PSG boss Tuchel defends tearful Neymar and Mbappe after shooting blanks in Champions League final

Unai Emery had little interest in considering the possibility of Jose Mourinho replacing him as Arsenal manager following a disappointing draw at Vitoria SC.

Pressure has been building on Gunners boss Emery following a string of underwhelming results, with Arsenal winless in three in all competitions coming into Wednesday s Europa League clash.

That unwanted streak was extended to a fourth match as Bruno Duarte s stoppage-time strike cancelled out Shkodran Mustafi s 80th-minute opener.

In the lead-up to the contest in Portugal, the name of former rival Mourinho was linked with Emirates Stadium.

Mourinho, an Arsenal nemesis in his time at Chelsea, has been out of work since his sacking at Manchester United late last year and speculation is building about h…

From the crisis engulfing Jose Mourinho at Manchester United to Barcelona and Real Madrid trailing Sevilla in LaLiga, the 2018-19 season has seen some of Europe s top clubs struggle.

While the board at Old Trafford are reportedly contemplating Mourinho s future, pressure is also building at the Santiago Bernabeu where Julen Lopetegui is without a win in his last four matches in all competitions.

Reigning LaLiga champions Barcelona are in a similarly indifferent spell of form, while Bayern Munich are sixth in the Bundesliga following a humiliating 3-0 defeat at home to Borussia Monchengladbach in their last outing.

Opta s stats provide a telling insight into the key areas in which these four giants of European football are failing in this campaign when compared…

Karim Benzema marked his Real Madrid farewell with a goal in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao, as Los Blancos clung onto second place on the final day of the LaLiga season.

The veteran forward – who is expected to head to Saudi Arabia after announcing his departure on Sunday – converted a penalty as Madrid fought back to clinch a point at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Athletic had been denied an early opener when Thibaut Courtois kept out Mikel Vesga s spot-kick, but Ernesto Valverde s visitors struck first through Oihan Sancet after half-time.

Benzema s equaliser however cost them a spot in the Europa Conference League, with Carlo Ancelotti s men clinging onto second following Atleti s 2-2 draw with Villarreal elsewhere.

Athletic had the chance to go ahead f…

Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille take centre stage for France s biggest fixture in what is set to be a fascinating weekend in Ligue 1.

The rivalry between leaders PSG and UEFA Champions League hopefuls Marseille, known in France as Le Classique , had long been dominated by the Provencal club, but it is the capital outfit who have begun to dictate matters over recent years.

And Laurent Blanc s men will look to underline their superiority at the Parc des Princes on Sunday as PSG seek a first league double over Marseille since 2003 following victory at the Stade Velodrome back in October.

PSG will need no extra motivation to beat their bitter rivals who themselves will be looking to keep pace in the race for a top-three spot but could have the added incentive of potentia…

The president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has called for better performances in Europe from Serie A clubs.

Juventus are Italy s sole representative in European competition after the line-ups for the last eight of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League were confirmed this week.

Antonio Conte s side face French side Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals and FIGC president Giancarlo Abete has acknowledged the need for Juve to prosper given the recent performances by Italian clubs in continental tournaments.

The final of this season s Europa League takes place at Juventus Stadium, something Abete hopes the Turin outfit can capitalise on.

Needless to say, Italian teams need to do better in Europe, Abete told reporters.

There is a problem of…

Jan Vertonghen says Tottenham have learned lessons from their home defeat to Newcastle United as they prepare for the visit of Norwich City on Saturday.

Spurs threw away a half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Newcastle in their last match at White Hart Lane, before bouncing back with victory at Southampton.

Mauricio Pochettino s side will maintain their place in the Premier League s top four with a Boxing Day win over lowly Norwich, and the Argentinian coach can once again call on Ryan Mason after his ankle problem.

However, Spurs will be without Clinton N Jie for several months after he underwent surgery on a knee problem.

Alex Neil s Norwich picked up a morale-boosting victory at Manchester United last time out but sit 16th in the table and Vertonghen ha…

Gareth Bale believes he has handled high expectations at Real Madrid well since joining the club and thinks his game has improved at Santiago Bernabeu.

The 26-year-old joined the club from Tottenham in a deal worth a reported €100 million in 2013 and won the Champions League in his first season, scoring in the final against Atletico Madrid.

Bale has loved life in the Spanish capital and feels he has handled the spotlight positively.

It s been an amazing experience for me, the Wales international told UEFA.com.

It s obviously a massive club with big expectations. I ve come here, I ve done well. We have won four trophies, which is a good return, but we want to win more.

A lot of things have come good. I think my possession game is improving sti…

Scotland legend Ally McCoist has been delighted by Scott McTominay s recent emergence as a key man for both club and country.

The 24-year-old featured in 49 games across all competitions for Manchester United last term as they finished second in the Premier League and reached the Europa League final.

He also helped his country secure their first major tournament appearance since the 1998 World Cup with a play-off victory over Serbia that ensured they will be at this year s European Championship.

It is a development that has somewhat surprised McCoist, who scored 19 times for Scotland across a 61-cap international career.

Speaking to Stats Perform on behalf of official UEFA Euro 2020 partner Heineken ahead of the action getting under way, he said: I have …

Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest when collapsing on the pitch against Finland and was gone before being resuscitated, Denmark s team doctor has said.

Inter midfielder Eriksen was given CPR by medics in the first half of Saturday s Euro 2020 match after falling to the ground with no other player around him.

The fixture was originally suspended, but Eriksen was later confirmed to be awake and the game resumed a little under two hours later, with Finland winning 1-0 in Copenhagen.

The Danish Football Union (DBU) provided a further update on Sunday confirming Eriksen remains in a stable condition pending further examinations.

His condition is stable and he continues to be hospitalised for further examination, the statement read.

This morn…

David Villa knows that Barcelona must take advantage of playing the first leg at home in their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.

The La Liga title holders have an opportunity to take an aggregate lead in the quarter-final tie when they play host to Shakhtar at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

But if they fail to gain a positive result at home, Barca may need to become the first team to win away to Shakhtar in Europe since the Ukrainian champions moved to the Donbass Arena in 2009.

We ve had a good weekend in the league (beating Sevilla on Sunday) and are very happy about it, but now we are in another competition against a tough opponent, Spain striker Villa said.

We re playing at home in front of our own fans, but we still need to play well and n…