Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he wants to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek work at 150 per cent with the midfielder s long-term outlook at Stamford Bridge uncertain.

Loftus-Cheek has been linked with a move away from the Premier League club, with Lazio reportedly among those interested in landing his signature.

The England international, who has been with Chelsea since the age of eight, spent last season on loan at Fulham, making 32 appearances in all competitions.

Having replaced Frank Lampard in January, pre-season has provided the first opportunity for Tuchel to work with the 25-year-old, who has featured in friendlies so far against Bournemouth and Arsenal.

Although pleased with Loftus-Cheek’s current performance levels, the German hopes the player can d…

Everton boosted their hopes of a top-four finish and a place in next season s Champions League as Bernd Leno s own goal gave them a 1-0 win at Arsenal.

In a low-key Premier League encounter, the result was settled by a mistake from goalkeeper Leno when he allowed Richarlison s cross through his legs and diverted it into the net.

Arsenal had earlier seen a penalty chalked off after a VAR check for offside while Dani Ceballos brought a good save out of Jordan Pickford.

Everton s victory was their first in 25 league attempts (lost 20, drawn four) at Arsenal since a 2-1 win at the north London giants former home Highbury in January 1996.

2 Arsenal have scored an own goal in both league matches against Everton this season, the third time they have put the ball…

Lionel Messi will lead out Argentina in Saturday s Copa America final aware it could be the last opportunity he has to win silverware with La Albiceleste – and ending that hoodoo against Brazil would be the sweetest prize of all.

Messi holds the records for most caps and goals for Argentina, and his career at club level with Barcelona has ensured his legacy will be intrinsically linked to the sport for the rest of time.

But there remains a niggling frustration with respect to his time with Argentina, given he is yet to win a major international tournament with them. It is arguably the final piece of the puzzle and the one thing that separates him from the others in the greatest of all-time debate.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Diego Maradona – they all enjoyed suc…

Inter head coach Antonio Conte compared Romelu Lukaku to an NFL quarterback, while he also hailed two-goal hero Achraf Hakimi following Saturday s 3-1 win over Bologna.

Conte s Inter closed the gap on Serie A leaders and city rivals Milan to two points thanks to Lukaku and full-back Hakimi at San Siro.

Inter star Lukaku broke the deadlock in the 16th minute before Hakimi doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Emanuel Vignato s 67th-minute goal threatened to make things tense for Inter, but Hakimi s second wrapped up proceedings as the Nerazzurri took their tally to 26 goals in the first 10 Serie A games of the season for the first time since 2009-10.

 | THESE BOYS

A good night to be Nerazzurri. This one was for you, !

— In…

Spain boss Luis Enrique has described the abuse received by Alvaro Morata as a crime  and says it should be a matter for the police. 

Morata has been the focus of attention since being jeered by his own fans during a pre-Euro 2020 friendly with Portugal after missing several opportunities.

He was then criticised for his displays in Spain s 0-0 draw with Sweden in their Group E opener and 1-1 draw with Poland, a game in which he scored but missed more chances.

The Juventus striker, whose loan from Atletico Madrid was extended for another season last week, then missed a penalty in Wednesday s 5-0 win against Slovakia, which saw Spain progress from their group in second place.

Morata revealed in an interview that he has received vicious messages on social…

Rafael Benitez s dismal tenure as Everton manager was brought to an end on Sunday after a run of just two wins in 14 games across all competitions.

Former Liverpool boss Benitez was a divisive appointment at Everton when he was drafted in to replace Carlo Ancelotti in July after the Italian left for Real Madrid.

Everton started the season well, winning three of their first four league matches, yet injuries to key players and a dreadful loss of form has seen them slide down the table.

A win over Hull City in the FA Cup third round offered Benitez a reprieve, but defeat to lowly Norwich City on Saturday marked a new nadir, and Everton have decided to make a change.

Here, Stats Perform looks at the data behind Benitez s miserable spell at Goodison Park.…

Lionel Scaloni says Lionel Messi is determined to enjoy his last World Cup and will give everything to end Argentina s 36-years wait to lift the trophy.

Argentina were last crowned world champions when Diego Maradona inspired the 1986 triumph in Mexico, and have since lost in the 1990 and 2014 finals.

Scaloni said nobody could promise the team would enjoy success in Qatar, saying that football is sometimes unfair .

Yet he senses a pleasing eagerness to please from 35-year-old Messi, who lacks only a World Cup victory on his career record, having won a stack of trophies with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as seven Ballon d Or awards.

Argentina s Copa America success last year gave Messi a major international trophy, but the World Cup is the one…

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker:

Looking to reclaim their spot at the top of the La Liga table, Real Madrid will travel across the capital on Thursday night when they meet Getafe.

Getafe

Starting with the hosts, managing to make a crucial return to winning ways earlier in the week as they secured a 2-0 victory against Granada, Getafe will be desperate to use that performance as a platform to build on. However, although the Blues might have found a route into the top-half of the La Liga table, Jose Bordalas’ side are seeking some recent top-flight stability. Opening the New Year with a 2-0 defeat at home against Rayo Vallencao, the Azulones have won just a pair of their previous six appearances against La Liga opposition. Crashing out of the Copa del Rey on January…

Nestor Lorenzo is relishing Colombia s upcoming battle with Uruguay for a place in the Copa America final this Sunday.

Colombia extended their unbeaten run to 27 matches following a 5-0 thrashing of Panama in their quarter-final match up last time out.

But they are faced with a Uruguay side buoyed by their penalty shootout victory over Brazil in Las Vegas last weekend.

Colombia s last defeat was a 1-0 loss to Argentina, who they could meet in the tournament s showpiece, back in February 2022.

However, Lorenzo insisted that full focus was on the game at hand, saying that the record will be put to the back of his players mind when they walk out on to the pitch at the Bank of America Stadium.

I don t mention the unbeaten record, it s about taki…

Best odds: 1/2

Bookmaker:

Canada will face Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America third-place playoff at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina on Saturday night.

While the Reds experienced semi-final heartbreak against Argentina, La Celeste were defeated in their last-four match by Colombia.

Canada

Canada s aspirations of becoming only the second CONCACAF team, after Mexico, to reach the Copa America final were dashed at the semi-final stage on Tuesday with a 2-0 defeat to defending champions Argentina.

Following a penalty shootout win over Venezuela in the quarterfinals, the Reds faced a familiar fate against La Albiceleste, suffering a two-goal loss similar to their opening group-stage match against them three weeks prior. Goals from Julian Alva…