Borussia Dortmund ended Bayern Munich s unbeaten start to the league campaign with a 1-0 Der Klassiker victory courtesy of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s first-half goal.
The hosts, who had not triumphed over their fierce rivals in the league since 2014, ignited their Bundesliga title hopes with a gritty display at Signal Iduna Park, where they spent long spells on the back foot en route to a 27th home league match without defeat.
Thomas Tuchel s men rode their luck at times and were ultimately indebted to Aubameyang s close-range 11th-minute finish, which brought them to within three points of their visitors.
It is RB Leipzig – 3-2 winners over Bayer Leverkusen on Friday – who lead the way, but Bayern will wonder how they did not at least claim a draw on S…
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In a showdown that could see a host of chances at both ends of the pitch this weekend, Bayer Leverkusen will welcome Borussia Dortmund to the BayArena on Saturday afternoon.
Bayer Leverkusen
Starting with the hosts, while Bayer Leverkusen might have been disappointed to have only opened the 2021/22 campaign with a 1-1 draw away at Union Berlin, it appears that was just a minor blip for Die Werkself. Making the decision to appoint new boss Gerardo Seoane over the summer, they were last seen heading into the international break a fortnight ago enjoying a real purple patch. Once again securing themselves another European finish last season, the one-time Young Boys manager has seen his side collect seven points from their opening three B…
Diogo Dalot insists Portugal s approach in their final Nations League Group A2 game against Spain will not be any different after rising to the top of the table.
A comfortable 4-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague, where the Manchester United full-back scored a brace, came alongside a surprising 2-1 defeat for Spain against Switzerland.
Those results set up a decisive match between Portugal and Spain on Tuesday in Braga, where the hosts know avoiding defeat will secure a spot in next year s Finals tournament.
Despite now finding themselves in pole position, Dalot says the outlook ahead of the game has not changed.
Our thinking will be the same, whether Spain had won or our result [had been different]. We re going to Braga to win, he said.
Udinese starlet Luis Muriel has confirmed that he will remain with the club for the coming season.
The 22-year-old has starred for the Serie A side since moving from his native Colombia in 2010, reportedly attracting a number of European suitors in the process.
But Muriel has now revealed that he will not seek a transfer during the current transfer window so he can pay back the owners support and continue his development.
The Pozzo family have always supported me and they want to keep me in Udine for another season, that is what they have told me, Muriel told El Deportivo.
I want to grow as a player in this campaign so that I ll be able to go on and subsequently join a bigger club.
Muriel scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 22 Italian top-flight …
Nottingham Forest have re-signed David Vaughan for the remainder of the season,.
The 30 year old originally moved to Billy Davies’ promotion chasing side in October making six appearances in all competitions, the last of which coming in the goalless draw with Preston North End in the fourth round of the FA Cup last Friday evening.
Prior to his switch to the City Ground, the midfielder had been used on just four occasions by the Black Cats, who he joined from Blackpool in the summer of 2011.
The Wales international could return to the Forest line-up for Sunday afternoon’s visit of bottom of the table Yeovil Town when they the East Midlanders will hope to extend their unbeaten run, which currently stands at twelve games.
Forest can back backed at a…
Ragnar Klavan has left Liverpool after two seasons and joined Serie A side Cagliari for a reported £2million.
The imposing Estonia international has inked a two-year deal in Sardinia after failing to convince at Anfield.
Signed from Augsburg in 2016, 32-year-old Klavan made 15 starts in his first Premier League campaign and added another 16 last term.
His hopes of an extended run in the team were diminished by Virgil van Dijk s arrival in January, while Joe Gomez now looks set to play a more prominent part at centre-back.
The former AZ man will instead turn his attention to helping steady Cagliari, who finished just four points above the drop zone in 2017-18.
He could make his Serie A debut as soon as Sunday s season-opening trip to Empoli.
Niko Kovac hopes to see Renato Sanches flourish under his leadership at Bayern Munich and believes the youngster s career stalled due to a social issue and not football-specific matters.
Sanches was an unused substitute for Saturday s 3-1 Bundesliga win over Bayer Leverkusen and could feature against former club Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Portugal international left Benfica as one of the hottest properties in European football two years ago, joining Bayern before starring in his country s triumphant Euro 2016 campaign.
But he failed to make an impression over the course of 17 Bundesliga appearances in 2016-17 before an ill-fated loan switch to Swansea City, which ended with Sanches as a peripheral figure in the club s relegation from th…
Gary O’Neil welcomes Wolves supporters dreaming of Europe even if he is happy to play down such talk.
Wolves completed a Premier League double over Tottenham on Saturday with a 2-1 away win that moved them on to 35 points for the campaign.
It was Wolves’ fourth win from their last five matches and they are now only two points off seventh spot, which has earned Europa Conference League qualification in each of the last three seasons.
The connection
— Wolves (@Wolves)
O’Neil said: “I haven’t seen the league table but I don’t really set goals in league table positions, especially with a group that I didn’t know when I joined and most of the talk at that point was around relegation!
“To switch talk from relegation to Europe…
What the papers say
The Sun reports that Gareth Southgate has his eye on three uncapped midfield players – Manchester United teen Kobbie Mainoo, Everton’s James Garner and Fulham’s Harrison Reed – as concern grows over the form of Kalvin Phillips.
Coach David Moyes’ future with West Ham looks fraught as the club is understood to be sounding out Julen Lopetegui, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter to lead the Hammers, writes the Daily Mail.
Steve Bruce is keen to move abroad, with the ex-Newcastle boss looking to become the next manager for South Korea, writes the Daily Mirror.
Social media round-up
Francesco Calzona has just signed his contract as new Napoli head coach until the end of the season.
Calzona will remain in charge also as Slovakia nat…
Paris Saint Germain midfielder Yohan Cabaye has urged his club to make a move to sign Chelsea’s Eden Hazard,.
The former Newcastle United man, who himself moved to the French capital in January, played alongside the Belgium international at Lille where together they won the league and cup double in 2011, and is keen to link up with him once more.
Hazard has made 104 appearances in all competitions since move to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2012, scoring twenty-nine goals, and his form this season has been key in his club’s charge to the top of the Premier League table.
The 23 year old is set to come up against Cabaye in the quarter finals of the Champions League, with the first leg of the tie taking place at the Parc de Princes next Wednesday where .…