Mario Balotelli has gone through much more at his age of 27 than most professional footballers go through their entire careers.

Turbulent Ride

Once nothing more than a talented youngster who caught the eye of Serie A giants Inter Milan back in 2007 after only a couple of matches for one of Italy’s minnows A.C. Lumezzane, Mario Balotelli went on to become the joint top scorer at the 2012 European championship but also one of the worst signings in entire history of Premier League giants Liverpool in just two years’ time.

Less than 12 years into his professional career which started in the depths of Lombardy, in Serie C1, and after a rollercoaster ride across some of the world’s biggest clubs such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester City and Liverpool, Mario Balote…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Chelsea are in talks with Edouard Mendy’s representatives over a new contract.

The word being used is ‘improved’ to describe the offer they’re seeking but as it stands, there’s a notable gap between what the Blues are offering and what Mendy’s team want for him. He currently has three years left on his contract following on from his initial signing in 2020 and while he’s been an integral part of the first team up to this point, it’s also worth noting that the Blues haven’t been above digging their heels in with regards to this kind of situation in the past.

Mendy is easily one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and Chelsea are more than capable of making a push for the title in their own right th…

With the FA Cup taking center stage this weekend, we have another stacked schedule from across Europe. On that note, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Saturday February 5th

BST 14:30 Augsburg vs Union Berlin

Starting with Saturday s guests, while Union Berlin might have only just missed out on a top-six finish last season, the Reds have once again gained a host of plaudits from across Germany. In the midst of what could become a famous campaign in Köpenick, Urs Fischer s men were last seen heading into the brief winter break with an eye-catching 2-1 win away at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Marking their return to action sat fourth in the table and with a stunning …

Lionel Messi is set to make his first appearance in the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain after being included in the squad to face Club Brugge on Wednesday.

The Argentina superstar made a shock move to the Parc des Princes on a free transfer last month after Barcelona were unable to meet LaLiga s financial requirements to offer him a new contract.

So far, Messi has played only 24 minutes of football for PSG, that coming as a substitute in the 4-0 rout of Reims before the international break. 

It remains to be seen if Messi will start against Brugge but he is in the travelling party for the trip to Belgium.

Le groupe parisien pour !

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside)

Messi is one of the most decorated players in C…

England boss Sarina Wiegman names her squad for this summer’s World Cup on Wednesday with injuries having been the major talking point in the build-up to the announcement.

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has been ruled out of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand that gets under way on July 20 after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament last month.

Fellow Euro 2022 winner Fran Kirby will also be absent due to a knee problem and Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot and was named player of the tournament for that competition, is a serious doubt as she recovers from an ACL injury sustained in November.

Coming soon…

Sarina Wiegman will name her 2023 squad on Wednesday 31 May.

…

Market: Kazakhstan win

Odds: 5/4 @

Hoping to lay down another Nations League marker on Thursday afternoon, Kazakhstan will welcome Belarus to the Astana Arena.

Starting with the hosts, last seen back in June putting in another impressive display at the Astana Arena, Kazakhstan should find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Eventually picking up an eye-catching 2-1 victory at home against Slovakia, Magomed Adiyev s men should be smelling the chance to lay down another marker on Thursday afternoon. Marking their return to action sat in pole position to clinch a maiden League B adventure, the Hawks have also gained plenty of plaudits from across Europe. Mustering 10 points from their opening four appearances, the Yellows have also lost just one of their last…

It had long felt inevitable that Xavi would return to Barcelona at some stage and the time has finally come.

The former midfielder will take charge of his first match in Saturday s derby clash with Espanyol after replacing Ronald Koeman during the international break, having embraced both a financial and sporting crisis at Camp Nou that sees the team ninth in LaLiga and more than €1.2billion in debt.

Given his pedigree as a player for the club, where he won 25 major trophies, and the fact he delivered three cups and a Qatar Stars League title during his time in charge of Al Sadd, you would be forgiven for thinking Xavi could have chosen to bide his time and wait for a more opportune moment to take the job.

Yet here we are, with another of Europe s grandest side…

Anthony Gordon scored the only goal as relegation-threatened Everton dented Manchester United s Champions League qualifying hopes with a 1-0 win at Goodison Park.

The Toffees boosted their Premier League survival bid with Gordon s deflected first-half strike sealing consecutive home victories for the first time since September.

United remain three points off the top four, although the deficit could be extended to six should either Arsenal or Tottenham win later today.

Meanwhile, Everton move four points clear of the relegation zone after only a third success in 10 league games under Frank Lampard, who was under pressure following the 3-2 loss to fellow strugglers Burnley on Wednesday.

GORDDDOOONNNN!!!!

 1-0  

— Everton (@Everton)