikel Arteta feels like he is back home after being appointed Arsenal s new head coach and declared himself ready for the challenge ahead.
The former Gunners captain was named Unai Emery s permanent successor on a three-and-a-half-year deal on Friday, seeing him return to the club he represented for five years as a player.
Arteta has worked as assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City since July 2016 and is ready to make the move into management, starting with the top job at Arsenal.
I feel back home. I m extremely happy and proud to have been given the opportunity to be manager of this football club, he told a news conference on Friday.
I ve been preparing for a few years for this challenge to come. I know what this club deserves. I m ready for the…
Bernardo Silva believes Manchester City prodigy Phil Foden will rank among the world s best midfielders within two years.
A City academy graduate, the homegrown 19-year-old has lived with big expectations since breaking into City s first-team setup in the title-winning 2017-18 season.
Pep Guardiola used him 13 times in the Premier League last term and, in July, went so far as to describe Foden as the most talented player he has ever seen, ahead of Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
Likewise, Portugal international Silva is very excited about the youngster s potential and expects him to make a rapid rise to the top of the game, so long as the pressure on his shoulders is carefully managed.
I just think he s six years younger than me, but he s a huge, huge …
Stefano Pioli said he was unhappy with his attempts to prepare Milan for Thursday s Coppa Italia clash with Genoa.
The Rossoneri were taken to extra time at San Siro before they eventually progressed to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory.
Genoa, with just one Serie A win all season and no Coppa victories over Milan since 1936-37, enjoyed an encouraging first half and took the lead through Leo Ostigard s header 17 minutes in.
It looked as though coach Andriy Shevchenko would pull off a shock against his old side until Olivier Giroud headed in an equaliser with 16 minutes of normal time left.
Milan had by this point taken charge of the contest and deservedly went ahead through Rafael Leao, whose cross looped in off the far post, before Alexis Saelemaeker…