Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi said his side will settle for nothing less than a first Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 29 years as they prepare to face Guinea in the round of 16.
The Desert Foxes have been the tournament s outstanding team so far, winning all three of their matches without conceding a goal to top Group C.
Belmadi is aiming to become the first coach to guide Algeria to AFCON glory away from home soil, with their only taste of glory coming in 1990 when they beat Nigeria in the final in Algiers.
The coach said Morocco s shock defeat to Benin on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra-time gave his side a reminder of the precarity of the knockout stages.
The group stage is like a little tournament, which we did well in, said Belmadi. Each game no…
Pep Guardiola has taken responsibility for Erling Haaland s recent scoring blip, but is relishing the challenge of getting both the striker and his Manchester City side firing again.
Haaland is on his longest run without finding the net since joining City from Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2022-23 season, having failed to score in three straight games.
He netted 27 goals in his first 21 matches, breaking a number of records along the way, but failed to get a shot on target against Chelsea, Southampton or Manchester United.
Rather than focus on what Haaland is doing wrong all of a sudden, however, Guardiola says it is on him to ensure the prolific striker is being supplied by his team-mates.
We have our game, we have our principles but the way we played …
Manchester United s squad are not discussing a Premier League title challenge despite their dramatic upturn in form, according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Wins over Sheffield United and Leeds United have moved the Red Devils to within five points of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
Former United captain Gary Neville has been among those to express surprise that the team find themselves in title contention, having previously made such a poor start to the campaign.
Wednesday s 2-0 victory at Everton in the EFL Cup also earned Solskjaer s side a semi-final tie against rivals Manchester City.
Next up is a top-flight away game against Leicester City on Saturday, with manager Solskjaer acknowledging there is now noise about a title bid.
But he insis…
Best odds: 12/5
Bookmaker:
Juventus are set to welcome Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium half an hour after the noon bells ring in Turin on Sunday, for a game that will be a part of round 22 of the 2019/20 season in Serie A.
Juventus
Still sitting at the top of the league, the Old Lady now need the points available in every game probably more than they ever have since their so far undisturbed title-winning run began back in 2013. They have 51 points to their name from the previous 21 games, and Inter Milan are hot on their heels with just three less in the bag.
Juventus are a team that has been invested in heavily, by anybody s standards, and at the moment, they cannot afford any slip-ups if they are to keep their crown in domestic football. They ve alr…
Frenkie de Jong blames Barcelona s hierarchy, rather than head coach Xavi, for the uncertainty which has surrounded his Camp Nou future in recent months.
De Jong – who is set to make his World Cup debut when the Netherlands face Senegal in their Group A opener on Monday – was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United in the last transfer window.
Despite the midfielder repeatedly stating his preference to stay put, Barca reportedly viewed him as the club s most saleable asset as they looked to fund big-money moves for Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.
With Xavi making a series of vague statements on De Jong s future at the time, the Netherlands international believes the Barca boss was put in an uncomfortable position by those above him.
Milan slumped to a shock 2-1 defeat to Spezia as Emmanuel Gyasi scored with almost the final kick of a thriller at San Siro.
Title rivals Inter drew 0-0 with Atalanta on Sunday, but Milan could not take advantage the following day as Spezia came from behind in incredible fashion.
Rafael Leao put Milan ahead after Theo Hernandez s penalty miss, but Kevin Agudelo levelled midway through the second half.
Milan were furious when Junior Messias fine late effort was struck off due to a premature whistle from the referee, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic then hitting the crossbar.
And Gyasi had the final say, slotting home in the 96th minute to sensationally earn Spezia s first league win at San Siro.
Leao was superb throughout and it was no surprise that he wa…
World champions France were unable to confirm their place in the Euro 2020 knockout stages as they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Hungary amid a raucous atmosphere in Budapest.
Hungary frustrated Portugal for 84 minutes before their defence was breached in their opening game and they gave France an almighty scare in Saturday s clash in front of a deafening home crowd, which saw them rewarded with a point.
After squandering a few big chances, France s run of 527 minutes without conceding was ended by Attila Fiola s goal just before half-time at the packed Puskas Arena.
Antoine Griezmann fired in a leveller with 66 minutes played, but Les Blues – who saw a late penalty appeal dismissed – could not find a winning goal and had to settle for a point that l…
Arsenal made it a clean sweep of the Premier League s monthly awards for November and December as captain Martin Odegaard and head coach Mikel Arteta took home the prizes.
Odegaard was voted the league s standout player either side of the World Cup, across the first couple of weeks of November and the final six days of December.
Over that period, the 24-year-old was involved in six goals, split evenly between those he assisted and netted himself.
No Premier League player had a hand in more goals in that time, with Odegaard s form seeing him become the first Arsenal man to be named Player of the Month since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in September 2019.
His form helped the Gunners open a seven-point lead at the Premier League s summit heading into 2023, and …
Best odds: 14/5
Bookmaker:
Latvian team Valmiera will play host to NK Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia on Wednesday afternoon in the second leg of their Champions League first-round qualifier.
Valmiera lost the first leg 2-1, so they will need to win by at least two goals to advance to the next round. The winner of this match will face either Ballkani of Kosovo or Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria in the second qualifying round.
Valmiera
Valmiera s late goal in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Olimpija gives them hope and a chance to overturn the deficit in the second leg. Despite being two goals down, their fighting spirit was evident as they managed to pull one back, showing that they are not ready to give up on their European camp…
Achraf Hakimi appears to have found a new home.
The Morocco international has impressed during his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund, attracting plenty of interest.
But LaLiga giants Real Madrid are reportedly ready to cash in on Achraf.
TOP STORY – INTER AGREE ACHRAF DEAL
Inter have agreed a deal to sign Achraf Hakimi from Real Madrid, according to Sky Sport Italia.
Achraf has spent the past two seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund, who have been interested in signing the Morocco international permanently.
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have been among the clubs interested in Achraf, but Madrid are set to sell the 21-year-old to Antonio Conte s Inter for a reported €40million fee.
Achraf Hakimi to Inter, last detai…