Everton exit EFL Cup as Saints atone for penalty woe, Preston win epic

Liverpool are paying a close attention to the situation surrounding Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala, according to .

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder, whose scintillating performances at both club and international level have been attracting plenty of attention, is about to enter the final 18 months of contract with the Bundesliga giants, and though Bayern remain confident of having Musiala in their ranks for many years to come, no agreement over a proposed new deal has been reached as of yet. Musiala is said to be favouring a new Bayern contract, but he hasn t ruled out the possibility of leaving the Allianz Arena.

Therefore, links with other top clubs obviously come as no surprise, with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain also credite…

Wales boss Rob Page insists Aaron Ramsey’s surprise selection for Euro 2024 play-off duty is not a risk.

Skipper Ramsey has not started a match for six months after suffering a knee injury.

The 84-times capped midfielder returned for Cardiff in February but made only two substitute appearances – playing a combined total of 72 minutes – before picking up a calf complaint.

Cardiff manager Erol Blut initially ruled Ramsey out of the play-offs, but the 33-year-old could now feature for his country.

“It’s not been ideal for Aaron, he’s had a few setbacks,” Page said after naming Ramsey in a 28-man squad for the play-off semi-final with Finland in Cardiff on March 21 and a potential home final against Estonia or Poland five days later.

“…

Leeds United have turned to former Watford head coach Javi Gracia in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League, appointing the Spaniard on a flexible contract .

Leeds have faced several setbacks in their bid to replace Jesse Marsch since sacking the American earlier this month, seeing an approach for Rayo Vallecano s Andoni Iraola blocked.

Feyenoord s Arne Slot also ruled himself out of contention, leaving interim coach Michael Skubala to oversee their last three games – a defeat at Everton following a return of one point from a double-header against Manchester United.

Defeat at Goodison Park last time out left Leeds two points adrift of safety in 19th place, and Gracia will need to make an instant impact against bottom club Southampton on Saturday.…

Martin Zubimendi rejected an offer to join Liverpool in order to stay at Real Sociedad this summer, even though the Merseysiders reportedly didn t shy away from his €60 million release clause. Now, however, the Spain international regrets his decision, according to Spanish outlet . It s also been said that Zubimendi has made contact with Liverpool, asking them to renew their efforts to take him to Anfield.

On the other hand, the report also states that Sociedad have denied this claim, saying quite clearly that nothing has suddenly changed when it comes to the midfielder s future.

Whether Zubimendi is indeed having second thoughts or not, it s not very easy to imagine Liverpool going back to get him, once their advances have been rejected. While they likely respected h…

Ever the man for the big occasion, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be eyeing a looming landmark heading into Tuesday s Coppa Italia Derby della Madonnina.

Ibrahimovic enters the latest crunch clash between Inter and his Milan just two goals shy of 500 in club football.

The former Sweden striker drew a blank against Atalanta on Saturday, ending a run of scoring in nine consecutive Serie A starts, but will be determined to bounce back in this mammoth fixture.

We have to redeem ourselves after this defeat, Ibrahimovic said after the 3-0 loss to Atalanta. We have the chance to do it in a few days against Inter. That will be a good match.

A MILAN MAN

Enjoying a fine second spell with Milan now at the age of 39, Ibrahimovic s goals have fired Stefano Pioli s …

After nine and a half years, three first-team appearances and loan spells at seven different clubs, Lucas Piazon s time at Chelsea has finally come to an end.

Piazon, 26, on Thursday put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half-year contract with Primeira Liga side Braga, whose coach Carlos Carvalhal he played under at Rio Ave last season.

His name has been linked to Chelsea for so long, since signing as a promising 17-year-old in 2011, but few fans could tell you what he has done during his career.

With the help of Opta data, we look back at Piazon s loan spells to analyse an unusual career that finally appears set for some normality.

MALAGA

Piazon s first loan switch saw him head to Malaga in January 2013 and he began well, setting up two goals acros…

Chelsea battled back from three goals down to earn a 4-4 draw in Tuesday s thrilling Champions League clash with Ajax, who were made to pay for two red cards at Stamford Bridge as the hosts were denied a dramatic winner by VAR.

Frank Lampard s side conceded three first-half goals in the competition for the first time as Tammy Abraham and Kepa Arrizabalaga both put into their own net, either side of Jorginho and Quincy Promes netting.

Ajax opened up a 4-1 lead through Donny van de Beek early in the second half and were still 4-2 in front Cesar Azpilicueta pulling one back when Daley Blind and Joel Veltman were dismissed in the space of a minute.

Jorginho scored his second penalty of the match to reduce the arrears and substitute Reece James struck 16 minutes bef…

Liverpool overcame a thorough examination from Salzburg to prevail 2-0 in Austria and book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp s men needed to avoid defeat to be sure of continuing their European title defence – something that looked far from assured in a high-octane first half, where there were openings at both ends.

Naby Keita made the 57th-minute breakthrough against his old club before Mohamed Salah added a wonderful second 100 seconds later, although goalkeeper Cican Stankovic will rue his part in both goals

Highly-rated Salzburg striker Erling Haaland was unable to add to his eight Champions League goals this season, but few Europa League opponents will relish facing him and his relentless team-mates when they drop d…

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte insists he would be crazy to consider dropping Son Heung-min amid suggestions of fatigue and a drop in form.

Spurs sit eighth in the Premier League ahead of a clash at Brighton and Hove Albion, following a 3-2 defeat at fellow top-four contenders Manchester United that leaves them six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

Conte s north London rivals have also played a game less, while Spurs have lost five of their last eight Premier League games (W3) – as many as they had in their previous 20 in the competition (W12 D3).

Son has been on target in his side s last two wins, a 5-0 thrashing of Everton coupled with a 4-0 hammering of Leeds United, yet there remain questions over the South Korea international s form.

Sinc…

Verdict: Lionel Messi to score anytime Barcelona to score over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 

Bookmaker: 

Making their return from the enforced break and looking to widen their buffer at the top of the table, Barcelona will make the trip to an empty Iberostar Estadi on Saturday night.

Mallorca

Starting with the hosts, entering the enforced break with a much-needed 2-1 win against Eibar, Mallorca simply have their sights set on mounting a late charge for La Liga safety. Enjoying their brightest run of the season so far back in March and losing just one of their previous four top-flight outings, Head Coach Vicente Moreno has been vocal about his side finding some stability on home soil. Despite picking up a pair of shock victories at the Iberostar Estadi against…