Payet replaces Fekir in France squad

Amid the clamour for the Bundesliga s exciting young talent to feature for Germany, Joachim Low has offered a reminder of the quality required to mount a successful defence of the World Cup.

There has been speculation that Low could pick an experimental squad for the Confederations Cup in June and July, which serves as a warm-up tournament for the World Cup in Russia next year.

Germany will be seeking to retain the crown they earned in Brazil in 2014 and Low has plenty of promising newcomers vying for selection alongside an experienced core of established players.

But the national team coach claimed he will not be easily swayed by the calls for new faces.

There are not quite as many [who are ready] as we always think, he told Kicker.

We re talki…

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge remains some way off a return to fitness, as the England international struggles for consistency on his road to recovery.

Sturridge has managed just six appearances for Liverpool this season, with his Anfield career having been plagued by hamstring and thigh injuries since arriving from Chelsea in 2013.

The 26-year-old offered Klopp a glimpse of his quality with a brace during Liverpool s 6-1 League Cup hammering of Southampton in December but Sturridge will miss the FA Cup visit of West Ham this weekend and Tuesday s Premier League trip to Leicester City.

[There is] no news. He s still working. Sometimes it s better, sometimes it s worse, Klopp told reporters.

Daniel is still working. He needs consis…

The Copa Libertadores final between Flamengo and defending champions River Plate has been moved from Chile to Peru.

Santiago was set to host to the November 23 final, but continuing unrest and protests in the Chilean capital has forced CONMEBOL to relocate this month s decider.

South America s governing body confirmed on Tuesday that the Peruvian capital of Lima will now stage the upcoming final as River look to claim back-to-back titles.

The choice of the new location is based on the Peruvian government s offer of security guarantees, CONMEBOL said. The decision was a consensus with the presidents of Flamengo and River Plate, from the confederations of Argentina, Brazil and Chile, and thus the policy of holding the single finals in different countries was maint…

Victor Osimhen reached another milestone as Napoli concluded their Scudetto-winning campaign with a 2-0 victory over Serie A s bottom side Sampdoria.

Osimhen sealed the Capocannoniere with his second-half penalty taking his tally for the Serie A campaign to 26 goals, while it was also his 50th overall in the competition.

Substitute Giovanni Simeone s wonderful individual effort secured victory as the Partonopei lifted the Serie A trophy at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Luciano Spalletti was overseeing his final match in charge before taking a year-long sabbatical.

The Partenopei finished their memorable season on 90 points, their second-highest tally in Serie A – having collected one more under Maurizio Sarri five years ago.

17 In 2023, Victor Os…

Melbourne Victory have appointed former midfielder Grant Brebner as their head coach on a permanent basis.

Brebner, 42, took over at Victory as interim head coach in June, before leading a youthful team to one win and four losses to finish the A-League season.

A two-time championship winner with Victory as a player, Brebner was appointed permanently on Monday.

I am extremely proud to be appointed the head coach of Melbourne Victory, Brebner said in a statement.

The club has been a huge part of my life, and the experience of coaching the team over the past couple of months really fuelled my desire and belief that not only did I want the opportunity to secure the role full-time, but that I had the skills and expertise to do so, and to do it well.