Olympiacos and Benfica will be battling it out for second place in UEFA Champions League Group C when they meet in Piraeus on Tuesday.
The two sides met in Lisbon in the last round of European fixtures, with the Greek club claiming a credible 1-1 draw, but they were only seven minutes away from victory when Oscar Cardozo cancelled out Alejandro Dominguez’s first-half opener.
After three matches in the competition, both sides have four points, but Michel s Olympiacos sit ahead of Benfica due to their neutral goal difference.
Benfica s last trip to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium saw them on the wrong end of a 5-1 hammering in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup group stage, but they head to Greece in good form this time around.
Their only defeat in their last 12 matches in…
Pepe says Cristiano Ronaldo is fine after his emotional response to Portugal s shock defeat to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
Ronaldo was left out of the starting line-up by head coach Fernando Santos for the second straight game after his angry reaction to being substituted against South Korea in the final group match.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored a towering header to give Morocco the lead, and despite Ronaldo s introduction shortly after half-time, Portugal were unable to find an equaliser as they were dumped out of the tournament.
The loss elicited an emotional reaction from Ronaldo as the five-time Ballon d Or winner left the field in tears, before a social media post on Sunday saw him accept his most ambitious dream of winning a World Cup …
Sunderland have signed South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng on a season-long loan from Swansea City.
Ki, who has been capped 51 times by his country, becomes Paolo Di Canio s 11th signing of the transfer window.
The 24-year-old began his career in his home country with FC Seoul before moving to Celtic in 2009.
After three years at Celtic Park he moved to Swansea last season, where he made 38 appearances in all competitions.
Ki will join up with international team-mate Ji Dong-Won at the Stadium of Light.
The midfielder featured as a late substitute in Swansea s opening-day defeat to Manchester United and also started their 0-0 UEFA Europa League qualifying draw against Swedish side Malmo.
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Stoke City defender Robert Huth is nearing a return to full fitness following a three-month lay-off with a knee injury.
The German has not played since a 2-0 home win over Sunderland back in November because of the problem, but is expected to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Burnley on Tuesday.
Mark Hughes side are just three points above the relegation zone going into Saturday s visit of title challengers Arsenal, who have won just once at the Britannia Stadium since Stoke s promotion to the Premier League in 2008.
Huth is eager to return to the first team as soon as possible, but is happy to leave it up to his manager.
I would like to be available on Saturday, but ultimately that will be the manager s choice, Huth said.
I ve only trained …
Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin hailed his manager Diego Simeone following the team s 2-1 UEFA Champions League win at Porto.
The Spanish side travelled to Portugal on the back of seven consecutive La Liga victories this season, while hosts Porto had not lost at Estadio Dragao in the Champions League since November 2009, with Chelsea their conquerors then.
Jackson Martinez lost his marker Godin to head Porto into a first-half lead, but the home side could not capitalise on their superiority before the break and Atletico made them pay.
Godin made amends for his earlier error by equalising before Gabi passed a free-kick into the area for Arda Turan s 86th-minute winner, with the Turk capping off a brilliantly simple set-piece that was apparently Simeone’s id…
Brede Hangeland warned that Fulham have no time to feel sorry for themselves in their increasingly desperate battle against relegation.
Fulham looked on course for a huge boost after going 2-0 ahead against Hull City at Craven Cottage on Saturday, only to let that lead slip as Felix Magath s men were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw.
The result leaves Fulham in 19th, one point adrift of safety with games at Stoke City and home to Crystal Palace still to come.
And captain Hangeland has urged his team-mates to quickly shrug off the Hull disappointment, and emulate the 2008 campaign when Fulham won three of their last four fixtures to pull off a great escape.
The next two weeks that will decide whether we re in the Premier League or not. There s no time for feeling s…
Italian newspaper La Nazione is reporting that Fiorentina have all but agreed to sign Dutch defender Johnny Heitinga from Everton in the January transfer window.
The Netherlands international is desperate to leave the Toffees in search of first team football and he is likely to be available for a nominal fee in the winter with his current contract set to expire in June 2014.
And Italian giants Fiorentina seem to have taken advantage of the circumstances as La Nazione reports they have an agreement in place to sign Heitinga in January.
The 30-year-old joined Everton from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2009, and has since featured in 114 Premier League matches.
However, he never quite managed to nail down a regular starting berth and has failed to make a…
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Looking to secure back-to-back La Liga victories on Saturday night, Valencia will travel to the Power Horse Stadium when they meet Almeria.
Starting with the hosts, while Almeria might have limped their way over the finish line last season as they clung to their La Liga status, it appears that La Union are bracing themselves for another uphill struggle this time around. Marking their return from September’s international break last weekend with a 2-1 loss away at Villarreal, Vicente Moreno’s side have had little to cheer about since opening up the 2023/24 campaign. Heading into the fortnight interval with an action-packed 3-2 loss at the hands of Celta Vigo, the Andalusia-based outfit have collected just a single point from…
Diego Simeone believes Diego Costa is the most important player to feature for Atletico Madrid in recent years.
Costa returned to Atletico action this month, becoming eligible to play following a return transfer from Chelsea that was announced in September.
The Spain international laid on an assist for Yannick Carrasco as Atletico beat Lleida 3-0 on Tuesday to wrap up a 7-0 aggregate triumph in the Copa del Rey.
It means he has been involved in three goals in three games since making his return, having found the net twice already for the Rojiblancos.
Costa helped fire Atletico to LaLiga glory and the first of two Champions League finals in three seasons in 2013-14.
3 Diego Costa has been involved in three goals in his first three games in all comp…
Thibaut Courtois has suggested he could leave Chelsea for a return to Spain amid claims Real Madrid are keeping a close eye on his situation.
The Belgium international, 24, previously enjoyed a successful spell in LaLiga on loan at Atletico Madrid between 2011 and 2014, lifting the title in his final campaign before returning to Stamford Bridge.
Courtois replaced Petr Cech as Chelsea s number one in 2014-15, winning the Premier League under Jose Mourinho, but his future may lie away from west London.
I still love Spain, for the way Madrid is and the entire country. I loved Spain right from the start because of the people, the way of life, the food. I still have a siesta every day, Courtois told Marca.
When I left Spain, I knew that I would return one …