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Sunderland host West Ham at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as they look to move further away from the relegation zone.

Martin O Neill s side sit in 14th place on the Premier League table, four points clear of the bottom three, and go into
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Saturday s game with the knowledge a win will go a long way in their quest for survival.

Sunderland have not won in three matches, with a 3-0 loss to Liverpool last week followed by a disappointing 2-2 draw with Championship side Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup on the weekend.

They will be desperate to turn around their disappointing home form which has seen them win just three of their past 14 Premier League games at the Stadium of Light against a West Ham side who have won only two of their previous 15 away games…

Benfica consolidated their place on top of the Liga Sagres with a 2-0 win over lowly Moreirense on Monday.

The visitors were well held in the first half by the league s bottom side but scored twice in the second half to put the game to bed.

Argentine Eduardo Salvio made the breakthrough two minutes after half-time and Lima gave the 2010 champions breathing space with a second goal.

Benfica are three points clear of defending champions Porto and have a two-goal superior goal difference, but have played an extra game.

Academica scored an important 2-1 win over Nacional in the other match on Monday to move out of the relegation zone.

Mario Rondon opened the scoring for Nacional on 21 minutes but the home side hit back twice in the second half.

…

Paul Pogba has hit back at his critics after an indifferent season with Manchester United by suggesting Lionel Messi would never receive the kind of criticism he does.

Pogba struggled for consistency at Old Trafford in 2017-18 which resulted in him being dropped at times by Jose Mourinho.

Some of his lacklustre performances drew condemnation, with questions arising as to why he could at times be seen ambling around the pitch.

Pogba has no intention of changing his approach, though, despite calls for him to raise his levels and contribute more from his midfield role.

I ve always been like that, Pogba told France Football. When I ve won, I ve won being like that. That s my style of play.

Next challenge new colors

— Paul Pogba (@paul…

Sevilla have reached an agreement to sell Guido Pizarro back to Tigres after only one season in LaLiga.

The 28-year-old will complete his return to Mexico on July 1 if he agrees a contract and passes his medical, the Spanish club said in a statement.

Sevilla would like to thank Guido Pizarro for his dedication and good work throughout the 2017-18 season, as well as wish him the best of luck once his return to Mexican football is confirmed, they added.

The Argentine, who joined from Tigres last July for a reported fee of €8million, is said to be returning for an €8.7m fee.

Pizarro made 24 appearances in LaLiga last season but managed only seven starts during 2018.

His two goals for the Andalusian club came in the league loss to Barcelona at Ca…

Didier Drogba can no longer recognise Chelsea as the former striker took aim at co-owner Todd Boehly for his handling of the club since taking over from Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to exit the Champions League 4-0 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.

The Blues are now winless in seven games in all competitions, losing five of those, and are down in 11th in the Premier League.

As a trophyless campaign peters to its end, Drogba – who won 12 major honours across nine seasons with Chelsea – criticised the club s current regime.

I knew this club with a certain class during the Abramovich era, but today I find it lacking. It s very hard for me to see how they got rid of certain people, he told Canal+.…

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In one of the Premier League s most iconic rivalries, Arsenal and Manchester United will face off at an empty Emirates on Saturday evening.

Arsenal

Starting with the hosts, while Arsenal might have come crashing out of the FA Cup away at Southampton last week, the Gunners managed to pick up immediate revenge on the South Coast. Eventually leaving St. Mary s with a 3-1 win to show for their troubles, Mikel Arteta s side certainly appears to have put their early-season struggles behind them. With the mood around North London certainly at the highest it has been in the 2020/21 campaign, Arsenal have skyrocketed their way up the table and some in their camp now have a European finish at the top of their agenda. Managing to make a string of…

The agent of Feyenoord midfielder Jordy Clasie has revealed ACF Fiorentina are chasing the singature of the Holland international, .

Clasie, 21, made his professional debut while on loan at SBV Excelsior in August 2010.

After just two months at Excelsior, the defensive midfielder was called up to the Holland Under-21 team.

Less than one year later, in July 2011, Clasie made his debut for Feyenoord in a friendly against Spanish outfit Málaga CF, and has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the ranks at the Stadion Feijenoord ever since.

Clasie has made five appearances for Holland since becoming a full senior international last year.

The 21-year-old s agent Wessel Weezenberg is currently in talks with Fiorentina regarding a potential summ…

Real Madrid midfielder Mesut Ozil is desperate to reach the UEFA Champions League final after semi-final heartbreak in the previous two seasons.

The Germany international signed for Madrid after the 2010 World Cup and has helped guide his side to the final four in each season he has been at the club, but he has yet to get beyond that stage.

Defeats to Barcelona in 2011 and Bayern Munich in 2012 ended the Spaniards hopes at the semi-final stage and Ozil is keen to take things to the next level when they face Borussia Dortmund this time round.

I have been with Real Madrid for three years now and it is the third time we are in the semis, he told reporters.

Now we finally want to reach the final.

Ozil is the man in form for Madrid at the moment h…

Tottenham Hotspur a ready to make a late bid for Everton forward Kevin Mirallas, .

The Belgium international has hinted that his future may lie away from Goodison Park in recent weeks, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to steal a march on his rivals.

Since arriving on Merseyside in the summer of 2012, the 27 year old has racked up ninety-one appearances in all competitions, scoring twenty-five goals.

Internationally, he has scored nine goals in forty-nine appearances for his country, with four of those caps coming at last summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

Everton’s neighbours Liverpool have previously been linked with a move for Mirallas, though it is the North London club who are favourites to secure his services.

Tottenham…

West Brom travel to Liverpool on Saturday looking for their third consecutive Premier League victory at Anfield.

Steve Clarke s men have won their last two top-flight fixtures at Liverpool without conceding, as they followed up a 1-0 success in April 2012 with a 2-0 win last season.

That most recent victory which came courtesy of late goals from Gareth McAuley and Romelu Lukaku gave West Brom a 2012-13 Premier League double over the Merseysiders, after they beat Brendan Rodgers side 3-0 at The Hawthorns on the opening day of the campaign.

Following an inauspicious start to this season, Clarke s team are now on a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League a streak that includes a 2-1 win at champions Manchester United last month and represents their longest stre…