..::Football III::..

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Athletic can beat Napoli - Valverde

Ernesto Valverde believes Athletic Bilbao can beat Napoli in the Champions League playoff and secure a spot in the group stage.

The Serie A side, one of the most feared teams in Friday's play-off round draw, will host Bilbao on August 19 in the first meeting of a two-legged encounter, with the return taking place eight days later.

While Rafael Benitez's side will start as favourites, Valverde is confident his squad has the quality to reach the group stage of Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 1998.

"It's true Napoli are a big side but it's a team we can beat and get through," he said. "We respect them because they are a strong side, but we have real confidence in our chances.

"We already knew we had to face important sides. Maybe Arsenal and Napoli were the strongest teams but to be honest if we want to be in the Champions League we have to face these kind of teams. We cannot be surprised by that.
"Napoli are a really organised team. They are really strong at the back and it's difficult to catch them on a counter attack but at the same time they have a big talent in attack."Bilbao, who finished fourth in La Liga last term, continued their preparations for the new season with a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday Aritz Aduriz struck a first-half hat-trick in Germany, with Valverde's side also set to meet Olympiacos ahead of their initial contest against Napoli.

Valverde added: "These matches are important for us in order to prepare the tie against Napoli, but we are not thinking just about that Champions League tie because we have a La Liga match [against Malaga] in the middle of it. "I know the main thing is now the Champions League but we cannot forget that La Liga match and we have to be ready too."

 

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Pogba: Juve can win the league with Allegri

Paul Pogba says the Juventus team have complete confidence in coach Massimiliano Allegri and believes they can win Serie A this season.

The Italian giants are going for a fourth straight league title despite the shock resignation of Antonio Conte in mid-July and replaced him with former AC Milan boss Allegri, much to the disappointment of many fans and pundits.

However, Pogba says the players are happy to be working with the 46-year-old, adding they are targeting another title victory.

"We still want to win the Scudetto," Pogba told reporters. "It's going to be harder this season because we won three times in a row and now other teams won't let us win again.
"So it's going to be even harder and you have to show everyone that we can win again, with another coach and that's it. I'm not scared, we can't be scared of any team, we are Juventus and we know what we can do.
"Allegri has already been successful, the team has great confidence in him, as well as the company and the president.

"We are happy to work with him. For the moment we are taking the same form as before, we're working a lot on ball possession. It's all very similar.

"When you play for three years with a pattern and you win, some things you shouldn't change much. You only need to maintain some features and improve others. And that's what the coach is trying to do."

The midfielder was then asked if he felt he will be able to score more regularly this season.

"A midfielder must defend, attack and create the game," he replied. "Scoring is a bonus and I will try to do it."

 

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Cavani expects emotional return to Napoli

Edinson Cavani concedes he may be holding back the tears when Paris Saint-Germain take on Napoli in a pre-season friendly on Monday.

The Uruguayan frontman spent three years at Stadio San Paolo before making a big-money move to the French capital last year.And Cavani says it will be an emotional return when the sides meet in their final warm-up for the new season.

"It’s wonderful, I can’t wait to get there and see the city where I had such wonderful moments, to be back in that stadium,” he told Sky Sport Italia."Will I shed a tear? You never know what emotions will emerge. They can come on suddenly, when you least expect them.

"What I feel today is that for me it will be a great joy to be back in that city. Then we’ll see."Despite fond memories of his time with Napoli, Cavani is not sure what kind of reception he will receive from the club's fans.

"I've seen what football is like and often there's a short memory, but I think the real fans, those who experienced those special moments along with the whole team, will welcome me," he added. "If that's not the case, then never mind, you put up with everything in football."

 

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Vermaelen: Barcelona will make me a better player

Thomas Vermaelen says playing for Barcelona will make him a better player, after the Belgium international completed a switch from Arsenal.

The centre-back agreed to join the Catalan giants last week and completed a €19 million move on Saturday.

And the 28-year-old believes that being amongst the best players in the world will allow him to improve, adding that it is an honour to join the club.

"It's a dream of many people to play at this club," he told Barcelona's official website. "You play with the best players in the world, and therefore it's a great honour to play with them here.

"It's good for me because I will be better player if I train every day with these players. I played at Arsenal and I know here is very different.

"We should be winning every game and I understand that there will always be pressure to perform well, and that's what I try to do."It's a different country, a different language and a different culture. It will not be easy. I'll have to adapt as quickly as possible and then we'll see."

 

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Official: Forster completes Southampton move

Goalkeeper Fraser Forster has completed a move from Celtic to Southampton, signing a four-year deal with the Premier League club.

The England international has been the subject of long-term interest from the south coast outfit, who are thought to have snapped up the shot-stopper for a fee of around €12.5 million.

Speaking after his side's 1-0 friendly defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, Saints boss Koeman confirmed that the move for the former Newcastle United man was imminent, and has now shared his delight at signing the 26-year-old.

"Fraser is a very talented player and we are delighted to be able to bring him to Southampton," Koeman told the club's official website. "This is another important part of our rebuilding process ahead of the start of the season.

"Fraser is the perfect fit to help complement the players we already have, and he will add a lot of quality to the squad.

"At 26, he will enjoy the best years of his career at Southampton."

Forster has made almost 200 appearances for Celtic in four years, earning a first England call-up in October 2012 before making his international debut against Chile in November last year.

He could be joined at Southampton by Leeds United right-back Sam Byram, with Koeman confirming interest in the defender - though an initial bid has yet to be accepted.

"We are after that, we lost [Callum] Chambers to Arsenal, it was a player we had on the list and it's true that we had a bid for him, yes," confirmed the Dutch boss. "What I heard was that Leeds didn't accept it."

 

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West Brom 1-3 Porto: Martinez inspires visitors to easy win

West Brom slipped to a third successive pre-season defeat as Jackson Martinez inspired Porto to a 3-1 victory at The Hawthorns.

Alan Irvine's side have struggled to find any form after returning from a tour of the United States and that continued on Saturday as they were comprehensively beaten by their Primeira Liga opponents.

Martinez struck twice in three second-half minutes as Julen Lopetegui maintained his unbeaten run in charge of Porto, who enjoyed ideal preparation for their opening domestic clash against Maritimo on Friday.

Jonas Olsson claimed Albion's solitary goal in what could have been an even heavier defeat had Porto taken late chances, and Irvine has plenty to contemplate ahead of his team's Premier League curtain-raiser with Sunderland next Saturday.

The opening goal came midway through the first half after poor defending from West Brom at a corner allowed the ball to drop to Casemiro, who had the simple task of tapping into an empty net.

West Brom worked hard to get themselves back into the game and got their reward five minutes before the break as Porto gifted Olsson the equaliser with similarly poor marking from a corner.

After Craig Dawson failed to meet Chris Brunt's delivery, the Swedish defender glanced a header home, squeezing it between a defender and the post.

Martinez made his first impact on the game six minutes into the second half when Dawson misjudged a clearance from Ricardo Quaresma's cross and was punished by an emphatic finish.

The forward then doubled his tally in the 54th minute as he got in front of his marker to meet a left-wing cross and volley past Ben Foster.

Quaresma and Alex Sandro each had chances to extend Porto's lead in the final 20 minutes, but found Foster equal to their powerful respective efforts.

A late rally from Albion saw Craig Gardner waste two opportunities as Irvine's men slipped to defeat.

 

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Blatter to critics: Take a risk and stand against me

Sepp Blatter has challenged out his critics to step up and stand against him in the Fifa presidential election next year.

Blatter has been heavily criticised for the way he has run world football's governing body, but is looking to be re-elected for a fifth term having been in office since 1998.

And the 78-year-old has urged those who have called on him to step down from his role to run for election.

"Don't speak - go out and fight, then you will see," Blatter told reporters. "People, they say I should not be a candidate or I should not be elected - they can take the risk to be in the election."

"Now I say [to] other people, if they want to take the risk, then take the risk. That is good. And I am happy to fight. But if you take the risk you also have the chance to lose.

"If I could not be criticised, I would have no value."

The president has already lost the faith of friend and Uefa president Michel Platini, who has already said he won't support him in the next election.

"I am supporting him no longer, it's finished," Platini told L'Equipe in June. "I've known him for a long time and I like him, but I'm not favourable to him having another term.

"I supported him in 1998 but I do not support him in 2014. In future, I will not support Blatter. I have told him that. I think Fifa needs a breath of fresh air."

 

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Marquez: I took pay cut to join Hellas

Rafa Marquez has revealed he took a pay cut in order to make his surprise move to Serie A side Hellas Verona.

Earlier this week, the former Barcelona player completed a move to the Italian club from Mexican club Leon.

And the Mexico captain says he took a pay cut to join the Verona club as he was desperate to return to Europe. "I signed a contract for lower figures than I was on [at Leon]," the 35-year-old said in a press conference as he was unveiled at his new club.

"I only wanted to return to Europe and play with Hellas Verona, money wasn’t important in this decision."

Marquez noted that Verona wasn’t the only European club interested in him and that he is looking forward to squaring up against AC Milan striker Mario Ballotelli in the upcoming season.

The Mexico captain at Brazil also said he admired the history of one past Milan legend. "I’ve got examples of other great defenders that played in Serie A, like Paolo Maldini, who has also been a reference point for me."

The former Barcelona player said the primary objective at Verona will be to survive, but that he is aiming to finish as high as possible and replicate the success at Leon, where Marquez won consecutive championships, despite joining the club when avoiding relegation was the main concern.

 

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Bayern Legends Vs Mnachester United Legends Match in Pictures

Bayern Legends Vs Mnachester United Legends Match in Pictures

Bayern Legends 3 Vs 3 Manchester United Legends

 

[maxboysl]

පට්ට

 

[unicornx]

Congratulations & Good Luck Vermaelen!​

welcome vermaelen

 

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welcome vermaelen

Manchester United la kawru ganida kiyala hithaganna baga broMatt Hummels wage ganna puluwan unoth nam kiyala wadak naha

1kama awla kiyanne Manchester United la transfer market 1ke deals karaganne godak slow welane
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De Boer: I want Eto'o

Ajax boss Frank De Boer has admitted he wants to sign free agent Samuel Eto'o and use him as an "example" for the club's next breed of young stars.

The striker has been a free agent since leaving Chelsea at the end of last season, but the Amsterdam club's sporting director Marc Overmars revealed they had spoken to the player on Saturday.

De Boer has now given his vocal backing to the pursuit of the Cameroonian star, with the former Inter and Barcelona man set to watch the club's clash with Vitesse Arnhem on Sunday.

"It would be great for us if we could get a player like him," De Boer told Fox Sports.

"He has still got the ambition to show what he's got. He must take a role as leader, show our young players what it means to be a professional football player.

"He must be an example for our youth. I want him to show why he wants to come to us. We're looking for a striker and if it will be him, that would be great."

Eto'o has also been offered to Ajax's Eredivisie rivals PSV, though they appear to be in pole position for his signature after the Eindhoven club baulked at his €2 million a year salary demands.

PSV's technical manager Marc Brands added: "I don't know who represents him but yesterday we had an offer from his people.

"We are already full in that area with Jurgen Locadia and Luuk de Jong. €2m net plus add ons was the salary demanded and that was too much for our club - it's more than double our salary cap."

 

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Zubizarreta: No offers for Dani Alves

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has said that defender Dani Alves has not been the subject of any official transfer interest and remains part of the Catalans' squad.

The Brazil international right-back has been subject to a great deal of speculation this summer as his contract expires in 2015, when he could potentially leave Camp Nou on a free transfer.

Liverpool, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain amongst others have been linked with the ex-Sevilla defender but the club chief has cooled speculation that the 31-year-old is in line to leave imminently, stating: "At the moment we have received no offers for Dani Alves. He is a player in our squad and he is training very well."

While Zubizarreta would not be drawn into discussing any deal for Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, who is reportedly on the verge of joining the Liga giants, he did not dismiss the possibility that players could be added to the squad before the transfer window shuts on September 1, though he did hint that there would have to be a reduction in the playing staff before anyone could be added.

"I think we're going to enjoy what we have at the moment," he explained, discussing the defensive roster that coach Luis Enrique has available. "We're comfortable now. At this moment we have a highquality defensive line.

"Until the deadline there are options to find more players. Maybe we have to work on a player leaving. We hope that on September 1 we have the best squad for the coming campaign.

"If we have an option to improve the squad, we'll take that chance, but at the momet we're really happy."

 

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A-League All Stars 2-3 Juventus: Pogba & Pepe spare Bianconeri's blushes

Paul Pogba and Simone Pepe struck twice in the closing stages as Juventus twice came from a goal down to record a dramatic 3-2 win over the A-League All Stars on Sunday.

Marcelo Adrian Carrusca opened the scoring just nine minutes into the friendly at the ANZ Stadium but Fernando Llorente headed home an equaliser for the Bianconeri just before hour mark.

Tomi Juric's 77th-minute strike looked to have won it for the All Stars but Pogba hammered home a half-volley before Pepe snatched a last-gasp winner after pouncing on a loose ball in the box.

A lively start from the hosts saw former Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero have the first sight of goal after eight minutes. The World Cup winner's free-kick struck the wall, but a minute later the All Stars were ahead through Carrusca.

Matt Smith brought the ball confidently out of defence to begin a flowing move that ended with Carrusca cutting inside Angelo Ogbonna, before firing low into the bottom corner of Gianluigi Buffon's net.

Juve were struggling to cope with their opponents and nearly fell further behind on the half-hour as Besart Berisha forced Buffon into a smart save, the experienced goalkeeper pushing a curling shot wide.

The visitors gradually found their stride as Andrea Pirlo began to dictate proceedings, and a neat move between the Italian champions' front two almost brought an equaliser.

Carlos Tevez and Llorente exchanged passes on the edge of the penalty area but the Argentine's low shot struck a post before bouncing out for a goal kick.

Juve eventually levelled as Patrice Evra made good ground down the left and, after being found by Pirlo, delivered a pinpoint cross to find Llorente, who headed beyond Eugene Galekovic.

A host of changes gave the All Stars a boost and with 13 minutes remaining they claimed what appeared set to be a winning goal, as Juric cut in from the left edge of the area and lashed the ball into the back of the net.

With time running out and Juve staring defeat in the face, it was Pogba who initially came to the rescue with a sumptuous volley over Mark Birighitti to level the match. But the drama was not over.

The All Stars failed to clear a late Juve corner and Pepe latched onto the loose ball inside the penalty area to fire into the bottom corner and seal the victory.

 

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Vermaelen: Picking Barcelona over Manchester United was 'easy'

Thomas Vermaelen has revealed that choosing Barcelona over Manchester United was an "easy" decision to make.

New Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal made the former Arsenal captain his primary summer transfer target but the versatile centre-back rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford in favour of a switch to Camp Nou.

"The decision was easy," Vermaelen told reporters at a press conference on Sunday. "It's one of the biggest clubs in the world.

"Everyone wants to play here and it's no different for me. That's why I chose this club."

Vermaelen added that he was drawn to Catalunya by the prospect of playing alongside some of the most famous names in world football, including the Blaugrana's star summer signing, Luis Suarez.

"He's a great player and he has made unbelievable steps in his career," the defender said of his former Ajax team-mate. "Everyone knows his qualities.

"As a person, I know him from Ajax and my experiences with him are very good. He's a very nice person.

"I didn't speak to him before I came here but I'm looking forward to meeting him.

"But I think the players who are here are great players. I have seen them play for the last two years. They have world-class defenders and there's lots of competition.

"But I'm very excited and it's down to me to show I can play for this club."

Vermaelen admitted that he is not yet back to full fitness after his exploits at this summer's World Cup with Belgium, but feels that he has plenty to offer the Blaugrana, who have made a point of addressing their longstanding defensive deficiencies this summer.

"I haven't trained with Arsenal, so I need some weeks to get fully match fit," he explained. "We'll discuss that [on Monday] with the club staff so we'll see how long I need to get fit.

"But I'll try to give my aerial strength to the club. I'm used to playing in the Premier League, with a lot of physical strikers and a lot of long balls.

"It's not going to be a surprise for me when teams play long balls."

 

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Bayern Munich rocked by Rafinha injury

Bayern Munich have been rocked by the news that defender Rafinha is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The Brazilian suffered ligament damage to his left ankle in training on Saturday and is devastated that he will miss the start of the 2014-15 season.

"I'm very disappointed," Rafinha is quoted as saying by his club's official website.

"I had a really good preparation, and now this. I am very sad."

Rafinha was expected to be sold last summer but went on to establish himself as a first-team regular under new coach Pep Guardiola.

The 28-year-old's injury is therefore a major blow for the Bavarians, but the German champions do, at least, have the option of restoring Philipp Lahm to his more familiar role of right-back, with the World Cup winner having been often utilised as a defensive midfielder during the 2013-14 season.

 

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Afellay leaves Barcelona for Olympiakos on loan

Ibrahim Afellay appears to have played his last game for Barcelona after being allowed to join Olympiakos on a season-long loan.

The injury-plagued Netherlands international has just one year left on his current contract with the Blaugrana and will spend it in Piraeus, the Catalan club announced on their official website on Sunday.

Afellay arrived at Camp Nou from PSV in December 2010 and enjoyed an encouraging start to life in La Liga, making 16 appearances in the second half of the season.

However, the attacker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September 2011 and his Barca career never recovered.

Indeed, Afellay featured only twice for the Blaugrana last season and, having been deemed surplus to requirements by new coach Luis Enrique, he has now been loaned to Olympiakos for the remaining 12 months of his contract.

 

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Hummels: Latest injury 'nothing serious'

Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has admitted insisted that his current injury issue is "nothing serious".

The Germany international has not been able to play any part in his club's pre-season preparations as he is struggling with muscular problems related to his participation in this summer's World Cup.

While he refused to be drawn on when exactly he will be fit to return to action, Hummels, who battled a knee injury in Brazil, reassured Dortmund fans that his unexpectedly long lay-off is nothing to worry about.

"I can still feel the effects of my injury from the world Cup final, but it is nothing serious," the 25-year-old is quoted as saying by Bild.

Meanwhile, Hummels has been touted as a possible successor to Sebastian Kehl as Dortmund captain and he admitted that he would be honoured if he is asked to accept the job by Jurgen Klopp.

"That's up to the coach," he pointed out. "I would love it but am accustomed to taking responsibility even without the captaincy."

 

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Get well soon Hummels!
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