Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard cannot wait to pit his wits against UEFA Champions League holders Real Madrid.

Gerrard s side return to Europe s elite club competition following a five-year absence this season, and Thursday s draw in Monaco paired them with Real.

Basel and Ludogorets complete Group B, but it is the prospect of facing a stellar Real team who defeated rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2013-14 final that has captured Gerrard s imagination.

Former England skipper Gerrard has fond memories of Champions League meetings with Real, with the 34-year-old having scored twice in a 4-0 rout of the Spanish giants at Anfield at the last-16 stage of the 2008-09 competition.

And while a repeat of that scoreline appears unlikely, Gerrard who lifted the Champi…

Lionel Messi will not return to Paris Saint-Germain until early January, but Kylian Mbappe is set for an immediate return to Ligue 1 action against Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Head coach Christophe Galtier revealed Messi will miss the Strasbourg game, and Sunday s trip to Lens, after being given dispensation to stay in Argentina for an extended post-World Cup break.

Messi headed home after Argentina s Qatar 2022 triumph, to be feted for his leading role in the team s triumph after their dramatic win on penalties against France in the December 18 final.

Mbappe, who hit a hat-trick for France in that game but still finished as a runner-up, has returned to full training with the capital club and looks set to line up at the Parc des Princes against Strasbourg, with Braz…

Gareth Southgate has encouraged his England players to alleviate pressure on themselves by making sensible decisions off the field.

Southgate was confirmed as national team manager on a permanent basis this week, penning a four year contract with the Football Association.

His spell as interim boss took in seven points from a possible nine in World Cup qualifying and a friendly draw against Spain at Wembley, although credit for the team s performances in the latter game and a win over Scotland was tempered by concerns regarding off-field behaviour.

Captain Wayne Rooney was pictured alongside team-mate Phil Jagielka attending a wedding party at England s team hotel the night after beating Scotland 3-0.

The Manchester United star allegedly remained at the pa…

Stoke City have announced winger Matthew Etherington will be released after five-and-a-half years at the Britannia Stadium.

Etherington arrived from West Ham in 2009 and has gone on to make 177 appearances in all competitions for Stoke, including the 2011 FA Cup final and the subsequent UEFA Europa League campaign.

The 32-year-old only made 11 appearances under Mark Hughes this season, with only five of those starts, but is now a free agent after his contract was not renewed.

Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen may extend his stay at the Premier League club after he was offered a new one-year contract.

The Dane, understudy to Asmir Begovic, has yet to agree to the deal that would extend his association with Stoke into a seventh year.

Hughes has already begun his rec…

Barcelona may have suffered a humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Roma, but Ernesto Valverde s men have written their names into the European history books nonetheless.

Saturday s 2-1 win against Valencia at Camp Nou means Barca have gone 39 games unbeaten in LaLiga, breaking the Spanish top-flight record in the process, with Valverde yet to taste defeat in the league since taking over as head coach.

Barcelona are in similarly elite company as a result of their new landmark, joining the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Bayern Munich in holding a European league record.

Here, we take a look at the longest unbeaten runs in each of the continents top five divisions: the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and Serie A.

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Match-winner Ander Herrera heralded Manchester United s 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham, stating that Jose Mourinho s side are becoming reaccustomed to competing for honours.

Herrera struck with just under half an hour remaining to complete the turnaround after Alexis Sanchez had cancelled out Dele Alli s opener.

And after going two seasons without a major trophy following Alex Ferguson s departure in 2013, United remain on course for their fourth honour in three years.

I am really happy, of course, for the goal, for the victory, Herrera told the BBC.

We are in another final. We are getting used to being in the final, which is very good because this club is about titles and playing finals. We are very happy.

[This was] against Tott…

Porto dethroned Benfica as Primeira Liga champions after the latter played out a goalless draw with fellow Portuguese title rivals Sporting CP.

Benfica had won four successive league crowns but their dominance came to an end following Saturday s stalemate against Sporting as Porto were crowned champions without kicking a ball.

The draw in Lisbon – where Benfica hit the woodwork twice in the first half – left both teams four points adrift of Porto, due to play Feirense on Sunday, with one round remaining.

It capped a successful first season in charge for Porto head coach Sergio Conceicao, who delivered the Primeira Liga crown back to Estadio do Dragao for the first time since 2012-13.

— FC Porto (@FCPorto)

Meanwhile in Russia, Lok…

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure is desperate to land the FA Cup as he nears the end of what could be his seventh and final season with the club.

Toure scored the winner when City last landed the trophy in 2011, defeating Stoke City in the final.

Pep Guardiola s men face Arsenal in a semi-final tie at Wembley on April 23 and Toure, who is out of contract at the end of the season and waiting for a decision on his future, is prioritising the competition.

I want to win trophies, he told the club s website. I hope we can lift something for us and the fans this year.

All this year, we have been fighting for something. I hope this year we can make it again. 

The FA Cup is a big target for us this year and we are looking forward to it.

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Zack Steffen will deliver on what Pep Guardiola expects from a goalkeeper when he joins Manchester City, according to United States coach Gregg Berhalter.

Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steffen was signed by City for a reported £7million and will link up with his new team-mates in Manchester on July 9, when the MLS transfer window opens.

Guardiola deemed Joe Hart s ability with his feet insufficient upon his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2016 and moved him on, settling on Ederson as his number one after Claudio Bravo endured a shaky debut season at the Etihad Stadium.

Berhalter coached Steffen at the Crew and thinks the experience he earned playing out from the back in Columbus will prove key for the 23-year-old, who was named US Soccer s Male Player of the Year on…

Ledley King has stuck up for Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, in the wake of criticism from fans who want to see more activity in the summer transfer window. King has commented on the fact that quality reigns supreme over quantity, stating that Pochettino will only be looking to bring in impact players who can make a real difference to the starting line-up.

Tottenham have been on the verge of a title challenge for years now, with many pundits believing that their current crop of stars are more than capable of mounting a serious run at becoming champions just so long as they can remain consistent, which is often incredibly hard to do in the Premier League.

King, 37, spent his entire career with Spurs, during which time he suffered from a series of chronic k…