Franck Kessie open to Barcelona exit?

With the final round of European qualifiers getting underway on Thursday, we have another string of intriguing affairs from across the continent.

So, for those of you looking to stick on a midweek flutter, we have found a pair of fixtures that are worth keeping an eye out for.

18:00 Slavia Prague vs Zorya

While Slavia Prague might have been disappointed after only settling for a silver medal finish among Czech Republic’s elite last season, Thursday’s hosts have enjoyed a hugely impressive flurry since opening the 2023/24 campaign. Extending on their Europa League qualifying adventure earlier in the month as they landed a 3-1 aggregate victory against Dnipro-1, Jindřich Trpisovsky s side will now have their sights set on claiming another Ukrainian scalp.

Remi Garde has revealed Gerard Houllier advised him to take up the vacant coach s position at Aston Villa.

Houllier spent less than a year at Villa Park between 2010 and 2011 before stepping down due to illness.

Garde previously worked as the 68-year-old s assistant at Lyon, and disclosed the close relationship between the pair facilitated his decision to join Villa as Tim Sherwood s replacement.

Gerard told me a lot of good, positive things, he told AVTV.

He encouraged me to take the job. We had a long chat together.

Actually I visited him when he was manager of Aston Villa. So I was not totally lost when I came here to [training ground] Bodymoor Heath.

We liked each other very much. I don t know why sometimes you can t explain why.…

that Liverpool are not giving up on signing Real Madrid star Xabi Alonso.

The Spain international left the Reds to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, and the Anfield outfit quickly lived to regret the sale.

The club have been struggling to return to old glory days ever since, but they have never given up hope of luring Alonso back to Anfield.

Liverpool have been showing signs of promise this season and with captain Steven Gerrard set to sign a new deal, the Reds hope Alonso might be interested in a return.

The 31-year-old has a contract until June 2014 at Santiago Bernabeu and he has been unable to reach an agreement with club chiefs over a contract extension.

Liverpool are closely monitoring the situation and they are ready to pounce shoul…

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone said not even the rumoured transfer of star Antoine Griezmann will distract him from the upcoming Europa League final.

Griezmann continues to be linked with LaLiga champions Barcelona – talk of a switch to the Spanish giants intensifying in recent weeks.

Atletico have been infuriated by Barcelona s attitude amid the speculation following comments made by Luis Suarez – who suggested the Frenchman s transfer to Camp Nou next season was a formality – and board members.

But Simeone refused to weigh into the reports ahead of Saturday s trip to Getafe and the Europa League decider against Marseille on May 16.

My sight is limited, like a blinkered horse right now, I only look at Getafe and the final, Simeone told r…

Borussia Dortmund full-back Lukasz Piszczek is keen to keep the club on course to complete a full set of European trophies in the second leg of their Europa League clash against Porto.

Poland full-back Piszczek opened the scoring after only six minutes when the sides met at Signal Iduna Park last week, with Marco Reus sealing a 2-0 triumph after the break.

Should Thomas Tuchel s men go all the way and claim the Europa League title, they would become the fifth club in history to lift all three major season-long European competitions, having won the 1996-97 Champions League and the now defunct Cup Winners Cup in 1965-66.

We know there is a trophy to win at the end and we want to get it in our hands, Piszczek told Sport 1.

It s only half-time [in the ti…

Granit Xhaka has reached an agreement with Hertha Berlin and informed Arsenal he wants to join the Bundesliga club, according to the player s agent.

Xhaka s future at Emirates Stadium has been in doubt since the midfielder reacted angrily to being replaced during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in October.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach star cupped his ears to the home fans, who mockingly cheered his substitution during the Premier League fixture, then removed his shirt before walking straight down the tunnel.

After being stripped of the captaincy by former boss Unai Emery, a January exit appeared likely. Yet new head coach Mikel Arteta has made clear of his admiration for the Switzerland international, revealing how he had suggested that Manchester …

Kylian Mbappe has revealed he spent the World Cup encouraging N Golo Kante to join him at Paris Saint-Germain and recommended the Chelsea midfielder to Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Mbappe and Kante were key figures in France s success at the World Cup in Russia, the pair featuring in every match as Didier Deschamps men lifted the trophy.

Reports suggest PSG are now attempting to reunite them at the Parc des Princes by prising Kante away from Stamford Bridge, where he is set to enter his third season.

The midfielder left Caen for the Premier League in 2015, but a return to Ligue 1 could be on the cards if Mbappe and his club s owner have their way.

It s true that [Al-Khelaifi] has consulted me, Mbappe told France Football. And I told him again that Kante would be…

Erling Haaland needed just seven minutes to score on his return from injury, bringing up his 50th Bundesliga goal and reaching the landmark in record time.

Borussia Dortmund fought back from conceding an early goal to beat Wolfsburg 3-1 on Saturday, with star striker Haaland netting their third shortly after coming on from the bench.

The win took Marco Rose s team, temporarily at least, ahead of Bayern Munich and into top spot.

Haaland had been out of action since playing in Dortmund s 4-0 defeat to Ajax in the Champions League on October 19.

Though only passed fit for the bench, he wasted no time in netting his 13th goal of the season in just his 11th appearance, with the Norway forward stretching to cushion in Julian Brandt s cross on the volley.

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Ousmane Dembele has been called up to the France squad for the first time since November 2018 for their World Cup qualifiers later this month. 

The Barcelona forward has scored eight goals in 34 appearances across all competitions this season, and has done enough to convince Didier Deschamps he deserves another chance at international level. 

The 23-year-old s last appearance for Les Bleus came as a substitute in a 2-0 Nations League defeat to Netherlands more than two years ago. 

He is joined in the squad for the games against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina by Tottenham s Tanguy Ndombele and Atletico Madrid s Thomas Lemar.

Les 26 Bleus retenus pour débuter les Qualifications pour la Coupe du Monde 2022 !  

— Equipe de France �…

Harry Kane appeared weighed down by the presence of his Tottenham team-mate Hugo Lloris as his late penalty miss saw England exit the World Cup against France, says Alan Shearer.

Kane equalled Wayne Rooney s record of 53 England goals from the spot nine minutes into the second half at Al Bayt Stadium, but he blazed a second penalty over the crossbar 30 minutes later as France held on for a 2-1 quarter-final win.

Shearer believes the sight of Kane s club team-mate between the sticks impacted his ill-fated second kick, which he says will hurt the Three Lions captain for the rest of his life .

Having taken one already, the difference was the difference itself. It becomes a mind game, not only with the goalkeeper but with yourself, Shearer wrote in a column for the…