Dominic Calvert-Lewin s slim hopes of making England s World Cup squad may be at an end after he went down injured for Everton on Saturday.

Calvert-Lewin went to Euro 2020 as Harry Kane s back-up, having scored a career-high 16 Premier League goals in the prior season.

But the Everton forward appeared for a mere combined 17 minutes across two substitute appearances at the finals and has scarcely been fit since.

Calvert-Lewin was restricted to 15 league starts last season, scoring five goals, while Saturday s match against Leicester City saw him included in the XI for only the fourth time this term.

A sole goal against Crystal Palace meant Calvert-Lewin always faced an uphill struggle to reclaim his place in the England set-up.

His last internation…

Bastian Schweinsteiger has announced his retirement from football following Chicago Fire s failure to reach the MLS playoffs.

The 35-year-old stated via Twitter that the time has now come to conclude his playing career at the end of the 2019 season.

In a message to fans, he said: I would like to thank both you and my teams FC Bayern, Manchester United, Chicago Fire and the German national team. You made this unbelievable time possible for me!

And of course, I would also like to thank my wife Ana Ivanovic and my family for their support.

Saying goodbye as an active player makes me feel a little nostalgic, but I am also looking forward to the exciting challenges that await me soon.

I will remain faithful to football. Many, many thanks for the ti…

Thibaut Courtois had a red card overturned after VAR controversy reared its head towards the end of the first half of Real Madrid s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Madrid goalkeeper was given his marching orders for wiping out Maura Icardi as he raced through on goal, with referee Artur Manuel Soares Dias awarding a free-kick despite the incident appearing to take place in the penalty area.

It seemed VAR was checking to see if a penalty should have been awarded but the review then went back even further in the move to check for a shove on Marcelo by Idrissa Gueye.

Eventually it was deemed that incident was a foul, leading to Courtois red being chalked off and Madrid protecting a 1-0 lead they had gained through Karim Benzema.

Half-t…

Market: Over 1.5 goals

Odds: 4/11 @

Looking to extend on their remarkable purple patch this weekend, a high-flying Fortaleza will travel to Bragantino on Saturday night.

Starting with the hosts, while Bragantino might have opened up the 2024 campaign with their sights set on mounting a genuine top-four charge, Pedro Caixinha’s men have drastically struggled to find any kind of stability. Hit with a 2-1 defeat at home against domestic rivals Corinthians earlier in the week while in Copa Sudamericana action, the Sao Paulo-based outfit have come under some increasing scrutiny. Crashing out of the Copa do Brasil on August 7th as they suffered a 5-2 aggregate loss at the hands of Athletic-PR, the former Rangers boss has seen his squad win just a pair of their previ…

Ashley Barnes stoppage-time penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw for Burnley as they halted Southampton’s charge away from the Premier League relegation scrap.

Having been denied what seemed to be a clear spot-kick midway through the first half at Turf Moor, Barnes made no mistake from 12 yards to secure a share of the spoils late on.

Nathan Redmond s strike 10 minutes into the second half had looked set to be enough for Southampton, but Burnley rallied – Barnes denied by Alex McCarthy and the crossbar before debutant Peter Crouch headed into Jack Stephens arm.

And with referee Anthony Taylor this time showing no hesitation in giving the decision Burnley s way, Barnes stepped up to ensure their unbeaten league start to 2019 continued.

Danny Ings should have pu…

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been charged with perjury relating to the tax fraud trial of former Dinamo Zagreb director Zdravko Mamic in Croatia.

Modric is alleged to have given a false testimony in June 2017 when authorities were investigating his 2008 transfer from Dinamo to Tottenham.

Mamic and three others are accused of corruption, having allegedly taken a cut from player sales, ultimately costing Dinamo and the state.

A crucial part of Modric s situation relates to when he signed an annex to his Dinamo contract, which detailed the terms of the deal and a 50-50 split of any transfer fee he would later generate.

According to prosecutors, Modric revealed to authorities in 2015 that the annex had been signed after his move to Tottenham.

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Undoubtedly, Ajax have been the most surprising team in the UEFA Champions League during the current 2018-19 season. The Dutch giants have been turning head all over Europe with their play and despite having a relatively inexperienced, young squad, they’re 90 minutes away from securing a place in the tournament’s semifinals.

Of course, reaching that goal won’t be easy since the current Eredivisie leaders will play against Juventus. Following the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, everything will be decided at the Juventus Stadium… a venue where The Old Lady hasn’t lost in quite a while. In fact, the Italian giants have lost only three of 37 European fixtures at their current home since its 2011 opening (W22, D12, L3).

From Ajax’s perspectiv…

Tuesday s Champions League action sees a number of European giants looking to book their spots in the last 16.

Manchester United host Benfica at Old Trafford, while Paris Saint-Germain s formidable attack including the in-from Edinson Cavani  takes on Anderlecht.

Chelsea face a difficult clash against Roma in Italy, with Barcelona and Juventus facing away ties against Olympiacos and Sporting CP respectively.

Here, we look at the Opta numbers behind Tuesday s matches.

Basel v CSKA Moscow

31 CSKA Moscow are currently enduring a 31-game streak without keeping a Champions League clean sheet, last managing it in the 2011-12 campaign.

3 Basel’s three Champions League games against Russian sides have all ended in victories; 2-…

Kingsley Coman delivered the most painful demonstration of what Paris Saint-Germain let go when they allowed him to leave for Juventus with his winning goal for Bayern Munich in August s Champions League final.

Just under two months on from Bayern s 1-0 victory over PSG in the Lisbon showpiece, he reiterated his point as Hansi Flick s men started their defence of the European title by brushing past Atletico Madrid.

The decision to sell Coman back in 2014 has long since stood as one of the most questionable decisions made by PSG during the Qatar Sports Investments era.

His time with Juve may have been brief but his subsequent progression at Bayern has left PSG s move to cut ties looking increasingly ill-advised.

The folly of PSG allowing a homegrown player…

Will a Juventus-Paul Pogba reunion become a reality?

The future of Manchester United star continues to dominate headlines.

A move back to Turin could be on the cards for Pogba.

TOP STORY – JUVE TO MAKE POGBA OFFER

Serie A champions Juventus will try to prise Paul Pogba from Manchester United at the end of the season, according to the Calciomercato.

Pogba appears set to leave United following the 2020-21 campaign after his agent Mino Raiola claimed the French midfielder was unhappy in Manchester.

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked but Juve, who signed Pogba from United in 2012 before losing him to the Red Devils four years later, want to bring the World Cup winner back to Turin.

ROUND-UP <…