Dani Carvajal insists Real Madrid have nothing to fear heading to the Etihad Stadium for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final next week.

The tie is delicately poised at 1-1 after a pulsating draw in the first meeting between the sides at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Vinicius Junior fired holders Real into the lead with a stunning strike in the first half but Kevin De Bruyne levelled with an equally brilliant effort in the second period.

Same spot, same result

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)

Real right-back Carvajal said: “They have world-class players, they move the ball very well, they’re tactically very well worked – but I don’t think we saw a City side that are superior to Madrid.

“The team goes home…

Pep Guardiola admits the Eurovision Song Contest has given him a headache as he looks to keep Manchester City’s treble bid on track.

The Premier League leaders face a crucial trip to relegation-threatened Everton on Sunday, three days before they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

City boss Guardiola would have preferred the Goodison Park clash to be played on Saturday but, with Eurovision taking place in Liverpool city centre that day, that could not be sanctioned for security reasons.

Everton

— Manchester City (@ManCity)

That means Real, who are out of contention for the LaLiga title and are in action on Saturday against Getafe, will have a day’s rest more than City heading into Wednesday’s encount…

Parma striker Antonio Cassano has moved to cool talk of a January transfer after reports linked him with a return to former club Sampdoria.

Despite only having moved to Il Tardini from Inter in the close season, speculation in recent weeks has suggested Cassano may be looking towards the exit door already.

But the 31-year-old capped 35 times by Italy insists he has no intention of leaving Parma in the near future.

These rumours have disturbed me,” he is quoted as saying by Football Italia. I haven’t spoken to Sampdoria president Edoardo Garrone, I’m happy at Parma and I want to remain at Parma.

I’ve always said that I would like to go back to Sampdoria one day, but I am treated like a king here at Parma. I’m really happy in this place.

I’m proud…

Fulham forward Bryan Ruiz has joined PSV Eindhoven on loan for the remainder of the season.

The Costa Rica captain made 14 appearances for the Premier League club this season, having arrived from Twente in 2011.

Ruiz won the Eredivisie with Twente prior to his switch to Craven Cottage but has now opted for a move back to the Netherlands to gain regular first-team football ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

And he has already revealed his intention to help Phillip Cocu s side, seventh in the league, to challenge for the Dutch title.

I m going to do my best for PSV, he told the club s official website.

When the opportunity arose, I was interested. I m really looking forward to coming to train.

It s true that I did not have much (playing) time lately at F…

Real Madrid must rediscover their hunger for success after a disappointing 2018-19 season, according to club president Florentino Perez.

Madrid could only manage a third-place finish in LaLiga last season, as three coaches failed to provide a huge amount of inspiration.

Julen Lopetegui lasted until October, before his successor Santiago Solari was dismissed in March to allow for Zinedine Zidane s return, though they were no better under the Frenchman and finished a whopping 19 points adrift of champions Barcelona.

Madrid were also dumped out of the Champions League by Ajax in the quarter-finals having won the title for three consecutive seasons, and Perez is demanding that winning habit returns.

Speaking at Madrid s ordinary general assembly, Perez said: …

Ander Herrera believes Manchester United have three players who can be ranked alongside the world s best in Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

While the debate around United is often based on who their next star signing will be, their former midfielder Herrera feels a trio already in the squad can lead them to Premier League glory.

He feels France star Pogba has the quality to be classed as the world s best midfielder, while forwards Rashford and Martial can also be considered among the top five or 10 players in the game.

I give you my opinion: I don t know what other players say but he is a midfielder that has everything, Herrera said of Pogba in an interview with The Athletic.

An NBA athlete with Brazilian feet and the combinations …

(GSM) Former England managers Glenn Hoddle and Sven Goran Eriksson are in Nigeria for final interviews to take over as coach of the Super Eagles.

Hoddle, now 52, who has managed several club sides including Chelsea and Tottenham, would be unlikely to accept the job long-term as he has told that he has turned down more than 15 job offers in the past year to continue with his own project.

Hoddle runs an academy in the south of Spain designed to give young players who have been released by clubs in England a new chance to make a career in the professional game. Nonetheless, he may be persuaded to take charge of Nigeria for the World Cup finals.

Eriksson, 62, has experience at international level from his five years with England and during a brief stint with Mexico …

Bayern Munich could get rid of Thomas Tuchel this season, according to . It has been reported that Bayern, who won the Bundesliga title last season, are assessing their options as they consider replacing the former Chelsea boss as their manager now. The hierarchy at the Bavarian giants were already considering replacing Tuchel at the end of the season, but they could decide to part company with him earlier.

Under Tuchel, Bayern are struggling under both in the Bundesliga and the UEfA Champions League. The Bavarian giants are second in the league table at the moment with 50 points from 21 matches, five points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern lost 3-0 to Bayer away from home in the league last weekend.

Bayern are also struggling in the UEFA Champions League. They l…

Coaching Argentina is not in the short-term plans of Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, who enjoys his day-to-day management in the Premier League.

Pochettino s work in London has not gone unnoticed, with the 44-year-old linked to the top job in his homeland of Argentina after guiding Tottenham to third place last term.

Tottenham are once again challenging for silverware under the guidance of Pochettino, who is contracted to the club until 2021 having attracted reported interest from Manchester United.

Asked if he would be interested in taking charge of Argentina, Pochettino told La Nacion: No, not really because I m good here at Tottenham. 

At my age I like to be involved in the day to day. I just took it as another rumour of football, among the many…

Benfica winger Goncalo Guedes is close to completing his move to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain after touching down in the French capital.

PSG head coach Unai Emery confirmed his interest in the 20-year-old Portugal international prior to the club s Coupe de la Ligue clash against Bordeaux, with Manchester United and Monaco reportedly also monitoring the situation.

And the French champions are now poised to sign Guedes after he arrived in Paris following PSG s 4-1 semi-final victory on Tuesday.

Guedes will now undergo a medical before signing his contract.

En attendant de passer sa visite médicale et de signer ensuite son contrat, Gonçalo Guedes est arrivé mardi à Paris!

— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside)

He has scored seven goal…