Italy 10/11 to win against Sweden in this afternoon’s Euro 2016 clash

Thomas Tuchel insisted Chelsea are trying their very best to tie the impressive Antonio Rudiger to a new contract, while also hailing the evergreen Thiago Silva.

Rudiger joined from Roma in July 2017 and has been an integral part of the Blues backline under Tuchel, starting the most games since the German s arrival last January (50) and ranking first for minutes played (4,575).

However, the centre-back s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, with clubs now able to negotiate with the 28-year-old should he not agree on negotiations with Chelsea.

A host of Europe s elite clubs, including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, have been linked with the defender but Tuchel remains hopeful his international compatriot will commit his future to the Champions Lea…

Italy boss Roberto Mancini handed first call-ups to Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi and Spezia midfielder Matteo Ricci as he selected a 38-man squad for the three upcoming World Cup qualifiers. 

Brazilian-born Toloi has been residing in Italy since leaving Sao Paulo to join Atalanta in 2015 and has received the citizenship that makes him eligible to represent the Azzurri. 

The 30-year-old has been summoned at the first opportunity by head coach Mancini, who has observed the centre-back as a prominent member of the Atalanta team that has caught the eye in Serie A and the Champions League. 

Ricci, 26, joined Spezia from Roma in July 2018 and helped the team win promotion to Serie A last season. 

He has yet to score in the top flight for Spe…

The last time Cristiano Ronaldo played at Old Trafford, Manchester United abandoned tradition.

In every home game, certainly in the last decade, United and opposition players have walked out of the tunnel in the corner of the Stretford End to the sound of music, usually This Is The One by The Stone Roses. The handshake formalities follow, as does the Champions League theme on those European nights. Then, stadium announcer Alan Keegan reads out the line-ups, always starting with the visitors .

Not so in March 2013. As the first 22 began to get into position, United s team was read out first, in the usual numerical order. Real Madrid s followed, starting from goalkeeper Diego Lopez and number two, Raphael Varane, until it jumped from six, Sami Khedira straight to 10, Mesut…

Prediction: Denmark to win 3-0

Best Odds:

Bookmaker: 

Denmark and Northern Ireland will face each other in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying Group H this week. The match between Kasper Hjulmand’s side and Michael O’Neill’s team will be held at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time on Friday.

Denmark

Denmark have progressed a lot as a team on the pitch in recent years and are now a force to be reckoned with, especially in European football. The Danes qualified for the 2022 Qatar World Cup amid huge expectations and hype, but they could not really make an impact at the tournament. Kasper Hjulmand s side drew with Tunisia, lost to France and went down to Australia and finished at the bottom of Group D and got knock…

Liverpool have completed the signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to £25million (€27.5m).

Thiago was rumoured to be a target of Jurgen Klopp s before the transfer window opened, with the Reds boss aiming to add more creativity to his midfield unit.

The Premier League champions have now got their man, with the 29-year-old – whose deal at Bayern was due to expire in June 2021 – signing a four-year contract at Anfield.

Stats Perform News understands Liverpool will pay an initial £20m (€22m), with an additional £5m (€5.5m) in bonuses.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for…  

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Liverpool s pursuit of Thiago developed into something of a saga, with the midfielder acknowl…

After being appointed by Oldham Athletic, Paul Scholes becomes the latest former Manchester United star to have played under Alex Ferguson and gone on to become a manager.

Their record is mixed but the strong start made by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since taking temporary charge at Old Trafford shows why Ferguson s old pupils continue to be in such strong demand.

Unlike former England team-mates Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Scholes has opted for a low-key start to life as a manager by taking charge of his boyhood club.

The list of Ferguson s former players to have stepped into the dugout is a long one but here are some of the biggest names to have tried their luck.

 We can t stop singing this!  

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

Ole Gun…

Real Madrid would be negligent if they failed to bring Sergio Ramos back to the club one day, according to former team-mate Toni Kroos.

The LaLiga giants announced last week that the long-serving centre-back is to leave the club after a remarkable 16-year spell in the Spanish capital.

Ramos won LaLiga five times with Madrid and helped Los Blancos to four Champions League titles, among an array of other major honours.

But the Spain international will start a new adventure next season after Madrid withdrew their offer of a one-year deal on reduced terms, as confirmed by the long-serving defender.

Kroos spent seven seasons playing in the same side as Ramos and believes the 35-year-old will return to the Santiago Bernabeu in the future.

I am sure we …

Edinson Cavani inspired a superb turnaround as Manchester United came from two behind to beat Southampton 3-2.

Jan Bednarek s header and a trademark free-kick from James Ward-Prowse had put Southampton in command at St Mary s Stadium.

But the introduction of Cavani for the second half proved a masterstroke by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that paid initial dividends in the 59th minute when he teed up Bruno Fernandes to halve the deficit.

He then met the midfielder s deflected shot with a diving header to equalise and had the crucial final say when he diverted Marcus Rashford s cross beyond Alex McCarthy in the 92nd minute, securing a record eighth successive Premier League away win for United.

4 8 Manchester United are the first side in Premier League history to w…

Diego Maradona was buried in a private funeral after thousands gathered on the streets of Buenos Aires to mourn the Argentina and Napoli great.

Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata head coach Maradona – arguably football s greatest ever player – died of natural causes at the age of 60 on Wednesday.

Mourners and police clashed at the wake of Maradona as large crowds took to the streets of the Argentina capital to bid farewell to the football legend on Thursday.

Maradona s coffin was draped in the Argentina flag at Casa Rosada – the presidential mansion where his body laid in honour amid three days of national mourning – before being transported to a cemetery.

Lorenzo Insigne and Tommaso Starace pay tribute to Diego

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscn…

Lionel Messi s home debut for Paris Saint-Germain ended in victory, the Ligue 1 leaders rallying for a 2-1 win over Lyon thanks to Neymar s penalty and a late goal from Mauro Icardi. 

Lyon took the lead nine minutes after the break when Karl Toko Ekambi s teasing cross was met by a first-time finish from Lucas Paqueta. 

PSG got themselves back on level terms with a 66th-minute penalty, Neymar converting from the spot after he was deemed to have been fouled in the box by Malo Gusto. 

Substitute Icardi then popped up in added time at Parc des Princes on Sunday to secure the points for the home side with a brilliant header from Kylian Mbappe s cross. 

In a fervent atmosphere generated by the PSG supporters – the air thick with smoke from pyr…