Gianluigi Buffon says Barcelona are the toughest team Juventus could have been drawn to face in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Juve are at home for the first leg on Tuesday in a mouth-watering tie that is a repeat of the 2015 final, which Barca won 3-1 in Berlin.
Buffon thinks Juve have closed the gap on Luis Enrique s side since then, but acknowledged the huge task awaiting his side.
I think we know that in these two games we are meeting the strongest team we could face, Buffon said at Juve s pre-match media conference.
But it is also true that it is the Champions League and it will be nice to measure ourselves against them.
I have never seen the final in Berlin again, but I have clear memories of that night which give me reasons to be p…
Market: Toulouse to score over 0.5 goals
Odds: 8/15 @
Looking to spring what would be a real upset on the road this weekend, Toulouse will make the trip to Lyon on Friday night.
Starting with the hosts, marking their return from September s international break with another downbeat display, Lyon find themselves in the midst of an extended rut. Last seen eventually getting hit with a 1-0 loss away at Lens, it appears there is growing pressure on Peter Bosz s shoulders. Likewise, heading into the fortnight break with another 1-0 defeat at the hands of defending champions PSG, Les Gones have now lost each of their last four Ligue 1 matchups on the bounce. Likewise, on a run that is underlined by a 3-1 drumming against Lorient last month, Lyon have shown some worryi…
Sacking Ronald Koeman would be the easy way out for Barcelona, with Sergio Busquets calling on the players to take responsibility for their critical situation .
Barcelona were on the receiving end of a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, meaning they have lost their first two matches of a European campaign for only the second time in their history.
Darwin Nunez put Benfica in front after just three minutes at the Estadio da Luz and the Uruguayan added a second from the penalty spot after Rafa Silva doubled the Portuguese side s advantage in the second half.
Barca finished the game with 10 men after Eric Garcia was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Goncalo Ramos. The Catalan giants have now lost four of their pas…
Former Germany under-21 player Sebastian Boenisch has received his first call up after opting to play at senior level for the country of his birth, Poland.
Defender Boenisch, 23, was named by manager Franciszek Smuda in the White Eagles squad for home friendlies against fellow Euro 2012 hosts Ukraine on September 4 and Australia on September 7.
Boenisch was born into an ethnic-German family in Gliwice in southern Poland, and later moved to Germany.
After starting his professional career with Schalke in 2006, he joined current club Werder Bremen a year later.
He made a dozen appearances for Germany, although not since turning 21, which is the cut-off age after which internationals cannot switch allegiance.
Speculation had raged since 2009 that he …
Francois Zahoui is in line to be appointed the new coach of Ivory Coast on a permanent basis, according to Ivorian press reports on Thursday.
The former Nancy player, who currently coaches Ivory Coast s youth teams, reportedly has the backing of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) to succeed Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Eriksson led the Elephants at the 2010 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the group phase, but has not been offered a new contract due to his high wage demands.
Zahoui took charge of Ivory Coast for their first post-World Cup game on August 10 and oversaw an impressive 1-0 friendly defeat of Italy in London.
I saw some great play and my satisfaction will be sustained by this level, said FIF president Jacques Anouma.
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Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that Rafael Benitez wanted to sign Leandro Damiao ahead of Gonzalo Higuain.
The Brazilian – top scorer at the 2012 Olympic Games with six goals in five appearances en route to a silver medal was the Spaniard s preference to replace the departed Edinson Cavani in 2013.
However, the Napoli president was uncertain following a meeting with Damiao s agent and instead took the initiative to sign Higuain who has scored eight goals in 10 Serie A appearances this term from Real Madrid himself.
It was our intuition to bring him to Napoli, De Laurenttis told Radio 24.
Benitez wanted to take Leandro Damiao, but after meeting with the Brazilian s agent we had doubts.
So I flew to Madrid to find out if it…
Jose Fonte set his sights on reaching the FA Cup final after scoring Southampton’s winner at Hull City on Tuesday.
The south-coast club s impressive season continued when Fonte scored the only goal of the game at the KC Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino s side are seventh in the Premier League table after their latest victory, just two points adrift of champions Manchester United.
Defender Fonte was in the Southampton side that beat Carlisle United in the Football League trophy final in 2010 and the centre-back is determined to return to the home of English football for the FA Cup final ahead of Saturday s fifth round trip to Sunderland.
Fonte told the club s official website: We want a run in the FA Cup because it is a very special [competition] for us. We’re goi…
Dario Benedetto felt a weight lift after scoring his first goal for Boca Juniors since returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Argentina international Benedetto was on target for the first time since November 2017, having ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and suffered from Achilles tendinitis and a hamstring issue since returning to contention in August.
The 28-year-old came off the bench in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-final against Palmeiras at La Bombonera and scored twice in the space of five minutes to give Boca a 2-0 win, netting a header and a brilliant 20-yard strike into the bottom-left corner after a phenomenal turn.
It was hard for me to score again. It wasn t going right for me. I am happy to return in …
The irony was certainly not lost on Carlos Tevez as he fielded questions on the final of the Copa Libertadores – a tournament named in honour of those who fought for South America s liberation from Spanish colonial rule in the early 19th century – at a Madrid training base.
I thought myself to be the dumbest guy in [terms of] history knowledge…but these guys just beat me, the veteran Boca Juniors forward joked ahead of Sunday s showdown with River Plate in the Spanish capital. That’s all I have to say.
Many others will have plenty to say about the long-delayed second leg between the two Grandes for some time to come. From the moment a group of River fans attacked the Boca team bus on its way to El Monumental, the whole situation has been an unseemly mess.
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Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Etienne Green from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2022, according to . It has been reported that Spurs are among a number of clubs monitoring the situation of the England Under-21 international goalkeeper.
Green has just signed a new contract with Ligue 1 club Saint-Etienne and in line to make his debut for the senior England squad. The 21-year-old stands at 6ft 4in and has huge potential.
Hugo Lloris is the first-choice goalkeeper at Tottenham, who signed Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Atalanta in the summer of 2021. Gollini is expected to become the number one custodian in the coming weeks and months, but if he does not and Spurs keep Lloris, then it would make sense for the North London club to bring in Green.
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