Niklas Sule can forget about featuring in Germany s Euro 2020 campaign, according to Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness.

The 24-year-old underwent surgery on Sunday after scans confirmed he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 2-2 Bundesliga draw with Augsburg.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Bayern s Champions League clash with Olympiacos on Tuesday, Hoeness said: Sule can forget the Euros. That s all nonsense. He should focus on the next season now.

Hoeness assessment will come as a blow to national team boss Joachim Low, who has made the former Hoffenheim man a central part of his side over the past few years.

Sule played the full 90 minutes in last week s friendly against Argentina, as well as the Euro 2020 qualifier agains…

Jamie Carragher believes a repeat of Liverpool s third-place finish in their final season under Jurgen Klopp will represent a success in Arne Slot s first campaign at the helm.

Liverpool fell off at the tail end of 2023-24 to finish third behind Manchester City and Arsenal, before former Feyenoord boss Slot took the reigns from Klopp.

The Dutchman s first league game at the helm ended in a 2-0 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, with the Reds producing an impressive second-half display.

Liverpool created the highest expected goals figure (2.65 xG) of any team on matchday one of the Premier League season, registering 15 shots and 43 touches in the Ipswich area after half-time as goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah handed them victory.

Des…

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Molde will welcome Silkeborg to Molde Stadion on Thursday evening for the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie.

Both teams are making their first continental appearance of the season after securing their spots in the second round through domestic cup victories in their respective previous campaigns.

Molde

After six consecutive seasons finishing in the top two of the Norwegian Eliteserien, including title wins in 2019 and 2022, Molde experienced a disappointing 2023 season, ending in fifth place, 19 points adrift of champions Bodo/Glimt.

However, they managed to salvage their season by clinching the Norwegian Cup for the sixth time in their history, securing a spot in the second qualifying roun…

Liverpool and Chelsea failed to find a cure for their January blues as the out-of-form giants played out a goalless draw in Saturday s headline Premier League clash at Anfield.

While Graham Potter s visitors went close through £89million signing Mykhaylo Mudryk, the contest offered a stark reminder of why both teams are marooned in mid-table, though there was plenty of intrigue to be found elsewhere.

While Champions League-chasing Newcastle United failed to make further inroads in a stalemate of their own at Crystal Palace, it was a day of contrasting fortunes at the bottom.

West Ham clinched a huge win over Everton as Leicester City were pegged back by Brighton and Hove Albion, leaving both Frank Lampard and Brendan Rodgers under severe pressure.

Here,…

Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi admitted he had only previously dreamt about his team reaching the final four of the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri were drawn into what was considered a group of death earlier in the tournament when they were put in with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, making it through as runners-up ahead of the LaLiga giants.

Inter beat Benfica 5-3 on aggregate following a 3-3 draw at San Siro in the quarter-finals on Wednesday, meaning they will face city rivals Milan in the semis for the first time since the 2002-03 season, while it will also be the first time the two will meet five times in one season.

There is great happiness, Inzaghi said after the game. We played a great game against a difficult team.

We fully deserved this semi-f…

FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan expects a tough test against the Philadelphia Union despite their recent form, as he faces his former side this Thursday.

The Orange and Blue come into the contest as the overwhelming favourites having won eight of their last nine matches, the latest coming in a 4-2 win over San Jose Earthquakes last time out.

Noonan s side are just two points behind the Eastern Conference league leaders, Inter Miami, but have played two games less than the side directly above them.

However, Noonan was quick to look past the two sides differing recent form, insisting the game will be a tougher encounter than many will expect.

“They ve been stable for a long time, and when you re stable and at the top of the league for so long, anytime…

Unai Emery is not satisfied with Aston Villa s performance levels despite their impressive start to the Premier League season, demanding a step up when they go to Ipswich Town.

Villa have won four of their five Premier League games this season to sit third in the table, just one point adrift of pacesetters Manchester City.

Emery s team fought back to beat Midlands rivals Wolves 3-1 last week before overcoming Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, while they also started their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Young Boys.

Despite seeing his team win three straight Premier League games ahead of their trip to Portman Road, Emery wants more.

Ipswich will be different but difficult, like the match before. We are trying to build a …

Kadidiatou Diani scored twice as free-shooting Lyon made a flying start to their Women s Champions League campaign against Galatasaray.

The first Turkish side to qualify for the group stage, Galatasaray proved no match for the eight-time champions in Tuesday s Group A clash at the Groupama Stadium.

Diani was the leading scorer in last season s competition, scoring eight times, and continued her exceptional form with a double. She scored either side of Vanessa Gilles goal on the stroke of half-time.

Lyon, who finished as runners-up to Barcelona last term, had 40 shots, which ranks as the joint third-highest total in a single match in the competition s history.

Both higher totals came in 2023-24, with Barcelona having 41 shots in a match against Rosenborg,…

An entire month’s worth of football is behind us with curtain down on the glorious World Cup 2018 we’ve witnessed in Russia.

after a commanding and highly-organised performance which saw Didier Deschamps’ men earn critique initially for their seemingly defense-oriented approach and applauded ultimately for what turned out to be a systematically controlled display with every aspect of their game well thought through and analysed.

Ballon d Or Perspective

The quadrennial competition was also a perfect opportunity for leading world stars to further strengthen their stock and make a strong case for themselves in the race for the highest and most prestigious individual achievement Ballon d’Or.

Some did better than the others and the fact Luka Modric and Kyli…

Wolves will hope that Liverpool have one of their off days whilst Liverpool will be hoping to continue their mini revival.

Wolves boss Mick Mccarthy has come under fire this season for fielding weakened teams against some of the top teams in the division, on the basis that the game is likely to be lost, so the best option is for him to rest his key players for more winnable games. Whatever we think of this, it s unlikely to happen against Liverpool, who most would argue are eminently beatable this season. Wolves are sure to have a real go at Lverpool on their own turf, and we can expect blood and thunderto be their chosen style of play. For me, Wolves are still missing the tricky wing play of Michael Kightly, but their aerial prowess and never say die attitude has seen them pic…