Man City’s quadruple bid continues in FA Cup, Fabinho can prove his worth to Liverpool and a pivotal Klassiker in GermanyBrighton are unlikely to go into their first FA Cup semi-final since 1983 with high expectations. Chris Hughton’s players produced an incredible comeback to beat Millwall in the previous round, but they know the odds will be heavily stacked against them when they face Manchester City, who have already won three games at Wembley this season. City remain on course for a historic quadruple after 13 consecutive wins in all competitions and while Sergio Agüero is doubtful after picking up a minor injury at Fulham last Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s side have been boosted by the return to fitness of Kevin...
Borussia Dortmund scored two goals in stoppage time as Robert Lewandowksi spurned late chances for Bayern Munich to set up an enticing title run-inAll roads lead to Munich. At the end of a week in which it was announced France’s World Cup-winning defender Lucas Hernández would arrive at Bayern in the summer – after the champions paid a fee almost double the Bundesliga’s existing highest for an incoming player – Marco Reus will also head for Bavaria, as a Borussia Dortmund player, of course, but there had been doubt about the captain making the journey. This weekend Reus’s first child, a baby girl, arrived a few days earlier than expected, freeing daddy up to lead his side in what could...
A stylish victory over Bayer Leverkusen has confirmed that Florian Kohfeldt has given Werder’s fans reason to dreamIt was the sort of result that, when it happened, appeared to be a curio but as time has gone past, it looks more and more like a season turning point. When Bayer Leverkusen visited Werder Bremen in late October they were on little more than a hiding-to-nothing. Mired in lower-mid-table and led by an unpopular coach, they were facing a side on the crest of a wave – and one who could, with a victory, have finished the weekend in second place in the Bundesliga.It didn’t turn out like that. In a rarity amid an uninspired first half of the season under...
Domenico Tedesco’s future as Schalke manager is increasingly uncertain as fans vented their fury at the team’s dismal formIf you thought, before they welcomed Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday, that things couldn’t get much worse for Schalke, already saddled with their lowest points total at this stage in the season since 1983 (they were relegated, in case you wondered), then you were wrong. So, so wrong. Ask coach Domenico Tedesco, met with a hot reception as he went to acknowledge the home supporters after the team’s 4-0 defeat, the latest humiliation in a season of chastening experiences. Otherwise, ask Benjamin Stambouli, who began the afternoon wearing the captain’s armband and ended it having a pair of supporters demand it back from...
Though there is no heavy-handedness about the new head of sport, he is already having an influenceThere was, at last, a feeling of partial satisfaction and some optimism. A sixth defeat in seven games for lowly VfB Stuttgart is no reason for breaking out the party bunting but the manner, if not the result, felt like it might be a departure in the right direction.To an extent, it’s an indication of just how bad it’s been around the place in recent months. On the final day of last season, as they gleefully threw cake, jelly, and whipped the tablecloths off at Bayern Munich’s title party with a 4-1 win, Stuttgart had positioned themselves at the gates of Europe. But then...