Guido Burgstaller and Mark Uth scored in either half as Schalke eased past Galatasaray 2-0 and tightened their grip on second place in Champions League Group D.

Burgstaller s opener – his first goal in the competition – after just four minutes was gift-wrapped by Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who made a mess of collecting a throughball.

Domenico Tedesco s side should have put the game beyond the visitors  reach before half-time, but were denied by a combination of the woodwork, Muslera and some wayward finishing.

Uth settled any nerves with a cool finish 12 minutes into the second period to help Schalke open up a four-point gap over their third-placed opponents.

How good was that goal by Guido? 1-0

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en)…

Liverpool are interested in signing Tyler Adams from Leeds United in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Liverpool are on the hunt for a new central midfielder after missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia and are now looking to bring Adams to Anfield from Leeds, who are playing in the Championship this season after getting relegated from the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp’s side wanted to sign Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer transfer window, but the Ecuador international midfielder has joined Chelsea instead. Liverpool also hold interest in Romeo Lavia, but Chelsea are reportedly closing in on the signing of the Belgium international defensive midfielder from Championship club Southampton.

Adams has a release…

Marko Arnautovic and Samir Nasri have been named in West Ham s starting XI for their Premier League game against Arsenal, who have left out Mesut Ozil.

Arnautovic s future at West Ham was plunged into doubt this week when his agent and brother revealed the Austria forward was keen to leave following interest from an unnamed Chinese Super League club.

Nasri, who tempestuously left Arsenal for Manchester City in 2011, will make his Premier League debut for the Hammers after joining as a free agent at the end of last month.

The former France international served an 18-month ban from football after receiving an intravenous treatment at a Los Angeles clinic in December 2016, contravening World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

Samir Nasri starts against Arsenal!

…

Real Madrid have refuted claims Jose Mourinho signed a contract to take over at the club before he left Inter.

Mourinho, now the Manchester United manager, led Inter to a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble in 2009-10 before assuming control at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A report in Spanish publication AS has suggested Mourinho penned an agreement to become Madrid boss on March 31, 2010.

But Madrid have emphatically rejected those allegations, issuing a statement that read: Following the publication in today s [Thursday] AS newspaper of information concerning the signing of Jose Mourinho as the manager of our club, Real Madrid C.F. wishes to emphasise that said information is entirely false.

Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho did not sign any contra…

Jamie Vardy made Tottenham pay for missing a host of chances as Premier League new boys Leicester City started the Steve Cooper era by battling to a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Ex-Foxes midfielder James Maddison set up Pedro Porro to head home the opener in Monday s match, which Ange Postecoglou s visitors dominated for large periods.

But veteran Vardy, who Cooper had ruled out only a few days ago, scored a ninth career Premier League goal against Spurs to bring the home fans to their feet.

Tottenham, who lost Rodrigo Bentancur to a head injury that caused a lengthy stoppage in the second half, were left to rue a series of missed opportunities with debutant Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and Richarlison all culpable.

Maddison clipped in a brilli…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Thiago Silva on a one-year deal.

In the wake of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich on Sunday night, Silva has officially become a free agent. He spent eight years with the French champions after making his way over from AC Milan back in 2012, but now, he’s on the verge of becoming the third signing of the summer transfer window for Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

The Blues have wasted no time in getting straight to work during the summer transfer window, and it feels like this could still just be the beginning for them as they attempt to pursue an unlikely push for the Premier League title next season.

Whether or not a veteran lik…

Arsene Wenger s record against fellow managerial big-hitters has come in for sustained criticism over recent seasons but he has enjoyed the better of meetings with Antonio Conte since the ex-Italy boss arrived at Chelsea.

Conte implemented the tactical tweaks that saw the Blues romp to the Premier League title on the back of a chastening 3-0 loss at Emirates Stadium last season.

Chelsea won the return game convincingly but were beaten by Arsenal in the FA Cup final and lost August s Community Shield to the Gunners on penalties.

It leaves Wenger with a creditable won two, drawn one, lost one return against one of the newer breed of coaches who supposedly leave him as a man out of time.

But, with Arsenal s record against their fellow title aspirants under t…

Verdict: Away win

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Buoyed by the impressive triumph over 2010 World Cup winners Spain, hosts Russia have got a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals of the 2018 tournament. However, their opponents Croatia will also see this game as a good chance to edge closer to the coveted trophy.

Russia

Having largely struggled in warm-up games ahead of the 2018 World Cup finals, Russia were expected to have a tough task of qualifying for the knockout stages, but the tournament hosts managed to use the huge support from the entire nation to their advantage. The opening 5-0 hammering of Saudi Arabia gave the team a much needed confidence boost, helping them overcome the first serious obstacle by defeating Egypt 3-1.

Sbornaya komand…

According to a recent report from Corriere dello Sport, AC Milan are entering themselves into the running to try and sign popular RB Salzburg forward Erling Haaland. It seems as if every club under the sun is attempting to bring the youngster in, which makes sense given his phenomenal start to the campaign both domestically and in Europe. 

Milan are aiming to offer him £4.25 million per year in order to complete the signing, which is certainly up there with some of the bigger offers that Haaland has been receiving over the last few weeks. Whether or not he considers AC Milan to be a big enough club at this moment in time, though, is a different matter altogether. 

Manchester United are currently said to be in the driving seat in the race to complete the signing of …

According to a recent report from Gazzetta dello Sport, two Premier League clubs are interested in making a move for Gabriel Barbosa, also known as Gabigol, potentially during the upcoming January transfer window. 

The two clubs are Crystal Palace and West Ham United, both of whom wouldn’t have to pay fees that are too ‘over the top’ in order to get the job done. 

Fiorentina’s €16 million offer was rejected by Inter Milan, and it even included a 20% sell-on clause. 

Still, even with the current state of the market and the natural inflation that we see on a year by year basis, it’s surprising to think that these two clubs could make a move such as this one. 

Barbosa once seemed like a diamond in the rough kind of player that would ev…