Virgil van Dijk admitted he would not want to face Liverpool s lethal strikers after Villarreal failed to contain the ruthless Reds.

Sadio Mane became the third Liverpool player to score 20 goals this season as Jurgen Klopp s side won the Champions League semi-final first leg at Anfield 2-0 on Wednesday.

Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota have also reached that amount in the 2021-22 campaign, while Luis Diaz has been a revelation since his arrival from Porto in January.

Divock Origi has also played his part this season, once again coming off the bench to score against Everton in a 2-0 Merseyside derby win last Sunday that keeps the pressure on leaders Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Van Dijk is relieved he is able to watch the Reds rampant…

Daniele De Rossi fears Italy s bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup could be hindered by greed in the domestic game.

The Roma midfielder wants the 2017-18 Serie A season to begin earlier so that Italy s players can prepare sufficiently for the Group G showdown with Spain on September 2.

With only one team qualifying automatically and the two nations locked on 10 points after four games, it looks set to be a straight shootout between Giampiero Ventura s side and the 2010 world champions.

Ahead of that game, it would be very important to have a few more minutes in our legs, De Rossi told Rai Sport after the 0-0 draw with Germany, echoing the sentiments of his coach.

But football now is about money and the teams in August will probably be flying around th…

Jurgen Klopp wants Borussia Dortmund to mark Sebastian Kehl’s 300th Bundesliga game with the gift of victory.

Dortmund host Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday aiming to improve their dismal domestic form that sees them sit second bottom of the Bundesliga.

They have lost their last five league games and taken just one point from their past seven a far cry from their perfect start in the UEFA Champions League which sees them already into the competition s last 16 with two group matches still to play.

Kehl has been central to Dortmund s success under Klopp since 2008, which has included two league titles, a DFB-Pokal Cup and a trip to the Champions League final.

The manager paid tribute to his ex-captain ahead of Sunday s clash against third-placed Monchen…

Kylian Mbappe accepts he will play no part at the forthcoming Paris Olympics, but hopes France bring home the gold medal in his absence.

The forward, who will join Real Madrid on June 30, was left out of Thierry Henry s provisional 25-man squad for the Games, which begins on July 24 10 days after the Euro 2024 final.

Mbappe had reportedly hoped to feature as one of Les Bleus three overage players allowed per team in the primarily under-23 event.

However, Madrid ruled out the involvement of their players already featuring in the European Championship or Copa America.

My club s position was very clear, so from that moment on, I think I won t be taking part in the games, Mbappe told reporters ahead of France s Euro 2024 opener against Austria.

That…

Leicester City are weighing up a £20m move for Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, according to the Mirror.

The twenty-two year old has been one of the stand-out performers in Villa’s promotion push, with the Midlands side certain for a top six finish at the very least.

Should Steve Bruce’s side not clinch a return to the top flight a number of sides are likely to circle around Grealish though the Foxes are keen to steal a march on the rivals.

Having spent the majority of the 2013/14 campaign on loan at Notts County, the England U21 international made his Villains debut at the end of that season as a substitute in a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City.

Since then he has played over a hundred times in all competitions, scoring nine goals two of whic…

Jack Wilshere will be on Pep Guardiola s radar when he draws up a shortlist of close-season targets for Manchester City, says Barcelona legend Xavi.

City boss Guardiola has long been an admirer of the Arsenal midfielder, who is spending the season on loan at Bournemouth following his well-documented injury problems in recent seasons, dating back to a Champions League tie between Barcelona and Arsenal in 2011.

The England international s future remains in question, with Arsene Wenger whose own contract expires at the end of the season  boasting a wealth of options in the Gunners midfield.

Guardiola paid tribute to Wilshere s quality ahead of City s Premier League win over Bournemouth this week, and Xavi a key component of Guardiola s golden Barca era believes h…

Italian giants have all but agreed a deal to sign Argentine defender Mateo Musacchio from Villarreal, according to Sky Sport Italia.

The Rossoneri have been keeping close tabs on the highly rated centre-back for quite some time and following several unsuccessful attempts, they finally made a breakthrough.

Sky Sport Italia claims that a deal worth €15 million plus bonuses has been agreed, meaning that Musacchio will soon become the club’s first signing for the 2017/2018 season.

AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella plans to pair the 26-year-old with Italy starlet Alessio Romagnoli and thus further improve the back line that conceded 35 goals in 32 Serie A games this term.

Mateo Musacchio had joined Villarreal from River Plate back in 2010 and went on to mak…

Fulham have sacked manager Claudio Ranieri following Wednesday s 2-0 loss at Southampton that moved the club closer to relegation from the Premier League.

Popular former Chelsea boss Ranieri, who led Leicester City to an unforgettable title triumph in 2015-16, only managed three wins in 17 games in charge of Fulham.

His tenure also included a 2-1 defeat to League Two Oldham in the third round of the FA Cup and the Southampton loss was the Cottagers fourth consecutive top-flight reverse.

The result left Fulham 10 points from safety with as many matches remaining this season and travelling supporters aimed chants of you don t know what you re doing in Ranieri s direction at St Mary s.

Former England midfielder Scott Parker will take over on an interim basis…

Former Argentina, Bayern Munich and Manchester City centre-back Martin Demichelis has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 36-year-old re-joined Malaga for second spell after being released by Espanyol in January and has made 12 appearances in what will prove to be his final season in LaLiga.

Demichelis won 51 caps for Argentina, scoring twice, and announced his decision at a news conference on Monday.

I want to be honest, I lost the strength in my legs and my concentration, he said. But I want to give thanks to football.

I speak from my heart when I say I thank you all for being here and showing me the appreciation – Malaga have shown faith in me and have given me the desire to play more up until this point.

It was a drea…

Sampdoria have completed the signing of striker Antonio Cassano the 33-year-old returning for a second permanent spell at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The Italian spent four years at the club, joining permanently in 2008 after a loan spell from Real Madrid, but had been without a club since leaving financially stricken Parma in January.

Cassano terminated his contract with Parma having not been paid wages.

However, he returns to bolster Walter Zenga s forward line, signing a two-year contract ahead of their Serie A opener against Carpi on August 24.

I m happy, forza Samp, Cassano said after putting pen to paper.

Cassano scored 41 goals in 115 matches for Sampdoria prior to joining Milan in 2011, with Roma and Inter also among his former clubs.<…