Marvellous Monaco match Ligue 1 record for consecutive wins

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has grudgingly accepted Real Madrid and Juventus are deserving Champions League finalists.

Serie A leaders Juve dispatched Monaco 4-1 on aggregate in their semi-final to reach the showpiece in Cardiff, having overcome Barca in the previous round.

Madrid, meanwhile, will take the defence of the trophy right to the final game after beating Atletico Madrid 4-2 across the two legs of their last-four encounter.

Iniesta, a four-time winner of the trophy, says his interest is minimal given that he will not be involved but accepts Juve and Madrid deserve their shot at glory.

Madrid and Juve are just finalists for the Champions League, but you lose interest when you re not playing the final, he told a media event in Barcelona.

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Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has undergone successful surgery on his back, the LaLiga champions have announced.

The 31-year-old had the operation after sitting out Germany’s matches against Turkey and Austria last month and three subsequent Barca fixtures.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “First team player Marc ter Stegen has successfully undergone surgery for his lower back issues.

MEDICAL UPDATE

First team player Marc ter Stegen has successfully undergone surgery for his lower back issues. The procedure was performed by Dr. Amélie Léglise under the supervision of the Club s Medical Services, at Sports Clinic Bordeux Merignac. He is out and his recovery…

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)

“The pr…

Harry Kane is open to signing a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur, as reported by David Ornstein in his Monday column for .

The 29-year-old striker was reportedly keen on leaving North London to join Manchester City in 2021, but with three years left on his contract at the time, Spurs were in a very strong position and rejected bid after bid, the last one believed to have stood well over £100 million. That ship has now sailed City have solved their striker issue by signing the sensational Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, and there s obviously no need for Kane in their ranks anymore.

More recently, there have been reports about alleged interest in the England captain from Bayern Munich as they seek to finally sign No. 9 to replace Robert Lewandowski. However, Or…

Jonny Evans was left to reflect on what might have been for Erik ten Hag’s stumbling Manchester United at the end of a miserable European campaign, with a “massive day” against rivals Liverpool now looming large.

Boos echoed around Old Trafford for a second straight match as Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League humbling at the hands of Bournemouth was followed by a meek 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

Tuesday’s lifeless defeat confirmed United’s place at the bottom of a Champions League group many expected them to progress from, meaning they also missed out on a Europa League spot.

The manner of the Red Devils’ European exit increases the spotlight on underfire boss Ten Hag and leaves the side kicking themselves over the mistakes that cost them dearly in Group …

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola bemoaned his side s wastefulness in front of goal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The champions looked set to return to the Premier League summit thanks to Bernardo Silva s wonderful first-half strike after being usurped by Arsenal earlier on Saturday.

Chris Wood popped up late on, though, to deny them all three points as Forest avoided defeat against the reigning champions for the first time since December 1994, when they beat Manchester United.

City squandered a host of glorious opportunities to extend their lead before Wood s intervention, with Erling Haaland guilty of one particularly glaring miss, and Guardiola was disappointed with his side s profligacy.

Congratulations to Notting…

Neymar gave Brazil cause for concern by hobbling out of a training session less than three weeks before the Copa America starts.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar clutched at his left knee after attempting a routine shot and limped away from the session in discomfort.

The injury worry comes less than 24 hours after Brazil boss Tite stripped Neymar of the captaincy and installed Dani Alves as skipper for the Copa America on home soil.

Neymar, 27, spent three months on the sidelines with a foot injury earlier this year.

He returned for PSG towards the end of April and linked up with Tite s squad over the weekend as Brazil aim to reclaim the continental crown they last won in 2007.

The Selecao meet Qatar and Honduras in friendlies next week ahead …

Alvaro Morata found himself in the familiar position of being indebted to a Cesar Azpilicueta assist in Chelsea s 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

When Spain striker Morata powered home a header inside the first minutes of the second half at Stamford Bridge, it was his 10th Premier League goal of the season and the sixth time his international colleague Azpilicueta had supplied the ammunition.

There is no more prolific combination when it comes to assists for the same goalscorer in England s top flight this term.

Tottenham s record-breaking star Harry Kane has been set up four times apiece by Dele Alli and Kieran Trippier, while there are four three-goal combinations.

David Silva has assisted Gabriel Jesus three times for Manchester City, while Lero…

Eden Hazard will sit out Chelsea s EFL Cup fourth-round match against Derby County but could return against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Belgium international Hazard missed the Europa League victory over BATE and the Premier League win against Burnley due to a back injury.

Chelsea assistant coach Gianfranco Zola expects the 27-year-old to return to full training this week, potentially making him an option for the visit of the Eagles.

He s certainly much better. Not sure today [Tuesday], maybe tomorrow he s going to join us in training, said Zola, who also suggested Pedro and Olivier Giroud will miss out.

I don t think he s going to be involved in the game [against Derby], but he s looking quite good for the weekend. We are pleased because he s such an imp…

According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are no longer actively pursuing Dinamo Zagreb winger Dani Olmo during the January transfer window. 

While a deal could always be done somewhere down the road, it certainly feels like – for the time being – that the priority is going to lie elsewhere for Barca. This is one of those links that seems to follow the club in question around for what feels like forever, with everyone under the sun thinking that Barca would make an official approach for Olmo sooner rather than later. 

Dinamo will certainly be encouraged by this news and they’ll definitely be hoping that they can keep hold of him until the summer transfer window, and with no other clubs making any real serious approaches at this moment in time,…

A packed Etihad Stadium paid a warm tribute to Vincent Kompany on Wednesday as his Manchester City Legends played out a 2-2 draw against a Premier League All Stars XI.

The four-time Premier League winner saw the funny side of a hamstring strain keeping him out of his own testimonial, the new day job as player-coach of Anderlecht meaning he could not risk lining up alongside an array of past team-mates.

For me not to play this game because of an injury… surely the irony has not escaped anyone? Kompany chuckled before the match – his 11-year stint as an inspirational and decorated captain at City having been frequently peppered with injury lay-offs.

Given a guard of honour onto the field before kick-off, the man of the hour was serenaded by the masses and e…