..::Football III::..

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Thiago Motta extends PSG contract

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta has extended his contract at the Parc des Princes until June 2017.

The Italy international had been expected to join former club Atletico Madrid this summer, with the 32-year-old stating last month, "PSG know my will is to leave."

However, Thiago Motta has featured in all three Ligue 1 matches so far this campaign and had a change of heart following protracted talks with the reigning French champions.

"Paris Saint-Germain are pleased to announce the extension of Thiago Motta contract for another season," les Parisiens said in a statement on Friday. "The Italy international is now attached to the club until June 30, 2017."

This signature comes after several weeks of discussions with the defensive midfielder, which started at the end of last season.

Thiago Motta was signed in 2012 from Inter and has won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles with the club, in addition to reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in each season he has been in the French capital.

The Brazilian-born midfield enforcer has seen off competition from the likes of Yohan Cabaye for a place in Laurent Blanc's starting line-up and will continue linking up with Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot in the PSG midfield in 2015-16.

 

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Conte: Balotelli will have to earn Italy recall

Antonio Conte says that Mario Balotelli must earn a recall to the Italy squad by improving on and off the pitch.

Balotelli has been summoned just once since Conte succeeded Cesare Prandelli as Azzurri coach following World Cup 2014, with the striker having endured a dismal first season with Liverpool following last summer's £16 million move from AC Milan.

The 25-year-old was made a scapegoat for Italy's shock first-round exit in Brazil, with the forward having been accused of being a divisive influence in the dressing room.
But Balotelli is now hoping to revive both his club and international career after securing a loan move back to Milan earlier this week.

"Balotelli in an Italy shirt again? The doors to the national team are not closed to anyone," former Juventus coach Conte told reporters on Friday.

"You have to deserve to be in this group, though, through performances, behaviour and moral considerations, which are very important to us.

"It's up to Mario to earn any possible return."

Meanwhile, Conte says Andrea Pirlo will remain a key player for the Azzurri even though the playmaker left Juventus for MLS outfit New York City during the summer.
He also confirmed Sebastian Giovinco could also be recalled given his sensational form at Toronto FC, where he has scored 17 goals in 24 MLS games so far this season.

"Giovinco is doing very well in Canada," the 46-year-old said of his former Juve charge. "He's returning the level we knew before and he can be important for the national team.

"And Pirlo will be there. I think that he's still an important player for us and as long as he's still directing and making a difference for us on the pitch, he will be with us."

 

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Wolfsburg 3-0 Schalke: Hosts canter to victory without De Bruyne

Wolfsburg flourished without prize asset Kevin De Bruyne as they eased to a comprehensive 3-0 Bundesliga victory over Schalke.

De Bruyne was left out of Dieter Hecking's squad for Friday's match - with his proposed move to Manchester City seemingly on the brink of being completed - along with Ivan Perisic who has been heavily linked with Inter.However, Wolfsburg were able to cope without last term's player of the year as they moved to the top of the table ahead of Saturday's fixtures.

The hosts moved ahead when Bas Dost lashed home Christian Trasch's right-wing cross after 18 minutes.

Schalke should have levelled through Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but the Netherlands striker blazed a shot over from Eric Choupo-Moting's low delivery.

And Schalke were made to pay for his profligacy as their opponents pulled clear with two goals in three second-half minutes.Ricardo Rodriguez converted from the penalty spot just before the hour mark after Luiz Gustavo had been felled.

Wolfsburg's victory was then secured when Timm Klose met a corner with a sweet left-footed volley that Ralf Fahrmann was unable to keep out.

 

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Villarreal 3-1 Espanyol: Soldado inspires dramatic comeback

Roberto Soldado continued his impressive start to life at Villarreal by inspiring a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Espanyol on Friday.

Having flopped at Tottenham following a big-money 2013 move from Valencia, Soldado returned to La Liga earlier this month, penning a three-year deal with Villarreal.

And after scoring on debut against Real Betis last time out, the striker was again on target to cancel out an early strike from Felipe Caicedo at El Madrigal, before setting up two late goals for substitute Cedric Bakambu.

Espanyol's fifth-minute opener owed much to a former Villarreal player, Gerard Moreno putting Caicedo through on goal with a delightful throughball, played with the outside of his right boot.

Caicedo rounded goalkeeper Alphonse Areola before finishing coolly, but the hosts pulled level in style midway through the second half.

Samu's first-time flick picked out Soldado, who found the bottom-left corner with a controlled volley on the turn.

Soldado was not finished there as he played a slide-rule pass into the path of Bakambu with three minutes remaining and watched the substitute convert from an acute angle.

The same duo then combined again in injury time, Bakambu following up his first goal for Villarreal with a second from another Soldado assist.

 

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Official: Atletico confirm Kranevitter deal

Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of River Plate midfielder Matias Kranevitter on Friday for an estimated €8 million.

The Argentine has penned a five-year contract with the Rojiblancos but will not arrive at the Vicente Calderon until after the Club World Cup concludes in December.

"I am very happy with the agreement. I am very grateful to Atletico Madrid for the opportunity that has been given to me," he told the Spanish side's official website.

"I am very excited to be able to play an event as important as the Club World Cup with River Plate. It was nice to win the Copa Libertadores with River and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to play in such an important tournament.

"However, once the tournament is over, I will go to Atletico and give everything right from the beginning to try to adapt as quickly as possible to Spanish football."

Meanwhile, Atleti sporting director Jose Luis Caminero is in no doubt that Kranevitter, 22, will prove an excellent addition to Diego Simeone's side.

"We are taking a midfielder with a great future, one who fits perfectly with our idea of strengthening the group with both quality and youth," he added.

"He is very competitive and will prove very useful in terms of boosting the level of our team when he is incorporated into the squad in a few months."

Kranevitter has yet to be capped by Argentina but is expected to make his international bow next month, having been included in Gerardo Martino's squad for the upcoming friendlies with Bolivia and Mexico.

 

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West Ham were three hours away from appointing Benitez - Sullivan

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan has revealed that the club came within three hours of appointing Rafael Benitez as their new manager earlier this summer.

The Hammers embarked on a lengthy managerial search following Sam Allardyce’s departure at the end of last season, with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Bielsa and David Moyes all linked with the Upton Park hotseat.

The Hammers eventually approached Benitez, who has won trophies at Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea and Napoli, and Sullivan has now outlined just how close the club came to appointing the 55-year-old before he opted to join Real Madrid.

"Rafa Benitez was within three hours of signing for us," he told the London Evening Standard.

"Every clause in his contract was agreed and then he went to Real Madrid. It was a real blow because he is a really experienced manager in England and done really well in Italy.

"We had an agreement in place but you have to pick yourself up, look who else is available and pick the best you can.”

West Ham instead appointed Slaven Bilic to replace Allardyce and Sullivan insists that the Croatian has the club’s full support, with the club taking three points from their opening three Premier League games.

"Whoever you take is a gamble. The bottom line is we have a manager. He has our 100 per cent support. We will support him in the transfer market. We like him,” he added.

 

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Mourinho: I'll only go out and celebrate 100th home game if we lose

Jose Mourinho says he will only celebrate taking charge of his 100th Premier League home game if Chelsea lose to Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Blues boss has a near-imperious record in west London, having lost just once – to Sunderland last season.

And Mourinho maintains that he will have little desire to hit the town if the Blues beat Palace on Saturday, as he only goes out to prove that he is not despairing over a result.

“When you ask me about dinner, I'm more the opposite. If I lose, I go out. More that than if I win. I don't go out there. I have four or five restaurants where I go,” he told reporters.

"It's like a family thing. I don't have to hide myself because I've lost a match, to make my family more sad than what they are because you lose, and stay at home because we lose.

“When people do their best, like I always try, and you lose you don't have to hide.

"Sometimes I walk to a restaurant close to the stadium. Like, the game can finish at 5pm and I can be walking there at 7.30pm and still people are in the bars and the streets."

Mourinho also insists that his previous triumphs count for nothing as he prepares for his anniversary game.

"It's a nice record only if I win," he added.

"At this moment, it's only game 100 that means something. The other 99 don't mean anything. Tomorrow, if I don't win, I'm not happy. It's only fantastic if I win against Crystal Palace."

Chelsea have endured a difficult start to the season, taking four points from their opening three matches and losing 3-0 to Manchester City in their second fixture.

Mourinho, though, maintains that he did not make a mistake in allowing the club to start pre-season training late, and says his decision can only be truly scrutinised at the end of the campaign.

"Let's speak at the end of the season. Let's see how we finish, how the others finish, how we can cope - hopefully - with three or four competitions at the same time. Let's see,” he said.

"Chelsea had a fantastic start to the season last season, but a difficult period in a moment where it was crucial not to have it. We are trying to think in a different way now.

"I'm not saying things are going to finish in a wonderful way for us. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying we are trying. That is what we are trying."

 

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Pellegrini prepared to wait for Otamendi

Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Nicolas Otamendi will be unable to make his Manchester City debut on Saturday due to work permit issues, though he insists that he is unworried by the news.

The Argentina international joined the club from Valencia on August 20 but has yet to receive clearance to make his debut, meaning he will again be absent when City face Watford this weekend.

Pellegrini is subsequently set to continue with Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala as his central defensive partnership, and says he is unworried by Otamendi's unavailibility.

"He's not yet ready with his work permit, but on Monday he will be ready," said the City boss.

"We didn't sign Otamendi for one or two games, we signed him for three or four years.

"At the moment we're doing really well at defending. But we don't just need a team, we need a squad to play in four competitions - around 60 games during the whole season - so it's very important to have a strong squad, more than just a good team."

Otamendi will have to wait until after the upcoming international break – that will see him be part of Argentina's squad for games against Bolivia and Mexico – to make his City debut.

 

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Robben: Netherlands captaincy is beautiful

Arjen Robben has described being named as Netherlands' new captain as "something beautiful".

Guus Hiddink decided to step down as Oranje coach in July, after a disappointing start to the country's Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, which has left the Dutch third in Group A, five points behind leaders Iceland and three adrift of second-placed Czech Republic.

New coach Danny Blind revealed at his first squad announcement on Friday that he had decided to demote Robin van Persie to vice-skipper and give the captain's armband to Robben.

"I have not made these choices based on their soccer skills," the former defender told reporters after announcing his panel for next month's crunch qualifiers against Iceland and Turkey.

"In the guidance and coaching of team-mates, Van Persie and Robben are not inferior to each other.

"But they are two different personalities. And right now I need a leader to be someone with prominence in the field."

Robben has never captained his country before but says that he is already looking forward to the extra responsibility placed upon his shoulders.

"This is something beautiful, something special. It's an honour to be captain of the national team," the Bayern Munich ace told Kicker. "It's something I can be proud of.

"But the focus now is these next two games and our qualification for the European Championship - only that is important.

"We have quality but we now have to show it. Qualification depends mainly on our mentality. We must not allow any more mistakes, then qualification is still in our hands."

Robben was troubled with muscular problems during the summer but he says that - while he is still not 100 per cent - he is ready to lead his nation.

"I'm lacking a bit physically but I feel it coming," the winger added. "I just need patience but I know that it will come again with a few games."

Netherlands host Iceland in Amsterdam on September 3 before travelling to Konya to take on Turkey three days later.

 

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Wenger keeps faith in Chambers despite torrid Liverpool test

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised Calum Chambers despite the defender enduring a torrid evening against Liverpool on Monday, and is set to retain the youngster in the heart of the defence.

The former Southampton centre-back struggled against Christian Benteke in the first-half at the Emirates, but recovered to turn in an improved performance in the second period, with the Gunners keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw.

And Wenger says that Chambers “showed his mental strength” against Brendan Rodgers's men, with the England Under-21 defender reportedly set to start again against Newcastle on Saturday.

"He showed character. The positive of the night - he did not have the best performance in the first half - was the way he recovered," he told reporters.

"He has lost a bit of confidence, compared to the player he was last year. Maybe it’s through not playing too much, the Under-21 tournament [with England this summer] did not help him too much, as he did not play at all.

"I have spoken to him and he’s a strong footballer, a dedicated player who is ready to work day and night. He has the talent to be a good player."

Wenger admits that he contemplated substituting Chambers during the second half but maintains that senior players should have taken steps to protect the 20-year-old.

"I don’t think it would have killed him [to replace him],” said Wenger. "I did not sub him as I wanted to save my offensive options. It also gives him time to recover. But we wanted to win the game. He recovered quite well in the second half.

"We want to play out from the back, so the players go into the game and do that.

"Once they lose the ball, they think they have to continue to play out from the back. But the more experienced players maybe should have said, 'You can see that he is having trouble. Let’s push forward, so he can kick the ball into the opponent’s half, and play off Giroud.’

"That is what I told them to do. By the time they realised that on the pitch we were already in trouble - it was unbelievable on the night that the game finished 0-0."

 

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Coutinho & Rafinha called into Brazil squad to replace Chelsea duo

Philippe Coutinho and Rafinha have been called into the Brazil squad in place of Oscar and Ramires after the Chelsea duo dropped out due to injury.

Dunga’s men are set to face Costa Rica on September 5 and the United States three days later, but will do so without both Blues stars, with the Liverpool and Barcelona midfielders called up in their stead.

Dunga initially omitted Coutinho when he selected his squad, a decision Brendan Rodgers described as “unbelievable”, but he will now join his club-mate Roberto Firmino in the selection.

Rafinha - who has played for Spain up to Under-19 level, but, unlike brother Thiago, has since snubbed la Roja - has yet to make his debut for Brazil, but could do so in the two fixtures, the last of which falls just four days before Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United.

Brazil have struggled with injuries in recent days, and Fabinho was called into the squad to replace Dani Alves on Wednesday after the Barcelona full-back withdrew.

 

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Coutinho patta​

 

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Official: Maiga swaps West Ham for Al Nassr

Modibo Maiga has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr from West Ham for an undisclosed fee, the club have announced.

Maiga flew to the Middle East on Tuesday, though it was widely reported that he did not have West Ham’s permission to do so.

Nevertheless, the Hammers have now confirmed the Malian striker’s departure, thus bringing an end to his unspectacular three-year spell in east London.

Maiga scored seven goals in 45 appearances for the club following his move from Sochaux and joins the likes of Stewart Downing, Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole in departing the club this summer.

Goal understands that the Hammers have identified a number of striking targets as they look to bolster their forward line ahead of the transfer deadline, with Emmanuel Adebayor, Simone Zaza and Burak Yilmaz all seen as potential acquisitions.

 

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Sherwood hopeful over Traore fitness

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood is hopeful that Adama Traore will be able to feature in the clubs's Premier League clash with Sunderland after the midfielder suffered an ankle injury against Notts County.

The Spaniard netted his first goal for the club in Tuesday's 5-3 League Cup win over County, but limped off after 60 minutes at Villa Park.

Sherwood is keen for the former Barcelona player to be involved on Saturday, while he also said two other unnamed players have the flu.

"Adama has not trained since Tuesday – and he won't train today," Sherwood said on Friday.

"We will give him every chance to be fit, but we aren't going to know until tomorrow morning.

"He took a few kicks the other night. He tried to carry on, but he's a marked man.

"We have a couple of players who are not here because they are ill. There's a sickness bug going round the training ground.

"They aren't well – the doc is doing some overtime now.

"We are hoping they will be okay."

 

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Van Gaal refuses to rule out late summer business

Louis van Gaal has refused to rule out further transfer business at Manchester United prior to Tuesday’s deadline amid rumours of a last-ditch push for a marquee signing.

The Red Devils have embarked on a major recruitment drive this summer, spending over £70 million on players such as Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay and Sergio Romero.

But David de Gea continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid, while United are believed to be in the market for attacking reinforcements, with the likes of Thomas Muller, Neymar and Gareth Bale all mooted as potential targets.

When asked if United’s business was done for the summer, the frosty Dutchman told reporters: “We shall do announcements when we want to do it not when you want an answer.”

Asked again, he replied: “The same as your colleague. When we want to do announcements we shall do it.”

United have taken seven points from their opening three games and are undefeated this season, having also demolished Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs, and face Swansea City on Sunday.

 

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Van Gaal refuses to rule out late summer business

Thamath playersla ganna interest 1ke inna 1ka gana nam happyath marquee signings kiyala Bale & Neymar gana bala bala inna 1kanam wada nahaGriezmann & Ibra try kalanam thamai hoda​

 

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Ronaldo: My greatest fear is dying young

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his greatest fear is dying young.

The Portugal international is father to a five-year-old son and says that there is nothing more important to him than his family and friends.
Consequently, he is keen to live a long and happy life that revolves around those dearest time him - and, of course, football.

"My greatest fear is dying young," the three-time Ballon d'Or winner told Libero. "I don't want to die young.

"I want to die an old man, at 80 or 90 years old.

"I try to do normal things with my family, my friends, my son. I try to be as normal as possible. My favourite pastime is playing with my son.

"The people around me, they always spur me on. They are a source of good vibes and positive energy and that's the most important thing for me.

"I try to enjoy the moment. I like playing football and I want the fans to enjoy it as much as I do."

Ronaldo is renowned for an intensive fitness regime that has transformed him from a skinny winger into a physically imposing forward, which he believes is down to his strong work ethic.

"My goal is to try to always be the best, year in, year out, and training hard to push myself to the max," he added.

"I've always tried to do that and in the last eight, nine or 10 years I think it has worked pretty well for me, so I'll try to go on doing the same."

Ronaldo, who has won the last two Ballon d'Or awards, scored a career-high 61 goals in all competitions last season.

 

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Barclays Premier League 2015.08.29 Fixtures

Barclays Premier League 2015.08.29 Fixtures

Newcastle United Vs Arsenal

Aston Villa Vs Sunderland

Bournemouth Vs Leicester City

Chelsea Vs Crystal Palace

Liverpool Vs West Ham

Manchester City Vs Watford

Stoke City Vs WBA

Tottanham Vs Everton

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LA Liga 2015.08.29 Fixtures

LA Liga 2015.08.29 Fixtures

Real Sociedad Vs Sporting Gijon

Barcelona Vs Malaga

Celta Vigo Vs Rayo Vallecano

Real Madrid Vs Real Betis​

 

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Ada Malaga match 1ka Neymar play kaloth Neymar ge transfer rumors iwara wei​