France coach Didier Deschamps is not yet thinking about attempting to retain the World Cup after signing a new contract.
Deschamps agreed a new deal on Tuesday that takes the coach through to the end of Qatar 2022.
France will first attempt to follow their successful campaign at Russia 2018 by claiming European Championship glory for the first time since 2000 next year.
Les Bleus were runners-up at Euro 2016, with Deschamps hoping to go one step further than their defeat to Portugal on home soil.
Didier Deschamps has extended his contract as head coach by two years until!
— French Team (@FrenchTeam)
It is an honour for me to be the coach of France, Deschamps told a news conference.
You know the attachment I continue …
After Lionel Messi s Argentina lifted the World Cup in Qatar, attention turns back to club football with Europe s top five leagues set to resume in the coming weeks.
The Premier League is the first to restart, with all 20 teams in action on either December 26 or 27, while Ligue 1 and La Liga get back under way in the following days.
You will have to wait until the new year for Serie A to recommence, before the Bundesliga starts back up again with Bayern Munich s visit to RB Leipzig on January 20.
It has been a while since Europe s elite paused for the World Cup, so Stats Perform provide a refresher of how things were shaping up before the hiatus.
LALIGA
Title race
It looks like a two-horse race in LaLiga, as it appears giants Barcelona and…
Marcus Rashford is keen to see Manchester United back on form after returning to winning ways against Brentford.
The England international struck the only goal of the game to seal victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ending a run of three games without a win in the Premier League.
United s struggles in the league began after winning the EFL Cup, suffering a humiliating 7-0 reverse to Liverpool and losing to Newcastle United either side of a goalless draw against Southampton.
Erik ten Hag s side had better results in the cup competitions, advancing in both the FA Cup and Europa League, but the drop of form in the Premier League led to worry in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Now that one hurdle has been overcome, Rashford is keen to build momentum and fin…
Cristiano Ronaldo is dreaming of winning Euro 2016 after Portugal upstaged Poland in the quarter-finals on Thursday, with the captain hopeful the time for international success has now arrived.
Portugal advanced to the semi-finals of the European Championship thanks to a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Poland in Marseille.
The last-eight clash at the Stade Velodrome had finished 1-1 after extra time, before Ricardo Quaresma stepped up and converted the winning spot-kick after Jakub Blaszczykowski had his penalty saved.
And speaking afterwards, Ronaldo who scored the opening penalty is determined to go all the way in France after featuring in the Portugal side who finished runners-up to Greece at Euro 2004.
It is a dream. As I ve always said and I don …
Prediction: Match to end in 1-1 draw
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FC Porto and Arsenal will lock horns with each other in the UEFA Champions League this week. The first leg of the Round of 16 between the Portuguese club and the Premier League outfit will be held at Estádio do Dragão and is scheduled to kick off at 8 pm UK time on Wednesday.
FC Porto
FC Porto are one of the biggest clubs in Portugal and have a rich history in Europe. They won the UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho back in 2004. Porto regularly play in Europe’s most premier club competition and try to get into the knockout rounds.
Sergio Conceicao’s side finished second in the Primeira Liga table last season and are aiming to win it this time around. Porto are third in the…
Fresh from his Champions League winning campaign, Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is set to lead Portugal towards what would be an remarkable international double for reigning European champions.
Portugal have never won a World Cup title before with third-place finish in 1966 still standing as the country’s best achievement at the global stage. The Selecao are not exactly among the top favourites to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia but can still be backed at a remarkable, increased price of 100/1.
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Scotland are out of Euro 2024 but must have a case for the best support at the tournament, though that will be no consolation to Steve Clarke.
The Scots suffered a gut-wrenching late defeat to Hungary on Sunday, while Germany survived a scare to top Group A with a draw against Switzerland.
Numerous other sides are preparing for potentially decisive clashes in their final group meetings later in the week, with one or two enjoying the support of the travelling masses.
Others may be turning their heads away from football with a few friendly boardgames
Here, we unpack the best of the day s social media clips from the tournament in Germany.
Flower of Scotland wilts in Stuttgart
Scotland are heading for home soil after Kevin Csoboth scored the …
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the secret to the success of Spanish coaches is their development when it comes to the tactical side of the game.
Guardiola, who has led City to four successive Premier League titles, will go up against compatriot Julen Lopetegui when his team travel to West Ham on Saturday.
It has been a summer of success for Spain on the international stage, with La Roja winning Euro 2024 before their Under-23s won gold at the Paris Olympics.
Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola form the rest of the Spanish contingent of managers in the Premier League, and Guardiola shared what he believes is the reason for coaches from his nation enjoying such success.
The secret is [Spanish coaches] work really well from early ages on …
Alexis Sanchez arrived to the 2019 Copa America with little to no expectations. The Manchester United forward was coming off his worst season in Europe by most statistical measures, and he spent the final stretch of the 2018-19 campaign dealing with injuries and struggling for playing time at Old Trafford.
However, Sanchez has put those concerns to rest with an impressive display for Chile during the 2019 Copa America. Even though Alexis has only played two matches, he’s been absolutely dominant. He has been a key cog on a Chilean squad that already clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with one game to spare.
Sanchez registered one goal and one assist during Chile’s drubbing 4-0 win over Japan, and added the game-winning goal in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ecua…
Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff challenged his team to fight against adversity when they host derby rivals Houston Dynamo on Saturday.
Austin are 10th in the Western Conference, and are 10 points behind the playoff spots, with the Dynamo currently sitting in seventh place.
They have won just one of their last seven MLS outings (a 2-0 win over Nashville SC), and are winless in three, though they did draw 1-1 with Los Angeles FC last time out.
When asked if he was still targeting the playoffs, Wolff insisted that his team would fight to the last game.
More adversity, bring it on, he said. It s what we have to deal with.
These guys compete, they have nothing but confidence in what we re doing. We should have more points based on some of the perform…