Diego Simeone has challenged Atletico Madrid to prove themselves as worthy Copa del Rey winners by beating Barcelona in the last four.
Atleti were pitted against the holders in the semi-final draw on Friday, with the winners set to meet either Alaves or Celta Vigo the conquerors of Real Madrid in the final.
Barca have won the last two Copa ties with the 2013 winners but Atleti have emerged victorious on the last two occasions they have met in the semis, which includes a 6-0 aggregate win in 1999-2000, when the Catalans forfeited the second leg over a dispute with the Spanish Football Federation.
Simeone says it is no surprise to have to face Barca at this stage of a major competition and wants his players to show they are of the same calibre as Luis Enrique s sid…
Rudi Garcia has announced he is stepping down as Marseille coach after a disappointing season in Ligue 1.
Hired in October 2016, Garcia steered Marseille to a fifth-place finish that term, before building on that in his first full season.
The club ended the 2017-18 campaign fourth in Ligue 1, narrowly missing out on Champions League football, finishing just a point adrift of Lyon in third.
But they were unable to maintain that level this season and Garcia had been under pressure for several weeks after a top-three finish appeared to look beyond them.
With the best Marseille can hope for going into the last game of the season being 61 points – 16 fewer than last season – and a fifth-place finish, Garcia has opted to stand aside.
Speaking at a…
Las Palmas have received the green light from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga to sign a free agent outside of the transfer window following the departure of Jonathan Viera to Beijing Guoan.
Viera s move to the Chinese Super League was confirmed on Monday after a couple of weeks of speculation, dealing the relegation-threatened side a significant blow.
The Spain international was a vital part of their team and had impressed ever since returning to the club in 2015 after spells with Valencia, Rayo Vallecano and Standard Liege.
Although the transfer fee has not been made public due to a confidentiality clause, Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez confirmed on Monday that he has managed to obtain 30 per cent of any future sale.
Vi…
Chelsea forward Timo Werner could end up at Bayern Munich in the future, according to . It has been reported that Werner is in regular contact with Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann. The 25-year-old Germany international worked with Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig.
Werner joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2020. The 25-year-old made 29 starts and six substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Blues , scoring six goals and providing six assists in the process. The German scored four goals and provided two assists in 12 Champions League appearances last season.
have reported that there is a 70% chance that Werner could end up at German and European giants Bayern Munich in the future. The Chelsea forward is in regular contact with Nagelsmann.
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It did not take long for Chelsea to run out of patience with Frank Lampard following significant investment in their first-team squad during the close season.
Chelsea spent in excess of £200million on reinforcements for the 2020-21 campaign but with the club ninth in the Premier League and 11 points off top at the midway point, they dispensed with the services of their head coach on Monday.
Lampard arrived just 18 months ago with the club under a transfer embargo and was lauded for his faith in youth during a debut campaign that yielded a top-four finish and an FA Cup final appearance.
However, Chelsea have not managed to maintain an upward trajectory this season and after a run of two wins in eight Premier League games the decision was taken to cut ties with t…
Manuel Neuer expressed relief that Germany are still alive in the World Cup after they salvaged a 1-1 draw with Spain on Sunday.
Germany s hopes of reaching the round of 16 suffered a shock blow when they lost their first match against Japan.
Yet Costa Rica responded to a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain by beating Japan 1-0 to leave all to play for in Group E s final games.
Alvaro Morata put Spain ahead in the battle between the Group E heavyweights at Al Bayt Stadium, but Germany s Niclas Fullkrug came off the bench to equalise and secure his team s first point.
In order to progress, Hansi Flick s Germany side must beat Costa Rica in their last group match on Thursday and hope Spain do them a favour against Japan.
Goalkeeper Neuer, who denied…
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is urging footballers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
In recent months, it has become increasingly clear that vaccine take-up is not as high among elite footballers as within the rest of society.
A story in British tabloid The Sun last week said Premier League clubs feared the government would ban unvaccinated players, suggesting there remains a reasonable proportion holding out.
The Premier League last released vaccination data in mid-October, at which point it was said only 68 per cent of players were fully vaccinated – in terms of wider society, over 80 per cent of adults aged 16 or older in England reported having been double-jabbed as early as July.
Vaccination has become an especially hot…
Central Coast Mariners playmaker Michael McGlinchey will captain the side against Perth Glory on Monday in the absence of John Hutchinson.
Hutchinson is suspended for the New Year s Eve encounter at Bluetongue Stadium, prompting Mariners coach Graham Arnold to hand New Zealand international McGlinchey the skipper s armband.
McGlinchey joined Central Coast from Scottish giants Celtic in 2009 and was a shining light for the All Whites at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
I think Mikey is one of the best players in the A-League, Arnold said on Sunday.
He s been to the World Cup, to the Olympics, he knows what pressure football is about.
We need a little bit extra out of Mikey tomorrow night so hopefully the armband can help.
Veteran d…
that Liverpool are hoping to sign Swansea captain Ashley Williams in the summer transfer window.
With Jamie Carragher set to end his career at the end of the current campaign and Martin Skrtel failing to live up to his potential, Brendan Rodgers is eager to sign a new centre-back in the summer.
According to Liverpool Echo, Swansea stopper Ashley Williams has moved to the top of Reds’ hit-list.
Williams has impressed at Liberty Stadium this season and club chiefs face a real battle to keep hold of their prized asset.
Arsenal and Liverpool are both believed to be keen on the 28-year-old, who was playing League Two football just five years ago.
Ashley Williams has been at Swansea since joining the club from Stockport County in 2008, and went on t…
Huddersfield Town midfielder Jonathan Hogg suffered a fractured neck against Bristol City and is set to miss the rest of the season, the Championship club confirmed.
Hogg had to be carried from the field on a stretcher after requiring 14 minutes of treatment following a collision with team-mate Mark Hudson in the first half of Friday s 4-0 defeat.
The 28-year-old was taken to hospital for treatment before being discharged on Saturday, with no significant trauma to any of the soft tissues in his neck.
A statement read: Although he is expected to miss the rest of the 2016/17 season, the Club is happy that Jonathan is in no immediate danger and looks forward to seeing Hoggy back out on the pitch as soon as is safely possible.
Alongside Jonathan, everyone …