..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Kompany an injury doubt for Liverpool clash

Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany is a doubt for Sunday's huge Premier League title clash with Liverpool, Goal can reveal.

The centre-back landed awkwardly following a collision with team-mate Micah Richards as City practiced set-pieces during their final training session before travelling to Liverpool for the crunch meeting at Anfield.

The Belgium international, who had to be carried off the training pitch my team-mates, will now be assessed by City's medical team with early indications that he may have suffered a jarred knee, thus making him a major doubt to be fit enough to face Brendan Rodgers's side.

Should Kompany fail to shake off the injury, Manuel Pellegrini will be forced to shuffle his pack and could potentially start with holding midfielder Javi Garcia at centre-back.

The Spaniard has had experience playing at the back for City, with the 27-year-old former Benfica star occupying a central defensive role when, ironically, Kompany was sent off in the 2-0 win over Hull City back in March.

Joleon Lescott could also get the nod to start alongside Martin Demichelis, with Matija Nastasic still recovering from a knee injury and having not featured for the club since February.

The absence of the influential Belgian would come as a massive blow to City and their title bid, with Pellegrini facing up to the prospect of taking on deadly strike duo Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge without his key central defender.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ada thamai match 1ka

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Liverpool defender Sakho thrilled to be back

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has expressed his delight after returning to full fitness following a lengthy lay-off.

The Frenchman had been sidelined by a hamstring problem but made his first start since December in the Reds' 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday and delivered an impressive display.

Sakho will now hope to play a part at Anfield on Sunday, when the Premier League leaders host Manchester City in a match likely to have a significant bearing on who wins the title.

Reflecting on his return to the starting line-up, he told his club's official website: "I was very happy at West Ham as I'd worked very hard to get back to full fitness so that's been achieved now.

"The most important thing here is the group so you need to be ready to give your absolute best when you are called upon.

"It's normal when you are a competitor like me - you always want to be involved and be out there on the pitch trying to help out your team."

Sakho believes that Brendan Rodgers' man-management has been a key factor in Liverpool's rise to the top of the table this season.

"It's a very important part of his work as there are some players who play less frequently than others and he manages to keep everyone feeling part of things and involved," the 24-year-old added.

"And by that I mean the entire squad and so that's why, when a player comes in to replace someone, he always stands up because everyone of us is involved in achieving our common goal, an aim that we all share together."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Pirlo: I've not even thought about retirement

Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo insists that he has not yet given "the slightest thought" to retirement.

The Italy international, who will turn 35 in May, signed a two-year contract extension with the Bianconeri in January.

It has been speculated that Pirlo will hang up his boots when his new deal expires in the summer of 2016 but he says that he intends to continue playing for as long as he feels sharp, both physically and mentally.

"I have not given even the slightest thought to the date of my retirement," Pirlo told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"And I won't - not as long as I have this strength and this desire."

Pirlo admitted that he is currently motivated by the prospect of winning a league-and-cup double, with Antonio Conte's men currently eight points clear at the top of Serie A and set to face Benfica in the last four of the Europa League, the final of which will be staged at Juventus Stadium.

"We always wanted to go as far as possible in the Europa League, driven by the possibility of a final in Torino," the midfielder explained. "The cup is not a distraction. We want it as much as the Scudetto.

"At this point, though, every squad that remains [in the Europa League] is as strong as the other. They are all formidable opponents.

"But Benfica have done will to get here. They have had a great season and, technically, they are well equipped."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Benitez: Napoli are on the right track

Rafael Benitez believes his Napoli team are making great strides forward, despite going through many changes in the last year.

The southern Italians are currently third in Serie A and could break their own record of 70 points as they have racked up 64 with six games remaining.

And the Spaniard thinks his club will continue to move forward in the next few years if they continue to work hard and improve the squad.

“Looking at the statistics, this is almost a record-breaking campaign for this club, despite a change of coach, players and style of football," he told reporters. "We need to become more mature.

“When you talk to me at Napoli, you forget I was always at clubs where I didn’t have many funds at my disposal. And yet I won! Valencia and Liverpool didn’t have a high revenue when I was there, but we worked on the mentality of the players."We need to work harder and make the right choices on the transfer market. I think we are on the right path."

The coach turned his attention to Sunday's clash with Lazio, which he says his team will go all out to win as they look to clinch the Champions League spot.

"This game with Lazio is important so that we can guarantee third place," he added."It will also be a special match for the fans. We will give 100 per cent to win. We have always done well at the San Paolo and the fans help us.

“[Lazio coach] Edy Reja is doing a great job. When you change coach, some things improve. It’ll be a difficult game, as they are highly motivated.”Napoli will face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia final in May, and Benitez is hopeful he can finish his first season with one piece of silverware.

"If we don’t win the final, then it could be a problem for the media and the fans. Fiorentina will want to win, just as we do. It is nonetheless a positive season, but we could’ve done better."He discussed his top goalscorer, Gonzalo Higuain, whom he says is capable of putting in much better performances than he has in the last few weeks.

“Higuain is training well, but knows he hasn’t performed to his best and that he must do, because he’s an important player for us."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Simeone demands Atletico concentrate on La Liga

Diego Simeone has urged Atletico Madrid to start concentrating on La Liga again after the euphoria of their Champions League win over Barcelona.

Atletico reached their first semi-final of the continent's premier club competition since 1973-74 with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Barca at a raucous Vicente Calderon on Wednesday, with Koke's early volley proving enough to earn a 2-1 aggregate success.

Simeone's side, who will face Chelsea in the semi-final later this month, remain on course for a remarkable double, as they sit a point clear of Barca and three ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with six games left.

And the Argentine coach has insisted his players must concentrate fully on the clash at Coliseum Alfonso Perez - where they have failed to win on their last five visits - and not let their thoughts wander to their glamour tie with Chelsea."We are competing very well in La Liga - as I have always said, La Liga has been very important for us since the start of the season," he said.

"Tomorrow we'll face a difficult game, Getafe have things to play for as well. We know them - every time they play against us they make a huge effort."It will be a competitive match, and we are only focused on this, so we hope to respond in the best way.

"They can feel a bit anxious because of their situation, but at the same time motivated to play Atletico. I expect a dangerous rival."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Balotelli could be crucial to Italy World Cup bid, says Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo believes Italy's bid to win the World Cup could depend on the form of AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli.Balotelli was an integral part of Italy's unbeaten qualifying campaign, scoring five goals, and the 23-year-old will be looked upon to help Italy through a tricky World Cup group featuring Uruguay, England and Costa Rica.

Experienced Juventus midfielder Pirlo feels the form of Balotelli could be crucial to Italy's success, but warned that the whole squad will have to be at their best."We know it's a difficult group, but I really like the atmosphere in Brazil," he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Do we depend on Mario Balotelli? Partly yes, but we are all important to the cause. Mario is old enough now, so he doesn’t need advice any more.
"He just needs to focus on finding his form in the summer, concentrate on the football and leave the rest alone."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Lacazette is going to the World Cup, says Garde

22-year-old striker heading into the tournament in Brazil this summer
Alexandre Lacazette will be a big part of France's World Cup squad, according to Lyon head coach Remi Garde.

The 22-year-old has been one of the stand-out performers for Lyon this season, notching 14 goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances.

France coach Didier Deschamps was in attendance as Lyon crashed out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage to Juventus on Thursday, losing 2-1 on the night in a 3-1 aggregate loss.Garde has now revealed that Deschamps plans to name Lacazette, who has two caps for his country, in France's 23-man squad for the World Cup, which starts in Brazil in June.

"I talked about him with the national team coach, who was present at the match," Garde said."He relies on Alexandre Lacazette. He didn't give me the list of players for the World Cup, but he confirmed that he relies on him.

"He is aware of the huge improvement made by Alex since the start of the season. He knows he can score important goals."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rakitic close to signing Sevilla extension, claims sporting director

Sevilla are close to agreeing a contract extension for star player Ivan Rakitic, according to sporting director Monchi.

The 26-year-old has been a key player for the Spanish side since he joined from Schalke three years ago and his excellent performances have seen him linked to the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.

However, the sporting director says the midfielder won't be departing the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan this summer and will instead renew his deal with the club, while he is also confident that Alberto Moreno will remain with the side into next season.

"The deal is almost done and I'm not worried about interest from Atletico or Madrid," the Monchi said. "Rakitic wants to spend many years at Sevilla.

"Alberto is a fundamental part of the team. We have no need to sell and we want to enjoy these players."

Sevilla are in the Europa League semi-final, where they have been drawn alongside league rivals Valencia, and are also in with a chance of finishing in a Champions League spot in La Liga. And the 45-year-old says he didn't expect the club to achieve this kind of success so soon.

"The project started with great enthusiasm but we did not expect it to reach this level so soon. We cannot compare this side with the team of Juande Ramos. Sevilla are rebuilding with players who are very hungry.

"It had long been decided that our ideal coach for this project was Unai Emery. We have not discussed it but he will continue in the job."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter will be competitive once again, claims Mazzarri

Walter Mazzarri has lamented an "unusual year" at Inter and believes his side are worthy of a higher standing than their current position.

Mazzarri took the reins at Inter in May, charged with improving the club's on-field fortunes after a disappointing ninth-placed finish under Andrea Stramaccioni last season.After a promising start to the campaign, Inter soon lost touch with the leaders and now face a battle to secure qualification for the Europa League.

A four-match winless run - including three straight draws against teams in the bottom half of the table - has left Inter hanging on to fifth spot in Serie A.

However, Mazzarri feels his side have deserved more and remains confident Inter will eventually be back among Serie A's leading teams."It's [been] an unusual year," he said ahead of Sunday's trip to Sampdoria. "There haven't been many games that we didn't deserve to win.

"I've never seen the team really struggling. In fact, we've often picked up less than we deserved."We've often determined the course of games with the approach we've taken, that can be seen as a positive."I know we'll get back to being a competitive side with working methods that are different to the past.

"We've let teams peg us back after going ahead. That's the area where we need to make the biggest improvement."With Juan Jesus set for a long lay-off due to a serious knee injury, Danilo D'Ambrosio is set for an extended run at full-back.

The 25-year-old moved to San Siro in January from Torino, and Mazzarri believes he will continue to improve.He added: "D'Ambrosio is in the process of adapting. He's taken a step up by joining a club where you have to live with pressure.

"I'm sure D'Ambrosio has a great future, he's another one who's improving in leaps and bounds."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Granada 1-0 Barcelona: Brahimi leaves Blaugrana title hopes in tatters

Barcelona's La Liga hopes suffered a devastating blow on Saturday evening after Yacine Brahimi's first half strike gave Granada a shock 1-0 win.

The Algerian's third goal of the season in the first half gave the Andalusian outfit their first win over the champions since they returned to the top flight in the 2011.

Barca were dumped out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid in midweek, and the pressure on coach Gerardo Martino was ramped up again at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.Neymar cut a frustated figure as he spurned several chances, and defeat ensured Barca missed the chance to replace Atletico - who play on Sunday - at the top of the table, while victory for Granada eased their relegation fears.

Martino stated in the build-up to this game that Barca's season would be deemed a failure following their Champions League exit, and he must now hope his side respond by winning the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Xavi, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves dropped to the bench as Martino rang the changes following the loss at Atletico and, probably, with one eye on the Copa final.Barca made a bright start, but they were stunned when the home side took the lead just 16 minutes in.

Midfielder Fran Rico was the architect, with a pass that pierced the Barca defence, and Brahimi raced away from Martin Montoya before beating Jose Pinto with a right-foot finish inside the near post.Granada wanted a penalty when Youssef El-Arabi went down under a challenge from Javier Mascherano, but referee Carlos Delgado saw nothing untoward.

Neymar should have done better when he headed Montoya's inviting cross over the crossbar, before the Brazil forward tried his luck with a measured right-foot strike from outside the area that was palmed away by Orestis Karnezis.Former Santos man Neymar was becoming increasingly tetchy, and he was somewhat fortunate to escape with only a yellow card when he kicked out at Allan Nyom just before half-time.

Barca got straight back on the front foot after the break and Granada were indebted to a fine save from Karnezis to keep out a Cesc Fabregas strike that looked destined for the back of the net.

Neymar was wasteful once again when he fired a left-foot strike wide of the far post 12 minutes into the second half as the home side came under yet more pressure.Karnezis then thwarted Barca again with an outstanding reflex save from a Lionel Messi free-kick, before smothering Sergio Busquets' strike from close range.

Neymar's misery continued 17 minutes from time when he volleyed wide at the far post, and Andres Iniesta then flashed a shot just wide of the far post.El-Arabi could have sealed the points three minutes from time when he raced through on goal, but Pinto denied him.

That miss was not to prove costly, though, as the home side held on for three precious points in their battle to avoid the drop and dealt a big blow to Barca's title hopes.

 

[unicornx]

Barca lost
Munich Lost
Madrid won
today is a good day

 

[unicornx]

Guardiola philosophical after Bayern defeat

Pep Guardiola was philosophical after watching his Bayern Munich slip to a 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, insisting their slump in form was "expected".

The champions have now taken just one point from three top-flight matches since retaining their crown at Hertha Berlin last month.

Guardiola's side had dropped just four points all season prior to their coronation in the capital, but drew 3-3 with Hoffenheim and lost 1-0 at Augsburg before this weekend's humbling at the hands of second-placed Dortmund."When you win the title, you suffer a dip," said the Spaniard."It was the same for me at Barcelona. Now we have to get back (to our previous form)."

Bayern were lacklustre throughout Saturday's contest, as Dortmund's front four of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marco Reus and Jonas Hofmann - Robert Lewandowski started on the bench - caused the back four all sorts of problems."Congratulations to Dortmund," Guardiola added.

"We didn't get into our rhythm today and we were unable to score."Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was withdrawn at the break after complaining of discomfort in his calf, but the Germany number one was quick to insist he will be fit for Wednesday's DFB-Pokal semi-final against Kaiserslautern.

"I went off as a precaution but I can play in the cup in during the week," he said.

Ohoma gahuwothnan madrid eken kanawa Sapata

 

[unicornx]

Klopp shows Ancelotti Bayern blueprint

Bayern Munich's league form has dipped considerably since winning the Bundesliga on March 25 against Hertha Berlin, with Saturday's 3-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund extending their title hangover to two defeats and a draw.

The last time they were beaten by a three-goal margin was at the end of the 2011-12 season when Dortmund embarrassed them in the DFB Pokal final. They have now fallen 1-0 behind in their last five games, having previously not been on a run of conceding goals like this since 2001.

There is only so much allowance that can be made for Bayern's poor performances in light of winning the Bundesliga. They are suffering an alarming pattern of negative results and it is not easy to simply switch on the habit of winning as they will need to do in the Champions League.

There was much more to this BVB win than Bayern simply not being bothered. Jurgen Klopp prepared his side better than any of Bayern's opponents this season for a one-off game. His game plan was then executed perfectly. Of course we will never know whether or not Dortmund would have won this game with anything riding on it, but on this evidence Klopp might just have Pep Guardiola's number.

If Carlo Ancelotti happened to be paying attention, he will have discovered a formula for beating Bayern ahead of the Champions League semi-finals. It was built on a bedrock of stout defending, firm concentration and valour when chances to attack presented themselves.

Dortmund scarcely placed a player in the centre-forward position once all evening. There were barely any crosses to speak of because Dortmund never sought to put pressure on Bayern in that area.

Instead, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus played mostly in the middle third. Aubameyang stretched the Bayern backline, popping up on both flanks, and his searing pace out wide was the focal point of Dortmund's rampaging counter-attacks. Real have similar weapons.

Reus, instead, operated as an extra midfielder. He ensured that Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger struggled to construct purposeful possession. Admittedly, Reus is a player whose attributes or form cannot be imitated easily. But in Isco, Madrid do possess an attacking midfielder with imagination, dribbling skills and finishing ability.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan played in the centre when Dortmund did not have the ball and looked to release his forwards with his clever passes. He was rewarded for a diligent display with a goal.

There was unquestionable bravery in Dortmund's attacking play despite their scant possession of the ball. That is something Manchester United did not do over two legs in the quarter-finals, but will have emboldened Real, whose defence cannot be relied upon for a clean sheet.

Dortmund preyed on Bayern's inattentiveness with quick throw-ins and free-kicks - one of which yielded the opener. When they attacked they did so in big numbers and that is something that will be second nature to Real Madrid.

Jonas Hofmann's goal resulted from a long ball which missed out Bayern's midfield area altogether. It punished the champions' ultra-high defensive line. With capable long passers like Xabi Alonso and willing runners from deep like Angel Di Maria, Madrid can unsettle Bayern's ponderous defenders like Dortmund did on Saturday.

This match also proved that BVB can cope with life after Robert Lewandowski. A central striker like the Poland international would have impeded this type of strategy from the outset - which was winning football against the best team in Europe.

Ancelotti, take note.

I wish he had Gotze and Ikey Gotzeta patta reply eka

 

[rcccc]

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Arsenal (pens 2-4): Cazorla sends Gunners through to final

Wigan lath patta gamek dunne.epl walata promote wunoth hondayi

 

[rcccc]

Eriksen nam niyamaiGodak durata Spurs player of the season wei​

owspurs lage last summer signing walin Eriksen withrayi hodatama play karanne.

Ada thamai match 1ka

aniwa patta gamek yayi

 

[rcccc]

Rakitic close to signing Sevilla extension, claims sporting director

"

menna gannawa nam playersla 12goals 10assists

 

[unicornx]

menna gannawa nam playersla 12goals 10assists

EPL seperate game ekakne ban...Tikak kal yai itin hadenna EPL awoth spain idan

 

[rcccc]

EPL seperate game ekakne ban...Tikak kal yai itin hadenna EPL awoth spain idan

eka nam aththasoldado ehema penawane.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

I wish he had Gotze and Ikey Gotzeta patta reply eka

Ikey nathi 1kath loku paduwak.