Rodri declared his love for Manchester City and claimed his new side have changed the story of football in England to become a more attractive proposition for players compared to rival teams.

City announced the club-record signing of Rodri on a five-year deal on Thursday after triggering the reported €70million (£63m) release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.

He also attracted rumoured interest from Manchester United, while Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have been linked with a move in recent days, but the Spain international said joining Pep Guardiola s side was an easy choice to make.

Asked why City are considered a bigger attraction than rivals United, Rodri told reporters: Maybe they have changed the story. I think City this last five or six year…

Vladimir Petkovic wants Switzerland to prove they can match tournament favourites France in their final Euro 2016 Group A game on Sunday.

A win over Albania and a 1-1 draw with Romania have put the Swiss in second spot ahead of their meeting with the host nation in Lille, and a victory would see them pip Didier Deschamps side to top spot.

France, meanwhile, have already sealed their place in the last 16 with two wins from two and need only avoid defeat to safeguard first place.

Les Bleus captain Hugo Lloris has called for his side to justify their place as favourites by beating Switzerland just as they did at the World Cup two years ago but Petkovic has challenged his own players to show they have the same level of quality as their opponents.

France ar…

The United States and Cuba will play their first international friendly since 1947, US Soccer announced on Thursday.

In an historic meeting, USA and Cuba will clash in Havana on October 7.

The friendly will be the second time USA will have visited Cuba in 69 years.

We are happy to have the chance to bring our team to Cuba, USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement, having guided the Americans to a fourth-place finish at the Copa America Centenario in June.

In addition to good competition, we are always looking for our group to have different experiences, and this is a unique opportunity.

On September 6, 2008, USA defeated Cuba 1-0 in the semi-final Round of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

…

Market: Montpellier double chance

Odds: 8/15 @

Hoping to secure back-to-back Ligue 1 victories and making another statement here, Montpellier will welcome Nice to the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday night.

Starting with the hosts, making a return to winning ways last week as they stormed their way to a routine 3-0 romp away at Nantes, Montpellier will be desperate to produce a repeat display here. While Michel Der Zakarian’s side might have eventually fallen to that remarkable 5-4 loss at the hands of Lyon on May 7th, La Paillade should still find the mood in their camp at a real high. Although the Occitanie-based outfit might know that they need a minor miracle in their bid to book a top-half Ligue 1 finish, Saturday’s hosts are signing off the 2022/23 campa…

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sven Bender has reiterated his hope that the club can tie down their key performers to new contracts, a week after he agreed fresh terms.

Bender extended his contract until 2021 last week but Dortmund are yet to secure the long-term futures of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Marcel Schmelzer.

The quartet all see their contracts expire next year, with Bender stating after signing his new deal that he would be glad if some of my other team-mates would follow in the coming weeks .

And speaking to Kicker on Monday, he added: We didn t really discuss [my statement] in the dressing room.

I just wanted to say that we are a totally committed bunch of guys, and it s a whole lot of fun. I hope that it was food for …

Robert Snodgrass completed an impressive seven days as his stunning last-gasp free-kick earned Hull City a 1-1 Premier League draw at Burnley.

The winger netted a hat-trick for Scotland against Malta last Sunday in a 5-1 World Cup qualifying rout, and he showed his set-piece prowess with the final kick of the game at Turf Moor.

Hull will feel the point is the least they deserve, having hit the woodwork twice while Adama Diomande missed a gilt-edged opportunity at 0-0.

But Mike Phelan s side found themselves behind in the 72nd minute when Steven Defour netted his first Burnley goal with a swerving 30-yard drive into the bottom-right corner.

Hull had already seen David Meyler strike the post and Diomande err from six yards, and Curtis Davies header again…

Prediction: Barcelona to win 3-0

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Real Mallorca and Barcelona will face each other in La Liga this weekend. The match will be held at Visit Mallorca Estadi and is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time on Saturday.

Real Mallorca

Real Mallorca were involved in a relegation battle in La Liga for much of last season, but things are looking better for them so far this campaign. Much much better. Mallorca finished 16h in the standings last season, but they are 10th in the La Liga table at the moment with eight points from six matches.

Javier Aguirre’s side are five points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao and four points above the bottom three. Mallorca will head into the match against former La Liga and UEFA Champions Leag…

Marc-Andre ter Stegen can emulate Victor Valdes distinguished career at Barcelona, says Gianluca Zambrotta.

Ter Stegen made the switch to Camp Nou in 2014, but largely played second fiddle to Claudio Bravo in LaLiga during his first two seasons at the club – although he was first choice in the Champions League.

Bravo s departure for Manchester City has seen Ter Stegen become the regular number one, though, and he has faced criticism for a series of high-profile errors during a season in which Barca have struggled to hit top form.

But Zambrotta, who spent two years at Barca between 2006 and 2008, says the Germany international has time to become as influential as Valdes, who won six LaLiga titles, two Copas del Rey and three Champions League medals before depar…

Robert Lewandowski s attitude towards his work at Bayern Munich gives the impression he is staying at the club, coach Julian Nagelsmann believes.

Lewandowski is the leading scorer among players in Europe s top five leagues for a third consecutive season, netting 47 goals in all competitions in 2021-22 after 48 in 2020-21 and 55 2019-20.

He is the only player in Europe to have scored at least 40 goals in each of the past seven seasons.

But the 33-year-old s contract has only a year to run, and he has been linked with a move away from Bayern – most prominently to Barcelona.

Bayern have insisted Lewandowski will not be sold, yet he will be able to leave on a free transfer in 2023 if a new contract is not agreed, denying the Bundesliga giants a huge fee.