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Liverpool striker Christian Benteke has been ruled out of  the Capital One Cup fourth-round tie with Bournemouth  on Wednesday night because of a knee injury. Benteke came off the substitutes' bench to score in the 1-1 draw with Southampton at Anfield on Sunday, but also sustained a knee problem which will keep him out of the match with the Cherries.    The Belgium international has not been ruled out of this Saturday's Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.  

Sepp Blatter says it was "agreed" to hold the 2018 World Cup in Russia before the vote even took place. Blatter's revelation was made during an interview with a Russian news agency in which he also called his current suspension "total nonsense" and blamed FIFA's ongoing crisis on the last-minute decision of four Europeans to endorse Qatar as 2022 hosts. Russia and Qatar were awarded hosting rights in December 2010 but, according to Blatter, the plan within FIFA was for Russia and the United States - not Qatar - to hold successive tournaments.

Seven candidates will stand in Fifa's presidential election on 26 February. The candidates are: Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Musa Bility, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Michel Platini, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale. Trinidadian ex-footballer David Nakhid was not included on the list, despite saying he had submitted his candidacy. The election is to find a successor to the suspended Sepp Blatter, who is under criminal investigation. The Swiss 79-year-old announced he would be stepping down in June, with world football's governing body  at the centre of a corruption scandal.

Chelsea  has planned to review  Jose Mourinho 's position during the international break in two weeks as the Portuguese fights to keep his job, Goal UK has learned. Mourinho is under increasing pressure after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to West Ham left the Premier League champions 15th in the table having lost five of their 10 league fixtures this season.  The former Real Madrid boss received a public vote of confidence last month, when Blues owner Roman Abramovich decided to give his manager until the two-week break in November to turn around the team's fortunes. Some reports have suggested that Mourinho could be sacked if Chelsea loses to Liverpool on Saturday but while patience is wearing thin at Stamford Bridge, the 52-year-old is unlikely to leave the club before the Premier League fixture away at Stoke on Nov. 7. After that game, Abramovich and the board are expected to reassess their options with the club's chances of reaching the top four a prominent factor in th...

Chelsea striker Diego Costa was taken to the hospital with a rib injury in the wake of his side's League Cup loss to Stoke.  The Spain international featured from the start in Tuesday's encounter at the Britannia Stadium, but was forced to leave the pitch in the 33th minute after picking up a knock. Costa was replaced by Loic Remy and was taken to the hospital for further examination on his rib injury.

A quarter of the way into this Premier League season, Chelsea have unwillingly advanced the concept of the "bad patch". From their lofty perch of the last decade, they have witnessed plenty of minor wobbles and stumbles. It became more than a mere "blip" -- universally understood to be an anomaly of form that last no longer than three or four games -- when Crystal Palace snatched three points from Stamford Bridge at the end of August. After the blip comes the indeterminate period of the "crisis" -- a term that has long lost its significance in the Premier League era -- but crises are rarely terminal, and a corner is usually turned. So how can we describe Chelsea's dismal 2015/16? From the platform of a comprehensive (if not hugely memorable) title-winning year, they have delivered the capitulation to end all capitulations. Having redefined the art of winning in his first spell as manager, Jose Mourinho has now overseen a painful exhibition in h...

The music video for Ice Prince Zamani's new single, Boss, has become the first ever African video to premiere on Jay Z's music streaming service, Tidal. Congrats to him. Watch the video after the cut...