..::Football III::..

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Dortmund clash is Bayern's game of the year - Neuer

Manuel Neuer feels Bayern Munich's meeting with Borussia Dortmund on Saturday is his side's "game of the year".Bayern are 10 points ahead of second-placed Wolfsburg while Dortmund sit in 10th place, 31 points behind their rivals.

Neuer, though, is anticipating a tough match for his side when they clash at the Signal Iduna Park.

"It is still very nice to play in Dortmund. The atmosphere is great, the stadium is sold out. It is the game of the year for us again," he told reporters. "This game will always be like a final. For us there is a special importance after we lost against Borussia Monchengladbach in our last game."

Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba are all unavailable due to injury, but Neuer believes Bayern can compensate for their absence.

"You cannot choose when injuries happen. We have to deal with the fact that important players are missing at an important part of the season."We have to take care that there won't be any more injuries. But we know we have a great team, so our goals are the same."

 

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Pep key to Madrid exit - Alonso

Xabi Alonso says Pep Guardiola was one of the main reasons he chose to join Bayern Munich from Real Madrid.

The midfielder moved to the Bundesliga champions last year and has been a pivotal player for the league leaders this term.And Alonso says Guardiola was one of the main factors that persuaded him to move to Bavaria.

"After beating Atletico in the Champions League final last year, it seemed like the time had come to do something different again," he told Fifa Weekly. "I thought the time was right to try something new with one of the world’s best teams and in one of the best three leagues in Europe. "There were many good reasons to move to Bayern, and Pep Guardiola was definitely one of them. I immediately realised how Guardiola’s unique intensity has enabled him to achieve so much in his relatively short career so far.

"To be able to learn even more about football under his guidance is incredibly motivating and offers a great challenge. He’s a rigorous thinker and worker, very analytical, a great tactician and a methodical innovator."Pep understands everything about the game. He doesn’t force his way of thinking on us players; instead he convinces us about his ideas.

"If you can manage that as a coach, you know your players will push themselves even further and fight even harder for the team’s shared goals."

 

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Messi completes light Barcelona training session

Lionel Messi returned to light training on Thursday and Barcelona hope he will join in a full session on Friday ahead of the weekend trip to Celta Vigo.

The 27-year-old was forced to sit out Argentina's international friendlies against El Salvador and Ecuador in the United States due to a foot injury and there were doubts as to whether he would be fit for Sunday's encounter at Balaidos.

But he made an encouraging step this morning by doing some light running and stretching on a scheduled day off with fellow Argentine Javier Mascherano.

A Barca statement read: “The two Argentines completed continuous running and stretching on their own. The inflammation of Messi's foot has improved and the player will try to come together with the rest of the international players on Friday."

Messi has been in sublime form for Barcelona so far in 2014-15, netting 32 goals in 28 La Liga appearances.

The Argentine leads the race for the European Golden Shoe, holding a one-goal advantage over Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

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'Arsenal wanted to sign me & I'd like to play in England' - Getafe star Sarabia

Getafe star Pablo Sarabia has revealed that Arsenal were interested in signing him and that he would be open to a future move to the Premier League.

The former Spain Under-21s international came through the ranks at Real Madrid but only made one appearance for the club, in a Champions League fixture against Auxerre back in 2010, before being offloaded at the start of the 2011-12 campaign.

Sarabia has gone on to make over 50 appearances for Pablo Franco's side and, after being linked with Arsene Wenger's Gunners, he admits that the north Londoners were keen on signing him.

He told Goal: "Yes, it's true that Arsenal were interested in me. Manchester United? People said it ... I didn't ask my agent.

"I like the Premier League, it's an important league. I don't close the door to anything. Maybe it's a good competition for me and in the future I can play there."

Sarabia also reflected on the scrutiny surrounding the Spanish national team in recent times, with Vicente del Bosque's side having slumped to two defeats from their last three matches.

He said: "It isn't an easy stage for the national team. Spain were not accustomed to winning and they have enjoyed some years of splendour. All the teams around the world wanted to beat us because we were the best.

"We were the envy of the world and we must value that. That's more important to highlight than criticising the team. You cannot always win.

"We had a spectacular squad, but we have to renew it. Young players are doing a great job, but it is going to be difficult. I'm sure Del Bosque will make the right decision."

 

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Immobile not returning to Serie A, insists agent

Ciro Immobile's agent has insisted that the Borussia Dortmund attacker has no
intention of returning to Serie A anytime soon.

The Italy international has been struggling to find his best form since joining BVB from Torino ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, scoring just three times in 17 Bundesliga appearances.

A number of reports from Italy suggested the 25-year-old could be on his way out of Dortmund this summer, with Fiorentina, AC Milan and Napoli supposedly keeping tabs on him.

However, Immobile's representative has stressed that the striker is determined to succeed at Signal Iduna Park.

"There is no truth in rumours suggesting Ciro will return to Serie A," Marco Sommella told Radio Kiss Kiss."Napoli? They were not an option at the time, so we decided to make the move to Germany.

"The transfer window is still far away. All I can say is that Ciro will have to overcome some obstacles at Dortmund. He signed for five years for a reason, though."It's a shame that we arrived at Dortmund ahead of one of the team's worst seasons in recent history."

Immobile's contract with BVB runs until June 2019.

 

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Danilo is like Dani Alves, says Roberto Carlos

Former Brazil defender Roberto Carlos has compared new Real Madrid signing Danilo to Barcelona full-back Dani Alves and is confident his compatriot will succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Champions League holders announced earlier this week that the 23-year-old will leave Porto for Madrid at the end of the season for a transfer fee of €31.5 million, with Danilo signing a contract until 2021.

Barcelona had also shown an interest in signing the right-back, but he eventually opted to move to the Bernabeu instead and Roberto Carlos has little doubt he will become an instant hit at his new club."I think he’s a good full-back. I think he’s a lot like Dani Alves," the Brazil legend told Cope .

"Danilo is a very good, complete full-back. He defends well and attacks well.
"I think Madrid have made a great signing because he has lots of quality. He also adapts to things very easily and I’m sure he’ll do well."To compare him with Cafu is very difficult because he has won many titles and has been the best right-back in history."

Roberto Carlos also briefly had his say on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madrid and stressed that the prolific attacker is unlikely to leave any time soon.
"Cristiano doesn’t have the character [to walk away]," he added.

"He is happy in Madrid and I think that he will only leave when his contract expires. It’s very difficult for Florentino [Perez] to let him go."

 

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Guardiola must renew Bayern deal, says Lahm

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has urged head coach Pep Guardiola to sign a new deal with the Bundesliga champions.

The 44-year-old - who took charge of Bayern in the summer of 2013 - has a contract with the Bavarians until June 2016 and has yet to make a decision on his long-term future.

Lahm says he would like to finish his career with the Spaniard in charge but accepts it is up to Guardiola to make the final call."Guardiola should sign a new deal. Of course, he should renew," Lahm told Munchner Merkur."Guardiola is a great coach. I wish I could end my career under him here at Bayern.

"But at the moment, it's not about what the club and the players want. Being a head coach is incredibly intensive, even more intensive at Bayern than anywhere else.
"Coaching a team like Bayern costs a lot of energy, especially when you have the attitude and work rate of our coach.

"We should give him the time he needs to think about his future at the club.
"Guardiola deserves to win a Champions League with Bayern. But we all know how hard it is. It all comes down to one decisive day. But he will get another chance if we don't win it this year."

Bayern meet Porto in the quarter-finals of this year's edition of European club football's elite competition, with the first leg in Portugal scheduled to take place on April 15.

 

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Klopp: Dortmund can pounce on Bayern injury crisis

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Borussia Dortmund are a long way off of Bayern Munich's level, but believes his side can beat their rivals when they meet on Saturday.Dortmund are climbing back up the Bundesliga after a terrible first half of the season and currently sit in 10th place, 31 points behind Pep Guardiola's men.

Klopp admits that his side have fallen some way since they won two straight league titles between 2010 and 2012 and faced Bayern in the Champions League final in 2013.

He does, though, believe they can still pick up three points at Bayern's expense at the Signal Iduna Park at the weekend, especially without the injured Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba.

"We are not on the same level as Bayern at the moment," he told reporters. "Nevertheless, we surely still have a chance to win, although the situation now is very different from recent years. There is a really big gap in points between us and them now.

"Even Bayern would miss players like Robben, Alaba and Ribery, but they still have a good attack with Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski. I've heard of worse. Also Philipp Lahm will be in form.

"Without Ribery and Robben, they are missing their fastest players, so they have to change. We need to consider how they might react to it. Then there will be opportunities for us.

"We have to defend very well if we want to be successful."With his side five points behind Augsburg, who occupy the final European place in the Bundesliga, Klopp feels his side can still climb higher up the table.

"We have no motivation problems. The team is in a relatively good shape. Our objectives are the same in the club.

"Each point we win back also gives us the chance to get back up the table."

 

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Lloris ruled out of Tottenham's trip to Burnley

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will miss his side's trip to Burnley this weekend after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Lloris had to be taken off on a stretcher in the early stages of Spurs' 4-3 win over Premier League bottom side Leicester City on March 21 after colliding with team-mate Kyle Walker.

He duly missed France's international friendlies against Brazil and Denmark and has now been ruled out of the league clash at Turf Moor.

"Hugo Lloris is still recovering after his problem against Leicester – he is out," Pochettino told the club's official website.

Pochettino also revealed that striker Roberto Soldado could once again miss out with a knee problem.

"Roberto Soldado is a doubt but we have two days ahead to decide if it's possible for him to make the squad," the Argentine added.

 

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Ribery ruled out of Dortmund meeting

Franck Ribery is not fit enough to make his Bayern Munich comeback against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.The French winger injured his ankle in Bayern's 7-0 thrashing of Shakhtar Dnestsk on March 11 and has not featured since.

Having returned to training over the international break, hopes had been raised that the 31-year-old may feature at the Signal Iduna Park.

However, the winger will have to watch on from the sidelines, joining left-back David Alaba, who was ruled out for the majority of the rest of the season with a knee injury."This is not nice," captain Philipp Lahm told reporters."Although it does not help, we can't complain about it too much, we must just look forward.

"We have a large squad and we are able to compensate for missing players."
Bayern are currently 10 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg in the league table, while Jurgen Klopp's side sit 10th, five points behind the final European place.

 

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Wenger: I'm not giving Ozil special treatment

Arsene Wenger has denied that he gives preferential treatment to Mesut Ozil after the Arsenal star avoided disciplinary action despite being caught partying just hours after he missed his side’s win over Newcastle through illness.

Wenger confirmed he had spoken to the former Real Madrid midfielder and was satisfied with his explanation.

Wojciech Szczesny and Jack Wilshere have both been reprimanded in the past for smoking in public, but Wenger denied that Ozil enjoys favouritism.

The Frenchman was asked if Ozil was getting off lightly after reportedly being caught clubbing in Berlin, despite missing the trip to St James’ Park with a cold, to which he replied: "I’m not going soft on discipline. I’ve fined people when they work for us and don’t respect the discipline.

"On that front I don’t think you can stop anybody from wishing a happy birthday to a friend when he is in his own country."

 

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Van Gaal was never in danger of Manchester United sack, insists Neville

Louis van Gaal was never in danger of being sacked despite a troubled start to his Manchester United reign, according to former Red Devils defender Phil Neville.

Expectations were high at Old Trafford following a €180 million summer spending spree but a run of just three wins in Van Gaal's first 11 matches in all competitions led some to question the effectiveness of the Dutchman's "philosophy".

Results and performances have since improved, however, with United losing just three of 25 games since mid-November and beating Tottenham and Liverpool in their last two outings to take control of the Premier League top-four race.

And Neville, who served as David Moyes' first-team coach during the Scot's brief and ill-fated tenure as United boss, insists Van Gaal's position never reached the same state of peril.

"I don't think he was ever in danger," Neville told Goal at the launch of Predikta - the football prediction game that connects.

"Mostly because even though probably the performances haven't been up to the level he would want, the results haven't actually been that bad.

"You can see there's been a bit of progression, it's a transitional period. It's a young team under a new manager playing a new style.

"The performances against Tottenham and Liverpool were unbelievable, and the first half against Liverpool was probably the best Manchester United performance I've seen in three years – and that includes some of the Sir Alex Ferguson era as well, including the year they won the title.

"It was a special performance, and a performance that would have made the rest of the league go 'Wow'.

"They've been building up to that type of performance and it's been good that they can start to move forward playing like a Manchester United team with the players looking like they're enjoying it."

Neville refuses to speculate on whether Moyes would have been afforded the same amount of time and understanding as Van Gaal, but is convinced that the only way is up for the Dutchman and his expensively-assembled squad.

"It's a bit hypothetical really," he added. "I was involved with David Moyes, I think he should have been awarded more time, but he got sacked and life moves on. David is obviously out in Sociedad now doing a fantastic job.

"I think Moyes would have spent the same amount of money [as Van Gaal] because I think the team needed rebuilding, a big changeover of players.

"Van Gaal did that, brought in some good players and it took time for those players to settle in, but now you're seeing the fruition of that."

 

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Danilo the fourth most expensive full-back ever... Luke Shaw is still No.1

New Real Madrid signing Danilo is the fourth most expensive full-back in history following the blockbuster deal struck with Porto.

The Brazil international sealed a €31.5 million move to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday and will join his new club when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

That figure is the fourth highest ever paid for a full-back, with Manchester United's Luke Shaw still the most expensive player ever in his role.

The Englishman moved to Old Trafford from Southampton this summer for €37.5m, but has failed to live up to his price-tag so far and has struggled for form and fitness.

France legend Lilian Thuram is second after Juventus used the money they recouped from Zinedine Zidane's 2001 world record transfer to Real Madrid to buy the Parma defender for €36m. He spent five years in Turin and won four on-field Scudetti. He later joined Barcelona.

In third place is current Barca star Dani Alves, who Danilo had been described as a successor to. The Blaugrana splashed out a whopping €35.5m for the Sevilla wing-back in 2008 but he has been worth every penny, winning four league titles and two Champions Leagues.

Rounding off the top five is another Madrid man, Fabio Coentrao. Madrid paid Benfica €30m for the Portuguese left back in 2011 but he has had a mixed spell in Spain so far and has often played second fiddle to Marcelo.

Danilo was voted as only the fifth-best right-back in the world in a poll by Goal readers - one place behind future Madrid team-mate and direct first-team competitor Dani Carvajal.

Bayern Munich captain Philipp Lahm came top of our poll with a whopping 43.85 per cent of the votes, with Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic a distant second.

 

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Hummels: Dortmund should forget about Europe

Mats Hummels has acknowledged that qualifying for either the Champions League or Europa League this term is a bridge too far for Borussia Dortmund and has urged his team-mates to focus on escaping relegation.

BVB were battling the drop as they went into the winter break, but a string of good results at the start of the second half of the season boosted hopes of making it into Europe again after all.

However, Hummels has admitted they must stop looking up the table after recent draws versus Hamburg and Koln and with games against Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach and Wolfsburg on the horizon."After the two draws we've had, I think it’s time to stop looking forward," Hummels told the official Bundesliga website.

"We had that run of four wins and afterwards we thought, 'Yeah, win a couple more and we can gradually creep back up there', but we weren't able to do that.
"Now we've got lots of tough games coming up - Bayern, Hoffenheim, Gladbach, Wolfsburg and three of them away from home - which is a really tough run.

"So for me it’s just about getting points where we can and as quickly as we can so that relegation is mathematically impossible."Looking ahead of ourselves isn't really an option for us right now."

Dortmund currently sit 10th in the Bundesliga table with 33 points from 26 games, eight points clear of 16th placed HSV, but trailing sixth-placed Augsburg by five points.

Hummels has admitted he is considering his future at Signal Iduna Park but has denied suggestions he has a long-standing agreement to join Manchester United.

 

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Manchester United willing to pay €35 million for Clyne

Manchester United are ready to step up their interest in Southampton right-back Nathaniel Clyne and are willing to offer Javier Hernandez in part-exchange, Goal understands.

The 23-year-old's impressive performances since joining the Saints from Crystal Palace in 2012 have seen him win a place in the England side and United are ready to offer an estimated €35 million to bring him to Old Trafford.

Mexican striker Hernandez is deemed surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal and was loaned to Real Madrid last summer but has found first-team chances similarly hard to come by in Spain.

United value him at €14m and would pay another €20.4m on top to reunite Clyne with left-back Luke Shaw, who left St Mary's for Old Trafford last season. The €40.9m deal that saw him move last summer has left open the lines of communication between the two clubs.

The Premier League giants have been monitoring Clyne since last season and have sent scouts to watch them a dozen times, most recently on the Saints' trip to Newcastle in January.

While United hold reservations about his passing ability, they are excited by his energy and ability to get from one end of the pitch to the other quickly and regularly, a helpful quality when playing three at the back, as Louis van Gaal has often done this season.

The Red Devils are keen to upgrade on Rafael, who has just over a year left to run on his current contract, and manager Van Gaal would welcome an alternative in his position.

Avoiding bidding wars with Premier League rivals, awash with new TV money, is a high priority for United this summer as they look to complete business as early as possible.

Dani Alves is also on the club's radar but the Brazilian full-back would prefer to extend his stay at Barcelona beyond this summer if possible, while Porto defender Danilo had also been a target before his move to Real Madrid was confirmed.

Hernandez has 12 months remaining on his contract and, though Madrid have first option to make his stay there permanent if they wish, United expect the forward back at Old Trafford.

Southampton had previously attempted to take the player on loan last season but the move was blocked by then-United manager David Moyes.

As previously revealed by Goal, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is also interested in reuniting with Clyne at White Hart Lane but the Red Devils are understood to be leading the race.

 

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Wenger denies Arsenal bid for Dybala

Arsene Wenger has denied suggestions that Arsenal have made an offer for Palermo star Paulo Dybala.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claimed both the Gunners and Juventus had made offers for the 21-year-old.

But Wenger has rubbished Zamparini's claims and insists Arsenal have no interest in Dybala.

"Ask him [Zamparini] to show you the offer," Wenger told reporters on Thursday. "[We are] not at all [interested]."

Zamparini had suggested Dybala would move to Arsenal if he were to leave Serie A for the Premier League.

"Juventus and Arsenal have made offers for Dybala," he told Radio Marte. "His agent will be in Italy on Friday. I want more than €40 million for him.

"Dybala would rather stay in Italy but, from the English sides, Arsenal are his first choice because of how Wenger's team plays."

 

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Cabaye PSG giye aparade

Ow bro 1kanam attha thamaiEPL ma hitiyanam meeta wada deyak karanna thibba​

 

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Monaco 1-1 Saint-Etienne: Martial volley earns hosts a point

Anthony Martial's impressive volley earned Monaco a 1-1 draw against a Saint-Etienne side also hoping to qualify for Europe next season.The two remain separated by just a point in fourth and fifth spot respectively after scoring a goal apiece in the space of six second-half minutes.

Following a goalless first half, Leonardo Jardim's side conceded their first Ligue 1 goal at the Stade Louis II since November's 2-2 draw with Caen.Mevlut Erdinc angled a header from Franck Tabanou's cross that left Danijel Subasic with no chance two minutes after the hour.

However, Martial had the final say when he crashed home a volley to ensure a draw.

Layvin Kurzawa crossed from the left and Martial stole in unmarked to hammer an effort past Stephane Ruffier to register his fifth goal in as many games in the process.

 

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Lukakau agent change no issue - Martinez

Everton manager Roberto Martinez insists he is not concerned by Romelu Lukaku's decision to appoint Mino Raiola as his agent.

The Belgium striker recently ditched Christophe Henrotay in order to link up with Raiola, who also represents the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Mario Balotelli.

Raiola has already talked up Lukaku, claiming he is a better player than Chelsea's Diego Costa, but, speaking about the club's record-signing, Martinez said: "He has changed his agent but we are not concerned. He is entitled to do that.

"Everyone speaks about the colourful character that Mino Raiola is but he has a lot of players who are happy to stay at one club.

"I dealt with Mino Raiola at Wigan and not many people know that he had Danny de Ridder or Vladimir Weiss, players who have been happy to stay at a club. I don't think there is anything to read into that.

"It has been a very interesting season from Rom's point of view. At the age of 21 he had to cope with coming back from a World Cup and it affected his physical level until January.

"Since January he has been very consistent and he probably hasn't been given the credit his performances deserve. He has been performing really well."

 

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I'm ready to step up - Gotze

Bayern Munich star Mario Gotze insists he is ready to step up and shoulder the creative burden following a spate of injuries to a number of attacking players.

Franck Ribery (ankle) and Arjen Robben (trapped nerve) are both missing for Saturday's clash with Borussia Dortmund, leaving the Bavarians short in the final third, while David Alaba (knee) is missing at the back.But Gotze, who played for BVB before moving to Bayern in 2013, says the time has come for him to seize responsibility in the absence of the two wingers.

"I’m ready to take responsibility,” he told the club's official website. "We can’t replace them like for like but we’ll still send out a very good team."We’ll throw everything we have into the game, go for it, hopefully be on peak form and win the match.”

The 22-year-old isn't concerned about the reception that awaits him from the fans who used to sing his name, saying that any booing is part and parcel of the game.
"You have to live with it. I’ve already been through it a couple of times. It’s normal. I don't think much will have changed."Bayern were beaten 2-0 at home by Borussia Monchengladbach in their last Bundesliga outing but still lead second-placed Wolfsburg by 10 points.

Dortmund, who have endured a nightmare campaign, are 31 points adrift of their arch-rivals and have only a slim chance of securing European football for next season.