Jose Mourinho is unconcerned over what reception he will receive when he returns to Stamford Bridge as Manchester United manager and will continue to cherish fond memories from his time in charge of Chelsea.

Mourinho s second stint as Blues boss came to a dramatic end last December, with the club s defence of a third Premier League crown under his stewardship in tatters.

The 53-year-old Portuguese led Inter to victory over Chelsea on his way to collecting the Champions League in 2010 and will once again be completely focused on the task at hand.

To say I care is not true because, to be honest, I think when I go to a football match I m not focused on that, I am more focused on the game, he said.

I try to prepare myself for the matches so I cannot say tha…

Everton are preparing to move for Barcelona s Samuel Umtiti, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The defender is apparently wanted by Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti, while at the Camp Nou he is no more than surplus to requirements under Ronald Koeman.

Ties between Barcelona and Everton are strong at the moment. The Premier League side s director of football Marcel Brands replaced Steve Walsh in that role in May 2018, and since then, Everton have signed three players from the Catalans, namely left-back Lucas Digne, midfielder Andre Gomes and defender Yerry Mina.

It seems Barcelona are happy to enter the negotiations with Everton over Umtiti, being keen to get his £75,000 per week of their wage bill. The 27-year-old 31-time capped France international started his career …

Melbourne Victory head coach Kevin Muscat has signed a contract extension with the A-League giants, it was announced on Thursday.

Muscat – who was out of contract at the end of the 2017-18 campaign – has re-signed for a further two seasons.

Former Victory captain Muscat replaced ex-Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou in 2013 and the 44-year-old guided the club to the A-League premiership, championship and FFA Cup two years later.

This season, however, has proven the most difficult of Muscat s tenure, though Victory are amid a four-match unbeaten run in all competitions to be fourth in the A-League and in contention to reach the AFC Champions League knockout round.

I m obviously very pleased to be able to lead the club for a further two seasons and I m ho…

The Champions League returns on Tuesday as we get into the quarter-finals, with Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Sevilla all aiming for first-leg advantages.

In Turin, Juventus will be eager for vengeance after they lost to Madrid 4-1 in last season s final in Cardiff.

They will need to be particularly alert against the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, who not only has 23 goals in his last 13 games for club and country, but he also has a habit of scoring against the Italian giants.

The day s other clash will see Sevilla newcomers at this stage of the competition host Champions League stalwarts Bayern Munich, whose coach Jupp Heynckes heads to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on a historic winning streak.

Below, we examine the best Opta data looking ahead to th…

Demarai Gray s stunning equaliser dented Manchester City s Premier League title bid and eased the pressure on Frank Lampard as Everton claimed a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Lampard s struggling team looked set for more misery when Erling Haaland continued his incredible goalscoring form in the first half, sweeping home to hand City the lead.

Everton failed to register a single shot until the 64th minute, but they only needed one chance as Gray whipped a brilliant effort into the top-right corner to cap a devastating break.

Pep Guardiola s men looked startled by Gray s intervention, as their failure to find a winner handed Arsenal the initiative in the title race on New Year s Eve.

Magical.

— Everton (@Everton)

Haaland w…

With the start of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign just around the corner, there is no doubt that clubs from up and down the country will be desperate to wrap up their business sooner rather than later.

With under a month until the summer transfer window slams shut, there still remains a string of speculation surrounding the futures of the likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice.

Watching Crystal Palace turn to former Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira earlier in the month and enjoying what has been a youthful overhaul at Selhurst Park over the summer, we certainly have an exciting remaining three weeks on the cards.

With it expected that the Premier League’s ‘big six’ will break the bank before opening the new campaign, we have taken a look at the three bigges…

Ousmane Dembele s Barcelona career was dealt another setback on Tuesday.

Barca announced the 22-year-old France international has sustained a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right leg and it is reported he will sit out the rest of the season.

Dembele has been plagued by injuries since arriving at Camp Nou from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105million in August 2017.

The latest injury came as he stepped up his return from a right hamstring problem that has sidelined him since November.

INJURY UPDATE | Tests carried out on Ousmane Dembélé today have confirmed that he has a complete proximal hamstring tear in his right thigh. In the next few hours a decision will be made on the treatment to be followed for his recovery.

— FC Barcel…

Market: Minnesota United win

Odds: 1/1 @

Looking to make a much-welcomed return to winning ways in the early hours of Sunday, Minnesota will welcome Austin to Allianz Field.

Starting with the hosts, while Minnesota might still be sat firmly in the driving seat to punch a play-off return this season, the Loons do have the feel of a squad seeking a recent boost. Last seen falling to what was an action-packed 5-3 defeat away at FC Dallas, Eric Ramsay’s men have now recorded just a single victory from any of their previous six consecutive MLS appearances. However, despite enduring their biggest wobble since opening up the 2024 campaign, the Saint Paul-based outfit will certainly be excited by the prospect of making a return to home soil here. Opening June with a r…

Romelu Lukaku s winner showed why Chelsea signed him, according to Thomas Tuchel after his side defeated Zenit 1-0 in their Champions League opener.

Lukaku s first European goal for the Blues proved the difference as they made it 12 group-stage games without defeat on Tuesday.

The Belgium forward now has four goals in three games against Russian opponents and only Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Bruno Fernandes have scored more than Lukaku s 14 European goals since the start of 2019-20 when he signed for Inter.

Tuchel splashed a club-record fee on the former Manchester United striker but he insisted that performances like this outing justify the transfer.

It was an excellent header [from Lukaku for the goal], a well-timed cross by [Cesar] Azpili…

Gareth Bale did not earn explicit backing from Zinedine Zidane as the Real Madrid head coach stated he wants Raphael Varane and Marcelo to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Bale was jeered during Madrid s fitful 3-2 LaLiga win over lowly Huesca on Sunday – the latest unhappy episode in an underwhelming season for the Wales international, who has seen a perceived failure to integrate with his team-mates off the field come under increasing scrutiny.

Zidane left Bale on the bench for last season s Champions League final against Liverpool, only for the forward to come on and produce a match-winning brace in the final game of the Frenchman s initial tenure.

The pre-match news conference for Wednesday s LaLiga trip to Valencia was dominated by questions over what lie…