Ronald Koeman has insisted Southampton have the strength-in-depth to maintain their unlikely challenge for Champions League qualification.

The Saints regained third place in the Premier League from Manchester United thanks to a 2-1 victory away to Newcastle on Saturday, their first win at St. James' Park for almost 18 years.

AC Milan transfer target Mattia Destro bundled home a second-half leveler in a 1-1 draw away to Palermo as Roma's title hopes suffered a blow for the second consecutive week on Saturday.

Roma traveled to Sicily looking to get back to winning ways after battling for a 2-2 draw at home to Lazio last weekend.

Gabon seized control of Group A after the opening round of matches at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, beating Burkina Faso 2-0 while hosts Equatorial Guinea drew with Congo Brazzaville.

Jorge Costa's Panthers triumphed in Bata thanks to a goal in each half, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's opener after 19 minutes being followed by a Malick Evouna strike on 72 minutes.

Oscar and Diego Costa each scored twice as Chelsea established a provisional five-point lead at the Premier League summit with a crushing 5-0 success at Swansea City on Saturday.

The one-sided victory, which saw Chelsea go 4-0 up inside the first 36 minutes, enabled Jose Mourinho's side to pull clear of second-place Manchester City, who host Arsenal on Sunday.

After a build-up dominated by off-field anxieties, the action finally begins on the pitch on Saturday as the 30th Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Equatorial Guinea.

The host nation face Congo Brazzaville in the tournament opener in Group A in the country's largest city Bata at 1600 GMT, before another Group A clash between Burkina Faso and Gabon at the same venue at 1900 GMT.

The fight against Ebola has been given top priority in Equatorial Guinea, but it has not been the only problem facing the hosts of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ebola has dominated all talk of this year's competition, which begins on Saturday after earlier looking as if it would not go ahead when Morocco refused to act as hosts due to fears surrounding the virus.

England striker Jermain Defoe is to return to the Premier League after signing for Sunderland from FC Toronto, with Jozy Altidore heading to Canada as part of a swap deal, it was announced Friday.

Former Tottenham Hotspur favorite Defoe, 32, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Black Cats in a move that sees United States international Altidore return to North America.

French number one Jo-Wilfried Tsonga admitted Friday he bitterly regretted competing in the Davis Cup final after aggravating an arm injury that ruled him out of the Australian Open.

"I should never have played the Davis Cup final," Tsonga told Europe 1 radio, ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season which gets underway in Melbourne on Monday.

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri will miss the Premier League champions match at home to former club Arsenal on Sunday, according to manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The Frenchman has a calf strain which is set to keep him out of action for at least three weeks, Chilean boss Pellegrini said Friday.

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola believes his emblematic midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will have a brilliant second half of the season, he told a press conference in Doha on Friday.

"Something tells me he's going to play really, really well," said the Spaniard, ahead of Saturday's friendly with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.