..::Football IV::..

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Reaching the Europa League final again is a dream - Gameiro

Sevilla striker Kevin Gameiro says reaching the Europa League final for the third year in a row is a "dream" for the reigning champions.

Gameiro hit a brace as Sevilla beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 on Thursday to secure a 5-3 aggregate triumph and book a final against Liverpool in Basel on May 18."This is great. We played football to live this moment," Gameiro told beIN Sports.

"It's a big night, the third straight final. I am very happy for the club, for the team and for the people of Seville.

"I am very happy and I know I want more. It's a dream. We will give everything to enjoy it."It was difficult after scoring the first goal. We have a mentality that we play as a team."

Mariano's stunning strike proved to be the last word as Sevilla continued their remarkable form in the competition.

 

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Klopp: Power, motivation, emotion - Liverpool had it all against Villarreal

Jurgen Klopp was delighted with his "brilliant" Liverpool side after they booked their place in the Europa League final with a 3-0 win over Villarreal at Anfield on Thursday.

Liverpool will take on record four-time winners and holders Sevilla in Basel on May 18 after overturning their deficit from the first-leg to progress past the Yellow Submarine Trailing by one goal on aggregate, an early own goal from Villarreal's Bruno levelled the tie before second-half strikes from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana proved decisive, thrilling Klopp."Wonderful night - a brilliant game from my side," he told BT Sport.

"What power, what a performance, what attitude with the readiness, motivation, emotion in the game - everything. "We go to Basel. We take 50,000, 60,000, 70,000 Liverpudlians with us – maybe 100,000 – not in the stadium, but in the city. Everybody is invited.

"It is a nice city by the way, close to my home! Let's go there, create an atmosphere and do our best again. It is well deserved and I am really, really pleased for all the boys.

"Everyone spoke a lot about this team before I came here. When I arrived here it was all about quality and not good transfers but I only came here because I thought they had a nice squad!

"We had injuries and situations that were not too easy, but now we are in the final - Basel - a longer season which I did not think I would be pleased about, but it is great!"

Klopp found it hard to fault Liverpool's performance other than a brief period at the end of the first half and was impressed by the solidity shown by his side."The only thing we said at half time was that the first half an hour was a big emotion," he said.

"It was great but then the last 15 minutes of the first half we lost patience. We didn't move them over the pitch as much and tried to go down the middle, but there was no space so we lost balls. We defended well though so nothing happened.

"The second half plan was to keep going with the emotional football plus using your brain little a bit more and in the end it was brilliant - wonderful goals. The whole night was unbelievable."We have to create atmospheres like this in each Premier League game too."

 

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Mahrez wants to stay at Leicester, says vice-chairman

Riyad Mahrez has already told Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha he wants to stay at Leicester City and build on the club's remarkable Premier League triumph, the club's vice-chairman has said.The player's agent has previously admitted he could leave the King Power Stadium but Srivaddhanaprabha has little concern the club will lose their key players.

Mahrez in particular is thought to be a target for numerous leading clubs and has been rated good enough for Barcelona by the likes of former midfielder Xavi.

The PFA player of the year has scored 17 goals in the league this season, but Srivaddhanaprabha claims the Algeria international has underlined his commitment to the Champions League-bound Foxes."I want the players to enjoy this moment and not be concerned about their contracts," he told reporters.

"They are good boys and they understand. Even Mahrez, I talked to him and said 'are you concerned?' He said 'no, no, I want to stay'."This is what he wants, he wants to stay.

"It depends on the players and the clubs who want them, but we have no policy to sell the players and we don't have a problem with money."We will try everything that we can to build the team and to secure the same group of players and add some quality."

Aside from Mahrez, Srivaddhanaprabha revealed the club would also open negotiations for improved deals with N'Golo Kante, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Danny Drinkwater.

"We have to wait until the end of the season and evaluate everyone," he said."I am super fair, and happy to improve if they deserve something. It depends on how Wes lifts the trophy!"

 

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Rashford reminds me of me – Ronaldo

Brazil great Ronaldo is reminded of himself when watching teenage Manchester United star Marcus Rashford.

Rashford, 18, has burst onto the scene in the second half of the season, scoring four goals in nine Premier League appearances.And two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo is impressed by his talents and believes he has a bright future.

"He's a very good young player. I see some of myself in him for sure - he has courage and he's fast and is very good with the ball," Ronaldo told SunSport."I think for the strikers they have to be hungry to score and I see that with him. He has an amazing future."

Rashford has been touted as a potential England selection for Euro 2016 because of his form for United, and regardless of whether the teenager is in France, Ronaldo feels Roy Hodgson's men are favourites to clinch the crown.

"In the qualifiers they had 10 matches and 10 victories. I think England are the favourites to win. You have the best qualifying performance," he said."I would love to see England win. In England people love football so much, you deserve to win with the national team."

 

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Verratti: I always tell Ibrahimovic to stay at PSG, but he never answers!

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti said he regularly urges Zlatan Ibrahimovic to remain at the French champions but the out-of-contract striker "never answers".Ibrahimovic is a free agent at the end of the season and Ligue 1's leading goalscorer has not yet agreed a contract extension with PSG.

The 34-year-old's contract status has alerted a number of clubs, including Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as teams in the United States.Verratti, though, is still hopeful of playing alongside the Sweden international next season.

"I always tell him to stay, but he never answers!" Verratti told RMC Sport."He and the club will see. I, like all my team-mates, want him to stay because he's had an extraordinary season. I don't see anyone stronger than him."He'll make a decision soon."

Ibrahimovic has scored 34 goals in Ligue 1 this season, while he has 44 in all competitions.

 

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Lovren: Anfield inspired Liverpool

Dejan Lovren said Liverpool needed each and every one of the supporters that turned out to Anfield for their 3-0 crushing of Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals.

In fact, Lovren said the home support was even more important to their victory than it was against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals.

The defender was in good form as Liverpool kept a clean sheet in front of their own fans and Lovren was full of praise for the crowd who were unrelenting throughout."It was a beautiful game. I think everybody enjoyed watching the game," the defender told the club's website.

"We didn't expect this result but we believed from the beginning. As I said before the game, everything is possible here at Anfield, it's tough for every opponent to play here and expect something.

"The 12th player helped us today, our fans, the atmosphere was really amazing - even better than against Dortmund. It was an amazing game."And Lovren was keen to praise his team-mates, who put in a thoroughly professional performance.

"We needed just to play our game and be confident in every situation [then] when we attacked we needed also to defend smartly at the same time," the Croatian said.

"I would say we had almost a perfect game. We didn't step back, we were always on the front foot, and so I think it's a deserved win. They are not fourth in the Spanish league without reason, they're a really good defensive team."They have quality players, but we also have quality players and I think we showed our character to everyone. They can believe in us."

With a spot in the final booked, Lovren insisted no-one was getting ahead of themselves with three Premier League fixtures still to play."We still have a couple of games in the Premier League to play, we need to be concentrated, [take it] step by step," he added.

"We don't need to think of the final now, everything will come day by day. We need to just be calm and confident and hopefully without injuries so we can play with a full squad in the final."

 

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Ronaldo hails Zidane's Madrid impact

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has praised Zinedine Zidane for gaining the respect of his Real Madrid players as a coach.

Ronaldo and Zidane played together at Madrid from 2002 until the latter's retirement in 2006, the France star having joined from Juventus in 2001 and the centre-forward arriving a year later from Inter, as part of the first wave of 'Galacticos' under president Florentino Perez.

Zidane stepped up from his role in charge of the club's Castilla side to take charge of the first team in January when Rafael Benitez's tenure came to an early end.

Derby defeat to Atletico Madrid in February left their season in danger of petering out but Zidane's men have won every Liga match since, including Clasico victory over Barcelona, to haul themselves back into the title race.

Wednesday's 1-0 win over Manchester City secured a Champions League final spot - Madrid will face Atletico in the decider on May 28 at Milan's San Siro, where they will attempt to secure an 11th European Cup.And Ronaldo, who left Madrid in 2007, is delighted with the team's progress under his former team-mate.

"It was very important to reach the final and we are all very happy. It was very important to win," Ronaldo told Cadena COPE."It's amazing what he's doing, Zidane. He deserves it. He has the respect of the players."

On the Champions League final, Ronaldo added: "Atletico Madrid has much merit but hopefully it can be the title of Los Blancos."

 

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Verratti: I could spend the rest of my career at PSG

Marco Verratti has suggested he could spend the rest of his career with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.The 23-year-old Italy international midfielder moved to the French capital from Pescara in 2012 and won his fourth consecutive top-flight title this season.

Despite the one-sided nature of PSG's dominance on the domestic stage, there is no sense of Verratti - who penned a contract extension until June 2020 in February - wanting a new challenge.

"If I feel like I do now, I don't want to change teams because I don't know how I'll find it elsewhere," he told RMC Sport. "Of course, there are other very strong teams, but PSG can become that way too.

"I'm already playing for a great team in a great city, so I don't see why I should leave. It's possible that I'll stay here for my whole career.

"When I first came here I didn't get on too well for the first months, I found the city very big. People are very, very cold compared to Italians."But now I think maybe I'll live here when I finish my career. My son was born here, I feel good in Paris."

Another familiar theme of recent seasons has been the manner of PSG's Champions League exits, with last month's loss to Manchester City their fourth consecutive defeat at the quarter-final stage.But Verratti insists he is determined to help PSG get their hands on the trophy in the future.

"I hope to win the Champions League with PSG one day," Verratti added. "That's my objective because we've already won everything in France."It's very important to go further in the Champions League. That's what we have to do more in the coming years."

 

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Bilic warns against Manchester United distractions

Slaven Bilic has warned West Ham not to become distracted by thoughts of their looming match against top-four rivals Manchester United when they face Swansea City on Saturday.

The Hammers are in the mix with Louis van Gaal's men in the race to finish inside the Champions League places, with just a point and a place apiece separating them in the Premier League table before they lock horns next Tuesday.United will also be the opposition for the last ever game at Upton Park next Tuesday ahead of West Ham's move into the Olympic Stadium from next season.

But with Bilic's side just five points behind fourth-placed Manchester City - having played a game less than Manuel Pellegrini's charges - the Croatian has called for unwavering focus on this weekend's clash with Swansea.

"It is important that we have two games left at home," he said. "We are proud to have a good home record and we haven't lost here since August.

"We need to be totally focused on Swansea, not thinking about Man United, not thinking about the last game at home. Swansea, Swansea, Swansea - that's all we think about.

"We need to be at the top of our game in the last three matches to collect as many points as possible to keep that gap. With three games to go we are happy to be in contention for a European place, whether we talking top four or top six.

"Swansea are safe now mathematically. When teams play without that negative football they can produce their best football."West Ham have been dealt a blow with the news that goalkeeper Adrian will miss the Swansea game due to a calf injury sustained in last weekend's 3-0 win over West Brom.

Bilic hopes to have the 29-year-old back in time for the visit of United, but has backed Darren Randolph to perform well in his absence."We've got one player injured and that's Adrian," he added. "He felt his calf in the West Brom game and it's a minor injury so he's out tomorrow.

"We've got a great deputy in Randolph. He's one of the biggest reasons we went far in the FA Cup and we are happy to have him."

 

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Gundogan to miss Euro 2016 with dislocated kneecap

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will miss this summer's European Championships after suffering a dislocated kneecap in training, the club have confirmed.

The 25-year-old will no longer be available for selection for Germany as Joachim Low's side look to build on their 2014 World Cup win with victory at Euro 2016 in France.

Gundogan's spell on the sidelines means he will also miss the DFB-Pokal final between Bayern Munich and Dortmund on 21 May at the Olympiastadion.

He will also be absent for their final two Bundesliga games against Frankfurt and Cologne as Dortmund look set to finish second behind leaders Bayern.

Gundogan has made 36 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund so far this season, scoring two goals and registering four assists.

 

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1st World Cup & Now Euro 16

Get well soon Gundogan.​

 

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Courtois happy at Chelsea - Hiddink

Chelsea interim boss Guus Hiddink has played down suggestions goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is keen to leave Stamford Bridge.

Reports in England have suggested the Belgium number one has a frosty relationship with the club's goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon which has prompted a desire to leave at the end of the season.

However, Hiddink, who himself will depart in June and be replaced by Antonio Conte, says the former Atletico Madrid 'keeper has told him he is happy and will stay.The Dutchman told a news conference: "They are working as a group, as goalies do, in their reduced area.

"They are different personalities but they do well, they work hard. The most important thing is that Courtois said he is very happy at Chelsea and will stay at the club.

"If [Chelsea media chief] Steve [Atkins] and I have a big dispute, we have to fight each other out of this hall. That's not what is going on - they are happy here."

Chelsea ended Tottenham's Premier League title bid by hitting back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with their London rivals on Monday.And Hiddink has demanded a similar performance against relegation-threatened Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

He said: "We said before when nothing was at stake that, being at a big club, the obligation was there to act well as a player.

"They did that in the previous games and we are going into the last three games with that attitude. We would love to win. It's a different game, we are regarding their situation now in the relegation zone."It does not make it easy, they have a very experienced manager who will fine tune the team in the right way."

That obligation to perform for the likes of Norwich City and Newcastle United - the other two sides fighting for Premier League survival - means Hiddink is unlikely to make a raft of changes for the trip to Wearside.

"There is nothing at stake, no silverware, but there is pride and football enjoyment," he added.

"For the teams still fighting against relegation, they deserve us to go for the win.
"I am not going to change a lot in the team - take six or seven players from the academy - that would not be fair. Given the situation, it is not fair to give a serious approach to the Spurs game and not the other ones. For the teams still fighting against relegation, they deserve us to go for the win."I am not going to change a lot in the team - take six or seven players from the academy - that would not be fair.

"Given the situation, it is not fair to give a serious approach to the Spurs game and not the other ones."

 

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Fosu-Mensah gets Netherlands call

Timothy Fosu-Mensah has been handed his first international call-up after the Manchester United defender was named in a provisional Netherlands squad for three upcoming friendlies.Head coach Danny Blind has included the 18-year-old, despite him making just seven Premier League appearances in his breakthrough season.

Netherlands failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and will kick off a trio of friendly matches in the space of nine days with a trip to Dublin to take on Republic of Ireland on May 27.

Blind's side will also face Poland and Austria, as those two nations, like Ireland, prepare for the Euros.

Fosu-Mensah, a product of Ajax's youth academy, made his United debut against Arsenal in February.
He is joined in the squad by a couple of familiar faces, with team-mates Daley Blind and Memphis Depay also named.Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie were among the big names not included by Blind.

 

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Dembele banned for six matches after Costa eye-gouge

Mousa Dembele has been handed a six-game ban by the Football Association (FA) after the Tottenham midfielder admitted a charge of violent conduct relating to his altercation with Diego Costa in Monday's 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

The Belgium international appeared to gouge the striker's eye in an incident that was missed by officials during an ill-tempered match at Stamford Bridge that ultimately ended Spurs' Premier League title hopes.

Though Dembele did not contest the charge, he disagreed with the FA's stance that his actions were worthy of a lengthier suspension than the standard three-match punishment.However, an Independent Regulatory Commission upheld the FA's claim and the governing body made its ruling on Friday.

Tottenham had nine players booked in Monday's fiery clash, while there were also ugly scenes after the final whistle as the teams made their way down the tunnel.

The visitors had to win to keep alive their top-flight title dream but threw away a two-goal lead to hand Leicester City the crown.Dembele will now miss the final two games of this season against Southampton and Newcastle United and the first four matches of the new campaign.

It had been reported that Spurs would seek to challenge any ban longer than three games, although boss Mauricio Pochettino did concede his players had "maybe crossed the line" against Chelsea in a press conference on Friday.

 

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Ben Arfa in talks with Barcelona, confirms Nice chief

Hatem Ben Arfa is in transfer discussions with Barcelona, according to Nice president Jean Pierre Rivere.

The 29-year-old has been one of the standout stars in Ligue 1 this season with 17 goals and five assists in 32 appearances.

Several clubs in Europe, including Chelsea, Liverpool and AC Milan are reportedly keen on Ben Arfa, whose contract expires this summer, while Rivere admits he would be happy to see the midfielder join the Spanish champions.

“I would be very happy for him and for Nice if this move comes off,” Rivère told France 3.

“You do not reject Barcelona, but it is up to him to decide. If I was a player and Barcelona was offered to me I would not ask questions, I would go! But it is not yet done according to what I am told.”

 

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De Rossi: Roy Keane is my absolute hero

Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has revealed that Roy Keane is his “absolute hero”.

The 32-year-old has made over 500 appearances for Roma but has never won the league title in his 15 seasons at the club.

Keane helped guide Manchester United to seven Premier League titles as well as the Champions League in 1999, and the Italy international has revealed his admiration for the former Old Trafford captain.

“Keane is my absolute hero. The 16 on my shirt is, along with the birthday of my daughter Gaia, dedicated to him,” De Rossi told Roma’s official website.

“He is the only person in the world I asked for a photo with, two years ago.

“I was too embarrassed to ask Diego Maradona, but with Keane I couldn’t resist.”

 

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Verratti ruled out of Euro 2016

Italy midfielder Marco Verratti will undergo surgery on a groin injury that will rule him out of Euro 2016, Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed.

The 23-year-old returned from two months on the sidelines in the French League Cup final a fortnight ago, but has struggled to fully shake off the problem he first sustained in February.

And the Ligue 1 champions have now revealed that Verratti will play no part in this summer's European Championship.

A PSG statement reads: "In agreement with Paris Saint-Germain, Marco Verratti has decided to undergo surgery to heal the groin problem that has he has been suffering from for several weeks.

"The operation will take place in Doha on May 16 at the Aspetar Centre - the club's official medical partner. The midfielder, who recently extended his contract with the capital club until 2020, is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks.

"As a result, Marco Verratti will play no part in Paris Saint-Germain's final matches of the season, or Euro 2016, to be held in France between June 10 and July 10. Paris Saint-Germain wishes the player a speedy recovery and hopes he will soon be fully fit and back to his best for both club and country."

Italy's opening game at the Euros is against Belgium on June 13, with the Azzurri also set to take on Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.

 

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Falcao: I could have gone back to River in January

Radamel Falcao has revealed he was close to returning to River Plate during the January transfer window, while claiming the limit on foreign players scuppered the deal.

The Colombian has been linked to a Monumental comeback in recent weeks as he continues to be frozen out of the Chelsea squad.

But he ruled out a move to Argentina in the summer, adding that the time to make the transfer happen was at the start of the year.

"I wanted to come to River in January, but they did not have a foreign player spot open," he told Fox Sports.

Argentine clubs are limited to a total of four non-nationals in their first-team squad, spots already taken at River by Colombian Eder Alvarez Balanta and the Uruguayan trio Ivan Alonso, Camilo Mayada and Tabare Viudez.

"Now Monaco will be looking to go another way, inside European football.

"Right now my priorities are clear, I want to play every weekend because I am feeling good. I need to go somewhere I can play."

Falcao also spoke on his exclusion from Colombia's Copa America squad, and affirmed he hoped to play a big part in August's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"Now is not the right time for me to be at the Copa because I am not playing," he admitted.

"I want to go to the Olympics, but I don't want people to misinterpret that, journalists or anyone.

"The decision will be made later and I will be the first one to know if I am in or not because I want to be a key part of the team, to contribute and not embarrass myself.

"If I see I can help and if I am fit and playing all the time it is obviously easier."

 

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Van Gaal: United cannot afford another loss

Louis van Gaal admitted Manchester United cannot afford to lose another match as the club's underwhelming season comes to an end.

Despite a mixed bag of performances, United remain in contention for Champions League qualification and have a date with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final to ensure the campaign does not end emptyhanded.United are four points off fourth-placed Manchester City, with a game in hand and three games to play.

Saturday's fixture against Norwich City is the first of three must-win league games, ahead of an away trip to fifth-placed West Ham and then at home to AFC Bournemouth.

United's top-four rivals City take on third-placed Arsenal, who Van Gaal will be hoping take some points off their cross-town rivals.But the Dutchman remains focused on his own team, conceding another loss this season would be tough to recover from.

"In sport you can win and lose. It's hard to accept, but it's the truth. But every game we have to win," he said."The pressure is high for everybody, but also for Norwich, because they have to win also, otherwise they can say goodbye to the Premier League.

"I want to win also the FA Cup, not only achieve qualification [for the Champions League]."I want to win also the title, because I think the FA Cup is a very important title in England."

United have not won three consecutive league games since September, but Van Gaal has backed his men to do just that when it counts in May."We're always able to do that," said Van Gaal. "I don't know if we did that in September, October or November, but we are always able to do that, because of our quality.

"And quality is not only mental strength, it's also quality as a player, as a team."Now we have to qualify ourselves [for the Champions League] and then we have to fight for the FA Cup, a very important title for Manchester United but also for all the fans in the world."

 

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Van Gaal: United cannot afford another loss

3 matches remaining & 3 wins required!

Norwich/West Ham & Bournemouth.​