England left-back Leighton Baines will travel to Euro 2012, but remembers the heartache he suffered two years ago.
Baines made Fabio Capello s 30-man provisional squad for the 2010 World Cup, but was one of seven players to miss the cut.
The Everton defender revealed on Tuesday how the Italian let him know about his decision.
Theo Walcott didn t go either and I think he got exactly the same phone call, Baines told reporters.
We were both put through to the manager who said, I m sorry, you won t be coming with us, but I look forward to seeing you for the qualifiers. Thank you and goodbye. That was it.
I was a bit of a late runner anyway. Six months before, I was nowhere near, never in the squad and then I made the 30 and had a chance.
…
Javi Martinez has been ruled out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a thigh injury during Bayern Munich s draw with RB Leipzig on Saturday.
The Spanish midfielder lasted just 25 minutes at the Allianz Arena and was replaced by Jamal Musiala, who scored Bayern s first goal in a thrilling game that ended 3-3.
Martinez will be unavailable for the Champions League meeting with Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday, though the reigning champions are already guaranteed to finish top of Group A.
A Bayern statement read: Bayern will be without Javi Martinez for the foreseeable future. The Spain international suffered a muscle injury to his left thigh in the Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash against RB Leipzig on Saturday. The diagnosis was confirmed after an examinatio…
Zinedine Zidane is only concerned about Champions League qualification, rather than his own future, ahead of Real Madrid s pivotal clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Spanish side face the distinct prospect of missing out on qualifying for the last-16 stage of the competition after a 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk last week saw them slump to third place in Group B.
Madrid s loss was their second in the competition this season they have never lost three times in a single group stage.
Their worrying lack of form in Europe had coincided with a tricky start to their LaLiga title defence too, though the pressure on Zidane was eased somewhat by Saturday s 1-0 win away at Sevilla.
Still, the Frenchman knows the importance of Wednesday s hom…
Brazil take on Mexico on Tuesday, with both sides knowing victory would virtually assure them a place in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
The nations won their opening fixtures of the tournament, Brazil coping with the huge weight of home expectation by overcoming Croatia 3-1 in controversial circumstances on Thursday.
Awarded a soft-looking penalty at 1-1 to move in front for the first time in the match, the hosts also saw their opponents have a goal controversially ruled out when Ivica Olic was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Mexico, on the other hand, benefited from perseverance on Friday, as Miguel Herrera s men twice saw Giovani dos Santos strikes wrongly disallowed for offside before Oribe Peralta eventually slotted home to earn them a 1-0 win o…
AC Milan eyeing Fernando Gago
Sport Mediaset is reporting that AC Milan are hot on the trail of Boca Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago.
The Rossoneri have been quite busy this summer, having already secured the signatures of Alex and Jeremy Menez, but they are working hard on new reinforcements.
Sport Mediaset has suggested that AC Milan plan to make a move on Boca Juniors star Fernando Gago as they need a replacement for injured captain Riccardo Montolivo.
The 28-year-old surprisingly opted to return to La Bombonera following a somewhat disappointing spell with Valencia, but he has remained on the radar of Europe s top clubs.
AC Milan boss Filippo Inzaghi has been impressed with the midfielder s performances for Argentina at the 2014 World Cup an…
As I have the worst track record in history when it comes to predicting the scores and results in games, I thought I’d have another go to show you just how bad I really am. I’ve seen the experts do it and they get nearly all of them wrong so I can’t be any worse than them can I?
OK, here goes with this weekends games in the Premier League:
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Blackburn v Fulham, 15:00
Under Paul Ince Blackburn started the season looking good. With Santa Cruz banging in the goals and a well organised defence in front of the former England goalkeeper, what could go wrong? Well, only one point from their last three games and four goals conceded in both of the last two for starters.
Fulham look like…
Football is “sleepwalking into a disaster” by adding ever more demands on players and forcing them to make drastic decisions about their careers, Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has said.
Premier League matches are set to last comfortably longer than 100 minutes on average in the season ahead after referees in competitions worldwide were instructed by the game’s lawmakers to more accurately measure time lost to stoppages.
The approach was first adopted at the World Cup in Qatar last year where it was largely positively received, but Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United defender Raphael Varane have already highlighted the impact of such a move across a long domestic season.
Varane retired fro…
Arsenal have announced a pre-tax profit of £25.1million in their latest financial results.
For the six months to the end of November 2017, Arsenal s profits climbed from £12.6m, with the Premier League club s cash reserves standing at £137.6m.
After tax, profits stood at £20.4m up from £10.3m for the six-month period.
The rise in profits came despite Arsenal s football turnover falling to £167.7m from £191.1m due to last season s failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal s financial results do not take into account the January club-record signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but they do include the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon.
Arsene Wenger s men are struggling on the pitch, sitting sixth in the Premier League tab…
The 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League is entering the final stages and this Thursday sees remaining 16 teams start their battles to reach the quarter-finals in the first leg of their respective ties.
The likes of Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Arsenal and Lazio are some of the high-profile clubs left in the competition, but regardless of the team you are looking to back, 888sport has got you covered.
Namely, if you and make a deposit of £10 or more using promo code EUROPA, you will qualify to earn £30 in free bets plus another £10 free bet to use on Europa League matches.
New customers only. Your first wager needs to be placed at odds of 1/2 or greater. Free bets expire in 7 days. 18+. Terms and conditions apply.
…
Lille coach Rudi Garcia says it will take time for his players to produce their best form after beating Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
A last-minute goal from Benoit Pedretti saw 2010/11 champions Lille overcome their hosts in the opening round of the Ligue 1 season at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
The fixture also marked the debut of star signing Salomon Kalou, who joined the club from Chelsea in July.
Some players did very well and some still need more games to be at their best, Garcia said.
But we played in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard and winning in front of the toughest crowds in France is never easy, so I feel that a victory here is a great result.
It is true to say that over the past few seasons Lille have done well. And it just s…