Basel secure Samuel swoop

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that defenders Marcos Rojo and Paddy McNair will miss the League Cup third-round clash with Ipswich Town.

McNair replaced Rojo with 20 minutes to go during Sunday s Premier League win over Southampton, with the Argentina international picking up a hamstring injury.

However, McNair has also picked up a minor issue, according to Van Gaal, who has confirmed that Phil Jones will make a return to the matchday squad for Wednesday s tie.

Rojo has a hamstring injury and Paddy McNair has a minor injury, the Dutchman told MUTV.

I have to admit that because of the injury of three defenders [including Luke Shaw], I shall have [Phil] Jones on the bench but he is not fit.

Meanwhile, defender Chris Smalli…

Real Madrid will face Cultural Leonesa and Barcelona will take on Hercules in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey.

The European champions, who were ejected from last season s competition after fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev, will take on the Segunda B side who became a viral sensation in 2014 when they wore a kit designed to appear like a tuxedo in a pre-season charity match.

Holders Barcelona will take on Hercules, who overcame Cornella this week, while Atletico Madrid will meet Guijuelo and last season s beaten finalists Sevilla have been drawn against fourth-tier Formentera.

The first legs will be played on November 30, with the return matches scheduled for December 21.

Copa del Rey draw in full:

Toledo v Villarreal

Form…

Liverpool are expected to lead the race for the signature of Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham at the end of the current season, according to .

There was much talk about the Merseysiders need for a new midfielder this summer, but the club insisted otherwise until a heavy injury crisis hit them at the start of the season. The situation forced their hand and they completed a loan deal for Arthur Melo of Juventus, but with the futures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain beyond 2022/23 increasingly uncertain, the club are expected to invest heavily in their midfield ranks soon.

Bellingham is greatly admired at Anfield, as well as elsewhere. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently said that the only problem with signing the 19-year-old this year was …

Port Vale have denied reports claiming pop star Robbie Williams is preparing a bid to buy the club.

Williams, a lifelong fan of the League One side, was said to be considering a Wrexham-style takeover at Vale Park.

The 49-year-old former Take That star, whose solo hits include Angels, Let Me Entertain You and Come Undone, became the club’s president at the weekend and opened a new suite named after him.

Club Statement | Robbie Williams |

— Port Vale FC (@OfficialPVFC)

But Vale, owned by businesswoman Carol Shanahan, say there are no plans in the pipeline for Williams to buy the club.

A Vale statement read: “We are aware of the ‘exclusive’ news that appeared in several national news outlets overnight and want to clarify the fol…

Chelsea travel to Basel for Tuesday s UEFA Champions League Group E clash knowing a point will see them through to the round of 16.

Jose Mourinho s men have responded well following a shock loss to the Swiss side on matchday one, posting three successive wins.

The London club have scored 10 goals and conceded none on that impressive run, with 3-0 home and away wins over Schalke particularly impressive.

Chelsea sit third in the Premier League – four points behind leaders Arsenal – and the manner of Saturday s 3-0 win at London rivals West Ham will have delighted Mourinho.

The Portuguese, who is attempting to become the first manager to win the Champions League at three different clubs, saw his side record just their second league triumph on the road this seaso…

Aubameyang in high demand

French media outlet that Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is becoming one of world s hottest commodities.

The Gabon hotshot has impressed since he was given a chance to play as a centre forward and he has been by far the club s best performer in the current campaign.

Having scored back to back hat-tricks against Qabala and Augsburg, the 26-year-old already has 20 goals to his name this season.

Europe s top sides have long ago taken notice of his performances, with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool reportedly leading the chase.

And while Borussia Dortmund will not be keen on selling their prized asset, they might not be able to reject a big money bid for his services.

Aubameyang has …

Hansi Flick is not interested in speculation he could take over as Germany head coach as he eyes more trophies for Bayern Munich.

Flick is among the names linked with the Germany job after long-serving boss Joachim Low decided to step down after Euro 2020.

Bayern supremo Flick masterminded a magnificent Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League treble last season.

The Bavarian giants have also won the FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and DFL-Supercup in a dream start to Flick s tenure.

Bayern are top of the Bundesliga and remain in the hunt to win the Champions League, so Flick is focused on the job in hand rather than the possibility of succeeding Low.

He said in a press conference on Friday: I have a contract until 2023 and want …

Valencia could sell Geoffrey Kondogbia for as little as €30 million when the transfer window opens, and according to the , Tottenham Hotspur are interested in his services.

Spurs have had a largely underwhelming 2019/20 season. Mauricio Pochettino, who led them to the Champions League final last year and had spent over five years at the club, was sacked in November and replaced by Jose Mourinho. However, the Portuguese cannot be said to have stemmed the tide, and the North Londoners have found themselves sitting eighth in the Premier League table, seven points off top four.

The midfield section has been pinpointed as one of the more troubling areas, and the club could make a move for Kondogbia to boost Mourinho s options for next season. The 27-year-old apparently has…

Sergei Ignashevich in action at Old Trafford

When I heard that two CSKA Moscow players had tested positive for drugs after their game at Manchester United I assumed that the club would be expelled from the competition.

Suspended

Russian international defenders Sergei Ignashevich and Aleksei Berezutsky were suspended on Tuesday for failing the doping tests on 3rd November.

The rules are quite clear. Article twelve of UEFAs disciplinary regulations says,

If more than one player from the same team is charged with a doping offence in relation to a prohibited substance or methods, the team in question may be disqualified from the competition in progress and/or future competitions.

Clearly, with the game doing everything it can to clean up itâ…

Aston Villa striker Andreas Weimann wants to score an array of different types of Premier League goals after gaining pre-season confidence.

The 22-year-old has been an asset to Paul Lambert s side since joining in 2010, and was integral to the club staying up last term with seven goals in 30 Premier League appearances.

However, the young Austria international is keen to improve and a good pre-season has put him in great stead to do so.

It has been really tough the last few weeks but we’ve got just over a week to go and I think everyone is looking forward to that, he told the club s official website.

You need games to get fit and we’ve had quite a few – eight games we’ve played so far – so obviously that has been really helpful for us.

It is always…