..::Football II::..

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Grosskreutz: BVB beat Bayern without Gotze before


The energetic winger has admitted that the youngster's absence is a blow, but is still confident that BVB can emerge victorious in Saturday's clash
Kevin Grosskreutz has stressed that Borussia Dortmund has previously shown that they can beat Bayern Munich without Mario Gotze and is optimistic about their chances of winning Saturday's Champions League final at Wembley.

Gotze sustained a muscular problem during the semifinal second leg loss against Real Madrid and suffered a setback in training this week, but the Germany international remains confident that his side can cause an upset and bring home the trophy.

"It's very bitter that Mario can't play. I feel really sorry for him, especially as he also missed last year's DFB-Pokal final. But we should not forget that we also won that game without him," Grosskreutz told Bild.

"We are once more the underdogs, but I don't mind that role to be honest. I know very well what we are capable of. We obviously want to win the cup. That would be fantastic for us and for the fans.

"I was there when Dortmund won the Champions League in 1997 and it was an unforgettable experience."

 

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Manchester United fires Phelan and Steele

The two staff members, who joined the Red Devils in 2008, will leave the club following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, with incoming boss David Moyes to bring in his own men Manchester United has sacked assistant manager Mike Phelan and goalkeeper coach Eric Steele.

Phelan replaced Carlos Quieroz as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant in 2008, and has helped the club secure three Premier League titles, two Capital One Cups and a Club World Cup in his time on the Old Trafford staff.

The 50-year-old made over 100 appearances for the Red Devils between 1989 and 1994, and also earned his one England cap while under Sir Alex's tutelage.

Steele has been working closely with David De Gea since the keeper's arrival from Atletico Madrid, and has been credited with playing a big part in the 22-year-old's development and upturn in form during the 2012-13.

The former Manchester City and Blackburn coach had learned Spanish to better communicate with De Gea in training, and was in charge of an intense programme to bulk up the young shot-stopper.

Sir Alex made clear that he could not guarantee any member of staff a future at United when he announced his decision to leave the club at the beginning of May.

David Moyes, who has begun work at Carrington ahead of his official start date on July 1, will bring in his own men for certain positions, with members of his backroom staff at Everton expecting to join him in Manchester.

But Moyes has retained United's interest in Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, although the Premier League champions face competition from Manchester City.

 

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Klopp: I started to believe after Malaga


The Borussia Dortmund boss says his side's dramatic victory over Manuel Pellegrini's men gave everyone reason to aim for the Champions League title
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp says he started to believe that his side could go all the way in the Champions League after its dramatic comeback against Malaga.

The Schwarzgelben scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat the Andalusians and reach the semi-finals of the competition, where they beat Real Madrid.

They now face familiar foe Bayern Munich at Wembley in the showpiece and Klopp says the last-eight win inspired his side.

"It was after this quarterfinal win and particularly the way it came about, that we thought it could work out, that we had a chance to go to Wembley," he told the club's official website. "It may be a surprise that we are in the final, but it's not a sensation."

Klopp went on to say that his tactics are based on teamwork and the willingness to help your fellow players.

"Football is a team sport," he explained. "The whole point of this game is to help each other improve.

"With the exception of your family members, your teammates should be the people you feel most comfortable around. That's my idea of football."

Meanwhile, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke believes that BVB are the only team capable of overcoming Bayern Munich, which stormed to the Bundesliga title and beat Barcelona 7-0 over two legs this season.

"I think there is only team at the moment that can beat Bayern - and that's us," he mused. "Of course everything has to fall into place and we have to play at the top of our game. But, yes, we have a chance. In any case, we will stretch Bayern to the limit."

Watzke went on to hail his side's group stage campaign as the making of the team, with BVB having finished first in a group containing Ajax, Manchester City and Madrid.

"When the draw was made, I wasn't as disappointed as some other people who don't know us very well," he added. "Back then I said: 'this is the kind of group in which heroes are born.'

"I guess I've been proven right, but of course we never expected to make it this far when the season began."

 

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Gill expects Rooney to stay at Manchester United

The 27-year-old has handed in his second transfer request in three seasons and is desperate to leave Old Trafford, but the former club official does not expect the striker to go Outgoing Manchester United chief executive David Gill expects Wayne Rooney to stay at the club.

Rooney asked to leave United before Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement at the start of May and the striker is still determined to leave following the arrival of David Moyes.

Some United fans booed Rooney when he collected his Premier League winner's medal, and also when he boarded the bus for the club's trophy parade around Manchester.

But Sir Alex had insisted before his departure that Rooney would not be sold.

And Gill, who has ended his 16-year professional association with the club in pursuit of other roles, expects the 27-year-old to stay put, despite interest from Chelsea and Arsenal.

"I think as Alex said at his last press conference, that's an issue for David Moyes and the new team to do, but look - I'm confident he'll be there next season," he told Sky Sports.

"I think he's a great great player, it's a great great club and the club doesn't want to lose its star players.

"So I'm sure every bit of work is being taken with Wayne, his advisers and David and Ed [Woodward, Gill's replacement] etc to ensure that happens.

"I'm not a betting man, but I'm confident when I sit in Old Trafford next season I'll be seeing Wayne Rooney running out."

 

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Isco plays coy on Madrid move


The Spain international is being chased by Manchester City but Malaga's Liga rivals are leading the race, and the attacking midfielder tried not to give much away
Malaga attacker Isco has played coy on links suggesting he will join Real Madrid this summer.

The Spain international, who on Thursday was named in the Under-21 squad for June's European Championship final, is also a target for Manchester City, the club which current Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini is expected to join.

However, the Santiago Bernabeu side remain in poll position to snap up the highly rated 21-year-old, whose current contract at La Rosaleda runs until 2016.

When asked by Spanish television channel Cuatro about the Madrid interest, he said: "We’ll see, let’s see what happens..."

 

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Torres on Mourinho: I wish it would happen


The Spanish striker is looking forward to the challenge of playing for Jose Mourinho.Count Chelsea striker Fernando Torres among those who would like to have Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge.

The former Chelsea boss is widely rumored to be in line to take over for Rafa Benitez when the Spanish manager's contract runs out, a rumor heightened by Mourinho's decision to step away from his post with Real Madrid.

Torres continued to insist that nothing was final as far as Mourinho and Chelsea were concerned, but that he was excited by the prospect of playing for the Portuguese boss.

"Obviously the top managers in the world are linked with the top clubs in the world," he told reporters during a conference call on Thursday. "This is the situation now. Chelsea is looking for a new manager, Jose Mourinho is free, so everyone links Mourinho with Chelsea because he is famous and because of what he’s been saying in the last few months. We have players that have been working with him so they have good memories with him at Chelsea.

"I wish it would happen. I wish to have the chance to be under Mourinho’s management. It’s a challenge, a big motivation, so I wish it would happen."Torres scored 23 times for Chelsea this season, helping lead the club to a Europa League title and a third place finish in the Premier League.

 

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Spain Under-21 squad for Euros named

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, Malaga attacker Isco and Barcelona midfielder Thiago are among the major names in Julen Lopetegui's 23-man outfitSpain Under-21 coach Julen Lopetegui has named a star-studded squad to take to the next month's European Championship including players from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United.

La Rojita will be hoping for a vast improvement to their Under-23 Olympic campaign last summer, when they were dumped out at the group stage featuring many players who have been named for the tournament in Israel in June.

Five players have been called up that were included in the victorious Spain side two years ago, including current captain David de Gea, whose performances in the tournament helped secure a move to Old Trafford in 2011.

Barca starlets Thiago, Marc Bartra and Cristian Tello will be fielded alongside Blancos youngsters such as Alvaro Morata and Nacho Fernandez.

Malaga attacker Isco will be one to watch at the Under-21 Euros, as will Athletic Bilbao talent Iker Muniain and Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke.

The lion's share of the 23-man squad ply their trade in La Liga, though the likes of Wigan goalkeeper Joel, Bayer Leverkusen star full-back Daniel Carvajal and Benfica forward Rodrigo were also named in Thursday's squad.

"The three national teams we will face in the group stage are all very competitive and contain players with a lot of experience who have featured for their seniors," Lopetegui said to reporters. "We have a wonderful challenge ahead of us."

The reigning champions qualified for the bi-yearly tournament with nine wins and a draw and have been grouped with Russia, Germany and Netherlands in the finals, which begin on June 5 and finish 13 days later.

 

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Chelsea 3-4 Manchester City: Dzeko inspires stunning City comeback

Manchester City came from three goals down to record a remarkable 4-3 win over Chelsea in a friendly at St. Louis' Busch Stadium Thursday.

Rafa Benitez's men got off to the perfect start when Demba Ba headed home from close range early on. Goals either side of halftime from Cesar Azpilicueta and Oscar had given the Blues what looked like an unassailable lead.

But Brian Kidd somehow inspired his side to scratch out the three-goal deficit and shock the crowd of 48,263 by snatching a late winner. Javi Garcia started the comeback, before Edin Dzeko leveled the score with two strikes allowing Micah Richards to win the game in added time.

Benitez used the friendly as an opportunity to hand Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek their first team debuts for the Blues, while Kidd offered up the same honor to Albert Rusnak.

Manchester City made a quick start out of the blocks, but it was Ba who opened the scoring by turning in Juan Mata's accurate cross. The Senegalese lost his marker and managed to sneak ahead of Joe Hart to head in from close range.

That was followed by a succession of chances for City that were stuffed by Petr Cech, but it was Chelsea who struck again. Juan Mata was clumsily brought down in the box by Karim Rekik, allowing Azpilicueta to clinically dispatch the resulting penalty and double the Blues' lead.

It soon got even better for Chelsea as Oscar rounded Joe Hart and remained composed to find a finish from a tight angle early in the second half. A Manchester City comeback at this point, despite the club's general dominance, looked highly unlikely.

That was until Dzeko entered the fray. The Bosnian was cheered on by a large contingent of his compatriots in Busch Stadium, and he was instantly involved in the corner which eventually lead to Garcia pulling one back, slotting home past backup Chelsea goalkeeper Jamal Blackman.

Minutes later, the former Wolfsburg man who is linked with a move away from City to Napoli, raced up the field from a Chelsea corner to meet a James Milner pass and calmy slot past Blackman to cut the deficit to one.

Blackman then bounced back to make a succession of impressive stops, most noticeably from Milner and Dzeko again, before he was finally beaten again with five minutes remaining.

Carlos Tevez persistently plugged away throughout the match and earned some reward by claiming a fine assist for Dzeko's equalizer. The Bosnian had the ball put on a plate for him to bring the score level.

City had all the momentum and through Richards it found a dramatic late winner to cap off a remarkable match, as Nasri's short pass across the face of goal was met by the defender, who had stayed forward from a corner.

The two sides meet again on Saturday at New York's Yankee Stadium.

 

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Monaco pays 70 million euros for Porto pair

Monaco transfer window 1kedi signs godak karagani wage!​

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Santos confirms Neymar bids accepted

The Brazilians have reached an agreement with two clubs believed to be Barcelona and Real Madrid and are now awaiting the player's decision.Santos has confirmed the club has accepted two offers for Neymar.

The two sides to have had offers accepted are widely reported to be Barcelona and Real Madrid.

"Santos FC announces that it has received two proposals for Neymar," said the club via its official Twitter account. "The Management Committee of the club decided to negotiate the [sale of the] player.

"Neymar and his father are expected in Belmiro to choose which proposal the player will accept."

The two-time South American Player of the Year, whose contract is set to expire in 2014, informed the club earlier this month of his desire to join Tito Vilanova’s side.

This year's Spanish champion had seen two bids previous bids rejected by the Brazilian outfit but is now one step closer to sealing a deal for the Brazil international.

Big-spending PSG and its newly-promoted Ligue 1 counterpart Monaco have also been linked to the young forward, who has already scored over 100 senior goals in Brazil.

The 21-year-old had previously said he intended to stay in Brazil until after World Cup 2014.

 

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Neymar godak durata Barcelona join wei​

 

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Chelsea leads chase to sign Arda Turan


The 26-year-old is thought to be the subject of serious interest from the Blues, having caught the eye of Galatasaray and Arsenal previously.Chelsea is reportedly interested in signing Atletico Madrid playmaker Arda Turan at the end of the season, according to Galatasaray president Unal Aysal - who is also keen to secure his services.

The Turkey international is a highly-rated attacking player and has enjoyed a successful season with the Rojiblancos, having secured the Copa del Rey against rival Real Madrid and a third-placed finish in La Liga.

Galatasaray has been closely monitoring the 26-year-old's progress but their president admits they would be unable to offer the kind of money the Blues have.

"Chelsea is involved with Arda and we won’t be able to match what they are offering,” Aysal told Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

The west London club is looking to add depth to its squad in time for next season, having struggled to compete with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City in the Premier League, and some of Europe's top clubs in the Champions League.

Arda would offer competition in wide areas to the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar, with Bayern Leverkusen's Andre Schurrle another potential option out wide.

Arda, who has a contract until 2015, has scored four league goals and six assists this season for Atletico.

 

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'Champions League failure would've been a disaster for Milan' - Gandini

The AC Milan director has expressed his concern at the financial implications should teams not manage to qualify for Europe's premier club competition.
AC Milan director Umberto Gandini has expressed his relief at the club’s Champions League qualification, suggesting that failure to secure a spot in the competition is now a "disaster" for Europe’s top clubs.

The Rossoneri sealed Italy's final qualification slot on the final day of the Serie A season with a 2-1 victory over Siena, a result that Gandini believes was hugely important to the club’s short-term future.

"Had we not qualified it would have been a financial disaster," he told BBC Sport. "Such a disaster could affect most clubs."

"We still have to navigate the play-offs," he continued. "Winning that tie is the difference between having an extra 30m euros or not. There's so much at stake - a fifth of our budget."

Grandini, who is also vice chairman of the European Club Association, went on to reveal he believes the disparity of the financial rewards on offer to those taking part in the Europa League rather than the Champions League is an issue which will soon be addressed.

"This is something that will be mentioned at the next European Club Association meeting when we start to talk about new financial distribution models for the 2015-18 UEFA cycle," he said.

"We will look to reduce the financial gap in various ways with perhaps a more even distribution of monies between both competitions so that it lessens the impact on the Europa League teams who fail to qualify for the Champions League."

Though the winner of the Europa League earn 10.5m euros for its efforts over the entire season, the Champions League winner earns that amount from the final alone.

 

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Klopp: 'Dortmund doesn't stand a chance without playing well'


The BVB coach believes his players have the ability to beat Bayern in the Champions League final but dismissed the idea of German soccer being ahead of the rest of Europe.Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has demanded his side excel against Bayern Munich and warned that a performance that is not up to scratch will see it defeated in Saturday's Champions League final.

The Schwarzgelben are underdogs against their fellow German opposition in the battle to be crowned continental kings, but the BVB trainer is adamant the Ruhr side can enjoy a fairytale end to the season if they try their hardest at Wembley.

He told reporters at a press conference on Friday: "This team's been growing over the last five years, and we think this could only have been done in this club. Maybe that's why things are a bit more emotional for us.

"People have climbed Mount Everest before and had to turn around 10 meters from the top, but at least they've tried. And we've tried too.

"To be prepared for the details, you have to do the big things right. It is two strong teams playing against each other and the whole world will watch this.

"We have to play really well, otherwise we don’t stand a chance. We have to try our utmost; we only have this one chance."

The Champions League final bout between the Bundesliga giants has seen debate rise over which league is the strongest in Europe and Klopp believes Germany have caught up with other countries but dismissed ideas of Bundesliga dominance.

"We do intend to carry on advancing. Whether German football has improved compared to others, I don't know," he continued.

"It's not that German football is completely dominant - maybe we've caught up a bit. We will try again and again to get into the final, but whether we will manage it I don't know."

 

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Walter Mazzarri appointed new Inter coach


The 51-year-old has signed a two-year deal with club just 24 hours after Andrea Stramaccioni was relieved of his duties is Inter has confirmed the appointment of former Napoli coach as the club's new manager.

The 51-year-old succeeds Andrea Stramaccioni, who was sacked on Friday.

"FC Internazionale would like to announce that the club has appointed Walter Mazzarri as the new head coach," read a statement on the club's official club website. "FC Internazionale would like to thank Andrea Stramaccioni for the great commitment and professionalism he showed in a particularly difficult year. Walter Mazzarri has signed a two-year deal."

Former Sampdoria boss Mazzarri had been heavily linked with a move to San Siro after guiding the Partenopei to an impressive second-place finish in Serie A this season, ending his four-year reign in Sicily with the club’s highest league finish in over twenty years and sealing qualification for next season's Champions League.

Inter will not compete in European competition next season after a disappointing campaign saw it end the season in ninth.

 

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Father: Ozil won't be part of Madrid summer exodus

Mustafa Ozil has confirmed his son is enjoying life at los Blancos, despite rumors of high-profile teammates leaving in the summer along with coach Jose Mourinho
Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil is very happy with life at the club and has no desire to leave at the end of the season, says his father.

It is believed that a number of high-profile players will leave los Blancos in the summer, including Angel Di Maria, Fabio Coentrao and Pepe, but it appears the 24-year-old will not be one of those following coach Jose Mourinho out of the club.

“Özil is very happy in Madrid," Mustafa Ozil told Marca.com. "He loves the club, the city and the fans, which have in all this time been really affectionate towards him. In that way we are really happy. Mesut feels very much at home playing at Real Madrid."

Despite a consistent season at Madrid, which has included nine league goals and 13 assists, Mustafa still firmly believes his son can improve further.

“Right now he's playing at a great level, but I think he can still improve," he continued. "He is only 24, with a long way to go. I'm proud of what he has achieved so far, but he can do even better.”

 

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De Rossi wants football to grab headlines in Coppa Italia final

The Italy midfielder says the reputation of the derby has suffered following ugly scenes between supporters, but wants on-pitch matters to be the talking points on Sunday Daniele De Rossi hopes it will be the football and not the off-field incidents involving fans which will grab the headlines when Roma and Lazio clash in the Coppa Italia final.

Matches between the two sides have been marred by violent scenes and the Giallorossi midfielder is hoping to avoid a repeat of events which saw two people stabbed in Rome prior to the Serie A derby in April.

The Italy international wants there to be a celebratory atmosphere at Stadio Olimpico which he believes would go some way to repairing the damaged reputation of football in the city whilst is also upbeat about Roma's chances.

"I am confident ahead of the derby," the 29-year-old told Corriere dello Sport. "It is going to be a good party. There are many people who want to come to the stadium hoping to celebrate and I hope that they will leave all the guns and knives at home."

De Rossi is also aware that the players have to lead by example, however, in the last five matches there have been eight red cards shared between the two sides. De Rossi is hoping that tally won't be added to this weekend.

"We know that the game is highly charged and on the pitch we must be the first not to overdo it because that might trigger something unpleasant, that should not be the case at all," he continued. "Everyone, especially for me as a Roman, would like to see a great test of maturity on the part of the city.

"We want to win and play well because we know how important it is, but there is also a lot of responsibility because there cannot be flaring tempers.

"This game can be an excuse to improve the image of a city like Rome, and Italian football in general, not make it worse."

Roma is going for an all-time record of Coppa Italia success and will go into double figures with a win against their fiercest rivals on Sunday.

 

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UEFA Champions League Final 2013.05.25

UEFA Champions League Final 2013.05.25

Dortmund Vs Bayern

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Ada Pattama Gemak yai

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