Marco Reus is confident that several retirements have not weakened Germany ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifying opener with Scotland.
Since beating Argentina 1-0 in July s World Cup final, Germany have seen captain Philipp Lahm, centre-back Per Mertesacker and record goalscorer Miroslav Klose call time on their international careers.
Newly appointed skipper Bastian Schweinsteiger will also miss Sunday s clash at Borussia Dortmund s Signal Iduna Park with a knee injury, while Julian Draxler (thigh), Mesut Ozil (ankle) and Sami Khedira (muscle) have all been ruled out and centre-back Mats Hummels (knock) is a doubt.
Dortmund forward Reus is not taking the challenge of Gordon Strachan s men lightly, but is confident Germany remain a force to be reckoned with despite …
Juan Belencoso will be out to continue his AFC Cup hot streak when Kitchee host Erbil in the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday.
Belencoso fired Kitchee to the Hong Kong First Division title last term and has been in outstanding AFC Cup form, scoring 11 times in 10 appearances.
The 33-year-old forward formerly of Albacete and Cadiz has played a key role in Kitchee s progression and he was again on the scoresheet in the first leg, played earlier this month.
Luay Salah fired Iraq s Erbil into the lead in the 59th minute but it was that man Belencoso who responded in the 1-1 draw.
And Kitchee will have home ground advantage in the return clash as they look to reach the competition s final for the first time.
Erbil have previous pedigree in Asi…
It s the longest running transfer saga of the summer and it finally looks as though will leave Liverpool.
The Spain midfielder has been the subject of interest from side Real Madrid for the last few months and despite Rafa Benitez s insistence that the midfield kingpin must stay it finally looks as though Alonso is on his way.
The midfield schemer is understood to have lodged a written transfer request after Benitez refused to allow Real to speak to the player they signed from Real Sociedad for £10.7million back in 2004.
Benitez s battle to keep the player looks to be in vain and the Liverpool boss must now simply allow the 27-year-old to leave Anfield.
His efforts to keep Alonso have been admirable after seeing the player s true potential afte…
Costa Rica will be hoping to atone for their blip at the CONCACAF Gold Cup when they face the Dominican Republic in a friendly on Wednesday.
Jorge Luis Pinto s side had enjoyed an excellent 2013 before bowing out of the Gold Cup at the quarter-final stage against Honduras.
Prior to that though, Costa Rica were in stunning form, winning 10 of their first 14 matches of the calendar year, and they will be confident of continuing that form on the road in Sabana Larga in this fixture.
They sit second in the fourth and final round of the CONCACAF federation’s FIFA World Cup qualifying – sandwiched in between the USA and Mexico – and are well placed to reach the 2014 event in Brazil as a result.
And although they dropped three places in the last edition of the FIF…
Verdict: Double chance Peru/Draw
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Peru might be one of the most in-form teams in the entire 2018 World Cup, and they are set to start their first World Cup campaign since 1982 as they will take on a tough Denmark side at Mordovia Arena on Saransk. Both teams look like candidates to advance into the Round of 16 alongside with France in Group C, so getting a win here seems key to get closer to that objective.
Few teams will arrive to the 2018 FIFA World Cup on such a good form as Peru. Ricardo Gareca s men have looked nearly unstoppable in the past few months, and are currently riding a 15-game undefeated streak (W10, D5) heading into this contest. Their friendly matches saw them defeat the likes of Croatia and Iceland, and they also…
Pep Guardiola felt exhausted Manchester City showed they are streetwise in the Champions League as they reached the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win over Bayern Munich.
Eight days after winning the first leg 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium, the Premier League champions drew 1-1 at Allianz Arena to set up a tie against holders Real Madrid.
Erling Haaland missed a first-half penalty, but scored his 48th goal of the season after the break to put City ahead the night.
Joshua Kimmich denied City an 11th successive victory late on after a second harsh penalty award of the game – Manuel Akanji punished for what was adjudged to be handball.
City are in the hunt for a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup treble after advancing to a third successive European…
Inter Milan s hopes of Champions League football next season were dealt a severe blow after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Cagliari on Sunday.
Inter were the dominant force for much of the game but failed to take their chances in front of goal, with Mauricio Pinilla s second-half brace condemning Andrea Stramaccioni s men to their second successive loss after last week s 4-3 capitulation at home to Atalanta.
With Inter dictating the match, Cagliari were content to play on the counterattack and after having two penalty claims rejected, the referee pointed to the spot in the 63rd minute when Matias Silvestre fouled Pinilla, who stepped up and rifled the ball past goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
Cagliari could have doubled their lead six minutes later had it not been for a …
Toronto FC signing Sebastian Giovinco revealed he left Italy because his compatriots did not believe in his ability.
Toronto FC striker Sebastian Giovinco appeared to hit out at the Italian media, and current and former coaches Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and Cesare Prandelli on Friday.
Speaking at his first media conference since arriving in Canada, Giovinco claimed he had left Italy and his former club Juventus because he was tired of having his ability questioned.
The 28-year-old s decision to leave the Serie A champions for the MLS caused a lot of consternation in Italy, with many claiming Giovinco will never play for his homeland again, but the tiny attacker indicated he will not miss his Italian critics.
In Italy I had many problems. They a…
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The 2020-21 Champions League roller coaster continues this week with a number of interesting clashes in the round of 16. The one between Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City, set to take place on Wednesday evening at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, is certainly among them.
Interestingly enough, this will be the seventh time these clubs meet the most for either side when it comes to facing a certain opponent in a European competition.
Borussia Monchengladbach
Things haven t been going too well for Gladbach this term. They reached the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Bundesliga last term, and at the moment, it seems highly unlikely that they repeat that success. They are in eighth place with 33 points, nine less …
Reading have agreed personal terms with former Real Madrid and Everton winger Royston Drenthe, .
The 26 year old will become the Championship club’s second signing of the summer subject to him passing a medical, with the Royals having already secured the services of former Chelsea and Manchester City left back Wayne Bridge.
Drenthe began his career with Feyenord, before securing a big money move to the Bernabeu in 2007 where he won La Liga and the Super Cup in a three year spell.
Loan moves to Hercules and Everton came before he was transferred to Russian Premier League side Alaniya, where he scored three goals in six league appearances last season.
He won his only international cap coming on as a substitute in the Netherlands 1-0 friendly win ov…