Allegri stays grounded after Juventus demolish Inter

The champions cruised to a 3-0 win in their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg but their head coach is not getting carried away.Massimiliano Allegri says the job is still not done for Juventus despite watching his side demolish Inter 3-0 in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg on Wednesday.Alvaro Morata struck twice – the Spaniard's first goals since October 4 – and Paulo Dybala came off the bench to add a third for the holders as Inter were outplayed in Turin. To compound the visitors' woes, Jeison Murillo was sent off for a second bookable offence late on.And despite the Nerazzurri now needing a remarkable comeback in the second leg at San Siro on March 1 to prevent Juve from reaching the final, Allegri is still demanding improvement from his players.

Terry sad to see 'great man' Ramires leave Chelsea

John Terry has expressed his sadness at Ramires's departure from Chelsea after the Brazil midfielder signed for Chinese club Jiangsu Suning.Ramires won all five major club honours on offer during his five-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, scoring the decisive goal in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2011-12.He joins Jiangsu for a reported £25 million fee and Chelsea captain Terry has admitted he is disappointed to see him leave west London.
Very sad to see [Ramires] leave the club, Terry posted on Instagram. Great player and a great man. Good luck mate.Chelsea visit MK Dons in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Blow for Man City as De Bruyne suffers suspected medial ligament injury

Kevin De Bruyne was stretchered out of Manchester City's League Cup semi-final second leg victory over Everton, with Manuel Pellegrini fearing the Belgian has suffered a medial ligament injury.The Belgian was introduced as a second half substitute and scored just four minutes after coming on with City chasing a win which would see them face Liverpool at Wembley.But De Bruyne suffered what appeared to be a muscle injury as his studs got caught in the ground and he went down under a challenge from Ramiro Funes Mori in stoppage time.De Bruyne was carried off on a stretcher, with his right leg heavily strapped up, leaving City to see the game out with 10 men having used all of their substitutes.City boss Manuel Pellegrini said after the game that the injury to De Bruyne was not an 'easy' one to recover from.

Manchester City 3-1 Everton (4-3 agg): Aguero sets up Wembley return

Sergio Aguero booked Manchester City's place in the League Cup final with a decisive late goal in their 3-1 victory over Everton.Ross Barkley gave the Toffees a 3-1 aggregate lead after 18 minutes at the Etihad Stadium but Fernandinho's deflected effort put City back on track.Kevin De Bruyne netted a second - though the ball appeared to have gone out for a goal kick in the build-up - before Aguero headed home the Belgian's cross to make it 4-3 on aggregate and set up a clash at Wembley against Liverpool on February 28.The evening ended on a sour note for Manuel Pellegrini, however, when De Bruyne was stretchered off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.City began on the front foot as they looked for an early leveller in the tie, though one surging run by Deulofeu gave the hosts a warning of Everton's counter-attacking threat.Roberto Martinez's side netted the opening goal through a similar break when Barkley turned away from Nicolas Otamendi's challenge, drove towards the edge of the box and rifled a low shot into Willy Caballero's bottom-right corner.

Juventus 3-0 Inter: Morata re-finds scoring touch in Coppa Italia rout

Alvaro Morata ended a 20-match wait for a goal by scoring twice as Juventus built a commanding 3-0 lead in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final clash with Inter.Morata, who had not found the back of the net for The Old Lady since scoring in the 3-1 Serie A victory over Bologna on October 4, thrashed home a first-half penalty to end his four-month goal drought after Jeison Murillo had brought down Juan Cuadrado in the box to give the hosts control of the tie.The Spaniard then celebrated ending his barren spell by adding a second after half-time, as the holders took a major step towards retaining the trophy.Inter hobbled to the end of the game with 10 men, following Murillo's dismissal for a second bookable offence, and the chances of a Milan derby final were dealt a huge blow when Paulo Dybala came off the bench to fire home a third with six minutes remaining.The home side controlled proceedings for almost the entire encounter in Turin and wanted a penalty after just 13 minutes but referee Paolo Tagliavento waved away their fervent claims when Cuadrado's free-kick struck the arm of Gary Medel.Colombian Cuadrado then drifted past two Inter defenders and fired wide midway through the opening period as the hosts piled on the pressure.

Miazga edges closer to Premier League move amid Chelsea links

New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga's seemingly inevitable move to the Premier League is drawing closer, with Chelsea heavily linked to the centre-back on Wednesday.As reported by Goal USA in December, Miazga has attracted interest from a number of clubs and has his heart set on a move to Europe in 2016.The 20-year-old signed with an agency backed by Kia Joorabchian in the spring of 2015 and is represented specifically by former Blackburn, Tottenham and QPR defender Ryan Nelsen.The Red Bulls are reluctant to sell Miazga, but the centre-back is entering into the final year of his contract and the club understands they must balance the prospect of losing him for nothing at the end of next season with the option of selling him now and securing a transfer fee.The MLS club have been locked in a battle with the player's representatives for months, with sources telling Goal USA that attempts were made to have the Red Bulls sell Miazga to a club in Cyprus that his agents have been linked with in the past.

Kalou out to make Hertha Berlin history

The 30-year-old wants to write his name into the club's history books by claiming silverware with Pal Dardai's side. Salomon Kalou believes capturing a trophy for Hertha Berlin or helping the club into Europe would be on a par with his Champions League-winning exploits at Chelsea.Kalou has scored nine times in the Bundesliga this season to help Pal Dardai's men into third place, prompting talk of a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2000.Hertha enjoyed regular appearances in the Uefa Cup and took part once in its successor, the Europa League, prior to being relegated from the Bundesliga in 2010 and again in 2012.They are enjoying a fine top-flight campaign this season, though, and continue their bid to win the DFB-Pokal with a quarter-final against second-tier Heidenheim next month.Kalou helped Chelsea to their first and only Champions League title in 2011-12 and wants to become part of Hertha folklore over the coming years.

Benzema flourishing under Zidane at Real Madrid

The France international has been able to put his off-field worries to the side with some electric form since his countryman succeeded Rafa Benitez at the Santiago Bernabeu

Karim Benzema has enjoyed some of the most impressive form in Europe over recent weeks, the Real Madrid striker flourishing after Zinedine Zidane's ascent to the coach's position at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Though off-field matters have been in the spotlight for the French striker and affected his opportunities with the national team, his record for Los Blancos since the departure of Rafa Benitez is nothing short of superb.

The most prolific forward around, in terms of minutes on the pitch to goals in the bag, Benzema has a chance to extend his scoring streak on Sunday when Madrid take on Espanyol in La Liga.

Could his form take him all the way to the European Golden Shoe? Check out the video above for all the details behind Benzema's incredible performances.

Meet Bayern Munich target Mustafi

The Bundesliga leaders have denied they will sign anyone this month, but Goal understands they have been tracking the Germany international who is impressing in Spain
Weeks after Manchester City splurged on Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi in August, there were tongue in cheek comments emanating from Mestalla that the Premier League club had signed the wrong centre-back. Perhaps, they quipped, they should have signed Shkodran Mustafi instead.

Mustafi struck up an impressive partnership with Otamendi last year and the German defender picked up where he left off at the start of the new campaign. He certainly didn’t seem too down about the departure of his Argentine friend when the first ball of the new season was kicked.
Naturally then, given his form and his nationality, the 23-year-old has emerged as a candidate to fill in for the injured Jerome Boating at Bayern Munich. Boateng, injured in Friday’s win over Hamburg, is set for a three-month spell on the sidelines and Philipp Lahm admitted to Goal on Monday that his absence comes as a huge blow to the Bundesliga leaders.

Bayern’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says there will be no signings in January, though, because “there are no good players on the market.” However, Goal understands the Bavarian club have been following Mustafi for a while and even if they’re not tempted by a move this month, they may be in the summer.They may face competition, too. The defender’s agent has already confirmed interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona. “I’ve had contact with both clubs, but there have not been any more [advanced] talks,” Ali Bulut told Bild last summer. Shkodran has a contract with Valencia, who are a great club.
Since Bulut made those comments, circumstances have changed. Not only has Otamendi left Valencia, but so has Nuno Espirito Santo, replaced as manager by Gary Neville. While this has been going on, the Spanish club have been knocked out of the Champions League and are currently on a 10-game winless run in La Liga.

Luis Enrique Confident Neymar Will Sign New Barcelona Deal

The coach is not concerned about speculation linking the Brazil star with a move away from Camp Nou and says he will be available to return to the team against Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is confident Neymar will sign a new contract.
The Brazil forward's existing deal is due to expire in June 2018 and Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to be keeping a close eye on his situation at Camp Nou.

But Luis Enrique expects the 23-year-old to renew his contract with the Spanish and European champions.
he says believe Neymar will end up signing a new contract here, the Barcelona boss said at a press conference on Tuesday.


Neymar missed Saturday's 2-1 win over Malaga due to a minor hamstring problem, but Luis Enrique expects him to be fit for Wednesday's Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao. Neymar is fine, he said. There is no risk with him. He has trained and is in perfect condition.

Diego Costa is a serial cheat who gets away with it

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been branded a “serial cheat” who “gets away with it” following the champions’ 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates.Former Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood hit out at the Spain international after Per Mertesacker saw red for a foul on the striker, leaving the Gunners down to 10 men after just 18 minutes.Costa then went on to score the winning goal as Arsenal slumped to yet another defeat to Chelsea but Hill-Wood could not contain his anger after the loss.He is a serial cheat and he gets away with it, Hill-Wood told the Daily Star. I think he deliberately ran in front of Mertesacker, who hardly touched him.Yet Costa rolls around as if his legs have been cut off. Once the red card’s been shown, he’s suddenly perfectly alright again.“That’s because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. There certainly wasn’t soon after when he scored that goal.

Calderon: Bale can be a great, but Ronaldo is irreplaceable

The Welsh star is proving he can become integral at the Bernabeu but Ronaldo remains the lynchpin and is irreplaceable, the ex-Blanco chief believes.Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes Gareth Bale will become a great player for the club, but insists there is no substitute for Cristiano Ronaldo.Bale, sidelined with a calf injury sustained in the 5-1 win over Sporting Gijon on January 17, has scored 13 goals in 15 Liga appearances this season and looks on course for his most prolific campaign since arriving from Tottenham in 2013.Nine of those strikes have come in the Welshman's last five top-flight outings, and Calderon thinks such form ensures he has a bright future at the Santiago Bernabeu.He told Omnisport: Bale is exceptional and an awesome player who can have a long run here at Real Madrid. The injuries are not good… but he is growing.I think Real Madrid made a great decision and if he plays like he is doing right now he will be very important for the club.

Atletico Madrid appeal Fifa transfer ban

The Spanish club insist they have not broken any rules in their registering of players under the age of 18 and do not deserve the sanctions imposed by the governing body.Atletico Madrid have lodged an appeal against the two-window ban on registering new players handed to them by Fifa.On January 14, Atletico and Real Madrid were handed sanctions by the governing body's Disciplinary Committee as a consequence of breaching regulations "relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18".The punishment prohibits the club from registering new players in the next two transfer windows and included a fine of 900,000 Swiss francs (€820,000).

Buffon set to retire after 2018 World Cup

Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has announced that he will retire from football following the 2018 World Cup. The 37-year-old has enjoyed an illustrious career, winning the World Cup in 2006 with the Azzurri and claiming six Serie A title with Juventus. But the former Parma player, who moved to the Old Lady for a record fee for a goalkeeper in 2001, will play out the tournament in Russia and then end his career. I will try to make the next World Cup and then it may be time to close the door. It will almost certainly be at the end of the 2018 World Cup," Buffon signaled as he picked up the Gianni Brera award for Sportsman of the Year. The goalkeeper also referred to the recent Ballon d'Or prizes, and repeated his indignation at being snubbed from the shortlist. I deserved to be up there in the Ballon d'Or, but I knew it would be impossible to win, he said.

Reaching League Cup final can turn Liverpool's season around - Souness

Reaching the League Cup final could give Liverpool the boost they need to finish in the Premier League's top four, according to former captain and boss Graeme Souness.Souness won the competition in four consecutive years as a player with the Reds between 1981 and 1984, and managed Blackburn Rovers to success in the tournament in 2002.Liverpool, whose eight League Cup titles is a record, hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over Stoke City going into the second leg of their semi-final tie at Anfield on Tuesday.What I would hope to happen - and I think all the managers will see it that way - if you get to the final, the momentum between now and the final will give a feel-good factor around the club," he told Omnisport.Everyone's tail is up, and you would hope results in the league would kick on. Even Stoke - although they won't talk about it – they will be thinking that if they put a run together, they could get into the top four.Liverpool will certainly be thinking that, so the confidence by getting to the final would obviously help. Then when you get to the final, if you were to win it, the confidence that would give you for the rest of the season.

Wenger: Cech signing one of my hardest decisions

The goalkeeper joined the Gunners for £10 million in the summer but his manager came close to keeping faith with his other options between the posts. Petr Cech has been one of Arsenal's best players this season, but Arsene Wenger has revealed signing the goalkeeper was one of his toughest decisions.The Czech Republic international moved to the Emirates from Chelsea in a £10 million deal in the summer after Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina failed to convince between the posts.However, Wenger says he came close to keeping faith in the Ospina before opting to make a move for Cech.

Manchester United ARE in the title race, insists Van Gaal

The Dutchman has admitted it will be "very difficult" to better the results of the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City but says his team will keep fighting to make up the ground. Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United can win the Premier League title - but admits it will be "very difficult" to better the results of rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.United are seven points behind the Gunners following their 1-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend and remain outside the Champions League places in fifth position.The Red Devils have won three and drawn one in all competitions since the turn of the year to ease the pressure on Van Gaal but the Dutchman admits his team are still fighting against the tide."The difficulty is that four clubs are above us," he told reporters. "So you have to beat these four clubs in terms of the results. So it shall be very difficult but it’s not impossible, and that’s what I’ve said."It’s still very difficult but we have seen not only in the Premier League, but other leagues. So it’s possible and we have to believe in that.But I and my players know it’s going to be very difficult. You have to apply pressure on the leaders. "Last season we were at that moment when we played Chelsea away and gave a lot of pressure, but we didn’t win that game.

Chelsea sack steward after Fabregas 'snake' jibe

The Blues employee has been dismissed after suggesting that the playmaker still had allegiances to Arsenal as he walked past him at Stamford Bridge.Chelsea have sacked a steward for branding midfielder Cesc Fabregas a "snake" after a video of the incident emerged on Friday. The club have acted to remove the employee who spoke out to the Spanish midfielder as he walked past him following a match at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.Footage shows the 28-year-old walking inside the stadium wearing a Chelsea tracksuit and carrying a suitcase when he is called a "snake" and told "you're Arsenal" by the steward.

Euro 2016 & Champions League to utilise goal-line technology

The new assistance for match officials will be introduced in Europe's top club competition next season after being rolled out on a continental basis for the first time this summer.Uefa has approved the use of goal-line technology (GLT) at the European Championship in France later this year as well as in next season's Champions League.The decision, announced following the governing body's executive committee meeting in Nyon, means the system will work alongside additional assistant referees who will "continue to monitor all activity in and around the penalty area".Uefa's chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina explained: "It's not a decision taken quickly. We went through a long consultation after president Michel Platini told us, one-and-a-half years ago, to investigate whether additional assistant referees and goal-line technology together would have been worth it.

Uefa endorses Infantino as its Fifa presidential candidate

The confederation's original candidate, Michel Platini, withdrew from the race earlier this month due to his eight-year ban from all football activity.Uefa has unanimously endorsed Gianni Infantino's candidacy for the Fifa presidency at next month'selection. Infantino entered the race to replace the suspended Sepp Blatter in October and the Uefa general secretary has been the favourite to secure his federation's nomination since president Michel Platini was provisionally suspended from all football activities alongside Blatter earlier that month.Platini and Blatter are now serving eight-year bans in relation to a payment made from Fifa to the former France captain in February 2011.Earlier this month, Platini confirmed his withdrawal from the race, clearing the way for Uefa to back Infantino following this week's executive committee meeting in Nyon.