Manchester City have the strength in depth to cushion the blow of Kevin De Bruyne suffering a knee injury, according to Kyle Walker.

De Bruyne was City s Player of the Season in 2017-18 after inspiring Pep Guardiola s side to Premier League and EFL Cup glory but suffered a seemingly damaging setback in training on Wednesday.

The Belgium midfielder attended the Manchester premiere of Amazon Prime s All or Nothing: Manchester City documentary series on crutches and with a heavily strapped right knee after the incident.

City have not confirmed a timeframe for De Bruyne s absence, although some reports suggest he could be out for as long as three months with a recurrence of the lateral ligament damage that sidelined him in early 2016.

Kevin s a great player …

Best odds: 4/7

Bookmaker:

The match between Inter Milan and Salernitana in Serie A s gameweek 25 presents an interesting contrast, with the league leaders facing off against the team currently sitting at the bottom of the table at San Siro on Friday.

Inter will be aiming to extend their lead at the top of the Serie A standings with an expected victory, while Salernitana will be looking to pull off a surprise result to improve their chances of avoiding relegation.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan s recent form has been nothing short of impressive, with their victory over Roma last weekend marking their seventh consecutive win in all competitions in 2024. Francesco Acerbi, Marcus Thuram, and Alessandro Bastoni were the goalscorers in that match, helping the Nerazz…

Best odds: 4/6

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Seeking to cement their place in next season s Champions League, Juventus travel to face Empoli in the 36th Serie A round this term on Monday. Empoli, on the other hand, have already achieved their goal and it remains to be seen where the motivation which comes with playing against a club Juventus can take them on its own.

Empoli

Yes, Empoli have done what their supporters will have expected of them they will play in the Italian top flight again in 2023/24. At the moment, Paolo Zanetti s team sit 14th with 39 points, nine more than Hellas Verona, the only team currently in the relegation zone that still has a chance of getting out of it before the end. With just two matches left to play, it s obvious that Verona cannot overtake Empoli.…

Borussia Dortmund and FC Internazionale Milano are reportedly interested in bringing in Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko in the summer, as per the and .

Dzeko, who joined City from Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in a deal worth £27 million in January 2011, is viewed as a potential replacement for Bayern-bound Robert Lewandowski at Signal Iduna Park.

Wolfsburg are also keen on the Bosnia international but the 27-year-old s £150,000-a-week wages would probably prevent such a deal from going through.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini opted to keep Dzeko at the Etihad Stadium in January to bolster the club s chances of winning the quadruple (Capital One Cup, English Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions) and understandably so.

However, it is b…

Borussia Dortmund take to domestic action for the first time under Thomas Tuchel on Sunday when they travel to third-tier Chemnitzer in the DFB-Pokal.

Since replacing Jurgen Klopp in June, Tuchel has only lost one game during pre-season, while he has also overseen victories in each of the club s competitive matches in the UEFA Europa League.

The latest of those wins was a comprehensive 5-0 success against Wolfsberger on Thursday, a result that saw Tuchel s side progress from the third qualifying round 6-0 on aggregate.

Dortmund have since been drawn against Odd in the play-off round but, before they turn their attentions to the Norwegian side, they have a cup clash at home to deal with.

In recent years, Dortmund have performed strongly in the Pokal, w…

Swansea City edged a point clear of the Premier League relegation zone after their basement battle with Middlesbrough ended in a forgettable 0-0 stalemate.

Middlesbrough, playing for the second time under Steve Agnew following Aitor Karanka s dismissal as head coach last month, were unable to improve their return as the top flight s most shot-shy attack – even when faced with its leakiest defence.

The Swans carried the greater threat, with Boro keeper Victor Valdes working hardest for his clean sheet by keeping Jordan Ayew and Gylfi Sigurdsson at bay either side of half-time.

Not for the first time this season, Adama Traore s end product did not match his lively invention in attack for Middlesbrough, while Rudy Gestede nodded a last-gasp, gilt-edged chance wide…

Veteran defender Naldo has agreed a new deal with Schalke to take him through to 2020.

The 36-year-old joined from Wolfsburg in 2016 and has established himself as a fans favourite at the Veltins-Arena. 

The Brazilian was already under contract until June next year, but has extended his stay by another 12 months.

I am overjoyed at extending my time here at Schalke, he said. 

It is an enormous club with unbelievable, loyal fans who are always behind us.

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04)

Coach Domenico Tedesco added: It is great news for all Schalke fans. Naldo is an outstanding person both on and off the pitch. He is a unifying figure in the squad.

Naldo helped Schalke to finish second in the Bundesliga last season, but th…

What the papers say

As the Premier League season comes to an end, the summer transfer season is just beginning and Newcastle will have to fight to keep midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Barcelona. The Times says Barcelona believe it will cost them around £87million to sway Newcastle to let go of the 25-year-old Brazilian.

Chelsea will be looking to put this season behind them after securing former Tottenham and Paris St Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino on a three-year contract, according to the Guardian. The Blues finished 12th this season.

The Sun says promoted Sheffield United are looking at 24-year-old Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien, who is currently out on loan to DC United in MLS, to help bolster their squad for the top flight.

Social media rou…

Roberto Martinez said Eden Hazard s condition is the best he s had for a long time after picking the Real Madrid forward in his 26-man squad for Euro 2020.

Hazard features in the squad despite the former Chelsea star continuing to endure a difficult spell with Madrid.

He has once again battled several injuries during the 2020-21 campaign, limiting him to just seven starts in 14 LaLiga appearances.

Those appearances have resulted in three goals and a pair of assists, with Hazard creating six chances for his team-mates in the league.

But Martinez is now satisfied with his fitness levels, with the focus for Hazard now on finishing the season strong for Madrid, who host Villarreal on Saturday knowing they must better Atletico Madrid s result at Real Valladoli…

(GSM) England captain Steven Gerrard has revealed that he would love to see Everton s Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta to be called up by Fabio Capello.

Arteta, who has never won a cap for his native Spain, has been overlooked by Vicente Del Bosque as he has the finest crop of midfielders in the country s history in Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Xabi Alonso.

The World Cup winners look to have little use for Everton s creative force and having lived in England for more than five years, Arteta could apply for a British passport, making him eligible for any of the home nations.

The selection of a foreign player is a strategy that has been employed by many countries in the past including Spain who won Euro 2008 with the Brazilian-born Marcos Senna anchoring…