Marc Wilmots is in contact with Schalke to replace Roberto Di Matteo and will leave Belgium s national team if he wants to.

The 46-year-old coach has been heavily linked with Schalke since Di Matteo quit last week, with Wilmots having twice played for the Bundesliga club during his playing career.

The former attacking midfielder scored 38 goals in 178 appearances in all competitions for Schalke, playing there from 1996-2000 and 2001-2003, and confirmed on Friday that he is interested in coaching the Gelsenkirchen-based club.

I am in contact with Schalke and never said that I would stay until 2018 with the national team, he told reporters at Belgium s training camp, which is being held in the lead-up to a friendly against France and a Euro 2016 qualifier versus W…

Having claimed a hugely impressive win over title-chasing Manchester City last weekend, Mark Hughes says Stoke City must deal with a new type of pressure against West Ham on Saturday.

Hughes men stunned his former club at the Britannia Stadium with a convincing 2-0 victory in the Premier League on Saturday as Stoke s new-look attacking line-up finally clicked to full effect.

Marko Arnautovic was assisted twice by Xherdan Shaqiri while Bojan Krkic also shone the trio earning fulsome praise as Hughes men demonstrated their transition from a traditionally direct style of play, a legacy of Tony Pulis tenure, to a more aesthetic one.

That does not mean Stoke have lost their defensive prowess though, keeping six clean sheets in their last eight Premier League games. Th…

Barcelona are keen to part ways with Philippe Coutinho and Jean-Clair Todibo as soon as possible in order to balance their books, according to .

Coutinho has reportedly been an object of interest for several Premier League clubs, and his return to the English top flight is still a possibility. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are all keen on his services, but not one of those clubs wants a permanent transfer, preferring a loan deal instead, even though Barcelona would now be willing to let him go for as little as €70 million. The Brazilian s wages, reportedly amounting to €250,000 per week, are also an issue. While Bayern Munich, who have had him on loan for 2019/20, were willing to pay that, other clubs are not so generous.

As for the young centre-ba…

Willian s contract with Chelsea was set to expire at the end of June, and with the negotiations over a new deal reportedly down the drain after the club refused to offer him a three-year stay, he only agreed to remain at the club a month further to complete the 2019/20 season.

The 31-year-old winger is still widely expected to leave Stamford Bridge as a free agent this summer. Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have all been credited with interest in his services, but speaking to the press ahead of Chelsea s encounter with relegation-threatened Watford on Saturday, manager Frank Lampard revealed that the talks between the club and Willian haven t been halted at all.

Lampard praised the Brazilian s on-pitch contribution in the last couple of game…

(GSM) Werder Bremen closed the 2009/10 Bundesliga season on a high note on Saturday as they secured third place with a 1-1 draw against Hamburg.

The draw, combined with Bayer Leverkusen s draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach, ensured that Bremen will be in Champions League qualifying next season, and it guarantees sixth-placed Stuttgart a berth in the Europa League.

The match was scoreless until the 58th minute when Bremen s Clemens Fritz slid in a pass for Claudio Pizarro to hammer past Frank Rost in the Hamburg goal.

But Hamburg weren t to be denied eight minutes from time when Ruud van Nistelrooy claimed a ball from Zé Roberto before slotting in the equalizer.

Hamburg finished seventh and out of the European places.

…

Introduction

Tshwane/Pretoria is the capital of South Africa and offers visitors a glimpse of their rich and colorful history as well as the modern city they have become. The beauty of the modern buildings dotting the countryside along with museums documenting the rich history of South Africa to the magnificent nature preserves have visitors from all over the world flocking to the area.

Tshwane/Pretoria may be African under it all but it also has a hint of European style as well as a touch of Oriental influence. Nonetheless, Tshwane/Pretoria is a diverse city offering diversity in cultures, structures, and cuisine.

The city is beauty with its tree-lined streets offering the beauty of the Jacaranda tree that bloom in October. With more than 70,000 of these magn…

The winner of the 2015 Ballon d Or will be announced on Monday, with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar vying for the award.

But who are the young players best placed to be in the running for the honour in years to come? Here we break down the likely future contenders for football s most prestigious individual prize.

Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City

The Belgium playmaker enjoyed a stellar 2015. After helping Wolfsburg secure Champions League qualification, De Bruyne joined Premier League side Manchester City in a club-record move and he has already gone some way to justifying his hefty price tag. With five goals and eight assists in the Premier League, De Bruyne is already an integral part of the City side and, if he can help them to the title a…

Competition: Premier League
Market: West Ham to finish top-10
Odds:

West Ham United have started the new Premier League season strongly, with the Londoners currently 8th in the table after four games. They have already beaten the likes of Arsenal (at the Emirates Stadium) and Liverpool (at Anfield), and have signed stellar talent in the summer transfer window. Confidence is high among the supporters as a result, and they’re hoping for just their second top-half finish in six years.

Under new manager Slaven Bilic, United have signed the likes of French playmaker Dimitri Payet and Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang, while securing Victor Moses (on loan from Chelsea) on deadline day. They have brought in a host of players to bolster the side ahead of the new ca…

For a player who built his reputation as a youthful Rolls-Royce of a centre-back, there has been a jarring element of slapstick around Manchester City s John Stones of late.

During the closing stages of an eventually comfortable 3-0 win over Aston Villa, the England international blocked a shot flush in the face and had to be groggily helped to his feet by City s medical staff.

It was a scene that suited a cracking black eye collected at the end of last week s win at Crystal Palace.

Similarly, Stones sporting the shiner when Pep Guardiola tore into him for not putting his shin pads on quickly enough to replace an injured Rodri during the midweek thrashing of Atalanta created something of a class-clown vibe.

The 25-year-old was back in City s starting lin…

James Milner poked fun at Mohamed Salah s triumph at the FIFA Best awards, with the Liverpool forward s sensational strike against Everton having won the prize for best goal.

Salah s curling effort from December 2017 beat competition from Cristiano Ronaldo s overhead kick against Juventus, and Gareth Bale s acrobatic stunner against Liverpool in the Champions League final to win the Puskas Award at Monday s ceremony in London.

The Egypt forward netted a remarkable 44 goals across all competitions in 2017-18, and Liverpool team-mate Milner was quick to point out that the strike in the Merseyside derby was perhaps not Salah s finest of the campaign.

Congrats Mohamed Salah on your seventh best goal from last season winning goal of the year #baller #topbin #oneof…