Borussia Dortmund will be without four key players for their trip to Tottenham on Wednesday – but they were almost without SIX. Marco Reus (thigh injury), Julian Weigl (flu), Paco Alcacer (shoulder) and Lukasz Piszczek (heel) will not be available for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash at Wembley, but it could have been worse had Jadon Sancho and Abdou Diallo not shown incredible speed to race home and retrieve their passports. The duo forgot their travel documents and returned home from the airport to collect them, delaying the squad’s flight to London on Tuesday, according to local reports in Germany. Of the missing players, however, the absence…

The Copa del Rey final provides Ernesto Valverde’s Liga leaders with an opportunity to complete the first part of a potential domestic double La Liga leaders Barcelona will be hoping to complete the first instalment of a domestic double when they face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final. The Blaugrana have dominated the Spanish top-flight this season, stretching a record-breaking unbeaten sequence to 40 games. They have taken four points off Sevilla during the current campaign, although they did have to rely on late heroics from Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi to salvage a dramatic 2-2 draw at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in March. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri…

Click:软文发布 After seeing his side fail to beat second-tier Numancia at home in the Copa del Rey, the manager admitted that he is vulnerable Zinedine Zidane accepted his Real Madrid contract “means nothing” as his side’s troubles continued with a 2-2 home draw against second-tier Numancia in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Madrid progressed 5-2 on aggregate thanks to their 3-0 first-leg win, but that victory remains the only success in their last four matches. Numancia striker Guillermo started on the bench but came on as a first-half substitute to score a pair of equalisers and cancel out two Lucas Vazquez strikes as Zidane’s men stumbled again. Article continues below Editors'…

Heung-min Son has become the fourth Tottenham player to be booked for diving in the Premier League this season. The South Korean went into the book during Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Leicester following a suspicious challenge from Harry Maguire. Son was caught by the Foxes defender’s outstretched leg and a delayed fall was enough to convince Michael Olivier he went down too easily. As a result, the winger joins Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and Danny Rose on Tottenham’s ever-growing list of players cautioned for simulation this season. That’s the joint-most of any Premier League team, with north London rivals Arsenal also on four. Son’s afternoon did improve as he rounded off…

Manchester United youngster Max Taylor has responded successfully to cancer treatment. The Under-23s defender, formerly known as Max Dunne, has undergone chemotherapy after being diagnosed with the disease aged just 19. And the Red Devils hope they will see Taylor in the famous United shirt again after issuing a positive update on Friday. “Taylor will continue to be carefully monitored despite the positive news, as everybody looks forward to seeing him wear the red shirt again,” the club said in a statement on their official website. “He is still in the recovery process and is continuing to work with the club’s medical department for the foreseeable future. “Everyone at the…

This week has been a time for romance, with Valentine’s Day occurring on Thursday. It got us thinking about all the wonderful partnerships in football and, thanks to BWIN, we have discovered the best defensive bromances in the Premier League. The findings are based on projected goals conceded per season since the 1992/93 campaign. 10 – Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre (Manchester United) Projected goals conceded per season: 27.9 9 – Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur) Projected goals conceded per season: 27.4 8 – Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) Projected goals conceded per season: 27.4 7 – Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown (Manchester United) Projected goals conceded per…

Coming off the back of a Clasico victory, Ernesto Valverde is set to make changes to his Barca side for the Copa del Rey encounter Barcelona made history last April when they became the first club to reach the landmark figure of 30 Copa del Rey titles with a stunning 5-0 win over Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. No club gets close to Barca in terms of history in the competition, with Athletic Club’s 23 wins next on the roll of honour before Real Madrid come in third with 19. On Wednesday, Ernesto Valderve’s side will begin their quest to again show their dominance in the knockout tournament…

From midfield enforcers and teak tough defenders to elegant skill players – Goal takes a look at players who have received a litany of red cards Getty Images #1 Joey Barton Before he became Joey Barton the philosopher, he was Joey Barton the punisher. The former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder was sent off six times in the Premier League, with a total of nine dismissals against his name across the duration of his career, including one in Ligue 1, where he clashed with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. As well as being ill-disciplined on the pitch, Barton also exhibited violent behaviour off it, particularly when he was younger,…

Arsenal legend David Seaman has told talkSPORT he is ‘still fuming’ with the club for allowing Aaron Ramsey to join Juventus on a free transfer. After months of speculation, the Wales midfielder confirmed this week he has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Italian champions and will move to Turin in the summer. It is claimed his Juve deal will make Ramsey the highest-paid British footballer in history. He will become the latest key player to leave the club at the end of his contract – highlighting the club’s recent failures to secure the futures of their top players. And Seaman has revealed his frustrations with Arsenal’s overall transfer business,…

Click:metal cnc machining Chelsea suffered another embarrassing blow in their bad month with a youth side reportedly holding some of their star players to a draw in a training ground match. A team featuring Willian and Olivier Giroud among others took part in a 60-minute warm-down match against players from Chelsea’s excellent academy, with the youngsters making their mark by claiming a 3-3 draw. The Times claim the match took place after a meeting between the players and Maurizio Sarri, the Chelsea manager, to discuss Sunday’s 6-0 defeat by Manchester City. The thrashing at the Etihad was Chelsea’s biggest loss in 28 years, and made it four successive away defeats…