Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said he wants Pep Guardiola to sign a new contract with the Spanish champions. The 41-year-old coach has been coy about his long-term future at Camp Nou, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season. Having guided Barca to 13 trophies since taking over the club’s first team in 2008, there are suggestions that Guardiola is in… Read more

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has claimed he does not need his players’ backing to assert his authority at Stamford Bridge, and thus has no fears over his job security. “They don’t have to back my project, only the owner needs to back my project,” the former Porto man told reporters. “I think the owner has full trust in me and will continue to progress with… Read more

Juventus remain unbeaten in Serie A but may have to spend at least another week second to AC Milan with both facing winnable outings. Antonio Conte’s Juve missed their chance to reclaim top spot on Wednesday after only managing a 0-0 draw at Parma in one of their two games in hand. After the stalemate – Juve’s second on the trot in the league –… Read more

Bayer Leverkusen will look to bounce back from two defeats in a row when they take on Augsburg on Saturday in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen have not won in four matches, including a 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. Leverkusen’s main weakness this season has been in front of goal, having only hit… Read more

Arsenal face elimination from the Champions League after being mauled 4-0 by AC Milan in their round-of-16 first-leg match at San Siro on Wendesday. Kevin-Prince Boateng opened the scoring after 15 minutes, while a brace from Robinho either side of half-time put the result beyond doubt before a late penalty from Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Arsenal with a mountain to climb in the second leg at… Read more

The resignation of Fabio Capello and speculation over the possible England appointment of Harry Redknapp has helped reduced the spotlight glare on this tinderbox fixture, but the fixation on Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra coming face-to- face for the first time since the racism allegations will still be unhealthy. The current vitriol spewed between the fans of these two clubs is disturbing. Raw emotions have… Read more

Harry Redknapp said his “nightmare” was over after being cleared of tax evasion. The Tottenham boss had denied accepting secret untaxed bonus payments from former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, while he was club manager. Mr Mandaric was also cleared of two charges of cheating the public revenue over the £189,000 payments. Mr Redknapp, who was close to tears, said the case “should never have come… Read more