Falcao not looking overseas

Competition: Europa League

Market: Borussia Dortmund to beat Atalanta

Odds:

The Europa League returns this week for yet another massive round of games that will surely only bring more goals and excitement. The competition will see a number of big teams going up against supposedly smaller sides with shock results a huge possibility. With this in mind, Borussia Dortmund host Atalanta on Thursday.

Borussia Dortmund were awful in the Champions League this season as their poor run saw them slip down into the Europa League. After six games they were unable to win once, while they drew twice and lost four games, scoring seven goals and conceding 13 times. In their last five they were able to draw twice and lose three times which saw them onto just two…

S.S.C. Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain has moved to play down reports linking him with a big-money move to Barcelona this summer.

Higuain, who joined Napoli from Real Madrid for €40 million last summer, is currently on international duty with Argentina at the World Cup, awaiting a date with Switzerland in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, 1 July.

The Argentina international, under contract at the Stadio San Paolo until the summer of 2018, bagged 17 goals and seven assists in 32 Italian Serie A appearances for the Partenopei last term.

I have nothing to say because there has been nothing,  Higuain said.

  I know nothing about Barcelona and I feel good at Napoli. But now, I want to think only about the World Cup.

Higuain has done very …

Jurgen Klopp dismissed the idea that Liverpool were set to benefit from favourable fixture scheduling as clubs across the United Kingdom prepare to contend with soaring temperatures.

While the rest of the Premier League will battle it out in stifling heat over the weekend, Klopp s team will host Crystal Palace in far cooler conditions on Monday night.

The Reds boss conceded it was preferable to play in the evening, but underlined the fact that Palace have the same comfort.

It s much better to play at nighttime than at these other times, but for Crystal Palace it s the same advantage, he said.

It s much more comfortable to play, of course, but it shouldn t be a comfortable game. It should be really busy.

It s heating up over the weekend 
Her…

David de Gea described Manchester United s 4-0 defeat to Brentford as horrible and says he was responsible for his side not leaving London with a win.

De Gea allowed Josh Dasilva s tame shot from 25 yards squirm through his grasp to give Brentford the lead, before the goalkeeper s poor pass out to Christian Eriksen led to a second from Mathias Jensen.

Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo then ensured Brentford became only the third side to put four past United in the first half of a Premier League game.

It meant United lost four consecutive league matches for the first time since February 1979, while they have also lost seven successive away league games for the first time since losing 10 on the bounce between September and December 1936.

1992 Manchester United ar…

Several European clubs have been engaged in a tug of war over Bologna midfielder Amadou Diawara, who has impressed during the 2015/16 season in Serie A.

The 18-year-old has arrived to Bologna from San Marino in 2014, but this defensive midfielder’s career has seen a meteoric rise to prominence in a short period of time.

Diawara has made 34 league appearances for Bologna since his debut in August 2015, but the Guinean international has done more than enough to alarm the likes of Fiorentina, AS Roma, Napoli, Valencia, Sevilla, Bayern Munich and Juventus most recently.

According to , the Italian champions are the latest club to get in the race for the highly talented 18-year-old. The Old Lady are keen to grab the midfielder valued at €14 million by his club Bol…

Veteran striker Kazuyoshi Miura extended his remarkable record as the oldest scorer in the Japanese league when he nodded home for Yokohama at the age of 48 on Sunday.

The former Japan international was on target after 14 minutes of his side s 3-2 defeat to Jubilo Iwata in the second-tier J2 League clash, one month and 10 days after his 48th birthday.

The forward known as Kazu already held the record, having last scored in November 2013.

I managed to get a good jump on the ball, he told the Kyodo News agency.

…

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has urged caution ahead of their tricky opener to their 2014 World Cup qualification campaign in Bulgaria on Friday.

Bulgaria ranked 94th in the world will go into the game as massive underdogs, having not qualified for a major tournament since the 2004 European Championships.

The two sides also met in qualification for the 2010 World Cup, with Italy unable to break down the Bulgarian defence in a 0-0 draw in Sofia.

And Prandelli is keen not to fall into the same trap.

I m focused on Friday s match. I m worried because we re going to find a renewed team with a strong mentality and we ll be playing in a difficult stadium, he said.

In addition to this, they believe they will be playing against a very strong team. That…

Bayern Munich will look to continue their perfect start to the Bundesliga season when they travel to Schalke on Saturday.

Jupp Heynckes side have started the season in terrific fashion, winning all three games and scoring 12 goals in the process.

Central to their success has been the form of forwards Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Mueller, who have both scored three goals, while midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos – who netted in Bayern s 2-1 Champions League win over Valencia on Wednesday – have weighed in with two goals each.

Schalke have also started well and are one of seven unbeaten sides in the Bundesliga, with two wins and one draw from their three league outings to date.

The Gelsenkirchen outfit are also involved in the Champions Le…

Manchester United have enough goalscorers alongside star man Marcus Rashford, according to manager Erik ten Hag.

Rashford has scored 27 of United s 88 goals this season in all competitions, with Bruno Fernandes their next-highest scorer with just 10.

Anthony Martial s time on the pitch has been limited by injuries, while January acquisition Wout Weghorst has failed to prove prolific, having scored just twice since arriving at Old Trafford.

Yet, the Red Devils ended their six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final in February and look on course to finish in the Premier League s top four and achieve Champions League qualification for next season.

Despite Rashford s superior contribution in the goals department in relation to hi…

Dries Mertens says his time at Napoli could have ended differently after he departed the club at the end of last season following a breakdown in contract negotiations.

The Belgium international ended a nine-year spell in Naples ahead of the new campaign after failing to agree fresh terms with the Serie A side, subsequently moving to Super Lig outfit Galatasaray on a free transfer.

The 35-year-old was an integral presence for the club over the best part of a decade, helping them to two Coppa Italia triumphs and a further Supercoppa Italia crown during his tenure.

Reflecting on his exit, Mertens revealed he has kept his family home in the region, while acknowledging that had discussions started earlier, he may well have stayed on Napoli s books.

It s bee…