Borussia Dortmund hero Lars Ricken believes the team have learned their lesson from last season s failure in the Champions League.

Fresh from their Bundesliga triumph in 2010/11, Juergen Klopp s side struggled on the European stage, finishing fourth in their group.

However, going into their clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday, they already have four points to their name, and the 36-year-old feels they have turned the corner.

The team learned a lot about playing in Europe last season, he told Goal.com.

Most recently, they showed against Manchester City that they are capable of doing remarkable things. I think Wednesday is a good day to deliver something extraordinary.

Ricken was part of the team for the 1997/98 semi-final against Real Madrid…

Italy coach Marcello Lippi insists he won t be ringing the changes despite the world champions crashing out of the Confederations Cup.

The Italians had a tournament to forget, beating the United States 3-1 but then being shocked by Egypt 1-0 before Brazil hammered the final nail in the coffin with a comprehensive 3-0 thrashing on Sunday.

With the United States beating Egypt 3-0, Italy missed out on making the semi-finals on goal difference and head home as underachievers, unable to lay down a marker ahead of their World Cup title defence back here next year.

Lippi has been criticised at home for persisting with his old men rather than handing a chance to the plethora of young talent he has on hand, but he defended his tactics.

You speak so much about y…

Christophe Galtier would still prefer to add a defender to his Paris Saint-Germain squad before the transfer window closes despite seeing his side cruise to victory over Toulouse.

The Ligue 1 champions had slipped up with a 1-1 draw at home to Monaco on Sunday but were utterly dominant in a 3-0 away win on Wednesday.

Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Juan Bernat found the net in a game that saw PSG attempt 20 shots, with 13 of those hitting the target.

The margin of victory would have been much greater if not for a magnificent performance from Toulouse goalkeeper Maxime Dupe, who produced nine saves.

Toulouse had 14 shots of their own in an open game, with seven hitting the target, leading to questions about the PSG defence even after their emphatic display of su…

Steve McClaren insisted Saturday that his travails as coach of England was a big failure, given his team s failure to reach the Euro 2008 finals, but ultimately made him stronger.

McClaren got the bullet after England were denied their place after losing at home to Croatia and now the former Middlesbrough manager is enjoying the experience of handling Dutch side FC Twente.

But he told the BBC s Football Focus he had not forgotten for one moment his time as national coach.

I don t think a day goes by that some aspect of the experience with England doesn t come flashing back to mind and teaching me a lesson, making me move on.

It was a huge disappointment. I felt, as one would, I d let down the nation because we didn t qualify.

However people sa…

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Bakary Sako on a free transfer,.

The twenty-seven year old left Molineux last month after almost three years, during which time he racked up one hundred and twenty-four appearances in all competitions, scoring thirty eight goals while he was part of the squad that won the League One title in 2013/14.

Prior to his move to England, Sako spent three years playing for Saint Etienne in Ligue One having started his professional career with Chateauroux in France’s second tier.

Internationally, he has been capped fourteen times for Mali, and has scored six goals.
West Bromwich Albion were also interested in securing Sako’s services, while Nottingham Forest and Fulham have previou…

Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne backed Manchester City team-mate and England attacker Raheem Sterling to light up the World Cup .

De Bruyne and Sterling are set to do battle in Group G, with Belgium and England meeting June 28.

The duo starred to lead City to a record-breaking title success in the Premier League in 2017-18.

And De Bruyne believes his club team-mate, who scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists in the Premier League last season, is ready to dominate for England in Russia.

He s a special player. This season he was playing at such a high level and he s only going to get better, he told The Mirror.

He s a winner – any criticism he has faced in the last few weeks I know he will just ignore. At Manchester City he s so focused on success…

Paul Hart has been relieved of his duties as first-team manager of Portsmouth, a statement issued by the English Premier League basement club said on Tuesday.

Portsmouth have won just twice in the league this season and are three points adrift at the bottom of the table and have the daunting task of hosting champions Manchester United on Saturday.

Hart, previously best known for his work with young players, including at Portsmouth, was offered the role of technical director, developing players from the age of 18-21, but the club said he had declined the post.

Portsmouth said they planned to announce a replacement very quickly but, until that time first-team coaches Paul Groves and Ian Woan would be in charge.

The south coast club have been beset by off-f…

Ligue 1 side Marseille is not for sale, said a statement by the owner s family, after club owner Robert Louis-Dreyfus passed away, following a long battle with leukemia.

Robert Louis-Dreyfus died on Saturday July 4, 2009, after a long illness, read a statement released by the family s spokesman Vincent Labrune.

Concerning Olympique de Marseille, a club that meant so much to Robert Louis-Dreyfus, his family will continue his work at the club.

In keeping with his wishes and actions since taking over the club in 1996, the family looks forward to writing new glorious pages into the history of the club with the current board.

Robert Louis-Dreyfus is survived by his wife, Margarita, and three children.

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According to , Liverpool are in talks with Roma over a big-money deal to sign Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Sky Italy claims that the Reds have offered a fee of 70million euros for the highly-rated goalkeeper, but the Giallorossi want closer to 75million euros. It seems a deal is not far off, as all parties seem keen to get the deal done as quickly as possible.

A solid goalkeeper the missing link for Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has done some impressive work in the transfer market. The German strengthened his once weak defence with the signings of Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, not to mention the signing of Mohamed Salah last summer.

However, the former Dortmund boss seems to have a blind spot when it comes to goalkeepers. Klopp brought in compat…

Didier Drogba played the starring role as holders Chelsea eased into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Championship side Cardiff on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti s side showed they could cope without the leadership of captain John Terry, who had been time off to fly to Dubai to solve his marital issues after reports of an affair with the ex-girlfriend of England team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Ivory Coast international Drogba gave them the perfect start with a second minute goal and, although Michael Chopra forced an equaliser before half-time, the Blues ran out convincing winners thanks to strikes from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and substitute Salomon Kalou.

Terry had used his programme notes to thank supporters for their backing during the storm over hi…