Suarez confident Messi will return for Argentina

Kevin De Bruyne claims he will not return to his best form this season after struggling with a succession of injuries.

The Belgium midfielder was instrumental as Manchester City romped to the Premier League title last season.

The 27-year-old has battled ligament and thigh issues in 2018-19, causing him to miss large spells in the first half of the campaign, as well as much of the last month.

Despite those regular absences, City remain firmly in contention to retain their crown, and Pep Guardiola s side could yet claim an unprecedented quadruple. 

De Bruyne, though, has accepted his physical limitations and is seeking to contribute in any manner he can during the final weeks of the campaign.  

Referring to the 2-0 win over Cardiff on Wednesday…

A late strike saw Vitoria Guimaraes overcome Moreirense 2-1 on Friday and return to the top of the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Guimaraes conceded in just the third minute but a first-half penalty from Andre Andre dragged the hosts level at the break, while Jonathan Alvez would be the match-winner for Rui Vitoria s surprise title challengers, striking in the 82nd minute after coming off the bench.

Moreirense then had a goal ruled out for offside soon after and Guimaraes held on for victory, edging ahead of Benfica at the top of the standings.

Guimaraes moved to 26 points with their fifth consecutive victory in the league, one ahead of the reigning champions, who face Academica on Sunday.

It has been a stunning season so far for Guimaraes, who have never won …

Asier Illarramendi is confident Real Sociedad have what it takes to spring a surprise in Saturday s La Liga match against Barcelona at Anoeta.

The Basque side were beaten 4-0 at Camp Nou earlier this season, but they have a good record versus the Catalans on home soil.

Sociedad have won four and drawn two of Barca s last six visits to Anoeta in all competitions, and Eusebio s men will be full of confidence after surprising Sevilla 2-1 last week.

Markel Bergara s opener and an own goal from Grzegorz Krychowiak earned the points, ending Sevilla s incredible 17-match winning run in all competitions at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, although Bergara was then sent off midway through the second half and is suspended for Saturday s clash.

I think we re going…

Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has set his sights on qualifying from Group D and reaching the knockout stages of Euro 2016 – before facing Spain in his team s third game.

Positive results against Turkey on Sunday and the Czech Republic could render Croatia s clash with the defending champions irrelevant to their hopes of escaping the group, and Modric is confident of their chances.

Having played his club football in Spain for the last four years, Modric is well aware of the threat posed by Vicente del Bosque s team.

The Real Madrid star told Marca: I think the group is really difficult. Firstly we play Turkey, then Czech Republic and finally Spain.

I think the first match will be key. If we manage to win, our path to the knockout stage will be easier.…

Diego Simeone was pleased for Villarreal s match-winner Luciano Vietto, despite seeing the attacker s goal sink his Atletico Madrid side.

Simeone handed Vietto his senior debut when the pair were at Argentine outfit Racing Club, but the forward came back to haunt his former coach at the Vicente Calderon.

The pair embraced before the start of the game in the capital, but it was Vietto who had the last laugh.

With six minutes remaining in Sunday s La Liga clash, Vietto beat Diego Godin and slotted a calm finish beyond Miguel Angel Moya as Villarreal triumphed 1-0 Atletico s first home league defeat since May 2013, ending an unbeaten sequence of 27 games.

They won the game doing a really good counterattack with Vietto. I am so happy for him, but we lost an…

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain says England are going to the FIFA World Cup looking to win rather than use it as a stepping stone for the future.

Manager Roy Hodgson has selected a 23-man squad with plenty of youth and inexperience in major tournaments, but that does not worry Arsenal forward Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Youngsters like Luke Shaw, Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling have all been rewarded for superb domestic seasons with a place on the plane to Brazil.

And Oxlade-Chamberlain, who featured at UEFA Euro 2012, believes such freshness around the squad can work to England s advantage.

There are some new boys coming into the squad and hopefully this is something special, he told The Sun. To do well at a new competition, you need a lot of good performances.

We are…

Erik ten Hag has been named the Premier League s Manager of the Month for February, completing a Manchester United double after Marcus Rashford scooped the monthly players award.

Ten Hag oversaw a return of 10 points from four Premier League games for United last month, with a 2-2 draw at home to Leeds United the only blot on their record.

As well as beating Crystal Palace and Leicester City, United improved on that Leeds draw by beating their rivals 2-0 in the return fixture at Elland Road four days later.

Ten Hag s side also carried their league form into other competitions in February, ending a near six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United to lift the EFL Cup and eliminating Barcelona from the Europa League.

Having also received the award la…

Italian daily that Fiorentina are keeping close tabs on Saint Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.

Viola boss Vincenzo Montella is not satisfied with his current goalkeeping options that include Emiliano Viviano and Neto, and the talented coach is, therefore, hoping to recruit the French shot-stopper.

The Artemio Franchi outfit are expected to make an official proposal in the summer transfer window, but they could face a stiff competition from AC Milan and Monaco.

Stephane Ruffier began his career at Monaco and quickly established himself as one of best goalies in France’s top flight.

Despite being linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs, the 26-year-old joined Saint Etienne in the summer of 2011, although he has been enjoying a lot of success wi…

Italy will be eligible to take part in the 2013 Confederations Cup after successfully earning a place in the final of Euro 2012.

FIFA began running the tournament in 1997, initially staging it every two years until 2005 when the decision was made to change the schedule to every four years.

The competition now acts as a precursor to the World Cup and is competed for by the champions of each of the six separate FIFA confederations in addition to the World Cup holders and the host nation, in this case Brazil.

Spain, as world champions following their triumph in South Africa 2010, have qualified for the tournament regardless of the outcome of the Euro 2012 final.

As a result, the Azzurri have been allocated the spot to represent the UEFA confederation even …

Mancini denies Kolarov exit talk

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is adamant Aleksandar Kolarov has a role to play at Etihad Stadium.

The Serbian defender was vying with Gael Clichy for the left-back position last season, but it was former Arsenal defender who was preferred in all the big games.

Kolarov subsequently expressed his desire to leave the Citizens in search of first team football, with a number of Europe’s top clubs showing interest in his services.

However, Roberto Mancini has now decided to put his foot down and explained he would like to keep hold of the Serbian full-back.

“Kolarov? He is a great left-back and I would like to keep him,” Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.

The 26-year-old joined Manchester City in a €2…