1st June 2012
Italy’s Euro 2012 preparations were dented by the cancellation of the friendly game against Luxembourg, and now the match against Russia will be Azzurri’s first and final test before the start of the European Championship. Dick Advocaat’s side shared spoils with both Uruguay and Lithuania, but a win at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich would be a great way to finish the first phase of their preparations.
Cesare Prandelli’s Italy looked really good in the Euro 2012 qualifiers and they had no problems qualifying for the final tournament, but they have since encountered numerous problems. The Calcioscommesse match-fixing scandal came at the worst possible time as the squad were starting their preparations for the European Championship and we have yet to se…
Arda Turan has set his sights on a move to the Premier League despite interest from Paris-Saint Germain, the Atletico Madrid midfielder s agent has revealed.
The Turkey international has been a key player for Diego Simeone s side, but his representative Ahmet Bulut says the player is ready to turn his back on the club.
Manchester United, Liverpool and PSG have all been linked with a move for the 28-year-old, and Bulut confirmed talks had taken place with a number of sides.
He [Turan] intends to leave Spain this summer, he told AS. He is planning on leaving Spain this summer. He would like to play in the Premier League, this is the path he would like to see his career take
He added: His departure from Atletico won t be easy due to his 41million euro…
Manuel Locatelli has described his move to Juventus as a dream come true and has thanked Sassuolo for giving him a platform to showcase his talents.
The 23-year-old, one of the stars of Italy s successful Euro 2020 campaign, completed a switch to the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday in a deal worth €25million plus add-ons.
Following weeks of speculation linking him with a switch to the Turin giants, as well as other European clubs, Locatelli put pen to paper on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy.
It s a dream come true, he told Juventus TV after finalising the transfer. It is the dream of a child who worked so hard, that has given everything on the pitch.
I arrive at Juve with the desire to take to the field for the fans and can t wait to get onto…
What the papers say
Chelsea are hoping to finally secure the signature of Brighton star Moises Caicedo, the Guardian reports. The club are hoping to finalise the deal as soon as possible so he can be available to play in their opening match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Manchester United are keen to sign Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who the Daily Mail says is worth around £30million.
Dutch left-back Ian Maatsen is being chased by Burnley and now West Ham, according to the Daily Mail. The 21-year-old impressed in his pre-season fixtures for Chelsea with West Ham hoping to gain his services on a loan deal.
Italian champions Napoli are interested in Brighton’s 19-year-old forward Julio Enciso, the Telegraph reports.
Social media r…
Former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan believes the Scottish champions face a nearly impossible task to beat Barcelona in the Champions League.
The former Manchester United midfielder took on Barca when he was in charge of Celtic in 2008, and is a fan of their possession-based style of play.
How to beat Barcelona? Well, you visit a church or chapel – whatever your preference is – and just hope, Strachan told the Daily Record.
Everybody has tried to take Barcelona on and they ve all tried different systems. But trust me, it s good players who make the difference. Good men win games.
When we played Barca in 2008, that was when everyone realised this was a special team. It was hypnotic football. It was passing we d never seen before. They just kept the b…
Former Barcelona star Xavi lauded natural leader Iker Casillas after the goalkeeper s departure from Real Madrid.
Casillas ended a 25-year stay with the La Liga giants as his move to Primeira Liga outfit Porto was confirmed.
The 162-time Spain international and Xavi shared plenty of battles, as well as successes with the national team.
I have to publicly recognise that I appreciate Iker a lot, and I sincerely think that we have a strong friendship, Xavi wrote in Marca.
There s a lot of years together, we had passed by a lot of moments, good and bad ones, and these are the ones which stick people together. And he s a very lovable guy.
He has been always a joker, joyful, sincerely and really competitive guy.
Xavi added: He s affectionate…
History is firmly on Atletico Madrid s side as Diego Simeone s men seek to boost their Liga title hopes when they visit struggling Granada this weekend.
It has been 42 years since Granada overcame Atletico, with the capital club enjoying a 13-game unbeaten run against the Andalusian side.
Recent form offers the hosts little cause for optimism either, with Jose Ramon Sandoval s 17th-placed side reeling from Tuesday s shock 2-1 Copa del Rey loss to second-tier Leganes.
Indeed, Sandoval has overseen just two wins this season – away to Getafe and versus Athletic Bilbao at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes – so Atletico, who are unbeaten in 11 and eyeing a sixth victory on the bounce in all competitions, will sense an opportunity.
The visitors have be…
Thiago Silva insisted Brazil deserve more respect after their win over world champions Germany in Berlin.
Brazil gained some revenge for their humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany at the 2014 World Cup on home soil following Tuesday s 1-0 victory.
Gabriel Jesus settled the international friendly at the Olympiastadion as Brazil ended Germany s 22-game undefeated streak.
It was another boost for Brazil in their pursuit of a sixth World Cup crown and veteran centre-back Silva was bullish post-match.
With all due respect to Germany, but this [Brazil] shirt deserves more respect. We re glad to have grabbed this result in front of a great team, Silva told TV Globo.
We re on the right path, we re humble and disciplined, and we showed something more tonight.…
Everton s Premier League trip to Burnley has become the third game to be pulled from Sunday s programme as the COVID-19 crisis continues to hit the competition.
Injuries and coronavirus cases had left Rafael Benitez down to nine outfield first-team players, the Everton manager said on Thursday.
The English Boxing Day line-up has been trimmed from nine to six fixtures, with Liverpool s home game against Leeds United and Wolves clash with Watford having already been called off.
Benitez said that five Everton players had tested positive since the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last week, with a long injury list meaning he had few options available and was considering pushing Dominic Calvert-Lewin back into action ahead of schedule, following his long lay-off.
Everton …
Wigan Athletic have completed the signing of striker Marc-Antoine Fortune,
The Frenchman has put pen to paper on a two-year deal after his contract with West Bromwich Albion came to an end.
Fortune scored eleven Premier League goals in two spells with the Baggies, spending six months on loan during the 2008/09 campaign before signing permanently from Celtic in August 2010.
He becomes new manager Owen Coyle’s sixth signing of the summer, following former West Brom teammate Scott Carson, James Perch, Chris McCann, Stephen Crainey and Thomas Rogne, who he played with during his time in Scotland.
The 32 year old is seen as an ideal replacement for Ivory Coast international Arouna Kone, who is expected to be leaving the DW Stadium in the next few d…