Celtic’s European dream is in tatters after falling to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Valencia on Thursday night. The LaLiga side served up a clinical display at Celtic Park, with goals in each half from Denis Cheryshev and Ruben Sobrino giving the visitors a comfortable victory. The Bhoys fell behind after 42 minutes when Cheryshev, who starred for hosts Russia at the World Cup last summer, opened the scoring from close range. Hoops goalkeeper Scott Bain had earlier produced two smart saves in the middle of the first half to keep Daniel Wass at bay. Valencia doubled their advantage four minutes into the second half when Sobrino met Cheryshev’s…

The Croatian midfielder has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou and continues to be linked with a move away from the club Ivan Rakitic is “worried” about his reduction in game time but the midfielder is ready to sign a new deal with Barcelona. The 20 richest clubs in the world Rakitic has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou and continues to be linked with a move away from defending La Liga champions. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that…

Chelsea want to bring in Zinedine Zidane as manager to replace under-pressure Maurizio Sarri, according to reports. The club are said to be ready to ditch their Italian boss after just eight months in charge, with a mid-season slump seeing the Blues slip to sixth in the Premier League table. Sarri has also lost the backing of the dressing room after a number of outbursts at the team, with players reportedly being left ‘baffled’ by the boss’ team selection. According to the Sun, there is growing support in the Chelsea hierarchy for ex-Real Madrid head coach Zidane to come to Stamford Bridge to help turn the Blues back into a…

Maurizio Sarri will look to undergo a complete overhaul of the Chelsea squad this summer should he keep his job, according to reports. The Times report the Italian feels the west London side must either back him or sack him, after a dreadful run of form culminating in four successive away defeats. Sarri, 60, arrived from Napoli in July as the replacement for the sacked Antonio Conte and and after a promising start to life at Stamford Bridge, their form has dwindled over the last couple of months. It is Sarri’s belief that he is incapable of getting the necessary improvements out of the current players at his disposal –…

The France international striker was spotted in London and Paris this week, but his manager in Spain has no issue with a “responsible” performer Diego Simeone is unconcerned about Antoine Griezmann spending his spare time away from Spain as long as he continues to be “responsible” for Atletico Madrid. Griezmann was one of a host of big-name footballers spotted in London for the NBA game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, with the Frenchman sat alongside Arsenal trio Alexandre Lacazette, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin. The 26-year-old did not feature in Atletico’s 3-0 Copa del Rey defeat of Lleida on Tuesday, meaning he was able to spend…

Leeds have been fined £200,000 and given a serious reprimand by the English Football League after their investigation into spying. The Championship high-flyers had been under the spotlight after boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted to sending someone to spy on Derby. A member of his staff was caught at the Rams’ training ground ahead of their match last month, which Leeds won 2-0. The club admitted a breach of Regulation 3.4 which states: “In all matters and transactions relating to the League, each club shall behave towards each other club and The League with the utmost good faith.” EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “The sanctions imposed highlight how actions such…

The Juventus and Argentina attacker goes into Saturday’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid looking to end a most ignominious record STATS Gonzalo Higuain has long been ridiculed for his inability to score in the biggest games. Indeed, the Argentina international even threatened to rip the head off one supporter who brought up his missed penalty in the 2015 Copa America final. The Juventus striker will, therefore, be determined to leave his mark on Saturday’s Champions League showdown with Real Madrid in Cardiff. EXCLUSIVE: Ronaldo or Dybala goal offer Indeed, while Higuain has won four domestic titles (three in Spain with Real and one in Italy with his current employers), the…

If Thibaut Courtois had any doubt about how he would be received by former club Atlético Madrid in Saturday’s derby, he didn’t have to wait for kick-off to find out. Outside the Wanda Metropolitano, where every player to have participated in 100 games for the Colchoneros is honoured, the Belgian’s plaque was covered in the usual beer cans and cigarette butts, as well as additional graffiti calling him a ‘rat’ and – in case he didn’t quite get the message – stuffed toy rats to boot. Atleti’s ultras, who were first into the stadium long before the match started, booed their former hero intensely as he warmed up. The jeering…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes his Manchester United side have the talent to surprise people in the Champions League, insisting they can beat anyone. United face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday night, looking to extend their unbeaten run to 12 following a dramatic upturn in fortunes since Solskjaer’s arrival as interim boss. They remain unfancied in Europe, but a defiant Solskjaer said: “I think the squad is very capable of winning against any opponent. “When we go into games confident as we are now, in form, we are looking forward to the game. “We can’t look too far ahead, we’ve got to look at…

Jadon Sancho produced one of his best performances to date in a Borussia Dortmund shirt on Saturday. Dortmund threw away a three-goal lead after Hoffenheim netted a trio of goals in the final 15 minutes to shock the Bundesliga leaders. And despite the poor result, Sancho’s display did not go unnoticed. The England international opened the scoring before assisting Mario Gotze for the second in the first-half – and his nutmeg on a Hoffenheim defender led to Raphael Guerreiro adding a third in the 66th minute. He was denied a brace by the post in the 75th minute, though, which sparked Hoffenheim into life. The visitors immediately went up the other…