Week 17 NFL Teaser: Falcon 1

Carlo Ancelotti admitted his Real Madrid side were not 100 per cent motivated as they fell to a 3-2 LaLiga defeat to Villarreal.

Samuel Chukwueze s inspired performance led the Yellow Submarine to a memorable win at the Santiago Bernabeu, marking the first time they have secured a LaLiga double against Los Blancos.

While Villarreal had everything to play for as they continue their charge to achieve a top-four finish and Champions League football, Madrid s attention is focused on other competitions.

Ancelotti s side swept Barcelona aside on Wednesday to secure a spot in the Copa del Rey final, while a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea lies ahead.

Sitting 12 points behind leaders Barca, Ancelotti admitted it is difficult for his team to be moti…

Newly-crowned Serie A champions are said to have rejected a lucrative bid for defender Mattia Caldara.

The Italian media report that French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain have lodged a bid in excess of €40 million offer for the 24-year-old defender who joined Bianconeri in January 2017 but ended up spending the last 18 months on loan at Atalanta.

The former Italy Under-21 international is expected to re-join Juventus this summer as Serie A champions think of him as a huge part of their future project.

The Italian press claim Juventus board will block any further advances for the defender who is expected to be given a pivotal role at the back, replacing the ageing Juventus duo – Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.

Caldara made 23 Serie A appearan…

Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool s 13-point lead atop the Premier League was not relevant after their thrashing of Leicester City.

The league leaders produced a fine display at King Power Stadium on Boxing Day, recording a 4-0 win over second-placed Leicester.

Roberto Firmino scored a brace, James Milner netted a penalty and Trent Alexander-Arnold struck late as Liverpool moved 13 points clear while holding a game in hand.

However, Klopp said the size of his side s lead at the top was irrelevant.

You only think what changes in the question is the number is different: it was 10, 11, now it s 13, the Liverpool manager told a news conference.

We actually don t feel it, we don t think about it, not at all. We didn t mention it once before the game be…

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri thinks Denis Zakaria s exit to Chelsea was the best move for club and player, saying his Bianconeri squad is complete even after some deadline-day departures.

The Switzerland international was one of a handful of last-gasp exits from Turin, alongside fellow midfielders Arthur and Nicolo Rovella, who moved on to Liverpool and Monza respectively.

Allegri was only able to add one more player, in a loan deal for Paris Saint-Germain man Leandro Paredes, but nevertheless, he remains happy with the composition of his squad.

[It] is difficult to say [if I am satisfied with the market], he added. The club has worked very well with both incoming and outgoing moves. We held onto the young people who were the goal of the club.

…

AC Milan have secured the services of Poland Under-21 international Bartosz Salamon from Brescia for an undisclosed fee.

The towering defender signed a contract until 2017 at San Siro on Thursday as Massimiliano Allegri continued strengthening his squad.

AC Milan were in the market for defensive reinforcements following the departure of Francesco Acerbi, and they see Salamon as a valuable long-term addition to their squad.

Salamon, 21, joined Brescia from Lech Poznan at the age of 16, and had developed into an important first-team member at the Serie B outfit after a loan spell at Foggia in 2010/11.

The youngster had also caught the attention of several other Serie A sides, but has decided to continue his career at AC Milan.

Meanwhile, AC Milan h…

Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini s agent says he has fielded enquiries about the availability of his client from Chelsea.

Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini s agent says he has fielded enquiries about the availability of his client from Chelsea.

The Premier League club are looking to find a successor to interim manager Rafael Benitez and long-term replacement for Roberto Di Matteo.

Pellegrini has built his reputation in Europe over the last nine years at Villarreal, Real Madrid and since 2010 with Malaga, who have been forced to sell their main stars to help repay their debts, but are excelling so far in the Champions League in their debut season.

Manuel has a contract with Malaga. I think that in April and May we will be clear about what will happen with hi…

Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew can t shake his side s relegation form.

Unrest is growing with Crystal Palace following their second notable slump in form of the season already, coupled with the ignominious tag of being named the worst team in England in 2016.

The Eagles are coming off the back of four consecutive Premier League defeats and a five-game winless run, but have considerably underperformed this year with just five wins in the last 11 months.

Currently a point above the drop zone, are Crystal Palace in danger of relegation as things stand?

Alan Pardew’s attacking style costing Palace cheap goals

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has stuck with his attacking philosophy upon his arrival at Selhurst Park and the side are greatly suffer…

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner on a two-year deal, owner Fawaz Al Hasawi has confirmed.

Bendtner spent nine years at Arsenal between 2005 and 2014, but struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular and was shipped out on loan to Birmingham City, Sunderland and Juventus during that time.

The Denmark striker moved to the Bundesliga to join Wolfsburg ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, but managed just three goals in 31 league appearances and left at the end of last term.

Bendtner has now returned to England with Championship club Forest in a bid to get his career back on track, with Al Hasawi announcing the deal on his official Twitter account.

Please welcome Nicklas Bendtner who has joined #NFF…

Market: Arsenal win

Odds: 13/10 @

Looking to pile even more pressure onto Wolves on Tuesday evening, Arsenal will make the trip to an empty Molineux in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, while Wolves might have managed to snatch a scrappy point away at Chelsea last week, the Oranges slumped back to losing ways over the weekend. Eventually getting hit with a 1-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace, it appears that the pressure is starting to mount on Nuno Espírito Santo s shoulders. Still slumping it out in the bottom-half of the table and still struggling to fill the void left by attacking talisman Raul Jiminez, the Midlands outfit are in the midst of a remarkable eight-match Premier League winless run, a run that stems back to the middle of December. Also suffering …

Best odds: 6/4

Bookmaker:

Hertha will be welcoming Bayern Munich to the Olympic Stadium in the German capital on Friday evening, for a match belonging to 20th round of the Bundesliga season. An important match for both teams, but for very different reasons.

Hertha Berlin

It hasn t been a very good season for Hertha. Having finished comfortably in the middle of the Bundesliga table last term, they are now closer to the relegation zone than they would want to be. They are in 15th place with 17 points, the same as Arminia Bielefeld in 16th which leads to the relegation play-offs at the end of the campaign. Only Mainz 05 (17th, 10 points) and Schlake 04 (18th, eight) are below these two teams. FC Koln are in 14th with 18, and then come three teams with 22 Augsburg,…