Porto´s home comforts, shot-shy Leicester & Sevilla meet – Champions League in Opta numbers

Robert Lewandowski and Ivan Perisic were on target as Bayern Munich started the post Niko Kovac era with a 2-0 win over Olympiacos that secured qualification for the Champions League last 16.

A humiliating 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday brought an end to Kovac s 16-month tenure and caretaker boss Hansi Flick saw his side frustrated for large parts by Jose Sa.

The visiting goalkeeper made several sharp stops and Benjamin Pavard hit the post, but Lewandowski s sixth goal of the group stage broke the away side s resolve.

Substitute Perisic made sure of the points late on meaning Bayern are guaranteed to progress from Group B, leaving Flick to now prepare Bayern for a crucial Bundesliga clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Thomas Muller saw a couple o…

Best Odds: 3/4

Bookmaker:

In what is a real west London derby this weekend, Fulham will welcome Brentford to Craven Cottage for what could be an enjoyable affair.

Fulham

Starting with the hosts, gaining a string of plaudits last season as they clinched an eye-catching top-half finish, Fulham are desperate to keep up a similar momentum this time around. Opening the 2023/24 campaign with another rugged performance on the road as they landed a gritty 1-0 victory against Everton, Marco Silva’s men will be desperate to lay down another marker on Saturday afternoon. However, knowing that they face a tough challenge when their west London rivals arrive this weekend, the one-time Everton boss will be hoping for his squad to find some much-needed stability on home soi…

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez and United Arab Emirates boss Alberto Zaccheroni are both feeling confident as they approach an unlikely Asian Cup semi-final meeting.

The two sides dumped out perennial contenders South Korea and Australia respectively in the quarter-finals to boost hopes of claiming a maiden title in 2019.

Japan will play the winners of Tuesday s last-four clash and, having made it this far, the two coaches are now not interested in playing down expectations.

Sanchez feels Qatar have been under pressure throughout the tournament as they build towards hosting the 2022 World Cup, but he has been delighted with the way his side have thrived in the circumstances.

I think that one of the key reasons for us reaching this stage of the competition is …

Conor Coady and Matt Doherty have signed contract extensions with Wolves until June 2023, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Stars of Wolves Championship promotion campaign, club captain Coady and wing-back Doherty have excelled in the top flight under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Liverpool academy graduate Coady has been an ever-present, with Wolves seventh in the Premier League table, while Doherty brought up his 200th league appearance earlier this season for a club he joined from Bohemians in 2010.

Everybody knows how much I love being here. As soon as the club came to me and told me about the situation I wanted to get something signed as soon as possible, Coady told Wolves official website.

I love coming here every day, I love coming in to train, I lo…

Strasbourg s fairytale rise back to the top level of French football reached a high point on Saturday as they clinched Coupe de la Ligue glory with a 4-1 penalty shoot-out win over Guingamp.

Liquidated back in 2011, Strasbourg were reborn in the fifth tier but won four promotions in six seasons to establish themselves back in Ligue 1. 

And, in contest low on attacking inspiration it was they and not Guingamp previously the last team other than Paris Saint-Germain to win a French Cup competition who held their nerve in the shoot-out after extra time finished with the score goalless.

Thierry Laurey s Strasbourg converted all four of their penalties while Alexandre Mendy and Ronny Rodelin failed to score for Guingamp the former firing over the bar and the latter …

Manchester United have set a new Premier League record by stretching their unbeaten run against Crystal Palace to 17 top-flight matches.

Jose Mourinho s men romped to a 4-0 victory at Old Trafford on Saturday, with Marouane Fellaini scoring a double in between Juan Mata s opener and a late strike from Romelu Lukaku.

United have won 14 and drawn three of their last 17 league games against Palace and no other Premier League side in history has gone as many games without losing against a single opponent.

Palace also equalled Portsmouth s record for the worst start in a Premier League season, having now lost all seven of their opening top-flight matches.

Roy Hodgson s side were already the first team in the history of England s top four divisions to lose thei…

The soundtrack to England s World Cup campaign Three Lions has been given a Dutch rewrite as Ajax welcomed Daley Blind back to the club by recording Daley s Coming Home .

The versatile defender, who emerged from the Ajax academy and broke into the first-team at his hometown club in 2008-09, returned after agreeing a transfer from Manchester United for a fee potentially rising to €20.5million.

Blind s homecoming tune makes reference to the fact that Ajax have gone four years without winning the Eredivisie and harks back to the club s glory days of the 1990s with lines like Frank de Boer still gleaming .

Where England fans sing Three Lions on a shirt as originally penned by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, Ajax s version goes with Three st…

German great to grating presence

Ozil arrived as an established star of the game, a player who was named in the Euro 2012 team of the tournament and one who could hold his own in the Real Madrid midfield.

At around £42.5million, he was a costly investment for Arsenal, but it felt like a statement signing, with Wenger deciding his team needed an injection of world-beating midfield enterprise.

He sparkled fleetingly during his first two seasons, either side of winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany, but then had a stellar 2015-16, having 19 assists and creating 28 big chances in 35 Premier League games that term, drastic improvements on his previous modest returns.

Only Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne have had more assists in a Premier League season, w…

According to a recent report from L’Equipe, Manchester United have now made contact with the agent of Edinson Cavani ahead of a potential deal for the Uruguayan forward. 

Cavani is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the current season as a free agent, which has been anticipated for quite some time now. PSG, however, do not want to try and get money for him during the January transfer window, and are instead happy to let him ride out his contract and play his part between now and when he officially leaves. 

Cavani has been at the source of some great moments and memories for the club over the years, but despite him being their top goalscorer, it never really felt like the two parties were able to click into place as they probably should’ve done. <…

Tottenham Hotspur lost their last three Premier League games in a row something that hadn t happened since 2012. Head coach Jose Mourinho, however, doesn t seem too worried. He responded to a question about supposed pressure in his own, inimitable way.

Jose 🗣 Since 2012, without 3 defeats in a row? Correct. Since when without a title?

Reporter 🗣 1961.

Jose 🗣 Maybe I can give one.

Jose Mourinho bites back when asked about pressure

Football Daily (@footballdaily)

…