Mounting a stellar second-half comeback away at Brentford last weekend, Newcastle find themselves in the midst of what has quickly become a history-making campaign at St. James’ Park.

Eventually clinching a 2-1 victory in west London on Saturday afternoon, Eddie Howe’s high-flying squad now sit in pole position to claim a remarkable top-four finish this season.

Only continuing to gain a string of plaudits from across the Premier League, the Magpies have only gone from strength to strength since their Saudi-backed takeover was finally completed last year.

With the likes of Kieran Tripper and immediately finding their feet since arriving in the north east, Newcastle have impressed with their eye-catching recruitment over the past 12 months.

Looking li…

​Ryan Bertrand has expressed his disappointment at being left out of the England squad despite his good form for Southampton.

The left-back joined the south-coast club on loan from Chelsea in July and has played in all 11 of their Premier League games this season.

Bertrand has received much praise for his performances from Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, who has made a flying start to his tenure with a side that currently sit second in the English top flight with 25 points.

Despite the positive reviews from Koeman, Bertrand was snubbed by England boss Roy Hodgson for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier with Slovenia and friendly with Scotland, a decision that has left the 25-year-old deflated.

It will be quiet here in Southampton these next two weeks, …

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert slammed the behaviour of Ron Vlaar s agent, as doubt on the player s future remains.

The Dutch centre-back, 29, is in the final season of his contract at Villa Park, having moved to the Midlands outfit from Feyenoord in 2012.

Vlaar s representative Arnold Oosterveer said earlier in November that the defender was in demand in mid-year, with Southampton among the suitors, and that it was time for him to take a nice step .

Lambert hit back at Oosterveer, who also claimed Villa had not approached Vlaar s management, stating the player s agent had gone too far with his comments.

I m not blaming Ron in any shape or form. He s been great, [we ve had] good dialogue with him but I don t think you can do what he [Oosterveer] did, L…

Jurgen Klopp is convinced the 2019-20 Premier League campaign will not be another two-horse race but still believes Manchester City are the team to beat.

Liverpool ran City close last term, finishing just a point behind the eventual champions, who accumulated a total of 98.

The Reds impressive form was not for nothing, however, as they managed to win the Champions League, making up for their final defeat the season before.

Their pre-season exploits have left a bit to be desired, as Klopp s men have won two of six matches and those victories came against lower-league opposition Tranmere Rovers and Bradford City.

Following defeats to Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla and a draw with Sporting CP, Liverpool were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Napoli on Sunday, an…

Valencia have conceded they may struggle to retain the services of David Villa and David Silva, who have both been linked with a possible move to Manchester United.

Valencia managed to keep both players at the Mestalla over the summer despite some crippling financial problems, with Real Madrid linked with Villa and Silva a target for Liverpool.

The two Spain internationals are now reported to be targets for Sir Alex Ferguson as a large portion of the £80 million received for Cristiano Ronaldo has not been reinvested in the playing staff at Old Trafford.

As Valencia continue to battle against their financial problems, director Fernando Gomez has conceded that sales could be inevitable and that Villa, in particular, could be sacrificed.

The club made a…

Mohamed Salah will face a late fitness test before Egypt boss Hector Cuper makes a final decision on his involvement against Russia in World Cup Group A.

Salah swept to a host of end-of-season awards after his stunning debut campaign at Liverpool yielded a remarkable 44 goals in all competitions.

However, he signed off 2017-18 on a note of bitter disappointment as a shoulder injury sustained in a grappling challenge with Sergio Ramos saw the 26-year-old substituted 30 minutes into last month s 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

The Egyptian Football Association declared Salah fit to face Uruguay in the tournament opener – a verdict Cuper concurred with pre-match before opting against risking his prized asset in the 1-0 defeat.

Speaking…

Salomon Kalou wants perennial nearly men the Ivory Coast to show unity as they start their Africa Cup of Nations bid against Guinea.

Salomon Kalou says the time has come for the Ivory Coast to stop relying on individuals and start focusing on the collective as they start their Africa Cup of Nations campaign against Guinea.

After near misses in 2006 and 2012, when the Ivory Coast lost finals to Egypt and Zambia respectively, Herve Renard s men begin their latest attempt to win Africa s showpiece in Tuesday s Group D clash in Malabo.

Despite producing world-class talents such as Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, the Ivory Coast have failed to add to their solitary Africa Cup of Nations triumph in 1992.

They will be unable to call on Drogba in the latest edit…

Celtic have confirmed Wales international Adam Matthews faces a lengthy lay-off as he prepares to undergo shoulder surgery.

The former Cardiff City full-back, 21, was taken off on a stretcher after 13 minutes of Celtic s 2-0 victory over Motherwell on Saturday.

Having visited a specialist, he is now set to be sidelined for 10-12 weeks.

A statement on Celtic s website revealed Matthews will go under the knife on Wednesday and added: Everyone at Celtic sends their best wishes to Adam ahead of the surgery and for the weeks ahead.

Matthews has made 91 appearances for the Scottish champions since his move from Cardiff in 2011.

His injury adds to a lengthy list of absences for Wales boss Chris Coleman ahead of their final 2012 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against M…

Swansea City were made to rue a series of missed first-half chances as David Meyler s goal sent a Hull City side boosted by Jake Livermore s return into round four of the League Cup on Tuesday.

Livermore was named in a much-changed Hull line-up, his first action since being cleared to play following a positive test for cocaine, and managed to get through 69 minutes before he was substituted to a standing ovation at the KC Stadium.

Garry Monk s men beat Hull twice when this game was a Premier League fixture last season and Eder, Wayne Routledge and Angel Rangel all wasted great chances for the Welsh club.

And Hull made the most of Swansea s profligacy as Meyler tapped in after Shaun Maloney s header was saved.

Swansea pressed to get back into the game and …

N Golo Kante will play for Chelsea against old team Leicester on Saturday

Seven games into the Premier League campaign and reigning champions Leicester are 12th in the top-flight table after an unconvincing start to their title defence.

The Foxes visit 2014/15 Premier League champions Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime and they are regarded as underdogs in the clash. However, what is new about that status for the Foxes?

Not underdogs anymore

Claudio Ranieri’s side may be underdogs to beat Chelsea at , but this season they are no longer regarded as underdogs. In fact, there lies the problem for the fearless Foxes of last season.

The champions are now afforded more respect. No longer do teams go up against the team from the Midlands and play with comp…