Новости за 23.10.2018

Arjen Robben conceded Bayern Munich were not always at their best in a 2-0 Champions league win over AEK Athens. Quickfire second-half goals from Javi Martinez and Robert Lewandowski moved Bayern on to seven points at the halfway stage in Group E. But Niko Kovac's men laboured against a deep-lying defence for the opening hour, with Robben one of the creative talents who failed to fire. "We played well in the first half, but we didn't take advantage of the few chances we had and the final pass wasn't always there," he told Sky. Читать дальше...

Manchester United have run the risk of receiving more UEFA sanctions after arriving late to a Champions League home match for the second time this season. United's team bus was delayed in reaching Old Trafford for the crunch clash with Juventus just three weeks after experiencing similar problems prior to the meeting with Valencia. UEFA fined the Premier League club €5,000 for their tardiness and €10,000 for the subsequently late kick-off on that occasion, while manager Jose Mourinho received a warning. Читать дальше...

Under-fire Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui has recalled Karim Benzema as he searches for a much-needed win against Viktoria Plzen. Lopetegui was reportedly on the brink of the sack after the 2-1 defeat at home to Levante on Saturday but he was in a defiant mood ahead of a return to Champions League duty on Tuesday, insisting he had heard nothing to worry him. And the former Spain coach has responded by making changes, including Benzema, who was on the bench on Saturday after a poor start to the season. Читать дальше...

Kevin De Bruyne will make his first start of the campaign for Manchester City in the Champions League clash at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. The Belgium midfielder returned from a knee ligament injury with a second-half cameo in the weekend's 5-0 win over Burnley and has clearly convinced Pep Guardiola of his fitness. De Bruyne's only other appearance this season was off the bench away to Arsenal on the opening weekend of the Premier League season. Kyle Walker missed the Burnley match because of... Читать дальше...

Atlanta United have confirmed Gerardo Martino will leave the club at the end of the MLS season after rejecting a new contract. With Atlanta top of the Eastern Conference, the club were keen to retain the former Barcelona and Argentina coach for 2019 and beyond. But Martino, who has been linked with becoming Mexico coach, could not reach an agreement with the club over a new deal. "This was not an easy decision to make," Martino told the club's website. "I have enjoyed my time with Atlanta United... Читать дальше...

Mauricio Pochettino is yet to decide whether Christian Eriksen will start for Tottenham in their Champions League game with PSV on Wednesday. Eriksen returned after missing four club matches in Spurs' Premier League win over London rivals West Ham on Saturday, making a brief cameo from the bench. But the Denmark international may be benched again when Spurs take on PSV in Group B, with both teams yet to win a point after two rounds of games. Pochettino confirmed he will be without Jan Vertonghen (hamstring) and Danny Rose (groin)... Читать дальше...

Thomas Tuchel described Carlo Ancelotti as an inspiration ahead of their Champions League meeting as Paris Saint-Germain host Napoli on Wednesday. Ancelotti helped PSG to the Ligue 1 title in 2013, the French club's first league championship since 1994, before leaving to take over at Real Madrid.  He returned to the Parc des Princes with Bayern Munich last season but suffered a 3-0 defeat that brought about the end of his tenure at the Bundesliga giants. Now back in his native Italy with Napoli... Читать дальше...

Persepolis moved into their first AFC Champions League final by beating Al Sadd 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 home draw. Al Sadd trailed 1-0 from the first leg after Ali Alipour scored a controversial late penalty but they equalised on aggregate in the 17th minute at Azadi Stadium. Baghdad Bounedjah hit his 13th goal of the competition to level the tie but Persepolis decisively regained the lead through Siamak Nemati shortly after half-time. Former Spain and Barcelona icon Xavi almost scored a dramatic header in the 86th minute... Читать дальше...

Trent Alexander-Arnold believes Liverpool are strong enough to fight for glory in both the Premier League and Champions League this season. Jurgen Klopp's side reached the final of Europe's premier competition last term, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in Kiev, and they are level on 23 points with leaders Manchester City after nine games in England's top flight this time around. Red Star Belgrade visit Anfield on Wednesday, with the Reds aiming to bounce back following a 1-0 defeat at Napoli last time out in Group C. Читать дальше...

Paul Pogba is ready for an emotional reunion with Juventus in the Champions League. Manchester United host the Serie A champions on Tuesday, meaning Pogba will face the club he left in a then-world-record deal in 2016. Pogba began his career at United but initially failed to break through at Old Trafford before rejoining the club after four trophy-laden seasons with Juve. And the France star, who has been linked with a return to Juve amid speculation over his relationship with United boss Jose Mourinho... Читать дальше...

Barcelona defender Jordi Alba hopes Julen Lopetegui is not sacked by Real Madrid ahead of Sunday's Clasico clash between the sides. Lopetegui is reportedly on the brink at Madrid following four defeats in their last five matches in all competitions, with the Champions League holders playing Viktoria Plzen next on Tuesday. Alba played under Lopetegui for Spain before the coach was sensationally sacked shortly before the start of the World Cup following the announcement he was to take charge of Madrid after the tournament in Russia. Читать дальше...

Lionel Messi is not going to make a magical recovery and will be out for three weeks, says Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde. Messi fractured his arm in a heavy fall during Saturday's LaLiga win at home to Sevilla and will be out for the weekend's Clasico clash with Real Madrid. Barcelona's first game without their captain will be at home to Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday, though, with Valverde giving no clues as to how he will replace Messi. Ousmane Dembele and Malcom have been... Читать дальше...

Jurgen Klopp believes outlining his own high standards in public might be responsible for expectations that Liverpool have more gears to move through. The Reds are back in Champions League action against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday after losing their previous Group C match 1-0 at Napoli. Liverpool are yet to experience defeat in the Premier League this season over the course of nine matches and sit level on 23 points with leaders Manchester City in England's top flight. Nevertheless, Klopp... Читать дальше...

Marco Reus believes he has struck up an immediate understanding with Paco Alcacer at Borussia Dortmund, despite something of a language barrier. Spain international Alcacer has been one of the standout performers in the Bundesliga since joining on loan from Barcelona, scoring seven times in just four appearances to propel Dortmund to the top of the table. Reus, with five goals and three assists in eight outings, has also been showing signs of returning to his best form after an injury-hit last two seasons. Читать дальше...

If you were awarding a prize for the worst possible start to a Premier League season, Mauricio Pochettino might nominate Tottenham’s 2018/19 for the shortlist. No team in Europe had more representatives in the World Cup semi-finals, played barely a month before the start of the season. No team in Europe signed fewer players in the summer; you can’t get much lower than nought.To make matters worse, no team in the Premier League has had more injuries since the beginning of August. Victor Wanyama, Erik Lamela... Читать дальше...

Radja Nainggolan has missed out on a place in Inter's squad for the Champions League fixture against Barcelona due to injury. Nainggolan lasted 30 minutes of Sunday's Serie A derby against AC Milan, which Inter won 1-0 thanks to a late Mauro Icardi header. The former Roma midfielder appeared to hurt his ankle in a heavy challenge with Lucas Biglia, who was booked for the tackle. But Biglia told Sky Sport Italia after the game he felt VAR should have reviewed the incident and suggested Nainggolan should have instead been punished. Читать дальше...

Predicting which team will eventually hoist the Champions League trophy aloft this season is as hard as ever. Real Madrid are chasing a fourth consecutive title, Juventus hope Cristiano Ronaldo can fire them to the elusive prize, while Pep Guardiola is determined to end Manchester City’s poor run in the competition.And that’s before you even consider Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSG and Liverpool.Several star-studded squads brimming with talent will be left disappointed at the end of the campaign, then – and that got us wondering.

Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita have been ruled out of Liverpool's Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade. England midfielder Henderson will miss the match on Wednesday and the Premier League meeting with Cardiff City on Saturday due to a hamstring problem sustained in the 1-0 win at Huddersfield Town. Keita is back in team training but will not be risked for Red Star's visit to Anfield, as he recovers from hamstring damage suffered during the international break. "It's not too good, to... Читать дальше...

Hamburg have sacked coach Christian Titz and replaced him with Hannes Wolf as they seek an immediate return to the Bundesliga. Titz was appointed in March but was unable to steer Hamburg away from being relegated from the top flight for the first time. Hamburg won four of their opening five league matches in the 2. Bundesliga but have since claimed just one victory in five, a run that has featured three 0-0 draws. They are two points off leaders Cologne and a point behind second-placed Greuther Furth and local rivals St. Читать дальше...

Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is on track to match the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ludovic Giuly. Mbappe has established himself as one of the world's finest young players for Monaco and PSG over the last two seasons. A Ligue 1 champion with both clubs, the 19-year-old won a clean sweep of domestic honours at Parc des Princes last term before lifting the World Cup with France, scoring in the 4-2 final win over Croatia in Moscow. And Giuly, who won titles... Читать дальше...

When he’s hot, he’s hot. Mesut Ozil was at his magnificent best for Arsenal against Leicester on Monday night, scoring an equaliser on the stroke of half-time before playing major roles in his team’s match-winning goals after the break.Ozil is immensely popular at the Emirates Stadium – few other players in world football can reach his levels on a good day – but it hasn’t often been plain-sailing for the 30-year-old Gunners technician.He's in his sixth season at Arsenal following a £42.5m switch from Real Madrid in summer 2013... Читать дальше...

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is unwilling to speculate on Neymar's future, but admits it would be no bad thing to have the forward back at Barcelona. Neymar has been tipped to make a sensational return to the LaLiga champions despite leaving in acrimonious circumstances last August in a world-record €222million deal. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has insisted they will not try to buy the player back from Paris Saint-Germain, but both they and Real Madrid have been frequently linked with a bid over the past year. Читать дальше...

Attacking is considered to be more fun than defending. There are many more children in the playgrounds of England who imagine themselves scoring goals than stopping them being scored. They go to sleep to dream of cup final winners, not match-saving tackles. Survey 1,000 players of FIFA’s career mode; far more will have chosen to be centre-forwards or No.10s than right-backs or gnarled central defenders.“I think I won because the strikers haven’t had their shooting boots on,” said Fabio Cannavaro... Читать дальше...

Former Barcelona star Xavi says he will never coach a team to play in the same way as those managed by Jose Mourinho. Barca take on Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday in a repeat of the semi-final tie of 2009-10, when the Nerazzurri triumphed 3-2 on aggregate after a memorable 10-man defensive display at Camp Nou in the second leg. Mourinho guided Inter to the treble that season before heading to LaLiga to take over at Real Madrid, where the rivalry with Pep Guardiola's Barca became ferocious during his three years in charge. Читать дальше...

Ozil's excellence got uswondering whichother goals had been created with no-touch passes...Let us start, as fun often does, with a Brazilian. Not just any Brazilian, but Pele, larruping home a free-kick against Romania at Mexico '70 thanks in no small part to his mate Jairzinho falling over and leaving the sort of hole in the wall that goalkeepers hate and builders love.From Pele to Tim Cahill. Wait, come back! Australia's finest benefits here from the nous of the magisterial Thierry Henry, as the... Читать дальше...