Greece coach Fernando Santos believes his side have every chance of qualifying from Group C at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Greece will face Colombia, Japan and Ivory Coast in their bid to reach the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time.
And while their group does not look as tough as some of the others – 2010 finalists Spain and Netherlands were drawn in Group B while England, Italy and Uruguay are all in Group D – Santos knows it will not be easy.
It might not look like that, but this is one of the most difficult groups of the World Cup, because there are four teams with good chances to qualify, Santos said.
Colombia is very strong in the attack, Ivory Coast is an experienced side with great players like (Didier) Drogba and Gervinho, and Japan wants to surp…
Pep Guardiola has described Xabi Alonso as one of the best midfielders he has ever seen after the Bayern Munich player confirmed his impending retirement.
Alonso, 35, will end his career at the conclusion of the season following his announcement on Thursday.
Manchester City boss Guardiola brought Alonso to Bayern in 2014 and spent two seasons coaching the former Liverpool and Real Madrid star prior to his move to England.
Guardiola is in no doubt over how highly Alonso should rank in the world game and is certain the World Cup winner with Spain will end up as a manager.
We were rivals, big rivals when he was at Real Madrid, Guardiola said ahead of City s FA Cup quarter-final match against Middlesbrough on Saturday.
After that I was so lucky to h…
Manchester City are set to offer three players to Everton in an attempt to sign defender John Stones, .
Fringe players Eliaquim Mangala, Jesus Navas and Wilfried Bony could all be used as makeweights as the Citizens attempt to wrap up a deal for the highly rated centre-back.
The twenty-one year old has previously been a target for fallen champions Chelsea, with the Blues having a number of bids rejected by the Merseyside outfit over the past twelve months.
However, City are keen to piece together an offer that is too good to refuse as they look to strenghten their squad ahead of Pep Guardiola’s first campaign in charge.
Stone moved to Everton from Barnsley in the summer of 2013 and has since racked up seventy-nine appearances in all competitions, …
Leonardo Bonucci believes Italy are not yet at the same level as Spain, France, Germany and England, but the defender feels they can reach that standard.
Italy won a record 10th straight match with a 3-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in Euro 2020 qualifying on Friday and host Armenia on Monday.
Despite their run, Bonucci said Italy – who claimed their only European Championship in 1968 – still had progress to make.
We will reach the level of the top teams in Europe but we still need to improve to compete against those teams who have achieved something important in recent years, the Juventus defender told a news conference.
We are not at the level of Spain, France, Germany and England because of our lack of experience.
They have a lot of w…
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino claims Chelsea would find it difficult to accept if they failed to win the Premier League this season.
Antonio Conte s side hold a seven-point lead over second-placed Spurs as they head into their final eight matches of the 2016-17 campaign.
Conte claimed this week there is greater pressure on Chelsea than their London rivals to win silverware, and Pochettino has suggested the Blues would have few excuses if they surrendered their lead at this stage.
When you are seven points above the second-placed team with eight games to go, it is normal in the end to win the league, Pochettino told a news conference ahead of his side s clash with Watford on Saturday.
It is difficult enough to affect your own team, even when you are…
The EFL has secured a record 188million-dollar (£147.7m) minimum revenue guarantee for its international television rights for the next four seasons, the PA news agency understands.
The deal through to 2027-28 represents a 40 per cent uplift in revenue compared to the previous cycle.
The EFL has signed up with a specialist partner agency, American firm Relevent, for the sale of its rights in North, Central and South America at a time when Wrexham’s ownership by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney is driving up overseas interest in the league.
The has agreed a record international TV rights deal with and :– Record guaranteed international rights fees for EFL Clubs– Deal until end of 2027/28– Club international streaming to continue
Manchester City emulated Manchester United’s 1999 trophy treble with victory in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how this season’s City side compares to United’s celebrated group.
Team performance
The only two Premier League clubs to ever win the Treble
— Premier League (@premierleague)
United lost only three games in their treble-winning season but a remarkable 21 draws in 57 games across the three competitions in question sees City overshadow them in most other statistical categories.
Excluding the League Cup from both teams’ records, Pep Guardiola’s side have 42 wins (73.7 per cent) to United’s 33 (57.9 per cent), 145 goals to 121 and 26 clean sheets to 20.
They concede…
A defendant in the trial of four men accused of match-fixing across Europe claimed on Wednesday that the group bribed a UEFA referee to manipulate the result of a 2010 World Cup qualifier.
The defendant told the court here that Bosnian referee Novo Panic, who has since been banned for life by European football s governing body UEFA, helped fix the result of a qualifier between Liechtenstein and Finland in 2009.
We manipulated the match by using Novo Panic, defendant Marijo C. told the trial which threatens to tarnish European football.
The defendant did not say whether the bribe was successful during the four-hour hearing.
The Group 4 game on September 9, 2009 in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, ended in a 1-1 draw as Panic awarded a 73rd-minute penalty to Finland…
Vissel Kobe came from behind twice to win 3-2 at Kashima Antlers and move top of the J.League.
The Antlers led the standings two weeks ago but had only themselves to blame after suffering a second successive defeat.
Yasushi Endo put the hosts in front after just seven minutes and, although Jung Woo-Young replied for Vissel Kobe, Davi restored Kashima s advantage early in the second half.
Vissel dug deep, however, and Marquinhos grabbed his fourth goal in as many league matches before Keijiro Ogawa popped up to secure a fourth straight victory.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima had topped the table heading into the weekend, but now sit second on goal difference following a 0-0 draw at Albirex Niigata.
At the other end of the table, Tokushima Vortis dreadful form continued…
Cobra Kai actor Xolo Maridueña will star in the DC movie Blue Beetle. Maridueña is set play the lead role of Jaime Reyes. The news was confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter’s Aaron Couch, who tweeted that director Angel Manuel Soto and Warner executives had “surprised Maridueña with the news at dinner just last night.”
Blue Beetle was first announced in February and will premiere on HBO Max. The movie will be DC’s first superhero movie focusing on a Latino character and will be directed by Soto, who previously helmed the acclaimed drama Charm City Kings. Maridueña played Miguel Diaz in all three seasons of Corba Kai to date, and also performed the voice of Lucas in the animated Netflix show Fast & Furious: Spy Racers.
Blue Beetle doesn’t have a release date yet, but it…