April 2019 – Football Flame    
Latest Football News

Month: April 2019

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UCL

Champions League: Barcelona vs Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will wait until the day of the game to assess whether Roberto Firmino is fit to play in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg in Barcelona.The Brazilian forward, 27, missed the Premier League win over Huddersfield on Friday with a muscle tear.Midfielder Fabinho is available again after sustaining a head injury at Cardiff on 21 AprilBoth were included in the 23-man squad for the Nou Camp match.Klopp says Firmino's recovery "looks good so far" and he has until lunchtime on Wednesday to prove his fitness."We all knew from the beginning it would be a race," said the Anfield boss, whose team are vying with Manchester City for the Premier League title."We don't have to make a decision today because there's no game today, we can wait."I have to make that de...
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TRANSFERS

Inter Milan reportedly set to sign Manchester City defender

Inter are in talks with Manchester City to sign Brazilian defender Danilo, claims The Daily Mail.City paid 26.5m to sign Danilo from Real Madrid two years ago after missing out on Dani Alves’ signature to Paris Saint-Germain.Danilo has only ever been a fringe player at City and Pep Guardiola is ready to cut loose with the 27-year-old at the end of the season.Inter have been on the market for a new full-back for the last two years and have been heavily linked with Manchester United’s Matteo Darmian in the past.The Serie A outfit signed Southampton right-back Cedric Soares in January on loan for the remainder of the season but are not expected to prolong his stay at the club.Danilo has only made 10 Premier League appearances this season, having made first campaign at the club.In the 22 leagu...
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BUNDESLIGA

Dortmund captain Reus to miss game against Werder Bremen and Fortuna Dusseldorf

Marco Reus will miss Dortmund next two games against Werder Bremen and Fortuna Dusseldorf after a red card in Saturday 4-2 defeat to Schalke.Borussia Dortmund captain  Reus was sent off following a rash lunge on Suat Serdar, and will serve a two-match ban.Teammate Marius Wolf, who has been filling in as a makeshift right-back of late, received his marching orders five minutes later for a foul on the same opposition player. The 23-year-old has been handed a three-game suspension that rules him out for the rest of the season.Mario Gotze had given Dortmund the lead at the Signal Iduna Park, but goals from Daniel Caligiuri and Salif Sane put Schalke 2-1 ahead at half-time. Following Reus' sending off, Caligiuri scored from the resultant free-kick before Breel Embolo sealed the t...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

I expect Zaha to stay at Crystal Palace says Hodgson

Roy Hodgson is adamant that Wilfried Zaha will not leave Crystal Palace in the summer, despite the winger’s ambitions to play in the Champions League.Zaha is being considered as a potential target for a number of sides, however, the player still has four years remaining on his contract at Selhurst Park.Despite the interest, the price tag and salary a move would take to prise Zaha from Selhurst Park may ultimately derail a move a top club.“I have that old-fashioned idea that when you sign a contract, you go back after the season ends and start playing again,” Hodson said after Palace’s 0-0 draw with Everton. “That’s the way I see it. I hope he finds good form in the last two games.”
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SERIE A

Ronaldo hits 600th club goal in Juve-inter draw

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 600th goal of his club career to earn Italian champions Juventus a 1-1 draw away to Inter Milan in Serie A on Saturday.The Turin club wrapped up an eighth successive league title last weekend but found themselves behind early on to a wonder-strike from Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan.However, the Portuguese responded with a powerful finish in the second half to hit 20 league goals for the season, moving within two strikes of Serie A’s leading scorer, Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria, in the process.Inter remain in third place on 62 points, four ahead of AS Roma below them, while Juventus, who dropped points for just the sixth time in 34 games this season, move up to 88.
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LALIGA

Barcelona beat Levante to seal La Liga title

Barcelona has been crowned Champions of Spain after thrashing Levante 1-0 at Nou Camp.Ernesto Valverde’s side needed a win to claim the title in front of their own fans after Atletico Madrid beat Valladolid 1-0 earlier in the day and they got it thanks to Lionel Messi, who came on as a second-half substitute to score the winner. The victory sees the Catalans stay nine points clear of the Rojiblancos with three rounds of the competition remaining and their superior head-to-head record in the two league meetings between the teams this term means they cannot be caught.It is a second successive La Liga title for Valverde, an eighth in 11 seasons for Barcelona and a 10th for Lionel Messi, which sees the Argentine attacker surpass nine-time winner Andres Iniesta to set yet another record at...
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SERIE A

AC Milan reportedly set to sack Gattuso

Regardless of whether AC Milan end up qualifying for the Champions League or not, the word out of Italy is that head coach Gennaro Gattuso is heading for the sack. With five games to go, Milan may be hanging on to dear life in fourth place at the moment, the last spot to qualify for Europe’s big dance, but the 1-0 home defeat to Lazio on Wednesday in the second leg of the Coppa Italia, which put Lazio and their racist fans into the final, was apparently the last straw as far Gattuso’s prospects are concerned.Reports from both Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport agree that the Milan legend will not be retained and will instead be replaced by one of several shortlisted names, including Rudi Garcia, Unai Emery, Gian Piero Gasperini, Antonio Conte, and Maurizio Sarri.Conte is apparently t...
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SERIE A

Lazio stuns Milan to reach Coppa Italia final

Lazio reached the Coppa Italia final and ended AC Milan’s hopes of snapping an eight-year trophy drought when a breakaway goal from Joaquin Correa gave them a 1-0 win at a restless San Siro in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.The Argentine struck the only goal of a tense 180 minutes to earn Lazio a place in the final for the third time in five years and heap more pressure on Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso.Milan’s last silverware was the Serie A title in 2011 and they are now under more pressure than ever to finish in the top four of the league and qualify for the Champions League next season.“We’ve beaten Milan and Inter in this stadium and it’s fair that we are in the final,” said Lazio coach Filippo Inzaghi, whose side knocked out Inter on penalties in the quarter-finals and ...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola says Manchester City need to stay calm

Manchester City's players need to remain calm in order to win the Premier League title for a second successive year, says manager Pep Guardiola.Goals from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane gave City a 2-0 win at Man Utd to move above Liverpool into first place in the table.City will retain their title if they win their last three league matches."We're still not champions with three games left," said Guardiola, whose side have one point more than Liverpool."I told the players don't read tomorrow, don't watch the television, just rest and sleep a lot and go in there against Burnley."We go to Burnley and we know how tough it will be. It's important to be calm."
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LALIGA

Atletico beat Valencia to delay Barca title celebration

Atletico Madrid delayed Barcelona winning La Liga by a few days at least after Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann each scored in a 3-2 victory over Valencia on Wednesday.Defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano would have crowned Barca kings of Spain for a 26th time in their history, with the Catalans now set to celebrate at their own Camp Nou on Saturday instead.A Barcelona win there over Levante will wrap up their fourth league triumph in five years and they could even be home and dry before kick-off, if Atletico fail to take a point at home to struggling Real Valladolid earlier in the day.Regardless, success for Ernesto Valverde's side is surely now only a matter of timing given Atletico remain nine points behind the leaders with four games left to play. Real Madrid, who visit Getafe on Thurs...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Man Utd boss Solskjaer Welcomes Luke Shaw to squad ahead Man City clash

Luke Shaw is set to return to the fold after suspension for Manchester United against Manchester City.Luke Shaw is available for Manchester United's derby clash Manchester City at Old Trafford.Shaw has missed United's last three games with domestic and European bans but will come back into contention.“Luke’s been very good,” Solskjaer said.“He’s disappointed that he’s missed the three games that he has. He knows he has to improve on that.“Some of his yellow cards weren’t yellow cards but some of them are his fault where he’s taken the easy option. We’ve spoken about that.“It’ll be great to have him back because, both defensively and in attack, he’s been one of our best players.”Phil Jones is a doubt after hobbling off in Sunday's 4-0 defeat Everton Ander Herrera, Eric Bailly and Antonio Va...
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LALIGA

Barcelona set to extend Arturo Vidal contract

Barcelona are ready to offer Arturo Vidal a one-year contract extension, just eight months after he joined in a surprise £27million move.The 31-year-old midfielder, who moved to the Nou Camp after a successful spell at Bayern Munich, was seen a surprise choice by the Catalan club when he put pen to paper on a three-year-deal.But he has gone on to make 45 appearances for the late liga club in his debut campaign, scoring two goals and adding five assists. And now, according to Sport, Barcelona are keen to tie him down until 2022.The Spanish newspaper claim he has become a 'wildcard' for manager Ernesto Valverde and Barcelona are keen to avoid him leaving for free in the summer of 2021.Valverde has reportedly been impressed with the way Vidal has performed against all manner of opponents, and...
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TRANSFERS

Real Madrid reportedly set to loan out Gareth Bale

Real Madrid have reportedly been left having to consider loan offers for Gareth Bale.The Wales international has enjoyed a successful period at the Bernabeu, but the forward finds himself out of favour with Zinedine Zidane and the club's supporters.The 29-year-old continues to be linked with a return to the Premier League but according to Marca.com, there has been little interest in a permanent deal.The report suggests that Real will now start to consider loan bids for the attacker in a bid to reduce their wage bill ahead of next season.Bale is said to be happy with life in Spain, but it has become increasingly evident that the player may struggle for game-time under Zidane.The former Tottenham Hotspur man will allegedly refuse to leave Real unless he is able to earn his current wages else...
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NEWS

Benfica knock out of Europa League in Germany

Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Benfica 2-0 at the Waldstadion to advance to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals.An offside Filip Kostic goal and Sebastian Rode strike clinched a famous victory, the result overturning the first leg 4-2 defeat in Lisbon as the German club go through on away goals. Ante Rebic was outstanding for Frankfurt, but it was a total team effort roared on by an passionate and raucous home support. The Portuguese club will lament the offside goal but were largely second best throughout the contest.
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SERIE A

Napoli boss Ancelotti rules out sale of Man Utd target Kalidou Koulibaly

Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has described Kalidou Koulibaly as the "best centre-back in the world" and insists that he is not for sale. The Senegal international has been regularly linked with a move away from the Stadio San Paolo in recent times, earning particular interest from Manchester United.With the Red Devils still on the hunt for a new central defender, reports indicate that they may move for Koulibaly in the summer.Ancelotti has categorically ruled out an exit for his prized asset, however, telling reporters: "Koulibaly is the best centre-back in the world, and he has more room for improvement."He is worth €150m and he is non-transferable. Napoli do not need to sell, the president does not want to sell and the question does not arise."Koulibaly has been used 43 times...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Pellegrini excited by Jack Wilshere return

West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini said Jack Wilshere's imminent return to first-team action will provide a 'good injection' to his squad.Wilshere started West Ham's opening four games of the season after joining from Arsenal last summer, but has played just one game since due to an ankle injury, which he underwent surgery on in December. With fellow midfielders Manuel Lanzini and Samir Nasri ruled out of Saturday's Premier League meeting with Leicester, the 27-year old could feature."Jack Wilshere is OK," Pellegrini said on Thursday. "He worked without problems."We'll see tomorrow how he feels. He played already one game for the U23s. We will talk with him but (it) will be soon this week, next week. I hope that he will play some games before we finish the season."He's a midfielder that we n...
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PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool vs Barcelona: Jurgen klopp focus on Cardiff, not Messi

Jurgen klopp is keen to make sure a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona does not become a distraction for his Liverpool players with crucial Premier League games coming up.Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk were on the scoresheet as Wednesday's 4-1 win in Porto secured a last-four meeting between the Premier League leaders and LaLiga's top side.The mouth-watering clash is in danger of making Liverpool's upcoming fixtures against Cardiff and Huddersfield look a little mundane by comparison.But with the Premier League title race against Manchester City as tight as ever, Klopp knows they must stay focused.Asked how his side might stop Lionel Messi and all, the German smiled."Thank God I don't have to think about that tonight and I have a few more nig...
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UCL

Ajax stuns Juventus as Barcelona progress in Champions League

Ajax stunned juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt’s thumping second-half header secured a 2-1 second-leg victory in the last eight in Turin on Tuesday.Cristiano Ronaldo, bidding for his sixth Champions League title, scored a 28th-minute header to put Juve ahead after a 1-1 first-leg draw, but Donny van de Beek levelled for the visitors before half-time. Teenage centre-back De Ligt struck midway through the second period, though, to seal a 3-2 aggregate win and set up a last-four clash with either Manchester City or Tottenham.Meanwhile, Barcelona earned a convincing victory over Man United tonight to secure their place in the Champions League tonight.Two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Philippe Coutinho saw the Cata...
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UCL

Champions League : Liverpool revealed squad ahead Porto clash

Liverpool will be without Dejan Lovren and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they travel to Porto for their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Wednesday.The pair both missed training at Melwood on Tuesday ahead of the game and have not been included in Jurgen Klopp's 21-man squad to head to Portgual.Lovren misses out due to illness, with Joel Matip in pole position to replace him in the starting line-up rather than youngster Joe Gomez.Oxlade-Chamberlain, meanwhile, will carry out more fitness work as he continues to get back to match fitness after almost a year on the sidelines.The Reds hold a 2-0 lead from last week's Anfield first leg and are in pole position to secure a spot in the semi-finals.Club captain Jordan Henderson is included having been forced off with an ankle problem in t...
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LALIGA

Barcelona president rules out Philippe Coutinho exit

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insist that Philippe Coutinho will not be leaving the Camp Nou this summer despite rumoured interest from Manchester United and Chelsea. Coutinho joined Barca from Liverpool for £142million in January last year but the 26-year-old has not had the same kind of impact as he had during his time with the Reds, resulting in speculation of a move away.Bartomeu, however, has made it clear Coutinho is part of manager Ernesto Valverde's plans unless a club triggers the midfielder's release clause, rumoured to be a staggering £355million.Speaking to Spanish television station TVE, Bartomeu said: "Coutinho is an excellent player and he has the coach's confidence."He has a contract with us and he will remain at the team, unless they (another cl...
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