Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been rewriting the football history books for over a decade, and as the pair head into 2020, they are on the verge of racking up a stack of new milestones.

The iconic duo are hoping to propel their respective teams to Champions League glory this season while contesting for domestic honours in Italy and Spain, and there are new records to be set at club and international level for both players too.

Messi s Barcelona are top of LaLiga by two points and he has scored 11 goals in his last 10 games to step into the new year in optimistic mood, while Ronaldo is in a similar hot streak for Juventus after netting five in his last four Serie A outings.

At 32, Messi is two years Ronaldo s junior, but try telling the Juventus talisma…

AS Roma are interested in signing Houssem Aouar from Lyon in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that La Liga club Real Betis are keen on securing the services of the France international midfielder, but Serie A outfit Roma are pressing ahead with their interest.

Roma are ready to make an offer of €5 million to Lyon to sign Aouar in the middle of the season. The 24-year-old midfielder is out of contract at the Ligue 1 club in the summer of 2023. The Frenchman has been on the books of Lyon since 2009 and has established himself as an important player in the team.

AS Roma are sixth in the Serie A table at the moment with 30 points from 16 matches, three points behind fourth-placed Inter Milan. Meanwhile, Lyon currently find themselves eigh…

Carlo Ancelotti will not entertain links with a move to either Chelsea or Brazil while he is Real Madrid head coach out of respect to the LaLiga club.

The Italian has another year to run on his Madrid contract, but that has not stopped him being touted as a potential candidate to fill the vacancies at both the Blues and the Selecao in recent weeks.

Ancelotti, who previously spent two years with Chelsea and guided them to a Premier League and FA Cup double in the 2009-10 campaign, faces his old club in the Champions League this week.

But ahead of his quarter-final reunion, he has adamantly played down speculation of an exit from Santiago Bernabeu to take up the reins elsewhere.

There s a nice saying which is just right, he told Radio Rai 1. [It is] the wi…

Oscar Pareja believes it is important for Orlando City to rediscover their self-confidence ahead of Saturday s clash with in-form Los Angeles FC at Inter Co Stadium.

The international break means Orlando have been out of action since a 1-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls on June 2, their third straight game without a victory.

While they sit a lowly 11th in the Eastern Conference standings with 17 points, LAFC are second in the West with 30 points after winning five in a row in MLS play.

Asked about the value of having time off to reflect on their poor run, Pareja said: It s important, because with the work we do, the intensity of how we do things is important.

We are optimistic after having a refresh when we needed it.

On the challenge of facin…

Arne Slot aims to utilise the set-pieces that proved fruitful in his first Champions League game in charge of Liverpool when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield this weekend.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk netted headers from corner kicks in the Reds’ 3-1 win over Milan in midweek, bouncing back from their shock defeat to Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

Liverpool’s loss to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side marked the first of Slot’s era since taking over from Jurgen Klopp, but the Dutch head coach is confident that the Red’s new-found weapon can punish the Cherries and get their Premier League campaign back on track.

“I don t look at the other team, I always look at my own team,” Slot said.

“I think we were a bit disappointed with the resul…

France s progression to the Euro 2024 knockout stages was confirmed on Monday, without Didier Deschamps side kicking a ball.

Les Bleus sit second in Group B behind the Netherlands having scored a goal less with four points from their opening two matches, ahead of facing Poland in Dortmund on Tuesday.

However, the two-time European champions will approach the game safe in the knowledge they are assured of a place in the last 16.

With Hungary and Croatia finishing third in Group A and Group B with three and two points respectively, even a defeat against Poland would see France advance as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Deschamps side are the only European nation to qualify from the group stage of all seven major international tournaments (World Cup…

Zinedine Zidane has the chance to hit the ground running in 2019-2020 as Real Madrid have been handed a favourable set of fixtures to start the new campaign.

Madrid have finished third in back-to-back seasons and endured a calamitous campaign last time out that saw them sack two managers before reappointing Zidane in March the man who led them to three successive Champions League triumphs.

However, after spending big during the close season to bring in Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic, the 33-time champions of Spain are expected to put up more of a fight this time around as they aim to take back the title from Barcelona.

And Madrid s first four fixtures are against teams that finished last season in the bottom half of the division, giving Zidane a chance to build up …

Footballing superpowers Italy and Germany can seal their places at the 2010 World Cup on Saturday as qualifying for South Africa enters the home straight.

England, Spain and the Netherlands are the only European countries to have already secured their tickets for next year s finals leaving six automatic places still up for grabs.

A further four countries will gain qualification through the play-offs.

World Cup winners Italy travel to Dublin to play the Republic of Ireland requiring only a point to guarantee their presence in South Africa as winners of Group Eight.

Germany are in Moscow to take on Guus Hiddink s Russia where a win for Joachim Loew s side will see them safely through from Group Four.

Portugal, semi-finalists in 2006, have struggled…

Virgil van Dijk conceded he had to respect greatness after losing out on the 2019 Ballon d Or to Lionel Messi.

Barcelona and Argentina forward Messi won the prize for a record sixth time having scored 41 times in 44 club appearances for Barcelona, with whom he won a 10th LaLiga title last season.

Success in the Champions League eluded him, though, as Van Dijk helped Liverpool oust Barcelona in the semi-finals en route to a sixth triumph in Europe s most premier club competition.

Van Dijk s performances for the Reds in that competition and with Nations League finalists Netherlands ensured he finished second in the voting for the Ballon d Or, though he had no qualms about being pipped to the prize by Messi.

It was amazing, Van Dijk said of his 2019.

…

The Premier League kicked-off earlier today and there were some very interesting results. Newly promoted QPR suffered a nightmare start to their return to the top flight, as they lost 4-0 at home.

The Trotters took the lead just before half-time through a superb strike from defender Gary Cahill.

That lead was doubled as QPR defender Danny Gabbidon put the ball past his own keeper. And they were three up in the 70th minute as Ivan Klasnic’s deflected shot beat Paddy Kenny.

The home sides misery was completed in the 79th minute as midfielder Fabrice Muamba slotted home from a through ball from Ivan Klasnic.

Wolves enjoyed a good first day of the season with a 2-1 victory at Blackburn’s Ewood Park. Argentinian attacking midfielder Mauro Formica opened t…