Kapino expects tough Japan test

Dani Olmo has been one of the more interesting young footballers in recent years. He left Barcelona academy at the age of 16 to move to Dinamo Zagreb, the best club in Croatia. There he slowly worked his way up to the senior side and the first team and now he is their biggest star. In between of all of that, he was one of Spain s best players at Under-21 European Championship in 2019, which Spain won, and he even made his debut for the senior national team whilst still playing in Croatia.

But now the player is ready to move on and Atletico Madrid could be getting him. It was previously reported that Los Colchoneros are thinking about paying for Olmo, as possible fees were reported to go as high as 35 million euros. Olmo told the Spanish media that he believes his cycle in Croat…

Jose Mourinho bears no grudges to anyone at Chelsea despite confirming he was sacked in December 2015 and did not leave by mutual consent.

Mourinho was shown the door seven months after leading the west London club to the title, after Chelsea opened their defence at the start of the 2015-16 season with nine defeats in their first 16 games.

At the time the club statement claimed the Portuguese had left by mutual consent but Mourinho, who returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since with Manchester United on Sunday, was adamant he was dismissed by owner Roman Abramovich.

He told Sky Sports: Mr Abramovich decided to sack me. I left with not one bad word about anything or anyone at the club.

It was not mutual consent. That was in my first period at Ch…

Market: Goias win

Odds: 2/3 @

Two sides who find themselves battling it out at opposite ends of the Serie B table, Goias and Remo will face off in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Starting with the hosts, putting in what was a rugged display on the road over the weekend and deserving of their 1-1 draw against fellow top-four contenders Coritiba, Marcelo Cabo s side are tipped as a leading pick in the promotion chase. Glad to make a return to home soil in midweek and smelling what should be a golden chance, Verdão were last seen at the Estádio da Serrinha picking up a deserved 1-0 win against Operário PR. In fact, aside from a 1-0 loss against Serie B leaders Náutico on July 10th, The Big Green have shown a host of defensive resolve. Remarkably, the form…

Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli has recalled Federico Marchetti to his squad to face the Netherlands in a friendly on Wednesday.

The Lazio goalkeeper has not been involved in the Azzurri set-up since 2010, but his fine form this season has earned himself a spot in the team.

There are six Juventus players named by Prandelli, while AC Milan have five stars included in the squad including new 22-million-euro signing Mario Balotelli.

Newcastle United full-back Davide Santon and Paris Saint-Germain pair Salvatore Sirigu and Marco Verratti are the only three Italians who play outside the country that have been chosen for the team to face the Dutch.

The international friendly, which will be staged in Amsterdam, will not feature Leonardo Bonucci, as the Bianco…

Napoli s Rafael Benitez has described his side s UEFA Champions League draw alongside Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Marseille as balanced .

Thursday s Champions League draw saw Napoli placed in Group F alongside last season s finalists Dortmund, regular knockout stage qualifiers Arsenal and 2011/12 quarter-finalists Marseille.

But the Italian club s head coach, Benitez did not seem too fazed when he offered a summary of all three opponents on Friday.

As I ve already said, our group in Champions League is balanced. We can do well but Dortmund, Arsenal and Olympique de Marseille are very strong teams too, Benitez said.

We all know Dortmund, they reached the final last season, we know how they play, they re a top team.

I know Arsenal and their coach (Arsene W…

Danny Rose has revealed the heartbreak of their Chelsea collapse is driving Tottenham forward this season, after the club s 2015-16 campaign was derailed at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino s side were 2-0 up against their London rivals in May and looked set to take the Premier League title race to the wire before the hosts fought back to claim a draw – a result that saw Leicester City crowned champions.

Spurs went on to lose their final two games and finish third, behind Arsenal, but are back in the mix at the top end of the table this season, having gone unbeaten across the first 12 games.

Rose, whose booking in the dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham last time out means he is suspended for Saturday s return match against the Blues, is desperate to exorcise la…

Cristian Zapata has labelled Milan s Serie A clash with Empoli as a must-win match , despite it being only the second fixture of their league campaign.

Sinisa Mihajlovic s side – who welcomed Mario Balotelli back on loan from Liverpool this week – were beaten by Fiorentina last time out, losing 2-0 and having Rodrigo Ely sent off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

And Zapata, who came on as a substitute during the defeat, knows that major improvements are needed if Milan are to prevail over Empoli – beaten 3-1 by Chievo in their opener – at San Siro on Saturday.

We only have one option in the match against Empoli and that is to win, he said.

We didn t play well against Fiorentina and after we had a man sent off, things got complicated for…

The Premier League called off its full weekend fixture programme following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, saying it took the decision as a mark of respect for a monarch who had been an inspiration .

After discussions with Government officials, an announcement of the postponements came in a statement from the league at 11:30 BST.

It read: At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend s Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening’s game.

As a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this weekend’s Premier League match round will be postponed.

— Premie…

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli said evergreen star Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn t have to stop at 500 goals after reaching the landmark figure in his club career.

Ibrahimovic passed 500 club goals in Milan s 4-0 Serie A rout of Crotone, increasing his tally to 501 with his sixth league brace of the season on Sunday.

The 39-year-old opened the scoring after half an hour before doubling the lead with 26 minutes remaining at San Siro, where Ante Rebic netted a quick-fire double as Milan returned to the top of the table.

There s no need to add anything. We just have to congratulate with him, Pioli told reporters.

It s an unbelievable milestone but we are talking of an absolute number one, he is a champion. I just want to congratulate him again and send him a me…

Barcelona boss Xavi is wary of the dangers that a “very aggressive” Villarreal side may pose as they prepare to meet in La Liga on Saturday.

Barca come into the match on a three-match winning streak in the league but sit eight points behind league leaders Girona, who have played one game more.

At the opposite end of the table, Villarreal are lingering just five points above the drop zone and are without a win in their last three in the league.

Xavi understands Saturday’s opponents are going through a tough spell but is still alert to their threat.

Quoted on Barcelona’s official website, he said: “Villarreal are going through a bad patch.

“But Marcelino’s teams are always very aggressive and well-organised, and work hard on defence. T…