Pep Guardiola sees no reason why Raheem Sterling cannot break through the 30-goal barrier for Manchester City this season.

England winger Sterling has started the new campaign in sparkling form, opening the scoring against Liverpool in the Community Shield before netting a hat-trick in last weekend s 5-0 demolition of West Ham.

The 24-year-old hit 17 Premier League goals last season and 25 in all competitions as City won an unprecedented domestic treble.

Sterling s West Ham treble brought up 50 top-flight goals in City colours, 38 of which have come since the start of the 2017-18 campaign.

Guardiola has no desire to set targets for his forward line but has no doubt the ex-Liverpool man s numbers can improve further.

Yeah, hopefully. It will be go…

Carlo Ancelotti brushed aside criticism of Real Madrid s unattractive style, saying winning was more important than playing well.

Madrid are unbeaten with five victories across seven games in all competitions this season (two draws), and they got off to a winning start in their Champions League defence on Tuesday, beating Stuttgart 3-1.

In LaLiga, they have won their last two games 2-0 against Real Betis and Real Sociedad, but have still come under fire for their performances.

Ancelotti, however, defended his team s style ahead of their clash at home to mid-table Espanyol.

Real Madrid fans prefer winning over playing well, he said.

Ideally you want both, winning while playing an attractive style of football, but our main objective is pleasing ou…

Cristiano Ronaldo was destined to be at the centre of transfer speculation after Juventus were bundled out of the Champions League, according to head coach Andrea Pirlo.

The 36-year-old forward has been linked with a return to Real Madrid at the end of the season, three years after he moved to Italy.

Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League by Porto on Tuesday, with Ronaldo facing criticism from figures including Fabio Capello after the second leg.

He notably turned his back on Sergio Oliveira s free-kick that found the back of the net in extra time, which triggered much of the negative judgement.

Ronaldo also failed to score in either game against the Portuguese giants, in a tie that Juventus lost on away goals.

He s fine, it s norma…

Valencia are interested in signing Manchester United attacking midfielder Juan Mata in the summer of 2021, according to . It has been reported that Mata is out of contract at United at the end of the season, and no new deal is in place.

The former Chelsea star is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2021 and Spanish club Valencia reportedly want to snap up him. The 32-year-old was on the books of Los Che from 2007 until 2011 before making the move to Chelsea.

Mata won the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup with Chelsea and was one of the best players during his time at Stamford Bridge. The Spain international switched to United in 2014 and has won the FA Cup and the Europa League with the Red Devils. According to , the 32-year-old has made four st…

According to , Real Madrid central defender Raphael Varane is seriously considering leaving the club at the end of the season. It has been reported that the France international is out of contract at the Spanish and European giants in the summer of 2022 and has yet to sign a new deal.

Varane has been on the books of Madrid since 2011 when he joined from French club Lens. The 27-year-old has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world and has been a huge success at the Santiago Bernabeu. The centre-back has won the La Liga thrice and the Champions League on four occasions with Madrid.

The 27-year-old would not be short of suitors if he makes a final decision to leave Madrid in the summer of 2021. However, the defending Spanish champions are unlikely …

Tottenham Hotspur have completed and confirmed the signing of James Maddison from Leicester City.

The 26-year-old attacking midfielder was linked with Newcastle as well, but Spurs obviously acted more decisively and have managed to win that race despite not having Champions League football to offer next season.

The deal is believed to be worth £40 million.

Maddison played in 30 Premier League matches for Leicester in 2022/23, scoring 10 goals and producing nine assists. Arguably the Foxes best player of the campaign, he still wasn t able to help his team avoid relegation in the end.

Having risen through the youth ranks at Coventry, Maddison also played for Norwich and spent six month on loan with Aberdeen, before joining Leicester in 2018.

Welco…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Robert Sanchez from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that Sanchez is one of the goalkeepers that Tottenham are looking at potentially replacing France international Hugo Lloris with.

Lloris has been on the books of Tottenham since 2012 and has been superb for the North London club over the years. The 35-year-old France international goalkeeper has helped Spurs challenge for the Premier League title, reach the final of the UEFA Champions League, and end up in the top four of the league table during his time at the club.

The former Lyon star’s contract at Tottenham runs until 2024, but it is unlikely that he will be the first-choice goalkeeper at the No…

Mikel Arteta labelled his Arsenal side as unbelievable after the Gunners left it late to snatch all three points against Leicester City at the Emirates.

A dominant first-half display was rewarded with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, only for the visitors to turn the encounter on its head after the break.

James Justin s deflected header halved the deficit after the break, before the Foxes full-back struck a stunning volley that crashed in off the post.

But Arteta s side eventually prevailed in second-half stoppage time, with Wilfried Ndidi s own-goal and Kai Havertz s fortuitous effort sealing a memorable victory.

Despite squandering their early advantage, the Gunners head coach showered praise on his players as preparations now tur…

Real Madrid will make a late call on whether Kylian Mbappe is ready to return to the side for their Champions League clash at Lille, so says Carlo Ancelotti.

Mbappe sustained a muscle injury during Madrid s 3-2 win over Deportivo Alaves in September.

He was subsequently forced to sit out Sunday s derby against Atletico Madrid, which finished 1-1, and was expected to miss around three weeks.

However, the 25-year-old has recovered sufficiently to travel to northern France for Wednesday s Champions League tie.

Mbappe has recovered very well, very quickly, Ancelotti said.

He trained yesterday, and today, he will do the full training session with us. Then we ll make the decision together because the last thing we want to do is take risks.

Mb…

Mauricio Pochettino warned his Chelsea players they will come unstuck in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Middlesbrough if they begin the game as they did Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with Preston.

The Sky Bet Championship side did a comfortable job of containing the Blues during the first half at Stamford Bridge, with the hosts displaying little attacking threat against a team currently 14th in the second tier, before clicking into gear after the break to claim a 4-0 win.

Three goals in 11 second-half minutes from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling ultimately broke the resolve of Ryan Lowe’s side, before Enzo Fernandez added a fourth in the final moments.

Into the fourth round in some style! |

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)