..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 2-1 Bolton: Zouma & Oscar send Mourinho's men through

Oscar grabbed the decisive goal as Chelsea returned to winning ways by beating Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the Capital One Cup at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian's strike complemented Kurt Zouma's debut goal as Jose Mourinho's men dominated a Bolton Wanderers side languishing at 21st in the Championship to book their place in round four.

The victory was a welcome one for Mourinho, who had watched his side held to 1-1 draws by Schalke and Manchester City in the last seven days.

Such a frustrating result only briefly appeared to be on the cards this time, with Zouma's 25th-minute goal just reward for Chelsea's early efforts.

The hosts were pegged back not long afterwards when Matt Mills headed home but, despite visiting goalkeeper Andy Lonergan's inspired display, Chelsea's class eventually told.

The Premier League side made nine changes from the 1-1 draw with Manchester City as first-team regulars were complemented by fringe players, new boy Loic Remy making a maiden start and Petr Cech appearing in goal for the first time this season.

They still began with plenty of fluency, Andre Schurrle forcing Lonergan into a solid fingertip save with a curling cross-cum-shot free-kick.

Oscar was next to threaten when forcing another good stop from Lonergan with his deflected strike.

And Bolton were left thanking their goalkeeper once more in the 16th minute as he superbly diverted Schurrle's free-kick onto the crossbar.

The Schurrle show continued when he curled a shot agonisingly wide soon afterwards.

However, when the opener finally came midway through the opening period it was Zouma who scored it, the 19-year-old firing the ball into the roof off the net after Bolton had failed to clear Schurrle's corner.

Any immediate expectation that Chelsea might cruise from then on was extinguished when Mills met Liam Feeney's 31st-minute free-kick with a pin-point header to level.

Chelsea responded impressively only to be denied again by the outstanding Lonergan, who turned away Nathan Ake's superb 30-yard effort before the break.

The goalkeeper was at it again immediately after the interval, superbly turning Oscar's effort over the crossbar.

But he could do little to keep out Oscar in the 55th minute, as he was beaten by a perfectly-placed 25-yard strike.

Lonergan quickly returned to form when denying Remy from point-blank range, as Chelsea dominated the play without taking their opportunities.

The next missed chance again came from the boot of Schurrle, who curled another solid free-kick over the crossbar with time running out.

Schurrle's bad luck in front of goal continued even when Lonergan made a rare slip-up, the goalkeeper letting an effort run through his fingers and on to the post.

It appeared the misses may prove costly as Bolton pressed forward and the tension grew when Lee Chung-yong forced Cech into a rare save.

Jay Spearing was fortunate not to be sent off for a wild challenge on Oscar soon afterwards, with that incident preceding a further onslaught from the visitors.

Their best chance came towards the end as Jermaine Beckford narrowly failed to connect with Joe Mason's cross.

And the visitors were left to rue that missed opportunity as Chelsea's progression was confirmed.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester City 7-0 Sheffield Wednesday: Lampard inspires emphatic win

Edin Dzeko and Frank Lampard both bagged a brace as Manchester City thrashed Sheffield Wednesday 7-0 in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday.

The Championship side, who have only conceded four times in the league this season, more than held their own in the first half on Wednesday and might have led through Gary Madine before Eliaquim Mangala struck the post for the hosts.

ut Lampard, starting on the back of his emotional equaliser from the bench against former club Chelsea on Sunday, made a trademark run into the box to next a 47th-minute opener that was soon followed by strikes from Dzeko and the excellent Jesus Navas.

Worse was to come for Wednesday as Kamil Zayatte was sent off for a professional foul on Lampard, Yaya Toure - the captain of a strong City line-up - dispatching the resulting 60th-minute penalty.

Dzeko then headed his second of the evening, highly rated youngster Jose Angel Pozo marked his debut with a goal and Lampard completed the rout as the Premier League champions ended a trying four-game run without a win in style.

Wednesday manager Stuart Gray made four changes compared to Manuel Pellegrini's five, and the visiting boss will have been encouraged by a fluent start from his side.

Madine passed up an opportunity to give Wednesday a sixth-minute lead, the forward mis-timing his jump after stealing in behind Mangala on the end of Jacques Maghoma's searching cross.

Mangala thumped a left-footed volley against the post from a 19th-minute corner but that close shave did not prompt an onslaught from the holders.

Chris Kirkland got down well to keep out a Dzeko header and the striker, who scored in every round but the final last season, was frustrated by Tom Lees in the 43rd minute after Lampard’s beautifully flighted pass to Navas had opened Wednesday up.

After such a keenly contested first-half, it was hard to envisage Wednesday's night unravelling so spectacularly, but Lampard scrambled home from close range - once more set up by James Milner as he was at the weekend - to open the floodgates.

Giles Coke went close to an immediate leveller as Willy Caballero made a scrambling save but another Lampard goal almost followed as Navas stormed forward on the counter-attack.

Navas was in rampant form, collecting Toure's pass to tee-up Dzeko's 53rd minute second, and the Spanish winger was rewarded himself a minute later as he turned Joe Mattock inside out before lashing the ball into the roof of the net.

A wretched spell was completed for Wednesday when Milner and Lampard combined again and Zayatte clumsily but unfortunately felled the latter.

Toure stroked home the spot-kick with Kirkland sent the wrong way and Milner threatened to pile on further misery, leaving the increasingly beleaguered Mattock in his wake to strike the post.

Kirkland saved well to deny Milner the goal his performance deserved, but the Wednesday goalkeeper would be beaten three more times.

Dzeko completed his brace with thumping header on the end of Aleksandar Kolarov's 77th-minute cross and Pozo had a moment to remember two minutes from time as Navas again played the role of creator.

The sight of Lampard sliding home a typically crisp finish in stoppage time underlined what a shrewd piece of business his short-term acquisition appears to be for Pellegrini, as City emphatically booked their spot in round four.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Juventus 3-0 Cesena: Vidal double makes it four wins in four

Juventus kept up their 100 per cent start to the Serie A season as Arturo Vidal scored twice to guide them to a 3-0 win over Cesena on Wednesday.The Chilean broke the deadlock from the spot after 17 minutes on Wednesday when Emmanuel Cascione was adjudged to have handled in the area.

Vidal's second was an emphatic effort from the edge of the area just after the hour, before Stephan Lichtsteiner wrapped up the win with a smart finish in the 85th minute.In truth, the scoreline barely reflected the chasm between the two sides as the champions dominated throughout to extend new boss Massimiliano Allegri's record to five wins from five competitive fixtures, with zero goals conceded.

Cesena's attacking threat was virtually non-existent, with Gianluigi Buffon easily thwarting their only real attempt on goal - a Guido Marilungo long-range effort in the first half - as Juve eased to a staggering 21st consecutive home Serie A victory.
Allegri opted to rest Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba, with Roberto Pereyra and Giovinco coming in.

And it was Giovinco who made the first significant contribution of the game after nine minutes when his stunning volley was superbly tipped over by Nicola Leali.
The early exchanges resembled a training exercise, such was Juve's dominance, and Ogbonna should have done better with a free header after 15 minutes.
But the pressure told shortly after as Cascione was penalised for handling Pereyra's shot in the area, leaving Cesena's players furious.

And Vidal tucked the penalty into the bottom-left corner, although Leali will be disappointed after getting a hand to it. Cesena finally gave Buffon something to do on the half-hour mark when Marilungo let fly from long range but the Juve captain was well positioned to palm it away.

But that chance was an exception to the rule of a first half controlled by the champions, with Fernando Llorente and Giovinco going close before the interval.
The pattern continued in the second half as Giovinco's shot from a narrow angle forced a low save from Leali and Vidal couldn't keep the rebound down.Leali frustrated the Italian forward yet again after 60 minutes by tipping away a freekick destined for the top corner.

But Juve finally made the game safe after 63 minutes when Vidal controlled well and advanced towards the area before firing a fierce 20-yard drive past the despairing dive of Leali.

And Lichtsteiner gave the scoreline a more accurate look by calmly slotting home from Simone Padoin's pass late on.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest: Spurs recover to reach round four

Tottenham came from behind to claim a morale-boosting 3-1 Capital One Cup win over Nottingham Forest at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

After starting the campaign with four straight victories, Spurs had gone as many games without success, with Premier League losses to Liverpool and West Brom at home included in that barren run.

A completely fresh line-up struggled to find any spark up front and 19-year-old Jorge Grant made Tottenham pay for that lethargy when netting his first senior goal on the break after 61 minutes in the third-round clash.

Tottenham predictably pushed for an equaliser, though, and the response was stunning when it came, with substitute Ryan Mason blasting into the back of the net from 25 yards out.

Roberto Soldado then deflected an Andros Townsend strike past Dorus de Vries late on and Harry Kane made sure the comeback was complete in stoppage time, much to the relief of the home fans.

The visitors went into the game as Championship leaders and on a 10-match unbeaten run this season following earlier wins at Tranmere Rovers and Huddersfield Town in this competition.

They were also cheered on by vociferous travelling fans wearing green jumpers as a tribute to legendary former manager Brian Clough, four days after the 10-year anniversary of his death.

But Tottenham's extra class finally told as Forest's brave resistance ended.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino made 11 changes from Sunday's defeat against West Brom, including giving former Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm his debut.

Soldado started up front for just the second time this term, while wingers Aaron Lennon and Townsend came in too.

Stuart Pearce also shuffled his Forest pack, with only Kelvin Wilson and David Vaughan retained from a weekend draw at Millwall.

The visitors, who had already kept six clean sheets this season in all competitions, were content to sit back and soak up early pressure as Tottenham enjoyed 70 per cent of the possession in the opening quarter of an hour.

Forest sprung into life on 23 minutes, though, when Ben Osborn breezed past two defenders on the break and rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike from the edge of the area.

At the other end, Federico Fazio let fly with a long-range effort that only just went over, while the pace of Lennon and Townsend caused problems out wide, but there was no breakthrough before the interval.

The second period started in a similar pattern to the first, but there was frustration from the home fans at a lack of creativity from midfield pairing Benjamin Stambouli and Nabil Bentaleb.

Paulinho almost rectified matters when flicking a Ben Davies cross just wide of the post, but it was Forest who went ahead on the hour mark.

Lars Veldwijk found some space down the left and when his cross fell to Grant, the youngster kept his cool to stroke his shot low past Vorm.

Kane went close to levelling with a close-range header, but then Mason did manage to beat De Vries with a superb long-range strike on 72 minutes.

Townsend almost put Tottenham ahead soon after when his free-kick came crashing back off the bar, but that proved only a brief respite for Forest as Soldado struck on 83 minutes with a real striker's goal.

There was still time for one more goal as Kane beat the offside trap and coolly slotted across De Vries into the bottom corner of the net, while Erik Lamela hit the post as Forest tired.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Stuttgart: Immobile rescues a point for Klopp's side

Borussia Dortmund had Ciro Immobile to thank as his late goal salvaged a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday.

The visitors announced the sacking of sporting director Fredi Bobic shortly before kick-off after a dismal start to the season saw them sitting bottom with one point from four matches.However, Daniel Didavi's strike three minutes into the second half gave Stuttgart an unlikely lead, before the midfielder doubled his tally 20 minutes later.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang halved the deficit in the 73rd minute, but the home side looked destined for a second consecutive top-flight defeat after losing 2-0 at Mainz last time out.That was until Immobile popped up at the far post to hook the ball home from a Marcel Schmelzer freekick four minutes from time.

Lukasz Piszczek came agonisingly close to snatching all three points for Dortmund in injury time, only for Antonio Rudiger to produce a superb goalline clearance after the Pole had fired beyond Sven Ulreich.The draw leaves Dortmund in mid-table with seven points from five matches, while Stuttgart climb off the foot of the table on goals scored.

Captain Mats Hummels was fit enough to take a seat on the Dortmund bench - a rare positive piece of team news for the depleted hosts who had the likes of Marco Reus (ankle), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (foot), Nuri Sahin (knee), Jakub Blaszczykowski, Oliver Kirch and Ji Dong-won (all muscle) all sidelined.But it was the home side who started stronger, with Shinji Kagawa sending a tame effort into the arms of Ulreich from the edge of the penalty area, before Milos Jojic offered the Stuttgart goalkeeper some more catching practice from a similar distance.

Stuttgart took time to settle, but made a rare attacking foray in the 10th minute when Christian Gentner scuffed an effort wide of the target, before Timo Werner was flagged for offside after being sent through one-on-one with Roman Weidenfeller.For all their possession early on, Dortmund were struggling to carve out any clear-cut opportunities, and Weidenfeller had to be alert at the other end in the 23rd minute - diving low to his right to deny Werner from a tight angle.

Dortmund finally started to look dangerous just after the half-hour mark when Kagawa breached the Stuttgart defence, only to lift his effort onto the top of the crossbar, and Jojic fizzed a venomous strike just over.However, Stuttgart silenced the home fans in the third minute of the second half - Didavi side-footing home after Gentner had rolled the ball into the centre of the penalty area.

The goal initially sparked Dortmund into action, but a lack of cutting edge in the final third was proving costly, while Stuttgart - sitting deeper after going ahead - continued to look dangerous on the break.And Armin Veh's side doubled their lead in the 68th minute.

Schmelzer failed to clear his lines from a long pass, and Werner's simple pass teed up Didavi for an equally straightforward finish from close-range.Kagawa headed just wide moments later, before Aubameyang took the ball around Ulreich and tucked home from a tight angle.

Stuttgart looked like clinging on for a deserved and unexpected victory, but Immobile - anonymous for the most part - found himself in the right place at the right time to draw Dortmund level before Rudiger's heroics denied Klopp's side all three points at the death.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Almeria 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Miranda strikes to put pressure on Barcelona

Atletico Madrid turned up the heat on Barcelona as Miranda ensured a 1-0 win from their trip to Almeria on Wednesday.The Brazilian defender was on target in a disappointing 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo on Saturday and took his tally to three goals for the season with a second-half header to secure all three points in Andalusiaagainst a side who have proved problematic in recent seasons.

Atletico had never won in five previous visits to Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos, including a 2-0 defeat last term, but did enough to secure victory, despite not being at their best.The defending champions were lacking a spearhead in attack in the absence of Mario Mandzukic, who is recovering from a broken nose, but coach Diego Simeone got the clean sheet he asked for as he watched from the stands serving a touchline ban.

Goalkeeper Ruben pulled off some fine saves for the home side, who were brought back down to earth following their 2-1 win at Real Sociedad at the weekend, but was unable to prevent Simeone's men securing their third league win of the season.

Atletico captain Gabi dropped to the bench along with Cristian Ansaldi and Raul Jimenez as Guilherme Siqueira, Raul Garcia and Mario Suarez came into the starting line-up.

Mane replaced the suspended Sebastian Dubarbier in the Almeria side, while Fran Velez and Wellington Silva also started in place of Edgar Mendez and Thomas Partey, who was ineligible to face his parent club.Atletico were not allowed to settle in a frantic first half, but Antoine Griezmann ought to have done better with a tame header after Mario Suarez picked him out just seven minutes in.

Almeria were then fortunate not to be punished for some slack defending when Ruben kept out a downward header from an unmarked Diego Godin with his feet.
Simeone's side started to get into their stride and Tiago let fly with a long-range strike that forced a fine reflex save from Ruben just before the half-hour mark.

Ruben then came to Almeria's rescue once again five minutes before the break, palming away a left-footed strike from Raul Garcia following a slick Atleti move.
Saul Niguez replaced Suarez at half-time and Simeone's side continued to look the more likely to open the scoring early in the second half.Griezmann beat the offside trap, but the France forward was indecisive as Ruben raced off his line to narrow the angle and the chance passed.

Atleti had looked dangerous from set-pieces throughout and it came as no surprise when it was an inviting corner from Koke that provided the opening goal.The Spain international swung the ball over with pace from the right and Miranda rose highest to head home at the near post on the hour-mark.

The impressive Ruben produced another excellent save to deny Arda Turan a second goal 68 minutes in after the Turkey winger had cut in from the left at pace.
Verza fired a late freekick narrowly wide as Almeria applied some late pressure, but the visitors stood firm.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Luis Enrique: We couldn't find Messi

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says Malaga did well to keep Lionel Messi quiet in the two sides' 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

The Blaugrana failed to register a shot on target in the entire match in a frustrating evening which brought to an end their 100 per cent record so far this season.Messi struggled for many meaningful openings, meaning he must wait to score his 400th senior career goal, but his coach believes the opposition deserve credit for keeping him on the fringes.“The fact that Messi didn’t participate so much is a credit to Malaga," the 44-year-old told reporters."It’s clear that the more he participates, the more dangerous we are.

“For us, finding Messi is key – and if we find him we will be more dangerous.
"That was what we found most difficult and it’s clearly credit to our rival.”The former Spain international also made clear that any criticism of his players would not be made in public.

"Self-criticism will come behind closed doors. These players do that when we win, so imagine [what happens] when things don't work out."There is a long way to go, but we are on the right track and we will look for solutions, not excuses.

"These players aren't machines - we are competing every three days."Luis Enrique also defended the performance of debutant Douglas, who came in for criticism from some quarters after a largely anonymous display.

“Douglas? He was at the same level as his team-mates,” the coach added.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pellegrini: Lampard could extend Manchester City stay

Manuel Pellegrini paid tribute to Frank Lampard after he scored twice in Manchester City's 7-0 Capital One Cup rout of Sheffield Wednesday and admits that he may extend his loan stay at the club.

The holders took a while to get going at the Etihad Stadium, but Lampard followed up Sunday's crucial equaliser against former club Chelsea by opening the scoring at the start of the second half.

Edin Dzeko also scored a double, while Jesus Navas, Yaya Toure and Jose Pozo were also on target before Lampard rounded off the scoring with his second in stoppage time.The former Chelsea midfielder's loan is set to expire in January but Pellegrini has revealed that City will look into extending his stay when the transfer window reopens.

"It's an issue I will see further, in this moment it's not the most important thing," he told reporters. "We'll see what happens in January, we have two or three months more to decide, we'll do what is more important for the club and for the player.
"We are going to do what is best for team and the player so we have time to decide, we must talk about a lot of things but it's not impossible to stay."

He added: "For me is never difficult to put a good player in the team, the problem is when you don't have players.

"It's very important for Frank to score again, he's a very important player. I said after the game against Chelsea he was important for our team.

"Maybe he's 36, he can't play three games in a row but he knows how to play the sport and he's a top player in that sense."

City will host Newcastle in round four and Pellegrini insists they have no intention of giving up this trophy without a fight.

"It was a very satisfying result and very good to get back to our best scoring form," added the Chilean.

"It was not the real difference between the two teams as they played well, especially in the first half, but I'm happy because we returned to being a scoring team.

"Maybe in the last two games here at home [against Stoke and Chelsea] we didn't do it, so I think for the team it is very important.

"We are just in round number three, but it's important to defend this title the way we did."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Vidal is not even in good shape yet, warns Allegri

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has warned that Arturo Vidal is not even fully fit yet after his star performance in his side's 3-0 win over Cesena.

The Chile international burst back on to the Serie A scene, scoring a penalty and a well-taken low drive to put his side firmly in the driving seat before Stephan Lichtsteiner sealed the win in the closing stages.

Allegri was delighted with the performances of the players who slotted into his rotated starting XI and warned that Vidal is not yet even at his very best. "It was a positive night because we won, which was the most important thing," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"[Sebastian] Giovinco played very well for 90 minutes, Vidal was not in great shape and was still decisive, [Angelo] Ogbonna and [Roberto] Pereyra continue to do well. It’s important to have 15-20 players in good shape during a long season, especially when our intensity level drops."Unfortunately we have some players with injuries and we must try to get them back into shape by playing, but winning at the same time.

"We controlled the ball well and didn’t allow Cesena many good opportunities and I was pleased to see the concentration levels stayed high."Allegri also believes Juventus need to improve despite their 100 per cent record in Serie A so far, as he looks adapt the side from the system of Antonio Conte.

"Every coach trains the way he thinks is best and has different ways of expressing his ideas. Conte's Juventus had three years of excellent results," he said."I am fortunate to be Juventus coach. I think each game lasts 90 minutes and you have to read it.

"At times you need to raise the tempo, at others lower it, and some players don’t need to be completely caged by tactics. I think games are won with organisation and excellent players, otherwise it becomes like playing on a computer and that’s not possible."I inherited a side with great organisation, but this team still needs to improve a great deal."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Simeone rounds on set-piece critics after Miranda winner

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has defended his side's tactics after they beat Almeria 1-0 thanks to a Miranda header from a corner.

The Argentine watched Wednesday's match from the stands as he continues his eight-game ban for his conduct towards officials during his club's Supercopa second leg against Real Madrid in August.Miranda headed home Koke's corner to hand the champions maximum points in an otherwise unconvincing display but Simeone is adamant he is happy to accept goals however they come about.

“In order to have corners, you have to attack," Simeone told reporters after the match."The team did well because they created this possibility. Miranda did very well. He gave us a vital win in a place where getting positive results is always difficult.

"I’m not worried about winning from strategic goals because it’s part of the game.
"It was a 1-0 win against a team that works really hard."The 44-year-old also admitted he has learned from his "ugly" confrontation with officials during his suspension.

“I’ve learned for the future to not commit errors with the referees and against the four officials," he added. "Personally for me, it was a very ugly feeling.”

 

[unicornx]

Real Madrid Fansla innawanan pm me their phone numbers. We have a whatsapp group "RMA SL"

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Robben: Time out injured was annoying

Arjen Robben returned to Bayern Munich's starting line-up in the 4-0 win over Paderborn on Tuesday and said his time out injured on the sidelines had been "annoying".

The Netherlands international, who helped his country reach the semi-finals of this summer's World Cup, had missed the three previous Bundesliga games with an ankle injury.On Saturday, Bayern were held to a 0-0 draw at Hamburg in the 30-year-old's absence but he returned to the team with an assist against Paderborn as the champions moved to the top of the Bundesliga.

"The time [out injured] was annoying," he said."When it was 80, 85 minutes into the game, I thought: Oh, it's already over, I could continue playing for another 20 minutes!"

Bundesliga champions Bayern face Koln on Saturday and then travel to CSKA Moscow for a Champions League group game on Tuesday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter part company with Cordoba

Inter have ended their working relationship with Ivan Cordoba after both parties agreed to terminate his role as team manager.

The 38-year-old former defender retired in 2012 after making 435 appearances for Inter and was retained by the club on coach Walter Mazzarri's staff.A statement on the club's website read: "FC Internazionale and Ivan Cordoba announce that they have mutually agreed to end their working relationship.
"Inter thanks an unforgettable player and a great man.

"We wish him all the best for the future."During his 13 years as a Milan player Cordoba won 15 trophies, including five Serie A titles and the Champions League in 2010.

He was the captain of Colombia and won the Copa America in 2001 during his 73 cap career.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rodgers hopeful of Sturridge derby return

Brendan Rodgers remains optimistic that Daniel Sturridge will return for Liverpool's Merseyside derby clash with Everton on Saturday.

The 25-year-old sustained a thigh injury while on international duty and has not featured for Liverpool since the 3-0 win over Tottenham at the end of August.

With Liverpool struggling for consistency at the start of the new season, Sturridge's return would represent a huge boost to Rodgers and his men, but the Northern Irishman is not yet able to provide a definitive answer on the striker's availability.

"We've got a number of injuries that we're just going to give every chance to," he told reporters. "Obviously the game is 48 hours away.

"[Sturridge] is a player who is out on the field working. Daniel and a number of others we'll assess nearer the time. If he doesn't make it, then he won't be far off after that.

"He is someone that responds well to treatment and it's gone well - he's out on the field. There's still a couple of days to go yet before the game. The most important thing is that he is nearer to fitness.

"He certainly won't be match fit - he hasn't played for a few weeks. But it would be great to have him back because he's a wonderful player for us.

"He's a great reference for our team at the top of the field. His pace and movement and quality that we saw the last time he played for us, against Tottenham. He was exceptional.

"We'll be very happy to have him back and we hope that can be this weekend. But we'll assess over the next couple of days."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool, Inter & Monaco to face FFP investigation

Inter , Liverpool , Monaco and Roma are among seven clubs to be investigated by Uefa over breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

All four have returned to European competition this season after missing out in 2013-14, but have fallen foul of Uefa's FFP laws which demand that clubs lose no more than €45 million over the three-year period of 2011-14.The European governing body has announced that the seven clubs – which also include Besiktas, Sporting Lisbon and FC Krasnodar – have submitted financial reports for the periods ending 2012 and 2013 which show break-even deficits.

The Uefa Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) has now asked the clubs involved to submit evidence to support their case against punishment, which could be as serious as expulsion from European competition.A Uefa statement confirmed: “These clubs will need to submit additional monitoring information during October and November upon the deadlines set by the CFCB, subsequent to which an additional communication will be made and conservatory
measures may be imposed.”

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain were hit with heavy fines and a reduction of players in their Champions League squads for season 2014-15 as a result of previous breaches under the FFP guidelines, having failed to convince the CFCB that their overspends were circumstancial.

Uefa has also announced that five further clubs – Bursaspor, CFR Cluj, Astra Giurgiu, Buducnost Podgorica and Ekranas – will have prize money temporarily withheld while they are investigated for overdue payments to either employees or external parties.

It total, the organisation will continue to monitor 115 cases over which they have concerns regarding finances.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Benitez: Napoli job not on the line

Napoli coach Rafa Benitez does not feel his job is on the line despite going three league games without a win following Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Palermo.

Benitez's misfiring side were held at a half-empty Stadio San Paulo as they dropped eight points behind early pace-setters Juventus and Roma.Napoli's last Serie A victory came on the opening day of the season when they beat Genoa 2-1 and Benitez now faces questions about his future.

"No, I don't feel any risk at all," the Spaniard said. "I've not spoken with the president [Aurelio De Laurentiis], but I don't need to speak to him every minute to not feel at risk."I am the coach of a strong team that did well last year and they will do well again. We're still playing at a high level, we just need to keep the faith."

Benitez agreed to join Napoli in the summer of 2013 when his spell as interim Chelsea boss came to an end.

The 54-year-old took over from Walter Mazzarri last summer and won the Coppa Italia in his debut campaign as well as finishing third in Serie A.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Vermaelen declared fit to make Barcelona debut

Thomas Vermaelen has been declared fit to make his Barcelona debut after recovering from a hamstring injury.The Belgian international, who joined Barca from Arsenal in a €19 million deal in August, was injured during this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

The 28-year-old pulled up during the first-half of their Group H match with Russia and had to be substituted.He returned to action on Wednesday to play 63 minutes for Barcelona B, scoring the opening goal in a 6-0 win against an Indonesia Under-19 XI.

Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that Vermaelen has now joined up with Luis Enrique's first team and is ready for selection if required.

The Liga leaders, who were held to a 0-0 draw at Malaga on Wednesday, host Granada on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo will beat all records, says Madrid legend Santillana

Santillana has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to go on and break every goalscoring record at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo scored four goals against Elche on Tuesday, adding to the hat-trick he bagged at the weekend against Deportivo La Coruna, to put him level with the former Santiago Bernabeu forward on 186 goals in La Liga.

Santillana holds no grudges over being eliminated from the list of the top 10 goalscorers in Spain's top flight and, contrastingly, thinks the Portuguese forward is continuously improving despite already being the best player on the planet.

"Ronaldo will go on to break all of the records," the 62-year-old told AS. "He is on another world compared to others. He's a beast."He's an amazing player and hopefully his contribution wins Real Madrid many trophies.

"Since he arrived we have known he's been excellent in the air. But lately, physically, I see he's improved even more in that respect. He's improved his technique."He's becoming an expert at everything, so that he is the most complete player ever."

Ronaldo and his Real Madrid cohorts will be travelling to Villarreal on Saturday as they continue to chase La Liga's early leaders Barcelona, who failed to win for the first time in 2014-15 on Wednesday at Malaga.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

I never wanted to leave Sporting, says Carvalho

Sporting midfielder William Carvalho insists he wanted to stay with the Portuguese club despite interest from Arsenal this summer.

It wasrevealed in August that Arsene Wenger’s side had two bids rejected for the 22-year-old, who featured for Portugal at the World Cup in June.

Carvalho has been criticised for his performances this season but while the midfielder admits he can improve, he maintains his displays have nothing to do with wanting to leave the club.

"Nobody ever heard me say I wanted to leave the Sporting or was dissatisfied. I've always been satisfied at Sporting,” Carvalho said.

"As things have not gone well me start this championship, people think it is because I'm upset, but they could not be more wrong. I want to always be right, but that's football, sometimes things do not go on the pitch as we wish.

"I feel I can give more and can do better than last season. I know I have not been at the highest level, but eventually things will go well and I hope it will be in the next game."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Buffon: Roma war will last all season

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon believes that the club's battle with Roma for the Scudetto will be a season-long war.Roma were Juve's only real contenders for the league title last season but the Turin giants managed to ease ahead and win it for a third successive time.

Massimiliano Allegri's men have won all four of their opening Serie A games of this season, but so have Roma, and the veteran Bianconeri shot-stopper thinks the two Italian sides will be jostling for the top position for the rest of 2014-15.

"It will be tough to repeat ourselves again in our battle with Roma," Buffon told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It will be a battle which will go on for another year as the Giallorossi are top with us again.

"Roma will fight for the Scudetto until the very end, they have the strength and talent to bag wins with good performances. They reinforced in the summer, but we have not lost our grip either.

"If Roma finish top of Serie A next year they will have done so on merit. I think this rivalry makes the league more compelling."Buffon refused to compare Allegri's way of running Juve with Antonio Conte's three years with the Turin club, in which they won three successive Scudetti.

"There is no comparison to be done," the Italy international added. "I have too much experience to answer which team is stronger - whether it's Conte's or Allegri's.

"Juve were fantastic under Conte. I hope that Allegri can repeat Conte's successes, then we'll be on track."Allegri has experience at big clubs, he's always managed his teams well despite pressure from the media and club chiefs."

Juve travel to Atalanta on Saturday hoping to stay ahead of Roma, whom they are currently ahead of on goal difference, in Serie A.