Juventus’ Serie A title challenge may well be over for another year but coach Massimiliano Allegri is still looking for a strong finish to the season.

The Turin giants last claimed the scudetto in 2020 but their hopes of ending that run this campaign have all-but disappeared after winning just one of their last eight games.

That means the third-placed Bianconeri will go into this weekend’s trip to Lazio a massive 17 points behind runaway leaders Inter Milan with only nine league games left.

However, with a top-four spot yet to be secured and the Coppa Italia up for grabs – Juve face Lazio in the first leg of their semi-final next Tuesday – Allegri’s men still have plenty to play for as action resumes after the international break.

Coach Max Alle…

Harry Kane has his eyes set on Robert Lewandowski s single-season Bundesliga goal record after scoring twice in Bayern Munich s 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, though he knows he needs to get a move on .

Kane scored in both halves on Saturday to take his tally to 42 goals this season across all competitions, also reaching the 400-goal mark at senior level for clubs and country.

The striker scored 280 of those goals for Tottenham, holding the honour of being the club s all-time leading scorer, while he is also the most prolific player in England history with 62 goals for the Three Lions.

With 35 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances this season, Kane now has his eyes set on another piece of history.

Former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski holds the record …

Steven Gerrard felt Rangers had made a statement with their 1-0 win over rivals Celtic, but insisted they were not looking at their 19-point lead atop the Scottish Premiership. 

Rangers took a huge step towards winning the league, an achievement which would deny Celtic 10 in a row, with a narrow triumph at Ibrox on Saturday. 

Callum McGregor s second-half own goal, shortly after Nir Bitton had been sent off for a foul on Alfredo Morelos, meant Gerrard s men triumphed despite not registering a shot on target. 

They also won 2-0 at Celtic Park in October and have won three straight derbies dating back to last season, their best run since 2008 when Walter Smith was in charge. 

While 19 points is a formidable advantage, Gerrard is not taking anything for…

Virgil van Dijk has been appointed as Liverpool captain following the departure of Jordan Henderson, the Premier League club have announced.

The 32-year-old, who arrived at Anfield from Southampton in 2018 and has made 222 appearances, also performs the role internationally for the Netherlands.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been confirmed as vice-captain after James Milner left to join Brighton earlier in the summer.

The new skipper

— Liverpool FC (@LFC)

Henderson and Milner have departed as part of an overhaul of the team’s midfield as Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild following last season’s disappointing fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

It meant the club failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.…

Arsenal have confirmed Willian has left the club by mutual consent, with the Brazilian set to return home to join Corinthians.

Willian joined the Gunners on a free after leaving London rivals Chelsea, signing a three-year deal to make the move to Emirates Stadium.

The 33-year-old made 37 appearances in all competitions during the 2020-21 season, scoring just the one goal from 27 shots.

He did set up seven goals for team-mates, easily outperforming his expected assists total of 3.14, with two of them coming from dead-ball situations.

However, Willian only made four Premier League starts after the turn of the year as Mikel Arteta went with alternative options in his team.

After what the club described as positive and constructive  discussions betwe…

Former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva will undergo tests after the detection of a heart issue forced him to withdraw from training with Gremio.

Lucas made 247 Premier League appearances during a 10-year spell with Liverpool, scoring just one goal in the competition, before joining Serie A giants Lazio in 2017.

The former Brazil international then re-joined Gremio – the club where he began his career – after leaving Italy at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

On Tuesday, Lucas tweeted a statement from the Gremio s medical department, announcing he would sit out the team s pre-season preparations while undergoing assessment.

The statement read: The Gremio medical department communicates that the athlete Lucas Leiva presented, in pre-season routine exam…

Galatasaray like to make their incoming transfer business known and, ahead of the Turkish window closing on Thursday, the Super Lig giants are set to be busy.

Mauro Icardi is the headline name of four players who are close to joining the Istanbul club.

Former Inter captain Icardi has agreed to join Gala on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, where he has fallen well down the pecking order.

Icardi, who was one of Europe s most prolific strikers while at the peak of his powers at Inter, has not made an appearance for PSG this season and has not even featured in a matchday squad under Christophe Galtier in Ligue 1.

Mauro Icardi has arrived in İstanbul!

— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray)

The 29-year-old arrived in Turkey to much fanfare on Wednes…

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill will be leaning on young players again for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers with injuries continuing to limit his options.

O’Neill is yet to confirm a date to name his squad for the qualifiers away to Denmark and at home to Kazakhstan in mid-June, but he has already ruled seven senior players out of contention due to long-term injuries.

Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans, Liam Boyce, Josh Magennis, Conor Washington and Shane Ferguson will play no part in the matches, which has meant O’Neill has had his eye on potential call-ups while leading an under-21 training camp in Belfast this week.

O’Neill is due to hold two training camps in England between now and the qualifiers, trying to keep players whose seaso…

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Tottenham Hotspur faced a comprehensive defeat in their previous game against Brighton, halting their three-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth continued their impressive form by securing their sixth victory in seven games on Boxing Day, furthering their impressive climb up the Premier League standings.

The two teams will face each other on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, marking the start of the second half of the league campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham faced a challenging outing in their recent match against Brighton, conceding two goals within the first half-hour of the game. Despite pulling two goals back late in the game through Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies, they couldn t complete the comeback…

Jack Butland’s performances for Rangers have caught the eye of the England set-up, with goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson saying he is back “on the radar” ahead of the European Championship.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper moved to Ibrox at the start of the season after ending last season on loan at Manchester United from Crystal Palace.

Butland did not play a minute of competitive football for either club last term but has flourished since making a summer switch to the cinch Premiership giants.

Those displays for Rangers have caught the eye of Gareth Southgate’s team, with a diminished pool of in-form options potentially aiding his bid to return to the national team as Euro 2024 comes into focus.

“Jack is definitely on the radar, there’s no doubt…