Thibaut Courtois believes the exit of both Manchester clubs has opened the way for Atletico Madrid to win the Europa League.
Atletico defeated Besiktas 3-0 away from home on Thursday, sealing a 6-1 aggregate victory and booking their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
English Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and Manchester City were eliminated by Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Lisbon respectively.
And goalkeeper Courtois believes the early exit of the Manchester teams has left the competition wide open.
Having eliminated both Lazio and Besiktas, we have proved Atletico really can go a long way in this tournament, he was quoted as saying on the UEFA website.
With the two Manchester teams out, anything is possible in this …
Marcos Alonso s stunning free-kick earned Chelsea a 1-0 victory against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, extending his team s winning home league run to five straight games.
Although the scoreline suggests a tight match, the champions dominated throughout and could have won far more comfortably had Fraser Forster not performed as well in the visitors goal, while Eden Hazard had a strike ruled out for a marginal offside against substitute Cesc Fabregas.
The win moves Chelsea level on points with second-placed Manchester United, who travel to West Brom on Sunday, while Southampton who dropped Virgil van Dijk are winless in five Premier League matches.
Chelsea were on top throughout the first half at Stamford Bridge, with Forster making multiple saves …
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino said he still maintains a close relationship with former employers Paraguay, ahead of their Copa America semi-final clash.
The two nations met in their opening group game in the continental competition a 2-2 draw in La Serena on June 13 and they will resume hostilities in Concepcion on Tuesday.
But as former Paraguay boss Martino said, the hostilities were only on the field as far as he was concerned, having led Argentina s semi-final opponents to the 2011 decider.
I would have preferred not to have played Paraguay, said Martino, who coached Paraguay from 2006 to 11.
We have a lot of things in common, there are a lot of feelings.
I worked there for a long time, we started and finished a process the World Cup, …
Christopher Nkunku has torn the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, according to RB Leipzig.
Nkunku was forced to withdraw from France s World Cup squad on Tuesday after getting injured in a training collision with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
The 25-year-old was replaced in Didier Deschamps selection by another player who plies his trade in the Bundesliga, Eintracht Frankfurt s Randal Kolo Muani.
On Saturday, Leipzig confirmed the nature of Nkunku s injury, though were not able to put a timescale on his return.
A statement on the club s website read: Christopher Nkunku tore the LCL in his left knee while training with the French national team on November 15 in Paris.
It is not yet clear how long he will be out for and ther…
Market: Barcelona win
Odds: 10/11 @
Looking to make it back-to-back La Liga wins on Saturday night, Barcelona will make the trip to the San Mamés when they face off against Athletic Bilbao this weekend.
Starting with the hosts, while Athletic Bilbao might have signed off their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against former Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield, Los Leones failed to lay down much of a marker last weekend. Missing out on what they thought was a real chance on the road, Head Coach Marcelino saw his side have to settle for a 0-0 stalemate against Elche. Knowing that they face a stern test at the San Mamés on Saturday night, Bilbao will now be desperate to try and bring an end to what has been an extended La Liga blip on either sid…
PSG were forced to put their Ligue 1 title celebrations on ice after second-placed Monaco overcame Lille on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique s side swept aside Lorient 4-1 after doubles from Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, putting the pressure on the chasing Monaco.
Yet Youssouf Fofana s third league goal of the season edged Adi Hutter s team to a 1-0 victory, delaying PSG s inevitable title success – barring a miraculous collapse.
A WIN!
We re a step closer to a return
— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN)
PSG, who also have a two-legged Champions League semi-final with Borussia Dortmund to come in May, are 11 points clear with just four top-flight games remaining.
Having lost just once in Ligue 1 all season, PSG would secure b…
Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany joked he would not sign Cristiano Ronaldo as Burnley need players who can run .
Ronaldo is preparing for the World Cup with Portugal ahead of Thursday s Group H opener against Ghana, though the five-time Ballon d Or winner will lreturn to club football as a free agent in January.
Manchester United and Ronaldo parted ways by mutual agreement on Tuesday after the forward s exclusive interview with Piers Morgan caused a global stir.
The Portugal captain said he felt betrayed by United and had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag before the fractured relationship at Old Trafford came to an abrupt end.
Kompany, now manager of Championship side Burnley, offered a tongue-in-cheek assessment of the situation, suggesting the C…
Esteban Granero believes the arrival of Tottenham Hotspur s Luka Modric would strengthen La Liga title holders Real Madrid.
Granero, 25, struggled to gain a regular place in Jose Mourinho s starting line-up at Real last season, and was behind Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira in the pecking order for a midfield spot.
Modric looks likely to leave Tottenham Hostpur after the north London side failed to seal a Champions League spot for the coming season, with Real s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu the most likely destination for the Croatia international.
However, Granero has said he will not consider leaving the club even if former the Dinamo Zagreb playmaker arrives in the Spanish capital, and is determined to fight for his place.
Every year great players come and …
David Nugent grabbed a hat-trick as Leicester accounted for Hull 3-1 to move within a point of the Championship playoff places.
The former Portsmouth striker, who earned his first and only England cap in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra in which he scored, broke the deadlock from close range after seven minutes of play at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Hull, looking to move level at the top of the table, drew level four minutes before the half-hour mark when speedster Jay Simpson headed home a Sone Aluko cross.
However, Leicester restored their lead and went into the half-time break ahead after Nugent found the back of the net with a well-placed header on 42 minutes.
Nugent then put the result beyond doubt deep into stoppage time, which handed Ni…
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew believes West Ham striker Andy Carroll is one of few forwards in the world who are unplayable .
Pardew, who sold Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million during his time in charge of Newcastle United in 2011, knows the threat the 26-year-old possesses.
Carroll has only played 21 minutes of Premier League football since February but is now fit and ready to work his way back into the West Ham line-up.
He s unplayable at times, Pardew said ahead of Saturday s hosting of West Ham.
There aren t many strikers who are completely unplayable, and he s one of them. In recent years in the Premier League, as an attacker of the ball in the air, there has been no one better than him.
There aren t many strikers with the sa…