PSV starlet plays down Manchester City links

Bitter rivals North Korea and South Korea fought out a 1-1 draw in the latest round of final Asian 2010 World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday while Australia got their campaign off to a winning start.

The Aussies handed Uzbekistan a 1-0 defeat in Tashkent thanks to a rare international goal from Scott Chipperfield playing only his second international in 19 months as they bid to reach their second successive finals.

The Uzbeks hopes of reaching the finals for the first time look remote after two successive defeats as do those of the UAE they lost to North Korea in their opening match at the weekend after they let a 1-0 lead slip, ending up losing 2-1 to Asian giants Saudi Arabia.

The other match ended 1-1 between a 10-man Bahrain and Qatar, who also missed a pena…

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are starting from scratch next season and warned his side will have more than just an amazing rivalry with Liverpool to contend with.

City completed a Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup treble in the 2018-19 campaign, edging out the Reds by a solitary point in the top flight.

Liverpool also finished the season with silverware as they defeated Tottenham 2-0 in Saturday s Champions League final in Madrid.

The two are expected to be the main protagonists in the title race again next term, but Guardiola – speaking to reporters at the basketball match between Manresa and Real Madrid – insists City will have plenty of company in the battle for supremacy.

We have an amazing rivalry, but not only with them [Liverpool], ther…

Liverpool forward Fabio Borini hurt his shoulder and was substituted early in his side s 1-0 loss Roma on Wednesday.

Linked with a move to Sunderland, Borini went down under a challenge and landed awkwardly on his right shoulder before being substituted in the 12th minute at Fenway Park.

Borini, who has been unable to cement a place at Anfield since joining in July 2012, came off holding his shoulder.

The Italian was expected to make a £14million move to Sunderland, where he enjoyed a successful campaign on loan last season, but that move could now be in doubt.

Marco Borriello claimed what proved to be the match-winner, side-footing in a corner in the 90th minute.

One of Rodgers four signings so far, Emre Can, replaced Borini just days after suff…

Emile Smith Rowe is really desperate to help Arsenal end their long wait for a Premier League title after his injury-hit season.

Smith Rowe has largely been sidelined with a groin injury as the Gunners have marched to the top of the Premier League table, heading into this international break with an eight-point lead over closest challengers Manchester City, though the champions have a game in hand.

With just 10 games to play, Arsenal look the favourites to bring their Premier League title drought to an end, having last lifted the trophy with the 2003-04 Invincibles side.

Smith Rowe returned for the Gunners with four substitute appearances before scoring on his first start for club or country since June with the England Under-21s against France on Saturday, and wi…

Paris Saint-Germain forward Hatem Ben Arfa would be welcomed at Montreal Impact, according to coach Remi Garde.

The 31-year-old has been made an outcast by coach Unai Emery and recently confirmed that he will leave the Ligue 1 champions-elect at the end of the season.

Ben Arfa has not featured for the club since April 2017 and his lawyer, Jean-Jacques Bertrand, has accused them of violating France s professional football charter due to their treatment of his client.

If he decides to move to Major League Soccer then Garde has made it clear he would be warmly received in Canada.

We know each other very well,  the former Lyon and Aston Villa coach said.

If Hatem is coming to MLS, he is welcome here.

…

Wayne Rooney is confident that England are more than capable of leaving Switzerland with three points on Monday.

England open their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign against the Swiss in what many believe will be their toughest fixture in Group E.

Roy Hodgson s men have also been drawn alongside Estonia, Lithuania, San Marino and Slovenia, and they are expected to qualify for the tournament comfortably.

However, an unimpressive display against Norway in a 1-0 friendly win on Wednesday has seen England come under pressure once again following on from a dismal World Cup campaign.

But captain Rooney is adamant that his side have enough to claim victory.

There is the determination, the Manchester United man said. We re a tight-knit group and we re workin…

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says the unwavering support of the Stamford Bridge crowd has helped him achieve great things with the club.

From 2002 to 2011, Mourinho did not lose a league game at home in an incredible 150-match run that included his time at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid.

Of those 150 matches, 60 came at Chelsea, with the Portuguese seeing his side win 46 of those and draw the remaining 14.

And when Mourinho – who was re-appointed as Chelsea boss in June – was asked to reflect on his superb Stamford Bridge record by the club s official magazine, he said the consistent support his decisions received played a big part.

I know in my record at Chelsea also at Inter and Madrid that I made many decisions that helped my teams with this record…

Russian international Pavel Pogrebniak is poised for a move to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, the German outfit said on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Zenit Saint Petersburg striker must first pass a medical on Monday with the transfer to be completed early next week.

He is set to sign a four-year deal with the club and fill the gap left by German international Mario Gomez, sold for 35 million euros to Bayern Munich.

Capped 13 times for the national side Pogrebniak joined Zenit in 2007, winning the UEFA Cup in 2008.

He comes Stuttgart s second recruit after Belarussian midfielder Alexander Hleb from Barcelona.

…

Brisbane Roar midfielder Erik Paartalu has completed his expected move to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda.

The 26-year-old was virtually unknown in Australia when then-Roar coach Ange Postecoglou signed him from Scottish First Division outfit Greenock Morton ahead of the 2010-11 A-League season.

But Paartalu made an immediate impact, playing every match of the campaign as Brisbane clinched the A-League title for the first time.

The Sydney-born midfielder wrote his name into Roar folklore in the Grand Final of the 2010-11 season, with his 120th-minute equaliser taking the match to penalties.

Brisbane eventually edged the Central Coast Mariners in a thrilling shootout that Paartalu also scored a spot-kick in.

And he backed it up last season,…

Bayer Leverkusen youngster Benjamin Henrichs has moved to reveal that a number of English Premier League clubs have been showing interest in his services.

The 19-year-old shot to prominence this season as die Werkself coach Roger Schmidt converted him to right-sided defender, and he has now even received a first ever call-up to the senior national team.

, Henrichs has revealed that he had a chance to join Barcelona some six years ago, but he, nonetheless, remained with Bayer Leverkusen.

However, a big club move could still be on the cards as the youngster claims that several Premier League clubs are keen on his services.

“English clubs showed interest (in my services) after an international match in England with Germany Under-19 in September 2015,” H…