Liverpool linked with Leicester City defender Caglar Soyuncu

Borussia Dortmund s work rate out of possession was key as they went top of the Bundesliga by beating Heidenheim 4-2 on Friday, according to coach Nuri Sahin.

BVB moved onto seven points from their first three league games under Sahin with their victory at Signal Iduna Park, as Karim Adeyemi scored twice in between strikes from Donyell Malen and Emre Can.

Since losing 1-0 to Schalke in 2004, Dortmund have not lost any of their last 37 Bundesliga home matches played on a Friday, tying the Bundesliga record.

Only Werder Bremen had previously remained unbeaten at home on Fridays through 37 Bundesliga matches in a row, doing so from 1984 to 1991.

It was a deserved win and a very good start for us but then we shut the door and I told my players that Heidenhe…

Republic of Ireland defender Louise Quinn is confident the Girls in Green have a plan in place to shut down prolific Australia striker Sam Kerr when they face the hosts in their World Cup opener.

Quinn’s side, after all, have done it before, spoiling the Chelsea forward’s 100th appearance for the Matildas with a 3-2 victory when they met for the first time in history at Tallaght Stadium in September 2021.

Dublin native Quinn powered in a second-half header to break the deadlock and memorably hand the Republic their biggest win over a higher-ranked opponent in over two decades.

“It’s rare but I felt like I got one up on her with the Irish team in Tallaght and that is something that I will carry forward with me,” said Quinn, speaking during a team trainin…

Carlo Ancelotti hailed Endrick s display in Real Madrid s 3-1 win over Stuttgart in the Champions League, saying he has unique gifts that set him apart.

Endrick emerged from the bench to notch Madrid s final goal of a nervy encounter, striking from distance and beating Alexander Nubel in the bottom corner.

The Brazilian s effort saw him become the youngest South American player to score on his Champions League debut, aged 18 years and 58 days.

Endrick is also the youngest to score on his Los Blancos debut in the competition, overtaking Javier Portillo in 2002 (19 years, 355 days).

He is able to do things that no-one can think of, Ancelotti said.

He has the gift that strikers dream of, the gift of being very effective, decisive.

You c…

Prediction: Match to end in 2-2 draw

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Ecuador and Italy will face each other in a friendly international match this weekend. The match between the South American team and the European side will be held at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, USA and is scheduled to kick off at 8 pm UK time on Sunday.

Ecuador

Ecuador are a major footballing nation. While they do not always tend to qualify for major tournaments, they are still a force to be reckoned with, both in South America and in the world. They can give any team a run for their money.

Félix Sánchez Bas’s side are doing well in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL). Ecuador are fifth in the standings with eight points from six matches and are in the automatic q…

Andrea Pirlo exudes composure and shows little emotion on the sidelines but that is only half the story according to Christian Vieri, who believes the fun first-year head coach can lead Juventus to a clean sweep of silverware in Turin.

Eyebrows were raised when nine-time reigning Serie A champions Juve turned to club great but unproven coach Pirlo following the dismissal of Maurizio Sarri at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Pirlo had only re-joined Juve as Under-23s head coach a week earlier before the Bianconeri gave the 41-year-old his first senior coaching role at the Italian powerhouse, where he won four Scudetto titles among other honours during an illustrious playing career.

While there have been teething issues and a stuttering start, World Cup winner Pirlo …

A little before the midway point of the season, heading into Sunday s Derby d Italia, you could argue Inter have Juventus just where they would have wanted them.

Antonio Conte was brought to San Siro in 2019 and strongly backed in the transfer market with the primary aim of ending the dynasty he launched back in 2011-12 in Turin.

Juve have won every Scudetto since then but are four points behind Inter having played a game less.

Unfortunately for Conte, the Nerazzurri aren t the only side with designs on ripping away the Bianconeri s long-held crown.

Milan remain top of the table despite succumbing to a 3-1 defeat to Juve earlier this month, where they were subjected to arguably the most authoritative display of the fledgling Andrea Pirlo era.

Nine…

Even if Hansi Flick s time in charge of Bayern Munich is short, he is not likely to forget his first Bundesliga match.

The 54-year-old, who was placed in interim charge of the first team after Niko Kovac agreed it was better for all concerned if he walked away, will take on Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Flick oversaw a 2-0 win against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday, but his opening league match is a very different kind of fixture. Bayern are a point behind Dortmund after 10 matches and four adrift of leaders Borussia Monchengladbach, so a win really is paramount.

With Dortmund having found a bit of form recently it s a hard game to predict and, as we can see, Bayern coaches have had mixed fortunes in the modern era when it …

When Barcelona hosted Real Madrid on November 29, 2009, the final Clasico of the first decade of the 21st century, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had won just a single Ballon d Or between them.

The following month saw Messi land his first, yet even when considering the standards both were setting even then, few would have predicted the remarkable nature of their dominance over the following decade.

Ten years on, only one person – Luka Modric – has been able to interrupt their duopoly of the coveted individual award, with Messi edging out Virgil van Dijk earlier this month to win it for a record sixth time.

Ahead of the final Clasico of this decade on Wednesday, Barcelona s Messi is now the undisputed king of the fixture, with no one else s status even rem…

Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 win at Celta Vigo on Saturday as Karim Benzema s two penalties extended their lead at the top of LaLiga to 12 points.

The victory owed immense credit to the fact Madrid were awarded three spot-kicks at Estadio de Balaidos, with Benzema missing once but making sure with his other two attempts.

Nolito had equalised Benzema s first penalty early in the second half and the hosts pushed to win the game themselves, only to be undone at the other end.

Celta Vigo were furious with the referee, particularly for the third spot-kick given just minutes after France international Benzema had seen one saved by Matias Dituro, but Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will not mind as he saw his team return to winning ways in the league following t…

Jorge Jesus has been appointed head coach of Benfica for a second time after leaving Brazilian and South American champions Flamengo.

Benfica have turned to veteran Portuguese boss Jesus after they were dethroned by bitter rivals Porto in Primeira Liga this season, it was announced on Friday.

Flamengo had been hopeful of keeping Jesus, who led the club to Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa Libertadores and Recopa Sudamericana glory following his arrival last year.

However, Jesus has re-joined Benfica, where he previously spent six years and won three league trophies among other honours in Lisbon.

Bem-vindo, JJ!

— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica)

Despite regretting the loss of their victorious coach, Flamengo respects this personal decision, Flamengo …