Robert Lewandowski believes Philippe Coutinho will make a seamless transition to Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga champions agreed to a deal to sign the Barcelona playmaker.
Coutinho is set to join Bayern on loan for the 2019-20 season – the deal including an option to buy the Brazil international – after the German giants and Barca confirmed on Friday that an agreement is in place.
Bayern have been desperate to reinforce their squad following the departures of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, and the conclusion of James Rodriguez s loan deal from Real Madrid.
Ivan Perisic arrived after a serious knee injury scuppered Bayern s attempts to sign Manchester City star Leroy Sane, and Coutinho is poised to follow in Munich.
I don t think he ll need that …
Japan s winning goal in Wednesday s surprise victory over Germany was one of the easiest ever scored at a World Cup, according to Ilkay Gundogan.
Gundogan appeared to have put Germany on course for victory when he converted a first-half penalty, but Japan hit back in sensational fashion after half-time through two Bundesliga attackers.
Freiburg s Ritsu Doan levelled after Manuel Neuer pushed Takumi Minamino s cross into his path, before Bochum winger Takuma Asano sent Japan s fans into raptures with a powerful near-post finish late on.
Asano s winner was the result of some dismal defending from Niklas Sule, who inexplicably played the 28-year-old onside from Ko Itakura s long ball, and Gundogan cannot recall a more straightforward goal being scored on the bigges…
´We gave everything´, says Zapata as Atalanta knocked out by Villarreal in postponed Champions Leagu
Duvan Zapata insists that he and his Atalanta team-mates gave everything in their 3-2 Champions League defeat against Villarreal on Thursday.
Atalanta required a win in order to leapfrog their opponents into second place in their final group-stage game, which had been rescheduled after heavy snowfall on Wednesday.
However, Arnaut Danjuma scored either side of Etienne Capoue to give Villarreal a 3-0 lead by the 51st minute, and Atalanta were unable to come back despite goals from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Zapata.
The Atalanta striker revealed that, despite the team s regret at failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, they remain calm .
We are disappointed, Zapata said to Prime Video. However, we are calm in the sense that we ga…
Arsenal host Queens Park Rangers in the English Premier League on Saturday looking to recover from their Champions League loss to Schalke.
The 2-0 defeat to Bundesliga side Schalke on Wednesday was the first time Arsenal have been beaten at the Emirates Stadium in European competition since their 2008/09 semi-final loss to Manchester United.
It was also the first time Arsenal have lost at home in Europe to a foreign team since 2003, a run stretching back before their move from Highbury to the Emirates.
Arsene Wenger s squad confront bottom-of-the-table QPR, who are yet to record a win in the Premier League this season but who will take confidence from their close 1-1 draw to a ten-man Everton side at Loftus Road last Monday.
An own-goal from Julio Cesar …
Alan Pardew admits Newcastle United are in a relegation battle after their second worst start to an English Premier League season 10 years.
Newcastle have just 14 points from 14 matches played the last time they boasted such a poor tally at this stage of the season was back 2008/09, the season they were relegated.
And with matches against both Manchester clubs coming up, along with a trip to Arsenal and the visit of Everton to St James Park, things do not look likely to get any easier for Pardew s men.
Asked if it was too early to say his side were being pushed into a relegation battle, the Newcastle boss said: Well, we are now, and no, it s not too early.
But despite the difficult position the team find themselves in, Pardew believes they have what it …
Roberto Martinez revealed he chose to stay at Wigan because he intends to build a legacy at the club.
The manager was heavily linked in the off-season with a move to Liverpool, who Wigan face on Saturday at Anfield.
Martinez explained he rejected an approach from Aston Villa before the start of last season out of loyalty, but admitted he considered leaving the club this summer before opting to stay with the aim of leaving a long-term impression.
I had an agreement of three years with my chairman, who has been loyal and supportive. I had the opportunity to pay back that loyalty after my second season here. The third year was the time to think what it was he wanted to do, he said.
I wanted certain things done internally for me to stay. That meant investi…
Assistant coach Jordi Roura will take temporary charge of Barcelona s first team, with Tito Vilanova set to undergo surgery.
Roura, who came through the club s La Masia youth system as a player, will take over the day-to-day running of the side while Vilanova undergoes treatment.
Roura began his career at Camp Nou, and then became a coach in Japan with Yokohama Flugels before moving on to Terrassa FC until 2007.
The 45-year-old then moved on to L Hospitalet in the Spanish third tier, before he joined Pep Guardiola s technical staff at Barca in 2009, charged with analysing opposition sides.
Following Guardiola s departure in June and Vilanova s promotion to head coach Roura became Barca s assistant first-team coach.
Vilanova, who had surgery on a …
Holger Badstuber says Schalke are determined to ruin Bayern Munich s hopes of the treble when they meet in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti s side maintained their five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with an 8-0 demolition of Hamburg on Saturday, while their place in quarter-finals of the Champions League looks all but assured after their 5-1 last-16 first-leg win over Arsenal.
Bayern have won six of their eight matches since their return from Germany s mid-season break, and talk of challenging to replicate the treble won in 2012-13 has been growing given their recent performances.
But Badstuber, on loan at Schalke from Bayern for the remainder of the season, says Markus Weinzierl s side are looking to halt those ambitions in the last-eight en…
Olivier Giroud believes Arsenal already have a strong enough squad to mount a challenge for the Premier League title.
Arsenal sit top of the table and moved two points clear of Leicester City with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, but critics have suggested the squad lacks the depth required to be crowned champions for the first time since 2003-04.
Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny is close to joining Arsene Wenger s side, but the French striker has refuted claims they also need a striker though the coach has admitted he will be busy during the January transfer window.
Tell me where [we need players]. Just tell me where! I will explain the opposite judgement, Giroud said.
We have very good players as well on the bench, young players waiting to …
Jurgen Klopp acknowledged Liverpool are enduring a tough run but insisted performances have not been as bad as results suggest.
The defending Premier League champions are top of the table again but have won just two of their past six matches – and two of seven in all competitions.
Rivals Manchester United, who have a game in hand, have moved level on points with the Reds at the summit ahead of the two sides meeting next weekend.
We were not waiting for [this run of form] and we do not enjoy it, but it s not unlikely that these kinds of things happen, Klopp told a news conference on Thursday.
I think we only won two of the last six – that s not the standard we expect from ourselves, obviously.
So, we don t take it easy, but we still see what…