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Alan Shearer is to become Newcastle s fourth manager this season after agreeing to take on the challenge of saving the club he used to captain from relegation.

Shearer, 38, a hero to the Magpies fans for his exploits on the pitch, had long been tipped as a future manager of the club but he could never have envisaged taking over in such difficult circumstances.

Newcastle are currently third from bottom of the Premier League, two points adrift of Blackburn, the club currently occupying the last survival spot.

Shearer, who has no coaching experience, has just eight games to save the club from the financially calamitous consequences of relegation and Chelsea s visit on Saturday means he could hardly have a tougher start to his rein.

Newcastle turned to Shear…

Forced to retire from playing at the age of 26 due to a skull fracture that required a serious surgical procedure and left him with metal plates and 28 screws in his head, Ryan Mason has been preparing for a career in coaching ever since.

Having worked under Antonio Conte and Christian Stellini at his former club Tottenham Hotspur, the 31-year-old is suddenly presented with a chance to take charge of the team after the two Italians, one after the other, got their marching orders.

Mason s first challenge is a big one, a game against Manchester United on Thursday in which his team needs to shake off the horrors of the 6-1 defeat away to Newcastle a few days ago.

I am ready.

Ryan Mason feels prepared to be the Tottenham boss

— Sky Sports News (…

Juventus might be coming off a three-game winless run (D2, L1) but remain fairly comfortable at the top of the standings with a six-point lead over both Inter Milan and Atalanta, although that advantage could shrink to just three points if Inter defeat AS Roma on Sunday. Regardless of what might happen with Inter, Juventus know winning here could put them in a great spot to win the Serie A title once again. The Old Lady have won the league title in each of the last eight campaigns. They would need to undergo a massive meltdown to not clinch it during the current campaign. They can boast a strong home record as testament of their ability to earn the three points here as well. Juventus are the best home team in the Serie A this season, with a W14, D2 record in 16 matches.

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Liverpool are interested in signing Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners are planning a move for the Morocco international midfielder, who is playing at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

have reported that Fiorentina do not want to sell Amrabat in the middle of the season and have knocked back all recent enquiries. However, a major offer could change their stance.

Amrabat has been one of the best players at the ongoing 2022 Qatar World Cup and has helped Morocco to the quarter-finals of the competition. The 26-year-old has made 10 starts and three substitute appearances in Serie A for Fiorentina so far this season. Amrabat has also played five times …

Liverpool s 3-1 defeat of Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday saw the Reds set a new club record of 12 consecutive wins in the Premier League.

An 11-match winning streak between February and April in 2014 under Brendan Rodgers was their previous record, with the current Liverpool squad matching that last week when beating Southampton 2-1 away from home.

Their run broke new ground on Saturday as Joel Matip s header and Mohamed Salah s second-half brace ensured the Reds moved three points clear of Unai Emery s side at the top of the Premier League table.

Despite both sides going into the game with maximum points from their opening two games, Liverpool were considered heavy favourites given the Gunners wretched record at Anfield.

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consecutive …

There s no question Leicester City have been one of the best teams in the Premier League this season. The Foxes have performed way above the pre-season expectations; in fact, right now they should be considered as the biggest title candidates to stop Liverpool. They will aim to take another step in the right direction Saturday when they host a struggling Norwich City side that is complicated with the relegation threat. This match will kick-off Saturday at 15:00 GMT.

Leicester City

Leicester City are the hottest team in the Premier League right now, as they are on a blistering run of eight straight wins thanks to an impressive attacking line that has averaged 3.12 goals per game over that span. Scoring multiple goals in each of those wins while conceding just three goals – and…

Lionel Messi ensured Luis Enrique s Barcelona reign ended with a trophy as he inspired a third consecutive Copa del Rey title with a 3-1 final win over Alaves.

The Barca coach announced his planned departure from Camp Nou at the start of March, with his side then falling short of rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga and Juventus in the Champions League.

But Luis Enrique belatedly added to the sizeable haul of medals collected in his first two years in charge as Messi showed his class in the last game to be played at Atletico Madrid s Vicente Calderon.

Having scraped past Atleti 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals in February, with Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez both sent off, Barca looked in for a similarly nervy contest as Alaves started well and Theo Hernandez then equ…

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City s FA Cup win over Arsenal will be an irrelevance by the time next month s top-of-the-table Premier League clash between the teams comes around.

The City manager said his team were so satisfied to get the better of Gunners in the fourth round of the cup, earning a 1-0 win thanks to Nathan Ake s second-half strike.

He was taking the win in isolation, rather than as part of any grander scheme, and was thrilled City followed up their 4-0 third-round win over Chelsea by beating another heavyweight opponent to reach the last-16 stage.

City last won the FA Cup in 2018-19 when they thrashed Watford 6-0 in the final, and that is Guardiola s lone triumph in the competition.

He has landed four Premier League titles since arrivi…