Carlo Ancelotti has paid the price for Bayern Munich s stuttering form, with the head coach sacked on Thursday following defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

The ex-Real Madrid boss had been brought in to build on the fine work of Pep Guardiola, who departed for Manchester City, but he ultimately failed as Bayern drifted further away from Europe s elite evidenced in the reverse at the Parc des Princes.

While Ancelotti s reign was not without its successes, his side could not live up to the standards set under Guardiola as Bayern won three straight Bundesliga titles.

Here, we assess the low points of Ancelotti s tenure in Opta numbers.

STANDARDS SLIPPING

Ancelotti, of course, did win a Bundesliga title in his first seas…

Prediction: France win

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The domestic season may be over but the summer has only just begun. Between the Summer Olympics and the Euros we ve got a whole lot to look forward to and as the countdown to kick-off for the latter continues, we thought we d take a look at a friendly game between two of the teams set to take part. France and Wales will both participate in this year s rescheduled European Championship and while they may not be the favourites to some, underestimating them would be a huge mistake.

France

If France are going to carry forward their success from the 2018 FIFA World Cup, they ll need to do so with some ruthless efficiency because their group is an absolute disaster zone for potential banana skins. They ll be t…

Dele Alli called for Tottenham to use the pain of defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League final to drive them on next season, but admitted that missing out on Europe s top prize was heartbreaking .

The England midfielder missed a number of opportunities at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, where goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi earned Liverpool glory in the continent s biggest competition for the sixth time on Saturday.

Tottenham will be in the Champions League again next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League and Alli said the memory of losing in Madrid could become a tool they use to better themselves.

It s heartbreaking, no one is really speaking, the 25-year-old told reporters.

We have to keep working, keep improving and t…

Peter Bosz has urged Borussia Dortmund to recapture their early season form when they travel to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Defeat at home to RB Leipzig last weekend left Dortmund a mere two points above Bayern Munich at the summit.

Leipzig are a point further back and a disappointing 1-1 draw at APOEL in midweek for Bosz s side left their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

Our level now is not that of the beginning of the season, the former Ajax boss told a pre-match news conference. It s disappointing and it is up to me as a trainer to turn this around.

When you win, everything is simple. We have already shown we have a good team.

We ll get back there. If we play good football, the results will come. A victory …

Left-back – Ali Adnan (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Adnan s attacking ability from the back has been critical for Vancouver in 2019. He is one of only three defenders to have completed 20 dribbles and create 10 or more chances this term. On top of that, he is one of four defenders with 100 or more duels won, and the Whitecaps concede more than double the amount of goals per 90 minutes with him off the pitch (0.9 goals conceded per 90 with Adnan on the field, 2.1 per 90 without him).

Central midfield – Jonathan dos Santos (Los Angeles Galaxy)

The Mexico international has become arguably the most intimidating midfield force in MLS this year. He has won a league-best 155 possessions and has 94 tackles and interceptions – no other player has more than 75. Look no further tha…

Gary Medel has insisted Inter must continue to improve if they are to be successful in Serie A this season ahead of Sunday s home game against Frosinone.

Roberto Mancini s men have enjoyed a fine start to the 2015-16 campaign and heading into the weekend share top spot in the table with Fiorentina after 12 games, with both sides collecting 27 points so far.

Medel is not getting carried away just yet, though, and has told his team-mates there is still a long way to go before they can start thinking about the Scudetto.

We still have to improve a lot, Medel said at a media conference.

We have a great team, but there is still a lot of work to do and there are many more games left in the league.

Geoffrey Kondogbia, however, is optimistic about Inter…

Market: Sunderland win

Odds: 20/21 @

Looking to take a giant step towards booking a play-off spot, Sunderland will welcome Watford to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

Starting with the hosts, while Sunderland might have only made their Championship return this season, the Black Cats have continued on a stellar second-tier romp. Last seen putting in another eye-catching display as they claimed a shock 2-1 victory away at West Brom, Tony Mowbray’s men are riding a major wave of momentum since returning from March’s international break. Skyrocketing their way into the top-six and seen as a leading contender to claim a stunning play-off spot in 2023, the former Blackburn boss finds his side in the midst of a seven-match unbeaten run against Championsh…

Paris Saint-Germain s 2-0 win does not mean Manchester United are unable to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals, said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe converted crosses from Angel Di Maria in the space of seven second-half minutes to give PSG a comfortable cushion in the last-16 tie.

United s task was made even harder by Paul Pogba s dismissal for a second bookable offence in the closing stages at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

But while caretaker manager Solskjaer whose side were beaten for the first time since he replaced Jose Mourinho in December accepted United have a tough task in Paris next month, he will not give up.

Mountains are there to be climbed, the United boss said to BT Sport after the club s record home defea…

Competition: Serie A

Market: Inter Milan to beat Bologna

Odds:

Serie A continues this weekend with another round of big games. The season is now past the halfway point and teams are beginning to see where they are likely to finish if they maintain their current form. While the situations of the sides differ, every single one will want to pick up all three points this weekend to swell their tally for the season so far. With this in mind, Inter Milan host Bologna on Sunday.

Inter Milan had been in outstanding for this season, but they have since stalled, with their last few games seeing them drop down the table. After 23 matches they have won 12, drawn nine and lost twice, scoring 33 times and conceding 17 goals. In their last five they have not w…

Everton will host Chelsea in the sixth round of the FA Cup in a repeat of the 2009 final that saw Guus Hiddink s side lift the trophy.

Caretaker manager Hiddink has won all of his FA Cup games over two spells as temporary Chelsea boss a run that continued with a 5-1 hammering of Manchester City in the fifth round on Sunday and will come up against the 2009 runners-up at Goodison Park in March.

Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Manchester United will be at home in the last eight if they come through their respective clashes at Hull City and Shrewsbury Town.

Holders Arsenal were taken to a replay by second-tier Hull on Saturday while beleaguered Louis van Gaal takes his United team to League Two side Shrewsbury on Monday.

A home clash with fellow Prem…