Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille will contest the Trophee des Champions in Lens on January 13, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has confirmed.
It will be the first time since 2008 that the match has been held in France, with previous editions having been hosted in North America, Asia and Africa.
An LFP statement read: The 2020-21 edition of the Trophee des Champions will pit Paris Saint-Germain against Marseille on January 13, 2021.
Due to health reasons, the match cannot be organised abroad this season. After a consultation, the board of directors decided to organise this edition at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens.
PSG have won the trophy in each of the past seven seasons, though the last team to beat them in the fixtur…
Inter s not-so-well-kept secret is out in the open and Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual consent despite ending an 11-year wait for Serie A glory this term.
Conte became the first coach in the three-points-for-a-win era to secure the title with 90-plus points with two different teams, having also done so as Juventus head coach.
But Conte s long-term future has often been shrouded in doubt and he was tipped to leave after defeat in last term s Europa League final to Sevilla.
Though he stayed put and brought the title to the Nerazzurri, things really began to escalate when owner Steven Zhang reportedly told Conte Inter s wage bill would need to be slashed and around €100million raised in player sales.
Conte has already headed for the exit door but…
Tammy Abraham scored his 12th goal of the season as Chelsea beat Barnsley 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Abraham tucked in his first goal of the Thomas Tuchel era in the second half and also headed off the line at the other end as the Blues knocked the Championship side out at Oakwell.
A young, fit Barnsley team gave a great account of themselves on a cold night in South Yorkshire, but it is Chelsea who will play Sheffield United in the last eight.
Chelsea have now won four and drawn one of their five games under Tuchel after he replaced Frank Lampard as head coach last month, and although they were not at their best, a much-changed Blues side had enough to edge through.
9 Tammy Abraham has been directly involved in nine goals in his las…
What the papers say
A player swap between Manchester United and Everton could see Harry Maguire leave the club that signed him from Leicester for £80million in 2019. The Independent reports Everton are considering the move for the 30-year-old while The Daily Mail says United are interested in Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.
United are also willing to open contract talks with Aaron Wan-Bissaka after the transfer window closes, according to the Daily Mail.
The Times says if Tottenham captain Harry Kane leaves the club, they will look towards Gent’s 21-year-old Nigerian striker Gift Orban.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney could leave the club on loan to Real Sociedad who are interested in his services, the Telegraph says.
Social media round-up
Ilkay Gu…
Luis Enrique explained he axed Ousmane Dembele from Paris Saint-Germain s squad for the Champions League encounter at Arsenal for the good of the whole team.
French media reported the PSG head coach had a discussion with his star winger following PSG s 3-1 win over Rennes on Friday and has been omitted from the squad to face the Gunners due to disciplinary reasons.
Luis Enrique said there was no argument between himself and Dembele but explained why he took the decision he did.
If someone doesn t comply with the requirements of the team, it means that they are not ready, Luis Enrique told a press conference ahead of Tuesday s clash at Emirates Stadium.
It means in such an important week, with such an important game coming up, we need every player to be …
Tottenham are on the verge of offloading both Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele to Galatasaray, the PA news agency understands.
While the English transfer window shut on Friday night, other transfer windows around Europe remain open and Turkish outfit Galatasaray have moved for two players which Spurs view as dispensable.
Outcast Ndombele is set to sign for Galatasaray on loan, with the option to make the move permanent. Meanwhile, Sanchez, who has featured twice under Ange Postecoglou this season, is close to securing a permanent transfer.
The departures of the duo will be a boost to Postecoglou, who has repeatedly made clear his desire to trim a bloated first-team squad that only have Premier League football to concentrate on until January.
Ndombele …
Eric Besson, the French minister charged with administering public projects, on Wednesday called on private investors to help in the country s bid to host the European Championships in 2016.
In a report Besson said it was vital to encourage private investment in public stadia and to have recourse to public-private partnerships.
Besson stressed the need to increase the competitiveness of French sporting venues, adding that he wanted local government to finance all or part the service and access roads to stadiums.
The report, wide ranging in scope, also recommends cutting the number of training centres in place of schools of excellence, to allocate money raised from betting to club development and more targeted management of referees.
It also suggest…
While the duo of and might have made immediate impacts since arriving at Chelsea and Liverpool respectively over the summer, some Premier League bosses are in the midst of a public struggle.
Although we might only be set to enter October’s international break, it appears that a number of top-flight bosses are already fighting to keep hold of their jobs.
While the hierarchy might have made it clear that Oliver Glanser will be handed more time in an attempt to steady the ship at Selhurst Park, other Premier League managers might not be as fortunate.
Despite still only being in the early stages of the 2024/25 campaign, we have taken a look at the top-flight bosses who find the pressure on their shoulders at a boiling point.
Erik ten Hag Manchester United
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Xabi Alonso slammed Bayer Leverkusen s complacency, which saw them squander a two-goal lead to draw with lowly Holstein Kiel ahead of the international break.
Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann had given the hosts a comfortable advantage after the first eight minutes, but Kiel, yet to win this season, capitalised on Die Werkself s wastefulness.
The visitors pulled a goal back in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time through Max Geschwill, with Fiete Arp levelling from the spot after the break following Jeremie Frimpong s foul on Armin Gigovic.
Leverkusen have now lost seven points from winning positions in the Bundesliga this season, with only Bochum and Wolfsburg (both eight) losing more.
I am not satisfied with our performance. It was our own …
Manchester City are considering plans to expand the capacity of their Etihad Stadium home to over 60,000.
In a statement released on Monday, the Premier League champions said they were exploring proposals to expand the stadium s North Stand, as well as creating a covered fan zone.
City added their ambition is to turn the stadium into a world-leading sport and entertainment venue, while also creating growth and employment opportunities in the local community.
Planning permission to renovate the North Stand – which was initially built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games – has been in place since 2015.
The club said supporters will be invited to share feedback on the proposals in early 2023.
The Etihad currently possesses a capacity of 53,400 as a re…