Sportanlst

Cristiano Ronaldo returns as Real Madrid pursue another UCL title Real Madrid will begin their attempt to become the first club in more than four decades to win three consecutive Champions League trophies when they host Apoel Nicosia at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. No team has won Europe's top club competition in three consecutive years since Bayern Munich lifted the trophy, then known as the European Cup, in 1974, 1975 and 1976. Madrid became the first repeat winner in the Champions League era, which began in 1992-93, when they defeated Juventus in the final in June. This will be Madrid's 21st consecutive appearance in the Champions League -- the longest run of any club -- and their 22nd overall. Madrid have won the competition 12 times, including six titles since it was renamed in 1992, and have never failed to advance from the group stage. The champions of La Liga last season, Madrid enter with an 87 percent chance of reaching the round of 16, and a...

Arsenal must decide if they want Europa League success, says Cech Arsenal must go into their Europa League campaign with the intention of winning the tournament or set themselves different priorities for the season, goalkeeper Petr Cech has said. The London side host Germany’s Cologne in Europe’s second-tier competition on Thursday and Cech, who won the title with Chelsea in the 2012-13 season, said the club must take a call on how they approach the tournament. “You make your decision,” he told London’s Evening Standard. ”At Chelsea, we were really disappointed to have been knocked out of the group stage (of the Champions League) but we decided that for the first time and the last time, hopefully, we play in the Europa League so we want to win. “...either you take it seriously and you go to win it and you give yourself the chance to do it or you give yourself different priorities and see how it goes.” Arsenal, fifth in the Premier League last season, missed qual...

Why this "Future of Arsenal" picture from 2012 may now reduce Gunners' fans to tears The once-celebrated "British core" of the Gunners has now been ripped out following a couple of departures close to the transfer deadline, so this image now looks awkward. They were the much-celebrated "British core" of Arsenal , and the players who would definitely carry the Gunners to glory. Five years later, those dreams lie in tatters. This December 2012 picture of Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has understandably been on the minds of Arsenal fans this week, as Gibbs and Oxlade-Chamberlain have departed for pastures new and the club continues to tear itself apart from the inside. He's gone, and he's not the only one But what happened to those five players over this half a decade? Arsenal fans, buckle up. Carl Jenkinson Jenkinson as he was probably alwa...

Soccer Superstar Wayne Rooney Busted for Drunk Driving ... In a VW Beetle Wayne Rooney Arrested for Drunk Driving in VW Beetle Breaking News Soccer legend Wayne Rooney was arrested for drunk driving in England on Friday morning after cops stopped the superstar behind the wheel of a black VW beetle. The 31-year-old pulled over the Everton striker around 2 AM in Cheshire (North West England) and determined he was over the legal limit to drive. Rooney -- the all-time scoring leader for both the England national team and Manchester United -- was released and is due back in court on Sept. 18th. What's worse ... Rooney was reportedly driving with a 29-year-old woman in the car at the time of his arrest. His pregnant wife Coleen was vacationing in Spain with their children when she got the call...

Leicester await international clearance from FIFA over Adrien Silva transfer after striking last-minute deal for Sporting midfielder Leicester confident Portugal midfielder will complete move form Sporting They were granted a two-hour extension to get the deal done on Thursday night The midfielder's move hinged on Danny Drinkwater sealing a switch to Chelsea  The paperwork for both of the deals was submitted on time By Sportanlst     Leicester are awaiting international clearance to complete the transfer of Adrien Silva from Sporting Lisbon. The Premier League club are confident they managed to sign the Portugal midfielder in time, after being granted a two-hour extension to get the deal done after Thursday night's 11pm deadline passed. Silva's move hinged on Danny Drinkwater sealing a switch to Chelsea and the window closed with Silva at Leicester's training ground and Drinkwater at Chelsea's Cobham base.   The p...

Antonio Conte will be frustrated by Chelsea transfer window not befitting of Premier League champions Antonio Conte prioritises signings who can improve his side now, not in the future When Antonio Conte was unveiled as Chelsea manager he said that he would be a “tailor”, cutting the cloth of his team according to his resources and his requirements. He was good to his word, winning the Premier League title with a squad that looked patchy and ageing at the start of the season. But this year was meant to be different and yet it feels, at the closing of the transfer window, that Conte will have to overachieve again to win the big trophies with this squad. They have added plenty of depth, but only two first-team players, and this week faced the unusual embarrassment of having two high-profile targets pull out of p...