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Two sides who find themselves scrapping it out at opposite ends of the Serie A standings, Palmeiras will welcome Atletico GO to the Allianz Parque late on Thursday night.

Palmeiras

Starting with the hosts, making real history last season as they defended their domestic crown, Palmeiras are once again firing on all cylinders. Last seen putting in another dominant display as they secured a 2-0 victory at home against Bahia, the Brazilian icons will now have their sights firmly set on reclaiming their spot at the top of the Serie A standings here. Opening the midweek fixtures sat just one-point adrift of climbing to the top of the pile, Abel Ferreira’s men will certainly be smelling a golden opportunity here. Opening July with another 2…

Manchester City defender Sergio Gomez has completed a move to Real Sociedad in a deal reportedly worth €10million (£8.4m).

Gomez ends a two-year stay at the Etihad Stadium having made 38 appearances for Pep Guardiola s side, winning five major honours that included their maiden triumph in the Champions League and two Premier League titles.

The 23-year-old struggled to cement a place in the Citizens first-team having arrived from Anderlecht in 2022 in a deal worth £18million.

Gomez made just 18 appearances in the Premier League, with Guardiola preferring summer arrival Josko Gvardiol in the left-back position.

Teníamos ganas de subir estas fotos.

¡Qué bien te queda la Txuri Urdin, !

— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad)

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Everton fans have hit out at the Premier League over what they see as “inconsistency” in the sanctions issued for breaches of the league’s financial rules.

The club were docked two points by an independent commission on Monday for an overspend under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) in the period ending with the 2022-23 season.

Everton will appeal against the sanction, having already had a 10-point penalty imposed last November for a PSR breach covering the period up to the 2021-22 season cut to six on appeal.

Nottingham Forest were given a four-point sanction for breaching PSR last month which is also the subject of an appeal.

Club Statement.

— Everton (@Everton)

A statement from the Everton Fan Advisor…

Brazil great Pele sent congratulations to Argentina after their breathtaking World Cup final victory, describing Lionel Messi s success as the moment his trajectory deserved .

Pele, confined to hospital recently, has been attentive to events at Qatar 2022 and said Argentina s trophy win would have delighted the late Diego Maradona.

The big moment for 35-year-old Messi means he finally has a World Cup victory to his name, matching compatriot Maradona who was the driving force behind Argentina s Mexico 86 triumph. Maradona died in November 2020 at the age of 60.

Congratulations Argentina! Certainly Diego is smiling now, Pele wrote on Instagram.

There was sympathy from 82-year-old Pele for Kylian Mbappe, who finished on the losing side despite scoring two p…

Euro 2016 president Jacques Lambert and France sports minister Thierry Braillard have ruled out the possibility of playing games in empty stadiums due to terror threats.

France has been on high alert since a series of co-ordinated terror attacks in November, in which the capital s landmark stadium the Stade de France was targeted during a friendly match between the hosts and Germany.

The European Championships will be played throughout France between June 10 and July 10 with 10 stadiums across the country set to host 24 teams.

Tournament director Martin Kallen was quoted by Germany s Sport Bild as saying organisers and French security services had discussed a number of options in terms of dealing with terror threats and that included the change of venues on short…

An ideal blend of youth and experience led by one of the top coaches in the game, backed up by memories of thrashing Brazil 7-1 en route to winning the 2014 World Cup you could be forgiven for thinking that Germany will add Euro 2016 to their collection as they begin to dominate world football. 

However, with just three months to go until the tournament in France kicks off, Joachim Low s side are plagued by problems as question marks surface over their title credentials.

Although they qualified for the Euros as Group D winners, Germany were by no means impressive.

There was a 2-0 defeat versus Poland just months after they were crowned world champions and they took just one point from the Republic of Ireland, who also beat them 1-0 in Dublin, leaving the three-t…

Manchester United will look to push on from their midweek Champions League great escape when they face Watford in the Premier League this week, amid a hot top-four battle.

Tottenham will be aiming to mount yet another bounce-back in form after backing up their stunning win over Manchester City with a draining loss against relegation-threatened Burnley.

The Citizens will meanwhile hope to put a little more daylight between themselves and Liverpool against Everton, with the Reds on EFL Cup final duty instead against Chelsea.

Why the focus on these three games? Well, they all feature prominently in our weekly Opta-powered quiz. The answers are at the bottom of the page – no peeking, now!

95 Harry Kane’s winner for Tottenham, timed at 94:25, was the late…

New United States women s head coach Emma Hayes is hopeful of creating a new history with the national side, starting at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The USWNT come into the competition on the back of their earliest exit from a World Cup, losing to Sweden on penalties in the last 16 last year.

The United States arrive in Paris aiming to claim a fifth gold medal in the tournament, last triumphing in the competition at London 2012.

This team is past that. I think this team is firmly focused on, you know, creating a new history together, said head coach Hayes, reflecting on the 2023 World Cup.

Our motivation isn t always about righting the wrongs. Far from it. We re excited. We re prepared.

On our Tuesday training grind

— U.S. Women s…

Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings is facing a long spell on the sidelines as he is set to undergo an operation on a “significant knee injury”.

Mings was carried off on a stretcher in some distress in the first half of Villa’s season-opening 5-1 defeat at Newcastle after a seemingly innocuous tangle of legs with striker Alexander Isak.

Villa have not put a timescale on Mings’ recovery but expect a “lengthy rehabilitation”, with his setback coming days after the club lost Emiliano Buendia to a knee ligament injury for up to eight months.

Aston Villa can confirm that Tyrone Mings has sustained a significant knee injury.

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)

The club said in a statement on Monday: “Aston Villa can confirm that Tyr…

Midfielder Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona this summer, ending an 18-year association with the club.

The 34-year-old, who joined the Catalans’ youth team in 2005, made his first-team debut in 2008 but has decided to move on after turning down the offer of a new contract on reduced terms.

“The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barca,” he said in a farewell video released by Barcelona.

“It has been a unforgettable journey. I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium and reality has exceeded all my dreams.

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