Pellegrini: ‘Great relationship’ with Spalletti, but Roma extension still possible
Lorenzo Pellegrini confirms he has a 'great relationship' with Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti, but Roma director Frederic Massara leaves the door open for
Brazil made a late change to their 2026 World Cup squad after Roma right-back Wesley was injured, with the Brazilian FA confirming Atalanta midfielder Ederson as his replacement. Brazil also signed off for the tournament with a warm-up win over Egypt.
England edged New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa thanks to Harry Kane’s goal in another World Cup tune-up, as Thomas Tuchel rotated heavily and used 22 players. Declan Rice will serve as England’s vice-captain at the tournament. Argentina also won their final preparation match against Honduras despite resting Lionel Messi, while Germany, Belgium and Portugal all recorded warm-up victories. Scotland finished strongly with a 4-0 win over Bolivia before opening their World Cup campaign against Haiti. One final warm-up, between Democratic Republic of Congo and Chile, will now be played behind closed doors because of concerns over the Ebola outbreak.
There was concern in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine when Christian Eriksen collapsed, though the Danish Football Association later said the midfielder was conscious.
At club level, Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio confirmed Denzel Dumfries will join Real Madrid. He added that Inter are pushing to complete a deal for Curtis Jones and have activated their buy-back clause for Aleksandar Stankovic.
Managerial moves brought further change elsewhere. Feyenoord dismissed Robin van Persie after one full season in charge, while Celtic are poised to appoint Martin O’Neill after two interim spells last season. Italy, meanwhile, beat Greece 1-0 in a friendly with Francesco Pio Esposito scoring again, although Luca Reggiani’s senior debut lasted only 13 minutes before the Borussia Dortmund player was sent off.
| Pos | Team | Played | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 38 | 44 | 85 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 38 | 42 | 78 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 38 | 19 | 71 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 38 | 7 | 65 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 38 | 10 | 60 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 38 | 4 | 57 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 38 | -6 | 54 |
| 8 | Brighton | 38 | 6 | 53 |
| 9 | Brentford | 38 | 3 | 53 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 38 | 6 | 52 |
| 11 | Fulham | 38 | -4 | 52 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 38 | -2 | 49 |
| 13 | Everton | 38 | -3 | 49 |
| 14 | Leeds | 38 | -7 | 47 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 38 | -10 | 45 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 38 | -3 | 44 |
| 17 | Tottenham | 38 | -9 | 41 |
| 18 | West Ham | 38 | -19 | 39 |
| 19 | Burnley | 38 | -37 | 22 |
| 20 | Wolves | 38 | -41 | 20 |
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| E. Haaland (Manchester City) | 27 |
| Thiago (Brentford) | 22 |
| O. Watkins (Aston Villa) | 16 |
| João Pedro (Chelsea) | 15 |
| M. Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest) | 15 |
| D. Calvert-Lewin (Leeds) | 14 |
| V. Gyökeres (Arsenal) | 14 |
| D. Welbeck (Brighton) | 13 |
| E. Kroupi (Bournemouth) | 13 |
| J. Mateta (Crystal Palace) | 12 |
| B. Mbeumo (Manchester United) | 11 |
| B. Šeško (Manchester United) | 11 |
| H. Ekitike (Liverpool) | 11 |
| Richarlison (Tottenham) | 11 |
| Z. Flemming (Burnley) | 11 |




