Germany will honour Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski with farewell friendlies. Germany will pay tribute to the international careers of former captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and forward Lukas Podolski with farewell matches in their honour. After 120 and 129 appearances for their country respectively, 2014 World Cup winners Schweinsteiger and Podolski have called time on playing at the highest level in the aftermath of Euro 2016. Germany's friendly match against Finland in Monchengladbach on August 31 will be played under the banner 'Servus, Basti' (Goodbye, Basti), with the Manchester United midfielder set to make a final international appearance. "It will be a special evening for me in Monchengladbach and I have a lot to thank DFB [German … [Read more...]
Arsenal will sign a striker this month- Keown
Former Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown believes Arsene Wenger will sign a striker before the end of the transfer window. The Gunners boss was on the hunt for a striker earlier in the summer when he triggered Jamie Vardy’s release clause with a £20million bid ahead of the European Championships. However, the 29-year-old decided to stay with champions Leicester, penning a four-year extension on £100,000 a week. Whether Wenger is still actively pursuing another forward is debatable after his reported move for Alexandre Lacazette also failed. Carlos Bacca, Romelu Lukuku, Mauro Icardi and Gonzalo Higuain have all been linked with big-money moves to The Emirates and Keown, 50, thinks Wenger will splash the cash in the next two weeks. “I do believe that … [Read more...]
Hugo Lloris set for four weeks on sidelines with hamstring injury
Hugo Lloris will miss France's opening World Cup qualifier and is a doubt for the start of Tottenham's Champions League campaign. Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is set for four weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, the Premier League club have confirmed. Hugo Lloris was substituted during the first half of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Everton on the opening day of the season, with Michel Vorm taking his place. The club tweeted on Wednesday that tests on the France international show he is likely to be out for around a month. Lloris will to miss back-to-back home games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, while he is also a doubt for September's trip to Stoke City and Tottenham's opening Champions League group game. Following further … [Read more...]
UCL: Caballero starts for City as Hart sits on the bench
Joe Hart is again on the bench for Manchester City as Pep Guardiola's side take on Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League playoff first-leg clash on Tuesday. The England keeper was surprisingly left out of the starting lineup in favour of Willy Caballero for Manchester City's 2-1 Premier League victory over Sunderland last weekend. But while the manager initially left open the possibility that Hart could return to play in Romania, he again chose Caballero for the crucial clash. Guardiola did admit that he was "pretty sure" that Hart is "not happy" as a backup, and sources say the keeper was considering his future with the club. The England goalkeeper is not the only notable player missing for City, who left Yaya Toure to train in Manchester after … [Read more...]
Sadio Mane happy with debut goal for Liverpool
Sadio Mane immediately set about repaying Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's faith in him, but the Senegalese believes it is only a sign of things to come. Liverpool signing Sadio Mane is eager to please, and on Sunday against Arsenal he did just that. Mane's scintillating finish at the Emirates to put Liverpool 4-1 up provided one of the images of the Premier League's opening weekend, with awestruck manager Jurgen Klopp looking on, then proceeding to give Mane a piggyback. It was a dream start for the Senegalese international, who was the club's most expensive signing this off-season, following a £34million transfer from Southampton. Mane, normally reserved off the pitch, was succinct in his assessment and aspirations. "Jurgen was happy. That’s all. … [Read more...]
Pogba set for Manchester United debut
Paul Pogba will start training with Manchester United’s first team on Tuesday and is in line for a debut against Southampton on Friday night. United manager Jose Mourinho left the £89million France midfielder behind in Manchester on Sunday as his side opened their campaign with a comfortable 3-1 win at Bournemouth . Pogba was suspended following two yellow cards late last season with Juventus, one in the Coppa Italia final, his last game for the Turin club. The 23-year-old also took an extended holiday following his efforts for France at Euro 2016, but the midfielder has been working on his own at United’s training ground at Carrington in a bid to achieve peak fitness. United won without him at the Vitality Stadium thanks to goals from Juan Mata, … [Read more...]
Antonio Conte happy with team’s performance
Antonio Conte said he was “delighted” with his players after they started his Chelsea tenure with a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham United. Chelsea won the game thanks to Diego Costa’s last minute winner, and Conte was thrilled after with the physical effort they had put into the match. Athleticism has always been so important to Conte teams and having worked the players hard in pre-season the Italian coach was pleased with the results on the pitch. “I am delighted for the performance because I saw a lot of good things, a lot of things that we are working on,” Conte said. “I liked the great intensity of the players. We know we can improve through work but, today, it was very important to start with a victory. Against a strong time like West Ham, we … [Read more...]