Insight

Having finished rock bottom of their group with just a single point to their name at Euro 2016, Austria will be hoping to make more of an impact this summer.

At the end of every season, there is always a list of big-name stars who are out of contract and available on a free transfer. This year, there are plenty of notable players on that list.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that stars such as Ederson and Thibaut Courtois are among the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in Europe’s top five leagues this season. However, there is an unlikely name at the top of the list.

With the top four teams in Spain’s top-flight currently separated by just six points, it’s all to play for in the La Liga title race.

As we approach the business end of the Premier League season, clubs are battling it out to secure the best finish possible. But there are also plenty of off-field matters to address in the coming weeks.

Following an unsuccessful 17-month spell, Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties as Tottenham Hotspur manager last week.

Due to the pandemic, the market value of football players has declined. But there are still a number of stars that are worth in excess of €100m.

Following a four-month lay-off, Major League Soccer returns this weekend, with Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes competing in the 2021 curtain-raiser on Friday night.

The Premier League has been home to countless world-class goalscorers over the years, with 24 players winning the Golden Boot – and eight men winning it on more than one occasions.

We are starting to approach the business end of the season in many of Europe’s major leagues, with some title races shaping up to be closer than others.

When Portugal won the European Championship back in 2016, they weren’t considered the strongest team in Europe at the time. Nations like France, Germany and Belgium were expected to challenge for the trophy, yet Portugal ended up beating the French in the final.

Considered by many in recent history to be the ultimate Premier League yo-yo club, West Brom are in the thick of a relegation battle this season and the task of keeping them in the top-flight is squarely on the shoulders of an expert escape artist, Sam Allardyce.

Not many Italian sides can say that they have played in all four top-flight divisions in the country, have been re-founded twice, and have won trophies domestically and in Europe. Drama seems to constantly follow Parma and the 2020/21 seasons in no different with the club battling against relegation from Serie A.

Real Sociedad are enjoying a fine season both domestically and in Europe. This famous Spanish club sit 5th in the La Liga table and prepare to take Premier League powerhouse Manchester United in the next round of the Europa League this week and we thought it was a good time to take a look at the history of this great Basque club.

Mainz may not have won the Bundesliga or claimed a single DFB Pokal in their 116-year history, but the club have established themselves as a top-flight side over the last 11-seasons. However, the famous carnival city hasn’t had much to celebrate in recent seasons and now Mainz look set for a relegation battle that could see them slip back into the second tier.

Elche are a club that came so close to glory in one moment of their history and have also suffered severe financial crises. Elche have a ‘yoyo’ relationship with La Liga since the late 1950s and returned to the top-flight this season.

Nobody has won more Ligue 1 titles than Saint-Etienne and the club sit joint-third in the list of France’s most successful football clubs behind PSG and Marseille on total domestic and European trophies won.

Despite being one of the most successful clubs in German football, Schalke have suffered two bottom half of the table finishes since claiming 2nd spot in the 2017/18 campaign and now find themselves in real danger of being relegated.

Fulham were regulars in the Premier League between 2001-2014, finishing as high as 8th position in the 2010/11 campaign. However, the club suffered relegation to the Championship in 2014 and although they have been back to the top since then, remaining in the top-flight of English football remains the club’s biggest challenge in 2021.

Marine have made it through to the 3rd round of the FA Cup for just the second time in their history this season and awaiting them is a home tie against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.