..::Football III::..

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Capital One Cup draw: Home ties for Manchester clubs​

Manchester United and Manchester City were rewarded with home draws in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup.Louis van Gaal's side will host Championship side Middlesbrough having eased past Ipswich 3-0 at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.​

Manchester City will welcome Crystal Palace to the Etihad Stadium, while Sheffield Wednesday's reward for beating Newcastle United is a home game against Arsenal, 2-1 conquerors of Tottenham at White Hart Lane.​

There are four other all Premier League ties with Everton playing Norwich, Southampton paired with Aston Villa and Stoke hosting the holders Chelsea.​

Liverpool suffered an almighty scare against League Two Carlisle - squeezing through 3-2 on on penalties at Anfield after it finished 1-1 after extra-time. They will now host Bournemouth in the next round.​

Fourth round draw​

Manchester City v Crystal Palace
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Manchester United v Middlesbrough
Everton v Norwich
Southampton v Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday v Arsenal
Hull v Leicester
Stoke v Chelsea​

me para Capital One Cup eke thama loku upset nae.
hoda gamek yayi
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me para Capital One Cup eke thama loku upset nae.
hoda gamek yayi

Ow bro shape 1ke yanawakohomath meh sare end 1ka wenakam hoda fight 1kak yai bro
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Ow bro shape 1ke yanawakohomath meh sare end 1ka wenakam hoda fight 1kak yai bro
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Modric: Barca troubles no concern to Madrid

Luka Modric insists Real Madrid are paying no attention to Barcelona's troubles but admits to being "surprised" by their rivals' defeat against Celta Vigo.

A Karim Benzema brace proved the difference for Real as Rafa Benitez's side edged past Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on Wednesday night to go top of the La Liga table after Barca were comfortably beaten 4-1 in Vigo.

Modric, though, says the thrashing handed to Luis Enrique's team matters little to Madrid, but the Croatian did concede that he was shocked by the severity of the beating Luis Enrique's side took.

"We have to look ourselves and not be worried for other teams," he said. "But we were a little bit surprised by the Barcelona defeat."

Modric, meanwhile, was full of praise for Benzema, who struck either side of Sabin Merino's 67th-minute equaliser at San Mames.

The France international, heavily linked with a move away in the close-season, has struck five times in four La Liga games this campaign to cement his importance to Madrid.

"Karim is a great player, incredible. He is among the two or three best in the world," Modric continued. "We are lucky to have him in our team."

Modric also talked up his international team-mate Mateo Kovacic, who played 89 minutes in the win, adding: "Kovacic was incredible, very good. He was very happy and very tired."

 

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Henry: Arsenal players will be buzzing

Thierry Henry says Arsenal's "massive" 2-1 win over fierce rivals Tottenham in the Capital One Cup could have an impact on their form in the Premier League.

Mathieu Flamini netted either side of a Calum Chambers own goal to secure the win for Arsene Wenger's side on Wednesday and take them through to the fourth round of the League Cup.

Henry was pleased with Arsenal's mentality throughout the game and believes they can build some momentum from it.

"It is massive, it's huge," he said of the win on Sky Sports. "Let's fast forward a bit. You don't want to go to Leicester on Saturday having lost that game.

"They won the derby and you saw how they played. They fought well, they had character, it maybe wasn't flamboyant Arsenal, but they just won at White Hart Lane.

"They're going to be buzzing, there will be happiness around the dressing room and the training ground, and that's always better for them to prepare for the next game."

Arsenal have won three of their opening six Premier League games and sit five points behind leaders Manchester City.

 

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Aspas praises Celta after 'tremendous' Barcelona hammering

Iago Aspas says preserving Celta's status in La Liga remains their top priority, but was full of praise for his side's "tremendous" hammering of Barcelona on Wednesday.

Aspas bagged two, while Nolito and John Guidetti also found the net as Celta maintained their unbeaten start to the season in remarkable fashion, beating the reigning Spanish champions 4-1 at Estadio de Balaidos to bring an end to Barca's perfect record.

Celta are second in table now with four wins and a draw from five rounds and although Aspas praised his side's effort, he is refusing to look too far ahead.

"Against Barcelona you are never comfortable until the game ends because you never know what can happen," the 28-year-old said.

"But the effort we have made today has been tremendous. We pressed up with a very intense pressure.

"We have enthusiasm but the priority remains to reach 40 or 42 points to give us safety as soon as possible.

"Once we reach that figure there will be far higher levels of dreaming."

 

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Barkley can be as good as Gerrard and Lampard, says Barry

Everton midfielder Gareth Barry believes team-mate Ross Barkley can be as good as former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

After an inconsistent season last term, Barkley has had a solid start to the current campaign, with his goal in his side's League Cup victory over Reading on Tuesday being his third in all competitions.

The 21-year-old's performances have caught the eye of Barry, who feels the midfielder can emulate Gerrard and Lampard.

"Ross has got all the ability to go on and be a really top player," Barry said. "He has got all the potential to become as good as them.

"He's got everything that they had, to match their ability, but the one thing he's going to need is consistency: performing, scoring goals, assisting on a regular basis, and those two players did that for 10, 12 years in the Premier League, so that's the target for Ross."

Barkley was rotated in a number of positions in midfield last season and Barry added: "I think he's a lot better coming from deeper. Probably not in the hole at the moment - it's a tough position and he's probably still young to be going in there, so the role he's playing at the moment with James McCarthy and myself has certainly been suiting him this season.

"He's obviously still young so he's still learning certain parts of the game. He's got the manager here that's really trying to find the right position for him to flourish.

"He showed in his first season how good he is, and how consistent he can be; last season was a bit up and down. It was a massive learning curve for him, so I'm not surprised this year he's really kicked off again."

 

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Toure praises De Bruyne and Sterling

Yaya Toure believes Manchester City are now one of the most exciting teams in Europe following the summer signings of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.

City top the Premier League by two points after six games having spent close to £100million on new players, with two of their high-profile recruits already making their mark.Both players have already found the back of the net and Toure hailed them for giving the side more options in attack.

"Kevin De Bruyne has been brilliant. He made an assist and scored one goal at Sunderland. Raheem is scoring, and [Sergio] Aguero is our top striker and our top goalscorer," the Ivory Coast international said."Could we be one of the most exciting teams in Europe now? Yeah, to be honest, I think yes. It is full credit to chairman who made this happen.

"As a player, it makes my duty a little bit less! For the moment I just focus on defending because offensively we have a lot of power to show like Sergio, Sami [Nasri], [Jesus] Navas, Kevin. They don't need me on the attack side now!"

 

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Guardiola has a great offer on the table - Rummenigge

Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed the club have made Pep Guardiola a "great" offer and is confident the coach will sign a new contract with the Bundesliga champions.

Guardiola's current deal at the Allianz Arena is due to expire at the end of this season and he has so far been reluctant to open talks over a new contract, fuelling speculation about a potential exit.

Nevertheless, Rummenigge believes the former Barcelona boss will find it hard to turn down the Bavarians' latest offer.

"I am optimistic about Pep's renewal," Rummenigge told Bild.

"We have a great offer on the table, which you cannot just shove aside.

"We have a first-class team, a fantastic club, a great stadium and a wonderful city to offer.

"We will have a serious conversation with Pep in the upcoming weeks and we will see what comes from that.

"I want to win the Champions League again - with Guardiola in charge."

Guardiola has guided Bayern to back-to-back Bundesliga titles since replacing Jupp Heynckes in 2013, but still awaits European glory with the club.

Bayern were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League by Real Madrid in 2013-14, while again falling at the same hurdle to Barcelona last season.

 

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Real Madrid getting even stronger - Benitez


Rafael Benitez believes Real Madrid will only get stronger after moving to the top of La Liga following Wednesday's 2-0 win over Athletic.

A Karim Benzema double fired Madrid to victory in San Mames, as they took full advantage of Barcelona's shock 4-1 defeat to Celta Vigo.

Benitez was delighted with his side's dominance against the Basque side and feels they showed they have great balance to their game.

"The team takes great confidence from having won at San Mames," he told reporters. "We had 20 efforts on target. We go away from here a stronger side.

"The team won a game in which they displayed two sides. In the first half we had control and possession along with scoring chances and in the second period we showed plenty of character, but still managed to create four or five chances.

“Winning always gives you more confidence. We lacked the final pass at times but 20 shots on goal at San Mames is a great reflection on this team and re-enforces the collective.

"Athletic pressed high and that’s why we had such a diverse midfield. This has its disadvantages but we needed to adjust to the needs of the game."
The Spaniard was happy to see his side rise to the challenge of Athletic and believes they can continue to build momentum.

"It was a different game. We did things that we hadn’t done before. Up to this point we have never had to show our character in a match. We managed the ball much better than we did in the Granada game.

"We have plenty of energy to take on each competition as it comes and hope it remains that way through to the end of the season."

 

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Remy ready to get physical in Costa's absence

Chelsea striker Loic Remy says he is prepared to get physical if he fills in for Diego Costa during the striker's three-match suspension.

Costa has been given a retrospective ban for his clash with Laurent Koscielny during the club's 2-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.

He sat out the first match of his suspension in the Capital One Cup victory over Walsall on Wednesday, with Falcao disappointing in his absence.

Remy could be called upon to replace Costa for the games against Newcastle and Southampton and he is ready to adapt his game accordingly to replicate his team-mate's robust style.

"I don’t have a choice," he replied when asked if he was willing to change his style. "I have to do it because when you play for Chelsea it’s a question of giving the best, 100 per cent, every game. Of course, I will do the best I can.

"We will miss Diego because he is so important to the team and winning games, but whoever is on the pitch, we just try to do the best we can. It’s a shame for us to have lost him for three games.”

Remy has been forced to play second fiddle to Costa since joining the club from QPR last August and he admits he considered his future at the club over the summer.

"I just want to feel better and now with the games coming, maybe I have the opportunity to play more,” he added.

“It’s really difficult to spend so much time on the bench and then play, I can’t lie. The rhythm is not the same compared to training."

 

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Jorge Mendes beaten to top spot in Forbes' list of richest agents

Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been placed second in Forbes’ list of richest agents.

Forbes estimate that the 49-year-old, who also represents Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria and James Rodriguez has earned $95.6 million (£62.7m) in commissions, while his agency Gestifute has negotiated contracts worth a combined total of $956.4m (£627.7m).

But those figures are beaten by Scott Boras, who has earned $117.1m (£76.8m) in commission from his contract negotiations in Major League Baseball and tops Forbes’ current list.

Boras’ company represent the likes of Texas Rangers’ Prince Fielder and New York Yankees centre-fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, and hold around $2.3 billion in active player contracts.

Third in Forbes’ list is Tom Condon, who is considered the most powerful agent in the NFL.

Gareth Bale’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, comes in at number four on the list. Barnett, who also represents Luke Shaw and Joe Hart, has earned around $44m (£28.8m) in commission, according to Forbes.

German football agent Volker Struth, whose notable clients include Mario Gotze, Toni Kroos and Marco Reus, is fifth in the list.

 

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Muller will never leave Bayern, he's our Messi - Rummenigge

Thomas Muller will never be sold because he belongs to Bayern Munich, just like Lionel Messi with Barcelona and Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said.

Muller has made a fine start to 2015-16, scoring eight goals in as many games in all competitions after being linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford for much of the close-season.

Rummenigge, though, does not want Muller to ever leave the Allianz Arena and said no amount of money could persuade the Bavarian club to let him go.

"Muller will stay at Bayern, regardless of what any club offers," the 59-year-old told Bild. "There is no amount that would make us consider an offer.

"Messi belongs to Barcelona, Rooney belongs to Manchester United and Muller belongs to Bayern. It should stay like that.

"There might be players out there who have a better technique and who are faster, but there is no second Thomas Muller in this world.

"He is extremely valuable to us. He represents the Mia San Mia feeling at Bayern."

 

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Arsenal still great with Alexis in goal and Cech up front, says Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri realises Leicester City face an uphill task against Arsenal at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

Leicester currently sit fourth in the table, two points ahead of this weekend's opponents, yet Ranieri has acknowledged that Arsenal have more individual quality.

"Arsene can put Alexis Sanchez in goal and Petr Cech up front and Arsenal will still have a great team," the Leicester boss said at a press conference.

Leicester have come from behind to salvage at least a point in four successive Premier League games and Ranieri is keen for his men to prevent falling behind on Saturday.

"It’s not easy to score goals when you go behind in matches. I’ve told the players how important concentration is," he said.

Ranieri's men needed extra time to see off West Ham in the League Cup in midweek, yet the Italian does not fear fatigue affecting his side.

"I’m very proud of my players. It’s not easy to be at your best in every game, but they’ve played magnificently," he said.

"The players that have played in the cup have recovered well. I'll check on them Friday and then pick the team.

"The players know me very well and the understand my philosophy. I like to joke, but I like to work too. That’s when I shout."

 

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Van Gaal concerned by injury-hit Manchester United defence

Manchester United will have to field a makeshift defence against Sunderland due to injury problems, manager Louis van Gaal has revealed.

Injuries to Marcos Rojo, Paddy McNair and Luke Shaw have severely diminished United's defensive ranks – while Phil Jones has just returned from a lengthy lay-off.

Van Gaal has preferred the combination of right-footed Chris Smalling and left-footed Daley Blind as his first-choice centre-back pairing so far this term, but now faces the prospect of a defensive reshuffle.

"The left-footed players, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo, are injured, so I have a problem," said Van Gaal, whose side progressed to the fourth round of the League Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

"I have changed every player except a left-footed player so Daley Blind has played all the minutes [this season].

"We have to spare some players, but I cannot spare Blind because all the left-footed players are injured.

"Smalling had also played all the minutes and because of that I substituted him [against Ipswich] and brought Jones in.

"It is not so easy to do that, but I asked him [Jones] after the game if he felt fit and he said he did. He could easily have played more minutes so that's a good signal."

United have made a promising start to the Premier League season and sit second.

 

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Rojo ayeth injured da​

 

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Liverpool were ready for penalties, stresses Skrtel

Martin Skrtel has admitted that Liverpool practiced penalties ahead of Wednesday's League Cup game against Carlisle United as a precautionary measure in case they were unable to seal progress after 90 minutes or extra time.

Danny Ings gifted Liverpool the lead midway through the first half, but Derek Asamoah restored parity shortly after and Liverpool failed to net a second in normal time, and drew a similar blank in the extra 30 minutes.

Liverpool thus needed penalties to seal their progress, with goalkeeper Adam Bogdan saving three attempts to send his side through.

"It was great for Adam. We'd practiced penalties the day before the game just in case – and it turned out we needed them to go through," Skrtel told the official Liverpool website.

"Adam was good. It was his first game, his first game at Anfield, and he's been doing well. In the penalties, he showed his quality.

"Obviously we expected it to be a different game, but as we know there is no easy game here in England.

"We had plenty of chances to score, but unfortunately we didn't take them and the game finished with penalties – but we're happy we went through. That showed we are mentally strong because it's not easy to play for 120 minutes and then go to penalties.

"We won the game, so I think it was very important for us that we won. It can give us some confidence for the next game."

After edging past Carlisle, Liverpool will now take on AFC Bournemouth at home in the fourth round.

 

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Koeman pledges commitment to Southampton despite Netherlands rumours

Ronald Koeman has stressed that he is fully committed to managing Southampton despite reported interest from the Netherlands national team.

Netherlands have endured a dismal qualification process for Euro 2016, with their 3-0 defeat to Turkey at the start of September leaving them nine points adrift of the top two - Iceland and Czech Republic - in Group A.

Reports have emerged that Koeman has subsequently been identified as a candidate to replace Danny Blind, who succeeded Guus Hiddink in July, but the 52-year-old says he is happy at St Mary's Stadium.

"I'm very settled here, I've already had that question last week," he said on Thursday. "It's the same answer: I have a contract with Southampton until the end of next season. What will happen after that, nobody knows, but until that date I'm the coach of Southampton."

Southampton cruised into the fourth round of the League Cup with a 6-0 thrashing of MK Dons on Wednesday and Koeman is eager to deliver a trophy to the club before he considers moving on.

"It's difficult to win a trophy but it would be an amazing job if we win something," he added. "The most important thing at the moment is to develop ourselves, we have a lot of new faces in the team.

"We have to fight for a high position in the table and that starts this Saturday [against Swansea City]."

 

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Alex: AC Milan have to reach the Champions League

AC Milan defender Alex is aware the club have to get back into the Champions League by securing a top-three finish in Serie A this season.

New head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has taken charge after the team slumped to a dreadful 10th-place finish last year and has had a mixed start at San Siro.

Milan have nine points from their first five league games but have won their last two, including a dramatic 3-2 triumph against Udinese last time out, in which they had been three goals in front at half-time.

Alex, formerly of Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, made his first appearance of the season by coming off the substitutes' bench early in the second half of that match and is aware the stakes are high.

"We are a strong team and next year we have to play in the Champions League," the 33-year-old told the club's official television channel. "We have to continue to grow.

"Against Udinese we did well in the first half and a little less well in the second. The coach has spoken to us and analysed the reasons for what happened in the second half to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"It was not an easy match and remember we lost at Friuli last year. I felt fine coming on, you always have to be ready. We have big competition in central defence but those of us who are outside always talk to those who are on the pitch.

"We are a team and we have to help each other - you win and lose together."

Next up for Milan is an away game against Genoa on Sunday as they look to make it three straight league wins.

Alex continued: "We must continue to grow. On Sunday we have another important match, we are working to prepare as well as we can.

"We must start strong again and this time continue throughout the whole match. The Genoa team has legs, heart and they play at a high tempo. Their fans are a great support and it is never easy to play there.

"We must enter the field with conviction to win, like we did in Udine."

 

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Martial agent hits back at Wenger: There are those that follow… & then those that buy!

Anthony Martial's agent has blasted Arsenal as a club who follow players but always fail to sign them, following Arsene Wenger's suggestion that the Gunners did not buy the youngster because he is more suited to a wide role.

The 19-year-old's deadline-day transfer to Old Trafford raised eyebrows throughout the footballing world as United agreed a deal that could rise to £58 million, making the former Monaco striker the most expensive teenager in football history.

However, the striker has immediately impressed scoring four goals in four games, netting against fierce rivals Liverpool before scoring a double at Southampton and grabbing a goal against Ipswich Town in the League Cup.

Despite the French youngster's early form, Wenger has suggested that Martial was more of a wide player, indicating that the Gunners already have enough quality in that area of their squad to even consider signing him.

Philippe Lamboley, Martial's agent, has responded to his comments, suggesting Arsenal, who signed only Petr Cech in the summer window, are a club that follow players rather than buying them.

"If the analysis of Wenger was to justify not having signed Anthony, then I accept his words and so he's a a winger. But in football there are those who follow players and those that buy them," he told RMC radio station.

"Anthony is a true modern centre forward. I am surprised by the analysis of Wenger, who has apparently followed him since he was an adolescent."

Lamboley also offered his thoughts on Martial's game, insisting that the 19-year-old has always been thought of as a striker.

"I don't agree with [Wenger] because Anthony scored between 25-30 goals a season when he was in Lyon's youth academy and never played as a winger," he added.

"When he goes wide and then comes central, it's to pick up speed and get away from the centre-backs."