Market: Koln win
Odds: 8/11 @
Desperate to gain an early advantage on Wednesday evening, Koln will welcome second-tier Kiel to the RheinEnergieStadion with their future hanging in the balance.
Starting with the hosts, while Koln might have once again found themselves spending the majority of the season at the heart of a relegation scrap, The Billy Goats should be boosted by their end-of-the-year performances. Looking to dodge the bullet again and book themselves another Bundesliga run for next season, Friedhelm Funkel s side were last seen over the weekend when signing off their campaign with a deserved 1-0 win against an already relegated Schalke at the RheinEnergieStadion. Proving that their 4-1 drumming at the hands of Freiburg earlier in the month was just a…
Usain Bolt has rejected a two-year deal with Maltese champions Valletta, the eight-time Olympic champion s agent has confirmed.
The Jamaican has been trying to earn a contract with Central Coast Mariners and netted twice in a trial match last Friday.
With the A-League season beginning this weekend, Bolt s future with the Australian club remains unclear.
However, agent Ricky Simms said his client had decided against a move to Malta, with Valletta having gone public in their pursuit of the 32-year-old.
Simms told Omnisport: There is a lot of interest in Usain playing football. We are regularly approached by clubs from all over the world.
The only difference with the latest offer is that it was made through the media.
I can confir…
(GSM) Chelsea captain John Terry says he will die an unhappy man if he does not win the UEFA Champions League with the Stamford Bridge club.
The English champions kick off their European campaign against Zilina tonight after enduring years of misfortune in Europe s elite club competition.
Last season, Chelsea were eliminated by eventual Champions League winners Internazionale, who were managed by former Blues boss José Mourinho.
The Champions League is the only prize that Chelsea have failed to win and Terry will not give up on his dream to lift the European cup.
He told Chelsea TV: Until we win that trophy I m not going to die a happy man, that s a fact. I realise now that going out of the competition last season made us stronger in the League.
…
Bernd Stork faces his toughest test as Kazakhstan coach on Tuesday as his underdogs take on his native Germany in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.
The sides, who have never met before at international level, are currently in diametrically opposite positions in their Group A table.
World Cup bronze medallists Germany maintained their perfect record with a confident 3-0 home win over Turkey on Friday as Kazakhstan suffered their third consecutive defeat at the hands of Belgium.
Tuesday s match at Astana could be the last test for Stork, who has been working in the Central Asian republic since autumn 2008.
The 47-year-old had been set a task of collecting three points against Belgium and Germany but after Friday s defeat this mission looks unrealizable.…
Spanish daily newspaper that Valencia are hot on the trail of Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso.
Los Che see the Argentine as a great replacement for Seydou Keita, who has agreed to join AS Roma this summer.
And considering that Cambiasso has become a free agent when his deal with Inter Milan came to an end, Valencia can sign the midfielder at no cost.
While the 33-year-old has offers to return to Argentina, he reportedly wants to remain in Europe for another year or two before going back to his native country.
Esteban Cambiasso will have no shortage of proposals as he is set to embark on a new challenge after spending last nine years at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, making a total of 285 Serie A appearances.
The highly rated midfielder has earn…
Chelsea F.C. have completed the signing of midfielder Mario Pašalić from Prva HNL side Hajduk Split for an undisclosed fee.
The Croatia Under-21 international, who was included in Niko Kovač s 30-man provisional World Cup squad, was a standout performer for the Split-based club last season, netting 11 goals in 30 league appearances.
I am very happy because I am now a Chelsea player, Pašalić told the club s official website, .
I am very impressed by the training ground and I must thank everybody at Hajduk. This is now a new start in my career.
I am a central midfielder, my favourite player is Frank Lampard, and so I am very happy to be a Chelsea player.
The Mainz-born playmaker, the club s third summer signing following t…
Former Manchester City and Arsenal star Samir Nasri is training with West Ham as he prepares to return from a doping ban.
Nasri was originally banned for six months after he received a drip treatment at a Los Angeles clinic in 2016 while on loan at Sevilla, which UEFA said contravened rules laid down by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
An appeal against the initial sanction by UEFA s ethics and disciplinary inspector resulted in an extended suspension in August, which was backdated to July 1 2017, meaning he was unable to train with a professional club until the start of November.
West Ham had long been linked as a potential destination for Nasri upon the end of his ban given the presence of Manuel Pellegrini, whom he played for at City.
Omnisport und…
According to Marca, Barcelona are stepping up the chase for Villarreal midfielder Pablo Fornals. Arsenal are also said to be interested in signing him but we’d imagine that the Spanish champions would be more appealing, especially given that he’s already making quite the impression in La Liga and seems very comfortable in Spanish football.
Villarreal are very eager to keep hold of him but they understand that may not be a possibility, especially if a major bid comes in for him. He has a release clause of £22.1 million and Barca certainly have the funds to necessitate a move like that, but it will likely depend on how he fares in the next few weeks – and potentially months.
The 22 year old made the jump over to Villarreal from Malaga just last year in the summer o…
Northern Ireland continue their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign when Kazakhstan are the visitors to Windsor Park on Monday night.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the match.
Taking out some frustrations
Michael O’Neill said Northern Ireland left Copenhagen “angry and upset” following Friday’s 1-0 loss to Denmark having seen what they thought was a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out for offside following a VAR check that took a full five minutes. They will not be in need of any added motivation for a match which they need to win in order to keep in touch in Group H, but if they can bottle some of that feeling and take it out on the visitors, it could be a lively night in south Belfast.
Confidence boost
Lost in the late drama…
Manchester United defender Raphael Varane left the field in tears during Saturday s Premier League clash against Chelsea after suffering an injury.
The France international was stricken after an awkward fall with an hour gone at Stamford Bridge and showed visible signs of concern, with less than a month to go before the World Cup in Qatar gets underway.
Varane covered his face while crying and was given support my his team-mates.
While he did not require a stretcher, showing displeasure at the offer and instead walking around the edge of the field with medical staff, the injury is a clear worry for both club and country.
Defending champions France have a number of injury concerns ahead of the defence of their crown, with Chelsea s N Golo Kante to miss the…