Stoke City winger Peter Odemwingie is revelling in the club s record-breaking season and believes it will lay the groundwork for silverware in the future.

Mark Hughes side played out a goalless draw at relegated Burnley last week as Stoke collected their 51st point of the 2014-15 campaign the first time the club have broken the 50-point barrier since earning promotion to the Premier League in 2008.

Stoke s stalemate was also enough to secure back-to-back ninth-place finishes in England s top flight, with one match remaining, something Odemwingie is proud of.

The most important thing is always the group, said the Nigerian. And I m very happy I could make it back and that the gaffer welcomed me back.

Two seasons with back-to-back top-10 finishes is fantas…

Romelu Lukaku scored his first Champions League goal for Chelsea as the holders started their title defence with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Zenit.

In Champions League history, the trophy holders have only lost their first game of the subsequent campaign on two of 27 previous occasions. Although Chelsea limited Zenit to little going the other way in this tussle, it looked as though Thomas Tuchel s side would be frustrated at Stamford Bridge.

Yet club-record signing Lukaku followed up his double against Aston Villa with a towering 69th-minute header to get the Blues up and running in Group H.

It proved decisive, but Zenit should have levelled – substitute Artem Dzyuba unable to convert from five yards out as Chelsea s profligacy went unpunished.

14 Only…

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri admits Gonzalo Higuain has found it difficult to adapt to life in the Premier League.

The striker has made seven appearances in England s top flight since joining on loan from Juventus in January, scoring three goals in matches against strugglers Huddersfield Town and Fulham.

Higuain, who hit 36 Serie A goals in 35 games under Sarri at Napoli in 2015-16, was substituted after 66 minutes of Chelsea s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Everton before the international break.

Sarri s side head into Sunday s game at Cardiff City trailing fourth-place Manchester United by four points after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s men beat Watford on Saturday, meaning anything less than a victory could prove costly in their top-four chase.

And Sarri is eager…

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni says Italy did not deserve to miss out on the World Cup, while he cannot see Paulo Dybala being distracted by speculation over his future.

Euro 2020 winners Italy and Copa America champions Argentina meet in the Finalissima at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.

But there is no chance of the pair meeting in Qatar next November after Italy failed to make a second straight World Cup following play-off defeat against North Macedonia in March.

That led to questions over Roberto Mancini s future and the Italian system for failing to produce young players, with the Azzurri reliant on experienced campaigners such as Giorgio Chiellini and Ciro Immobile.

Scaloni was quick to back his opposite number Mancini as he expressed his dismay a…

Belgium s Nations League hopes fell flat on Thursday, but Yannick Carrasco insists the squad still have faith they can achieve glory at the 2022 World Cup.

The world s number one ranked team squandered a two-goal lead as France came back to win 3-2 in their semi-final clash in Turin, Theo Hernandez scoring the crucial fifth goal of a thrilling contest in the 90th minute.

Instead of heading to San Siro to face Spain in the final, Belgium are instead back at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, going up against European champions Italy in a third-place play-off.

It is the second such match during Roberto Martinez s tenure, the Barcelona-linked coach having previously guided Belgium to the semi-finals of World Cup 2018, where they also fell foul of France.

Belgiu…

Tottenham star Harry Kane wants talks with chairman Daniel Levy after admitting he is considering his future with the club.

Reports emerged in England this week that Kane was considering a move away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the club s deeply disappointing season.

Spurs are seventh in the Premier League after Wednesday s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and could find themselves without European football next season should they lose to Leicester City on the final day.

Tottenham were Champions League finalists two years ago under Mauricio Pochettino but will spend another season out of the competition in 2021-22, while they again failed to win a trophy this term, losing the EFL Cup final to Manchester City in April.

Their poor performances have been in …

Market: Plymouth win

Odds: 11/10 @

Two sides who find themselves battling it out at the foot of the Championship table, Plymouth will welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Home Park in midweek.

Starting with the hosts, gaining a string of plaudits last season as they cruised their way to a Championship return, Plymouth certainly opened up the 2023/24 campaign confident of laying down another statement of intent. However, although Steven Schumacher’s side might have sprung a major upset last month as they claimed a 6-2 romp against play-off hopefuls Norwich, the Pilgrims have largely failed to build on that famous performance. Claiming just a single win from any of their previous seven showdowns against Championship opposition, Plymouth will be desperate to pounce on …

Arsenal are interested in signing Seko Fofana from Lens in the summer transfer window, according to . The report in the French publication has claimed that the Gunners’ Premier League rivals Newcastle United are also keen on securing the services of the 27-year-old Ivory Coast international midfielder.

Lens are willing to sell the Ivory Coast international midfielder, but the French club are looking for €30-40 million (£25.80-£34.40 million) as transfer fee for Fofana, according to the report. Paris Saint-Germain are keen on the 27-year-old as well, and the midfielder himself would like to stay in France.

Fofana made 38 appearances in Ligue 1 for Lens last season, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in the process. The midfielder made 25 starts and five …

Manchester United certainly can t be accused of not supporting their new manager, Erik ten Hag, given the players they re going for in the transfer market.

Granted, that s more about how United are primarily being linked with players Ten Hag knows or has previously coached rather than them targeting a host of renowned superstars.

Whether that suggests a certain trust in Ten Hag or if it comes down to a lack of belief in the club s own scouting department is a discussion for another time, but clearly Ten Hag is being allowed to build a team in his image, and that s what many fans will have hoped for.

The first one in through the door is Tyrell Malacia, who joins from Eredivisie side Feyenoord on a four-year   contract with an option for a further season.