..::Football IV::..

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Lovren warns Real Madrid should 'fear' Liverpool in Champions League final


Dejan Lovren says Liverpool are not scared of Real Madrid, and feels it is the Champions League holders who should be worried ahead of the final in Kiev.Madrid defeated Juventus in the decider last season to become the first team since AC Milan in 1990 to retain European football's biggest prize.

Despite being below their best domestically and failing to convince against Juve and Bayern Munich in the last two rounds, Zinedine Zidane's side have a chance to become the first team since Ajax and Bayern in the 1970s to win the competition three times in succession.

Lovren, though, is not intimidated by that impressive recent pedigree, Liverpool having blazed a trail to the showdown at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium courtesy of impressive triumphs over Premier League champions Manchester City and Roma."They [Madrid] are quite confident but we don't care for that, we are focused on our job," he said."Why should we fear them? They should fear us."

According to Lovren, the arrival of manager Jurgen Klopp at Anfield in October 2015 has had a transformational impact at Liverpool, on and off the field.
"He changed many things in the club," Lovren said. "Not just the players but things around the club, people, he has changed the mentality, how we think. Everything is more positive now."Even when we sometimes don't play good, he always finds something good and there is not negativity. He deserves this.

"It is not accidental that he already reached the final of the Champions League in 2013 with Borussia Dortmund.

"He has given the club pride back. Everyone feels that, everyone lives that.
"Everyone should be proud that we have a manager like him."

 

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'Salah just one of 11 players' – Ramos insists Real have no fear ahead of Liverpool test


Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is respected but not feared by Real Madrid, according to captain Sergio Ramos.Salah has led the Premier League giants into the Champions League final and they will face Madrid in Kiev on May 26.The Egypt international has drawn comparisons to one of Ramos' team-mates, Cristiano Ronaldo, thanks to his impressive 43-goal campaign.

But Ramos insisted Salah was just another player, saying there was nothing to be afraid of."We have seen what Salah can do this season, but he will just be one of 11 players we face against Liverpool," he told the Mirror."Throughout my career, I have faced the best forward players in the world – many of them who are considered among the greatest ever.

"For me, there is never a fear. A respect, yes, but never a fear."While Liverpool's run to the final has been a surprise, Madrid are in the decider for the fourth time in five seasons.Ramos said his team were desperate to claim the trophy once again against unexpected opponents.

"We can't be arrogant but we can be confident. We know it is in the DNA of Real Madrid to win the Champions League," he said.

"We are ready to defend our title for a second time – we won't let it go easily."With all respect, maybe at the start of the campaign Liverpool were not the team people thought would be in the final, but they are here because they deserve to be here."We know as a team how to play finals – and we will be ready."

 

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Simeone praises Atleti for writing the 'first pages' of Metropolitano history


Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone revelled in his team's historic win over Arsenal in the Europa League semi-finals.A Diego Costa goal handed Atletico a 1-0 victory in the second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano, sealing a 2-1 aggregate success on Thursday.

Simeone – who served a touchline ban – was delighted his team delivered at their new stadium, the two-time winners reaching the final of the competition for the third time in a nine-year spell that has also yielded two Champions League finals.

"History is made in these kind of games and stadiums need to be fortresses and they are so with big games and big wins like this," he said, via UEFA ."I felt how the atmosphere was. The fans were with us every step of the way, they knew the side needed them and it's one of the first pages we've written in the history of the Metropolitano."Simeone watched from the stands after being sent off in the first leg at Emirates Stadium, where his 10-man team managed to claim a 1-1 draw.

The Argentinian was thrilled to see his side secure a spot in the final, with Marseille awaiting in Lyon on May 16."We are delighted to be there in the final, we've wanted to be back in a final ever since the last one we reached," said the 48-year-old.

"The side responded so well last week, they suffered, [goalkeeper Jan] Oblak had a great game – but that's what happens on these big nights, big players stand up to be counted and the team were up there with him at that level. "We worked well this week and we felt good going into tonight."

 

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Arsenal need big changes this summer as Wenger's decision to leave is justified


Arsene Wenger took the bench for his 250th European game: but while there could have been one more to give Arsene Wenger a fairytale ending to his time as Arsenal manager, it never really looked like happening.

The Frenchman’s side only needed a goal to take their Europa League semi-final with Atletico Madrid to extra-time and despite a brave showing were only able to muster one shot on target throughout 90 minutes as the Lyon final and Wenger’s final hurrah escaped the Gunners at a chilly Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

Diego Simeone was banished to the directors box following his touchline ban in the first leg yet the instructions to his team were clear for all to see; contain the runs from Arsenal’s full-backs, block off the penetrative midfield runs from Aaron Ramsey which caused Simeone’s side so many issues in the first leg and ensure Diego Costa gets in the faces of the north Londoners defence.In reality,the Argentine boss didn’t need to formulate a tactical masterplan as the opposition rarely threatened with an intense spell of play to cause his team problems.

An early injury Laurent Koscielny, which was later confirmed as a torn Achilles, means the Frenchman will miss the World Cup. It was a horrible blow for a defender has played through the pain barrier for over a year, culminating in what could be his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt with defenders already being looked at for the summer.

Indeed, it was former Chelsea striker Costa who came back to haunt Wenger’s men when he scored after being slipped through by Antoine Griezmann. It could have been different if Ramsey converted an opportunity just minutes after the restart but it wasn’t to be for Arsenal against a typically disciplined Atleti team who restricted them to few chances.

Wenger leaves Arsenal without winning a European trophy yet it shouldn’t have been that way. Regrets over the 2006 final against Barcelona will still be fresh in his mind and the first leg performance at home to Atleti was a case of wasted opportunities with Danny Welbeck unable to capitalise on an uncharacteristically poor display from Simeone’s side.The irony is that the football from Wenger’s side over both legs was impressive at times but the lack of aggression going forward and inability to shoot when put in the right positions came back to bite Arsenal.

Wholesale changes are needed this summer and while the manager is one part of a major rebuilding process at Emirates Stadium, it’s clear that surgery is needed across the pitch.

 

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Wenger 'very sad' to leave Arsenal with Europa League heartbreak


Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal as a "very sad" man at the end of the season after he was unable to guide the club into the Europa League final in his last campaign at the helm.Wenger announced his decision to depart in April, after being in the job for nearly 22 years and presiding over three Premier League title wins and seven FA Cup triumphs.

His imminent exit was seen as an extra incentive for the players to secure a Europa League crown to send the 68-year-old off on a high.

But, after drawing 1-1 at home with 10-man Atletico Madrid, Arsenal lost 1-0 in Spain on Thursday as familiar foe Diego Costa scored the decisive goal.

And Wenger acknowledged it is a sad ending for him, with his last game at Arsenal set to be against Huddersfield Town rather than in a European final."It's very sad, very, very, very sad," said Wenger. "I'm very sad to leave the club with that exit.

"It takes some time to recover from that, after I will see what I do with myself in the future. I have no plans at the moment."I am like the team; very sad and very disappointed, even very frustrated, as well, because when you go out of a competition and you had the performances in the 180 minutes that we had, it is very difficult to take.

"We missed something in the final third. You look at the number of chances we created in the two games, the least you can say is we can be very frustrated.

"Congratulations to Atletico and good luck in the final. The winner of tonight's game is the clear favourite to win the competition."Overall they are a clever side who defend very well. [Diego] Godin tonight saved five, six balls on crosses, absolutely, in amazing positions. They have great defenders."

Atletico will meet Marseille in Lyon on May 16.

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixture 2018.05.04

Barclays Premier League Fixture 2018.05.04

Brighton Vs Manchester United

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Good Luck Manchester United!​

 

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LA Liga Fixture 2018.05.04

LA Liga Fixture 2018.05.04

Sevilla Vs Real Sociedad​

 

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Half Time

Brighton 0 Vs 0 Manchester United

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Manchester United 1st half performance nam melo rahak nahaone of the worst half's of the season

Slow.ohe pass kara kara innawa.attack ekak naha.Kisima purpose ekak naha.amadiwata miss place passes hama welawema wageDe Gea nisa thamai berila inne danatath

improve wela play kaloth hodai 2nd half.Good luck for the 2nd half Manchester United!
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Full Time

Brighton 1 Vs 0 Manchester United

P.Gross 57'


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Another defeat

One of the worst matchesmatch eka purawatama Manchester United performance nam anthimaiPogba,Martial,Rush gen team ekata ona karana de ada une nahapoor

Passing anthimai.miss place passes godai.ball lost karagannawa godak welawatameh widiyatanam baha Loku improvement ekak ona wenaw.next West Ham away match eka.West Ham lagen meetath wada loku fight ekak enawa sure ekatama

Good Luck for the next match Manchester United!
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Brighton and Hove Albion 1 Manchester United 0: Gross secures survival

Pascal Gross' header earned Brighton and Hove Albion a famous 1-0 win over Manchester United, preserving the Seagulls' Premier League status for next season.FA Cup finalists United were without Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez due to injury and their attack looked blunt without the duo, with Brighton the better side throughout at the Amex Stadium on Friday.

David de Gea, crowned United's player of the year for the fourth time this week, eclipsing Cristiano Ronaldo's club record, made a string of saves to keep his side level during the first half.




But Gross nodded in a Jose Izquierdo cross after the break to score his seventh top-flight goal of the season, Marcos Rojo unable to clear the effort before it crossed the line, to guarantee Brighton will stay in the Premier League.Chris Hughton's men had been beaten twice by United this season without scoring, but ending a six-game winless run in the Premier League moves them up to 11th.

Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, will be concerned by his side's lack of incision and quality in the final third, with a Wembley clash against former club Chelsea just two weeks away and second place not yet certain.


Marouane Fellaini scored a late winner against Arsenal on Sunday and the midfielder tapped in Marcus Rashford's free-kick in the third minute, but the offside flag was raised.

Brighton had the first effort of note in the 13th minute but Gross' strike did not seriously test De Gea, the goalkeeper then called into more strenuous action to push away a terrific volley from the recalled Glenn Murray.De Gea was having a busy first half, the goalkeeper tipping over Izquierdo's drive and Shane Duffy proving wasteful with a header from the resulting right-wing corner.

Gross was denied by De Gea at his near post in the 34th minute, the half ending with a sloppy United failing to record a shot on target.

Mat Ryan made a smart stop low to his right to keep out Paul Pogba's shot as United improved after the restart, but they deservedly fell behind in the 57th minute.Izquierdo did brilliantly down the left and stood up a cross that was met by Gross, a desperate attempt from Rojo to clear the header on the line narrowly failing according to the goal-line technology.

Brighton almost doubled their lead when Izquierdo aimed just wide after United failed to clear a corner, before Juan Mata whipped a free-kick over the crossbar to prompt Mourinho into sending for substitutes Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard.Ryan beat away a Rashford drive and the Australia goalkeeper gathered Lingard's long-range strike as United cranked up the pressure, the ineffective Anthony Martial lashing an ambitious volley over.

But Brighton held on, meaning United have been beaten by all three promoted sides - having lost at Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United - in the same Premier League season for the first time.

 

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Amiens 2 Paris Saint-Germain 2: Champions falter as underdogs secure survival


Champions Paris Saint-Germain saw their hopes of a record Ligue 1 points total dented by a second successive 2-2 draw as Amiens' top-flight survival was secured.

PSG can still better their 2015-16 points haul of 96, but they are five short of doing so with two games remaining after another frustrating stalemate, with Unai Emery's tenure threatening to reach an underwhelming conclusion.The capital club needed a late Edinson Cavani brace to rescue a point against Guingamp five days earlier and could not build on a first-half opener from the same man at Stade de la Licorne.




Amiens threatened early and Moussa Konate was finally rewarded for his tireless running when he drew Amiens level in the 47th minute, and he struck again with 10 minutes left to cancel out Christopher Nkunku's superb goal.

Kylian Mbappe missed a glorious stoppage-time chance to deny Amiens the point required to guarantee a second straight season in Ligue 1, meaning PSG must reflect on another disappointing outing as they struggle in the aftermath of confirmation that Emery is to depart.

The Coupe de France final against third tier Les Herbiers on Tuesday, as well as the return of Neymar to Paris following injury, means Emery can still sign off with a domestic treble.


A sloppy PSG start set the tone and allowed the hosts their first opening after just 22 seconds, Quentin Cornette's bobbling effort forcing Alphonse Areola into a low save.Cavani broke the deadlock in the 26th minute. Javier Pastore's weighted ball split the Amiens defence, giving the Uruguayan time to control and aim a finish under Regis Gurtner.

The goalkeeper reacted well to a powerful Nkunku drive, however, and denied Angel Di Maria shortly before the interval with an instinctive stop.Amiens created a chance soon after the restart and Areola's smart save from Konate was this time in vain. The home side kept the move alive and Presnel Kimpembe stepped up to meet Thomas Monconduit, leaving Konate free to find the bottom-left corner.



But the pressure predictably built on the Amiens goal and, after Giovani Lo Celso shot just wide, Nkunku curled beyond Gurtner from the edge of the area to restore PSG's lead.The visitors sought a third goal but they were instead caught out at the back again, with Konate the beneficiary. He shot low and hard and the ball squirmed under Areola and into the net.

That was almost not enough to earn a deserved share of the spoils, with substitute Mbappe blasting wide in the 93rd minute as PSG's last chance went begging.

 

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Wenger: Not my job to pick Arsenal successor


Arsene Wenger will not be involved in the decision-making process for the appointment of his successor as Arsenal manager.Wenger's 22-year stay at the club has only three matches remaining and Arsenal have given no clues about potential replacements for the Frenchman.

Former captain Patrick Vieira and Celtic's Brendan Rodgers have been linked with the post, and the 68-year-old clarified he will have no say over who the next person in the Emirates Stadium dugout is.

"I'm not involved in that and it's not my job. My job was to perform with the team and my job is not to choose my successor," Wenger told Sky Sports . "If somebody asks me an opinion I will give it, but I think a club works well when everyone does their job."Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's long-time assistant Zeljko Buvac, who has been given a leave of absence by the Reds , is reportedly among the frontrunners for the post.

"I don't know him well," Wenger said. "Publicly I think it is better I do not talk about it. It can disadvantage the other candidates and I don't want to put pressure on people. It is better that they feel completely free to take who they want.

"[My successor] will need to make this club the priority of his life and commit completely and totally like he owns the club. There is no other way to manage a club of this stature than to think that my life depends on what is going on here. They must give absolutely everything to do well."

Arsenal were beaten by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, Diego Costa scoring the only goal in the second leg to knock the Gunners out 2-1 on aggregate.And Wenger, whose side will miss out on Champions League qualification for the second year in a row as a result, accepts it was a particularly painful loss.

"Super sad - the next day is always worse than the night before," Wenger added."Over the two games I feel that we paid a high price for not being clinical enough in what we produced.

"Overall the players produced total commitment over the two games. We played against a good side but we should be in the final. We played against a team who are in front of Real Madrid in the league and have played two Champions League finals in the past four years."Burnley visit Emirates Stadium on Sunday in what will be Wenger's last home match as Arsenal manager and he is expecting an emotional occasion.

"It's sad but all love stories come to an end and not all of them finish well. Most of the time they don't finish well," Wenger said. "I'll feel sad because I love this club and I love what the club represents. You don't give 22 years of your life and walk away easily. I have dealt with difficult situations in my life and I will do it again.

"Of course I will go back, why not? First of all, I have to decide what I do in the future and take a little bit of distance. The intensity I've had in the last 22 years, it demands a little bit to take a reflection."

 

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Atletico Madrid boss Simeone banned for Europa League final


Atletico Madrid will not have head coach Diego Simeone on the touchline for the Europa League final against Marseille after he was handed a four-match ban by UEFA.Simeone was sent off by referee Clement Turpin during Atleti's 1-1 semi-final first-leg draw against Arsenal last week having continued to harangue the official in the aftermath of Sime Vrsaljko's 10th-minute red card.

The Argentinian tactician was forced to watch Thursday's 1-0 victory over the Gunners from the Wanda Metropolitano stands and that game will serve as the first of four under his suspension.

Should Atleti beat Marseille in Lyon on May 16, Simeone will also be absent for the UEFA Super Cup clash against the Champions League winners and his club's opener in Europe's top competition in 2018-19.If Marseille prevail, the 48-year-old will miss two Champions League group games next term, with Atleti's place in La Liga's top four already secured.

Simeone was also fined €10,000, the same amount Atleti must pay European football's governing body after a charge against their fans for throwing objects at Emirates Stadium was upheld.

 

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'Chelsea the biggest game of my career...then Brighton!' - Klopp downplays looming Real Madrid clash


Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's Premier League clash with Chelsea is the biggest game of his career, as it comes before the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

The Reds travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday just four days on from the second leg of their European semi-final tie with Roma, which they won 7-6 on aggregate despite a 4-2 loss in Italy.

It is the first final in the competition Klopp has reached since he took Borussia Dortmund to a Wembley showdown with Bayern Munich in 2013, which he lost 2-1.

However, with Liverpool's top-four hopes resting on positive results against Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion in their last two league games of the season, Klopp is not thinking about facing Madrid just yet.

"I'd love to change that but the most important game in my career is the Chelsea game on Sunday," he told a news conference. "That's how it is. And then Brighton could be very important as well."It will be a very important one, for sure, but we had a few important ones already, not only here. I had them in Dortmund and some very important games with Mainz."

Reflecting on that Dortmund defeat to Bayern five years ago, he added: "We'll give the game the right size when we play it. I'm really not in a Champions League final mood, obviously, but I will have a look at what I did in the years before and change everything!"

A win this weekend will guarantee Liverpool's place in the top four and a return to next season's Champions League, regardless of the result in the final in Kiev.
Klopp admits it is important to be in the competition in order to help to sign priority transfer targets for next term.

"There is a financial thing but we want to be there, to play the best teams in Europe," he said. "It's the biggest club competition and we want to be part of it. If you cannot be champion, you want to qualify for the Champions League and we worked really hard the last two years for it.

"We battle and challenge with the best football clubs in the world and whatever you can do to be in a better position to get these players, you should do it. In the moment, we're quite attractive, we pay good wages, transfer fees absolutely okay so we can go for a few really good players, but you can imagine other teams are interested as well.

"If you're qualified for the Champions League, it's easier to convince players. That's clear."Klopp also ruled out the prospect of resting any players against Antonio Conte's side in order to save them for the Madrid meeting.

"No, not possible," he said. "I see two semis again, against Chelsea and Brighton, very important, no chance to think about anything else."Of course, it's an advantage for Chelsea not playing in midweek, but we had a big success, even if we lost the game.

"We need to be ready for Chelsea and it could be the same intensity to Rome. Chelsea need to win and we want to. We can make life easier for us if we get a result, but it was always a difficult place [to come]. We try everything to be 100 per cent ready for that game."

 

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Di Maria hints at possible PSG exit ahead of another big summer spend


Angel Di Maria has conceded that another summer of big spending at Paris Saint-Germain could force him towards the exits.

The Argentina international is tied to the Ligue 1 champions until 2019, but he has seen the club stockpile attacking talent since signing from Manchester United in 2015.

At 30 years of age, Di Maria is aware that PSG may decide to look more long-term with their recruitment in the next transfer window.

He has already sparked talk of interest from Juventus, while Barcelona have been linked with the former Real Madrid star in the past, and nothing is being ruled out at this stage.Di Maria told France Football when quizzed on his future: “Football is a strange game.

“I am happy here, but the club needs to sign new players and to do this, others must be sold. It is not my decision. It is also the club's. For the moment, I am calm.“We must simply continue to work hard; the club and the supporters need to stay patient.

“The most important thing is to continue to sign great players who want to win things or have already won things and are experienced - the rest will come on its own.”Di Maria has been a regular this season and enjoyed the most productive campaign of his career in front of goal.

In 40 appearances across all competitions, he has found the target 21 times.
He has also provided seven assists across his Ligue 1 and Champions League titles, while helping PSG to close on a domestic treble.

They have already tasted title glory and Coupe de la Ligue success, with a French Cup final date with Les Herbiers on May 8 set to see them looking to complete the silverware set.

 

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Dybala offered no Juventus guarantees amid Man Utd & Bayern transfer talk


Paulo Dybala will start in attack alongside Gonzalo Higuain on Saturday against Bologna but Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri refused to give guarantees on the younger Argentina forward's future.Juve will claim a seventh consecutive Scudetto this weekend if they beat Roberto Donadoni's side and nearest rivals Napoli lose to Torino on Sunday.

Higuain and Dybala have contributed 35 Serie A goals between them this season but it has still proved a mixed campaign for the pair.

Last weekend's dramatic late winner against Inter was Higuain's first goal in eight matches across all competitions, while Dybala - who has been linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United - only featured as a substitute at San Siro having been hauled off at half-time in the 1-0 defeat to Napoli and sent off in the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid."Tomorrow Higuain and Dybala will play from the start," Allegri told a pre-match news conference.

"They have to score the goals that we need for the Scudetto. "I won't decide if [Dybala] will go, it's a decision we'll need to take with the club. For sure Dybala has still room for improvement.

"He can become one of the best players in the world but it's up to him. He needs to sacrifice to reach his target. He is focused on these last games."

Allegri's own future has also been a matter for discussion of late, with Chelsea and Arsenal both holding a reported interest in the former Milan boss.Nevertheless, the 47-year-old again offered assurances he is content to remain at the Allianz Stadium, where he is under contract until the end of the 2019-20 season."I'm tied to Juventus and I'm happy here," he said.

"There's nothing more to say except that what matters is winning the seventh league title and the Coppa Italia."Mario Mandzukic suffered a gashed ankle against Inter and will sit out this weekend, although Allegri hopes the Croatia forward will return for Wednesday's Coppa Italia final against AC Milan.

Claudio Marchisio and Rodrigo Bentancur are in contention to replace the suspended Miralem Pjanic in midfield.

 

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Dybala wage young talented player kenek thamai apita ona karannethJuve la sell kaloth ganna try kalanam thamai hoda​