Playmaker Ivan Rakitic is ready for the biggest game of his career when Sevilla take on Benfica in the UEFA Europa League final.
A last-gasp Stephane M Bia goal against Valencia saw Sevilla book their place in Wednesday s showpiece in Turin.
Sevilla won the UEFA Europa League in 2006 and 2007 but Rakitic, who joined the club in 2011, is not allowing himself to dream of European glory just yet.
All the players worked hard to ensure we got to the final. It s a great moment for us and we need to enjoy it to the maximum and take the positives that we can from it, said the Croatia international.
I don t want to dream about lifting the trophy, I want to live it. I m not going to put pressure on the team though because we need to enjoy it.
If we can get through th…
Diego Simeone has fast become one of the most successful, charismatic and tactically adept coaches in European football.
The former Argentina midfielder has revitalised a debt-ridden Atletico side since taking charge in December 2011, securing their first La Liga title since 1996 last week.
Despite selling the likes of Fernando Torres, Sergio A
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guero and Radamel Falcao for huge profits, Atletico s financial problems had previously made it hard for them to challenge Spain s leading teams.
However, Simeone has changed all that and is now seeking the perfect ending to a season in which his side have exceeded all expectations by beating Real Madrid and Barcelona to the Liga crown.
We always expect the best, he said. We work and train to achieve the best. B…
Kalidou Koulibaly says he would be happy if speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League one day comes true but expects to stay at Napoli for next season.
The defender was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claiming Antonio Conte s men were ready to pay €58million to secure a deal.
But Koulibaly is under contract with Napoli until 2021 having signed a new deal last September and he is not expecting to be on the move.
The 25-year-old, though, appears to be a fan of England s top flight and played in the country during Senegal s 1-1 draw with Nigeria in Barnet on Thursday.
It would make me happy to come and play here, but now I have to go to Napoli, centre-back Kou…
Angel di Maria has praised Lionel Messi s captaincy of Argentina, revealing the Barcelona star was the players choice for the role.
Messi was named skipper of his country in August 2011 by head coach Alejandro Sabella, and will lead a team fancied by many as potential tournament winners to this year s FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
And Di Maria who, alongside Messi and the likes of Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, provides Argentina with a fearsome attacking line-up has backed the captain to shine at this year s tournament.
It was our choice who wears the captain’s armband and we chose Messi, the Real Madrid man told AS.
Hopefully he has a great World Cup. He s a fantastic player, and as a person, a great friend and a very good team-mate. He s a great captain.
…
Hansi Flick hailed Germany s attitude and their perfect start to his tenure after they confirmed their 2022 World Cup spot with a 4-0 win over North Macedonia on Monday.
Kai Havertz broke the deadlock at the Tose Proeski Arena and Chelsea colleague Timo Werner netted a quickfire brace, with Jamal Musiala adding the fourth goal to become his country s second-youngest scorer in history (18y 227d).
Flick subsequently becomes just the second Germany head coach – along with predecessor Joachim Low – to win all of his opening five games, while Die Mannschaft have now qualified for every World Cup since 1954, with only Brazil achieving the same feat.
And the former Bayern Munich head coach, whose side have scored 18 and conceded just one since his appointment, was…
Chelsea have exercised the option to extend Thiago Silva s contract, meaning the defender will remain with the Premier League club for a further year.
The Brazil international was signed on a free transfer ahead of the 2020-21 campaign after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, making 34 appearances in all competitions for the Blues.
Silva started in the Champions League final against Manchester City but was forced off late in the first half through injury, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates clinched a 1-0 triumph in Porto to secure the trophy for a second time.
The 36-year-old will now be staying at Stamford Bridge for the 2021-22 season to continue working under Thomas Tuchel, who has himself committed his future to Chelsea by signing a new deal …
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique knows his side cannot allow their standards to drop as they head into the defining part of the season.
After securing their place in the last eight of the Champions League, the Ligue 1 leaders host Reims on Sunday and then face Nice aiming to reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.
Enrique insists the players must stay focused on delivering the required performance levels during such a crucial run of fixtures.
“Against Reims, the tension will be high because we played in the Champions League this week” the PSG coach said.
“We need to take this factor into account. We will need to be at our best tomorrow.
“And against Nice, in the Coupe de France afterwards, there will be a lot at stake since we wan…
Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International on Monday called on FIFA to postpone the race to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, after renewed media allegations of corruption were made.
The call by the private campaign group came just days before the executive committee of world football s governing body was due to designate the two host nations under the eyes of a brace of world leaders and stars.
The decision to award football s World Cup in 2018 and 2022, scheduled for December 2, 2010, must be postponed until full light is shed on the allegations published in the press, Transparency International Switzerland said in a statement.
These have brought such discredit to the decision-making processes at FIFA that a decision in the current circumstances wo…
Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl has suggested that Granit Xhaka could depart the club at the end of the season.
Xhaka has become an integral part of the Gladbach midfield since his arrival from Basel in 2012 but has regularly been linked with a move away.
Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, have all been credited with interest in the 23-year-old, who this week confessed to being open to a transfer.
Gladbach have frequently sold their top talents in recent years, with Marco Reus departing for Borussia Dortmund, Marc-Andre ter Stegen snapped up by Barcelona and Max Kruse and Christoph Kramer heading to Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
Eberl adm…
Nick Powell has joined promotion-chasing Hull City for the rest of the season after failing to break into Louis van Gaal s plans at Manchester United.
Since catching the eye with a string of thrilling displays at Crewe Alexandra and joining United in 2012, Powell has made only nine appearances for the Red Devils, spending time on loan at Wigan Athletic and Leicester City.
He moves to a side in form, with Steve Bruce s men sitting top of the Championship by a point from Middlesbrough, who signalled their promotion desire by splashing an estimated £9million on Jordan Rhodes on deadline day.
But with a league-best goal difference built on the foundations of 16-goal striker Abel Hernandez, similar reinforcements were not required at the KC Stadium.
Powell …