Bournemouth eyeing Defoe return

Chelsea v Fulham

Six points behind the leaders and only four games left. It really is ‘last chance saloon’ for Chelsea as any dropped points will be the end of their title hopes. With a game against Barcelona to come in four days time, I wonder if Hiddink will accept that the Champions League is a far better bet than the Premier League?

Fulham continue to shock and amaze and they are in pole position to pick up the last Europa League qualifying place. They are tough to beat but they have only won two away from home all season.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Manchester City v Blackburn

City have a chance of qualifying for Europe which didn’t really seem likely a few weeks ago. Eleven wins at home have been the main rea…

Edson Braafheid scored at both ends as Twente came from behind to beat Groningen 4-2 in the Eredivsie Europa League play-off semi-final.

Twente came into the second leg with a 1-0 aggregate lead, and their European bid looked all the more likely when Braafheid gave them a 12th-minute lead.

Braafheid was on the scoresheet again just ten minutes, only this time putting the ball past his own keeper and handing the visitors a way back in the tie.

And it soon got worse for Twente when Slovenian winger Andraz Kirm popped up to give Groningen the lead.

The game remained level as the closing stages approached but Felipe Gutierrez, who scored the only goal of the first leg, struck again late on to give the hosts an aggregate lead with just seven minutes to go.

According to A Bola, Portuguese side Sporting CP are willing to do whatever it takes in order to keep hold of Bas Dost. The 29-year-old, who was assaulted by ultras not too long ago, hasn t ruled out continuing on with Sporting despite the fact that Sevilla are said to be very interested in acquiring his services. Dost has a phenomenal record in Portugal with 70 goals in 90 appearances since moving there in 2016, which tends to be the general theme that he follows wherever he goes in his career.

Since his early twenties Dost has been rising up through the ranks of European football courtesy of his consistency in front of goal, and it ll be interesting to see whether or not he lands a big move prior to his career coming to an end. Dost recently retired from international footbal…

Cash-strapped Portsmouth continued to hold talks with British tax authorities on Tuesday in a bid to avoid becoming the first English Premier League club to be wound up.

Her Majesty s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are set to take Portsmouth to London s High Court on Wednesday in order to have the club, bottom of the Premier League, wound up because of a multi-million pounds unpaid tax bill.

But if Pompey can come to an arrangement with HMRC they will avoid going into administration and so evade the risk of a points deduction which would all but condemn them to relegation and life in the second division Championship next season.

Portsmouth are looking for new investors after Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai effectively became the club s fourth owner in a matter…

South Africa head coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba has been suspended from his position with immediate effect and will not be involved in the country s friendly away to Mozambique on Tuesday.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) confirmed the decision in an announcement on Sunday.

In what the association called a regrettable incident , Mashaba publicly criticised SAFA president Danny Jordaan for allegedly not supporting him in his media conference following Saturday s 2-1 win over Senegal in World Cup qualifying.

With Mashaba exiled, assistant boss Owen da Gama will be in charge of the Mozambique match.

SAFA s statement read: Bafana Bafana Head Coach Ephraim Shakes Mashaba will not join the team on their trip to Mozambique as the Association has deem…

The Netherlands will be without Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay and Teun Koopmeiners for their decisive Nations League showdown with Belgium on Sunday.

De Jong and Depay have been ruled out due to thigh and leg injuries respectively.

The Barcelona duo did the damage during a 2-0 away victory over Poland on Thursday and will play no part in the final Group A4 game versus the Red Devils at Johan Cruijff Arena

Atalanta midfielder Koopmeiners also misses out in Amsterdam after suffering a concussion.

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has called up Ajax s Brian Brobbey and Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich in the absence of the trio.

The Dutch will qualify for the Nations League Finals if they avoid defeat by three goals or more.

Get well s…

Celtic have seen an initial bid for Wolves striker Leigh Griffiths rejected by the League One club.

Scotland international Griffiths has scored 13 goals in all competitions for Wolves this season, helping them to third in the table and keeping hopes of a return to the Championship alive.

And Wolves manager Kenny Jackett has revealed that Scottish Premiership champions Celtic are interested in signing the forward, although he is keen to keep hold of the 23-year-old.

We ve had a bid from Celtic which has been formalised but the club have turned it down, Jackett said on Monday. We do understand every player has their price but we are not desperate to sell players here.

I don t how things develop but a bid has been made and I m sure there will be further dialogue th…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola urged Leroy Sane to respond after the attacker s slow start to the season.

Sane, 22, starred last campaign, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award as City cruised to the title, but he is yet to start a Premier League game in 2018-19.

He was left out of Germany s World Cup squad in Russia, while his body language was questioned by team-mate Toni Kroos during the international break.

Guardiola called for Sane – who has played just 30 minutes in the league this season – to bounce back, but said it was too early to judge the former Schalke attacker.

He will be so important for the club. It s a challenge for him and not just him – everybody, Guardiola told a news conference ahead of City s clash against Fulh…

Spain s Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso should be fit for their World Cup last 16 match with Portugal despite spraining his right ankle in the 2-1 victory over Group G rivals Chile on Friday.

The 28-year-old former Liverpool star suffered the injury just before half-time but played on until he was replaced in the 73rd minute in a game which saw the European champions qualify for the second round along with their opponents.

The first x-ray confirmed that he had sprained his right ankle when he was violently tackled, said Spanish team doctor Oscar Luis Celada.

But we are optimistic that he will be fit for the second round match.

Alonso, a member of the Euro 2008 winning side, has until Tuesday to prove his fitness when the Spanish take on the 2006 Wo…

Lille defender Simon Kjaer admits that his one-year loan spell at Roma in 2011-12 did not work out as he hoped.

The Denmark international spent a year in the Italian capital on loan from Wolfsburg, but started only 20 Serie A matches as Roma struggled under Luis Enrique, eventually finishing seventh in the table.

The defender concedes that it was a troublesome period for both him and the club, but that his season at the Stadio Olimpico helped him grow as a player.

The year I went to the capital was a particularly difficult time for the club, he told EuropaCalcio.

There was a change at the top and a lot of the staff changed as well.

I think I played about 20 times for Roma. Summing it up, it could have definitely gone better.

But sporting director Walt…