Head coach Diego Simeone has dismissed suggestions he has lost the dressing room at Atletico Madrid.

Atleti are sixth in LaLiga after 14 matches on 25 points  six behind leaders Barcelona, who are ahead of second-placed Real Madrid on goal difference.

But Simeone played down talk he no longer has the confidence of the Atleti players following an underwhelming start to the campaign.

The 49-year-old claims such questions have been a regular feature of his tenure and was bullish at a news conference on Thursday.

In the eight years that I have been here, it has been said that the group was not with me every year, Simeone said ahead of Friday s clash with Villarreal.

There is always a moment of speculation. However, we move forward with pati…

Alberto Zaccheroni will get a clearer picture of how he will set up at the FIFA World Cup when Japan host Cyprus in a friendly on Tuesday.

Japan will come up against Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast in Group C at the World Cup finals in Brazil, though first thing on the agenda is an international friendly at Saitama Stadium.

Zaccheroni named 12 European-based players in his 23-man squad for the showpiece event, with Keisuke Honda (Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United) and Shinji Okazaki (Mainz) headlining the selections.

Veteran striker Yoshito Okubo was handed a shock recall to the national team, having not appeared on the international stage since February 2012.

Okubo s selection was questioned despite topping the J.League charts last season with 27 goals, …

Eric Abidal has reportedly been released from hospital after undergoing medical examinations following a liver transplant in April 2012.

The Barcelona defender was diagnosed with a tumour on his liver back in March 2011, which required major surgery, but the operation did not resolve the problem completely.

One year later his club announced that the 33-year-old would have to undergo yet more surgery to replace his liver, and a month later he underwent a successful procedure.

Abidal is now expected to join his team in training next week after coming through a series of tests that began last Wednesday.

The France international s last competitive appearance came back in February 2012, when Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1.

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Manchester City brought in Julian Alvarez to boost their attacking ranks last summer, together with the acquisition of the sensational Erling Haaland, though the transfer was actually done in January last year, with a six-month loan back to River Plate a part of the transfer agreement.

Obviously tasked with being initially a backup for the Norwegian scoring machine, the 23-year-old has raised his stock, mostly by playing a big role in Argentina s successful World Cup quest in Qatar, and his situation seems to have attracted potential suitors. To safeguard against his potential change of heart and possible wish to leave the Etihad, the Premier League champions have put an offer of new terms, significantly improved, devised to keep him at the club until 2028. It s now up to him t…

Borussia Dortmund will not be selling Jude Bellingham, but the Bundesliga giants are optimistic they will have a new striker on board by the end of next week.

England midfielder Bellingham has emerged as a target for some of Europe s biggest clubs, with Real Madrid reportedly among his admirers.

At just 19, he is entering his third Bundesliga campaign, having previously spent a year as a first-team regular with English second-tier side Birmingham City.

It appears Bellingham will still be a Dortmund player by the time the World Cup gets under way in November, with the German club eager to avoid a second star exit in this transfer window after Erling Haaland left for Manchester City.

Asked if he could rule out selling Bellingham, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachi…

Germany coach Joachim Low has suggested Mario Gotze would better serve his career by leaving Bayern Munich.

Former Borussia Dortmund forward Gotze scored the winning goal to secure a 1-0 extra-time triumph for Low s side over Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final.

The anticipated kick-on to global superstardom has not materialised for the 23-year-old, with form and fitness struggles preventing him from nailing down a regular starting spot under Pep Guardiola at Bayern.

Guardiola makes way for Carlo Ancelotti at the Allianz Arena after Saturday s DFB Pokal final against Dortmund, while Gotze continues to be linked to a reunion with former boss Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Speaking to Suddeutsche Zeitung, Low stated such a move could be welcome for Gotze – …

Former Barcelona midfielder Ronald de Boer feels Luis Suarez has silenced any doubters of his ability this season.

Despite suggestions that he would struggle to displace Lionel Messi as the spearhead of Barca s attack when he joined from Liverpool after the 2014 World Cup, the Uruguay international has become one of their undisputed star men over the past two seasons.

Suarez netted 40 goals in La Liga in 2015-16 to win the European Golden Shoe and De Boer has nothing but praise for the 29-year-old.

Suarez has been unbelievable. Nobody expected this when Barcelona signed him two years ago, De Boer told Omnisport.

There were some doubts whether he would fit Barcelona s style of play and was skilful enough. But he has been unbelievable.

He became …

Atletico Madrid winger Eduardo Salvio could return to Benfica this off-season, the player s agent has confirmed.

The Argentina international spent the 2010-11 season on loan at the Estadio da Luz, making 39 appearances in all competitions before an injury ruled him out of the final weeks of the campaign.

Benfica attempted to sign the 22-year-old on a permanent basis following his loan spell, but a move failed to materialise as the two clubs could not reach an agreement over the transfer fee.

However, it is believed that Benfica s interest in Salvio has not cooled, and the Argentine s representative has revealed that he has been approached by the Portuguese club regarding a transfer.

I received a call, asking me to travel to Portugal in the next days to …

Wayne Rooney underlined the confidence surging through England ahead of Saturday s World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan as the striker claimed Fabio Capello s side can hit even greater heights than they reached in the demolition of Croatia.

England return to Wembley hoping to extend their 100 percent start to the Group Six campaign and maintain the feelgood factor engendered by last month s 4-1 win in Zagreb.

Rooney produced what he believes was his best international performance to help end Croatia s long unbeaten home record, but the Manchester United star is convinced Capello s team still have room for improvement.

I have not played better for England than the Croatia game but I still think we could have played better in the first-half, he said. I though…

Market: Under 2.5 goals

Odds: 1/1 @

Looking to cause what would be another upset on their travels in midweek, Burnley will make the trip to an empty Villa Park on Thursday evening.

Starting with the hosts, although they might have seen Douglas Luiz sent off away at bitter Midlands rivals Wolves last weekend, Aston Villa did manage to grab themselves a last-gasp 1-0 win at Molineux. Bringing a much-needed end to their back-to-back 2-1 defeats against West Ham and Brighton, Head Coach Dean Smith has still seen his squad largely impress since opening the 2020/2021 campaign. Still holding games in hand over the teams above them in the table, the one-time Brentford boss will now be calling for his side to find their early-season clinical edge. Despite picking up tha…