Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Mircea Lucescu played down the potential influence of Yevhen Konoplyanka on Sevilla s preparations for Thursday s Europa League semi-final.

The Liga side have travelled to Ukraine to continue their quest for a third consecutive Europa League title and fifth in 11 seasons on Thursday.

Konoplyanka returns to his homeland having starred in Dnipro s surprise run to last season s final before switching allegiance to Sevilla.

Lucescu is confident any inside knowledge the winger believes he holds will be secondary to a carefully constructed game plan from Sevilla coach Unai Emery.

That’s normal when footballers who know the opponents can share something. But I do not think that there are coaches who listen to their players, Lucesc…

Prediction: Both Teams To Score and Juventus to Win

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One of the titanic clashes of the UEFA Champions League group stage takes place on Wednesday evening as Juventus host FC Barcelona.

Both giants of European football, the two sides have failed to convince in the competition in recent seasons but got their new campaigns off to the perfect start last week so will be looking to follow that up with another victory in Turin.

Juventus

Under new boss Andrea Pirlo, it s not been a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign for Juventus. Despite being undefeated so far, they have only won half of the six competitive matches they ve played. The Old Lady have failed to notch back-to-back victories, a run that stretches all the way back to e…

Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the Argentina international forward’s relationship with Paris Saint-Germain is at an all-time low, and that the 2022 Qatar World Cup winner is keen on a return to Barca at the end of the season.

Messi is out of contract at PSG at the end of the season. The 35-year-old has scored 15 goals and given 15 assists in 28 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season. The former Barcelona star has also scored four goals and provided four assists in seven UEFA Champions League games this campaign.

PSG are at the top of the Ligue 1 table at the moment with 75 points from 33 matches, five points clear of second-placed Marseille. Meanwhile, Barcelona currently find themsel…

With Europe s top-tiers taking center stage this weekend, we are promised another stacked schedule from across the continent. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday February 12th

BST 14:00 Lazio vs Bologna

Starting with Saturday s hosts, crashing out of the Coppa Italia in midweek after a nightmare display away at the San Siro, Lazio will be seeking an immediate response here. However, putting in what was a hugely impressive performance on Serie A duties weekend, the mood in their camp should still be at a high. Breezing their way to what was a shock 3-0 romp away at Fiorentina, the Biancocelesti will be desperate to build off of that momentum h…

Borussia Dortmund fell to a chastening 4-0 defeat versus Thai side BG Pathum United in their second friendly match under new head coach Nuri Sahin.

Sahin took the reins after Edin Terzic resigned in the wake of BVB s Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last month.

His first game at the helm saw Dortmund draw 1-1 with third-tier German side Erzgebirge Aue on Wednesday, before they set off on a pre-season tour of Asia.

On Sunday, they faced BG Pathum United – who finished fourth in the Thai League 1 last term – in Thanyaburi, with a team featuring the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Youssoufa Moukoko, Julian Brandt and Niklas Sule being trounced 4-0.

Speaking after the loss, former midfielder Sahin told reporters: Of course it s a heavy defeat, but I kno…

Giovanni van Bronckhorst claimed the scoreline did not offer a true reflection of Rangers performance after they succumbed to a 3-0 Champions League defeat at home to Napoli.

Second-half goals from Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele condemned Rangers to a third consecutive defeat on Wednesday after James Sands was dismissed for two bookable offences. 

The defeat could have been heavier had Allan McGregor not twice denied Piotr Zielinski from the penalty spot following a VAR check for encroachment. 

Politano then tucked away his opener from 12 yards, as Napoli became just the third side to be awarded multiple penalties in back-to-back Champions League fixtures (after Chelsea in 2020 and Salzburg in 2021).

Despite Rangers defensive s…

Rio Ferdinand has defended Harry Maguire s Manchester United form, with the ex-England man comparing his struggles to those of Gerard Pique when he played for the club.

The centre-back became the most expensive defender in history when he arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester City in 2019.

Yet he has struggled to replicate the form he has enjoyed for Gareth Southgate s Three Lions since his capture, particularly during a dismal 2021-22 campaign.

Ferdinand has backed the United captain however, pointing to the combination of differing styles between club and country that may have left him shortchanged at the Red Devils.

In an England shirt he’s been nothing but phenomenal, he said on YouTube show Vibe with FIVE.  He’s been unreal. You can’t say he…

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka accepts he needs to improve his disciplinary record, but he does not think he can change his approach.

Xhaka attracted widespread criticism after he was sent off in Arsenal s EFL Cup semi-final first leg draw with Liverpool.

The Switzerland international made a wild lunge on Diogo Jota in the first half, with the Liverpool man looking to bring down a lofted pass before he received a high kick from Xhaka.

It was by no means the first time Xhaka s discipline has been called into question – that was his fifth red card since joining Arsenal in 2016, the joint-most of any Premier League player in that time.

But he does not think changing his game is possible, pointing out that it is not as if he is doing it on purpose.

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Wolves have confirmed the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach, bringing an end to their search for Bruno Lage s replacement.

Lage was axed at the start of October following Wolves defeat to West Ham, but they have picked up just four points from five matches since then and sit second-bottom of the Premier League heading into the weekend s fixtures.

Lopetegui was dismissed by Sevilla last month after spending over three years with the Andalusian side, who he guided to Europa League success in 2020, and was long-reported as a priority target for Wolves.

While it was reported the former Real Madrid and Spain coach initially rejected Wolves advances, on Saturday it was announced he had taken up their offer.

Lopetegui will not take charge at…

Franck Ribery will be playing in Serie A this season! Those are the latest news regarding the French veteran, as he is on the verge of signing for Fiorentina. Fabrizio Romano, one of the staff members at well-respected Di Marzio, claims that the player and the Serie A club have reached an agreement. The player is expected to sign a two-year contract with the club from the Artemio Franchi stadium.

Only one thing is left to be done and that is his medical. Ribery will have his medical some time this week, according to Romano, as he is inches away from becoming their new player. Ribery has been without the club in the past few months, as his contract with Bayern Munich came to an end. The Bavarian club opted not to offer a new deal to the 36-year-old, with them being interested in…