French league leaders Bordeaux welcome Lyon to the Stade Chaban-Delmas on Sunday knowing that victory would take them eight points clear of their title rivals at the top of the table.

Both clubs have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, but Bordeaux s league form is much better and with the winter break approaching they have a prime opportunity to deal their foes a timely psychological blow.

The reigning champions recovered from a first home defeat in over two years against Valenciennes to record back-to-back wins at Nancy and at home to Paris Saint-Germain, but Lyon have just one win in their last seven league matches.

Lyon, the dominant side of the decade who won seven straight titles between 2002 and 2008, warmed up for the clash with a 4-0 Cham…

Graham Potter admitted the chance to manage Chelsea was too good to turn down.

Potter left Brighton and Hove Albion to take over as head coach at Stamford Bridge last week after Thomas Tuchel had been sacked by the London club.

Speaking at his first press conference as Chelsea boss ahead of the Champions League group stage clash against Salzburg, Potter said he was grateful for the trust the club s new owners put in him and is looking forward to getting started.

You have to look at the football club here, the tradition, the quality, the size, the ambition of the club, to compete in the Champions League, to compete at the top of the Premier League, he said when asked why he left Brighton for this opportunity.

It s a completely different challenge to the …

Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old Burkino Faso international midfielder Bertrand Traore.

Traore who made his international debut at the age of 15 was on trial at Stamford Bridge during the close-season and featured in three games on the club s tour of Asia.

He moves to Stamford Bridge on a four-and-a-half year deal from Association Jeunes Espoirs De Bobo-Dioulasso.

Traore, who was a part of the Burkina Faso side that won the Africa Under-17s Championship in 2011, has 10 senior caps to his name, and featured in the Africa Cup of Nations last year.

He will also likely play a part in his country s FIFA World Cup play-off second leg against Algeria on November 19.

Traore scored twice on Chelsea s tour of Asia and joins a side currently second in t…

Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town have signed striker Chris Wood on loan from Leicester City, .

The New Zealand international has moved to Portman Road until the end of the season after failing to hold down a place in Nigel Pearson’s starting eleven this season.

Wood has made nine appearances in all competitions, all of which have come as a substitute bar his outing in their shock League Cup second round defeat to Shrewsbury Town back in August.

He moved to the KP Stadium from West Bromwich Albion half way through the 2012/13 campaign, having previously played for the East Midlands club on loan.

He has also had temporary spells with Barnsley, Brighton and Hove Albion, Birmingham City, Bristol City and Millwall while internationally he ha…

Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig played one of the most anticipated Bundesliga fixtures of the 2019-20 season, as these teams entered the round in first and second place of the standings, respectively. The match was quite tight, however, and neither side was able to take advantage of the other. As a result, everything ended with a scoreless stalemate.

Here are three things we learned from this thrilling Bundesliga encounter.

Bayern Munich should have won this game

Bayern entered this game in a thrilling run of form and many experts believed they were the better side. They did nothing but confirming that notion here, as they should have won the game rather easily. Die Roten dominated the game throughout, and they were on top during most of the contest. The statistics don’…

Emile Smith Rowe has all the attributes and qualities required to play for England having been phenomenal for Arsenal this season, according to Mikel Arteta.  

After getting a taste of first-team action at Arsenal in the previous two seasons, as well as spending time out on loan at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town, the midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent months.  

Smith Rowe had not even featured in the Premier League before Arteta included him in the starting XI for the Boxing Day win over Chelsea.  

Since then, however, he has been involved in every league fixture for the Gunners, making 11 starts as well as an appearance as a substitute in the 1-0 home loss to Manchester City last month. 

His involvement against Leic…

Marko Marin says that he wants to be a leader at Sevilla after joining the Spanish club on loan from Chelsea.

The German endured a frustrating debut campaign at Stamford Bridge last term, making just six Premier League appearances in total during Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez s time in charge.

But, after sealing a season-long stay in Andalusia, the 24-year-old is now hoping to get his career back on track.

I come here with more ambition than when I signed for Chelsea, he said.

Sevilla is a club of tradition that I have come to for the new season with the hope of helping them return to a position in the league that they occupied not so many years ago.

I hope to take on the role of a leader. After talking with (sporting director) Monchi and (Sevilla mi…

Jermain Defoe has called on Tottenham to reinforce their forward line before the start of the new Premier League season.

Along with Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor is the only other recognised striker currently considered a first-team regular at White Hart Lane and he has been linked with a move away from the club.

Tottenham are reportedly interested in wantaway Aston Villa forward Christian Benteke after coming close to signing Internacional s Leandro Damiao during the January transfer window.

And England international Defoe believes the club need to make additions to their squad if they are to break into the UEFA Champions League.

I m a forward but I can t be the only forward at a club. Over the years, the clubs who ve won titles have had several strikers, Defoe told …

Italy international Manolo Gabbiadini has joined Southampton from Napoli on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

The transfer of the 25-year-old forward for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be approximately £15million plus potential add-ons, was announced on only an hour before the deadline.

I m very, very happy. I have been waiting for this moment for one month and I can t wait to start, he told the club s website.

Since I was a kid it has been my dream to perform in one of the biggest leagues in the world, so now this has happened, I can t wait to start playing.

Former Atalanta and Juventus player Gabbiadini has been a regular in Napoli s first team since moving to the San Paolo from Sampdoria in 2015, but has found himself on the fringes at times this t…

Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi has singled out Jack Wilshere as the player who has had the biggest influence on him, although Francis Coquelin has taken up that role this campaign following the England international s loan move to Bournemouth.

Iwobi has developed into an important first-team member since making his debut in October 2015 and recently made his 50th appearance for the Gunners.

He is determined to keep improving in the years to come and has thanked Wilshere for his role in his development so far.

The biggest influence on me would probably be Jack Wilshere, but he has not been around recently, the 20-year-old told the Arsenal website.

He talks to me off the pitch because he has been through the same system as me. I just watch what he does, …