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West Ham United would be “stupid” not to plug holes in their defence as they bid to start their season afresh following the departure of Slaven Bilic, new manager David Moyes has said. The Hammers, who fired the Croat and replaced him with Moyes last week, have conceded 23 goals in 11 games, giving them the worst defensive record in ...

Three US college basketball players detained in China for alleged shoplifting have been released. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) players had reportedly been caught shoplifting at a Louis Vuitton store in Shanghai last week. US President Donald Trump said he raised the issue with China’s leader Xi Jinping during his Asia trip. It remains unclear whether the charges ...

Striker Romelu Lukaku believes his recent goal drought at Manchester United is a result of the club not playing at the level they did at the start of the Premier League season. Lukaku has scored seven goals from 11 league games but has failed to find the net in the last four as United, who have lost two of their ...

Premier League strugglers Swansea City have been handed a boost with striker Wilfried Bony and on-loan midfielder Renato Sanches expected to be fit for Saturday’s game against Burnley, manager Paul Clement has said. Second bottom with eight points from 11 games, Swansea have scored only seven league goals all season and are in desperate need of some firepower up front. ...

Germany coach Joachim Loew has said he will experiment with his team when they take on England in a friendly on Friday, as the world champions prepare for their title defence next year. Loew, who led Germany to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, said he still wanted to see some players in the last two friendlies of the year ...

Libya will want to bag their second win in Group A when they visit Rades for their final 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier on Saturday at the Stade Olympique de Radès. Kick-off is at 7:30pm (CAT). The Mediterranean Knights are also seeking revenge after suffering a 1-0 loss at home in the opening leg of the qualifiers. Libya have not ...

Northern Ireland coach Michael O’Neill said he was “staggered and bewildered” by a controversial penalty decision which gave Switzerland a 1-0 win in their World Cup play-off first leg on Thursday. Vladimir Petkovic’s Switzerland team dominated the match at a rain-swept Belfast but squandered a succession of chances. The key moment came with just over half an hour to go, ...

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will face Guinea in the 2018 Fifa World Cup Qualification Caf group A match at the Stade des Martyrs on Saturday. Kick-off is at 7:30pm CAT. The Leopards kept their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive with a 2-1 away win over Libya in their previous group encounter last month. The victory saw ...

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has said he could leave the club when his contract ends in 2019 to play for his boyhood team Independiente in Argentina. The Argentina international arrived at City in 2011 from La Liga side Atletico Madrid, having started his professional career with the Buenos Aires-based club at the age of 15. During his six years ...

The last burst of qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup allows some nations a chance to dream, but for football aristocrats Italy, the next few days are a potential nightmare.The last nine places in Russia will be settled in seven frantic days starting on Thursday. There are four berths up for grabs in Europe, where the eight best runners-up ...