Bayern Munich promote 16-year-old Fruchtl to first team

Coach Graham Arnold believes Central Coast Mariners can bounce back from their A-League exit last Saturday by beating Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma on Wednesday night.

The Mariners will meet their AFC Champions League rivals at the Tancheon Sports Complex in Seongnam, and Arnold believes that despite the Korean s strong home record in Asia s premier club competition, his team is well positioned to win the crucial Group G clash.

Indeed, Seongnam have not lost at their 16,000 all-seater stadium in the AFC Champions League since 2004, when they were crushed 5-0 by Saudi side Al Ittihad in the second leg of that season s final.

And, Shin Tae-yong s charges can take pride in the fact they have triumphed in 10 of their last 12 home matches in the competition.

But Arno…

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez says he is excited by the prospect of being drawn alongside host nation Great Britain at the London Olympics.

Uruguay, whose senior team made the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010 one year before lifting their 15th Copa America with victory over Paraguay, will face the hosts, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates in Group A of the competition.

They will kick off their campaign with a game against the UAE at Old Trafford on June 26. Three days later Wembley will be the venue for Uruguay s meeting with Senegal, before they end the first round with a clash against Stuart Pearce s Team GB at Cardiff s Millennium Stadium.

Speaking on Wednesday, Tabarez expressed his joy at playing in England s most famous stadiums, and said his young sta…

Graham Potter sees Chelsea s 1-0 win over Leeds United as something to build on ahead of a massive Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Wesley Fofana s first Premier League goal eased the pressure on head coach Potter following a miserable run of one win in 11 matches.

Chelsea had suffered three consecutive defeats without scoring a goal before stopping the rot against relegation-threatened Leeds at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The Blues face Dortmund at home in the Champions League on Tuesday, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit in order to reach the quarter-finals.

Potter hopes a much-needed win over lowly Leeds will just be the start.

He told BBC Sport: I m delighted for the players and supporters. We ve had to suffer. It s been a chall…

Antonio Conte believes that winning the double this season would prove that Juventus Serie A triumph last season was no coincidence.

The club were crowned Italian champions without losing a match in 2011-12, but the 43-year-old is determined to show that his side are creating a lasting legacy.

Winning the Scudetto can be a one-off, but doing the double means that we are building something truly important here, he told reporters.

The Champions League is also a wonderful dream that we should keep chasing. However, we must also know how to be patient and focus on our project of growth.

Juventus host Sampdoria on Sunday as they return to domestic action, and the former Siena boss urged his side to remain alert and prepare for the game properly.

T…

Jose Mourinho told his Tottenham side to get angry after being left disappointed by the reaction in the dressing room to Wednesday s defeat at Manchester United.

The Portuguese s first return to Old Trafford as a coach since being sacked by the Red Devils a year ago ended in disappointment as Marcus Rashford s double either side of Dele Alli s equaliser condemned him to a first defeat since taking the reins at Tottenham.

After the game, Mourinho described the atmosphere among the Spurs squad as sad , and he wants to see a different response from the team when they suffer setbacks.

I saw a sad dressing room, a sad bus and a sad plane, and that s not what I like after a defeat, he said on Friday.

I think after a defeat you can t be sad. You have to be mor…

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is not afraid to lose striker Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona at the end of the season.

The 28-year-old s future at the Wanda Metropolitano has been the subject of much speculation over the past 12 months.

Griezmann rejected a move to Barca ahead of 2018-19, but rumours recently emerged suggesting he could be on his way out of the Spanish capital, despite having four seasons to run on the contract extension signed last year.

But Simeone has calmed fears that the Frenchman, who has scored 15 LaLiga goals this term, is angling for a move away.

Un lugar donde empezo todo

— Antoine Griezmann (@AntoGriezmann)

Since the subject of Griezmann going to Barcelona started to pop up in the media, I always said t…

Genoa have completed the loan signing of Spartak Moscow midfielder Tino Costa with a view to a permanent move.

The 29-year-old Argentine is reportedly set to spend 18 months at Stadio Luigi Ferraris and Genoa have the option of signing him on a permanent basis.

Costa joined Spartak from Valencia in June 2013 and has scored three goals in 35 appearances for the Russian club.

The former Montpellier man will now get his first experience of Italian football for a Genoa side who occupy sixth place in Serie A.

A statement on Genoa s official website said: Genoa announces that it has acquired from FC Spartak Moscow on a temporary basis with an option to acquire all, the right to benefits of the midfielder Tino Costa.

Costa could make his debut in…

Former-Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe looks set to move to Sunderland from Toronto FC

According to , former-England striker Jermain Defoe has passed a medical ahead of a move back to the Premier League with Sunderland.

The 32-year-old is currently contracted to MLS franchise Toronto FC, who could be signing USA international striker Jozy Altidore in a straight deal.

Complicated

The deal could be a complicated one though, as MLS has an allocation system, which means USA Internationals must be offered to the top teams in allocation order and Toronto are currently sixth on the allocation list.

However, there was an exception in 2013 when USA international Clint Dempsey joined Seattle Sounders, despite the Sounders not being top of the allocation or…

UEFA has hit Fenerbahce with a partial stadium closure after fans chanted the name of Russian president Vladimir Putin during a Champions League qualifier against Ukraine s Dynamo Kyiv.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February and the war has caused thousands of deaths while millions have been displaced.

The chanting started after Oleksandr Karavayev scored what ended up being the winner for the Ukrainian side in the tie s second leg in Istanbul as they ran out 2-1 victors on aggregate.

It led to Dynamo boss Mircea Lucescu boycotting the post-match news conference, and UEFA has now sanctioned the Turkish club for the behaviour of their fans.

The club have been fined €50,000, while a partial closure of at least 5,000 seats has been ordered for Fenerbahce s …

Los Angeles FC coach Steve Cherundolo said there can be no more hiding for Gareth Bale after the former Real Madrid star proved his quality against Real Salt Lake.

Bale scored his second MLS goal since moving to LAFC when he made it 4-1 in Utah late on during Saturday s match.

The 33-year-old, who had replaced Carlos Vela in the 64th minute, surged from inside his own half before skipping down the right flank, taking on a batch of defenders and drilling home to cap a fifth straight MLS win over RSL for LAFC.

All four of Bale s MLS appearances so far have come from the bench, with the Wales forward playing just 96 minutes in total, but Cherundolo hinted that now has to change.

It s a great moment for Gareth, and for the team, he s a well-liked guy in the…