..::Football III::..

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Gomez nears Fiorentina return

Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez is set to return to training on Wednesday after almost five months out of action with a knee injury.

The Germany international picked up the issue in September's 1-1 draw with Cagliari and has suffered setbacks in his return to fitness.Having only made three Serie A appearances since joining from Bayern Munich, the 28-year-old will return to training with his team-mates this week after completing his rehabilitation.

However, ahead of Tuesday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Udinese, Vincenzo Montella has been hit by injuries to Alberto Aquilani and Massimo Ambrosini. Aquilani suffered a hamstring injury in Saturday's defeat to Cagliari while Ambrosini will see a specialist due to an Achilles issue.

Meanwhile, Ante Rebic and Nenad Tomovic will continue to recover from their respective injuries in the week.

 

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Pique: I'm glad Ronaldo won Ballon d'Or

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is pleased that Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in January, ending Lionel Messi's four-year streak.

The Real Madrid winger edged Barca forward Messi and Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribery to win Fifa's award for the best player in the world of 2013.

The centre-back thinks the Portuguese winger's win was unexpected to some but that he fully expected his former Manchester United team-mate to take home the trophy.

"It took everyone by surprise, especially those who don’t know him, but not me," Pique, 27, told Jot Down. "More than that in fact, not only did it not surprise me, I think it’s great.

"He’s got a reputation for being a tough-guy, being above it all, so it was good that he had that reaction. He really wanted it, he’d suffered for it and he got it. I like that.

"I’ve haven’t talked to him recently. I’ve changed my number a few times, just as he will have I guess, but if I’ve always got something good to say about him it’s because I like him.

"People base their opinion on gestures or comments without really knowing anything. I should say that from what I've seen recently he's changed a bit, but personally I like the guy - he helped me a lot when I arrived at United."

'Don't you want me?' | Pique does not know if it's true Guardiola wanted to ditch him

Pique also stressed his belief that there's no one better in coaching than former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, who is now in charge of Bayern Munich, but does not know if he left Camp Nou after being told he could not sell the defender.

"As a coach he’s number one," he added. "I learnt the most from him. He taught me to understand football.

"Coaches tell you if you need to do one thing or another, if you need to position yourself here or there. Pep told you why you had to do it, the reason behind it. Pep helped me understand this sport better. I’ll never forget it. He’s the best.

"He’s already explained it, he’d given everything, he’d given everything he had. He was living it 24 hours a day and that wears you out.

"His leaving was a personal decision, just like Sandro Rosell [who resigned as Barca president in January]. They were never our decisions, they were theirs.

"Of course I heard a rumour, that one of the reasons behind Guardiola’s departure was that he’d asked to get rid of me, but you’d have to ask him if it's true. He never said anything to me. I don’t know if it’s true or not."

 

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'Beautiful' Arsenal on par with Bayern, says Muller

Thomas Muller says Arsenal play "beautiful football" and claims Bayern Munich head into their Champions League fixture on par with Arsene Wenger's side.

Arsenal, who finished second behind Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, host the reigning European champions in the first leg of their last-16 tie on February 19.

And while Muller believes Wenger’s men will provide a difficult test for Bayern, the forward believes the German club’s dominance over the last few seasons makes them slight favourites.

"The Gunners play a very beautiful football, they are the most difficult opponent we could have got," Muller told Kicker.

"We are on eye-level with this top team from the Premier League.

"We have had more success on national and international level than Arsenal in recent years, that's why we are slight favourites.

"We are the holders and we have improved. Of course, we are the team to beat when it comes to the [Champions League] title."

 

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Unlucky Manchester United cannot afford to lose again - Mata

Juan Mata insists Manchester United were "unlucky" to lose away to Stoke City on Saturday, but admits they cannot afford to lose similar matches again.

The score sat at 1-1 after a deflected Charlie Adam free-kick and a neat Robin van Persie finish when Adam smashed in another in the 52nd minute to win the game for the hosts.

Mata is adamant that the wet and windy conditions made life difficult at the Britannia Stadium, but concedes his new team must find a way to win close matches.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t win our second game of the week, in Stoke,” the Spaniard wrote in his weekly blog.

“We were really unlucky with their first goal, and it reflects what the game was. We tied the score and we felt we could win, but right afterwards we conceded a second goal in a divided ball.

“It’s a tricky stadium, and the wind was not a good help to play football, but I honestly think that we didn’t deserve to lose.

“We had good chances, yet we couldn’t score.

“We went back home with no points, feeling that we just can’t lose this kind of games again.”

The Spaniard had previously made his debut at Old Trafford in a 2-0 victory over Cardiff City, and hailed the warm reception afforded him by the home fans.

“The week started with a victory against Cardiff. It was my first game with United, and it was in Old Trafford. I can assure you that I will never forget that night,” he added.

He added: “The reception from the fans was unbelievable. And the ovation when I was substituted, amazing. You get goose bumps.”

 

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Ancelotti angered by Ronaldo red

Carlo Ancelotti has criticised referee Miguel Ayza's decision to dismiss Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening.

The forward was shown a straight red card after an altercation with Carlos Gurpegui and Ander Iturraspe in the 76th minute, but Ancelotti feels the Portugal international did not deserve to be sent off for his role in the incident.

"It's tough for me to say because I was not close to it, but the pictures show that it was a bit exaggerated," the Madrid coach told reporters when questioned about Ronaldo's dismissal.

Ancelotti then went on to admit that Ronaldo's red made things difficult for Madrid, but he was pleased with the final result, despite missing the chance to take full advantage of Barcelona's 3-2 defeat to Valencia on Saturday.

"It was difficult to try to win the match with 10 players, especially because some of them were tired.

"I made changes, but not because I wanted to try to win the match, more to put on fresher players to help the team at the end.

"It was a good match overall, especially the second half. The team was well-balanced, but Ibai’s goal was a fantastic strike. We did not make any mistakes, it was a great goal.

"We hardly let them have any chances. Just one in the first half and none in the second half."

Madrid currently sit third in La Liga, trailing leaders Atletico by three points.

 

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Diego: Simeone is the best coach I've worked with

Atletico Madrid midfielder Diego has revealed that coach Diego Simeone was a major reason behind him signing for the club.The Brazilian made the move from Wolfsburg on Friday, having spent a season on loan at the Vicente Calderon in 2011, where he won the Europa League.

The 28-year-old has been with the Bundesliga side since 2010, and Diego admitted that Simeone's influence was one of the main forces behind his decision to move.

"My relationship with Simeone was always spectacular," he said at his unveiling on Monday. "He's the best coach I worked with in my life. He helps a lot as a player and a person. "That confidence he has in me has made a difference in the decisions I have made."

Diego enjoyed a goal-scoring return to the club as he registered the final effort in Atletico's 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.

It moved Simeone's men to the top of La Liga, but Diego has not been surprised by Atletico's form, having been impressed with what he saw during his loan spell.
"When I came here it was a very well organised team, on the right path," he added.
"Today it is an even stronger team and I'm here to go the full way with them and help the team keep winning.

"It will be a very difficult game playing Real Madrid [in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday,] but we are prepared to play a great game.
"We will prepare to win the game, but with confidence."

 

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Diego Atletico Madrid ma hitiyanam patta loan 1ken passe ayeth Wolfsburg join wenne nathuwa

 

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Draxler steps up return from injury

Schalke attacker Julian Draxler is set to step up his recovery from an ankle injury after returning to training on Sunday.The Germany international has not played for the club since December's Champions League win over Basel, having picked up the problem in January.

However, Draxler, linked heavily with a move to Arsenal during the transfer window, began running again on Sunday before continuing his recovery a day later.
"Julian Draxler is back on the pitch. After the 20-year-old had run laps in the park stadium on Sunday, he was also back on the pitch on Monday," a statement on the club's official website read."Draxler will, in the coming days, intensify his training program piece by piece and then work on his comeback in team training."When exactly the midfielder will rejoin the team, however, is still unclear."

Draxler is reported to have come close to moving to the Emirates Stadium in January, stating recently that Schalke's general manager Horst Heldt "had offers" for him.

 

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PSG striker Cavani to miss Monaco clash, says Blanc

Laurent Blanc has confirmed Edinson Cavani will miss Paris Saint-Germain's Ligue 1 top-of-the-table clash with Monaco next weekend and is a doubt for the Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen later this month.

Cavani limped off after 75 minutes of PSG's 2-0 win at the Parc des Princes on Friday, with scans concluding that the attacker had suffered a thigh injury, as Blanc's men cemented their place at the top of Ligue 1.The Uruguay striker will also miss Tuesday's Coupe de la Ligue trip to Nantes, and the PSG coach insists he will not rush the 26-year-old back from injury.

"Cavani has been ruled out against Nantes and will also be absent for Monaco," Blanc told reporters."His injury will be a matter of weeks. It is not uncommon for a player with his style of play [to pick up these problems].

"This is not a serious injury, but in order to prevent it getting worse, we will not take risks with Cavani."Cavani, who joined PSG in a deal worth €64 million in July, has scored 20 goals in 30 appearances this season.

PSG sit five points above second-placed Monaco ahead of the trip to the Stade Louis II.

 

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Adrian Ramos sets sights on Dortmund move

Hertha Berlin striker Adrian Ramos has admitted that he would be open to a move to Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.

BVB are in the market for a new striker due to the departure of Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich this summer and they are reported to have highlighted Ramos as the ideal replacement.

"Talk about a transfer to Dortmund is mainly speculation for now," the striker told Radio Antena 2.

"But it would be a great thing for me if the transfer would materialise."

Ramos joined Hertha from America de Cali in the summer of 2009 and has since become a key figure in the German capital.

The 28-year-old has been in fine form for Hertha so far this season and currently leads the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with 12 goals from 19 appearances.

He has a contract with Hertha until the summer of 2015.

 

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Zaha can be the next Ronaldo, says Solskjaer

Cardiff City manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes that Wilfried Zaha has the potential to be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo.

After making just three appearances for Manchester United this season, the 21-year-old winger was sent out on loan to Wales for the remainder of the campaign.

Zaha made an instant impact in his debut against Norwich City on Saturday to help secure Solskjaer's first Premier League victory as a manager and the Norwegian claims that his loan signing could be an Old Trafford great if he remains dedicated.

"He is one of the best I have seen with the ball," the Cardiff boss told reporters.

"He has quick feet and is brave like Cristiano and wants to go forward.

"But he has got to make a ­decision about how good does he want to be and how much does he love this game. He can grow up to become a proper player like Ronaldo if he wants.

"I have never seen anyone work as hard as Ronaldo. Before training, after training, he was an exceptionally dedicated man and proved to everyone what ­dedication gets you.

"I am not afraid of using Sir Alex Ferguson or Cristiano as an example when I have to because to get the best out of your talent you need to be dedicated.

"It's a desire and attitude from within. It's what you've got in your heart and Cristiano's always had it."

 

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Spain want revenge on Brazil - Xavi

Xavi says Spain are desperate to get revenge on Brazil at the World Cup for their humiliation in last summer's Confederation Cup.

La Roja were beaten 3-0 by the Selecao in the final but could end up facing Luiz Felipe Scolari's men again as soon as the last 16 of the World Cup, though the Barcelona midfielder is hoping the reigning world champions can get their own back in the final.

"Here’s hoping we can get revenge! Why not in the final?" he said in an interview with Fifa.com. "Obviously anything could happen, considering it’s a World Cup and the difficult group we’ve been drawn in – and their group is no breeze either.

"But football always gives you the opportunity to get revenge. Here’s hoping it’s at the World Cup and at as late a stage as possible.

"That Confederations Cup final was a game in which everything went against us and they got all the breaks. But credit where credit’s due: Brazil played better on the day. Nevertheless, the whole experience will stand us in good stead for the World Cup.

"Now we’ve had a taste of the weather and we know what we’ll be up against if we face Brazil. In my opinion, they did well to overcome the pressure of being the host nation."

Last chance Spanish saloon | Xavi hopes for more glory this summer in his final World Cup

Spain have been handed a group with World Cup 2010 runners-up Netherlands, Chile and Australia, and Xavi thinks Vicente del Bosque's men were handed the hardest draw.

"We’re focused on the fact that we have been drawn in a really very tricky group, one of the toughest at the World Cup," he added.

"We are going there to compete and we’re desperate to give a good account of ourselves and retain the trophy, but we are keeping our feet on the ground.

"We know how hard it is to play at the World Cup to begin with, let alone with the group we’ve been handed. It’s got to be one of the two hardest groups, if not the toughest.

"A match that was the World Cup Final last time round is now a group-opener. That’s how draws work. It’s pot luck, so we’ve got the Dutch again and a very strong-looking Chile, whom we’ve faced several times recently.

"And then there’s Australia, who are a bit of an unknown quantity. On paper it’s a really tough group."

Spain are aiming to become the first nation to defend the World Cup since Brazil in 1962 having successfully bagged back-to-back European Championship trophies with their win in 2012.

 

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'The world's best sporting complex' - Barcelona unveil plans for new Camp Nou

Barcelona claim their proposed new Camp Nou stadium will form part of the "best sporting complex" in the world.

The Catalan club unveiled further plans for the renovation of their famous home on Monday and outlined their vision for the new 'Espai Barca' in Les Corts.

Barca originally revealed plans for the new stadium last month, three days prior to the departure of former president Sandro Rosell.

The €600 million project, which will see the capacity rise to 105,000, will also include a retractable roof and will be partly funded by naming rights, the club announced.

And on Monday, the Blaugrana revealed further details of the proposed project, which will be put to a vote for club socios on April 5th or 6th.

The 'Espai Barca' will also feature an indoor arena with 12,000 seats, a new ice rink, a 'social space' for socios and supporters' groups, a shopping centre, offices, the old La Masia building and 5,000 parking spots.

"This will be the best sporting complex in the world," Barca vice-president Javier Faus told reporters in a press conference on Monday. "No other city will have the complex we are thinking of - not London, not New York, not Paris, not Madrid."

Faus also revealed that the €600m would cover the cost of the entire 'Espai Barca', not just the new stadium, with a quarter of the total outlay raised by the sale of naming rights.

"The stadium's 'second name' will bring in €150m - and it will be decided by an international contest," he said.

"The €600m costs includes the stadium and the entire project. The club have been looking to improve the installations for the last 20 years.

"This is the project that the club and Barca deserve."

 

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Villa major doubt for Real Madrid clash

David Villa appears almost certain to miss Atletico Madrid's Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday after scans showed he has a hamstring strain.The attacker suffered the injury in Sunday's 4-0 La Liga win over Real Sociedad and was withdrawn from the game four minutes before the break, having opened the scoring at the Vicente Calderon.

The club confirmed on Monday that the former Barcelona forward sustained damage to his left hamstring."David Villa suffered an elongation/strain without rupture (grade I) of the bicep femoris muscle on the back of the left thigh," the club stated on their official Twitter account.

Atletico have not set a timescale on Villa's return to action, although he will likely miss Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash with Madrid, with reports in the Spanish media suggesting he could be sidelined for up to 10 days.
Villa has 13 goals in all competitions since moving from the Spanish champions in July.

 

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Get Well Soon David Villa!

 

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FA Cup Fixture 2014.02.04

FA Cup Fixture 2014.02.04

Fulham Vs Sheffield​

 

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Coppa Italia Fixture 2014.02.04

Coppa Italia Fixture 2014.02.04

Udinese Vs Fiorentina​

 

[unicornx]

Ancelotti angered by Ronaldo red

Carlo Ancelotti has criticised referee Miguel Ayza's decision to dismiss Cristiano Ronaldo in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao on Sunday evening.

The forward was shown a straight red card after an altercation with Carlos Gurpegui and Ander Iturraspe in the 76th minute, but Ancelotti feels the Portugal international did not deserve to be sent off for his role in the incident.

"It's tough for me to say because I was not close to it, but the pictures show that it was a bit exaggerated," the Madrid coach told reporters when questioned about Ronaldo's dismissal.

Ancelotti then went on to admit that Ronaldo's red made things difficult for Madrid, but he was pleased with the final result, despite missing the chance to take full advantage of Barcelona's 3-2 defeat to Valencia on Saturday.

"It was difficult to try to win the match with 10 players, especially because some of them were tired.

"I made changes, but not because I wanted to try to win the match, more to put on fresher players to help the team at the end.

"It was a good match overall, especially the second half. The team was well-balanced, but Ibai’s goal was a fantastic strike. We did not make any mistakes, it was a great goal.

"We hardly let them have any chances. Just one in the first half and none in the second half."

Madrid currently sit third in La Liga, trailing leaders Atletico by three points.

ref

 

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Nantes 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Last-gasp Ibrahimovic propels Parisiens to Coupe de la Ligue final

Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted a last-gasp winner as Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the Coupe de la Ligue final with a 2-1 win over Nantes on Tuesday night.

The Sweden striker put PSG ahead in spectacular fashion inside five minutes with an excellent strike from distance following a mistake from Nantes goalkeeper Remy Riou.

However, the semi-final appeared set for extra-time after Olivier Veigneau levelled matters in the final 10 minutes with a close-range effort.

But Ibrahimovic and refused to be denied and secured the win late on as the former Barcelona and Milan man converted from a Lucas Moura delivery to seal a meeting with either Lyon or Troyes at the Stade de France.

PSG brought in Ezequiel Lavezzi in place of Edinson Cavani and the Argentina winger almost opened the scoring after four minutes when his low shot struck the post.

But moments later the visitors did take the lead as Ibrahimovic pounced on a mistake from Riou in remarkable fashion.

Riou's attempted clearance went straight to Ibrahimovic, who hit a magnificent first-time long-range volley over the head of the former Olympique Lyonnais man and into the net.

Blanc's men continued to dictate the play in a one-sided first half, captain Thiago Silva firing past the far post from a tight angle in PSG's search for a second goal.

Lavezzi was at the forefront of many PSG attacks and was denied again just before the half-hour mark, Riou saving from close range.

But, for all PSG's dominance, Nantes would have drawn level had Marco Verratti - back in the starting XI after missing last Friday's 2-0 win over Bordeaux through suspension - not been on the goal line to clear Papy Djilobodji's header.

Nantes appealed for handball against Verratti, but their claims were waved away by referee Laurent Duhamel.

Chances proved few and far between in a scrappy second half that was marked by an array of fouls as the contest became increasingly ill-tempered.

Serbian striker Filip Djordjevic curled over the crossbar from a free-kick after 68 minutes before PSG introduced midfielder Yohan Cabaye and winger Jeremy Menez in place of Verratti and Lavezzi.

Those changes failed to inspire PSG to net a second goal and they were made to pay for not killing the game off when Veigneau curled past Nicolas Douchez from Serge Gakpe's pull back.

There was to be one final twist in the tale, though, Ibrahimovic heading home from Lucas' right-wing cross to keep PSG's hopes of a fourth Coupe de la Ligue title intact.

 

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Ibra Patta