Congo remain favourites to reach the next round of World Cup qualification despite seeing their 100 percent record ended by Gabon on Saturday.

The Group E leaders had won all three of their previous qualifying matches but were without the services of several first-team stars such as Christopher Samba.
However, they dug in to earn a 0-0 draw which keeps them in pole position in the group, six points clear of Gabon who look an unlikely bet to reach the next round of qualification as a result.
Burkina Faso and Niger, who occupy third and fourth spot respectively, go head to head on Sunday.
Elsewhere in Africa, Ethiopia leapfrogged South Africa to regain control of Group A courtesy of a 2-1 away win over Botswana.
First-half goals from Getaneh Kebede and Salahdin Said proved the di…

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri admits Paul Pogba s performances at the World Cup caught his eye but stopped short of expressing an interest in bringing the midfielder back to Turin.

After a season of mixed fortunes at Manchester United, where he impressed and frustrated across the course of a campaign that yielded only runners-up spots in the Premier League and FA Cup, Pogba was inspirational for France in Russia and scored in their 4-2 final victory over Croatia.

The 25-year-old s international team-mate Blaise Matuidi called for Pogba to return to Juventus amid France s celebrations, and it has been rumoured he would be interested in heading back to Serie A to link up with new signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Allegri – who allowed Pogba to leave Juventus …

Juventus have not yet finalised a deal with AC Milan for striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to club general manager Giuseppe Marotta.

The 30-year-old has been tipped to join the Rossoneri on an initial loan deal for an €18million fee, with the option of making the move permanent for €36m.

Juve and Milan officials are believed to have met on Tuesday to thrash out the finer details of the agreement, as well as discuss the prospect of a swap deal involving Leonardo Bonucci and Mattia Caldara.

However, Marotta claims there has not yet been a satisfactory conclusion to the discussions.

When asked if everything was agreed over Higuain s future, he told reporters in Milan: Not so much.

Higuain fired Juve to back-to-back domestic doubles after joinin…

Luka Jovic made the difference for AC Milan one minute after coming on as an 80th-minute substitute with the winning strike in their 3-2 Serie A victory at Frosinone.

Olivier Giroud nodded in the opener which was cancelled out before the break by Matias Soule’s penalty, but Luca Mazzitelli fired the hosts in front after half-time.

The sides were back on level terms when Matteo Gabbia, assisted by Giroud, found the back of the net with a diving header before Serbia striker Jovic wrapped up the win.

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The result sees AC Milan – in third – move to within four points of second-placed Juventus, having played one more game, while Serie A leaders Inter Milan have two games on hand over Stefano Pioli�…

Phil Foden believes the Premier League title race will go to the wire this season.

The England midfielder scored a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday night.

It was a potentially pivotal victory which lifted City above Arsenal into second place, two points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

“It’s going to be tight one. Liverpool and Arsenal are two top teams doing really well,” said Foden.

“They are going to push us until the end so we have to try and not drop points and try to win all of our games really.”

City fell behind against the run of play when Neal Maupay fired Brentford into the lead.

But Foden finally beat inspired Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken to haul his side level before the int…

Manchester United F.C. manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that he signed Memphis Depay from Dutch Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven before the end of the season to prevent the player from joining Paris Saint-Germain.

The Holland international, 21, will officially move to United for a rumoured fee of €30 million when the transfer window re-open in July, having agreed a four-year deal with the Red Devils.

  I have been forced to sign him, said Van Gaal during his pre-match press conference ahead of United s game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

I didn t want to sign him before the end of the season because we have to focus on our games. When you sign a player, you disturb the focus of your present group of players. 

…

Monaco have completed the permanent signing of Fabinho, who has spent the last two seasons on loan at the Stade Louis II from Rio Ave.

The Brazilian who also made one loan outing for Real Madrid in 2012-13  has made 61 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco over the past two campaigns, and has made his stay a permanent one with a contract running until June 2019.

Fabinho has demonstrated his talent since his arrival and we are happy to integrate him definitively at Monaco, said club vice president Vadim Vasilyev.

His versatility, his youth and his state of mind make him a great player for the future.

It is also an opportunity for him to join the Brazilian selection.

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As the restart of the 2019/20 season in the Bundesliga approaches, RB Leipzig are set to take on Freiburg at the Red Bull Arena on Saturday afternoon in what will be the 26th round of the campaign, following a break which lasted over two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

RB Leipzig

Leipzig reportedly face uncertainty over the futures of some of their key players in the period that is before us. The likes of striker Timo Werner and centre-back Dayot Upamecano have been heavily linked with departures, but while Werner still seems likely to change clubs, there are suggestions that Upamecano may yet sign a new deal and stay put. Be that as it may, it will be interesting to see how these players cope with their respective situations and…

Real Madrid want to sell Gareth Bale at the end of the season, according to . It has been reported that Bale, currently on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, is out of contract at the Spanish and European giants in the summer of 2022, and the defending La Liga champions want to get him off their books.

Bale has struggled with injury problems for the past two or so years and has not played well when he has been on the pitch. The Wales international winger joined Spurs on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2020, but things have not been great for him.

According to , the 31-year-old winger has made six starts and six substitute appearances in the Premier League for Spurs so far this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists in the process. Bale has also made seven…

Former England captain John Terry said on Saturday he was nothing like the popular image portrayed of him being a hellraising, hard drinking womaniser but was more likely to be seen bathing his children and staying in.

The 29-year-old told Saturday s edition of The Times an interview conducted before the revelations of his extra-marital affair with former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge s ex-girlfriend which led to him being sacked as national captain that he rarely touched alcohol nowadays either after several embarrassing episodes which made the front pages of the tabloid press.

I probably don t go out as much as I should do with my wife, said Terry, who has flown out with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti s blessing to Dubai to try and patch up his marriage with his wi…