..::Football III::..

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Manchester City wait on Silva scan

Manchester City are waiting on David Silva’s scan results as they seek to determine whether the attacking midfielder will be fit for this weekend’s Manchester derby, Goal understands.

The Spain international was withdrawn after just nine minutes during City’s 2-0 League Cup defeat to Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, prompting fears that he could miss the game at Eastlands.

Goal understands Silva underwent a scan on Thursday morning at the Etihad Campus, with City expecting the results within 24 hours.

Should his results come back clear, the former Valencia ace will then be subjected to a fitness test on Saturday to determine whether or not he will be involved against Louis van Gaal’s side.

Yaya Toure, meanwhile, was also substituted during the game, with manager Manuel Pellegrini revealing later that he had a “problem with his groin.”

However, City are confident he will recover in time for the derby, despite him complaining of fatigue after the game, and he is expected to feature in Sunday’s blockbuster fixture.

City currently lie in third in the Premier League table but could fall nine points behind leaders Chelsea if the Blues beat QPR and they fail to defeat United.

 

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Casillas: Madrid want to overhaul Barcelona by Christmas

Iker Casillas has revealed that Real Madrid's aim is to be top of La Liga by Christmas after they defeated current leaders Barcelona last weekend.

Los Blancos drew to within a point of Luis Enrique's men courtesy of a stirring 3-1 victory at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. They had to recover from the concession of an early goal to Neymar but responded impressively, with strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Karim Benzema.

Casillas is now hoping that Madrid can overhaul their great rivals at the summit of the Primera Division standings before the winter break."Our aim is what we've wanted from the start of the season: we need to try and top the league by Christmas," the goalkeeper told reporters on Thursday.

"We took an important step in getting there by beating Barcelona."Madrid, of course, are looking to reclaim the Liga title for the first time since 2012 but they realised an even bigger dream last season by winning their 10th European Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were 1-0 down in the dying seconds of May's Champions League final against city rivals Atletico before Sergio Ramos plundered a last-gasp equaliser.Madrid subsequently romped to a 4-1 victory after extra time, much to the delight of Casillas, who was a member of the Blancos side that had last won the title in 2002.

"I felt relieved because we had been aiming to win it for ages," the Spain international said of 'La Decima'."Real Madrid had gone 12 years without lifting this club's favourite trophy.

"When we finally managed it, winning after such a long and nail-biting wait made our celebrations that much more special, and in the process winning the 'Decima' meant so much more to all Real fans. "It took a weight off our shoulders."

 

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Spain boss Del Bosque continues Costa row

Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque insists he will continue to pick Diego Costa for the national team, despite Jose Mourinho’s protestations.

The Chelsea manager criticised the striker's inclusion in Spain’s Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg, with Costa returning from international duty with a hamstring injury and a virus for which he was hospitalised.

"It was hard, he had to go to the hospital and obviously it doesn't help him to recover from his injury. But he didn't play on Sunday because of the injury, not because of the virus,” Mourinho said.

"Diego has the hamstring [injury] because he played two matches in three days when he was not with us."

But Del Bosque is unconcerned by the Portuguese’s criticisms, and claims he would have been pilloried in Spain had he opted to overlook Costa.

As such, the striker, who has scored nine goals in seven Premier League games so far the season, is likely to feature when La Roja face Belarus and Germany in November.

“We’ve had no luck with Diego,” said Del Bosque. “He didn’t join us at the best time and the injuries he had didn’t help him.

“In some things we are very flexible and in others stubborn, and in this we are stubborn.

“I don’t know if we are right or wrong, but if we hadn’t called up Costa for the national team we’d definitely have been criticised for not having done so.”

Costa has not played since picking up his hamstring injury but is in line to return against QPR this weekend, Mourinho revealing he should “normally” be fit for Saturday’s clash.

 

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Simeone: We knew we would lose our stars

Diego Simeone was not surprised several of Atletico Madrid's first-team stars left the club in the last transfer window.Simeone masterminded Atleti's first La Liga title since 1996 last season and ended the domestic stronghold of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

However, that did not stop the likes of Diego Costa and Filipe Luis from departing the Vicente Calderon, the duo opting to join Chelsea.

Furthermore, Thibaut Courtois returned to Stamford Bridge after a three-year loan, while David Villa also left the club."I wasn't surprised because we were a team that exploded last year and there are clubs with more economic power than us," Simeone told Cadena SER.

"They have the ability to choose the players they want and that's okay. A lot of people get confused by saying it's unfair that they have to leave, but that's the nature of this profession.

"It's alright for anybody to want to grow as a footballer elsewhere, so it's neither good nor bad."Simeone claims he gets additional motivation by the changes to his squad.

"You have to assess them on how they performed when playing for your team. All of them, from Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa, Filipe, those of them who decided to leave behaved like men and professionals."But it's a situation that motivates me twice over and makes me come alive. It's good to see new faces arrive.

"That's not to say we wanted Costa to leave, but what can you do? You stop living off your memories then go and win the Supercopa against Real Madrid, which is what I prefer."

 

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Destro to consider Roma future at season's end

Mattia Destro has revealed that he will consider his Roma future at the end of the season because of a perceived lack of game time.

The Italy international has netted in his last four outings at the Stadio Olimpico, including the opener in Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Serie A rivals Cesena.However, Destro has yet to nail down a regular berth in Rudi Garcia's starting line-up, with the Frenchman revealing after the Giallorossi's latest victory: "Mattia must improve his character. I have asked him to have more."

Destro, though, said that while he has no problem with the coach's judgments, he has his own ideas on whether he is good enough to lead the Roma attack on a consistent basis.

"It's right that the coach makes his decisions," the 23-year-old forward told Gazzetta dello Sport. "At the end of the season, I'll make mine."Destro, who has been capped seven times by his country, also offered a sharp riposte to those who have questioned his attitude in the press.

"The critics? Some people can speak with their voices," the attacker mused. "I'll speak with goals."

Destro joined Roma from Siena in 2012 for a reported grand total of €16 million but was linked with a move to the Premier League during the summer transfer window.

 

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Eto'o is a 'gift from the footballing gods' - Martinez

Roberto Martinez says Samuel Eto'o is a "gift from the footballing gods" for Everton after impressing both on and off the pitch.

The striker Eto'o signed a two-year deal at Goodison Park in August after his release from Chelsea, and has scored three goals in five Premier League appearances for the Merseyside club.

His superb double against Burnley last weekend secured a 3-1 win for Martinez's side, and the Spaniard has been delighted with the 33-year-old's impact.

"To have Eto'o is like a gift from the footballing gods," Martinez told reporters. "He is the perfect ingredient for our young players, the way he has been training has been of pristine professionalism.

"He is a player of the highest calibre, I am really excited to see how he can adapt into the second half of the season.

"Samuel feels excited and really stimulated to show everyone what he can do. He's enjoying his football and he does it in style.

"He comes in every day with really high standards, he always wants to do more and he is a big influence in that way."

Everton face Martinez's former club Swansea City at Goodison Park this weekend.

 

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Inter must score more, says Mazzarri

Inter coach Walter Mazzarri says his side must begin to finish off more of their chances in the wake of their 1-0 win over Sampdoria.

The Giuseppe Meazza outfit missed a number of opportunities before Mauro Icardi eventually found the net from 12 yards in the closing stages of the game to help his team to a vital win."We’ve beaten a side that had not lost once this season. The only negative is that we couldn’t take more of our chances," the Inter coach said at a press conference."At the end of the day, we’ve won, but hopefully we’re saving up the goals for the next match.

"I think my team put in a great performance in terms of the football we played. We’re happy with how the lads are playing. This is a united group made up of good men. This team feels truly mine."Inter were whistled by some of their fans during half-time, but Mazzarri stressed he did not hear the jeers.

"I didn’t hear them; I went straight into the dressing room so that I could think about how the team was doing and what we should do after the break. That’s why I didn’t hear any whistles.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I prefer to let my team and our points tally do the talking."

 

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Chicharito: I'm no super-sub

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has vowed to prove he is more than just a super-sub at Real Madrid after scoring in the 4-1 Copa del Rey victory at Cornella on Wednesday.

The Mexico attacker's opportunities in the starting XI have proved just as limited at Real as at Manchester United and he has started just once in La Liga this term.

Head coach Carlo Ancelotti afforded the 26-year-old striker a chance to shine in the Copa, though, and he responded with a goal at the Estadio Municipal de la Via Ferrea."I'm working hard to seize opportunities and do my best for the Madrid badge," he told reporters after the game.

"I won't get into this debate [about being a substitute]. I'll prove my quality when I'm playing.

"The important thing was to get a good win in the first leg. The coach asked us to be professional and respectful with every opponent we face. That means playing as if we were up against Barcelona. "James passed me the ball, I attempted a one-two with Karim Benzema and then I just shot towards goal and thanks to God it went in."

Madrid's fourth goal was scored by substitute Marcelo, with the full-back celebrating with a double somersault, but the Brazilian's exuberant reaction was frowned upon by Cornella goalscorer Oscar Munoz."We are Segunda B players, we hardly earn any money and his somersaults leave a bitter taste in our mouths," he told Marca.

"You have to remember where you are. Well, whatever - after he told me that he just had to celebrate it. Chicharito [Hernandez] also explained it to me. He told me that he doesn't score all that many goals and that's why he did it."

 

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Chicharito play karana widiya hodai Real Madrid wala​

 

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Trabzonspor: Manchester United want Waris

Manchester United are interested in signing Abdul Majeed Waris, Trabzonspor chief executive Burak Gurdal has confirmed.

The Turkish club signed the Ghana international from Spartak Moscow in the close-season, but the Red Devils are taking a keen interest in the 23-year-old's progress, with Ryan Giggs watching the striker in action during Trabzonspor’s Europa League clash with Lokeren last week.

Waris’ agent recently revealed to Goal that he was unsurprised by United’s interest, although he was not aware the club had travelled to watch his client in action.

And Gurdal has now confirmed that the Old Trafford outfit are monitoring Waris, though he maintains Trabzonspor have no desire to sell.

"We have not have any direct offers however, we know Manchester United are scouting Waris and keeping close tabs on him,” Gurdal is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.

"We only signed Waris two months ago and are not interested in selling right now, but you never know what will happen in the future."

 

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Ribery plays down supporter incident

Franck Ribery has played down the incident that saw a spectator strike him with a scarf in Bayern Munich's 3-1 DFB Pokal win at Hamburg on Wednesday.

The Frenchman was making his first start of the season after suffering from back and knee injuries and scored Bayern's third goal in a comfortable victory for the holders at the Imtech Arena.

However, the match ended on a sour note when a Hamburg supporter ran onto the pitch and hit Ribery with a scarf, before making a hand gesture towards the 31-year-old and being led away by stewards.

The incident drew an immediate apology from Hamburg on Twitter, while Ribery himself brushed aside the altercation."Fortunately nothing much happened," he told German TV station ARD."It was a difficult situation, I didn't see him coming."

Ribery's goal came via a deflection from Johan Djourou and, though he admits there was an element of luck, he was happy with the team's performance."It was my first game from the start so it wasn't easy. I'm delighted the team played so well and I think I had a good game too.

"I was a bit lucky with my goal, but it was super for me and the team. We have to keep it up, all of us together."

 

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Howedes niyamayi

Aniwa​

 

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Chelsea vs Southampton final ekak set unoth patta

Ow machan Southampton lath pattamamanam hithuwe naha main playersla miss welath ochchara hodata play karai kiyala meh season 1ke​

 

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Spain need a replacement ready for Casillas - Del Bosque

Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque says it is important for his side to have a long-term successor to Iker Casillas in place as soon as possible.

The experienced Real Madrid goalkeeper has been his country's No.1 for the best part of the last decade and was pivotal to their remarkable victories at Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.

However, calls for the 33-year-old to lose his starting place have grown in the past year, with his club form beset by inconsistency and the rise of Manchester United's David De Gea offering a viable alternative in goal for la Roja.

And Del Bosque admits he must begin to plan for life without the 158-cap goalkeeper."Casillas is getting older and we have to think that he might one day fall injured or that he stops playing for his club. We need someone to be ready and prepared," Del Bosque was quoted as saying by Marca.

"All players should have leadership qualities. Charisma and character are demonstrated day to day out on the pitch. A player's leadership comes from his performances and also his personality. Your place in the national team can come to an end at any time, because unfortunately we have to say who doesn't make the grade."Del Bosque also suggested that recent criticism of defender Gerard Pique could be borne out of antipathy towards his pro-Catalunya independence stance.

"There has been a growing feeling against Pique because I feel that there is something behind it all. It's not just about Pique sports-wise," he said.Del Bosque also moved to quash talk of an "obsession" with striker Diego Costa's involvement with the national team, after initial controversy over his decision to represent Spain rather than Brazil and the more recent dispute with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho concerning his fitness.

"There is no obsession with him. His case is very special," Del Bosque added. "At first there were people who frowned on the fact that he was foreign, but now we see he is a marvel that the people have accepted.

"He is here, motivated to play well. He can make mistakes but he wants to be of use. I have a lot of faith in him, although the start has been somewhat irregular."

 

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Spain need a replacement ready for Casillas - Del Bosque

De Gea​

 

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Uefa sanctions Romania and Hungary after Euro 2016 clash

Uefa has imposed partial stadium closures and fines on Romania and Hungary after their ill-tempered Euro 2016 qualifier.

The Group F clash in Bucharest - which took place on October 11 and finished 1-1 - featured 11 yellow cards, and proved equally as confrontational off the field.
Police sprayed tear gas into the National Stadium stands as fireworks and flares were let off by both sets of supporters, and Hungary fans set light to several seats after Adam Szalai's first-half goal was disallowed.The travelling Hungarian followers have also been punished for "racist behaviour".

Uefa announced on Friday that its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body has decided that both countries should play their next home matches in partially closed grounds, while also fining the Romanian Football Federation €32,000 and its Hungarian counterpart €30,000.

A statement from European football's governing body revealed that Romania had been penalised for the "setting off/throwing of fireworks and missiles, use of a laser pointer [and] crowd disturbance".Therefore, sector 122 of the National Stadium will be closed for their home qualifier against Northern Ireland next month. Travelling fans will not be affected, however.

Hungary, meanwhile, have been sanctioned for "racist behaviour, setting off/throwing fireworks and missiles [and] crowd disturbances".As such, a minimum of 2,500 seats at the Florian Albert Stadion will be closed off for their qualifier against Finland on November 14.

Hungary have also been ordered to pay for the damage to Bucharest's National Stadium caused by their fans within 30 days.Both sets of Uefa sanctions are open to appeal.

 

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Benitez: Higuain must channel his anger

Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has challenged Gonzalo Higuain to "channel his anger" after his missed penalty against Atalanta.

The Argentina striker missed a late spot-kick in midweek, meaning the Partenopei were forced to settle for just a point from their trip to Bergamo.

Benitez has now urged his star forward to use Wednesday's miss as an added incentive to perform even better in front of goal - starting against Roma on Saturday."Higuain is very sorry about the penalty but if he’s confident, then I don’t have any worries for the future," Benitez told a press conference.

"His anger should be channelled to play better and score even more goals."We talked about taking more penalties and if he is confident about taking them and he wants to try, to me it's not a problem."

Benitez also hit out at critics for scrutinising Napoli's defensive record too closely and is adamant his team will raise their game to face Roma."We have seen that every team can drop points so we are aware that if we win we can close the gap to the top," he said.

"Tactically, Roma are fast on the counter, they are aggressive in defence and when they have to win the ball back. With the top teams we have always raised our level and this year it should be the same.

“Last season opponents got to our area at least 10 times, this season only a couple of times. So we are committing mistakes but we don’t concede a lot of chances."

 

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Galliani defends goal-shy Torres

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has defended Fernando Torres despite the striker’s poor goalscoring record since moving to Italy.The 30-year-old has only scored one goal – against Empoli in September - from seven Serie A appearances since arriving at San Siro from Chelsea.

However, Galliani has confirmed reports that the former Liverpool and Atletico Madrid star has been playing while suffering with an ankle injury for much of the campaign and also said a lot of Torres’ all-round team play does not get recognised."I think that this problem with Torres' ankle has really held him back so far," Galliani told MilanNews .

"When you get injured at your peak it is normal that it takes time to get back to your usual condition.

"I like Torres because he makes the right movements. In the game against Verona look at the goal where Keisuke Honda scored on Stephan El Shaarawy's assist."A more selfish striker would have tried to get the ball but his run took a defender away from his team-mate."

Galliani said club owner Silvio Berlusconi was reasonably pleased with Milan’s start to the 2014-15 campaign, rating coach Filippo Inzaghi's performance at eight out of 10 and that of the players at seven out of 10.

"Berlusconi gave one mark to the team and another to the coach," he continued
"At this moment it is seven to the players and eight to the coach. He is conveying positivity."His main advice is scoring goals and he told the players something he also told Mario Balotelli about winning and scoring."

Milan face Palermo at San Siro on Sunday having drawn four of their last six matches and Galliani said he was reasonably satisfied with their position in the table.

He said: "We are separated by six points from Juventus and Roma. There is a gap there but it is not that many points."

 

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Manchester United in AC Milan friendly talks

Manchester United are in talks with AC Milan regarding the possibility of a mid-season friendly match.

Louis van Gaal has previously given his backing to the idea of playing high-profile midweek matches due to his sides lack of European football this season, saying: " I fully agree. I like to play midweek games against high-level opponents."

And Milan, who like the Red Devils failed to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League this term, have been revealed as a possible opponent for the Red Devils.

Speaking to the Press Association, Milan director Umberto Gandini said: "This is something we have been talking about for a few weeks and we have a committed interest to do something together."

"It's just a question to find the right date and then to find the right place."

 

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Simeone warns against complacency versus Cordoba

Diego Simeone has urged Atletico Madrid to stay focused as they seek a third straight La Liga win when hosting Cordoba.

The title holders are in good spirits following a 2-0 victory over Espanyol and a 1-0 triumph at Getafe in domestic action.

In between, Atletico also crushed Malmo 5-0 in the Champions League.
Cordoba are in the relegation zone after picking up just five points from nine games, but Simeone insists there is no room for complacency on Saturday.

"We will have a very difficult match versus Cordoba," he said. "We need to carry on working the way we are and trying our best the way we know how, so we can stay up in the table."Real Madrid's win over Barcelona allowed Atletico to close to within two points of the summit and Simeone is happy with their progress in recent weeks.

"I think we are improving with regards to the amount of possession we have had," he added. "We had the ball for a lot of time versus Sevilla [ in a 4-0 win], Malmo and Getafe."We are also spending more time in the opposition's half, our defence is doing very well and we are improving.

"We obviously depend on players such as Koke, [Antoine] Griezmann, Arda [Turan] and the wingers to go forward. We need to make the best of [Mario] Mandzukic, too, as he is our main focal point in the forward line."