Nasser Al-Khelaifi has replaced Andrea Agnelli as chairman of the European Clubs Association (ECA) after the breakdown of the proposed European Super League.

Paris Saint-Germain – for whom Al-Khelaifi is chairman and chief executive – were, along with Bayern Munich, one of the few heavyweight European clubs to elect against joining the planned breakaway competition, which collapsed before it ever got started.

Only Real Madrid and Barcelona are yet to confirm their withdrawal from the now-suspended tournament, after all six English teams involved pulled out on Tuesday, with Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Inter and Milan following suit on Wednesday.

During a remarkable situation which rolled out over Sunday and Monday, Juve chief Agnelli – a major driving force …

While Portugal might have needed a second-half flurry to get the job done on Thursday night, Roberto Martinez’s side extended on their EURO 24 qualifying romp as they secured a 2-0 victory against Liechtenstein.

Although the former European champions might have been frustrated for large spells, Portugal came roaring back after the interval as the record-breaking Cristiano Ronaldo produced a screamer just seconds after the half-time break.

Continuing on what has been a Group J romp this year and already breezing their way to EURO 24 without having to get out of second gear, Martinez’s superstar squad have made quite the statement of intent.

With Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo bagging his 10th international strike just 11 minutes after Ronaldo’s opener, Por…

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo admits the desire to dominate drove the players to their historic 7-0 win over arch-rivals Manchester United last season.

Erik ten Hag’s side suffered the largest defeat in the two clubs’ 211-game history in March, conceding six times in the second half as they were completely overwhelmed.

There was a party atmosphere in the Anfield stands that afternoon but on the pitch Gakpo said the mood was professional and clinical.

“It was a great game that one. We knew we had to win and after a good first half from both teams the second half we really dominated and scored a lot of goals,” the Dutchman said.

“I scored just before half-time and I think just two minutes after half-time Darwin (Nunez) scored the second one and two…

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Looking to extend on their early-season romp this weekend, Barcelona will welcome Celta Vigo to Catalonia on Saturday evening.

Barcelona

Starting with the hosts, opening their Champions League adventure with a thumping performance in Catalonia as they claimed a 5-0 romp against Antwerp, Barcelona are certainly riding a recent wave of momentum. Making La Liga history last season as they got their hands on a first domestic crown since 2019, Xavi’s squad should find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Marking their return from September’s international break with another stellar display as they landed a 5-0 victory against Real Betis, the Spanish heavyweight will be looking to lay down another marker this weekend. Heading into…

Wolfsburg made Bundesliga history on Sunday after Mark van Bommel s table-topping side preserved their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 win over RB Leipzig.

Jerome Roussillon scored the only goal of the match as leaders Wolfsburg made it three victories from three games – the only team with a 100 per cent record heading into the international break.

Wolfsburg have collected nine points from their opening three games of a Bundesliga campaign for the first time.

They also ended the day top of the table for the first time since winning the title in 2008-09 (minimum three games played).

9 VfL Wolfsburg have collected nine points from their first three games of a Bundesliga campaign for the very first time. They will end a day top of the table for the …

The Champions League group stage reaches the halfway point this week and Tuesday provides another set of tasty fixtures.

Liverpool travel to Atletico Madrid seeking revenge two seasons on from their last-16 exit to Diego Simeone s side in the pick of the games.

Real Madrid and Manchester City are each looking to respond to defeats last time out when they take on Shakhtar Donetsk and Club Brugge respectively.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain host RB Leipzig and two of Europe s great entertainers in Ajax and Borussia Dortmund face off in Amsterdam.

Here, Stats Perform takes a look at the key Opta data ahead of some key contests.

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool: Reds face bogey side

Following their last-16 exit to Atletico two seasons ag…

Giorgio Chiellini asserted it was the right time to end his Juventus career after making his final home appearance for the club, revealing Italy s failure to reach the Qatar World Cup influenced his decision.

Chiellini played the first 17 minutes of a Serie A clash with Lazio on Monday, in which Juve threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2.

First-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata looked set to ensure the Bianconeri marked the Allianz Stadium swansong of Chiellini – and Paulo Dybala – with a win, only for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to equalise with the final kick of the game after Alex Sandro put through his own net.

The 37-year-old defender, who has won 20 trophies during his incredible career with the Turin giants, has made 392 top-flight appear…

Real Madrid returned to the summit of LaLiga as David Alaba s stunner and Lucas Vazquez s late tap in saw Carlo Ancelotti s team beat Barcelona 2-1 in the season s first Clasico.

Sergino Dest squandered a golden chance for Barca at Camp Nou and Madrid made their hosts pay when Clasico debutant Alaba arrowed in a brilliant shot.

Karim Benzema should have added to Madrid s lead in the second half, though Vazquez was on hand to nudge in at the end of a stoppage-time counter.

That proved to be crucial, with Sergio Aguero s maiden Barca goal in the 97th minute not enough to inspire a comeback as the hosts failed to win a fifth straight LaLiga Clasico, their longest winless run against any team in the competition since May 2008.

Barca seemed all set to take th…

Marco Silva believes Fulham s displays have been more complete this season than they were last term, and he is desperate to give their fans another result to savour ahead of Saturday s West London derby at Brentford.

While some expected Fulham to struggle this season after talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic left for Al-Hilal, they sit safely ensconced in 13th in the Premier League table with 43 points.

Fulham have only taken four points from their last five Premier League games, though, and Silva is aware their next match carries more importance than most for supporters.

These types of games are special for our fans, Silva said. I prepare my team in the same way for every match, but we want our fans to have a good feeling after tomorrow.

We have t…

Chiedozie Ogbene and Alan Browne are facing a race against time to be fit for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar next month.

Frontman Ogbene is working his way back from a hamstring injury suffered during Rotherham’s 1-0 Sky Bet Championship win over Middlesbrough on May 1, while Preston midfielder Browne is continuing his rehabilitation from medial ligament damage sustained at QPR on April 7.

Speaking after a four-day training camp with his EFL and League of Ireland-based players in Bristol, manager Stephen Kenny said: “Chiedozie Ogbene had a hamstring tear with Rotherham and hasn’t been able to participate this week, so we’ll have to see how that is. Alan Browne as well, [is] coming back from a medial injury, so these …