Following Monaco s sensational title triumph in 2016-17, normal service was resumed in Ligue 1 last season as Paris Saint-Germain regained their crown by a crushing 13-point margin on the way to another domestic treble

Under the scrutiny of UEFA s Financial Fair Play rules, the 2017 excesses that brought in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to further skew the balance of power have not been possible for PSG this year. Their most significant acquisition for the campaign that gets underway when Marseille host Toulouse on Friday is Thomas Tuchel.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach is the high-end tactician the capital club s Qatari owners have craved as they turn their attentions towards the final frontier of Champions League success.

For all his undoubted talent, Tuchel has…

Wolves will no doubt be fielding a full strength team following their £25,000 fine by the F.A. for previously deliberately fielding a weakened team against Manchester United, while Chelsea will hope they are unaffected by the furore surrounding Wolves and will expect to pick up an important three points.

Wolves Boss Mick McCarthy came under fire from all quarters for his team selection against United earlier in the season. As it turned out it may have been a wise decision as his rested first team picked up three points in their following league game. After all, a £25,000 fine pales into insignificance against survival in the Premier League. Adopt tactics like this agaain, though, and the club are likely to be punished much more severely. Wolves will be unperturbed by the late…

Sunderland look to maintain a push towards the top ten of the Premier League, whilst nothing but a win will do for Manchester United in their pursuit of Chelsea, and the premier League title.

Sunderland have finally regained their form during the past six weeks or so, and their run of good form has seen them surge up the table into tenth place, albeit with the following couple of clubs having a game in hand on the Black Cats. Steve Bruce will be looking for a really strong finish to the season in order to secure the necessary funding from owner Ellis Short to push the club up and along to the next level.  Sunderland still have selection problems, particularly in defence with Hutton ruled out with suspension, McCartney injured and Mensah and Turner both doubtful. Darren Bent wi…

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed there is no termination clause for the end of this season in new head coach Quique Setien s deal.

Setien penned a two-and-a-half-year contract this week to replace Ernesto Valverde in the Camp Nou hot seat.

Speaking to Sport, Bartomeu confirmed there was a clause in the 61-year-old s contract that relates to Barca s next presidential elections in 2021, but no mechanism to release Setien if the remainder of this campaign does not go as planned.

No, he has a contract for two-and-a-half years and can be released in 2021, he said.

Quique Setien has signed for two-and-a-half seasons and I have already explained that there are elections in 2021 and [at that time] there will be a clause there according to …

Hope Powell’s 15-year reign as England head coach came to an end on this day in 2013 as the Football Association decided the time was right “for a fresh outlook”.

Following a successful playing career Powell took on the head coach role in 1998, guiding England to the European Championship final in 2009, where they lost 6-2 to Germany.

The Lionesses, however, crashed out of Euro 2013 at the group stage, taking just one point to finish bottom of Group C as Powell ultimately paid the price for the dismal showing in Sweden.

Regarding the decision, then-FA general secretary Alex Horne said: “Hope deserves a lot of credit for her commitment to developing the national teams over such a long period.

“However, after the disappointment of the recent tourn…

We gather here today to mourn the fallen. 

With a 34-31 upset win over Cincinnati, the New York Jets went full Thanos and wiped out nearly half the population of NFL Survivor Pools last Sunday. The Bengals were the popular selection of the entire season, with almost 46 percent of poolies making them their best survivor pool pick. 

Then… SNAP!

I was among the dusted, putting an end to my seven-week streak of “safe” selections. In fact, last Sunday was a survivor pool slaughter, with my “smart” pick on the Browns going down and my “team to avoid” winning by 24 points. 

But even with my survivor entries in the toilet, I’m obligated to keep this weekly piece rolling from beyond the grave…