Diego Maradona dies: All Blacks make shirt tribute before Argentina clash

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In what promises to be a mouth-watering affair this weekend, Chelsea and Manchester City will face off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime.

Chelsea

Starting with the hosts, managing to extend on their EFL Cup adventure with a penalties victory against Aston Villa in midweek, the mood in Chelsea s camp should be at a real high. Only continuing to impress since bringing Thomas Tuchel to Stamford Bridge earlier in the year, many have tipped the Blues as a leading contender in the title chase this season. Last seen on Premier League duties putting in another stellar display on the road, the former PSG boss saw his side land London bragging rights thanks to a thumping 3-0 win against Tottenham. Breezing past their bitter rivals acros…

Pole position in this unpredictable Premier League season changed hands twice on Saturday as Jose Mourinho s Tottenham moved to the summit.

Leicester City – not in action until Sunday – started the day on top of the pile, but victories for Chelsea and then Spurs saw the Foxes nudged down to third.

Elsewhere, Manchester United belatedly got up and running at Old Trafford, while Brighton and Hove Albion also triumphed.

We reflect on another topsy-turvy day of top-flight action with the aid of Opta data.

Newcastle United 0-2 Chelsea: Tammy and Timo team up

Chelsea had taken top spot in the day s early fixture thanks to a 2-0 success at St James Park, their 26th Premier League win over Newcastle United.

It was a familiar sinkin…

The contract binding Alphonso Davies to Bayern Munich has two years left to run, but the Bavarians are keen to have him sign a new one as soon as possible with Real Madrid lurking, according to Fabrizio Romano. Reports elsewhere have also put Manchester City in the mix.

Still only 22, the Canadian left-back already has four Bundesliga titles and two DFB-Pokal trophies to his name, as well as the 2020 Champions League medal followed by the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He has played 153 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring eight goals and producing 25 assists. He also has 39 caps for his country.

Real Madrid have Ferland Mendy as a designated left-back, but his frequent injury problems have forced coach Carlo Ancelotti to deploy various alterna…

Erik ten Hag will let Manchester United s money men get on with the process of selling the club as the Dutchman waits to see how it affects his leadership.

A soft deadline is said to be coming on Friday at 22:00 GMT, with a Qatari contingent expected to lodge an offer, while British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe may also bid.

Others could come forward, with United looking set to perhaps pass entirely out of the hands of the Glazer family, who have controlled the club for 18 years.

Ten Hag has delivered a turnaround of fortunes on the pitch this season, with United just five points off the top of the Premier League after 23 games, sitting third.

They have an EFL Cup final against Newcastle United coming up on February 26, offering the chance to win a first tro…

After long deliberations, I have decided not to renew my expiring contract, he posted on Instagram. 

After five fantastic years at Borussia Monchengladbach, it is difficult for me to take this step, but I ve decided upon a different path for my personal and professional development.

I owe a lot to the fans of Borussia and shall always carry this club in my heart. Now I will go with a full head of steam into the second half of the season. 

Those who know me know that I will give everything to accomplish the goals still possible in this season together with everyone else.

Ginter has made 165 appearances for Gladbach since joining in July 2017, 141 of those coming in the Bundesliga – the 12th most of any player in the division over that period.

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What the papers say

Mohamed Salah remains a target for clubs in the Saudi Pro League but they will have to wait beyond January, according to the Daily Mirror. Liverpool are not expected to agree to a mid-season sale for the 31-year-old forward with bids expected to come in the summer.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is likely to concentrate on loan deals in January, reports the Daily Mirror. The club needs to offload players before making any signings with reinforcements on the cards after a string of injuries.

Steve Cooper has emerged as a potential option as manager at Crystal Palace after his sacking at Nottingham Forest, according to The Daily Telegraph. Roy Hodgson’s future in charge of the club is uncertain.

Crystal Palace are interested in Paris St Germain…

Napoli squandered a two-goal lead as Lorenzo De Silvestri snatched a 2-2 draw for Bologna against the Serie A champions, who appear set to lose Scudetto-winning coach Luciano Spalletti.

Spalletti said a decision has been made on his Napoli future before kick-off, with many expecting the Partenopei boss to depart, yet his side initially appeared far from distracted at Stadio Renato Dall Ara.

Victor Osimhen seized on an early Lukasz Skorupski mistake to open the scoring before doubling his – and Napoli s – tally after 54 minutes with a powerful finish across goal.

However, Lewis Ferguson halved the arrears just past the hour before De Silvestri headed home with six minutes remaining, and only the offside flag denied Nicola Sansone a late winner as Napoli were …

Robert Lewandowski has stepped up his recovery from a knee injury as Bayern Munich aim to overturn a first-leg deficit against Paris Saint-Germain without their prolific striker.

Lewandowski suffered damage to his right knee while on international duty with Poland in March, ruling him out of both games against PSG in the Champions League quarter-final tie.

However, Bayern were able to provide a positive update on Monday, with the 32-year-old resuming running duties at the club s training facilities.

In his absence, the reigning European champions were wasteful in the first meeting with their French opponents last week, resulting in a 3-2 loss on home soil.

Hansi Flick s side had 31 attempts, the most in a single Champions League fixture since the star…

Erik ten Hag says Lisandro Martinez’s knee injury “doesn’t look good” and the concerned Manchester United boss is praying centre-back has avoided a “personal disaster”.

The 26-year-old looked crestfallen after being forced off on just his fourth appearance since returning from four months out following the reoccurrence of a foot issue.

Martinez was surrounded by concerned United team-mates in the second half after going down clutching his right knee having been landed on awkwardly by West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal.

The Argentina international was able to continue for a short period, only to pull up again and eventually trudge down the touchline to supportive chants from the Old Trafford faithful.

Ten Hag is fearing the worst and says “we…

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Liverpool’s trophy-laden era during the 1970s’ and 1980s’ planted the seeds for him to become a manager.

Postecoglou has made no secret of his childhood love for Liverpool and recalled on several occasions how he used to watch matches in the early hours of the morning in Australia with his dad Jim.

Kenny Dalglish was an early hero for the 58-year-old and he believes watching the teams of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley win European Cups helped shape his pathway to a coaching career that has seen him manage across the globe.

“I was just consumed by football,” Postecoglou reflected ahead of Saturday’s visit of Liverpool.

“I’ve said before, it wasn’t just playing the game. My infatuation was wit…