Despite a second-half goal from Andre Schurrle, Borussia Dortmund have work to do to reach the last eight of the Europa League. Peter Stoger conceded Borussia Dortmund were well off the pace during Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League defeat to Red Bull Salzburg on home soil. The Austrian side stunned their hosts at the start of the second half, Valon Berisha scoring twice in the space of seven minutes. While Dortmund halved the deficit with a close-range finish from Andre Schurrle just after the hour, they will now have to score at least twice in the second leg to progress to the quarter-finals. Article continues below Editors' Picks Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already…

A training injury to the goalkeeper is not as bad as first feared, but the severity of the forward’s knee problem is still unclear Henrikh Mkhitaryan will miss Arsenal’s Premier League game with Southampton on Sunday after picking up a knee knock against CSKA Moscow, while David Ospina faces up to three weeks out with an ankle problem. Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 triumph over the Russian side at Emirates Stadium on Thursday, with Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette getting two each. The comfortable lead leaves them in the driving seat in the Europa League quarter-final tie, though a seemingly innocuous injury suffered by Mkhitaryan just after the hour could prove…

The France international is being touted as one of the most promising midfielders in world football, sparking talk of a move to the Premier League The role of a defensive midfielder can be a thankless one. To be successful in the position, a delicate balance between energy, strategy, technique and discipline must be struck. And yet, all but the best at juggling these varying attributes pass under the radar. N’Golo Kante represents a perfect example. Marseille turned down the chance to move for the then Caen player in the summer of 2015, believing him to be too expensive, yet first at Leicester, and now at Chelsea, he has developed into…

The Belgian’s coach believes hitting the milestone is possible, but that is disputed by the former England defender Eden Hazard has the potential to score 40 times in a season, according to ex-England international Stuart Pearce, but it will be impossible for him to do so at Chelsea. The Belgium international winger has started the season in electric form for Maurizio Sarri’s men, netting five times in the Premier League already this term.  After scoring a treble on Saturday against Cardiff, Sarri instructed his player to net 40 times this season and win the Premier League Golden Boot. Article continues below Editors' Picks Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have…

The Scottish side may be underdogs heading into the opening game of their continental campaign, but Steven Gerrard warned against underestimating them A tough start to the Europa League campaign awaits Rangers in Spain as they pay a visit to Villarreal on Thursday. Steven Gerrard’s team have had an indifferent start to the campaign but recovered from their recent defeat to Celtic by beating Dundee 4-0 on Saturday to take a much-needed confidence boost into the midweek tie. The continental competition poses a different challenge for the Glasgow side, however, and Gerrard knows they are underdogs as they look to scrape a result against the Yellow Submarine.  Article continues below…

Atletico’s star forward would love the chance to take on his compatriots – but Simeone’s men will have to get past Arsenal first Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says that he would like to play Marseille in the Europa League final – assuming both teams can progress. OM hold a 2-0 first-leg advantage over Red Bull Salzburg heading into Thursday’s return, while Atleti are marginal favourites after a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal. Griezmann holds Marseille in the highest esteem and had wanted to face them before now. Article continues below Editors' Picks Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already played his final game for Inter Sarri vindicated for…

The Gunners lost 2-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, meaning the manager will leave without his fairytale farewell Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal as a “very sad” man at the end of the season after he was unable to guide the club into the Europa League final in his last campaign at the helm. Wenger announced his decision to depart in April, after being in the job for nearly 22 years and presiding over three Premier League title wins and seven FA Cup triumphs. His imminent exit was seen as an extra incentive for the players to secure a Europa League crown to send the 68-year-old off…

Amid rumours of of the Serie A moving for their former striker, the club’s director admitted a return for the Galaxy star is not in the cards AC Milan director Leonardo said Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning is not possible, though he admitted the LA Galaxy striker was more than a thought for the Italian side. Ibrahimovic scored 42 Serie A goals for Milan between 2010 and 2012, before leaving to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. The former Sweden star has netted 20 times for MLS side the Galaxy so far in 2018, and Milan reportedly made contact with the 37-year-old striker over a possible transfer. Article continues below Editors' Picks Juve…

After firing Chelsea to a comfortable victory in the Europa League, the midfielder is determined to be ready for his next chance Ruben Loftus-Cheek says maintaining “good habits” is his only path to regular first-team opportunities after scoring a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over BATE. The often-overlooked 22-year-old issued a reminder of his talents to Maurizio Sarri as he netted twice in the opening eight minutes before finishing off the visitors with a third shortly after half-time. Aleksey Rios did grab a late consolation for BATE but it was far from enough to derail Chelsea’s stroll to a third successive Europa League victory. Article continues below Editors' Picks Juve…

The Atleti boss refused to weigh into the reports about his striker ahead of Saturday’s trip to Getafe and the Europa League final on May 16 Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said not even the rumoured transfer of star Antoine Griezmann will distract him from the upcoming Europa League final. Griezmann continues to be linked with La Liga champions Barcelona – talk of a switch to the Spanish giants intensifying in recent weeks. Atletico have been infuriated by Barcelona’s attitude amid the speculation following comments made by Luis Suarez – who suggested the Frenchman’s transfer to Camp Nou next season was a formality – and board members. Editors' Picks…