Kieran Dowell is ready to handle the challenge at Rangers as he prepares for a different football life north of the border.

Rangers announced in May that the 25-year-old midfielder would officially move to Ibrox from Norwich at the start of July on a three-year deal.

Dowell was the first of boss Michael Beale’s six summer signings so far as the Govan outfit look to wrench the cinch Premiership title – as well as both domestic cups – away from Old Firm rivals Celtic.

With the move to the Light Blues comes expectation, pressure and scrutiny but former England Under-21 international Dowell is relishing the prospect.

He said: “When I first met the manager he said it was a new challenge for me, he sold it to me and it is something I am excited about.

The official line is that it doesn t matter. It s an irrelevance. In fact, why are we even talking about it?

I don t think that it plays any role. It was two years ago, said Julian Brandt on Friday.

But Spain s 6-0 slicing and dicing of Germany in November 2020 looms large over Sunday s re-match at Al Bayt Stadium, however much any protagonists pretend to ignore its presence.

Germany s record defeat in a competitive international came in that Nations League contest played in Seville, and while Joachim Low hung on a little longer as coach, that was the night when his fate was as good as sealed.

So there s one thing that has changed since the humiliation at La Cartuja: Low has gone and Hansi Flick is pulling the strings for Germany, the former Bayern Munic…

Giovanni van Bronckhorst bemoaned Rangers failings against immense Champions League opponents after another hammering at Napoli edged them closer to an unwanted record.

Rangers have shipped 19 goals in the Champions League this season, the most in a single group stage by a Scottish side, after a 3-0 dismantling by in-form Napoli in Group A on Wednesday.

Van Bronckhorst s side have lost five straight games in Europe for just a third time, with this being their first such sequence in a single campaign.

But Rangers could hit a new low with defeat in their final group outing against Ajax, entering that match with a goal difference of -18.

Dinamo Zagreb hold the worst group-stage record in Champions League history, pointless and with a -19 goal difference in t…

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots believes his team are outsiders to challenge for the Euro 2016 trophy, along with Portugal and Italy.

Wilmots guided his nation to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where they were eliminated by eventual runners-up Argentina.

Belgium subsequently moved to the top of the FIFA Rankings, but were overtaken by the South American nation in April.

Despite being ranked as the top European side, Wilmots does not see his team as favourites for glory in France.

We ve worked well, as it s 30 years since Belgium last qualified for two straight tournaments on the pitch. There are teams like Spain, Germany and France that have a lot of quality, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

We are amongst the outsiders like It…

Lionel Messi could throw in the towel on his career in Europe and play out his days in MLS – but it would be a people-pleasing move if he returns to Barcelona next season.

That is the verdict of Gerard Pique, Messi s long-time former Barcelona team-mate who is as interested as anyone in the Argentina great s next step.

Messi is approaching the end of his two-year contract at Paris Saint-Germain, having joined the French club when Barca were mired in a financial crisis and could not keep him on.

He will turn 36 in June, and his performances at the World Cup for Argentina, along with a number of fine club showings, have suggested he could keep going at a high level.

MLS club Inter Miami have also been big admirers of Messi and are seemingly ready with an …

Stefano Pioli is dreaming of going all the way with Milan in this season s Champions League after overcoming Tottenham in the first knockout round.

Milan held Tottenham to a goalless draw in Wednesday s last-16 second leg in north London to secure a 1-0 aggregate victory and a place in next week s quarter-final draw.

Mike Maignan made a superb save late on to deny Harry Kane, but Milan finished the game with an expected goals (xG) return of 1.37 compared to 0.46 for Spurs.

It is the first time since the 2011-12 campaign that Milan have reached the final eight of the competition, and Pioli is excited for what is to come.

We were good today. We asked the team to play with personality, he told Prime Video. We never gave up and it s a well-deserved passage t…

Luciano Spalletti promised Napoli can beat Milan without Victor Osimhen as he told his team to enjoy every moment of the club s maiden Champions League quarter-final.

The first leg at San Siro takes place on Wednesday, just 10 days after Napoli suffered an unexpected 4-0 trouncing at home against Milan in Serie A.

That result came almost out of the blue, with Napoli streaking away at the top of the league, where they now hold a 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio as a first Scudetto since 1990 looms.

Osimhen, their 25-goal striker, has not played for Napoli since before the recent international break due to an abductor muscle injury sustained on Nigeria duty.

He missed the Milan game in the league, from which Napoli bounced back with a 2-1 win over Lec…

England manager Gareth Southgate is gearing up to be without a number of star names in his Euro 2024 build-up.

The 23-man squad is likely to include players who will feature in the Champions League final on June 1 at Wembley, just 15 days before their Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.

Southgate faced a similar difficulty before the inaugural Nations League finals in 2019, when seven players arrived late after Liverpool beat Tottenham in the Champions League final.

Kick-off times have been confirmed for the three Group C fixtures

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— England (@England)

There were similar headaches ahead of the last Euros as Chelsea and Manchester City contested the 2021 Champions League final, but Southgate insisted it was just an o…

Roy Hodgson is to remain as Crystal Palace manager for the new season at the age of 76.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the five men to manage in the Premier League after turning 70.

Roy Hodgson

76 years, three days (on the date of Palace’s first game of the new season)

Hodgson’s extended stay means he will take charge of the clash with Sheffield United three days after his 76th birthday. Remarkably he has had three separate spells in the top flight since turning 70, keeping Palace safe from relegation in 2020-21 and again last season, but failing to achieve the same feat with Watford in between times.

His 47-year managerial career has taken in a total of 17 clubs in six countries, including four in Sweden, as well as the national teams of England,…

Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Italy to win against Sweden
Odds:

Italy lock horns with Sweden in their second Euro 2016 Group E clash at the Stadium Municipal this afternoon, and are big favourites to come out on top with how well they’ve begun this summer’s tournament.

The Azzurri are currently top of Group E with three points from their opening game victory over Belgium, two points clear of Sweden and the Republic of Ireland in second and third respectively. A win for Italy will see them into the knockout round, and the manner of their performance against Belgium could see them beating Sweden too.

As for the aforementioned, the Swedes drew their opening game of the Euros to Ireland, but could still end the day top of Group E with a win at the …