..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona increase Alcacer offer to €30m

Barcelona are ready to increase their offer for Valencia striker Paco Alcacer to €30 million after selling Claudio Bravo, Goal understands.

The Spanish champions made a net profit of around €5m on the deals taking Bravo to Manchester City and bringing Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to Camp Nou to replace him.

With €24m left in their transfer budget before those moves and some flexibility in using a small portion of next season's cash this summer, Barca are now in a position to meet Valencia's asking price for the 22-year-old striker.

Los Che are expected to eventually settle for a package worth between €30m and €35m for Alcacer before Wednesday's Spanish transfer deadline.Earlier in the summer, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu stated that he "will not pay €40m for a substitute" but the club's hands have been tied.

Alcacer is, thus far, the only one of their targets willing to accept he will start on the bench and Valencia have publicly insisted he will only be sold for his €80m release clause, although that stance is likely to change next week.

 

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West Ham close in on Juventus striker Zaza

West Ham are hopeful of concluding negotiations to sign Simone Zaza from Juventus in the coming days, Goal can confirm.

The Hammers have been desperately scouring the market for a striker in recent weeks, after club-record signing Andre Ayew was struck down by a rare thigh injury in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on the first weekend of the season and Andy Carroll was also ruled out for a significant period of time.Zaza has subsequently been identified as the club’s first-choice target, and talks with Juve have been progressing well in recent days.

Sources have revealed to Goal that negotiations are now centring on whether Zaza will join on loan or on a permanent deal, though West Ham would rather sign the striker on an initial short-term deal.

The Italian champions have quoted the Premier League club a fee of around £25 million for the Italy international, who has scored eight goals in 24 games for Juve, and he is understood to have demanded a wage of £100,000-per-week.Slaven Bilic also confirmed earlier this week that he held an interest in signing Wilfried Bony from Manchester City, while a move for Chelsea outcast Loic Remy has also been considered.

Goal understands, however, that those moves are regarded as back-ups to the deal for Zaza, should negotiations collapse.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Europa league hithana tharam lesi nehe. me para tough teams tikak inne.

Qarabag, Astana, , Anderchlet, rapid Wein, Fenerbache, gent, Paok, Panathinaikos.. oya okkoma ada qualify una hoda teams.

Thawa UCL playoffs walin kapuna hoda teams uth enawa. like Ajax,Salzburg..
And automatic qualify una hoda teams uth thiyanawa. Like Zenit..

Ada West Ham walata badu packet una. To the same team they lost last time. Astra Guirgu from romania. They are going bankrupt. 11th in the romanian league at the moment. Sold their best players. The coach is suspended and the owner is in Jail. But still won @ Olympic Stadium 0-1.
That's why I say the Primier League is overrated. Only money. And many playeers who can't play good football.

Eth Utd walata chance ekak thiyanwa. But I don't expect it to be an easy ride.
And UCL wala 4th pick teams uth hodai. But they don't have that much of a chance.
And rostov is a team to watch. I expect 1 or 2 draws at russia at their best.

Madrid vs Dortmund

Aniwa bro eka attha

Europa Legaue teams hama 1kakma unath underestimate karanna baha.Oya kiwwath wage godak hoda teams set 1kak thiyanawa

Anith 1ka matanam hithenne Manchester United play karanna wela thiyenne hama match 1kakma final 1kak wage thamai.mamanam kiyanne play karannath one a widiyatama thamai.anith 1ka team 1ka unath thamath 100% stable naha.thawa gaps thiyanawa team 1ke fill karannath.Specially Defending + Frontline

So ada draw 1ka mona widiyata set unath next round qualified wenna nam hoda fight 1kak denna wenawa​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: I am 99 per cent confident of new Arsenal signings

Arsene Wenger is "99 per cent" confident Arsenal will sign new players for the end of the transfer window.

Goal understands deals have been agreed for Valencia centre-back Shkodran Mustafi and Deportivo La Coruna striker Lucas Perez for a combined fee of €60 million.Offers of €40m and €20m were accepted for Mustafi and Perez respectively on Thursday and the pair will now travel to London to undergo a medical.

“We are working on the deals, but we are not close enough to announce today," Wenger told reporters.“Will we sign anyone before the window closes? I’m 99 per cent confident.”

He added: “It was a strange transfer market, I expected it to be easier than ever, but it has been more difficult than ever.“It looks like it will be frenetic in the last three days, everyone has sat on their money but we know they will all splash out now.”

The two incoming deals paves the way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers to leave on loan, though Wenger insisted neither will be sold and no further incomings will happen.“We have a big squad, we cannot have more players anyway," he concluded.

 

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Zaza set to join West Ham, confirms Bilic

uventus striker Simone Zaza is on the brink of signing for West Ham, manager Slaven Bilic has confirmed.

The Italy international saw a move to Wolfsburg break down earlier this month, but is now set for the Premier League after the clubs agreed a fee.
"With the Zaza situation, it looks very likely to happen and should happen today," Bilic said on Friday at his pre-match media conference ahead of the game at Manchester City on Sunday.

"As far as I know the deal is agreed between the clubs."The personal terms are also agreed and he is due in London today, so we hope it will be done."It's very positive and is a boost. We've been trying for a long time now to get a top-quality striker and he was always mentioned."

 

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PSG favourites for Champions League group - Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the riches at Paris Saint-Germain's disposal makes the Ligue 1 heavyweights favourites to top their Champions League group.Thursday's draw in Monaco saw Arsenal paired alongside PSG, Basel and Ludogorets in Group A.

It marks Arsenal's 19th consecutive season in the group stages, but Wenger says it will be difficult to top the section ahead of Unai Emery's men, who continue to be backed heavily by wealthy Qatari owners."PSG are a team that has absolutely unlimited financial potential and bought really well," Wenger told a news conference.

"We want to challenge that, we'll see, it's a tough test for us. Our first game is PSG on September 13. Hopefully we can get the right result.

"Paris Saint-Germain is one of the favourites with big ambition. We want to qualify, if possible, and in first. We start in Paris so it will be an interesting test."

PSG have thus far failed to turn their domestic dominance into Champions League glory, with Laurent Blanc paying with his job and being replaced by Emery.But Wenger believes that PSG, who lost in the quarter-finals to Manchester City, were a victim of a lack of competitiveness in France's top flight last season."It was a handicap for them last year," he added. "They were in a position last year like Bayern the season before that they had won the title in January. To retain focus is difficult."

Wenger's immediate attention is on Saturday's Premier League trip to Watford, where Mesut Ozil may make his first start of the season after being granted extra time to recover from his travails with Germany at Euro 2016.

The match is likely to come soon for Olivier Giroud - who reached the final with France - to start and Wenger is frustrated by the timing of next week's international break considering some of his squad are only just returning to full fitness following the European Championship."Ozil's not far now, that's a decision I have to make in the next 24 hours," Wenger added. "Giroud is a fraction behind physically.

"We need a first win. The international break comes too soon. They are not ready to start with us in the Premier League because we had to rest them because of playing international games.

"Not everyone is up to speed completely, some are a bit behind."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Casillas and Fabregas left out of Spain squad

Iker Casillas and Cesc Fabregas have been left out of Julen Lopetegui's first Spain squad.

The veteran goalkeeper and Chelsea midfielder have been dropped for the friendly with Belgium and the World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein next month.Atletico Madrid youngster Saul Niguez has been handed a place, while there are recalls for striker Diego Costa, Manchester United playmaker Juan Mata and Bayern Munich's Javi Martinez.

Andres Iniesta has been left out as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, while Isco was omitted at the last moment after taking a knock in training, Lopetegui has said.

West Ham's Adrian has been drafted in to replace Casillas, but Lopetegui insists the Porto goalkeeper's international career is not over."The conversation with Iker was sincere, between friends," he said. "It was done eye-to-eye and we said what we thought.

"I understand the questions, it's logical. Iker will continue to be very close to us."Everyone knows the world of football and we know that nothing is definitive."

He continued: "All the players who are coming into this squad have been directly analysed."There is no kind of interference in the list. My only interest is football."It will be a pleasure to work with Pepe Reina and Adrian. I've always liked to do so with De Gea.

"Sergi Roberto for Juanfran? Juanfran is an excellent player and he's done very good work here, but in this case I've decided to choose Sergi because he's adapted really well to full-back and he is more multi-purpose."

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli), Adrian (West Ham)

Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Marc Bartra (Borussia Dortmund), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Saul Niguez, Koke (Atletico Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Juan Mat (Spain).

Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Vitolo (Sevilla), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid), Nolito (Manchester City), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Chelsea), Paco Alcacer (Valencia)

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter set to sign Gabigol and Joao Mario

Inter are poised to complete a major transfer coup by signing both Gabigol and Joao Mario, Goal understands.

The Nerazzurri have endured a difficult summer, with Roberto Mancini being replaced by Frank de Boer as head coach shortly before the start of the season, before losing 2-0 away at Chievo on the opening day.

However, De Boer has acted quickly to bolster his squad and Goal can reveal the pair will put pen to paper on Friday to commit their futures to the club.

Gabigol was part of the victorious Brazil Olympic squad and has been branded as the ‘next Neymar’. The 19-year-old Santos attacker has already turned out for his nation’s senior team, scoring twice in four outings.

Sporting midfielder Joao Mario, meanwhile, is more experienced at 23 and also tasted glory on the international scene when he helped Portugal win Euro 2016 in the summerThe combined fees for the players is expected to reach around €75 million.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Henry named 'second assistant coach' to new Belgium boss Martinez

Thierry Henry has been appointed as an assistant to new Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, the KBVB has announced.

Henry left his role as Arsenal Under-18 boss in July after Arsene Wenger reportedly refused to sanction the former France international combining the role with his television commitments.

And that has allowed him to link-up with Martinez, who took over as Red Devils boss after Marc Wilmots was sacked following Belgium's disappointing Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Wales.Chris Van Puyvelde, the KBVB executive director, said: "Roberto Martínez's assistant coach will be Graeme Jones."Thierry Henry will be the second assistant coach."

Van Puyvelde added: "Richard Evans has been added to our staff as Head of Team and Individual Fitness and our goalkeeping coaches are Erwin Lemmens and Inaki Bergara."It is the appointment of Henry that catches the eye, though, with Martinez eager to talk up the 39-year-old.

He said: "We are here to help the real quality we have. We need to support the players. The contact time with them is very short so the impact has to be as big as we can [make it].

"To have the experience we have in the staff is very important. And being able to bring new people in and having that contact with the players will be vital. Graeme Jones has worked with some Belgian players in England and his experience will be enjoyable for them.

"Thierry Henry brings something completely different. He is someone that has been in the situation of having to develop a mentality of a team to chase the dream of winning something special. He did that with his country in 1996 leading up to 1998 [when France won the World Cup].

"He's very much an important figure for our staff by being able to pass on his experience."Asked if Henry had to be persuaded to take the role on, Martinez added: "We all know the footballers we have in Belgium are an intriguing case and straight away he was very keen to join us and pass on his experience.

"We are going to work together and help this talent to become a team that is competitive."I am very satisfied that the KBVB has been able to create an impressive staff."

Martinez was talking as he named his first Belgium squad, for the friendly with Spain on September 1 and the World Cup qualifier in Cyprus five days later. Kevin Mirallas, who worked under Martinez at Everton, was recalled.

Belgium squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Matz Sels (Newcastle United)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Christian Kabasele (Watford), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit), Jordan Lukaku (Lazio), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Roma), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Steven Defour (Burnley), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Alex Witsel (Zenit)

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgen Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Liverpool).

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Man Utd draw Fenerbahce, Southampton face Inter - Europa League draw in full

Manchester United will face former striker Robin van Persie after being paired with Fenerbahce in the Europa League group stage.The Red Devils will also face Feyenoord and Ukrainian outfit Zorya Luhansk in Group A.

United sold Van Persie to Turkish side Fenerbahce, who finished second in the Super Lig last season, in July 2015 after three years at Old Trafford.Southampton, participating in the Europa League for the first time in their history, will take on Serie A giants Inter in Group K.

Claude Puel's charges have also been drawn against Sparta Prague and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who were beaten by Celtic in the Champions League playoff round.

Irish outfit Dundalk have been handed a difficult group against Zenit, AZ Alkmaar and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Group D.

Matchday one is on September 15 with the final games in the groups staged on December 8.

The full Europa League draw as follows:

Group A: Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Feyenoord, Zorya
Group B: Olympiacos, APOEL, Young Boys, Astana
Group C: Anderlecht, Saint-Etienne, Mainz, Qabala
Group D: Zenit, AZ Alkmaar, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Dundalk
Group E: Viktoria Plzen, Roma, Austria Vienna, Astra
Group F: Athletic Bilbao, Genk, Rapid Vienna, Sassuolo
Group G: Ajax, Standard Liege, Celta Vigo, Panathinaikos
Group H: Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga, Gent, Konyaspor
Group I: Schalke, RB Salzburg, Kuban Krasnodar, Nice
Group J: Fiorentina, PAOK, Slovan Liberec, Qarabag
Group K: Inter, Sparta Prague, Southampton, Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Group L: Villarreal, Steaua Bucharest, FC Zurich, Osmanlispor​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

Europa League wala hoda fight 1kak demu

​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Guardiola was in his own world at Bayern - Muller

Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller says Carlo Ancelotti has a closer relationship with the squad than former boss Pep Guardiola, who was "in his own world".The Bundesliga champions begin their quest for a fifth consecutive title when Werder Bremen visit the Allianz Arena on Friday.

New head coach Ancelotti has won his first two games at the helm in the DFL-Supercup and DFB-Pokal, with Muller impressed by the Italian's close bond with Bayern's star names."Ancelotti is a little bit closer to the players," he told Bild.

"Pep was already a little bit in his own world because he thought for the whole day, 'How can I move my players two or three meters in a game situation to find a perfect solution?'

"That was crazy in a positive way!"Muller does not feel Bayern have dominance over the Bundesliga, insisting Borussia Dortmund always keep them on their toes.

"From our point of view last year, the league was exciting enough, we felt Dortmund in our backs all the time," added the 26-year-old."They have quality, young new players with a lot of talent who are integrated very well. They made problems for us in the Supercup and it's not expected for them to drop off now.

"They have always been a team that makes trouble for us up until now, but as a Bayern player I am not responsible for creating tension."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Alcacer or nobody' in Barcelona striker hunt

Barcelona will not attempt to sign an alternative if they fail in their pursuit of Valencia striker Paco Alcacer, according to technical director Robert Fernandez.The Spain international has agreed terms with the Spanish giants but a deal between the two clubs is yet to be reached, Goal understands.

Valencia have been defiant in their efforts to keep the 22-year-old, with head coach Pako Ayestaran insisting after Monday's 4-2 defeat to Las Palmas that the striker would not be sold.

Barca have seen interest in Kevin Gameiro and Luciano Vietto fail to result in moves and Fernandez has said that they will not explore any other options if a swoop for Alcacer also proves fruitless.When asked on Friday if Barca are to sign Alcacer or nobody, he replied: "Yes".

He continued: "It's obviously not easy to conclude things. We have an amazing team that is difficult to improve, but I'm optimistic and we will exhaust all possibilities until August 31.

"It's difficult because sometimes these situations are complicated. He's a player who interests us and we've had some contact. We have to wait. We have a few days until the 31st and we'll see if it's possible for him to come."

Fernandez also spoke of the importance of seeing Douglas and Sergi Samper gain first-team football after the duo left for respective season-long loans with Sporting Gijon and Granada.

"We decided some time ago on the subject of Douglas. The priority is that he has minutes on the pitch because, in order to make a real assessment of the player, we need to see him on the field of play," he said.

"I think he'll perform well. I think we were right with that decision."We evaluated the subject with Samper and Luis Enrique and we considered it to be the best option."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Zidane reiterates desire for James to stay at Madrid

Zinedine Zidane reiterated his insistence that James Rodriguez will not be leaving Real Madrid before the end of the transfer window.The Colombia international has seen his first-team opportunities limited since Zidane arrived as head coach at the Santiago Bernabeu in January.

Speculation has consequently mounted that Premier League duo Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in prising him away from the Spanish capital, while Serie A champions Juventus have also been linked with an offer.

However, earlier this week Zidane insisted James is happy at Madrid and appeared visibly frustrated when questioned on his future again ahead of Saturday's LaLiga contest versus Celta Vigo."James is a Real Madrid footballer," he said. "I always get asked the same question and always reply the same way.

"James is a Real Madrid footballer, he has a contract here. Yes, he's played less, maybe that can be seen as a problem but I want my players to feel important and he's no different from any of his team-mates."Recently? No [I have not spoken to James]. None of the players in fact.

"I speak to the players as a group. But, to answer your question, at the moment no I haven't had a private chat with James."Madrid started their Liga campaign with a fine 3-0 victory at Real Sociedad last weekend, despite the absence of key duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Youngster Marco Asensio took his impressive pre-season form into that contest while Alvaro Morata was lively up front, but Zidane refused to be drawn on what the starting XI will look like when Ronaldo and Benzema return to the fold.

"I'm not too sure, I've got 22, 23, 24, 25 players," he added. "They're all important. All of them will play over the course of the season."They are all key. Ronaldo hasn't played, Benzema hasn't played, those that have played have done a good job.

"When they're back I'll decide what 11 will play. That's what I do here."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Cech: Why I tricked Jamie Vardy with drag-back

Petr Cech says he aims to play at the highest level for as long as possible and revealed the thinking behind his decision to 'feint' against Jamie Vardy for the second season in a row.

The Arsenal goalkeeper turned 34 at the end of last season and announced his retirement from international football following his Euro 2016 excursions with the Czech Republic, admitting that it's a decision which is likely to benefit his career in the long term.

Cech has recently joined former World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon and current European champion Rui Patricio in promoting PUMA's evoPOWER gloves and boots.

"One of the reasons I took this decision [to retire from international football] is to make sure that I can continue at the highest level as long as possible", Cech told Goal after being signed up by PUMA on Wednesday.

"Obviously as long as I enjoy it, I’m fit and have the desire to work 100 per cent every day with the same motivation then I want to play. If I can play another five, six or seven years then I will but obviously lets see how well I’m going to do and how well my body will be."

Cech was behind the sticks for Arsenal's 0-0 draw with Leicester on Saturday and drew plaudits from the club's supporters on social media after appearing to trick Jamie Vardy by pulling off a feint and drag-back against him in the first half.

Vardy was subject of a bid from Arsene Wenger's side this summer but rejected the offer - and Cech's skill went down particularly well among the Arsenal fans, with many pointing out that is the second consecutive season in which Cech has tricked the England striker.

Goalkeepers are generally taught to clear their lines when the ball is at their feet although a recent generation of shot stoppers led by Manuel Neuer has seen a 'sweeper keeper' trend take to the pitch, something that Cech says he will only follow if absolutely neccessary. "If I don’t have to do it then I don’t do it but obviously there was an opportunity last season where if I kicked the ball he would have blocked me," said Cech.

"This season I wanted to pass across and with his speed I couldn’t do that so I had to obviously find a solution to play the ball a different way and if you have to dribble then you have to dribble. It’s not the greatest thing to do all the time but sometimes you have to use a football skill and not play simple."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

OFFICIAL: Schalke complete Stambouli signing

Schalke have completed the signing of Benjamin Stambouli from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee.The 26-year-old has signed a four-year contract in Gelsenkirchen having been deemed surplus to requirements in the French capital.

He is the second midfielder to have joined Schalke this week following the loan arrival of Nabil Bentaleb from Tottenham.

Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel told the club's official website: "We have a very young team who needs more experience. That is why we have brought in Benjamin Stambouli, who was captain at Montpellier, has played in the English Premier League and for the French champions PSG."Schalke open their Bundesliga campaign at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Gotze forced to wait for second Dortmund debut

Mario Gotze's wait for a second Borussia Dortmund debut will continue after head coach Thomas Tuchel ruled the attacking midfielder out of their Bundesliga opener against Mainz.

The Germany international returned to Signal Iduna Park in the close-season after spending three seasons at Dortmund's rivals Bayern Munich.However, Gotze was not involved in the DFL-Supercup defeat to Bayern and an adductor injury meant he was absent for the DFB-Pokal win over Eintracht Trier.

And Gotze is once again unavailable when Dortmund start their latest attempt to end Bayern's Bundesliga dominance.

"Mario Gotze has now fully trained," Tuchel told a news conference. "He could play but we have decided that it is too early." Matthias Ginter and Sven Bender are also absent having been part of the Germany team that achieved a silver medal at Rio 2016.

Tuchel confirmed full-back Marcel Schmelzer has been named captain, with previous skipper Mats Hummels having departed for Bayern at the end of last season.

"Marcel Schmelzer is the captain, which is a natural decision," he added. "He has a strong sense of responsibility and social skills."

 

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OFFICIAL: Man Utd confirm Pereira to Granada on loan

Andreas Pereira is to join Granada on a season-long loan deal, Manchester United have announced.The 20-year-old has struggled to cement his place in United's first team and made just 13 competitive appearances across two seasons under Louis van Gaal.

Pereira scored in Jose Mourinho's first pre-season match in charge - a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in July - but he has opted to move to LaLiga in order to secure regular playing time.

"Manchester United midfield prospect Andreas Pereira is set for a loan switch to Granada in LaLiga after the two clubs agreed on a season-long transfer," a United statement confirmed.

Speaking prior to Saturday's Premier League clash with Hull City, Mourinho said: "I love Andreas Pereira as a player and I would love to have him in my squad, but he will go to Granada."

Pereira follows Barcelona midfielder Sergi Samper in completing a loan move to Los Carmenes.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aparade Pereira wa loan karapu 1ka

Anyway good luck Pereira!​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo omitted from Portugal squad due to lack of fitness

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of his country's squad for matches against Gibraltar and Switzerland, with the Real Madrid forward not fit enough to be included.

Ronaldo - who won UEFA's Best Player in Europe award on Thursday - missed pre-season as he was recovering from a knee injury sustained in the Euro 2016 final against France and only recently returned to training.

Joao Cancelo and Andre Silva have been called up to the squad for the first time, while Monaco's Bernardo Silva is recalled after missing Euro 2016, but veteran defender Ricardo Carvalho is omitted and Vieirinha is out due to injury.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos said his squad selection has been affected by the "unusual" time of the season for an international break, with a friendly against Gibraltar in Porto on Thursday being used as a warm-up for a World Cup qualifier in Basel five days later.

"The clubs are only just starting their championships and this is an unusual phase of the season," Santos said. "My choice was to maintain the base of the final stages of the European Championship, apart from the ones who are medically not in shape.

"The national team is never closed to any player. There are other options who could be here but aren't today."Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches has been included in the Portugal squad after recovering from a thigh injury in time to be selected by Santos.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Eduardo (Chelsea), Rui Patricio (Sporting CP)

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Cagliari), Cedric (Southampton), Eliseu (Benfica), Joao Cancelo (Valencia), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Luis Neto (Zenit), Pepe (Real Madrid), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders: Adrien (Sporting CP), Andre Gomes (Barcelona), Danilo Pereira (Porto), Joao Mario (Sporting CP), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich), William Carvalho (Sporting CP)

Forwards: Andre Silva (Porto), Bernardo Silva (Monaco), Eder (Lille), Nani (Valencia), Rafa Silva (Braga), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas).