(GSM) Hertha BSC Berlin may have surged to an impressive 4th position in the Bundesliga last term, but a disastrous start to the season has seen them lying at bottom of the table after 16 Rounds of the 2009/10 season.

With high flying league leaders Bayer Leverkusen visiting the Olympic Stadium on Friday night, things looked bleak for the Berliners especially for coach Friedhelm Funkel.

Berlin seemed to be heading for their 13th defeat of the season when Burak Kaplan put Leverkusen 2-1 up going into stoppage time, but Adrian Ramos equalised with almost the final touch of the game to earn a point.

And all of this came to fruition in front of the home crowd when the Blue-Whites were down to ten men, it seems luck has turned good for a struggling side that was full…

Villarreal finally recorded their first away win of the season coming from behind to win 2-1 at Atletico Madrid on Sunday thanks to Joseba Llorente s last minute winner.

Portuguese international Simao had shot Atletico into a first half lead but David Fuster equalised early in the second period and both sides had chances before Llorente bundled in a 90th minute header to stun the home fans at the Vicente Calderon.

It boosts Villarreal s chances of European football after enduring the worst start in their history and the club climb to 10th. For Atletico it was a seventh defeat of the campaign and they lie just a point above the relegation zone.

Atletico were without top-scorer Sergio Kun Aguero due to injury but winger Simao opened the scoring on 36 minutes. Sima…

Liverpool will have to cope without star player Philippe Coutinho until mid-January

Last time out in the Premier League, Liverpool defeated Sunderland 2-0 at Anfield. The win was a fairly routine one for Jurgen Klopp’s side and kept them in touch with their title rivals.

However, the game did produce a moment that could have a major effect on the Reds campaign.

In the first half influential Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho went down and it was clear he was in trouble.

The former Inter man was substituted and it was later confirmed that he will be sidelined until the middle of January through an ankle injury.

The Reds travel to Bournemouth on Sunday looking to continue their surge without the influential star in a game Klopp’s side are t…

Sergio Ramos rescues a laboured Real Madrid and places a major trophy firmly within their grasp. Now where have we seen that before?

A defeat in Saturday s Clasico would have been far from disastrous but the centre-back s 90th-minute equaliser secured a 1-1 draw that keeps Madrid six points clear at the top of LaLiga and still unbeaten in the top flight this season.

For the third time in two years, in a pivotal match in which Cristiano Ronaldo was largely anonymous, Ramos emerged as the saviour with a goal that seems more than likely to land Madrid a piece of silverware.

He might lose out to Ronaldo when the Ballon d Or winner is announced in 10 days time, but the captain s importance in securing trophies for his side cannot be overstated.

4 Sergio Ramo…

Barca ponder summer swoop for Pjanic

Spanish giants Barcelona are ready to step up their interest in AS Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic, La Gazzetta dello Sport has suggested.

It is no secret that the Catalans have long been hot on the trail of the Bosnian footballer, but the January move seems unlikely due to club s financial problems.

However, Barcelona should have money to spend next summer and they reportedly plan to recruit Pjanic ahead of the 2016/2017 season.

While AS Roma are not exactly ready to cash in on their prized asset, it is believed the Giallorossi would consider offers in the region of €40 million.

Miralem Pjanic, 25, has been one of club s star performers this season, having managed 6 goals and 5 assists in 11 Serie A starts.

French first division strugglers Le Mans announced on Tuesday that they are to appeal against the result of their 2-1 defeat at Rennes at the end of November.

The Loire region club, currently third-bottom in the French top flight, allege that Rennes s Ghanaian international striker Asamoah Gyan was not eligible to play in the match, in which he scored the winning goal.

Gyan had pulled out of Ghana s friendly match in Angola on November 18 but FIFA rules state that a player who has not been able to play for his national side cannot play for his club for a period of five days.

Numerous reports raising serious doubts about Asamoah Gyan s eligibility for the Rennes-Le Mans match on November 21, 2009 have been brought to the awareness of Le Mans in recent days, read…

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel is targeting a “statement performance” to end the 30-match unbeaten run of title rivals Bayer Leverkusen.

Leverkusen hold a two-point lead over Saturday’s visitors at the top of the Bundesliga after winning 16 and drawing four of their 20 league games this season.

Xabi Alonso’s side can also boast a 100 per cent record in the group stage of the Europa League and twice came from behind in the German Cup on Tuesday to beat Stuttgart 3-2 and advance to the semi-finals.

Tuchel:

We re fully focused on what we re doing. We want to deliver a statement performance. We will need to perform to the very best of our abilities in order to win. We want to prove ourselves this coming week.

— FC Bayern Munich …

Celtic are waiting on the full diagnosis of Alistair Johnston’s injury but fear he has suffered a fracture.

The right-back will miss Sunday’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fifth-round tie against St Mirren in Paisley after being carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital following an aerial challenge against Hibernian.

The Canada international, who was caught late in the side of his head by Hibernian defender Nectarios Triantis, was at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training centre on Friday but could be facing a lay-off.

“We are just waiting on the results of a scan,” boss Brendan Rodgers said.

“He won’t be available for the weekend. We think he has a slight fracture on the side of the head. We don’t know (how long he will be out), we are just wai…

Memphis Depay added weight to the rumours linking him with a move away from Lyon by expressing his desire to join a bigger club .

The 24-year-old, who signed for Lyon from Manchester United in January 2017 for an initial €16million, is reportedly a target for AC Milan after a successful 2017-18 season at Groupama Stadium.

Depay scored 19 goals in 36 Ligue 1 appearances to help the club finish third and earn a return to the Champions League, but he is keen to leave Bruno Genesio s side and find success with one of Europe s top teams.

I m happy at the moment, Depay told reporters after Lyon s International Champions Cup match against Chelsea.

Memphis Depay

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)

Of course I want to make the step …

Milan are pondering a loan move for Roma striker Marco Borriello, .

The Rossoneri plan to add another striker to their ranks after Giampaolo Pazzini picked up a serious injury, but they are not prepared to spend a lot of money on the player who would act as a back-up to Mario Balotelli.

As a result, they are hoping to sign their former player Marco Borriello on a season-long loan from Serie A rivals Roma.

The 31-year-old returned to Stadio Olimpico after his loan deal at Genoa expired, but seeing as how the forward is not in the first team plans of coach Rudi Garcia, he is again set to leave the club.

It was at San Siro that Borriello began his professional career, spending nine years at Milan before joining Roma in 2010.

He made a total of 54 le…