James Rodriguez has been left out of Colombia s starting line-up for their World Cup opener against Japan after failing to recover from a reported calf strain.

The Bayern Munich loanee has been receiving treatment in the last week in a race to be fit for the game in Saransk but was named as a substitute by Jose Pekerman.

The absence of the 26-year-old, who won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup after scoring six times, is a blow to Colombia s hopes of a positive start in Group H, having qualified for consecutive tournaments for the first time in 20 years.

Juan Quintero starts in the number 10 role behind striker Radamel Falcao, with Jose Izquierdo and Juan Cuadrado named on the wings.

James scored seven times in 23 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern in …

Paris Saint-Germain were frustrated by Bordeaux for the second time in Ligue 1 this season as the champions had to settle for a 1-1 draw at the Stade Matmut-Atlantique on Wednesday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead just before the hour mark with a fine header, but Nicolas Pallois restored parity again shortly after.

Bordeaux were the first team to take points off PSG in 2015-16 when they played out a 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes in September and they again caused Laurent Blanc s men plenty of problems this time around.

Adam Ounas, in particular, made life hard for the PSG defence and he perhaps should have put his team in front shortly before the break when he aimed wide from close range.

The visitors thought they had done enough to emerge victorious…

Paulo Dybala will leave Juventus in January and already has offers from clubs in Spain and England, Palermo owner Maurizio Zamparini has claimed.

The forward started his side s Serie A opener against Chievo last month but did not play in the 2-0 win over Lazio and only managed 10 minutes off the bench in the 2-1 victory against Parma prior to the international break.

The 24-year-old has also found life difficult at international level in recent months, having been left out of Argentina s last two starting line-ups after being omitted from their World Cup squad.

Zamparini, who sanctioned Dybala s move to Juve from Palermo in 2015, has hit out at head coach Massimiliano Allegri for his treatment of the player and backed him to move to LaLiga in the next transfer wi…

Peru starlet Miguel Araujo has moved to confirm reports linking him with a January move to Benfica.

The 23-year-old has performed admirably for Alianza Lima since returning from Europe, but it was his performances for the national team that made the headlines.

Araujo made four appearances for Peru in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, and it was his excellent showing in the goalless draw with Argentina that won him the worldwide acclaim.

Portuguese giants Benfica appear to be readying a January bid for the centre-back’s services, while some reports suggest LA Galaxy are also keen.

Araujo himself is well aware of the interest and he seems ready to join the Eagles in the upcoming transfer window.

“I am aware of the Benfica interest, I’ve heard it…

Erling Haaland has quickly forged a reputation as one of the world s most feared strikers but the Borussia Dortmund superstar spoke about the career paths he would have taken had it not been for football.

And the two options the Norway international offered during a Twitter question and answer session could hardly have been more different…

A rapper or a farmer, Haaland offered in reply to the question posed by a fan.

Fans of Haaland will not be overly surprised by his musical aspirations, given back in 2016 he was a rapper in the band Flow Kingz and uploaded videos to YouTube.

But the 20-year-old is also not shy when it comes to manual labour and has spent time during the close season working on a potato farm, while he also posted pictures of himself c…

Michael Owen was thrilled with his second-place finish after making his horse racing debut in a charity event at Ascot on Friday.

The former England, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United striker retired from football in 2013 and has long held an interest in racing, breeding and owning horses out of his stables in Cheshire.

But this time it was his turn to take to the saddle on Calder Prince, in an event staged to raise funds for the Prince s Countryside Trust.

Owen was one of 10 amateur riders to take part and led towards the end of the seven-furlong race but was eventually overhauled by Golden Wedding.

Walking the course!

— michael owen (@themichaelowen)

The horse was great and I m really pleased with how it s gone. I can t…

Unai Emery is confident Arsenal can write a new history by improving their record against the Premier League s top sides, starting with Liverpool on Saturday.

The Gunners began 2018-19 with back-to-back losses to Manchester City and Chelsea, before embarking on an 11-match winning run in all competitions that ended with a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.

They host Liverpool at Emirates Stadium looking to end a miserable record of no wins in six league meetings between the teams, with Jurgen Klopp yet to taste defeat against them in the top flight since taking over as Reds manager in October 2015.

Emery, though, hopes his belief in Arsenal s new era can be underlined by a positive result.

We want to write a new history, he told a news conference. The new histo…

Gennaro Gattuso is excited after being handed his dream job as AC Milan head coach, and the Rossoneri favourite is adamant there is nowhere better to be involved in football than the place he calls paradise .

The former Milan and Italy star was promoted from his role leading the Primavera youth team following the dismissal on Monday of Vincenzo Montella.

Montella was sacked due to the team s underwhelming start to the campaign, which came after a period of heavy spending in the off-season.

Gattuso, who played for the club between 1999 and 2012, will be tasked with improving Milan s fortunes, as they sit seventh in Serie A following a 0-0 draw with Torino on Sunday.

And although Milan have endured a steady decline since Gattuso s illustrious playing days a…

Chelsea secured top spot in Group A of the Women s Champions League as Lauren James scored twice in a comprehensive 3-0 win against second-placed Paris Saint-Germain.

Emma Hayes team knew a draw would suffice as they targeted first place on Thursday, but they ultimately enjoyed a routine outing as James added to Sam Kerr s first-half stunner.

Kerr fired into the top-right corner from 20 yards out to hand Chelsea the lead, before James added two well-taken finishes as the Blues finished their group-stage campaign with an unbeaten record.

In the group s other game, Real Madrid bowed out on a positive note as Teresa Abelleira scored twice in a 5-1 rout of Vllaznia, with Scotland international Caroline Weir also on the scoresheet.

POWERFUL.

— Chel…

On a night that saw this summer s delayed European Championships open up in Rome, Italy managed to mark their return to the major tournament stage with a thumping 3-0 win against Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico.

Despite opening Friday s meeting as the guests on paper, Roberto Mancini s men put on a real second-half flurry as they pounced on what was a dreadful Turkey side in the Italian heat.

With defender Merih Demiral deflecting into his own net after 53 minutes, the flood gates quickly opened as the former Manchester City boss saw Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne wrap up a clinical opener on home soil.

With the mood in Italy s camp epitomized by the celebrations after Giorgio Chiellini s stunning last-gasp block, we have taken a look at three key talking point…