Virgil van Dijk has urged Netherlands to kickstart their recovery against England at Wembley.

Since finishing third at the 2014 World Cup, the Netherlands have endured a disastrous spell – failing to qualify for Euro 2016 under Guus Hiddink and his replacement Danny Blind.

Netherlands suffered a fourth consecutive home defeat against France on Friday, losing 3-2 in Amsterdam ahead of their trip to London on Tuesday.

The Dutch have fared slightly better on their travels and most recently beat Wales in November, but Southampton defender Van Dijk wants his international team-mates to use the Wembley stage to begin their journey towards the 2018 World Cup in earnest.

We owe our fans after what has happened and as players we all feel we have to answer to ou…

Rennes spoiled Paris Saint-Germain s Ligue 1 title party with a stunning 2-1 upset that all but guaranteed their survival on Wednesday.

Monaco s failure to beat Guingamp earlier in the day meant that PSG had already secured a second successive league crown by the time they took to the field.

An electrifying atmosphere at the Parc des Princes was amplified even further when Ezequiel Lavezzi fired Laurent Blanc s side into an early lead after just three minutes.

But quickfire first-half goals from Foued Kadir and Paul-Georges Ntep turned the tide, and despite incessant pressure, as well as the introduction of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his comeback from injury, PSG were unable to make it a 30th successive home Ligue 1 match without defeat.

Rennes had been the last team …

Brazil forward Alexandre Pato will be staying at AC Milan, according to the club chief executive Adriano Galliani.

Pato, 22, was heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in January, while Brazilian club Corinthians have also been touted as a potential destination.

However, Galliani has insisted Pato will be going nowhere, and will remain at the club to continue his rehabilitation from a string of muscle injuries.

Pato will stay at Milan, Galliani told Lancenet.

He will leave neither on a permanent deal, nor on loan. He will recuperate from his injury here with us.

The news comes as L Equipe report PSG will turn their attention towards Samuel Eto o in their bid to sign a world-class striker.

The French club were previously be…

Chris Hughton has been sacked by Brighton and Hove Albion, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Hughton led the Seagulls to their first ever promotion to the Premier League, then kept them in the top flight two years running, but poor form in the second half of 2018-19 cost him his job a day after the season s conclusion.

Brighton finished 17th in the table after a 4-1 defeat at home to Manchester City on Sunday, a result that confirmed Pep Guardiola s side s successful defence of their title.

Chairman Tony Bloom confirmed Hughton s departure was down to a series of results that saw Brighton end the campaign without a win in their last 10 games in all competitions.

Brighton Hove Albion have confirmed that Chris Hughton has left the club with immediate …

The 2014 World Cup has started with a bang, with hosts Brazil scrapping up a controversial victory over Croatia and holders Spain hammered by the Netherlands. And things look set to get even more exciting as England take on Italy in Manaus looking to get revenge for that Euro 2012 defeat.

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Hoping to find a route out of the relegation zone on Saturday afternoon, Schalke will make the trip to the WWK Arena when they meet Augsburg.

Starting with the hosts, eventually falling to an action-packed 5-3 loss away at defending champions Bayern Munich last weekend, Enrico Maaßen s men will be glad to make a return to home soil here. While the Bavaria-based outfit might have failed to clinch back-to-back Bundesliga victories since back in October, the Reds hold a commanding seven-point buffer over getting dragged into a relegation scrap. While Augsburg might have shown some extended defensive issues since opening 2023, the one-time Borussia Dortmund coach has seen his side continue to shine at the WWK Arena. In fact, …

Barcelona have entered talks over signing Benfica striker Jonas, as their search for attacking reinforcements continues.

The 32-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2015-16 campaig, scoring 32 goals in 34 outings to help Benfica to the Primeira Liga title and his performances have seemingly not gone unnoticed in Catalonia.

Barca have also been linked with Atletico Madrid attacker Luciano Vietto as they look to sign a forward to deputise for Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Someone dealing on behalf of Barcelona approached us at the end of last season, Jonas representative Tiago Goncalves told Globoesporte.

We were obviously quite flattered, because it was recognition that Jonas had a spectacular season.

When a club are interested in signing someone,…

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has criticised Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam for a nasty challenge on Gareth Bale.

The English Premier League clubs played out an uneventful goalless draw in the United States, but one moment of incident saw Adam bring down Bale after 18 minutes with a challenge that saw the Welshman withdrawn at half-time.

Bale suffered ruptured knee ligaments after a reckless tackle from Adam in 2010/11 and now Villas-Boas has voiced his anger at the Scotland international s actions.

I think it is a very nasty challenge from Charlie, he said after the game.

The player is gone and he comes in from behind on Gareth s ankle. I did not know the previous history between the two, but I do now.

It is a difficult one to be fa…

Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann claimed his first El Clasico will hold few surprises because the former Atletico Madrid star plans to draw on past derby experiences.

LaLiga leaders Barca have the chance to open up a three-point advantage when second-placed Real Madrid arrive at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Ernesto Valverde will hope Griezmann continues his good scoring form and the France international, a veteran of multiple Madrid derbies, appeared relaxed ahead of his first taste of Spanish football s showpiece fixture.

It s nothing out of the ordinary. At the end, they re an opponent we re fighting for top spot with, Griezmann said, courtesy of LaLiga.

At Atletico it was already very important for the fans, it was a derby and now it s El Clasico.

Would La Coruna striker be a good signing for Arsenal? / Image via lavozdegalicia.es

He may not be what Arsenal fans were expecting to get during the summer transfer window, but few should dare to call Deportivo La Coruna striker Lucas Perez a poor player.

Ahead of his proposed move to the Premier League and amidst increased interest from Everton and Gunners, we take a look at this 27-year-old versatile forward, who could be labelled a trademark Arsene Wenger signing.

Unpromising Beginnings

Lucas Perez Martinez is not a player that fits the world-class category.

Coming through the youth ranks of low-rank club Alaves, Montaneros and Ordenos, now a Deportivo La Coruna striker began his career playing for Atletico Madrid’s C team in 2007.

After t…