Veteran German striker Miroslav Klose expects Tuesday s Euro 2012 qualifier here against minnows Azerbaijan will be tougher than the World Cup showdowns against Argentina or England.
In terms of motivation, it is more difficult to face Azerbaijan than play Argentina or England, because everyone wants to play these big games and upset us, said 32-year-old Klose in a news conference on Sunday.
They will be very focused, warned Klose who scored his 53rd goal on his 102nd appearance for Germany in the 1-0 win over Belgium in Brussels on Friday.
For these nations, to play against Germany, is a huge deal and it is a unique chance for these teams to beat us.
Azerbaijan are a very athletic team, they have the potential to hurt us.
We struggled again…
Lukas Podolski said his final performance for Germany was like a great movie after he struck a stunning winning goal in Wednesday s clash with England.
The 31-year-old capped his 130th and final performance for the national team with a spectacular strike that sealed a 1-0 victory over Gareth Southgate s side at Signal Iduna Park.
Podolski was treated to a pitch-side presentation and crowd mosaic before the match and he was substituted late on to the sound of a standing ovation and Hans Zimmer s score to the Oscar-winning film Gladiator.
And the forward, who described his match-winning left foot as a gift from God, said it was difficult to imagine a more fitting farewell.
This is like a great movie, he told ARD. We win 1-0 and I score the goal.
I…
Kieran Trippier has penned a fresh three-year contract with Premier League newcomers Burnley, the club announced on Saturday.
The full-back was one of the standout performers for Sean Dyche s men, will return to the top flight following a four-year absence after clinching second spot in the Championship last season.
Trippier made 41 league appearances during that successful promotion campaign, and is now committed to the Lancashire club until at least 2017.
His consistent performances reportedly alerted the attention of several top-flight sides, including FA Cup winners Arsenal, Newcastle United and Southampton.
The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks at Premier League champions Manchester City, before enjoying two loan spells at Barnsley.
Burnley orig…
Celtic are interested in signing David Turnbull from Scottish Premiership rivals Motherwell in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that the Hoops have made an approach for the 21-year-old midfielder, and that a transfer fee is close to being agreed between the two clubs.
Turnbull was on the verge of making the move from Motherwell to Celtic in the summer of 2019, but a knee problem was discovered during a medical. The 21-year-old midfielder spent most of last season on the sidelines recovering, and now he is back for full fitness and playing well for his club in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic have made a disappointing start to the season in Scotland and could do with adding a few players to the squad. Tom Rogic on his way out, and Turnbull…
Mikel Arteta is feeling pretty positive about Arsenal s chances of concluding a deal for Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes and is excited by the prospect of signing the Brazilian.
Gabriel, 22, has been strongly linked with Arsenal for several weeks following an impressive season in Ligue 1, with reports suggesting an agreement on a €30million (£27.7m) move is close.
Arsenal had defensive issues for much of the 2019-20 campaign and always appeared destined to invest in reinforcements – and Gabriel looks certain to be the next new face to arrive at the club.
Although still somewhat inexperienced, Arteta is thrilled that a switch for the centre-back is close to completion.
Regarding Gabriel, we cannot announce anything yet, the deal…
Market: Toulouse draw no bet
Odds: 19/20 @
Looking to extend on their recent Ligue 1 flurry, Toulouse will make the trip to a struggling Le Havre on Sunday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Le Havre might have opened the New Year in the midst of an eye-catching run, Luka Elsner’s men have come crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion. Last seen putting in another toothless display as they slumped to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Champions League hopefuls Brest, the Dean Club have lost all of their previous five domestic appearances across all competitions. Likewise, without a win from any of their previous seven showdowns, the Normandy-based outfit should be bracing themselves for another stern examination here. Crashing out of the Coupe de Franc…
Market: Portsmouth win
Odds: 2/5 @
Simply looking to extend their buffer at the top of the League One table, Portsmouth will welcome Burton to Fratton Park on Tuesday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Portsmouth might have eventually been forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate away at Blackpool over the weekend, the Blues are enjoying a remarkable League One romp this season. With the mood around Fratton Park at a red-hot high, John Musinho’s men have continued to receive a string of plaudits from across England’s third-tier. Opening March with a 2-1 victory against Oxford, Pompey hold a five-point buffer at the top of the table and are rightfully tipped as a landslide promotion contender in 2024. In fact, Musinho’s side are unbeaten in all of their prev…
Fieldoo Challenge Winners / Image via blog.fieldoo.com
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Soccernews.com team has already presented this revolutionizing project in November through , who had announced the partnership with the Spanish club UD Almeria and also presented the “Fieldoo Challenge” in attempt to help the Spanish club recruit new players in the January transfer window.
Fieldoo has called upon all players to apply for a week-long trial at the Spanish outfit where …
Genoa have completed the signing of Iago Falque from Premier League outfit Tottenham.
Falque moved to White Hart Lane on loan from Juventus in August 2011, and made the switch permanent four months later.
However, the Spaniard failed to break into the first team with any regularity at Tottenham, making just 11 appearances in all competitions during his time there.
He made a solitary outing on loan at Southampton during the 2011-12 season, before spending the next two campaigns in Spanish football, which afforded him the opportunity to gain regular playing time.
With Almeria in 2012-13, Falque made 22 Segunda Division appearances, scoring twice, before Spurs loaned him to La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano, where he netted three times in 28 league outings.
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Maurizio Sarri is hopeful Chelsea will find agreements with Cesc Fabregas and David Luiz over new contracts as they run the risk of losing them on free transfers at the end of the season.
Luiz has regained his place in the starting XI this term under Sarri, having only made 10 Premier League appearances under Antonio Conte last season.
But the opposite must be said for Fabregas, who – having played 32 times in 2017-18 – has featured on just three occasions in the top flight since Sarri took charge.
Both players contracts are about to enter the final six months, meaning they will be able to start discussing terms with other clubs over free transfers at the end of the season.
Sarri spoke in Tuesday s news conference of his desire to see both players rem…