Milan are set to be boosted by the return of Gianluigi Donnarumma after the goalkeeper tested negative for coronavirus.
Donnarumma, 21, missed a Serie A draw against Roma and Thursday s Europa League victory over Sparta Prague after contracting COVID-19.
The goalkeeper, though, could return as soon as Sunday s trip to Udinese after Milan confirmed the Italy international had tested negative.
Milan also announced Jens Petter Hauge and Matteo Gabbia had tested negative, though the latter will undergo further screening on Sunday.
Gianluigi Donnarumma and Jens Petter Hauge, who had been asymptomatic, have tested negative following further testing, a Milan statement read on Friday.
Official Statement: Donnarumma, Gabbia and Hauge
Comunicato Uffici…
Philippe Coutinho scored his first goal for Barcelona as they secured a 2-0 win over Valencia on Thursday and a 3-0 aggregate victory in their Copa del Rey semi-final.
The Brazil international, a €160million signing from Liverpool last month, came off the bench to break the deadlock before Ivan Rakitic sealed the win and kept the Catalans hopes of a treble alive.
Coutinho was perhaps surprisingly left out of the starting line-up in favour of Andre Gomes at Mestalla as head coach Ernesto Valverde named a strong side that included Gerard Pique, who recovered in time from a knee problem.
Valencia had lost their last three matches in a row but looked the more dangerous in the first half, with Rodrigo Moreno powering their best chance off the underside of the crossb…
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says the team s defeat to Inter has given him cause for concern ahead of Sunday s Serie A clash with AC Milan.
Seven wins from their opening eight games of the league campaign has given the champions an early five-point lead at the top of the table, with their sole defeat coming in a 2-1 loss to Frank de Boer s side at San Siro last month.
While Inter have struggled to replicate that display since, city rivals Milan have enjoyed a five-match unbeaten run to take them level on points with second-placed Roma ahead of their meeting with Juve.
And Allegri, who guided Milan to their last Serie A title in 2011, admits to being wary of Vincenzo Montella s in-form side.
I have to congratulate Milan, because they re having a gr…
Chelsea can press on with their January plans after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) halved their transfer ban on Friday.
The Blues were barred by FIFA from registering new players for two successive windows in February, having been found guilty of breaching rules relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.
However, CAS has reduced that ban to one window, which the Blues have already served, giving Frank Lampard the green light to make fresh acquisitions next month.
We take a look at who could be arriving at Stamford Bridge during the mid-season market.
BEN CHILWELL
Left-back would seem the obvious place to start for Lampard.
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson Palmieri…
Uzbekistan coach Hector Cuper insists potential opponents in the last 16 of the 2019 Asian Cup will not cloud his focus in their final Group F game against Japan on Thursday.
A 2-1 triumph over Oman was followed by a 4-0 hammering of Turkmenistan to secure a safe passage to the knockout stages for Cuper s side.
Japan themselves have six points from six, meaning the contest at the Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium will determine who finishes top of the group.
Winning the group would mean a clash with the runners-up of Group E, while finishing second means a daunting task against defending champions Australia.
Cuper, though, insists that he is not looking beyond Japan and any changes he makes will be made to help the team win the game.
The most important …
Niko Kovac has reportedly agreed to become the new coach of Bayern Munich, but Eintracht Frankfurt s Fredi Bobic says there has been no contact between the clubs.
Reports broken by Bild in Germany suggested Bayern have selected Kovac to be the replacement for Jupp Heynckes when the veteran leaves the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season.
Thomas Tuchel was reportedly in the running for the vacancy only for Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to confirm the former Borussia Dortmund coach strongly linked with Paris Saint-Germain has agreed to move elsewhere.
But despite Kovac seemingly being the next man in the Allianz Arena dugout, Bobic says he is unaware of a deal being done for the 46-year-old Croatian.
I m just coming back from Denmark, Bobic tol…
Brighton and Hove Albion right-back Tariq Lamptey is considering playing for Ghana instead of England at international level, according to England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley.
Former Brighton boss Chris Hughton was appointed technical director of the Ghana national team in February, and is reported to have proposed that Lamptey declare for the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup later this year.
The 21-year-old has made two appearances for England s U21 team, but is yet to feature at senior level.
Lamptey has struggled with injuries this season, making only 32 appearances for Brighton (18 starts) in all competitions, and was not named in either Gareth Southgate s latest senior Three Lions squad, or Carsley s U21 squad for upcoming games.
There s an iss…
Barcelona forward Ansu Fati has returned to training with the LaLiga club s first-team squad following a lengthy lay-off through injury.
The 18-year-old missed the second half of last season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee in November 2020.
Fati sustained the injury during Barcelona’s 5-2 victory over Real Betis at Camp Nou, and has subsequently undergone three operations.
However, the Spain international is closing in on a return to action after he was photographed back on the training pitches at Barcelona s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground on Tuesday.
You love to see it.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
Although he will not be available for this weekend’s LaLiga showdown with Getafe, Fati could be in con…
Barca have been left short in attack by serious injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, though Ansu Fati impressed with a double in a 2-1 victory over Levante last weekend.
On the effect signing Neymar could have on Fati, Abidal said: That s why planning is not so easy. We may wish to have all the best players, but we can t make a mistake in the development of players.
Since Ansu broke into the first team, he s contributed a lot. In the last [LaLiga] game, he showed his talent again. He s a player who can play in many positions and you have to take that into account.
I think the player is 100 per cent with us, with the first team, and has the goal of staying here for many years.
Barca could help fund a move for Neymar by letting Philippe Coutinho …
Marcel Sabitzer insisted he will put his Champions League final defeat in the past as he prepares to help Austria reach the last-16 of Euro 2024.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder played the full duration of their 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Wembley earlier this month.
Los Blancos secured their 15th success in the competition thanks to goals late in the game from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior.
But Sabitzer played a starring role as Austria roared back from their defeat to France in their opening game of the competition, beating Poland 3-1 to bring it down to the final matchday.
Easy Sunday!
— ÖFB oefb.at (@oefb1904)
Austria face the Netherlands in Berlin next Tuesday to conclude their Group D campaign, and know a win could see…