It has been a few years since we last faced Juventus on the pitch. We've been on similar paths even if not exactly parallel, with the (once) Italian juggernauts failing to win their national league for six years and counting.
As always fitness, tactics and team chemistry take precedence in a preseason game. But if we can come out on top against a fellow embattled giant, then why not push for it?
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Sánchez | Palestra, Fofana, Tosin, Hato | Caicedo (c), Nicoll-Jazuli | Quenda, João Pedro, Gittens | Welbeck
Substitutes from: Penders, Sharman-Lowe, Curd, Slonina, Sarr, Subuloye, Anselmino, Acheampong, Diakité, Essugo, Lavia, Walsh, Watson, Kellyman, Satpayev, Kavuma-McQueen, Estêvão, Mudryk, Neto, Jackson, Delap
Juventus starting eleven:
Di Gregorio | Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly, Çelik, Locatelli (c), Douglas Luiz, Cambiaso, Miretti, Boga, Milik

#juventus #starting #palestra #fofana

Malick Fofana is one of the names on Roma's shortlist to strengthen their attacking wingers.
The Lyon talent is popular with the Giallorossi management, who have already initiated initial exploratory discussions with the French club, whose valuation is around €50 million.
According to Sportitalia, Roma have also resolved any remaining concerns regarding the 2005-born player's fitness.
Last season, the Belgian was sidelined for a long time with an ankle injury, while two years ago he struggled with a knee problem.
The reassurances received about his health have strengthened the interest of the Giallorossi club, which considers Fofana a solid option for the left flank. Despite this, Antonio Nusa remains the priority.

#french

Rennes qualified for European football last season, which was a big improvement on the 10th and 12th-place finishes in the two seasons prior. How would you summarise last season and how it went for the club?
Those two seasons you mention were very bad, but the previous six were very good and Rennes were in Europe every time.
The new sporting director Loïc Désiré did a very good job last summer and had very good ideas, like bringing in Esteban Lepaul, who finished as Ligue 1's top goalscorer.
But, last season, there were a few phases; sometimes they were very good, then very bad. It was complicated in the beginning with the coach Habib Beye because some of the players in the squad really did not like him.
Some big names like Brice Samba and Seko Fofana had problems with Beye personally. He struggled, but he had his good moments, too.

#rennes #european

Life under new manager Dino Toppmöller has got off to a good start for RC Lens, after the club won the second annual Como Cup yesterday evening by defeating Villarreal 3-1. Lens needed to come from behind after Ayoze Pérez opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Goals from Matthieu Udol, Florian Thauvin, and Rayan Fofana meant that Lens would end the preseason tournament unbeaten.
In the first game of the Como Cup, Lens came up against former manager Pierre Sage, who left them this summer to join Crystal Palace. There was more than a hint of revenge to the way Les Sang et Or dispatched the Premier League side over the course of the 45-minute game, scoring three unanswered goals. In their next and penultimate game, Lens were held to a 0-0 draw by Portuguese side Famalicão.
Lens have two more friendlies scheduled, with a match against Trophée 1906 and Sunderland; after that, they will then take part in France's curtain-raiser on the 16th of August, when they play Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des Champions.
GFFN | Nick Hartland

#game

Chelsea have signed Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix (26), both clubs have announced. The two London-based Premier League sides reportedly agreed to a €60m transfer fee for the France international defender. Lacroix has signed a six-year deal with Xabi Alonso's Blues. The former Sochaux and Wolfsburg centre-back underwent his medical on Friday.
Chelsea were in the market for a centre-back due to the uncertainty regarding the futures of several of their defenders, such as Mamadou Sarr, Wesley Fofana or Benoît Badiashile. The Blues went for a Premier League-proven centre-back in Lacroix.
Lacroix only needed two seasons with the Eagles to become one of the league most reliable centre-backs. He joined the South London side in 2024 from Wolfsburg and went on to win the 2025 Emirates FA Cup, the 2025 Community Shield and the 2025-2026 Conference League, totalling 98 appearances across two campaigns with Palace. Lacroix's performances earned him a spot in Didier Deschamps' France World Cup squad.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval

#france

FC Barcelona statement – FC Barcelona
The FC Barcelona Board of Directors met Wednesday, 29 July, for an ordinary meeting at the Club's installation, headed by first vice-president Rafael Yuste in the absence of president Joan Laporta, who excused his absence.
More training at St. George's Park – FC Barcelona
Another session for the Barça squad, their fourth in England during their preseason training camp.
INSIDE VIEW | Raphinha joins the group – FC Barcelona
Brazilian arrives in Birmigham while his teammates continue to step up the training.
Alejandro Balde: 'If we can win more trophies, better' – FC Barcelona
Barça defender Alejandro Balde answered fans' questions live from St. George's Park on the FC Barcelona YouTube channel on Wednesday during the squad's preseason training camp in England.
Nuhu Fofana, Blaugrana until 2030 – FC Barcelona
Agreement reached between FC Barcelona and forward Nuhu Fofana to extend his contract for a further four seasons, meaning he is now set to stay with the Club until 30 June 2030.

#alejandro #nuhu

FC Barcelona have officially confirmed the contract renewal of promising striker Nuhu Fofana, with the 18-year-old signing a new four-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2030.
The agreement was completed one day after Fofana celebrated his 18th birthday and marks another step in Barcelona's long-term commitment to developing talent from La Masia.
As part of the renewal, the forward will become a full member of Barça Atletic and has already begun pre-season training under Juliano Belletti.
Fofana's contract signing took place at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper alongside Jose Ramon Alexanco, Barcelona's director of youth football.
His journey with the club has come full circle. After spending his early years at Barcelona as a Pre-benjamín and Benjamín player, Fofana later left the academy before rebuilding his reputation at Cornella, where his goalscoring ability caught the attention of the Blaugrana.

#Barcelona #contract #signing #nuhu

England international? Tick. Premier League winner? Tick. At least 35 years old? Erm, tick that too. Chelsea's transfer policy has taken a surprising turn this summer, ripped up and rewritten, and it's led the club to the doors of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
Chelsea are working on deals to add both to Xabi Alonso's squad in time for the start of the new season. They have also missed out on other experienced targets such as John Stones, 32, who is set for a move to Inter Milan, and Granit Xhaka, 33, who Sunderland are determined to keep as captain.
It is a stunning departure from one of the most aggressive youth-focused transfer strategies in Premier League history, which has brought waves of potential to Stamford Bridge replete with lavish decade-long contracts. BlueCo have been dogmatic, signing only one player over 25 – defender Tosin Adarabioyo – since the summer of 2023. Last season, Chelsea signed 10 players ranging in age from 18 (Estevao, Kendry Paez) to 23 (Joao Pedro).
Danny Welbeck could be heading to Stamford Bridge (Getty)
It would be wrong to say the transfer policy has been completely flawed. Nurturing young talent and investing in sellable ******* ets is the modus operandi of many well-run clubs. Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo were youthful signings, as were Enzo Fernandez and Wesley Fofana. Estevao and Joao Pedro had excellent debut seasons in an underwhelming Chelsea team.

#transfer #danny #bridge #estevao

The United States Men’s National Team continues to advance at the 2026 World Cup, having taken down Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 by a 2-0 margin. The tournament field continues to narrow, and the opponents grow more daunting, with Belgium hoping to spoil the co-hosts’ party and advance to the quarterfinal. The European program is looking to improve on a third-place finish in 2018, which would be quite the welcome surprise well after a golden generation. Seattle, Washington’s Lumen Field – a 72,000-seat multi-purpose stadium with a temporary stitched natural grass surface – hosts the fixture.
This is the eighth all-time meeting between the two nations, with the USMNT carrying a 1-6-0 record and falling in the most recent match, a friendly defeat (2-5) in March. Ranked 10th internationally by FIFA, Belgium reached the World Cup by finishing atop UEFA’s Group J of qualifying with a 5-0-3 record, besting Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein. At the current competition, the Red Devils claimed Group G with draws against Egypt (1-1) and Iran (0-0) and a victory over New Zealand (5-1) before requiring extra time and a fortuitous penalty to top Senegal (3-2) in the Round of 32.
Rudi Garcia was appointed to lead the program in January 2025, his first international gig after leading a variety of club sides including Lille, Roma, Marseille, Lyon, Al Nassr, and Napoli. The 62-year-old Frenchman believes that his squad is “very driven” and “aiming high” with the capacity to “achieve great things.” He has praised the “oldies” in his group, defending them against treatment as “has-beens.”
Garcia named a 26-player roster for the World Cup. The Belgian Pro League is home to three of the call-ups, while seven talents are on the books of Premier League clubs, five compete in Ligue 1, and five can be found in Serie A. Notable absences include Michy Batshuayi, Loïs Openda, Matz Sels, and Malick Fofana.
***
GOALKEEPERS (3): Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Senne Lammens (Manchester United), Mike Penders (Strasbourg)
DEFENDERS (9): Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brandon Mechele (Club Brugge), Maxim De Cuyper (Brighton & Hove Albion), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Koni De Winter (Milan), Joaquin Seys (Club Brugge), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Nathan Ngoy (Lille)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Axel Witsel (Girona), Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Diego Moreira (Strasbourg), Hans Vanaken (Club Brugge), Nicolas Raskin (Rangers), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa)
FORWARDS (7): Romelu Lukaku (Napoli), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal), Jérémy Doku (Manchester City), Dodi Lukébakio (Benfica), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan), Matias Fernandez-Pardo (Lille)
***
Garcia has utilized a few different formations but appears to be sticking to the 4-2-3-1/5-4-1 at the World Cup, with a traditional midfielder dropped into the back line when defending. The squad engages in a total press that “force

Erling Haaland 's 86th-minute goal was the difference as Norway knocked out Ivory Coast with a 2-1 win during Tuesday's World Cup round of 32 action.
The goal was Haaland's fifth of the World Cup, which puts him in a tie for the Golden Boot with Argentina's Lionel Messi .
Norway looked to have had the game in control after Antonio Nusa opened the scoring in the 39th minute. Martin Ødegaard found Nusa with **** e on the side of the Ivory Coast penalty box seven minutes before halftime. Nusa then took on Nicolas Pépé and after a pair of feints, quickly curled a shot around goalkeeper Yahia Fofana 's reach and into the back of the net for the lead.
According to Squawka , the setup makes Ødegaard the first player to record **** ists in three straight World Cup matches since Dirk Kuyt of the Netherlands in 2010.
Not satisfied with one, Norway had two more chances in the waning minutes of the opening half, but both Haaland and Alexander Sørloth could not capitalize on their respective opportunities.

Chelsea have opened talks to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, according to Fabrizio Romano. He is also open to joining the Stamford Bridge club.
The Blues are expected to strengthen at the heart of their defence this summer after an inconsistent campaign in which injuries and underwhelming performances exposed the rearguard.
Lacroix has emerged as one of the club’s leading targets following an impressive season in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s backline struggled whenever Levi Colwill was unavailable.
Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Mamadou Sarr all failed to establish themselves as dependable options over the course of the season.

It was heartbreak in stoppage time as Côte d'Ivoire were defeated 2-1 by Germany at Toronto's BMO Field. The Inter striker was part of coach Emerse Faé's starting XI before being replaced by Evann Guessand.
Deniz Undav's brace decided a tightly contested match, which saw both sides creating plenty of chances. The Ivorians took the lead in the 30th minute thanks to Franck Kessié's close-range finish, but the game changed once the striker from Stuttgart came on at the hour mark. Undav equalised in the 68th minute with a volley from a spectacular cross from Nadiem Amiri, before securing victory for Germany in the 94th minute. Set up by Felix Nmecha, Undav controlled the ball inside the box, turned, and beat Yahia Fofana.
Germany now have six points and sit at the top of Group E, while Côte d'Ivoire are in second on three points ahead of Ecuador.
The Netherlands recorded a huge victory, dominating Sweden and running riot in a 5-1 with thanks to braces from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, with Crysencio Summerville sealing the game with a goal. Denzel Dumfries was the standout performer, providing two ***** ists. Both came from low crosses after breaking forward on the right flank, with his teammates adding the final touch. His first ***** ist came in the 17th minute as he set up Brobbey for the Netherland's second goal when the striker got in front at the near post. Dumfries' second ***** ist was for Gakpo to make it 3-0 just two minutes after the break.
The result pushes Netherlands onto four points and the top of Group F. Sweden remain on three points with ***** an ahead of them. The Oranje will look to secure first place when they face Tunisia in the early hours of Friday 26 June at 1:00 CEST.

Germany dispatched Curaçao in their opening World Cup match with a 7-1 win, but that didn’t come easily as the underdogs pushed and pushed and made life hard for the four-time World Cup winners. Joshua Kimmich knows how Les Éléphants will not be pushovers and singled out a player that he is familiar with.
“A year ago, hardly anyone knew him. He’s had an outstanding season, even though RB Leipzig had a few problems,” Kimmich said (as captured by X account iMiaSanMia). “His dribbling is exceptional, a bit like Kingsley Coman at Bayern back in the day. He’s got incredible pace. But there we have to prepare for. They have spectacular attacking players.”
Some of the notable names on the Ivory Coast team include Diomande, Amad Diallo, Ibrahim Sangaré, Seko Fofana, Guéla Doué, and more; Diallo scored a 90th-minute winner against Ecuador in the other Group E match.
Germany takes on Ivory Coast on Saturday in Toronto.

Germany and Ivory Coast face off this Saturday at the BMO Field in World Cup. The match will be broadcast live at 21:00 on ITV 1.
In their last game, Germany won 7-1 against Curaçao (World Cup 2026). Last time out, Ivory Coast triumphed 1-0 against Ecuador (World Cup 2026).
Germany ( vs Curaçao 2026-06-14): Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Nathaniel Brown, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, Kai Havertz
Ivory Coast ( vs Ecuador 2026-06-15): Yahia Fofana, Guéla Doué, Emmanuel Agbadou, Wilfried Singo, Ghislain Konan, Yan Diomande, Seko Fofana, Franck Kessié, Bazoumana Touré, Elye Wahi, Nicolas Pépé

Ivory Coast vs Ecuador meet in their World Cup Group E opener in Philadelphia, with Germany having already set the early pace in the group by thrashing Curacao 7-1 earlier today.
Atalanta defender Odilon Kossounou is named among the Ivory Coast substitutes, while Roma’s Evan Ndicka features on the bench also due to a fitness concern.
Inter’s Ange-Yoan Bonny, who switched international allegiances from France ahead of the tournament, is also among the substitutes.
Former Milan midfielder Franck Kessie starts in midfield alongside Seko Fofana, with Elye Wahi and Nicolas Pepe in attack.
Ex Atalanta forward Amad Diallo is also among the substitutes for the African side.

RB Leipzig’s sought-after winger Yan Diomande is in the Ivory Coast starting lineup for their opening World Cup game against Ecuador. The 19-year-old is tipped to replace Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, with the Bundesliga club expecting a record transfer sum.
Emerse Faé’s side also have another Bundesliga prospect in Bazoumana Touré as the Hoffenheim attacker starts on the left wing. Eintracht Frankfurt’s returnee Elye Wahi is one of the two strikers for one of the ten African representatives after his excellent loan spell at OGC Nice.
Ex-Bundesliga defenders Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen) and Willian Pacho (Frankfurt) start for Sebastián Beccacece’s team. Spanish-born Jeremy Arévalo, who has only played 32 Bundesliga minutes for Stuttgart, is on the substitute bench for Ecuador.
German-born John Yeboah, who has played for Wolfsburg and Duisburg early in his career, starts for the South Americans after playing his part in Venezia’s promotion to Serie A.
Ivory Coast: Yahia Fofana; Guela Doué, Singo, Agbadou, Konan; Diomande, Seko Fofana, Kessié ©, Touré; Pepé, Wahi

International friendly, 04/06/26
France got the final part of their World Cup preparations underway by hosting Ivory Coast in Nantes. Didier Deschamps, who was serenaded for his return to his former La Beaujoire ground, opted to give PSG’s Champions League winners at his disposal a breather.
With Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé all benched, Rayan Cherki was handed the playmaker role, between left-winger Marcus Thuram and Michael Olise on the other side. Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappé leads the line.
France dominated possession, but they were far from clinical in the final third. Kylian Mbappé and Rayan Cherki missed big chances in the first half, whereas Ivory Coast’s best chances stemmed from Les Bleus’ unforced errors. Mike Maignan proved alert to save Aurélien Tchouaméni’s blushes after the Real Madrid midfielder was too easily dispossessed by Simon Adingra.
Ivory Coast goalkeeper Yahia Fofana was called into action more often than not, but there was nothing he could do to prevent Cherki from opening the scoring. The Manchester City playmaker recovered the ball from Ibrahima Konaté, breezed past Seko Fofana and Yan Diomandé before finding the bottom right corner.