Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

Pep Guardiola's side have suffered a real injury crisis of late, particularly at centre-back, and that has been a factor in their falling off the pace in the Premier League title race. City are now six points adrift of league leaders Arsenal at the top. They are without three key central defenders - Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones - with the trio all ruled out long-term.

Rangers captain James Tavernier has emerged as a target for former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Panathinaikos, with the 34-year-old right-back out of contract this summer. (Daily Mail), external Aberdeen have enquired about taking on loan Rangers midfielder Lyall Cameron, who chose Ibrox instead of Pittodrie when leaving Dundee in the summer, but it is not yet clear whether an option-to-buy agreement is possible for the 23-year-old.

Egypt arrived at the tournament aiming to lift a record-extending eighth AFCON title, and while performances were inconsistent at times, Hossam Hassan's side showed good progress in the knockout rounds. That progress was halted by Senegal in the semi-finals. A tight contest appeared destined for extra time before Sadio Mane struck in the 78th minute, leaving the Pharaohs unable to find a response.

PSG have identified Enzo Fernandez as a potential target, reports L'Equipe. As previously reported, the Argentinian midfielder is among the players who interest the Parisian club, especially since he is considering his future at Chelsea. He had developed a good relationship with Enzo Maresca, and the Italian's dismissal, replaced by Liam Rosenior, has clearly affected him. A move is highly unlikely in January but it would be a surprise if and when it did come to pass.

John Murray, Ian Dennis & Ali Bruce-Ball talk football, travel & language. They share their experiences of Macclesfield's FA Cup triumph and have their say on the Michael Carrick & Liam Rosenior appointments. John is getting ready for his trip to the Arctic. There's Clash of the Commentators controversy, more unintended pub names, and which commentary phrases will end up in our Great Glossary? Suggestions welcome on WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369 & emails to TCV@bbc.co.uk

Several presidents of African football federations have told the Guardian they were not informed of the decision until it was surprisingly announced by the Caf president, Patrice Motsepe, on 20 December, prompting claims that the confederation breached its statutes by failing to seek approval at a general assembly. That is based on a contention that major changes to competition formats must be ratified by the 54 member associations, although that has been disputed by senior sources at Caf.

"A lot of things have to fall in place before I think we're ready to expand," says Larman. "But certainly the dream is to get to a larger number of clubs. "The success of the league will depend on strength of the clubs - so all have strong community links or ingrained community involvement. "That's going to be key for them to have financial success, with big portfolios of commercial partners and a strong team off the pitch which is then generating a lot of money to invest in the first team and youth programmes."

Before the latest round of Premier League fixtures, here is all the key injury news alongside essential Fantasy Premier League statistics. The gameweek kicks off with Manchester United at home to Manchester City at Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) - here is the full fixture list. This article will be updated as Premier League managers give their weekly news conferences. For more FPL help, don't miss our regular Friday Q&A from 15:30 BST live on the BBC Sport website, with one of our four experts

Across his 78 years on Earth, Franz Beckenbauer left one of the greatest legacies in the history of football. Nicknamed der Kaiser ("the Emperor"), Beckenbauer started out as a midfielder, but established himself as a centre-back, and he is credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper. Beckenbauer is one of ten players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup, and the Ballon d'Or,

Playing in the Premier League has always been a dream of mine, and I'm incredibly excited for what's ahead. I know there's still plenty of work to do, and pushing myself every day and improving is something I'm fully committed to. We have some special things ahead of us at Sunderland, and I'm looking forward to taking this journey together.

In this week's quiz, you'll answer 20 questions about football, covering everything from Italian football to stubborn World Cup defences. Episode 98 will test your knowledge of Serie A geography, Ballon d'Or runners-up, EFL Stadiums, FA Cup-winning managers and more. You may like That's your third Friday Football Quiz of 2026 but we have a huge list of football quizzes, puzzles, teasers and posers to help you into the weekend, all powered by Kwizly.

Breaking through at Bayern Munich as a youth player is exceedingly difficult. Lennart Karl may have made it look easy, but usually one has to compete with an array of stars as an academy player to get game time. Felipe Chavez is in a fairly similar boat. He caught the eye with a bright display in the big 5-0 friendly against RB Salzburg before making his Bundesliga debut against VfL Wolfsburg.

Bojan Miovski helped himself to a hat-trick in Rangers' commanding 5-0 Scottish Cup win over Annan Athletic as the new signing Andreas Skov Olsen checked in at Ibrox. The North Macedonia striker, one of nine changes to Danny Rohl's side, fired Rangers into the lead in the 12th minute of the fourth-round tie against the League Twovisitors before heading in a second just after the half-hour mark.

Josh has been training with the under-21s, what he has done is not acceptable. We want to focus on the players available and get us out of the position we are in currently. There's not much more to focus on now apart from Wrexham and getting results.

Manchester United and Manchester City are keeping close tabs on Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, with both clubs considering a summer move for the highly rated 22-year-old, according to TEAMtalk. With just over two years remaining on his contract, Scott could be available for a reduced fee at the end of the season, a situation that has alerted several Premier League giants.

"I'm over the moon to be staying on. It's the place I have come through the academy and broken into the first team, and I am loving life playing for this club," he told the club's website., external "I'm excited for the next few years and where we can go as team, there is a lot of potential. "I feel so close to so many of the supporters and many of my friends and family love coming to The Stoop.

He surprised me with his extremely high level of quality, with the all-round ability he has managed to impose in a year and a half, We've seen him do everything: play as a box-to-box midfielder, as a winger, as a forward and then even as a holding midfielder and a playmaker. How many players like him are around? That he has been the strongest midfielder in Italy isn't just my opinion; his fellow players said it too, when he was voted MVP at the Gran Gala del Calcio.

Flamengo are advancing in talks with West Ham over the signing of Lucas Paquetá although sources have told ESPN that the midfielder is most likely to remain with the London outfit until the end of the season. Paquetá, who has 18 months left on his contract with the Hammers, wants to return to Brazil in this transfer window. However, the Brazil international would only leave this month if Flamengo meet the £50 million ($67.2m) asking price requested by West Ham,

Napoli's title defense continues to falter. After being held by Hellas Verona and salvaging a point against Inter, the Partenopei were frustrated again in midweek, drawing 0-0 with Parma despite dominating possession and creating chances. Conte, suspended and watching from the stands, saw his side fail to convert opportunities-a recurring theme in recent weeks. That result allowed Inter to extend their lead, leaving Napoli vulnerable to pressure from below.

Chelsea are ready to rival the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United for the potential transfer of Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet. As reported via the Daily Briefing, I've been told that the Blues have added Jacquet to their list of targets as they look for a new defensive signing this January. The highly-rated young Frenchman is also understood to be on the radar of Arsenal, while Manchester United have also monitored him.

Conor Gallagher has already been unveiled as a Lilywhites player, with the former Chelsea midfielder brought in for cover following a hamstring injury to Rodrigo Bentancur. The England man has cost Spurs 35 million, according to the BBC, with another new face to come through the door in the coming days. ESPN Brasil have reported that a move for Santos defender Souza has now been completed, for a fee believed to be around 15m.

I want to leave Yildiz alone because I don't want to question him in terms of his role. For me, he's incredibly strong, he's doing an amazing job and I want to protect him. We're looking for a replacement in that area. Usually, a top player is a top player because they're undroppable, or because they play like a champion. He does both.

Matt Bloomfield is back in the second tier to try to make amends for his relegation with Luton by saving an Oxford United side who have spent too much of the season looking downwards. It took the U's over two weeks to name Bloomfield as Gary Rowett's successor, and his appointment has raised a few eyebrows after leaving the Hatters 11th in League One, with his replacement Jack Wilshire lifting them into play-off contention.