Sport

Celtic begin their European campaign in the Bosnian capital on Tuesday. The Hoops kick off the first of a potential four Champions League qualifiers against Sarajevo. Here are the main talking points ahead of the first leg. Lennon’s Back in Europe Neil Lennon is back in Europe with Celtic (Andrew Milligan/PA) Celtic boss Neil Lennon led Hibernian to victories over Faroese and Greek opposition last season but this is his first European sojourn with Celtic since guiding them into the...

Brentford have announced the signing of Sweden defender Pontus Jansson from Leeds for an undisclosed fee. Jansson, 28, made 120 appearances for Leeds after joining them from Italian side Torino, initially on loan, in the summer of 2016. “Brentford have completed the signing of Pontus Jansson from Sky Bet Championship rivals Leeds United for an undisclosed fee,” Brentford confirmed on their official website. https://twitter.com/BrentfordFC/status/1148328659511664641 “The Swedish international central defender completed a medical in central London earlier today, Monday 8 June,...

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard admits his summer arrivals have given him some positive selection headaches ahead of their European opener. Greg Stewart and Sheyi Ojo scored in a 5-0 friendly win over Oxford on Sunday. Joe Aribo showed good running power. Jake Hastie showed some good touches and delivered some decent crosses. Jordan Jones and George Edmundson are also vying for competitive debuts. Gerrard has left experienced players out of his Europa League squad for the first qualifying round. For...

Skipper Scott Brown admits the memory of their AEK Athens exit last season will drive Celtic on in their bid to reach the Champions League this time around. The Hoops were knocked out in the third qualifying round by a limited Greek side after a 1-1 draw at Parkhead was followed up by a 2-1 defeat in the return game. The Scottish champions had to settle for a place in the Europa League through the play-off, reaching the last 32...

Neil Lennon stressed the importance of Champions League football to Celtic as he prepares for the first of four qualifiers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Hoops take on Sarajevo in the first leg of their first qualifier at the Asim Ferhatovic Hase stadium on Tuesday night. The Parkhead boss is desperate to make the group stages but he knows the route if difficult and lengthy if ultimately worthwhile. Neil Lennon’s domestic treble winners are about to embark on their European...

What the papers say Manchester United are interested in Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, who spent last season on loan at AC Milan, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to continue his summer rebuilding, RMC Sport have reported according to the Daily Mail. In further Red Devils news, Harry Maguire is “flattered”, according to the Express, by interest from United, who will have to make him the most expensive defender of all time to twist Leicester’s arm after a £70million bid for the...

Manchester City‘s quest to retain the league title was successful - beating Liverpool by a single point in a pulsating contest.

Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall has completed a move to Wigan following his departure from Hull. Marshall made 67 appearances for the Tigers after joining from Cardiff in 2016, and left the KCOM Stadium at the end of his contract. The veteran keeper, who also had spells at Celtic and Norwich, has signed a two-year deal with Latics. With more than 500 career appearances, Marshall will bring plenty of experience to Paul Cook’s squad as they look to build on last...

The 25-year-old Romanian Laurentiu Branescu has joined on a season-long loan from the Italian champions. Alessio worked with the former Romania Under-21s international during his time as assistant to Antonio Conte in Turin. Branescu first arrived at Juve in 2012 but has not broken into the first team and has spent time on loan elsewhere in Italy along with clubs in Hungary, Cyprus, Croatia and Lithuania as well as Dinamo Bucharest in his homeland. He told the club’s official website:...