Watzke agrees new Dortmund deal

According to The Sun, Samir Nasri is not a replacement for Alexander Hleb, but Valencia s David Silva would be. The Arsenal boss is thought to have completed the move for the tricky French winger and now he wants to bring in another one to compensate for the loss of Hleb.

“Arsene wasn’t just in Vienna to cheer on Cesc — he was there to take a good look at Silva. Said an Arsenal source , according to The Sun

“He is a player who would fit well in the Arsenal set-up, especially if Hleb goes.”

The Spanish winger could well be on his way out of Valencia who have flirted with relegation this season. But Arsenal might face competition in their bid to get the £20 million winger. The 22…

Germany coach Joachim Loew is hoping his Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde team fulfill their potential by beating Spain in Sunday s Euro 2008 final to complete the summer fairytale started in 2006.

Germany have shown two different faces at Euro 2008 much like the character from Robert Louis Stevenson s famous 1886 novel.

At times they have produced some good football, only later to turn in bad performances.

Having suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the group stage, they were impressive against Portugal in the 3-2 quarter-final win, but were then again hesitant before coming from behind to beat Turkey 3-2 in the semi-final.

Germany are bidding for a fourth European crown in Vienna and Loew hopes his side will show their fluent attacking side in Sunday s f…

MLS champions Seattle Sounders advanced to the Western Conference final after edging Dallas 1-0.

The Sounders progressed to their second successive conference decider thanks to Shane O Neill, who settled Tuesday s contest in the 49th minute.

For only the second time this season and first since September 6, Seattle failed to record a shot on target in the opening half of a home fixture.

But O Neill headed home his first goal for the club four minutes into the second half to break the deadlock and eventually move the Sounders to within a win of back-to-back appearances in the league showpiece.

WHAT A PLAY

Shane O Neill scores his first goal as a Sounder!! |

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC)

The 27-year-old became the first pl…

Mohamed Salah expressed his delight at setting a special record for Liverpool during the 7-0 drubbing of Manchester United.

The Egypt star netted a brace during the rout to take his tally of Premier League goals for the Reds to 129, surpassing the previous record held by Robbie Fowler.

Having endured a disappointing spell with Chelsea before excelling in Italy with Roma, few would have expected Salah to have the impact that he has, but the forward was determined to make history when he arrived at Anfield.

Salah told Sky Sports: It s very special, I can t lie. This record was in my mind since I first came here.

In my first season, in my mind, I was always chasing the record so, to make it today against United with that result was unbelievable.

I …

Verdict: Liverpool to Win to Nil

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The FA Cup fans could no0t have wished for a better start to the third round of the competition with Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton ready to lock horns in highly-anticipating 230th edition of the Liverpool derby.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp will have plenty to think – or should we say worry – about ahead of the Merseyside derby. As the future of his first-team star Philippe Coutinho hangs in the balance, Jurgen Klopp could decide to hand a debut to the club-record signing Virgil van Dijk amid the hectic festive schedule.

The German decided to rotate the squad last time out against Burnley, having started the match at Turf Moor with only one of his four attacking starters on pitch �…

Competition: FA Cup

Market: Huddersfield to beat Birmingham

Odds:

The FA Cup returns this weekend for a huge round of action as the leagues in England are forced to take a break. Every side still in the competition will feel that the magic of the cup can see them make it to the latter stages of the competition, and with this in mind, Huddersfield host Birmingham on Saturday.

Huddersfield have been in fairly good form this season as they look to maintain their Premier League status for another year. After 24 games they have won six, drawn six and lost 12, while they have scored 19 goals and conceded 41 times. In their last five games they have struggled, drawing twice and losing three times which has seen them onto 24 points for the season so fa…

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson said he is determined to forge a successful career after a difficult first season at Anfield.

Henderson moved from boyhood club Sunderland for 18.4 million euros in 2011 but struggled in his first season, and has said those experiences have helped him improve as a player.

I don t think what s happened will have done me any harm. I think I might have needed it, to be honest, he told The Guardian.

You will get criticism throughout your career. All the best players have had it at some stage and they haven t let it ruin their careers. I won t either.

Henderson also said the biggest challenge when he moved to Liverpool was stepping up to match the ability of his more illustrious team-mates like Steven Gerrard and Luis…

Catania defender Nicola Legrottaglie has claimed he would love to play in the A-League alongside former team-mate Alessandro Del Piero.

Legrottaglie has revealed Australia fascinates him and with his contract expiring in June he has made it clear, after 19 years in Italian football, he is interested in playing abroad if Catania do not offer him another deal.

The 36-year-old central defender played 147 games for Juventus between 2003 and 2011 and it seems one of the Turin club s favourite sons has inspired Legrottaglie to end his career in the A-League.

It would be a pleasure to play with Alex Del Piero, Legrottaglie said in an interview with La Repubblica on Tuesday.

When Del Piero decided to sign for Sydney FC after 19 seasons with Juventus, there was …

Liverpool have their sights set on a first Club World Cup title in Qatar, but may need to overcome a club that has denied them intercontinental glory in the past to add the trophy to their cabinet.

The Reds head to the Middle East as clear favourites to take home the trophy, and have given the competition precedence as they have named a strong squad despite a fixture pile-up that has come as a result of their participation in the tournament.

Jurgen Klopp s men will aim to clinch UEFA Champions League progression on Tuesday before facing Aston Villa in the EFL Cup a week later, with those fixtures sandwiched by the visit of Watford in the Premier League.

It is the trip to Villa Park that is set to see Liverpool rotate their squad and go with a young team for th…

Ansu Fati has become the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League.

The Barcelona forward hit a late winner against Inter on Tuesday as the Serie A side were knocked out of the tournament.

Fati, aged 17 years and 40 days, beat Samir Handanovic with a precise drive to grab yet another record.

He was already the youngest LaLiga goalscorer for Barca and the club s youngest player to feature in the Champions League.

17y 40d Ansu Fati has become the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history, scoring for Barcelona tonight aged just 17 years and 40 days. Whippersnapper.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)

Earlier this month, Barca rewarded Fati with a new contract that runs until June 2022, increasing his release clause from €100m…