Christian Pulisic could miss a significant chunk of Chelsea’s pre-season as the USA plan to call him up for the Gold Cup this summer. The winger will join Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season after the two clubs agreed a huge £58million deal in January. However, the Gold Cup takes place between June 15 and July 7, and depending on the USA’s progress in the competition, the start of Pulisic’s Blues career could be delayed. The 20-year-old will require an extended period of rest, which could deny him crucial time to gel with his team-mates before the season begins in August. Pulisic is already regarded as…

Zinedine Zidane has outlined his demands having made it clear he is ready to become Chelsea’s next manager, according to reports. Zidane, the former Real Madrid boss, wants to replace Maurizio Sarri in the Stamford Bridge dugout with the Italian under real pressure following a run of poor results. The pressure will be further ramped up should Chelsea lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round this evening, and you can listen to full commentary of the match LIVE on talkSPORT. Zidane is ready to step in should Sarri be sacked, according to The Sun, and he has made his terms clear to Chelsea. The 46-year-old has three…

Luis Enrique’s side will come up against Atleti as the two sides look to book their place in the final of the competition Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, with Alaves taking on Celta Vigo, the conquerors of Real Madrid. ‘Suarez can be Barca’s new Harry Potter!’ – Enrique After knocking out Real Sociedad in the quarter-final, the holders will travel to the Vicente Calderon for the first leg on February 1 before the return at Camp Nou a week later. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league…

Swansea reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 4-1 victory over 10-man Brentford after Dan James inspired an amazing second-half comeback. The Bees controlled the first period to deservedly lead thanks to Ollie Watkins’ 28th-minute strike, but Swansea equalised through goalkeeper Luke Daniels’ own goal before James, Bersant Celina and George Byers found their way onto the scoresheet. Brentford’s misery was completed by the dismissal of Ezri Konsa and a yellow card for manager Thomas Frank following a touchline altercation with Swansea striker Oli McBurnie. It was an incredible turnaround and one which Wales winger James – who almost joined Leeds on transfer deadline day last month –…

Some Tottenham Hotspur fans will tell you they have played all 26 games this season away from home. They’re not too far wrong given their home matches are still being played at Wembley as their stadium woes continue but it does appear to have toughened them up on the road. Even in such strange circumstances, and with a squad blighted by injury all campaign, they have somehow been able to keep an unlikely Premier League title challenge on track. And they now have the best away form of every English top flight team. So, how are all 20 Premier League clubs currently faring on the road from their own stadiums?…

The former Liverpool man feels his altercation with the defender during a famous Celta victory has been blown out of proportion Celta Vigo attacker Iago Aspas has downplayed the significance of Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos allegedly spitting at him during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey encounter. Real Madrid downed by Celta The two were involved in a number of altercations during Celta’s surprise 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu, before Ramos is claimed to have spat in the direction of Aspas – who scored the opener and set up Jonny Castro’s winner. Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes…

Arsene Wenger is the latest former Arsenal manager to hail Tottenham Hotspur following their superb Champions League display on Wednesday. Spurs beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0 thanks to second-half goals from Heung-Min Son, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente to give them a commanding lead ahead of the return fixture. Wenger was speaking as a pundit for beIN Sports, alongside Marcel Desailly and Ruud Gullit, and, despite Spurs’ lack of silverware – their last trophy came in 2008 when they won the League Cup – he compared them to the famous Manchester United side which included the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville – the group of players known…

The Blaugrana head coach has indicated he will not make radical changes to accommodate the new signing from Liverpool Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele will have to adapt to Barcelona’s existing tactics as head coach Ernesto Valverde is not planning radical changes to accommodate the duo. While Dembele is available having recovered from three months out with a hamstring injury, Coutinho, who joined from Liverpool last week, faces a short wait for his Barca debut due to a minor thigh problem. Barcelona’s strong form – they are yet to lose in any competition since their Supercopa de Espana loss to Real Madrid in August – has posed questions about how…

The Argentine attacker produced another spectacular show in Luis Enrique’s last match and his presence at the club is more important than any coach COMMENT It was all about Lionel Messi. It always has been, really. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner turned in another masterclass against Alaves on Saturday night to show that, even with Luis Enrique leaving, this golden age can continue for Barcelona. Barca win Copa del Rey As the match kicked off at the Vicente Calderon, it was clear that Alaves had done their homework for the Copa del Rey final. Mauricio Pellegrini’s side squeezed spaces in midfield and made Barca look rather ordinary in the early…

Maurizio Sarri has been installed as the bookies favourite to become the next Premier League manager to be sacked following the humiliating 6-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday dropping Chelsea down to sixth. The Italian has accounted for a gigantic 84.1% of all bets on the market after his Chelsea side were swept aside by the league leaders, who took a 4-0 lead with only 25 minutes played. The movement in the odds suggest the Italian’s chances of being the next boss to go have soared from 1% on the 1st of February, to 50 per cent as of today. After Everton were beaten 1-0 by Watford on Saturday, Marco…