..::Football III::..

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Lewandowski to join Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have announced the capture of Robert Lewandowski from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old forward had long been linked with a move to the Allianz Arena side and he has now signed a five-year deal with the Bavarians.

Clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal had also shown an interest in signing the prolific Poland international, but he will continue his career in the Bundesliga instead.

Lewandowski had been close to joining Bayern last summer, but the move eventually fell through as Dortmund vetoed a move to the Allianz Arena, accepting the fact that they would ultimately lose him for nothing.

Bavarians chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described the Pole as among the best forwards on the planet and insists he will make the club even better when he joins in the summer.

"We are very pleased that we managed to complete this transfer," he told reporters. "Lewandowski is one of the world's best strikers. He is going to strengthen our team, he will give us another boost."

The attacker started his professional career at Znicz Pruszkow and also wore the jersey of Lech Poznan before joining Dortmund in the summer of 2010.

He has since developed into a key player at BVB, helping the Signal Iduna side to two Bundesliga titles, a DFB Pokal and the DFL-Supercup.

Lewandowski follows in the footsteps of Mario Gotze - who left Dortmund for Bayern ahead of the 2013-14 campaign - after the European champions agreed to meet the playmaker's €37 million buy-out clause.

 

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Lewandowski won't force Manduzkic out - Rummenigge

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists Mario Mandzukic has a future at the club despite them signing a deal with Robert Lewandowski on Saturday.

The striker, 27, who has scored of 10 Bundesliga goals this season, has been linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena in the summer, coinciding with Lewandowski's arrival from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer.

However, Rummenigge has moved quickly to quash such speculation following confirmation of the contract with the Polish attacker, insisting that the Bavarians are in fact hoping to extend the Croat's current deal."We're very pleased with Mario," Rummenigge told Bayern's official website. "He made a significant contribution to us winning so many trophies last year.

"He's a great player who is thriving at Bayern. He has a contract with us until 30 June 2016, and I told his agent during the Club World Cup that we're willing to consider an early contract extension."It is by no means a topic of discussion that we want to sell Mario."

Chelsea defender David Luiz has been heavily linked with Pep Guardiola's squad, but Rummenigge claims that the reported interest has been invented as die Roten are not looking at bringing in the likes of the Brazil international this month."There's a lot of speculation at the moment, especially in England," the Bayern chief added. "We're being linked with David Luiz and a number of Spanish players.

"All I can say, very clearly, is bringing in these players is not of interest to us. We're not concerned about players we're being linked with joining next summer.

"There's nothing lined up, so we have nothing to hide. It's simply not an issue."
Bayern return to Bundesliga action, having lifted the Club Word Cup in December, on January 25 at Borussia Monchengladbach.

 

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'Barca never an option for Courtois'

Thibaut Courtois never intended to swap Atletico Madrid and Chelsea for Barcelona, according to the in-demand goalkeeper's father.

The shot-stopper has been key to the Rojiblancos' title charge and was for a long time linked with a switch from Stamford Bridge - where he is being loaned out for the third successive season to the Vicente Calderon - to Camp Nou.

Amid reports that the Catalans have decided to pursue Borussia Monchengladbach star Marc-Andre ter Stegen as Victor Valdes' replacement this summer, Thierry Courtois has insisted only Chelsea and Atletico have been on his son's mind this season.

"Thibaut isn’t disappointed Barca have moved for Ter Stegen," he told Het Nieuwsblad. "Barca were never an option.

"Thibaut is on loan at Atletico until June 30. Only two clubs are important to him - Chelsea and Atletico Madrid - but we’ll obviously discuss his future with Chelsea first."

With Courtois' worldwide profile set to rocket further this summer should he star at World Cup 2014 for Belgium, his father suggested he will only stay with Jose Mourinho's side next campaign if he is given Petr Cech's spot in the first team.

"There will be no talks with Chelsea over the next few days to discuss Courtois’ future," he added. "The only thing they know is that he wants to be first-choice next season, wherever he plays."

 

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Atletico await Barcelona - Simeone

Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid are awaiting reigning Liga champions Barcelona after edging Malaga 1-0 on Saturday.

After struggling to build a head of steam at La Rosaleda, the Rojiblancos eventually took the lead with 20 minutes left on the clock, Koke pouncing on a loose ball to send them three points clear at the top of La Liga.

With Barca able to overtake them once again though on Sunday with a win over Elche, Simeone is wary of celebrating going clear in the league and instead praised his players for battling for the away win.

"It was a very difficult game, we had to sweat a lot for the win," the Atletico head coach told reporters after the match.

"Barcelona? We will await to see what tomorrow will bring - we have been accustomed [to being level on points] with them. We must take everything day-by-day."

Before Atletico's mouth-watering clash with Barca on January 11, the capital club face Valencia in midweek in the Copa del Rey and Saturday's matchwinner Koke hopes that the team do not lose sight of the clash due to the Barca tie looming.

"We have to think about the Copa del Rey [not Barca] because we have a very tough opponent in Valencia," he said.

"It's going to be very difficult and we'll try to deal with it with everything we have, then whatever happens will happen. It'll be a difficult tie but we will try to get a result.

"It was important to get all three points at Malaga. We knew it would be a very difficult game. They played a great game defensively but, in the end, we managed to win with a most important goal of mine which brought three points home."

 

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Honda: I can help Milan out of rut

Keisuke Honda believes that he can bring a lot to AC Milan and help them rediscover their fine form which saw them finish third in Serie A last season.
The Japan international arrived in Italy on Saturday after signing with the Italian giants following the expiration his contract with Russian side CSKA Moscow.

He is poised to make his debut for the Rossoneri - who sit a disappointing 13th in the Italian top flight - against Sassuolo on January 12 and the midfielder is hopeful he can make a difference to Massimiliano Allegri's ailing side."I'm happy to be here and I’m very excited," Honda, 27, told Milan's official website.

"I'm ready to play. I'm looking forward to meeting my new team-mates. I think I can give a lot, something more to the team."I've been waiting here for this for a long time. It's a dream come true, AC Milan has always been a legendary club for me, I followed them as a child.

"Football is my life and I hope to play well. I can play in any position and I want to score as well as create goals. I want to play in attack but it doesn't matter where."
Milan return to Serie A action on Monday when Atalanta visit San Siro, but Honda - who is set to have his medical on Sunday - will not feature in the match.

 

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Falcao fit again, says Ranieri


Radamel Falcao is fit again and will start Monaco's Coupe de France tie at Vannes on Sunday, head coach Claudio Ranieri has confirmed.The Colombia international made his comeback from a thigh injury as a substitute in the principality club's final Ligue 1 game before the mid-season break, a 2-1 home defeat to Valenciennes on December 20.

And Ranieri revealed on Saturday that the 27-year-old striker, who moved to Monaco from Atletico Madrid for a fee of an estimated €60 million in July, is ready to face their third-tier opponents."Falcao is going to be in the line-up," the Italian told reporters. "He's 100 per cent ready, but I am not sure that he will play the entire game. But for sure, he will start it.

"It's very good news because he's a key player for us."Ranieri went on to insist he will not make wholesale changes at the Stade de la Rabine and the former Chelsea boss expects Vannes to provide his side with a tough test.

"For us it would be important to go through," he added. "It will be good for us before the restart of Ligue 1. We have to have a good game, to play with intensity. We have to play a great game."I am not going to field a totally different line-up. It's important that the players get the rhythm of the competition again."

 

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FA Cup 2014.01.05 Fixtures

FA Cup 2014.01.05 Fixtures


Nottingham Forest Vs West Ham United

Sunderland Vs Carlisle

Derby Country Vs Chelsea

Liverpool Vs Oldham Athletic

Port Vale Vs Plymouth Argyle

Manchester United Vs Swansea​

 

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Swansea Match 1kath lesi wena 1kak naha

 

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La Liga 2014.01.05 Fixtures

La Liga 2014.01.05 Fixtures

Sevilla Vs Getafe

Barcelona Vs Elche

Osasuna Vs Espanyol

Real Sociedad Vs Athletic Bilbao​

 

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Serie A 2014.01.05 Fixtures

Serie A 2014.01.05 Fixtures

Chievo Vs Cagliari

Fiorentina Vs Livorno

Juventus Vs Roma​

 

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Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham: Cazorla & Rosicky condemn Spurs to derby defeat

 

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Blackburn 1-1 Manchester City: Petulant Boyata sees red as Rovers force replay

 

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Swansea Match 1kath lesi wena 1kak naha

Serie A 2014.01.05 Fixtures



Juventus Vs Roma​

patta gamek yayi

 

[unicornx]

Lewandoski to Munchen..... He was a free agent. so More money favored him..Poor BVB

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona 4-0 Elche: Alexis treble secures emphatic win

Barcelona regained control of La Liga ahead of Atletico Madrid thanks to a 4-0 win over Elche.

Alexis Sanchez was the star of the show for Gerardo Martino's side, scoring the opening goal of three after seven minutes before Pedro doubled their advantage shortly afterwards.

The Chile international was to complete a hat-trick with two goals after the break, though only after Xavi had missed a penalty.

Elche had no answer as Gerardo Martino's men began 2014 in style with their 16th win in 18 matches, taking their tally of goals in La Liga this season to 53.

Victor Valdes returned in goal for the hosts after being sidelined since November with a calf injury, while Neymar was only named on the bench after returning from suspension.

Elche, who have now lost four in a row, were without first-choice goalkeeper Manu Herrera so Tono deputised between the sticks.

Barcelona started well and opened the scoring when Jordi Alba collected Fabregas' cross-field pass and whipped the ball into the box for Alexis to apply a controlled finish.

The hosts were given a scare when a flowing counter-attack resulted in Richmond Boakye crashing a left-foot effort off the post.

However, Barcelona once more cut through Elche's defence after 16 minutes, with Pedro collecting Fabregas' sublime through-ball before rounding the goalkeeper and slotting into an empty net.

Pedro continued to be a menace and twice came close to doubling his tally, curling wide from Fabregas' pass across the box, before lofting an inventive half-volley wide.

Barcelona retained control of proceedings as half-time approached and Alexis fired into the side-netting on 43 minutes following a swift breakaway.

Alexis then saw a close-range header deflect wide at the start of the second half, and Xavi put a penalty wide of Tono's right-hand post in the 48th minute after Fabregas had been scythed down by Cristian Sapunaru.

Xavi's miss failed to derail Barcelona and the champions made it 3-0 when Pedro broke down the left and laid invitingly into the path of Alexis, who tapped home.

The Chile international completed the rout with a sublime curling free-kick from 25 yards six minutes later.

Barcelona slowed the tempo in the closing stages but had legitimate claims for a second penalty when Andres Iniesta appeared to be upended by Alberto Botia.

 

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Liverpool 2-0 Oldham: Aspas on target as Reds seal fourth-round place

Liverpool avenged last year's shock FA Cup exit at Oldham Athletic with an unconvincing 2-0 win against the same opponents at Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers' side sealed their place in the fourth round of the famous competition on Sunday thanks to Iago Aspas' first goal for the club and a late James Tarkowski own goal.

Spanish forward Aspas volleyed home in the 54th minute as Liverpool turned the screw after the break, and the same player headed against the post just after.

Oldham - who beat Liverpool 3-2 in the fourth round last year, but lost 5-1 at Anfield in round three in 2012 - weathered the storm though, and almost snatched an equaliser when Michael Petrasso forced an excellent save from Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Jones with 16 minutes left.

But Liverpool, who will travel to Burton Albion or AFC Bournemouth in the fourth round, sealed their win when Sterling's strike deflected in off Tarkowski in the 82nd minute.

Rodgers rested star striker Luis Suarez, midfielder Philippe Coutinho and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet but recalled captain Steven Gerrard for his first start in almost a month.

Jones deputised in goal for Liverpool, while just two members of the Oldham team that beat Liverpool last year - Jonathan Grounds and James Wesolowski - started for Lee Johnson's side.

Gerrard, who returned from a hamstring injury against Hull City on Wednesday, was the victim of a crunching tackle from Oldham captain Korey Smith in the first minute and it set the tone in a frustrating first half for Liverpool.

They rarely threatened the Oldham goal, with Luis Alberto going closest in the 14th minute when he shot just wide after a smart lay-off from Victor Moses.

A poor first half saw Rodgers turn to the bench, as Coutinho and Lucas were introduced in place of Alberto and Moses.

Coutinho swung in two testing corners, the second of which was just headed over by Gerrard, before Aspas broke the deadlock nine minutes after the break.

Raheem Sterling was the provider, causing panic in the Oldham defence with a jinking run, and his ball across the penalty box was allowed to bounce before Aspas volleyed in.

Aspas almost doubled his account two minutes later, but his glancing header from another Sterling cross hit the post, and Coutinho's follow-up was denied by the legs of Oldham goalkeeper Mark Oxley.

Sterling then declined to shoot after charging forward, instead opting to cut back, but Coutinho could only blaze over the bar.

After weathering the storm, Oldham fought back, with Philliskirk again going close from distance before Petrasso span away from Agger and forced a great save from an outstretched Jones.

Rodgers was forced to play his trump card, bringing on Suarez, but it was Sterling who helped wrap up the win, with his strike - that was going wide - going in after an unfortunate Tarkowski deflection.

 

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Derby 0-2 Chelsea: Mikel & Oscar fire Blues through

Chelsea booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a hard-fought 2-0 victory at in-form Championship side Derby County.

John Obi Mikel marked his 300th appearance for Chelsea with his fourth goal for the club to break the deadlock, rising to meet a Willian free-kick in the 66th minute at Pride Park.

Oscar then doubled Chelsea's lead four minutes later with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area that Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant was unable to keep out.

Ramires, who was booked for diving in the second half, also clipped the top of the crossbar late on as the seven-time FA Cup winners finished the third-round encounter strongly.

Chances were at a premium throughout with Oscar and Ramires coming closest for the visitors in the first half, while Derby, who contained their top-flight opponents well for the opening hour, rarely threatened Mark Schwarzer.

Victory for Jose Mourinho's side means Chelsea will face Stoke City at Stamford Bridge in the next round in the only all-Premier League tie.

The hosts were forced into two changes as injuries ruled out Craig Bryson (groin) and Johnny Russell (fractured cheekbone), so Jeff Hendrick and Simon Dawkins came in.

Mourinho made six changes from the Chelsea side that beat Southampton on Wednesday as Schwarzer took over in goal from Petr Cech and Samuel Eto'o replaced Fernando Torres in attack.

Derby created the best chance of the opening exchanges with 13 minutes gone as they attacked down the left, but Jamie Ward was unable to meet Craig Forsyth's cross and Ashley Cole cleared the danger.

A mistake by Michael Keane in the 22nd minute saw the unmarked Eto'o released into the Derby half. Andre Wisdom and Jake Buxton muscled the Cameroon international off the ball, however, before he could get his shot away.

Chelsea finished the half the stronger, but wasted chances to break the deadlock through Ramires and Oscar.

Clear-cut opportunities after the restart were few and far between before Chelsea took the lead just after the hour.

Mikel rose unmarked at the front post to meet a Willian free-kick from the left and his flicked header beat Grant from five yards.

Oscar finally got his goal in the 70th minute with a well-struck effort from inside the penalty area. The Brazilian created room on the edge of the box and lashed a shot at goal that found a way past Grant.

Substitute Torres, who had replaced Eto'o, had two chances in the closing minutes of the match, but was denied by Grant on both occasions and the woodwork frustrated Ramires as Chelsea went in search of a third.

 

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Alexis: I will not challenge Messi over free kicks

Barcelona attacker Alexis Sanchez has insisted that Lionel Messi will continue to take direct free kicks for the Blaugrana in the wake of his own sublime performance in Sunday's 4-0 La Liga win over Elche.

The Chile international netted a hat-trick to help his side to three points at Camp Nou, with one of his goals coming from a superbly taken set piece, with Messi still sidelined.

However, Alexis is happy for the Argentine to remain Barca's first-choice free kick taker.

"Leo is the one who takes direct free kicks and he will continue to do just that," the former Udinese star told reporters, before hailing head coach Gerardo Martino's positive influence.

"I believe Martino has given me the confidence that I needed as a player.

"A player who is high on confidence scores more goals."

Alexis' hat-trick saw him take his tally for the 2013-14 Liga campaign to 11 goals from 14 appearances, making him Barcelona's joint leading goalscorer.

 

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Van der Vaart: Results must improve at Hamburg

Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart admits he is concerned about the prospect of relegation from Germany's top tier having only picked up 16 points from 17 games this season.

Since the inception of the Bundesliga in 1963, HSV have been the only German club not to have been relegated from the top flight. However, that stat is in jepoardy as they sit only two points above the relegation zone halfway through the campaign.

Despite the arrival of former Netherlands national team coach Bert van Marwijk in September, results have not significantly improved and Van der Vaart admits their performances have not been good enough.

“We have got far too little points,” he told the Hamburger Morgenpost.
“For the first time people are questioning whether we can go down, we must be a lot better.”

Van der Vaart’s own form has been called into question as well following what has been a turbulent year for him personally.
However, the Dutchman insists he is fully focussed on helping to steer the club away from trouble.

He added: “I’m fine, the time off for the winter break was important. Now we have to strive hard and show what we can do in the first game against Schalke. This cannot go on.”

Hamburg’s next league game is at home to Schalke on January 26.

 

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Klopp: Lewandowski not bigger than Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has stressed that no one is bigger than the club in the wake of Robert Lewandowski's decision to leave BVB for Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

The Bavarians announced on Saturday that the Poland international has signed a five-year deal with his new club, but Klopp is not too bothered by Lewandowski's imminent departure.

"Players can always be bought by other teams, but the club Borussia Dortmund are bigger than any player. It's all about having a good plan for the future. Things will go on, I have no doubt about that," Klopp said at a press conference.

"Robert's decision is perfectly fine with us. We knew about his decision to leave for quite some time. Robert has never looked as if he wasn't focused on Dortmund.

"That his next club is official now is perfect timing. There would only have been a lof of speculation otherwise."

Lewandowski himself, meanwhile, has made it clear that he will continue to give his all for BVB.

"Dear BVB fans, I would like to say a few words to you," an open letter on the Dortmund website reads.

"With half a year to go, there are still some goals we want to achieve together. I hope you will support me, even if some of you don’t agree with my decision! I for one will give my all for BVB!

"Yours, Robert Lewandowski."

The 25-year-old has scored 11 goals in 17 league appearances so far this season.