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Bayern Munich lost their second game of the Bundesliga season on Tuesday 1-0 away to TSG Hoffenheim, but they almost welcomed the unusual experience as a useful wake-up call. "It was an important sign for us, to show us that we're nearly half as good being as passive [as we were in the first half]," defender Mats Hummels said while raising a metaphorical index finger. Borussia Dortmund, by contrast, ran out 3-0 winners at home to Hamburger SV, yet found plenty of reasons to fault themselves. "I'm very worried about our schedule in light of all the energy we expended today," Thomas Tuchel said. The rather downbeat coach added that "a critical analysis" of BVB's failure to take their chances earlier and concede too many opportunities ("a roller coaster ride") would follow. If the counterintuitive reactions to these two results show anything, it's surely that Bayern and Dortmund, facing off Saturday in the biggest game of the B

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona produced a scintillating first-half display in their 3-0 win against Sevilla. Messi bagged a brace after Luis Suarez's overhead kick had given the hosts a 25th-minute lead. Luis Enrique's side coasted through the second period to record a ninth win in 10 La Liga matches while the visitors had Vitolo sent off in stoppage time. Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli is among those tipped to succeed the outgoing Enrique at the Nou Camp next season, but his side fell apart after Suarez broke the deadlock and saw their winless league run extend to five games. Barcelona served a warning of what was to come in the fourth minute when Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez combined on the edge of the area before Messi's first-time effort hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced to safety. The visitors did have their moments early on and should have taken the lead in the 16th minute. Sergio Escudero's long throw found its wa

Two goals from Eden Hazard saw  Chelsea  maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with an important 2-1 victory against   Manchester City  at Stamford Bridge.Chelsea slipped to an unexpected defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, allowing Tottenham to move within seven points of them, but this win saw Antonio Conte's side stop their advantage at the top being reduced further following Spurs' late heroics against Swansea. Hazard put Chelsea ahead from Cesar Azpilicueta's pull back on 10 minutes, only for Sergio Aguero to seize upon an error from Thibaut Courtois to level for City on 26 minutes.Hazard saw a 35th-minute penalty saved by Willy Caballero but reacted quickly to score the rebound, a goal that was enough to seal the points.That result leaves City fourth and four points ahead of Arsenal, who have a game in hand. Tottenham  came from behind to beat  Swansea  3-1 thanks to late goals from Dele Alli, Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen.Way

Borussia Dortmund have fined Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for his masked celebration in the 1-1 derby draw at Schalke on Saturday, with the club telling ESPN FC: "We've had a good talk with Auba." Aubameyang, 27, opened the scoring at the weekend and celebrated by putting on a mask, later identified as being part of Nike's "The Masked Finisher" campaign. It was the second time in less than a month that the Gabon international has promoted the sponsor while playing for Dortmund, where rival sportswear company Puma is both a shareholder and the kit supplier. Dortmund said there would be talks with Aubameyang after Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Hamburg, in which the forward contributed one goal and set up another. "We've had a good talk with Auba," Dortmund media director Sascha Fligge told ESPN FC afterwards. Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed to  kicker  that the club have fined Aubameyang for his masked celebration, th

  Jurgen Klopp believes it is the "perfect moment" for Daniel Sturridge to return to the Liverpool squad. Sturridge, 27, last appeared for Liverpool in February and has spent nearly two months on the sidelines with a viral infection and then a hip problem. Having now returned to full training, the England international could be in Liverpool's matchday squad for Wednesday night's Premier League game against Bournemouth. His return to the fold is a timely one for Klopp, who will be without Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson for the meeting with Eddie Howe's side at Anfield. "I saw Daniel's rehab training and he looked really fresh and sharp," Klopp is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. "On Monday he was team training. It was second day recovery for all the boys and he was part of that. He looked good. He's very optimistic about the situation. "I said before training to Daniel that it was the perfect mom

  Tottenham old boy Tom Carroll admits it will be a strange sensation trying to dent his former club's Premier League title hopes on Wednesday. Carroll cut Tottenham ties stretching back 16 years when he joined Swansea in a £4.5 million move in January. The 24-year-old, who was part of a Spurs squad which mounted a strong title push last season, said: "It will feel a bit strange for me playing them because I was there from the age of eight. Swansea City Tottenham Hotspur 11:45 AM PT "Even though I have had loan spells, including here at Swansea, obviously you are not allowed to play against your parent club. "But I am looking forward to it because it is such an important game. "They are pushing for the title and we are fighting ourselves. Anything can happen at this time of year. "We have seen a fair few times

Theo Hernandez joined Alaves on loan from Atletico Madrid in August but could soon be heading to Real Madrid. The football world's gossip mill is in full swing, and Transfer Talk will be analysing some of the bigger moves that may happen in the summer. Check out the latest deals here. It seems Theo Hernandez's in-form season at Alaves will lead him back to Madrid -- though not to the club he left. Theo, on loan from Atletico Madrid, is set to join Real Madrid this summer after the Blancos pay his €24 million release clause, according to Spanish daily sports newspaper Marca. The 19-year-old brother of Atletico's Lucas Hernandez and a France youth international, Theo has previously been linked to a number of clubs -- including Manchester City, who bid for both brothers last summer. Those bids led to Atletico extending Theo's contract until 2021 and increasing the amount of the release clause from €6 million. The a left-back has played in 29 league a

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a last-minute penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw for Manchester United against Everton at Old Trafford. Everton took the lead in the 22nd minute, with Ashley Williams heading the ball on following a corner to find Phil Jagielka, who showed strength to fight off Marcos Rojo, get a leg on the ball and send it through David De Gea's legs. Manchester United Everton 1 1 United thought they had equalised in the 71st minute from Ibrahimovic's diving header, but the goal was ruled out for offside, which replays showed to be a very tight decision. But they did manage to find an equaliser deep into stoppage time when Ibrahimovic stepped up to convert a penalty after Williams had been shown a red card for handling Luke Shaw's strike, which was set to hit the target. Leicester secured a sixth successive win under Craig Shakespeare as they beat Sunderland 2-0 at the King Power Stadium to move up to 10th in the table. Leicester

Roma defender Kostas Manolas has been a long-time target for Arsenal. The football world's gossip mill is in full swing, and Transfer Talk is monitoring the whispers ahead of all the summer moves. Check out the latest deals here. Inter beat Arsenal to Manolas Inter Milan have reportedly won the race to sign Roma star Kostas Manolas , Telelombardia reported, with the Nerazzurri agreeing a fee of £36.9 million (€43m) plus bonuses. The 26-year-old has been followed by Arsenal and Chelsea, with the Gunners failing with a bid for the Greece international last summer. Having reportedly rejected any possible extension on his current deal, which ends in 2019, Roma will cash in on Manolas. A hefty profit of €30 million on the former Olympiakos star means the Lupi will be able to overhaul the rest of their squad, potentially under a new director of football in ex-Sevilla man Monchi.

Thomas Tuchel emphasised the significance of Marco Reus' injury absence over the last month. Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is hopeful Marco Reus will soon return to action as the club contends with a hectic April schedule. Dortmund played the first of their nine games this month when they drew 1-1 at Schalke in the Bundesliga, and Tuchel is having to contend with a significant injury list, with Andre Schurrle and Erik Durm both out for Tuesday's meeting with Hamburg and captain Marcel Schmelzer and holding midfielder Julian Weigl doubtful. Germany forward Reus will also sit out the Hamburg clash after missing the last month with a muscle tear, but he has now resumed individual training and Tuchel must now decide when to restore him to the side. "Nobody can imagine what it means for us to have to do without him for such a long time," he said, highlighting Reus' impressive comeback following his injury-related absence at the start of the current campa

Bale has earned the right to start on Real Madrid's left flank permanently. During Zinedine Zidane's ultra-successful reign as Real Madrid manager, one of his hallmarks has been making decisions that are right for the team, even if they fly in the face of what his de facto director of football, Florentino Perez, believes. Zizou established very quickly upon taking over that not only was Danilo not "the best right-back in the world," as Florentino had told Rafa Benitez, but also he was a long way off the best at the club. Danilo has been used exceedingly sparingly since. Zidane rules. And while almost every performance highlights how very far the Brazilian international is from meeting the requisite level for Madrid, nobody should underestimate how hard it is to evade the level of control that their president likes to exert. The plusses vastly outweigh the minuses in this power game. Zidane establishes his independence, his respect from the other players rises, th

LONDON -- Laurent Koscielny could be sidelined for weeks with a "serious" Achilles problem, Arsene Wenger has warned, potentially dealing Arsenal a massive blow entering the final months of the season. Koscielny had to come off at half-time of Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday after the recurrence of an Achilles injury that has kept him sidelined several times in the past. Wenger said the France centre-back still needs to undergo a scan, but that he could face a lengthy layoff. "It is certainly serious," Wenger said Tuesday at his news conference ahead of Wednesday's Premier League game against West Ham. "If he's ruptured a few fibres of his tendon, it could be a few weeks. If it's just an inflammation, he could maybe be available for selection next week against Crystal Palace. I think he has a scan today and we'll know much more tomorrow." Goalkeeper Petr Cech also remains sidelined for the West Ham game, but

Cristiano Ronaldo has said it came as a surprise when Sir Alex Ferguson told him he was to wear the No. 7 shirt at Manchester United, following in the footsteps of George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Speaking at a promotional event, Real Madrid star Ronaldo said he had initially been set to wear No. 28 but Ferguson told him: "Look, I would like you to wear No. 7." He added: "I was surprised because I knew of all the great players who had worn that jersey." Ronaldo, who was just 18 when he arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, won three Premier League titles and the Champions League with United. He also received his first Ballon d'Or trophy as a United player before making a €94 million move to Madrid in 2009. Portugal captain Ronaldo said he had enjoyed a "dream" time at Old Trafford. "It was the start of my successful stage in football," he added. "I did not only improve my football skills, but a

Jose Mourinho is ready to end Luke Shaw's Old Trafford stay after appearing to criticize the defender's attitude again. Manchester United defender Luke Shaw appears set to leave the club, after manager Jose Mourinho once again criticized his attitude, claiming that he cannot compare to Manchester United's other left backs, Ashley Young, Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind.  “It's difficult for him to be on the bench because I cannot compare him with Ashley Young, with Darmian, with Blind,” Mourinho said. “I cannot compare the way he trains, the way he way he commits, the focus, the ambition. He is a long way behind.” Shaw has played just once for United since the end of January and was not even considered for the bench against West Brom on Saturday. When reminded that the 21-year old is an England player, who appeared against Germany last month, Mourinho replied: “Joe Hart is an English international and is playing on loan in Italy.” Shaw suffered a broken leg against PS

Tottenham cut the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to seven points as they overcame a stubborn Burnley at Turf Moor. The visitors struggled in a drab first half as Dele Alli fired wide when well-placed and both central midfielders Victor Wanyama and Harry Winks were withdrawn through injury. Winks suffered a particularly nasty fall, tumbling into the Burnley dugout after trying to tackle Stephen Ward, before he was carried off on a stretcher at the interval. Despite a lack of attacking fluency, Spurs continued to exert pressure on the Clarets from corners, with Eric Dier firing in after the hosts failed to properly clear Christian Eriksen's delivery. Vincent Janssen, making his first Premier League start of 2017, became the third Tottenham player forced off injured but that allowed the introduction of Son Heung-min. And the Korea striker made sure of victory as he tapped in Alli's squared pass on 77 minutes as Spurs controlled the final stages. Victory, coup

Manchester United were held by a stubborn West Bromwich Albion to a goalless draw at Old Trafford this afternoon. With six key players missing through suspensions and injuries, Red Devils manager, Jose Mourinho, picked a front four Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford but no place the returning Wayne Rooney as he made due with a place on the bench.  For the Baggies, manager Tony Pulis recalled James Morrison who missed Arsenal game due to an ankle injury while Wales international Hal Robson-Kanu replaces Salomon Rondon in attack. First Half The home side dominated possession early in the game but struggled to create clear chances as the Baggies defended deep in the half. Martial had the first real chance of the game as he climbed highest to meet Jesse Lingard cross but his header went wide. At the other end, Hal Robson-Kanu was fouled on the edge of the box by Marcus Rojo and Chris Brunt freekick was blocked by the wall. However, it was the home si

Christian Benteke scored what turned out to be the winning goal as Crystal Palace secured a shock 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in their Premier League clash. Cesc Fabregas had given the Blues an early lead in the 5th minute and many were expecting another routine win from the hosts but that was not the case as Palace gave an instant response though Wilfred Zaha who restored parity for the visitors in the 9th minute.  Survival for Sam Allardyce's men got a big boost when two minutes after Zaha's equaliser, Benteke chipped in the ball to give Palace the lead that held on to till the final whistle. Antonio Conte named a strong starting XI; making  two changes to the side that claimed a 2-1 victory at Stoke City before the international break, with a fit-again Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas both coming in alongside Diego Costa up front. Victor Moses was omitted due to a calf injury and Willian dropped to the bench, with N'Golo Kante, Pedro, Nemanja Mat

Leicester City’s new fairy tale story continued Saturday as the defending champions continued their perfect run under new manager, Craig Shakespeare; beating Stoke City 2-0 at the King Powers stadium. Nigeria international, Wilfred Ndidi scored his first Premeir League goal in that encounter and it was a beauty to behold as the Foxes took a 1-0 lead by half time.  The points were effectively sealed for the hosts when Jamie Vardy two minutes into the second half registered his name on the scorers’ sheet.

LIVERPOOL, England -- Three quick thoughts from Liverpool 3-1 Everton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. 1. Liverpool's derby delight, but worry over Mane Liverpool took a step toward to cementing their place in the top four with a 3-1 victory over Everton at Anfield on Saturday. Goals from Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi gave the home side the edge in this Merseyside derby and although Ronald Koeman's side briefly levelled through Matthew Pennington, Liverpool were always the better team. The bad news for Jurgen Klopp was that Mane limped off heavily after 55 minutes after falling awkwardly. The Senegal forward gives Liverpool a different dimension with his direct running and power and any prolonged absence from the team would cause the Liverpool manager sleepless nights. It appeared innoucuous when Mane tumbled to the floor in a tangle of legs but replays showed a nasty-looking twist.  Liverpool's bid for the top four has been fortified b

A visit to London to play Arsenal has been one of the least rewarding trips on City's travel itinerary over the last 45 years. It seems only Anfield has held more fear for City's less than intrepid travellers down the years. Just one league win at the Emirates (or Highbury) since October 1975 takes some believing. Since winning surprisingly at Highbury in 1975-76 -- and even that involved going 3-0 up and then almost throwing it all away; the final score 3-2 after a gritty Arsenal fightback -- City have managed just one solitary league win (in January 2013) plus a slender League Cup win in 2011. The modern day record against the North Londoners is much better than it used to be, but travelling away seems to have put a mental block on the players for longer than is natural. In the space of a month, Pep Guardiola's men must conquer this hoodoo not once but twice, as they visit the Emirates this weekend and return to London to play Arsenal in the FA Cup semifinal on Apr

Jurgen Klopp has urged his Liverpool players to embrace the importance of Saturday's Merseyside derby. Liverpool currently sit fourth in the Premier League as they took to secure Champions League football for next season, but Everton are pushing for an unlikely bid for a top-four finish following an impressive run of form since the turn of the year. A win for Liverpool at Anfield would put them nine points clear of Ronald Koeman's side, with Klopp believing that fact provides further motivation. "That's another factor. It's clear. We can all read the numbers," he said. "It is opportunity not pressure. The pressure is always there and we are under pressure because of different things but that is a normal part of life. "We need to go into a game like this really positive, we need to be really aggressive but this kind of positive aggressive. Not that we want to show that we are ready to make crazy challenges or whatever but we are ready to