Market: Lille win
Odds: 3/4 @
Two sides turning their attention back to Coupe de France action on Wednesday evening, Lille will make the trip to a struggling Dijon in midweek.
Starting with the hosts, hit with what turned into a thumping defeat away at Montpellier over the weekend, Dijon find themselves in the midst of an extended rut since returning from the festive break. Eventually shipping a quartet of goals away at Montpellier in what was a 4-2 drumming, the Owls are already tipped as a leading relegation scrapper this season. Already sat seven points adrift of safety, David Linarès men have lost their four three Ligue 1 contests on the bounce and they have failed to land a single win since returning to action last month. Holding a woeful record for their…
Taty Castellanos became the first player this century to score four past Real Madrid in LaLiga as Girona beat Los Blancos 4-2 at Montilivi on Tuesday to put Barcelona a step closer to the title.
Madrid went into the midweek round of fixtures 11 points adrift of their bitter rivals with eight games left, and this deserved defeat could see the gulf widen even further.
Castellanos netted twice inside 24 minutes to put Girona in charge, and although Vinicius Junior pulled one back just after the half-hour mark, Madrid largely looked blunt without the injured Karim Benzema.
Girona picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, Castellanos quickly completing his treble before adding a fourth that rendered Lucas Vazquez s late goal irrelevant.
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Manchester United allowed themselves to lose control of their Premier League clash with Tottenham, acknowledges Christian Eriksen after their 2-2 draw.
First-half goals for Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had helped Erik ten Hag s side carve out a commanding lead in north London.
But an inability to build on their advantage allowed Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min to rescue a point in interim boss Ryan Mason s first game in charge.
It is not the first time this season United have allowed themselves to be overrun by an opponent chasing the game, with Eriksen conceding they failed to command the game.
I think we took a bit of the gas off, he told BT Sport. That was our problem. I think it has been [like] that for a few games, where we are sharp and [have not…
Former Malaga midfielder Santi Cazorla feels guilty for his swift departure from the La Liga club in 2012.
Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla attempted to clear the air with Malaga supporters by issuing an apology for not saying goodbye properly in 2012.
After helping Malaga qualify for the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League courtesy of a fourth-place finish in La Liga, Cazorla joined Arsenal for a £16.5million fee.
Malaga fans were angered by the Spaniard s swift departure but the 30-year-old has apologised for the manner in which he exited the club.
I left because the club needed money, Cazorla told Sky Sports Spanish football show Revista de la Liga.
Arsenal was a good opportunity, but Malaga wasn t stable and it wasn t clear where they were headed…
Jack Wilshere is enjoying the challenge of playing for Bournemouth, away from his comfort zone at boyhood club Arsenal.
Wilshere is on loan at Bournemouth and the 24-year-old midfielder completed his first full match since 2014 in Saturday s goalless draw with Premier League title challengers Tottenham.
Plagued by injuries and poor form, Wilshere moved to Vitality Stadium as his career started to stagnate at Arsenal whom he joined at the age of nine and the England international is relishing the change in scenery.
Sometimes when you re at a top club and you ve been at a top club your whole career and you re playing week in week out, it is easy to get into that comfort zone, said Wilshere.
That is something coaches and managers drum into you and for me t…
Jadon Sancho and Raphael Guerreiro will be assessed before a decision is made on whether they can play any part in Borussia Dortmund s Bundesliga showdown with rivals Bayern Munich.
England international Sancho hobbled off the pitch two minutes after scoring what proved to be the winning goal in Tuesday s 1-0 DFB-Pokal quarter-final victory against Borussia Monchengladbach.
He watched the final 22 minutes from the bench with an ice pack on his upper leg, with interim head coach Edin Terzic confirming after the match the 20-year-old had sustained a muscular issue.
Guerreiro, used 29 times in all competitions this season, limped off in the opening five minutes of the cup tie and both players are now doubtful for Saturday s Klassiker at the Allianz Arena.
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Napoli returned to the Serie A summit as Giovanni Simeone s 78th-minute header sealed a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Milan at San Siro on Sunday.
Milan had 11 shots to Napoli s three in a dominant first half, but the visitors went ahead shortly after the break when Matteo Politano stroked home from 12 yards following Sergino Dest s clumsy foul on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Olivier Giroud pulled Milan level in the 69th minute, but substitute Simeone popped with the winner to seal a huge victory for Luciano Spalletti s side, who remain unbeaten in the league this season.
The result means Napoli leapfrogged Udinese and Atalanta at the top of the table, while Milan dropped down to fifth after a first Serie A defeat in 23 games.
[21:43] guyatkinson (Guest)
Atletico Madrid have reached a deal in principle to sign striker David Villa from Barcelona.
The two clubs have agreed on deal worth a total of €5.1 million, while the Spanish champions will receive 50 per cent of any future sale.
Villa joined Barca in 2010 from fellow La Liga side Valencia and has scored 48 goals in 119 appearances across all competitions.
Premier League side Tottenham had been reported to be close to securing a transfer for the Spain international, but it appears that the Copa del Rey champions have now won the race for the striker s signature.
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Bayer Leverkusen s Robbie Kruse has expressed his sympathy for ousted Australia coach Holger Osieck.
But the 25-year-old has backed the Socceroos to give a good account of themselves at the FIFA World Cup.
Osieck was axed by Football Federation Australia after overseeing successive 6-0 defeats in friendlies away to Brazil and France in September and October.
Kruse made his international debut during the German coach s tenure, going on to become a first-team regular, and was sorry to see him go.
I feel bad for Holger Osieck, he led us toward the World Cup in Brazil, and now is not in charge anymore, Kruse told the Leverkusen website.
In previous friendlies we lost against France and Brazil 6-0 (in) each game, he had to leave afterwards. Obviously these were …
Lyon have signed defender Jason Denayer from Manchester City for a fee that could rise to €13.5million.
Denayer, who never played a competitive game for City, has agreed a four-year contract with the Ligue 1 club in a deal that will net the Premier League champions an initial €10million, with a further €3.5million possible in incentives.
The 23-year-old spent a series of loan spells away from the Etihad Stadium with Celtic, Sunderland and Galatasaray and was under contract at City until 2020.
He has also been capped on eight occasions by Belgium but has not featured for his country since Euro 2016.
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