Dortmund complete Kagawa signing

Jurgen Klopp claims Premier League fixture chiefs are committing a crime against football by pressing teams back into action within 48 hours of crunch Boxing Day games.

The run of games over Christmas and New Year is always hectic, and Liverpool s Premier League title rivals Leicester City have landed a tricky double-header, starting with Thursday s home clash with Klopp s Reds.

After that 20:00 local time kick-off, Leicester are thrust back into action at West Ham at 17:30 on Saturday.

Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton are among the clubs who must play twice in the three days after Christmas, while Wolves and Manchester City have a similarly demanding run, but with games on Friday and Sunday.

City travel to face Wolves on Friday before a Sunday h…

Competition: Premier League
Market: Liverpool to win against West Brom
Odds:

Liverpool host West Bromwich Albion at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and are expected to pick up all three points to potentially go top of the table this weekend.

The Merseysiders have been in fine form in recent weeks, and should have no trouble on home soil against an Albion outfit who have struggled for wins of late.

Hosts Liverpool are currently fourth in the Premier League table with 17 points from eight games, having won four of their last five, while picking up seven points from a possible nine at Anfield. Liverpool have beaten 2015 champions Chelsea and 2016 champions Leicester City recently, and will be full of confidence to beat Albion.

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Six-time Ballon d Or winner Lionel Messi is a free agent after his time with Barcelona officially ended.

The Argentina international has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi is yet to declare his intentions and unlikely to confirm his next move until later this week at the earliest.

Man Utd enter Lionel Messi race and consider sensational late offer to pip

— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport)

TOP STORY MAN UTD CONSIDERS LAST-MINUTE MESSI MOVE

Manchester United have entered the race for free agent Messi and are considering a late offer to pip PSG, claims the Daily Star.

Messi s exit from Barcelona was confirmed over the weekend, although the 34-year-old refused to declare his next destination amid st…

Cagliari star Radja Nainggolan has admitted he has been informed of Napoli’s interest in his services.

The Serie A high-flyers attempted to sign the highly rated midfielder on transfer deadline day, but the two clubs were unable to reach an agreement over the transfer fee.

Napoli are likely to return for Nainggolan at the end of the season, and the player has hinted he would be interested in a switch to San Paolo.

“Napoli? My agent informed me of their interest, but I have heard nothing after that,” the Belgian in Il Corriere dello Sport.

“Would I like (to join them)? Napoli are a team that are doing well, but this year I am only thinking about survival with Caglari, that is my goal.”

Nainggolan, 24, joined Cagliari from Piacenza in Ja…

Bayern Munich clinched UEFA Super Cup victory over Chelsea on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Eden Arena in Prague on Friday.

The Premier League outfit took the lead early in the first half when Fernando Torres brilliantly finished off a flowing move, but they were pegged back shortly after the break by a long-distance Franck Ribery strike.

Prior to the game going to extra time, Jose Mourinho s men lost Ramires to a second bookable offence, but they were back in front when Eden Hazard s effort deceived Manuel Neuer to restore their advantage.

However, a tap-in from substitute Javi Martinez at the death sent the game to penalties, where Neuer s save from Romelu Lukaku s weak effort handed Bayern the trophy.

With doubts over the fitness of Martinez and …

Gervinho will play no part in Ivory Coast s Africa Cup of Nations defence after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

A veteran of 79 caps, with 22 goals to his name, Gervinho captained his country in their recent World Cup qualifying win over Mali, but he will not form part of Michel Dussuyer s squad in Gabon.

The Elephants were victorious in Equatorial Guinea in 2015, beating Ghana in an epic penalty shootout, in which Gervinho gained notoriety for refusing to watch the spot-kicks.

Nevertheless, the former Arsenal and Roma man was named in the team of the tournament after scoring in the quarter-finals and semi-final win over DR Congo.

The Hebei China Fortune star is likely to be sidelined for the next six months.

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Thiago Alcantara has put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions have announced.

Spain midfielder Thiago joined Bayern from Barcelona in 2013, but has endured a tough time with injuries since moving to Germany, making just 41 first-team appearances over his two seasons with the club.

However, Bayern say the 24-year-old who has featured as a substitute in their first two Bundesliga games of the campaign  is now fully fit and have rewarded him with a new deal that runs until 2019.

Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: We are happy that Thiago chose to stay long term at Bayern.

He is young and an important player for the future of the club.

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Chelsea have cancelled a news conference with new head coach Graham Potter following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Potter had been due to face the media for the first time as Blues boss at 13:30 BST, at Chelsea s Cobham training ground.

That was announced before the Queen s death on Thursday, and Chelsea moved to cancel the planned session on Friday morning.

The decision was taken amid uncertainty over whether the weekend s English football programme would go ahead as planned, and it was announced at 11:30 BST that Premier League games would be postponed.

Chelsea Football Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We join those mourning in the UK and across the world.

We would like to send our condolences…

Best Odds: 3/5

Bookmaker:

Looking to widen their buffer at the top of the La Liga table on Monday night, Atletico Madrid will welcome Celta Vigo to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid

Starting with the hosts, after watching their crosstown rivals pick up a dramatic 2-1 win against Huesca over the weekend, Atletico Madrid are looking to reclaim their 10 point buffer at the top of the La Liga table. Continuing on what looks like it could be a famous campaign for Los Colchoneros, Diego Simeone s men find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Building on the slip-ups around them, the runaway leaders were last seen laying down another marker away at Cadiz when drawing a close to January. Eventually leaving the European outsiders with a 4-2 win to show for t…

Aston Villa boss Carla Ward admitted a “horrible mistake” to field ineligible player Noelle Maritz which could knock them out of the League Cup.

Defender Maritz was brought off the bench at half-time in Villa’s 7-0 rout over Sunderland on Wednesday with the score at 3-0 when she stepped onto the pitch.

Maritz joined Villa from Arsenal in January but had previously made three appearances for the Gunners earlier in the competition.

The Football Association has referred the matter to an independent tribunal for “an alleged breach of Cup Rule 8.19”.

Statement from the FA.

— Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial)

Villa’s comfortable victory meant they finished at the top of Group A and sealed their place in the quarter-finals, ahead…