RB Leipzig s fairytale debut campaign in the Bundesliga should not be compared to Leicester City s heroics in the Premier League last season, says Yussuf Poulsen.

Leipzig, who were only formed in 2009, have enjoyed a meteoric rise through the leagues in Germany and are floating on a cloud this term having stormed to the top of the Bundesliga.

After 12 matches, Leipzig are three points clear of reigning champions and Bavarian powerhouse Bayern Munich, and their unbeaten start to the season is a record for a newly promoted side.

Leipzig, who have won seven consecutive league matches, have unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Leicester, who upset the odds to clinch a remarkable top-flight title in England last season under wily veteran Claudio Ranieri.

But De…

As for the visitors, much like Sunday s hosts, Tottenham also threw away a lead at Anfield last weekend and their 2-1 defeat leaves them in the midst of an extended Premier League rut. Failing to win any of their last three top-flight appearances, a run highlighted by their 3-0 hammering away at Brighton earlier in the month, Mauricio Pochettino s men have won just two of their last nine Premier League matchups. Freefalling out of the top half and enduring their worst domestic start in recent memory, the one-time Southampton boss has seen his side continue to struggle outside of North London. Losing their last four matches on the road across all formats, including crashing out of the EFL Cup at the hands of League Two outfit Colchester, the Lilywhites are yet to pick up a single away vi…

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been named Premier League player of the month for January after scoring five goals to maintain the Londoners title push.

England international Alli beat off competition from team-mate Harry Kane as well as Everton full-back Seamus Coleman, Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Swansea City midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson after helping Spurs to three wins and two draws last month.

Alli, whose team are second, nine points behind Chelsea, said: The team s done very well this month, not just me individually.

We ve had lots of players in form so it s an honour to win it.

 : It’s the first one I’ve won and it’s a real honour. I think the whole team played brilliantly this month.

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOffici…

Bayern Munich are looking at Aston Villa s Emiliano Martinez as the potential solution to their goalkeeper issue, as Manuel Neuer is expected to miss the second-half of the season through his skiing injury.

Martinez, 30, had an interesting journeyman career before arriving with Villa in 2020, having been contracted to Arsenal, but loaned out to Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Wolves, Getafe and Reading.

In his first two seasons with Villa, Martinez kept 26 Premier League clean sheets, earning his Argentina debut in June 2021.

His ascension to La Albiceleste s number one saw him earn the 2021 Copa America Golden Glove as the tournament s best goalkeeper, and he followed it up with another Golden Glove after securing the World Cup title in a p…

Ki-Jana Hoever became the youngest player ever to represent Liverpool in the FA Cup after he replaced Dejan Lovren during the opening stages of Monday s third-round tie at Wolves.

Jurgen Klopp made nine chances to the XI that lost 2-1 at Manchester City in the Premier League last Thursday but one of the players retained, Croatia centre-back Lovren, pulled up and had to be replaced in the sixth minute.

Dutch defender Hoever joined Liverpool from the Ajax academy last year and is 11 days shy of his 17th birthday.

It means he is the Reds third youngest player of all time after Jerome Sinclair, who was 16 years old and six days when he played against West Brom in September 2012, and Jack Robinson – 16 years and 250 days against Hull City in May 2010.

Sincla…

Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Hansi Flick s depleted Barcelona side came from behind to beat Valencia 2-1 in their opening game of the season in LaLiga.

Barca were without several key players including Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Ilkay Gundogan for their first competitive game under Flick, and they were put under intense pressure in the first half at the Mestalla.

Valencia produced an energetic display and hit the front after 44 minutes as Hugo Duro headed Diego Lopez s delivery past Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range.

Duro almost doubled Los Che s lead when he saw an effort cleared off the line in first-half stoppage time, and Barca immediately went up the other end to level.

Lewandowski tapped home a cross from Euro 2024 breakout s…

Getafe head coach Jose Bordalas has defended the club’s decision to hand Mason Greenwood a way back into football.

The 21-year-old joined the LaLiga side on loan from Manchester United, who suspended him in January 2022 over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online, on transfer deadline day.

Greenwood faced charges including attempted rape and assault, but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February that the case had been discontinued.

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England manager Gareth Southgate saluted electric Raheem Sterling after he inspired Friday s 5-0 hammering of the Czech Republic with a hat-trick.

The Three Lions were playing their first game since November, when they secured a place at the Nations League Finals, and they picked up where they left off.

Sterling was pivotal, opening the scoring at the end of a free-flowing move, before adding two more goals in the second half at Wembley. 

Harry Kane s first-half penalty – which was won by Sterling – and a late Tomas Kalas own goal also contributed, but it was all about the Manchester City star as England began Euro 2020 qualifying in ominous fashion.

Southgate was suitably impressed and put Sterling s improvement in front of goal for England down t…

Barcelona found a novel way to pat themselves on the back after Real Madrid carried out their intention of refusing to provide the LaLiga champions with a guard of honour on Sunday.

Following a 2-2 draw in a typically pulsating Clasico, Barca staff – including head coach Ernesto Valverde – instead provided the traditional mark of respect which has become a hotly debated issue between the fierce rivals.

Zinedine Zidane confirmed prior to the match that a pasillo – as it is known in Spain – would not be offered, a response to Barca s shunning of the act in November, which came in the aftermath of Madrid s win at the Club World Cup.

The Blaugrana had formed a guard of honour back in 2008 and, if there was a thought they had simply forgotten the meaning of …

England manager Gareth Southgate is hoping for a positive update on Bukayo Saka after selecting the Arsenal star despite fears over his fitness.

Having failed to finish the matches against Tottenham and Bournemouth, the 22-year-old again left the field early in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Lens.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that it “didn’t look good” for Saka, yet the forward was still named in Southgate’s 26-man squad two days later.

The England boss is awaiting news on the national team’s back-to-back men’s player of the year and has not given up on him being available for this month’s double-header against Australia and Italy.

“He’s still being assessed,” Southgate said of Saka, who faces a race to …