A knee injury will rule out Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen for months after he was carried off on a stretcher during Sunday’s 5-1 LaLiga win at Villarreal, a source confirmed to ESPN. Barça coach Hansi Flick confirmed the injury appears to be “huge and serious,” but added he could not offer any timeframe until he undergoes further tests. Radio station RAC1 reported Ter Stegen, who was taken to a…
John Stones described Arsenal as “clever or dirty” after scoring an equaliser eight minutes into stoppage to snatch a 2-2 draw for Manchester City in Sunday’s Premier League top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad. Stones’ goal extended City’s unbeaten home record to 48 games, a run stretching back to a defeat against Brentford in November 2022, but it came after Arsenal had defended deep for the entire second half following the…
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick insists his team can cope with an increased workload and that he will make no excuses despite having to deal with a lengthy injury list but has joined a growing list of high-profile footballing names calling on UEFA and FIFA to make alterations to a packed schedule. Barça opened the season with five successive wins in LaLiga before tasting defeat for the first time under Flick…
Player frustration over playing too many games and not getting enough rest is building across football, but just how close is the sport to a player strike? The issue of burnout has always been a significant topic in the game, but the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions and FIFA’s brand-new Club World Cup has put the matter at the top of the agenda. In August, ESPN reported that this season…
Premier League side Fulham have said they are investigating whether anyone associated with the club has been a victim of its late former owner Mohamed Al Fayed, who has been accused of raping and sexually abusing young women. Lawyers in Britain representing dozens of women have described Al Fayed, the former boss of Harrods, as a “monster.” The abuse went on through much of Al Fayed’s 25-year tenure — from…
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick felt Eric García’s early red card was the turning point in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Monaco and insisted his side are strong enough to progress in the new-look Champions League. García was dismissed after just 10 minutes for a last-man challenge before goals from Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena, either side of Lamine Yamal’s equaliser, earned the Ligue 1 side three points at the Stade Louis…
The Bayer Leverkusen players and coaching staff had rather important on-pitch matters to preoccupy them last week, but that didn’t stop the Werkself bringing a visible and sparkling presence to New York City. When you’ve won three different trophies — the Bundesliga’s Meisterschale, the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup — in the space of just a few frenetic months, why not display them from the spectacular Manhattan skyline as part of…
Women’s Super League (WSL) golden boot holder Khadija “Bunny” Shaw will miss out on the first leg of Manchester City’s Champions League qualifying match against Paris FC on Wednesday due to a visa issue, a source told ESPN. The Guardian first reported Shaw’s expected absence, revealing the Jamaican international has not travelled to France following the issue, adding that the club reportedly sent Shaw to the French embassy in search…
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique said the “unknowns” of the new Champions League format make it hard to judge his team’s opening win over Girona on Wednesday. PSG secured victory after Girona’s goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes of the match to give the hosts a 1-0 win. But with seven games to go in what…
With Asian club football returning this week, the new AFC Champions League Elite will see 24 teams vie to be continental champions — with the East Zone providing 12 representatives. In a departure from the traditional group-stage format, the league stage will now see each of the 12 play eight games each and jostle for position on a single table — with the top eight then advancing to the round…