Dribble Diaries

Unai Emery, Aston Villa's manager, says his team will travel to Paris for the opening leg of the Champions League quarter-finals with confidence after winning seven straight games. Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1, increasing their prospects of returning to Europe's biggest stage next season, due to goals from Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen in the first 15 minutes. They have significant momentum as they aim for a second consecutive year of Champions League qualification. They can still do so by winning this year's championship, and they now face Paris St Germain in the club's biggest game since their European Cup quarter-final loss to Juventus in 1982. "We're motivated. "We're excited," said former PSG manager Emery ahead of his return to the Parc des Princes. "They are favourites, but we are going to try to play those two matches as well as possible, competing and analysing how we need to adapt to them, how we can impose and domina...

Tijjani Reijnders is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Milan's terrible starts to games, stating that 'every game is the same,' while Luka Jovic believes 'the coach will see' his contribution against Fiorentina. It was a fantastic match at San Siro, with the Rossoneri coming back from 2-0 down to tie 2-2, but the Viola also had two magnificent goals disallowed, the Luca Ranieri curler for an early foul and the late Dodo volley for offside. Both goalkeepers produced multiple saves in an intriguing contest, although each point contributes nothing to each team's chances of qualifying for Europe. "We started again by giving up two goals, and every game is the same. "We try to come back, but it's difficult if we start like this," Reijnders told Sky Sport Italia. "It's difficult, but we need to keep battling for this club and win as many games as possible in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. "The most essential thing is that we...

Barcelona suffered a 1-1 draw against Real Betis at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, leaving them dissatisfied. Following great Madrid's important fall in a 2-1 home loss to Valencia, Barça had a great chance to take a commanding lead at the top of the La Liga table with only eight games remaining after the weekend. Hansi Flick's side got off to a great start in front of their home fans, with Gavi scoring after just seven minutes against a club he had previously played for at youth level. But Betis drew parity just ten minutes later, thanks to a bullet header from Brazilian defender Natan, who did excellently to meet Giovani Lo Celso's corner. Catalunya, like Madrid, saw the home side seem significantly superior to the two teams on show, but despite their advantage, Barça failed to reclaim the lead before halftime. It was much of the same from Barcelona after the break, with Manuel Pellegrini's Verdiblancos struggling to generate much while Barça turned the screw...

Desire Doue led Paris St Germain to their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title with six games to spare after defeating Angers. Doue's 55th-minute goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory at the Parc des Princes, putting the champions 24 points ahead of second-placed Monaco and ensuring Luis Enrique's unbeaten team a record-extending 13th league title. Monaco had leveled after Philipp Kohn's own goal in Brest with Denis Zakaria's 63rd-minute penalty, but Mahdi Camara won it 2-1 for the hosts in stoppage time. Lyon climbed into the top four with a 2-1 win over Lille, who had led through Bafode Diakite's first-minute header. Alexandre Lacazette scored the penalty, and substitute Rayan Cherki scored the winner. Barcelona moved four points clear at the top of the LaLiga standings after being held to a 1-1 draw by Real Betis. Gavi's seventh-minute goal appeared to have set the leaders on their way, but Natan's equaliser 10 minutes later sealed a crucial point a...

The future of Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich has dominated German sports media headlines in recent days. The German forward was reportedly not given a new contract as the club seeks to balance its accounts ahead of a critical summer transfer window. Furthermore, the recent contract extensions for Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Jamal Musiala have dramatically increased the squad's wage expenditure. Following Friday's Bundesliga victory over Augsburg, Thomas Muller clarified his future plans on Saturday. The 35-year-old German attacker has revealed that he would leave Bayern after 25 years. Muller said in the statement that he would have preferred to stay with the club for another season. However, Bayern's plans were not to grant him a new contract. Die Roten have extended Muller's contract until July to ensure his participation in the Club World Cup. Muller will receive a testimonial match, and Bayern will undoubtedly have elaborate plans for his farewell...

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the Barcelona goalkeeper, appears to be nearing the end of his recovery after damaging ligaments in his knee in September. After an operation and six months of recuperation, ter Stegen just resumed training with the rest of the club, raising the issue of whether he will play again this summer. The 32-year-old is the club captain and has been the undisputed number one for some time, but after a lengthy injury and with Barcelona in the midst of the title race, the Copa del Rey final, and the Champions League, there are understandable doubts about whether it is the right time to change goalkeepers. Furthermore, Barcelona is yet to taste loss since adding Wojciech Szczesny as an injury replacement. Despite a rocky start, the Polish veteran has performed admirably. "Only one goalkeeper can play," ter Stegen told Sport, laughing, after the 'Gentleman's Day' award ceremony. He went on to say he will talk to manager Hansi Flick about a possi...