..::Football III::..

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Verratti: I'd like to live in Paris all my life

Marco Verratti says he could not be happier at Paris Saint-Germain, revealing that he would like to spend the rest of his life in the French capital.

The Italy international left Pescara for PSG in the summer of 2012, after turning down the chance to move to Juventus.

The midfielder is consistently linked with a return to Serie A but he insists that despite the intense competition for places at the Parc des Princes, which has only intensified following the January arrival of Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle, he has no intention of leaving the Ligue 1 champions any time soon.

"Yohan, he's a great guy," Verratti told beIN Sport. "He will help us as he's a really great player. Even though I know that he's come here to play in midfield, I don't feel any danger at all.

"[Paris] is a beautiful city and I would like to live here all my life!"

 

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Manchester United midfielder Fletcher eager to 'make up for lost time'

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is determined to come back stronger than ever after his lengthy lay-off due to illness.

The Scotland international made his first Premier League appearance since Boxing Day 2012 when he came off the bench in United's 3-0 win at Aston Villa last December.

Fletcher started just nine top-flight games for United in the last two seasons because of his battle with ulcerative colitis, but has featured eight times in all competitions since his long-awaited comeback at Villa Park.

And the 30-year-old has outlined his desire to ensure he makes the most of the rest of his career, after spending the best part of two years out of regular action.

"I feel like I'm making up for lost time, to be honest," Fletcher told Inside United, the club's official magazine.

"I always cherished the position I was in and people were saying: 'You should just be happy to be back.'

"But I never wanted to get in that mindset because I think it's a dangerous mindset to get into, where you just accept a level.

"I always feel that if you put caps on just being happy and settling for stuff, then you can never progress yourself.

"So I see that I've got a lot of lost time to make up for. I want to try and put those two years on at the end of my career."

 

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Yaya Toure: We need to make history at Man City

Yaya Toure is keen to "make history" with Manchester City ahead of the clash with Barcelona in the Champions League.

The Ivorian is one of many players to have joined the Etihad Stadium outfit on big-money moves over recent years, with the Citizens being transformed into Premier League title contenders.

City won their first top-flight title in 44 years in 2012 and now look to add the Champions League to their list of honours after advancing from the group stage for the first time.

"It will be a good test for us," Toure told Telefoot. "We want to win trophies. At the historical level, we're still poor. We need to begin to make history.

"Between [winning] the Premier League and the Champions League, I will choose the Champions League."

Toure has admitted he will find it tough to play against Barcelona, the team he left to join City in 2010, but insists he is happy with his career choices and is keen to make his mark in the game.

He continued: "I am very happy with what happened to me. I always wanted to reach the highest level and be among the best.

"Gradually, my dream is going to succeed. It is a pleasure, but also a charge to mark the history of football."

City bolstered their chances of winning an unprecedented quadruple by beating Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, and Toure highlighted Eden Hazard as a particularly impressive performer in England.

"Hazard impresses me," he added. "He is very good. A great player. If he remains in England, he will progress much."

 

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Arsenal a real challenge for Bayern, says Netzer

Gunter Netzer thinks that Arsenal will provide a real challenge for Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16.Pep Guardiola's men secured a 4-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday, extending their commanding lead at the top of the table to 16 points by virtue of Bayer Leverkusen's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Schalke.

However, though conceding that die Roten's domestic dominance is in no doubt, Netzer stressed that only by proving themselves on the biggest stage can the European champions show how good they really are."The last-16 tie against Arsenal is a real test for Bayern," the 69-year-old wrote in his column for Bild am Sonntag.

"Now more is required than they have shown in their stroll through the Bundesliga. This must therefore be the greatest challenge for Bayern, the senses must sharpen for a competition in which they take on high-quality opponents."For in Germany there are very few challenges where they might fail. It is more difficult for them to exercise dominance so often shown in the league [in Europe].

"The games against Arsenal will give first clues as to where exactly Bayern are on a continental level. The 3-1 win at Manchester City in the group stages was the best performance in Europe under Pep Guardiola. Now is the time to substantiate that."
The Bavarians are looking to defend the European crown they secured in Wembley last May, defeating fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund 2-1, and Netzer sees this continued success as a mark of how strong German football currently is.

"The Bundesliga is definitely in the best shape since its founding in 1963," the former Borussia Monchengladbach man added."It is the world's flagship league. The Bundesliga is exemplary and inspiring to young people."

Bayern travel to face Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter.

 

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Arsenal deem Diego Costa not good enough

Arsenal have abandoned their pursuit of Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa following lukewarm scouting reports.

Arsene Wenger and his staff had identified the prolific striker as a potential target for both January and during the longer summer transfer window.

But Arsenal have decided not to pursue the €35 million-rated striker after question marks were raised by scouts about his mobility and ability to fit into the Gunners' style of play.

Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley instructed his team to assess Costa twice in a week at the Vicente Calderon in December, in a Copa del Rey clash against Sant Andreu and a Liga match against Levante.

Costa scored twice in Atletico's 3-2 pre-Christmas win over Levante but Arsenal subsequently decided not to follow up their interest in the player.

Costa has had an outstanding season for Atletico, who are neck-and-neck with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the race for the Liga title. The 25-year-old has scored 26 goals in 34 appearances for Diego Simeone's team in all competitions, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (22) bettering his haul of 21 league strikes.

The Rojiblancos spearhead signed a new contract last August that extended his agreement until 2018 but it is understood a fresh buy-out clause of around €35m was inserted in the deal.

Premier League clubs have been alerted to the potential availability of Costa, who is believed to be on a relatively low wage at the Vicente Calderon, but Arsenal's decision leaves the path clear for Chelsea, who are in the market for a proven centre-forward this summer.

Wenger’s priority remains to capture a top-class striker in the next window after moves for Schalke sensation Julian Draxler and Lazio veteran Miroslav Klose collapsed at the end of last month.

The manner in which Costa has taken on the Atletico scoring baton left by Radamel Falcao when the Colombian joined Monaco last summer has prompted a tug-of-war for his services between Brazil, the country of his birth, and Spain.

Costa played in two friendlies for Brazil last year but, after obtaining dual citizenship, he announced his desire to play for Spain and was called up for November friendlies only to be forced to pull out through injury.

 

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Wenger slams 'silly, disrespectful, embarrassing' Mourinho

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has described Jose Mourinho's "specialist in failure" comment as "silly" and "disrespectful".

The Chelsea boss responded to suggestions he was playing down his side's title chances through a fear of missing out on top spot in the Premier League at the end of the season by labelling Wenger a "specialist in failure."

Wenger was adamant he would not be drawn into a war of words with Mourinho, but suggested the incident is "embarrassing" for Chelsea.

"I do not want to go into silly, disrespectful remarks," he told BT Sport. "I did not speak about him in my press conference and I won't do so again tonight.

"All I know is that it is more embarrassing for Chelsea than for me."

Wenger saw Arsenal edge past Liverpool in the FA Cup and book a quarter-final meeting with Everton on Sunday, and was delighted with the character his side showed to respond to a 5-1 defeat at Anfield last weekend.

"Our mental strength, our mental response, our intensity from the start on - [I am] very proud of the way we responded after a huge defeat last week that was the most pleasing."

 

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FA Cup 2014.02.17 Fixture

FA Cup 2014.02.17 Fixture

Brighton Vs Hull​

 

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La Liga 2014.02.17 Fixture

La Liga 2014.02.17 Fixture

Malaga Vs Real Sociedad​

 

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Serie A 2014.02.17 Fixture

Serie A 2014.02.17 Fixture

Hellas Vs Torino​

 

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CongratzzzzzzzzNext round 1ke Everton face karanna thiyenne

 

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CongratzzzzzzzzNext round 1ke Everton face karanna thiyenne

aiyo Liverpool

 

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Arsenal deem Diego Costa not good enough

 

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Seedorf: We want to exploit Atletico's weaknesses

AC Milan boss Clarence Seedorf has stressed that his side will respect Atletico Madrid, but insists that they can exploit the Spanish outfit's weakenesses in their Champions League encounter.

The Rossoneri face Diego Simeone's side in the last-16 first leg at San Siro and are widely considered underdogs after a poor season which saw former coach Massimiliano Allegri sacked last month.

However, Seedorf believes his troops can triumph against the Madrid outfit if they produce a smart performance.

"The team are in good shape and motivated," he said at a press conference.

"We are against an opponent who are very good. We're very motivated. It's going to be a great evening, full of opportunities.

"Atletico are to be respected, but they have weaknesses they hope to exploit. We will give our best and we are united to do our best."

Seedorf has lead his old club to four wins in their last seven games since replacing Allegri and he believes Milan are starting to show signs of improvement.

"The quality and understanding between players is getting better. Against Napoli, we were not so great, but we must continue to improve every aspect of our game with humility.

"I see the guys are very determined for this."

 

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Houllier: PSG too strong for Bayer Leverkusen

Former Paris Saint-Germain coach Gerard Houllier has backed his former side to overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.PSG travel to the BayArena on Tuesday for the first leg of their last 16 tie, with Laurent Blanc's side having only lost once during the group stages of this season's competition and on a five-game unbeaten run.

Houllier believes the French champions have made great strides in recent months and expects them to prevail and book a quarter-final place."It's going to be very, very difficult (for Leverkusen) because Paris have become more mature and stable in recent months," he told the official Bundesliga website.
"This is a team that can go a long way.

"Bayer have a good team with a great coach (Sami Hyypia) who I had as a player at Liverpool, but Paris are simply stronger."Houllier also believes that reigning champions Bayern Munich will take some beating in Europe's premier club competition.

"Bayern certainly have the potential, but it's a long way to get there," he added.
"I really like this latest Bayern team, Pep Guardiola's doing a great job."

 

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Bayern Munich are Champions League favourites - Ancelotti

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes that Bayern Munich are favourites to win the Champions League this season.

The Bavarians won the competition last season as part of an historic treble and face a last-16 clash with Arsenal, whom they beat en route to to the title in 2012-13.

Los Blancos are still desperately searching for their 10th European Cup, but the Italian coach feels that Pep Guardiola's men are the best bet for the title.

"Bayern Munich [play the best football in Europe]. They play as a whole," he told the Corriere dello Sport.

"They're the true favourites for three reasons. Firstly, they're a strong team with a coach who knows how to win the competition.

"Secondly, they're champions and this is important. Thirdly, they have already won the league in practice and and devote their resources to the Champions League. I think the latter is the most important reason.

"La Decima is the dream for every Madridista. At the [Santiago] Bernabeu we'll play big games."

Meanwhile, Ancelotti has spoken of Cristiano Ronaldo's importance to the team, saying he gives everything for the collective cause.

"He's a talent who is highly professional. He is very focused on Madrid, like all us. He does not live for comparisons with other players."

 

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Barcelona favourites against City - Suarez

Barcelona youngster Denis Suarez is confident his side can overcome Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Blaugrana face Manuel Pellegrini's side in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday before the two sides face one another at Camp Nou in three weeks' time.

The 20-year-old, who spent two years on the books at City before moving to moving to Catalunya, feels that Barca's big-game experience will tell against a side making their first appearance in the Champions League knockouts.

"It's an open tie, but I see Barcelona as slight favourites," he told Goal.

"Historically, they have more experience in these imporant matches and should know how to assert themselves against Manchester City."

Suarez also revealed that he remains in contact with City's current Spanish contingent and hopes to meet up wtih some of his former team-mates ahead of the second leg.

"I've spoken wth Javi Garcia and [David] Silva. Let's see if we can meet up when they come to Barcelona."

Barcelona and Manchester City kick off at 20:45CET on Tuesday.

 

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Cabaye is helping me grow at PSG - Verratti

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has insisted that Yohan Cabaye's arrival at the Parc des Princes will help his own progress at the club.

The Frenchman moved to the Ligue 1 champions in January as Laurent Blanc moved to increase competition for places in the middle of the park.

However, the young Italian says he does not fear losing his place in the team and is adamant the former Newcastle man will help him develop as a player.

"For me, it just gives extra motivation," he is quoted as saying by RMC.

"It gives me more desire to give everything for this club. I want to succeed for the whole team. When you have ambition, you have to be at 100 per cent.

"But to do well in all competitions. You have to be a team. Cabaye is good for me, he helps me grow, he helps the team to progress.

"We can only be happy with his arrival. He's a great player who immediately blended into the team."

Cabaye could make his first Champions League appearance for les Parisiens on Tuesday when they take on Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 first-leg encounter, having last featured in the tournament with Lille.

 

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'I don't usually win unanimous support' - Cissokho reflects on difficult start at Liverpool

Liverpool left-back Aly Cissokho acknowledges that he is not the kind of player who is universally popular, but has vowed to keep working hard during his time at Anfield.

The Frenchman has been a regular for the Reds since the turn of the year, but has attracted some criticism from some pundits, including former Reds striker Michael Owen, for his use of the ball and his attacking contribution.

And while he admits he rarely pleases everybody, he is focused on proving his worth until the end of the season when a decision will be made regarding a possible permanent switch from Valencia.

"I usually fail to win unanimous support," he told L'Equipe. "I let people make their own opinion and I give everything on the pitch.

"My goal is to do as much as possible for Liverpool, enjoy every minute, and we'll see what the future holds."

Cissokho made his debut at Villa Park on August 24, but on his Anfield bow just three days later he picked up an ankle injury which forced him off after just 10 minutes and kept him out of action for six weeks.

It was a mixed night for the 26-year-old, who admits he was full of emotions after hearing Kop anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' before kick-off that night against Notts County.

"The song had made its mark on me when I was a kid," he added. "It was beautiful, extraordinary. The first time I heard it with the red jersey on my back I felt a lot of emotions. I thought about the path I had taken, all those years working hard to achieve my dream.

"After five minutes, from a tackle, my ankle turned. It was a big sprain. The most significant injury of my career, at the worst time. A piece of cartilage had moved and I had to have surgery in London. It was a very difficult time. I was scared. The operation delayed my adaptation."

 

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Arsenal will attack Bayern Munich, insists Flamini

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini says the Gunners will play their own attacking game against Champions League holders Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Bayern finished ahead of Manchester City in this season's group stage and are currently 16 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, having won the competition under Jupp Heynckes last season, knocking out Arsene Wenger's men in the process.

Pep Guardiola replaced Heynckes in the summer and while Flamini knows the Bavarians will pose a stern test, he says Arsenal will go all out to progress to the next round.

"We know it won't be an easy game because Bayern are a strong, strong team, but we are Arsenal, we have big ambitions," he told reporters. "If you want to quality, you have to get a good result against Bayern.

"We will do everything, we will try to play our best football to try to win this game or to get a good result. It is tough to win a title. You have to fight for every game and we are trying to do it."

Flamini, speaking after the Gunners knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup on Sunday, insists the club are pushing to win three competitions.

"What I can say is, this year, Arsenal have a big ambition and are fighting for the [Premier League] title," he added.

"We have qualified in the FA Cup and we will do everything to qualify in the Champions League. We know it will be a difficult game and now it is important to recover very well because we had so many games.

"We had difficult games and when we had to fight and compete in these games, we did. We have had a lot of victories away and that is very positive for us. I think the commitment this year is very important, it is very good. We have shown character and solidarity.

"We have a collective of players and we need everyone because we want to win a title."