Sergio Ramos has highlighted Antoine Griezmann as Atletico Madrid s main threat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
The Spanish rivals meet in a repeat of the 2014 showpiece in Milan on Saturday, with Madrid looking to claim the trophy for the 11th time in their history.
Griezmann has scored 32 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions for Atletico this season, including key strikes as Diego Simeone s side secured a 1-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in February before eliminating Barcelona and Bayern Munich from the Champions League.
The France international is the main concern for Ramos ahead of the final, but he acknowledged the importance of the team ethic in Atletico s style.
I like to win against the best, to put the best 11 playe…
Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva is ready for a battle with Chelsea striker Diego Costa in Tuesday s UEFA Champions League clash.
Thiago Silva is relishing the prospect of pitting his wits against Diego Costa when Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea in Tuesday s UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg.
The French champions welcome Jose Mourinho s men to the Parc des Princes this week as the sides meet for a second season running, with Chelsea having come out on top on away goals in the 2013-14 quarter-finals.
While PSG captain Silva knows all about the reputation of Brazil-born Costa, he maintains he and his team-mates will be more than ready to cope.
Diego Costa is one of the top strikers in Europe at the moment. He can play, but also he can do …
Maxi Rodriguez has left Liverpool on a free transfer to join former club Newell s Old Boys in his native Argentina.
Midfielder Rodriguez, 31, arrived at Liverpool from La Liga club Atletico Madrid in January 2010.
Playing under Rafael Benitez, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, he netted 17 goals from 73 appearances in all competitions.
A 43-cap Argentina international, Rodriguez had a year remaining on his contract and new manager Brendan Rodgers reportedly wanted to keep the experienced player at Anfield.
But he has been granted an early release to return home, with no fee believed to be involved in the switch.
I m returning home with a suitcase full of great memories, Rodriguez wrote on Liverpool s website.
Thanks a lot for your suppor…
Gamba Osaka are ready to debunk the myth of goal-shy Japanese football after a 3-0 defeat of Adelaide United at home put them on the verge of winning their first Asian club championship.
I wish we emerge the winners by having them say, Oh, Japanese football is skillful, said Gamba midfielder Yasuhito Endo, who scored a goal and set up another in the AFC Champions League final first leg here on Wednesday.
It was tight defence which helped fellow J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds to last year s title, he recalled, adding that Gamba had vowed to pass the ball around and play a fun kind of football from the beginning of this year .
The 3-0 result is satisfactory but we never know what will happen in football, added Endo, who shares place kicks with Celtic star Shu…
Verdict: AS Roma
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Serie A side AS Roma play host to Shakhtar Donetsk in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 looking to climb back from a 2-1 deficit last time out. The Italians will have an away goal acting as a platform to build upon but the Ukrainian giants are by no means to be underestimated.
AS Roma
A somewhat bizarre second half in the first leg at OSC Metalist stadium in Kharkiv left AS Roma disappointed as the 2-1 defeat did not paint a real picture of the proceedings. Giallorossi opened the account through the in-form Cengiz Under but failed to keep hold of the lead and ended up going goal behind in the second half after Ferreyra and Fred put the hosts 2-1 up.
In a game of two halves in Ukraine, AS R…
Without a league win since November 2017, Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV are facing a drop at the end of the season.
HSV are sitting rock bottom in Bundesliga standings with only four wins this entire season and the total of 18 points after 27 rounds.
Surviving the cut at the end of the campaign is looking like a mission impossible and it’s fair to say that Hamburger SV are facing an exodus of first-team players once the curtain drops on what is likely to become one of the most disappointing seasons in club’s history.
Namely, Hamburger SV are one of a few Europe’s clubs that have never been relegated from the top tier.
German media already speculate with names that are likely to be the first ones to hit the exit door at Volksparkstadion and Serbian…
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini conceded his team were off the pace as Arsenal stormed to a 3-0 Community Shield win on Sunday.
The Premier League champions endured relentless pressure from a vibrant Arsenal side during the first half at Wembley and Arsene Wenger s men were duly rewarded by goals from Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey.
David Silva s half-time introduction gave City fresh impetus as Stevan Jovetic headed against the post before Olivier Giroud s dipping strike from 25 yards settled matters
Pellegrini told BT Sport: During the first 45 minutes, Arsenal scored two goals. We improved in the second half, we had chances to score but they had a chance and scored from it.
These things happen before the season starts.
It was not th…
Holger Badstuber expressed his joy at making a competitive comeback for German champions Bayern Munich after his 20-month injury nightmare.
The 25-year-old centre-back sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury playing against Borussia Dortmund in December 2012, before suffering a relapse in May 2013.
Badstuber returned to action during Bayern s pre-season campaign, before featuring for 79 minutes in Sunday s comfortable 4-1 victory over German third-tier side Preussen Munster as his side started their DFB-Pokal defence.
And the Germany international reflected on a positive day all around.
I m delighted I got to play, I really enjoyed it and we won, so it s been a good day, he told the club s official website.
We always had it under control today…
France coach Raymond Domenech on Thursday left out-of-form captain Patrick Vieria out of his squad for the crucial World Cup double header against Lithuania.
Domenech awarded a first call-up to the French league s top scorer, Andre-Pierre Gignac, who looks to be promised some action in either Les Bleus match in Kaunas on March 28 or the Stade de France encounter on April 1.
While Gignac s inclusion has won the Toulouse forward wide plaudits, the pre-selection questions on whether Vieria would be called up are now answered.
Vieira only recently returned to action for Inter after a spell on the sidelines with an Achilles tendon problem.
But it appears the Frenchman s bitter Euro 2008 experience, which was said to prey heavily on the squad prior to their ea…
Less than 10 days after sacking its national football team coach, Iran on Monday named Mohammad Mayelikohan as its new coach to try and revive their faltering 2010 World Cup finals qualifying campaign, the ISNA news agency reported.
Iran s former coach Ali Daei was sacked following its defeat against Saudi Arabia in an Asian 2010 World Cup qualifier, seriously harming their chances of reaching a fourth successive World Cup finals.
Mohammad Mayelikohan has been appointed by the Iranian football federation s management, The chairman of the Iranian football federation Ali Kafashian was quoted by the agency.
Mayelikohan in the first step has to face North and South Korea in away matches and United Arab Emirates in Tehran in its qualifying campaign.
Group B …