Apoel linked with Kingson swoop

Thomas Vermaelen says he was left disappointed after being left out in the cold for Barcelona s double-winning run-in.

Barca produced a stunning late-season surge to retain La Liga, while a 2-0 extra-time victory over Sevilla last weekend kept the Copa del Rey in their possession.

Vermaelen made just one appearance in his debut campaign at Camp Nou, their final-day Liga draw against Deportivo La Coruna, but he has played 20 times in 2015-16 as Barca won the Club World Cup in addition to maintaining their domestic dominance.

The Belgium defender has not played since March 12, however, and says his lack of playing time made it difficult to enjoy the celebrations.

When asked if he felt like a participant in the double, Vermaelen told a news conference: A b…

Nice attacker Hatem Ben Arfa is confident he has what it takes to reach the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ben Arfa enjoyed an impressive 2015-16 campaign, leading Nice to fourth place in the Ligue 1 table with 17 goals in 34 games.

It was not enough to earn him a berth in the France squad for Euro 2016 on home soil, but that disappointment has not stopped the former Lyon, Marseille and Newcastle man from setting some lofty targets.

I am far away from reaching the level of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but I still have a number of years to catch them. That is my goal, the 29-year-old told Le Parisien.

I am not at my best just yet. Everything is possible for me. I feel like I am 24 or 25. I am at an age where I have matured. I have deve…

Marc Wilmots is unwilling to take any risks with Thomas Vermaelen in Sunday s friendly against Norway as Belgium s defensive injury crisis ahead of Euro 2016 threatens to worsen.

Wilmots has already been shorn of captain Vincent Kompany, Dedryck Boyata, Bjorn Engels and, it would seem, Nicolas Lombaerts, for the upcoming tournament.

Centre-back Vermaelen, who endured another injury-plagued campaign in 2015-16, had to leave training early on Friday due to pain in his calf, and the Red Devils coach is planning on wrapping the Barcelona man up in cotton wool for the match with Norway in Brussels. 

I will not take any risks. He will not play on Sunday, Wilmots said, in quotes reported by Vavel.

Wilmots explained on Friday that Vermaelen initially picked up …

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has expressed his delight at the return of midfielder Nuri Sahin on loan from Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old left the Westfalenstadion in 2011, but returns two years later after unsuccessful spells at the Santiago Bernabeu and on loan Liverpool.

We will still have to get him used to our operations, which will take him several weeks, Klopp told Bild.

However, Nuri is an absolute quality player, and gives us a lot more options in midfield.

Through his efforts, we can hope to integrate a great deal more attackers, such as Ilkay Gundogan.

Gundogan echoed Klopp s praise of his new team-mate and stressed how the additional competition for places could be a big positive for the club.

He might increase com…

Mesut Ozil has admitted that he took enormous satisfaction out of Real Madrid s La Liga success, after they left Barcelona in their wake.

Even though he got his hands on the Copa del Rey last year, the Germany international was disappointed by his debut season in Spain, having come off a clear second best to then European-champions Barca.

However, Madrid stopped the Catalans in their tracks this season, clinching the Spanish top flight title with two games to spare and ultimately finishing top with a record-breaking tally of 100 points.

The key to this season has been consistency, Ozil told dfbnews.

Otherwise we would not have been able to achieve all the records we have achieved.

No doubt, we are very proud of our achievement in having left…

The Double Chance bet is a fairly unique betting market that predicts two out of three possible outcomes. This fact alone makes it an outlier among its peers – but it’s not the full story. There’s no shortage of misunderstandings about Double Chance betting out there, and we’re here to dispel some of them.

That said, the market itself isn’t particularly exotic. The standard still apply. First thing’s first, though – let’s start with the basics.

What is Double Chance betting?

In football betting, The Double Chance betting market allows bettors to predict two out of the three possible outcomes of a typical 1X2 wager.

1X2, otherwise known as Result bets, can end in one of three possible ways. Either the Home team wins, the Away team wins,…

Alphonso Davies will return to the Bayern Munich squad for the Champions League clash against Lokomotiv Moscow.

Head coach Hansi Flick is yet to decide whether the Canada international will start Wednesday s home Group A encounter or begin as a substitute.

Davies, 20, has been out of action for over six weeks due to a serious ankle injury.

He has not played since being replaced in the early stages of the 5-0 Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt on October 24.

With holders Bayern already assured of first place in the group, Davies can return in a match without the usual level of pressure.

His return comes after Javi Martinez was ruled out for the foreseeable future, while Joshua Kimmich is yet to return.

Alphonso Davies will be back i…

Race hots up for Banega

AC Milan are the latest high-profile club to have joined the race for Valencia midfielder Ever Banega, Il Corriere dello Sport has learned.

The Argentina international is widely tipped to leave Mestalla this summer, and he will have no shortage of offers according to the latest reports.

that Marseille, Everton, Tottenham and Sunderland are all keen, with Valencia reportedly already receiving two official proposals for the player s services.

Italian giants AC Milan seem to be in the mix as well, seeing as how new boss Filippo Inzaghi believes the Argentine would be a perfect replacement for captain Riccardo Montolivo, who is set to miss around 7 months of action through a broken leg.

Ever Banega surprisingly lost his place…

Portugal defender Joao Pereira refuted team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo s suggestion they lack quality at the FIFA World Cup.

Paulo Bento s men were on the brink of World Cup elimination when trailing the United States 2-1 on Sunday, before Ronaldo whipped in an inch-perfect cross that was converted by Silvestre Varela to give Portugal life in Brazil.

Portugal remain in a dire position in Group G, requiring a healthy enough victory over Ghana to overhaul either of the USA or Germany on four points with a draw in the latter s fixture spelling the end of their tournament also.

Ronaldo was quoted as saying Portugal semi-finalists at Euro 2012 had limitations and said qualifying for the finals was problematic .

However, Pereira said he could not believe the Real M…

We all know that football is a funny old game but an incident at Vicarage Road, Watford yesterday afternoon turned the game into a total farce.

I know I am biased because I am a Watford fan, but the opening goal for Reading in what turned out to be a 2-2 draw was the most ridiculous goal I have ever seen.

Fourth official

If ever there was an argument for the fourth official to be able to watch a replay and then tell the main referee what had happened if he had got it wrong, this was the case that would prove the point.

We have the technology and it is time that the game of football entered the twenty-first century and started using it, now.

Survival or extinction

Football is a game but it is also a business. Like many other clubs, Watford…