..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Iniesta: Clasico won't decide Liga title race


Andres Iniesta says Saturday's Clasico against Real Madrid cannot decide the Liga title race, although he admits victory would be a "huge step" forward for Barcelona.

Liga leaders Barca are six points clear of nearest challengers Atletico Madrid, with Madrid a further five points back, although the champions have a game in hand.

The Catalans' imperious first half of the season under new coach Ernesto Valverde has come as something of a surprise, particularly after Neymar was sold to Paris Saint-Germain and his replacement, Ousmane Dembele, has featured in only two league games due to injury.

But although they are in a dominant position ahead of their trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, Iniesta does not believe even a 14-point lead over Madrid would end the title hopes of Zinedine Zidane's side.

"Being honest, I don't think so," Iniesta said when asked if a Barcelona win would leave Madrid out of the title race. "It is hard to talk about La Liga being over in December. "It is true that, if we are able to win there, it is going to be a huge step, but we shouldn't forget Atletico Madrid, who are six points behind.

"We are looking forward to playing a great game and try to get the three points."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Leicester City 1 Manchester City 1 (aet, 3-4 pens): Vardy & Mahrez miss in shoot-out as visitors reach semi-finals

Jamie Vardy equalised from the spot but failed in the shoot-out as Manchester City beat Leicester City 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

The England striker and Riyad Mahrez were brought on in the second half as Claude Puel looked to put City under pressure, but Vardy saw his penalty strike the post before Claudio Bravo stopped the Algerian's effort to spark the visitors' celebrations.

Leicester were their own worst enemy for much of the first half, inviting pressure with a string of avoidable mistakes and one ultimately led to the opening goal - Bernardo Silva steering home after Ilkay Gundogan had wrestled the ball from Kelechi Iheanacho just before the half-hour.




The hosts improved after the break and gave City more to worry about, though clear-cut chances remained at a premium for them, with Bravo rarely forced into meaningful saves until late in proceedings.

The spotlight was on the Chilean deep into eight minutes of stoppage time at the end of regulation time and he could do little to prevent Vardy from forcing an extra half hour with his penalty, which was controversially awarded after Demarai Gray went down under pressure from substitute Kyle Walker.

Still the two sides could not be separated and it came down to the shoot-out, with City ultimately reigning supreme, scoring all four of their kicks and claiming victory thanks to Vardy missing and Bravo swatting away Mahrez' final penalty.

The much-changed and youthful visitors looked more threatening early on and received plenty of encouragement from the error-prone Foxes.

Christian Fuchs was robbed by Silva to the left of Leicester's penalty area, with Ben Hamer bailing the full-back out by parrying the Portuguese playmaker's shot to safety.Hamer then made a mess of things himself in the 15th minute as the ball squirmed from his grasp on the edge of the box.Harry Maguire stepped in to prevent Gundogan from finishing into the empty net and Silva knocked the rebound wide.

Leicester's resistance ended in the 26th minute, with City finally punishing an error.
Gundogan stole possession from former City youngster Iheanacho in the centre circle and charged through the heart of the Leicester team before flicking a clever pass towards the right-hand side of the area, where Silva provided a neat finish.

Leicester looked a little more promising in attack after the break and, seemingly optimistic about his side's prospects, Puel introduced Mahrez and Vardy from the bench just before the hour mark.

But chances did not suddenly become more frequent, with City actually the next to go close.Silva seized upon another Fuchs mistake and darted into the area, only to drag a pass behind the lurking Gabriel Jesus.

And Leicester took full advantage of that let-off, as Vardy slammed home from 12 yards after Walker was harshly penalised for tripping Gray deep into the eight minutes of stoppage time added on as a result of a facial injury to Eliaquim Mangala.

The hosts looked understandably buoyed by their equaliser and Vardy nearly had another towards the end of the first half of extra-time, blocking a Bravo clearance and seeing the ball rebound just wide of the bottom-left corner.Fatigue played an obvious role in the additional period and contributed to some wasteful play at both ends of the pitch, with the finale from 12 yards looking a formality for most of the second period.



Tiredness had no impact on City's players in the shoot-out, however, as Gundogan, Yaya Toure, debutant Lukas Nmecha and Jesus all scored with aplomb.

Leicester's main stars could not follow suit, with Vardy seeing his effort strike the outside of the left-hand post, before Bravo brilliantly denied Mahrez to clinch a place in the final four.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal 1 West Ham 0: Welbeck the difference in cagey EFL Cup quarter-final

Arsenal reached the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2010-11 thanks to a narrow 1-0 win over West Ham at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.Danny Welbeck scrambled home the only goal late in the first half to decide a contest that was otherwise devoid of opportunities.

With at least one eye clearly on Friday's visit from Liverpool, Arsene Wenger utilised the full depth of his squad and handed the captain's armband to Theo Walcott.




The stand-in skipper fluffed a chance to break the match open when he headed a rare sight of goal wide, although his embarrassment was soon spared as Welbeck forced a loose ball past the recalled Joe Hart in the 42nd minute.

A fit-again Javier Hernandez joined Hart in the Hammers' starting XI, but neither he nor any of his team-mates could conjure a single shot on target - Welbeck's was the only one in the contest.

And while the Gunners remain in contention for the one trophy in English football that has eluded Wenger, the Frenchman's night was spoiled somewhat by Olivier Giroud sustaining an apparent hamstring injury late in proceedings.


Wenger completely shuffled his pack from the side that edged Newcastle United 1-0 on Saturday, making Moyes' six changes seem like little more than tinkering.
Both sides looked every bit the sum of unfamiliar parts over a disjointed first half-hour that failed to produce any meaningful openings.

Arsenal enjoyed the vast majority of possession but, despite the experience of Walcott, Welbeck and Giroud in attack, were unable to muster a genuine attempt until Sead Kolasinac sliced harmlessly wide in the 37th minute.That moment of purpose did bring about a livelier spell from the hosts that should have resulted in the opener through Walcott, who wastefully steered his header the wrong side of the left post from Kolasinac's perfect cross.

Instead, it was left to Welbeck to open the scoring moments before the break. The forward scrappily prodded home at the second time of asking from close-range after Mathieu Debuchy nodded Francois Coquelin's delivery back into the danger area.

The only change at half-time was among the officials as injured assistant Stuart Burt was replaced on the line by fourth official Chris Kavanagh.



With chances remaining at a premium, Aaron Cresswell flashed a free-kick across the face of goal in the 64th minute and that rare sight of goal prompted Moyes to introduce Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho.But the visitors almost came undone at the other end when an onrushing Hart tripped Welbeck fractionally outside the penalty area, perhaps only avoiding a red card due to attacker's path leading him away from goal.

However, Arsenal ultimately did not require the cushion of a second goal as Giroud's concerning late injury proved the final drama of the contest.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

That won't happen – Guardiola dismisses talk of Manchester City quadruple


Pep Guardiola killed early talk of a quadruple after Manchester City beat Leicester 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

City appeared to be on course to win in regulation time when they still held a 1-0 lead courtesy of Bernardo Silva heading into stoppage time, but Leicester were then awarded a controversial penalty – Kyle Walker judged to have fouled Demarai Gray.

Vardy scored that penalty but, after things remained level throughout extra-time, the England striker saw his spot-kick in the shoot-out hit the outside of the post and then Riyad Mahrez had his effort swatted away by Claudio Bravo.

But Guardiola does not think City will be celebrating an unprecedented quadruple at the end of the season, with the club also still in the FA Cup and Champions League, as well as being runaway and undefeated leaders in the Premier League."Forget about it," Guardiola said to Sky Sports. "That’s not real. That's not going to happen, no."

The Catalan coach also suggested Leicester were lucky to have made it to a shoot-out in the first place, with Gray in his opinion fortunate to win the penalty that Vardy converted.He added: "The TV doesn't lie. We can see if it's a penalty or not, but we overcame the situation. In football, sometimes these kind of things happen."

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan – who brilliantly created Silva's opener – added City were "unfortunate" to have that decision go against them and hailed the reserves of mental strength in a youthful and experimental line-up.

"What a jumpy and straining match against Leicester," he wrote on his official Twitter account. "You get eight minutes of added time and one very unfortunate penalty. For most teams it's really hard to get back on track. Guess we're not like most teams."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho hints at Mkhitaryan return in Carabao Cup


Jose Mourinho hinted at a possible return to action for Henrikh Mkhitaryan in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie at Bristol City.The Armenia international has made 10 starts in the Premier League this term and began the campaign as a key figure in Mourinho's plans.

However, his only appearance since November 5 was a 19-minute cameo off the bench against Brighton and Hove Albion 20 days later.

According to reports, Mkhitaryan and Mourinho were involved in a disagreement during a video analysis session, an incident which – coupled with a string of ineffective performances – fuelled mounting reports that the playmaker could be on his way to Inter.

But Mkhitaryan looks set to be brought in from the cold on Wednesday, when EFL Cup holders United take on Championship high-flyers Bristol City, with Mourinho also repeating his public explanation for the former Borussia Dortmund star's exile.Speaking to reporters, Mourinho said: "We need to take the game really seriously, but I'm going to make a few changes and it's possible Miki [Mkhitaryan] is involved.

"In this moment we are playing with [Juan] Mata, [Jesse] Lingard, [Marcus] Rashford or [Anthony] Martial and [Romelu] Lukaku, and the bench has been Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic] and one of the other ones - Martial or Rashford."There is no space for everybody because you need balance on the bench too."

Mourinho added: "I am making a few changes for the match, not many, because Bristol is one of the best teams in the Championship and for me now the Championship is not the Championship of five or 10 years ago."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mkhitaryan ta chance eka dunnoth godak hodai​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Real Madrid star Ronaldo to build paediatric hospital in Chile


Cristiano Ronaldo’s activity away from Real Madrid is to see him help with the construction of a paediatric hospital in Chile.

The facility, in the nation’s capital of Santiago, is set to be built in 2020.Portugal international Ronaldo will be a prominent figure in the project, having set up a joint venture with Italian businessman Alessandro Proto.

"Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will build a paediatric hospital in Santiago Chile, in 2020," read a statement from New York-based law firm Brafman Associates, who look after Ronaldo’s business interests.

"Cristiano - up to now the only player in the history to have won the The Best FIFA award for the best player in the world - and Alessandro are very happy with this initiative."

The facility in Santiago represents the first phase of a much bigger project which will see hospitals built throughout South America.Ronaldo, who is now a father of four, is heavily involved in a number of charities, with millions donated to their respective causes.

He is an ambassador for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision, with it those roles which allow him to continue offering assistance to those in need of support across the globe.

Real president Florentio Perez has been among those to praise Ronaldo’s “generous and caring” character, with the La Liga giants working hard to keep him on their books for as long as possible.It is the Blancos who continue to benefit from his efforts on the field, with 2017 having seen Ronaldo add another FIFA Best Award and a fifth Ballon d’Or to his enviable trophy collection.

He is, however, continuing to work as hard away from the pitch as he does on it, with the 32-year-old eager to ensure that his status as a global icon is put to the best possible use.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Atletico Madrid report Barcelona to FIFA over improper contact with Griezmann


Atletico Madrid have reported La Liga rivals Barcelona to FIFA over improper contact with Antoine Griezmann, sources have confirmed to Goal .

The France international, who is under contract with the capital club until 2021-22, has been linked to moves to moves away from the capital over the past year, with Manchester United among the teams mentioned.

However, reports of Barca interest have grown in recent weeks, with star Barcelona striker Luis Suarez welcoming the idea of a Griezmann move to the club .

There have also been hints from Barcelona's leadership that they have at least met with people close to Griezmann - last week Barcelona director Guillermo Amor admitted the possibility that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu may have had contact with people close to the forward."It could be that Bartomeu had a meeting with Griezmann's family," Armor told Movistar.

"If that's what the newspaper says, it may be that way, although I do not know."There is good harmony, a good relationship, there can be conversations, rumours are inevitable in the world of football."

Atletico believes these communications violate La Liga rules as Griezmann is under a long-term contract with the club, and such contact is only permitted in the last six months of a player's deal.

According to Atletico, this violation is made worse by the position of the two clubs, as they are second in the table, six points back of Barcelona, and could have impact on the title race.

Should Barcelona be found guilty of the violations, a punishment severe as a two-window transfer ban may be handed out.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mourinho has taken Man Utd out of reverse but flaws remain, says Robson


Manchester United are no longer going backwards under Jose Mourinho, says Bryan Robson, but there is still room for improvement.

The Red Devils found themselves stagnating in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, with David Moyes’ ill-fated tenure placing the club on a slippery slope.

Louis van Gaal steadied the ship and secured FA Cup glory, but the Dutchman faced criticism for the manner in which he set about collecting results.

Mourinho’s arrival in 2016, and subsequent three-trophy haul in his debut campaign, has helped to lift the mood around Old Trafford once more, with Robson of the opinion that United are back on the right track.

The former Red Devils captain told Sky Sports: "I think we keep improving as a football team and, as a football club, we're getting back to where we should be.

"You've got to say not last season but the season before we won the FA Cup, which was great to do but the performances weren't great and, for me, we were going backwards."For me, since Jose's been in, we've started improving.
"We won three trophies last year and let's see what we can win this year."

While spotting signs of encouragement at United, Robson believes there are areas to work on.A Premier League title bid has started to burn out in 2017-18, with Mourinho being called upon to ensure that his side become more clinical when it comes to seeing games out.

Robson added: "I don't know what it is with the players at the moment because they did it against Arsenal - get off to a great start and then go on the back-foot and try and play a bit defensive rather than go for the killer goal.

"But like against West Brom at the weekend [in a 2-1 win], West Brom score and then all of a sudden it becomes a nervous last 10 minutes."So the lads have got to get that out of their system.

"You've got to keep pressing and doing the right things which gets you that lead in the first place."I'm sure the manager's talking to the players about that and going for the jugular and making sure you win the game and are not hanging on."

United currently sit 11 points adrift of arch-rivals Manchester City in the battle for Premier League supremacy, with their attention set to be shifted to knockout competition in midweek as they take on Bristol City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

 

[waca]

Meanwhile in Sri Lanka

FIFA නවතම ලෝක ශ්‍රේණිගත කිරීම් වලට අනුව ශ්‍රී ලංකාව මළු ලෝකයෙන්ම 200 වෙනි ස්ථානය දිනාගත් බව ..........න් දැනුම් දෙමි

ආඩම්බරයි නේද?

 

[Wolverine GTR]

"You've got to keep pressing and doing the right things which gets you that lead in the first place."

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Carabao Cup Quarter-finals Fixtures 2017.12.20

Carabao Cup Quarter-finals Fixtures 2017.12.20

Chelsea Vs Bournemouth

Bristol City Vs Manchester United

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[Wolverine GTR]

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.12.20

LA Liga Fixtures 2017.12.20

Getafe Vs Las Palmas

Real Sociedad Vs Sevilla​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Coppa Italia Fixtures 2017.12.20

Coppa Italia Fixtures 2017.12.20

Atalanta Vs Sassuolo

Roma Vs Torino

Juventus Vs Genoa​

 

[tclanki]

Coppa Italia Fixtures 2017.12.20

Atalanta Vs Sassuolo

Roma Vs Torino

Juventus Vs Genoa​

owath balanwada bro?

 

[Wolverine GTR]

owath balanwada bro?

Mewanam balanna set wenne naha bro
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bristol City Vs Manchester United

Bristol City Starting Line-up

Steele
Wright
Flint
Baker
Magnusson
Brownhill
Smith
Pack
Bryan
Paterson
Reid

&

Manchester United Starting Line-up

Romero
Darmian
Shaw
Rojo
Lindelof
Blind
McTominay
Pogba
Rashford
Martial
Ibrahimovic
​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zlatan ada match eka start karanawa

& Bristol City English Championship eketh hoda place ekaka innawa so hoda fight ekak denna wei beat karanna

Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Half Time

Bristol City 0 Vs 0 Manchester United

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