Pep Guardiola expects former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini to receive a warm welcome from the home fans on his return to the Etihad Stadium.
Pellegrini spent three years in charge of City after arriving in June 2013, winning the Premier League as well as the EFL Cup in his debut season before finishing second in the table behind Chelsea the following year.
However, the Chilean announced his impending departure midway through the 2015-16 campaign, shortly before the club confirmed the appointment of Guardiola as his successor.
Having returned to work in England after a spell in the Chinese Super League, Pellegrini will be back on familiar territory for the first time since taking charge at West Ham, who visit his old employers on Wednesday.
West Brom slipped deeper into relegation peril after Troy Deeney struck late to secure Watford a 1-0 win at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
The Hornets skipper marked his 300th league appearance for the club with a well-taken finish in the 77th minute that proved the difference in a tight affair.
In addition to securing his side back-to-back league wins, Deeney s strike sent West Brom to a fifth successive Premier League defeat that will only heighten the pressure on the under-fire Alan Pardew, who was reportedly set to be sacked if he failed to claim three points.
The Baggies boss had been forced to smooth over a reported dressing room row with Chris Brunt in the lead-up and appeared set to at least claim a steadying, if uninspiring, point.
Salomon Rondon …
Teddy Sheringham is amazed Harry Kane did not leave Tottenham in the transfer window and believes his below-par performances show the England captain is unhappy .
Kane finished last season with the Premier League Golden Boot and also supplied the most assists in the division before starring in England s run to the Euro 2020 final.
That form has continued in a Three Lions shirt this term, with the forward now having netted in 15 consecutive World Cup and European Championship qualifiers, but he is still to get off the mark for Spurs in the Premier League.
Despite three goals in three games across the EFL Cup and Europa Conference League, Kane has looked out of sorts in Tottenham s biggest matches.
Without a goal or assist in 378 minutes in the Premier Leag…
Two goals from Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to a 3-0 defeat of Manchester United on Tuesday and a 4-0 aggregate triumph in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
With a 1-0 advantage from the first meeting at Old Trafford, the Catalans took command inside the first 20 minutes thanks to a double from their number 10, the second of which owed plenty to a dreadful mistake from David de Gea.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named an attacking line-up featuring Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, but the blow of those first-half goals seemed to drain any hope of repeating the kind of performance they produced to stun Paris Saint-Germain in France in the last 16.
The tie was firmly put to bed by a sublime goal from Philippe Coutinho, who may get the chance to f…
Paul Pogba says fellow France midfielders N Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi must have 15 lungs because of the ground they have covered at the World Cup.
Kante and Matuidi impressed as France beat Peru 1-0 to secure progression from Group C on Thursday, while Pogba was involved in Kylian Mbappe s winning goal.
Chelsea midfielder Kante has already recorded 27 recoveries at Russia 2018, according to Opta data, which is one short of France s best tally of 28, managed by Pogba at the 2014 finals in Brazil.
And Pogba, also involved in both his team s goals in a 2-1 opening victory over Australia, was full of praise for his hard-working team-mates.
My duo with Kante? It s so easy to play with NG , Pogba told reporters.
He is everywhere. He must have 1…
Karen Carney will bring her playing career to an end when England face Sweden in Saturday s Women s World Cup third-place game and says she has given heart and soul to the Lionesses.
Since making her senior international debut as a 17-year-old in 2005, Carney went on to become a key member of the England squad, playing in four World Cups and winning 143 caps.
The silky-skilled Chelsea midfielder, who can play on either flank or in an advanced central role, announced on Friday she will retire from club and national team duty at the end of England s stay in France.
She had hoped to sign off as a World Cup winner, but defeat to the Uni
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ted States in the semi-finals means England will play for bronze.
Carney has started all of England s games at Fr…
Should the deal be confirmed, the 34-year-old will become United s latest signing under new manager Jose Mourinho, the pair reuniting after previously working together at Inter.
Ibrahimovic departed PSG following the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, having won Ligue 1 in each of his four seasons in France.
Retiring from international football after Sweden s group-stage exit at Euro 2016, the talented and outspoken centre-forward has enjoyed a glittering career, winning domestic titles at Ajax, Inter, Barcelona and AC Milan.
He also lifted the Scudetto twice at Juventus, but saw both championships revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal.
Although he is past his physical prime, Ibrahimovic has remained a potent force, scoring 38 go…
When Real Madrid host Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, two of the best players the game has ever seen will be looking to lead their respective teams to victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt Madrid s go-to guy when it matters most, while Lionel Messi has developed into the Catalans undisputed star man since making his senior debut in 2004-05.
The two have dominated the sport like no others before them, winning nine Ballons d Or between them since 2008. Who is the better player of the two, though?
Fans of the Argentine will point to his five Ballon d Or awards and his numerous trophies with Barcelona.
Those in favour of the Portuguese will highlight the fact he has not only done it in LaLiga with Madrid, but has also enjoyed success�…
Manchester City s director of football Txiki Begiristain admitted the Premier League champions are not yet feared in Europe, but said Champions League glory was closer than we think .
City are going into their eighth successive campaign in European football s top competition but have only progressed beyond the quarter-final stage once in that time.
A 1-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the 2016 semi-final under Manuel Pellegrini represented their best effort, and since then Pep Guardiola has guided City to the last 16 in 2016-17 and a quarter-final defeat to Liverpool last season.
Asked whether the Etihad Stadium was an intimidating place for Europe s best to play, the former Spain winger said: Not yet.
We re getting closer and closer!
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Doing well in the Champions League is more important than winning Serie A for AC Milan, according to club president Paolo Scaroni.
Milan have not featured in Europe s elite competition since the 2013-14 campaign, when they only made it as far as the round of 16, bowing out to Atletico Madrid.
Last season they returned to European football when playing in the Europa League – as they will this term – but were eliminated by Arsenal in the last 16.
Milan s struggles in Europe have certainly not been a consequence of domestic success, given they most recently finished in the top three back in 2012-13.
Although fans will surely be eager to see the club win their first league title since 2010-11, Scaroni seemingly values making an impact in the Champions Le…