Zico set to take over at CSKA Moscow

Brazilian manager Zico is about to add yet another adventure to his career, as he is ready to sign a deal with Russian giants CSKA Moscow.

Zico is to replace Valery Gazzaev, who recently resigned from his position.

The 55-year-old Brazilian has a rather exotic resume, having coached Japanese side Kashima Antlers before taking the reigns at the country s national team. In 2006, Zico moved to Fenerbahce and in September 2008 he tried his luck at Uzbek side Bunyodkor, whom he recently led to a domestic league title.

I expect to sign, Zico told Brazilian newspaper O Globo. But there are still a few small things that need to be solved.

CSKA have been going through one of their best spells in history. Under Gazzaev, the Muscovites won three national champion…

Brazil 3 Bolivia 0: Coutinho brace silences boos in Copa America opener

Philippe Coutinho scored a brace as Brazil opened the Copa America with a 3-0 win over Bolivia in Sao Paulo.

After an underwhelming first half at Estadio do Morumbi, Coutinho scored twice within eight minutes of the restart to put Brazil in control on Friday.

A VAR check and handball led Coutinho to the penalty spot and the Barcelona star made no mistake in the 50th minute before making it 2-0 three minutes later after capping a sweeping move.

Everton came off the bench and scored the goal of the night with a blistering effort from outside the area in the 84th minute as the Selecao – who have won the Copa on each of the previous four occasions they have hosted in 1919, 1922, 1949 and 1989 – made a winning start in Group A.

GOOOOOOOOOL DO BRASIL! Mais…

Chelsea must get ´right people around´ Lampard – Gullit

Frank Lampard s lack of managerial experience should not concern Chelsea but they must make sure they get the right people on his staff, according to Ruud Gullit.

The Blues are searching for a new boss after confirming Maurizio Sarri s departure on Sunday, with the Italian leaving Stamford Bridge to take over at Serie A champions Juventus.

Chelsea great Lampard is the favourite to take over despite his coaching CV including just a solitary season in charge of Derby County, who missed out on promotion after losing in the Championship play-off final to Aston Villa.

Yet Chelsea have taken the plunge with inexperienced appointments in the past. Gullit came in as player-coach in 1996, while Gianluca Vialli filled the same role after the Dutchman departed in Febru…

Stones glad he did not end up at Chelsea

Manchester City defender John Stones feels it was a blessing in disguise that he did not join Chelsea a year ago and instead plays for best manager in the world Pep Guardiola.

Chelsea, then managed by Jose Mourinho, made a strong push to sign the England international prior to the 2015-16 season, but did not produce a bid that tempted Everton to sell.

Instead, Stones remained at Goodison Park for that campaign before joining City this month for a reported fee that could eventually rise to £50million.

Stones, 22, has always been in a hurry to reach the top level and compete to win trophies, but feels his move to Chelsea not materialising should now be seen as a positive as it means he gets to work under Guardiola.

I suppose what happened turned out to…

Suarez: Iniesta a role model for every footballer

Denis Suarez has revealed his deep admiration for Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta after the 22-year-old secured a return to Camp Nou.

Barca exercised an option to bring the attacking midfielder back to Catalunya after he was sold to Villarreal last August following a loan spell with Sevilla.

Having declared the move a dream come true when the signing was announced, Suarez spoke at his official presentation on Wednesday of his excitement at playing with Iniesta.

He is a role model for everyone in football and I m so happy to be able to learn things from playing alongside him, he said, before reflecting on his time with Villarreal and Sevilla.

I grew as a footballer during those experiences. At Sevilla my fitness and tactical awareness improved and I…

Ajax v Paris Saint-Germain: Away form not a concern, says Van der Wiel

Gregory van der Wiel says Paris Saint-Germain s away form is not a concern ahead of the UEFA Champions League opener at Ajax on Wednesday.

The French champions have taken nine points from their opening five Ligue 1 fixtures, drawing all three of their away matches against Reims, Evian and Rennes.

However, Van der Wiel, who left Ajax for PSG in 2012 having played in Amsterdam since the age of eight, insists Laurent Blanc s men are confident in their abilities going into another European campaign.

Referring to Sunday s 1-1 draw in Rennes, the full-back told Le Parisien: It was not a good result and we are disappointed but not worried.

We know the quality of our team. Rennes defended well, but from our side, we should have been able to keep it at 1-0 and n…

We cannot entertain title challenge – Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers admits huge improvement is needed if Liverpool are to mount another tilt at the Premier League title.

Rodgers side were the top-flight s surprise package last season, rising from a seventh-placed finish in 2012-13 to run Manchester City agonisingly close in the battle for the title.

However, Liverpool shorn of last term s top scorer Luis Suarez, who moved to Barcelona in July have struggled at the beginning of this campaign, losing three of their first five Premier League games.

Their latest defeat came in a 3-1 reverse at West Ham on Saturday and Rodgers knows his team are performing well below the level required to compete at the very top of the division, suggesting that Liverpool s challenge last season came ahead of schedule.

However, …

Benitez hungry for success

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez says he did not expect to take charge of the Stamford Bridge club so soon after Roberto Di Matteo s sacking.

The former Liverpool boss will take charge of the Blues against Manchester City on Sunday after replacing the Italian coach, with his last role coming in 2010 with Italian side Inter.

But, despite being out of a coaching job for two years, the 52-year-old has revealed he has been preparing for a return to management, and is hungry to succeed again.

You are not expecting to be here, and that Chelsea would have to change the manager in that time, he told the club s official website.

When they decided to do it I talked with my agent, and I knew we had a chance, but everything has happened very quickly.

Benite…

Rodgers tips Aston Villa for success

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has backed Paul Lambert to bring sustained success to Aston Villa.

The end of the 2010-11 season saw Rodgers lead Swansea to promotion to the Premier League from the Championship along with the Scot at Norwich.

The Northern Irishman is expecting the latest in some terrific battles between them in recent years, and also hailed Villa s young players.

You re starting to see the fruits of his labour in the last few weeks. It s a very difficult job to go into, Rodgers told the club s official website.

He was at Norwich and we had some terrific battles over a couple of years, and we speak reasonably regularly. We shared the same upbringing coming through the Championship and then strides into the Premier League, where we bot…

Bitesize Prediction: Slaven Belupo vs Hajduk Split – 12/04/23

Market: Hajduk Split win

Odds: 1/1 @

Looking to punch this spot in the final of this season’s Croatian Cup, Hajduk Split will travel to Koprivnica on Wednesday afternoon when they meet Slaven Belupo.

Starting with the hosts, although Slaven Belupo might have eventually been forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home against Varazdin over the weekend, the Pharmacists are enjoying what has quickly become their brightest run since opening 2023. However, while Zoran Kekic’s side might be in the midst of a four-match unbeaten flurry, there is no doubt that the Blues will know they face a huge challenge on Wednesday afternoon. While the Koprivnica-based outfit might be enjoying a famous Croatian Cup adventure this season, Slaven are seeking some recent stability on h…