I Call That The Turkey Hole

Costa was in the stands at the Wanda Metropolitano when Chelsea claimed a brilliant 2-1 away win in the immediate aftermath of his transfer being finalised.

Atletico remained winless in Group C until a spectacular volley from Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro s late second saw them beat Roma 2-0 last time out.

To progress, the 2014 and 2016 finalists must beat Chelsea and hope Qarabag are able to draw against Roma – a feat they managed twice versus Simeone s men.

We don t have to be looking about what happens in Rome, the Argentinian added. We just have to think about us.

It s not going to be a simple game. We need to take the game to where we feel we can hurt Chelsea.

It s a personal challenge to fight for everything we ve worked for thes…

Manchester United have triggered a clause in Marouane Fellaini s contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford through to 2018.

Fellaini followed David Moyes to United from Everton in 2013, signing a four-year deal with an option for an additional season.

The club have exercised their right to extend the Belgian international s agreement, securing his future beyond the current campaign.

An official United statement read: Manchester United have confirmed a clause has been triggered in Marouane Fellaini s contract to extend his stay with the club.

When signing from Everton on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2013, the Belgian agreed a four-year deal with the option of a further year.

That has now been taken up, tying him to Old Traffor…

West Ham United are interested in signing Troy Deeney from Watford in the summer transfer window, according to . The Hammers have made an inquiry to secure the services of the 32-year-old striker from the Hornets before the window in England closes on Friday.

However, West Ham are not the only club from the Premier League who are interested in the English striker. West Bromwich Albion, who won automatic promotion from the Championship at the end of last season, have also made an inquiry regarding the 32-year-old, according to the report, which has added that Watford are open to offers for the veteran striker.

According to , Deeney scored 10 goals and provided two assists in the Premier League during the 2019-20 campaign, while in the 2018-19 season, the striker scored n…

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic would be delighted to see team-mate Aleix Vidal join Sevilla during the transfer window.

The 28-year-old has been tipped to move back to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on loan, with reports in Spain suggesting there will be a compulsory purchase option of €10million included in the deal.

Rakitic, who won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2014 before joining Barca, believes Vidal would be making a shrewd move if he returns to the Andalusian club.

​ If he decides to go to Sevilla then, as a team-mate and a Sevillista, I would that like very much, he said following Barca s 3-0 LaLiga win over Levante on Sunday.

I wish him all the best. He already knows them very well, he is a player of the highest quality and Sevilla are am…

Arsenal s Granit Xhaka has tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Switzerland.

The Swiss team confirmed on Wednesday that the midfielder – who was sent off in Arsenal s 5-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City last weekend – was in isolation after returning a positive PCR test result.

Xhaka, who is Switzerland s captain, showed symptoms early on Wednesday, ahead of his country s friendly against Greece,

An initial test came back negative, but a subsequent PCR test confirmed a positive result. Xhaka will have another test on Thursday.

It was confirmed he had no contact with his team-mates throughout Wednesday and the team doctor deemed no further measures had to be taken as all the other players were either all vaccinated…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned Manchester United there must be no repeat of the debacle against Tottenham when old foes Arsenal visit Old Trafford on Sunday.

The transformation in United from the start of the month to their current state appears to have been remarkable, with the 6-1 home loss to Spurs preceding impressive wins over Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, plus a draw with Chelsea.

That thumping by Jose Mourinho s side was also followed by United dipping into the transfer market and bringing Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri to the club, leaving Solskjaer delighted with the depth of his squad.

After being humiliated by one team from north London at the start of October, Solskjaer is confident United can begin November…

What the papers say

Crystal Palace are reportedly unhappy with Chelsea over “tapping up” concerns during their pursuit of Michael Olise, according to the Daily Mail. Chelsea are looking to sign the 21-year-old attacking midfielder for £35million after activating a release clause but the Mail report that the Eagles are concerned over the way the approach for their player has been handled.

West Ham’s deal to sign former Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has reportedly fallen through after the club became tired of waiting for the defender to agree on the move to the club, the Guardian reports.

The Daily Mail says Liverpool are widening their hunt for a defensive midfielder with the club identifying six players including Joao Palhinha and Cheick Doucoure.

…

Mauricio Pochettino blasted stupid rumours as speculation continues over his future at Chelsea.

Pochettino oversaw a 2-0 win over former employers Tottenham on Thursday, becoming the first manager to complete a Premier League double after previously managing them in the competition.

Yet a longer-term view on the plans under Pochettino remain unclear, with reports linking Julian Nagelsmann, Hansi Flick and Roberto De Zerbi to Stamford Bridge should the Chelsea manager be moved on.

That comes after another heavy-spending season under the Todd Boehly-led ownership at Chelsea, who splashed once more on the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku.

Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson were among the other arrivals amid another chaoti…

Milan s disappointing campaign has put Stefano Pioli under scrutiny but his full concentration remains on a positive end to the season.

The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.

That has only increased media reports about Pioli s dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.

My task shouldn t be complicated, there are four games left, Pioli told a press conference before Sunday s home game against Genoa.

It s true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we ll see what the future is at the end o…

Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker:

With a spot in the final of this season’s Europa Conference League up for grabs on Wednesday evening, Fiorentina will make the trip to Club Brugge for their second-leg battle.

Club Brugge

Starting with the hosts, while Club Brugge might have eventually fallen to an action-packed 3-2 loss over in Tuscany last week, the Belgium giants should be fancying their chances of completing a famous turnaround here. Making an immediate return to winning ways over the weekend and picking up some perfect momentum as they clinched a 2-1 victory away at Antwerp, Nicky Hayen’s men are also leading the chase to reclaim their domestic crown over the next few weeks. Riding what has been an extended wave of momentum, Club Brugge have won eight of thei…