Bilic to help Croatia strike the right note at Euro 2008

Mikel Arteta described Arsenal s form in the last six months as an incredible run after a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace kept their hopes of qualifying for Europe alive.

West Ham s win at West Brom means that the highest Arsenal can finish, should they beat Brighton and Hove Albion on the final day of the season and both Tottenham and Everton fail to win, is seventh.

That would earn them a place in the Europa Conference League play-off round, with West Ham s result ruling Arsenal out of both major European club competitions for the first time since 1995-96.

But Arteta recalled a run of seven winless Premier League matches towards the end of 2020 as he reflected on the improvement in their season.

If somebody would have said to us in November or Decemb…

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli is in no doubt over Zlatan Ibrahimovic s enduring value as talks continue over the possibility of an extended stay at San Siro for the veteran striker.

Ibrahimovic returned to Milan from MLS side LA Galaxy in January on a short-term deal – a transfer that proved something of a catalyst for an impressive second half of the campaign that ultimately saved Pioli s job.

The 38-year-old scored 10 times in 18 top-flight appearances, becoming the oldest player to reach double figures for a season in Serie A history.

In an interview with Milan premium sponsor Skrill, Pioli explained Ibrahimovic s influence upon a developing squad extends far beyond that weight of numbers.

Zlatan is a great professional, he said. He teaches young p…

Aston Villa s Dutch defender Wilfred Bouma has returned home to PSV Eindhoven after a five year stint with the Midlands outfit. Bouma, 32, has joined PSV on a free transfer and has put pen to paper a two year contract with the Dutch outfit.

Bouma started his career with PSV in 1994 and stayed with them till 2005, when he was signed by Aston Villa. He has also previously had loan stints with MVV and Fortuna Sittard.

Bouma is a four time Dutch league winner with PSV, having won the trophy with them in , 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Bouma has also represented the Netherlands at international level and was part of their Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 squads.

[Source:- PSV Eindhoven, Aston Villa]

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Maurizio Sarri has aired his frustration over the consistent speculation on Lazio s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and his future, amid frequent links with a move to Serie A rivals Juventus.

The Serbia international has been one of the form players of the campaign in the Italian top flight, with three goals and six assists for a total of nine involvements so far this term.

That form has not gone unnoticed, and Milinkovic-Savic has been subsequently mooted as a major transfer target, with La Gazetto dello Sport running a splash page on a potential Bianconeri switch.

It is not the first time the playmaker has been the subject of intense speculation, but the feverish nature has irked Sarri now, who believes too much hyperbole is being spun about his player.

I thin…

Coupe de France holders Guingamp have announced the signing of Danish forward Ronnie Schwartz from Randers.

The 24-year-old striker was joint-second top scorer in the Superliga last season with 15 goals and that was enough for Ligue 1 side Guingamp to make their move.

Schwartz has agreed a four-year contract at the Stade du Roudourou and will be officially unveiled after completing his medical early next week.

The forward scored 40 goals in 88 appearances for Randers, having previously played for Aalborg until 2011.

Schwartz s domestic form enabled Randers to a mid-table finish last season and Guingamp will hope he can help them push further up the table after ending the campaign 16th in Ligue 1.

Guingamp coach Jocelyn Gourvennec will also be keen for Schwa…

Porto have confirmed an agreement to sell Brazilian midfielder Fernando to Manchester City for a fee of £12million (€15million).

The Premier League club have been linked with the 26-year-old for a number of months with reports suggesting that they came close to signing the player in January.

In a statement to the Portuguese Securities Market Commission on Wednesday, the Primeira Liga club revealed they had reached an agreement with the English champions.

FC Porto hereby informs the market that it has reached an agreement with Manchester City for the permanent transfer of the professional sports player Fernando Reges, for the amount of €15,000,000, the statement read.

Fernando, who operates primarily as a defensive midfielder, began his career wit…

Fernando Llorente has nothing but fond memories of his time at Juventus and would happily return to the Serie A champions if the opportunity arose.

The striker joined Juventus from Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer in July 2013 and won two Serie A titles before leaving for Sevilla at the start of this season.

A return to Juventus? I am only thinking about ending the season on a high with Sevilla for now, Llorente told Tuttosport.

But you cannot predict what will happen in the future. You can never rule anything out in football. I honestly don t know whether a return to Juventus would be possible, but it would be a dream if it happened.

I enjoyed two fantastic seasons at Juventus and won plenty of trophies. My time at Juventus and winning the World Cu…

Marco Silva believes Hull City must rest and analyse after a nervy display against already relegated Sunderland resulted in a potentially costly 2-0 defeat.

The Portuguese had not previously lost a home league fixture with any club since 2014, but goals from Billy Jones and Jermain Defoe dragged Hull further towards the Premier League drop zone.

Silva, however, is determined that his side still have time to pull clear they are two points above 18th-placed Swansea ahead of their clash with Everton and has urged for calmer performances against Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

It s disappointing. We had chances to score in many moments of the game, he told BBC Sport.

Ultimately there was big tension in some of the team. We need to be calm in some moments. Wh…

Prediction: Juventus to win 2-1

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Juventus and Empoli will face each other in Serie A this week. The match between La Vecchia Signora and Gli Azzurri will be held at Juventus Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 7:45pm UK time on Friday.

Juventus

Juventus struggled last season and almost did not finish in the top four of the Serie A table. In the end, Massimiliano Allegri’s side finished fourth in the standings with 70 points from 38 matches, nine points behind third-placed Napoli and six points ahead of Lazio, who ended up fifth.

Many would have expected Juventus to fare better this season, but things appear to have got worse. The former Italian champions are eighth in the Serie A table at the moment with 16 points …

Tyson Fury is considering becoming the new owner of Morecambe to throw millions at the League One club.

The WBC world heavyweight champion already has his ‘Gypsy King’ brand embroidered on the Shrimps shorts.

After it was announced Fury will face Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a trilogy fight on December 3, the unbeaten 34-year-old revealed he is mulling over a takeover of the club in the seaside town where he lives.

He told talkSPORT on Thursday: Quick question, I m thinking about buying Morecambe Football Club, they re in League One at the moment.

So I was thinking I invest X amount of millions in them.

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan replied: By invest you mean throw it at them, invest is the wrong term.

F…