Jermain Defoe s sensational volley secured a fifth straight Tyne-Wear derby win and Dick Advocaat s first success as Sunderland head coach with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Sunday.

Advocaat s first home fixture as boss at the Stadium of Light saw an encouraging, determined display that was lit up by Defoe s wonderstrike shortly before half-time.

The former Tottenham forward s brilliant goal from the edge of the area was enough for Sunderland to complete the double over their arch-rivals for the second season running, and also moved them three points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with seven games left to play.

Defoe was close to tears after sending the Sunderland faithful into raptures, and the hosts  lead was never really threatened b…

Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau is in awe of Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Paris Saint-Germain star put two goals past him on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic struck twice in PSG s 2-1 win away to the 2010/11 Ligue 1 champions, leading Landreau to compare the Sweden international favourably to his predecessors at the capital city club.

He almost mocks you. In the first match against Pauleta, I conceded three. In the first game against Lisandro, I conceded three as well. Here, Ibrahimovic scored two in 21 minutes, he said.

Ibra is of the same calibre and perhaps even a little better.

Landreau said no matter how well-prepared he thinks he is, the 30-year-old striker always comes out on top.

In one-on-one situations, I felt ready and in place to stop him, b…

Liverpool midfielder Stewart Downing has insisted the club will not underestimate Young Boys ahead of their Europa League encounter.

The Swiss side enjoyed a 3-2 win over Harry Redknapp s Tottenham before succumbing to a 4-0 reverse in the return leg – in the Champions League play-off round in 2010, and the Reds winger has tipped his squad s younger players to prevent the Reds falling similarly foul on Thursday night.

We saw them at the start of the season before last against Spurs and it will be a similar sort of team; they re very good at home and I m sure they will be straight out of the blocks against us, he told the club s official website.

We ll be ready for that and that s why it will be a big test for the young lads and why they will have to be right…

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen faces a race against time to play any part in the Champions League quarter-final against Milan after suffering an injury.

Osimhen played both games in the international break for Nigeria but has returned to the Italian club with a left thigh problem.

The club announced on their website he will be assessed next week, with president Aurelio De Laurentiis hopeful the star striker will soon be back in action.

De Laurentiis said, according to Tuttomercato: He should be out a couple of weeks, we hope.

Napoli host Milan in Serie A on Sunday before travelling to face Lecce on the following Friday, with Osimhen likely to miss both fixtures.

The Champions League quarter-final first leg in Milan comes on April 12, with the retu…

Mohamed Salah has a year to prove himself worthy of the new bumper deal handed to him by Liverpool, believes former Netherlands international Nigel de Jong.

The Egypt international put an end to long-running speculation about his future in July by signing a fresh three-year contract to take him through to 2025 at Anfield.

With Sadio Mane having departed for Bayern Munich, the move represented a major part of Liverpool s off-season transfer business to keep one of the key figures of the Jurgen Klopp era on Merseyside.

But a slow start to the season for Liverpool has seen Salah among others come in for criticism, with the forwatd s second goal of the new Premier League campaign on Monday against Manchester United not enough to stave off a 2-1 defeat for the Reds.<…

Verdict: Home win

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Sixth-placed Villarreal play host to Celta Vigo this weekend in an effort to extend their European bid against a side that still harbours top-six ambition itself. Battling Celta are bound to be a huge test for the Yellow Submarine who are going through an inconsistent stretch at the moment.

Villarreal

The Yellow Submarine have enjoyed mixed fortunes thus far in the season. A strong side with a competitive squad did well to mount a top-six challenge but will need to find a way to be more consistent in the closing stage of the season.

Villarreal have alternated between wins and defeats over the last six La Liga matches and have yet to record consecutive victories at the Estadio de la Ceramica since the end …

AC Milan have vowed to use their Europa League ban as a stimulus to achieve greater Financial Fair Play (FFP) accountability.

On Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ratified an agreement reached between Milan and UEFA relating to the club s previous breaches of FFP regulations.

The deal prohibits the Serie A side from competing in European competitions next season in exchange for further time to balance the books and the avoidance of a potentially longer suspension.

Milan issued a statement distancing themselves from the substantial accumulated losses incurred by former owner Li Yonghong while promising improved financial compliance under Elliott Management Corporation, an American hedge fund which took control in July 2018.

It read: Whilst sadden…

Antonio Conte has stressed Chelsea must improve after their 3-0 defeat the hands of Arsenal or risk ending up in mid-table once more.

Chelsea had to settle for 10th place in the Premier League in 2015-16 after a hugely underwhelming season and brought in Conte in order to guide them back to the Champions League places.

Nevertheless, the former Italy boss has admitted they still have plenty of work to do.

We must improve a lot of if we want to stay up [at the top] and not in the middle of the table, said the Italian.

But my message is not important. The most important message is the one that arrives on the pitch. We must all understand this message, and find very soon the right solution to improve.

I don t sleep [after a loss like against Arsen…

Competition: World Cup Qualifier
Market: NI to score 4+ goals
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Northern Ireland welcome minnows San Marino to Windsor Park in Saturday’s World Cup Qualifier, in a game that is a must-win for the hosts given the contrasting results between the two sides. Northern Ireland are expecting a comfortable win and should play out a goal-laden affair given San Marino’s poor defensive record.

Hosts Northern Ireland drew their opening game in Group C to the Czech Republic, and are coming off the back of a positive Euro 2016 campaign. Beating Ukraine and losing only narrowly to World champions Germany sees Northern Ireland as a tough side to break down, and with San Marino having lost on a regular basis, there’s only one winner at Windsor Park.

Visito…

Sergio Busquets will miss Barcelona s UEFA Champions League meeting with Ajax on Tuesday with a bruised hip.

The club announced the news via their official Twitter account, with the Spain international ruled out of the Group F encounter at Camp Nou.

Sergio Busquets has a contusion on the left hip and will be left out from the party today as a precaution, the tweet read.

Barca will be keen to bounce back after their 3-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last time out, although they can take solace from their recent home record in this competition.

The Catalan giants have lost just one of their previous 29 Champions League matches at Camp Nou a 3-0 reverse at the hands of Bayern Munich in the semi-final second leg in 2012-13.

They will hope Busquets ma…