Leverkusen secure Swiss youngster

Roberto Di Matteo says the outcome of Chelsea s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham will not affect their English Premier League rivalry.

Chelsea are two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the all-important battle to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

At Wembley Stadium on Sunday they will put aside league matters to fight for a place in the FA Cup final.

Chelsea triumphed in the competition as recently as 2010, while Spurs have not reached the final since they won in 1991.

Winning always has a positive psychological effect on individuals and on the team, Di Matteo said.

It certainly a better outcome to win, but I don t think it will have any impact on finishing fourth.

We played Spurs twice in the league and both games were…

French newspaper that Lille are planning January bid for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kevin Gameiro.

With centre forwards Nolan Roux and Tulio de Melo scoring just four league goals between them this season, les Dogues boss Rudi Garcia is keen on adding another forward to the squad.

L’Equipe claims the talented manager has set his sights on PSG star Kevin Gameiro.

Gameiro, 25, has lost his place in the starting line-up following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi and he may have to leave Parc des Princes in search of first team football.

The lack of playing time at club level saw him miss out on last few France squads and the forward is aware only regular first team football can help him return into international reckoning.

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According to a report carried in the Guardian, Chelsea are interested in signing the Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin. Reports in many of the other newspapers also suggest that a deal has been already agreed.

The Guardian reports that club owner Roman Abramovich is believed to have personally intervened to ensure the Zenit St Petersburg playmaker, who shone at Euro 2008, will opt for a move to London over Barcelona or Real Madrid and is preparing a £12m bid.

An unnamed source at Arshavin s club was quoted as saying: Chelsea have been in contact, a deal agreed and Arshavin will fly to London to discuss personal terms.

However the Sun also reports that Arsene Wenger has been dubbed ‘a cunning fox’ in his hunt for the wily…

Deportivo La Coruna have confirmed that manager Jose Luis Oltra has been sacked over an irreversible run of form.

The Spanish side sit rock-bottom of La Liga with 12 points from 17 matches, though just three points off the tip of the relegation zone.

The former Tenerife boss guided Deportivo back to the top flight in the 2011-12 season but has struggled to string victories together this campaign, and Augusto Cesar Lendoiro insisted that change is necessary.

It s a decision that didn t come today, it was taken before the assembly following the defeat against Espanyol [on December 20], the president told reporters at a press conference on Sunday.

The situation became irreversible. We re not fans of changing the coach, but a shake-up was needed that had t…

Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has no plans to retire while he is feeling fit, insisting ego would not play a part in his decision.

Ibrahimovic made a superb start to the season with Serie A leaders Milan, scoring 11 goals in 10 games, before suffering a hamstring injury last month.

The veteran striker has impressed since returning to the Serie A club at the start of the year, although talk about his future continues after he turned 39 in October.

But Ibrahimovic, who is contracted until the end of the season, said he wanted to continue while he could.

As long as I will continue to feel good. Because when the years go by, we no longer talk about quality, but only about how you are physically, he told Sky Sport. 

If you are physically well you c…

Paris Saint-Germain have hit out at immature criticism of Marquinhos after they allowed him to miss Saturday s match at Montpellier for the birth of his second child.

A discussion on programme L Equipe du Soir involving host Olivier Menard and former Auxerre boss Guy Roux questioned why the Brazil international should miss the Ligue 1 game.

In one exchange, Roux, 81, said: Are the men giving birth now? Is there is no doctor in Paris for this lady to give birth?

Marquinhos, meanwhile, posted on social media to confirm Enrico had been born on Friday, describing his birth as a blessing while calling his wife Carol Cabrino a warrior .

Enrico Cabrino Corrêa 06.12.2019 E o molecão chegou, parabéns mamãe você é a nossa guerreira! Que alegria, quanta emo…

Gareth Bale believes Manchester City s poor performance in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid was due to their lack of experience at that stage of the competition.

The Wales international was involved in the only goal of the tie in Wednesday s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, seeing his shot deflect off Fernando and past Joe Hart to seal a 1-0 aggregate win.

Madrid s win puts Zinedine Zidane s team into a repeat of the 2014 final against Atletico Madrid as they – and Bale – eye a second Champions League crown in the last three years.

City only produced one shot on target in the second leg, but Bale thinks that while the Premier League side struggled to cope with the occasion, Madrid also deserve some of the credit.

It s a new occ…

Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has been appointed as the secretary general of FIFA, becoming the first female to hold the position.

Samoura takes up the position following 21 years working for the United Nations, replacing Jerome Valcke who was sacked in February amid allegations linking him to a scheme that intended to sell tickets for the 2014 World Cup at above their face value.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino believes the Senegalese can help improve the way the organisation operates and support its strive towards greater transparency.

Fatma is a woman with international experience and vision who has worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time, said Infantino during the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City.

She has a proven ability to build and…

France captain Wendie Renard is willing to return to international football after participating in a player revolt which led to the sacking of head coach Corinne Diacre.

Last month, Lyon defender Renard announced she would not play at this year s World Cup under Diacre s leadership, a stance which was replicated by forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto.

Diacre subsequently accused her detractors of participating in a destabilisation operation , but the French Football Federation (FFF) removed her from her post following a meeting of its executive committee.

The FFF said a fracture between Diacre and senior players had reached a point of no return which harms the interests of the national team .

In the aftermath of that decision, Renard –…

Market: Watford win

Odds: 7/10 @

Looking to claim back-to-back Championship victories on Saturday afternoon, Watford will welcome Wigan to Vicarage Road.

Starting with the hosts, while many might have been shocked to see Chris Wilder arrive at Vicarage Road earlier in the month, the Hornets were last seen putting in a stellar display. Laying down a play-off marker in midweek as they cruised their way to a 3-0 romp against Birmingham, the former Sheffield United boss will be calling on his new squad to find some recent stability. With their sights still firmly set on trying to secure a Premier League return in 2023, the Hornets should be smelling the chance to claim back-to-back Championship victories here. Drawing a line under their three-match winless run, Wild…