Roberto Martinez believes the Arsenal side he watched dismantle Reading on Monday are a team on the up rather than one in decline.

The 5-2 victory at the Madejski Stadium lifted a bit of the pressure from manager Arsene Wenger's shoulders following their shock Capital One Cup defeat by Bradford but there remains plenty of speculation about his future.

The Gunners head to Wigan only two points outside the top four but closer to the relegation zone than they are to leaders Manchester United.

But Latics boss Martinez said: ``I don't understand it from the outside.

``You look at this Arsenal side, they've had to cope with many players moving away and new players coming in. They need a little bit of time but I went to see them on Monday and they were very impressive.

``I thought the movement and the quality of play they had in possession was as good as I've seen from an Arsenal side. Players like Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, they're starting to feel themselves in this league.

``This Arsenal side will never change the way they want to win football games, the football philosophy that they've got, and that's admirable.

``You're going to see this Arsenal side going from strength to strength. They're still in the Champions League, which is the best competition in the world, and I think this team has got a lot to offer.''

Wigan are once again in need of three points after picking up only one from their previous four games - a run that has seen them drop into the relegation zone.

Injuries are taking their toll, and Martinez could be without eight players tomorrow.

Four will definitely be missing after defender Adrian Lopez (hamstring) joined midfielders Ben Watson (broken leg), Ryo Miyaichi (ankle) and Albert Crusat (knee) on the long-term injury list.

Another four players should feature over the festive period, with captain Gary Caldwell (hamstring) the most likely to make it for Arsenal ahead of fellow centre-backs Ivan Ramis (hamstring), Antolin Alcaraz (groin) and midfielder James McCarthy (ankle).

Wenger has challenged Arsenal to maintain their momentum towards the top four of the table.

The Gunners head to the DW Stadium on the back of Monday's 5-2 win at Reading, which was a second successive league victory and made it only one defeat in the last six league outings.

Indeed, a maximum points haul against the injury-hit Latics would temporarily at least see Arsenal leapfrog Tottenham and Chelsea up into third place.

Wenger said: ``We had a good result against West Brom, a good result at Reading, so it is important to show continuity now.''

Despite Wigan having slipped down into the bottom three after last week's 2-1 defeat at Norwich made it five losses from seven, Wenger remains impressed by the work of Roberto Martinez and his cosmopolitan squad - with Honduras midfielder Roger Espinoza set to join in January after the end of his contract with Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City.

``Wigan always have good players, technically talented players and they're scouting countries where nobody else goes,'' the Arsenal manager said.

``They have for me an intelligent idea - they say 'if we go to France or Germany, we face Arsenal and Manchester City, so lets go to countries where nobody goes'.

``There must be a good player in every country and usually they find him. They have done that very well.

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Draws for the last 16 of the Champions League will take place in Nyon today. At this phase of the knock-out stage, which clubs would you like your club not to be paired with? Yarn!

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Manchester City v Aston Villa
Etihad Stadium
Kick-off: 16:00
TV: Highlights BBC ONE Match of the Day.
City (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Hart; Maicon, Kompany, K Toure, Kolarov; Javi Garcia, Barry; Sinclair, Y Toure, Silva; Agüero.
Out: Rodwell (hamstring), Richards (knee).
Tests: Milner (hamstring), Lescott (back), Nastasic (knee), Clichy (back), Nasri (virus).
Villa (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Stevens; Westwood, Bannan; Weimann, Ireland, Agbonlahor; Benteke.
Out: Bent (ankle), Herd (knee), Dunne (groin), N’Zogbia (knee), Bennett (leg).
Referee: Jon Moss. Matches 5, R1 Y21.

Arsenal (Possible 4-2-3-1): Szeczesny; Sagna, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen; Arteta, Wilshere; Walcott, Carzola, Podolski; Giroud/
Out: Gervinho (ankle), Diaby (thigh), Rosicky (hamstring).
Tests: Giroud (hamstring/calf), Walcott (buttock), Arteta (hip), Sagna (leg), Gibbs (thigh).

Tottenham (Possible, 4-4-1-1): Friedel; Walker, Gallas, Caulker, Vertonghen; Lennon, Sandro, Huddlestone, Bale; Dempsey; Adebayor.
Out: Dembele (hip), Parker (Achilles), Assou-Ekotto (knee), Kaboul (knee).
Tests: Defoe, Walker (both hamstring).


Referee: Howard Webb. Matches 7, R1 Y30.

Stat of the game: The last four league games between these teams at the Emirates have produced 23 goals.

Team News
Arsenal will assess the fitness of several first-team players. They include striker Olivier Giroud (hamstring/calf) and winger Theo Walcott (buttock muscle). Midfielder Mikel Arteta (hip) is another causing concern, along with full-back Bacary Sagna (leg), but goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is close to a comeback from his ankle problem and could be included in the team for the first time since September. Midfielder Jack Wilshere will be available again after suspension.

Winger Gervinho (ankle), defender Kieran Gibbs (thigh), midfielder Abou Diaby (thigh) and Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) all continue rehabilitation.

Tottenham playmaker Mousa Dembele is out with a hip injury. Aaron Lennon has recovered from a hamstring injury, and Jermain Defoe and Kyle Walker, who also had hamstring complaints, should be fit to play.

Long-term absentees Scott Parker (Achilles), Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Younes Kaboul (both knee) remain sidelined.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9677674/Arsenal-v-Tottenham-Hotspur-match-preview.html

Manchester United will seek to consolidate their position at the summit of the Premier League table this weekend with a win against struggling Aston Villa.

The Red Devils have recently come through a potentially tricky run of games domestically, claiming clinical victories over Chelsea and Arsenal.

Taking into account the team's excellent run of form, a trip to Villa Park shouldn't prove too difficult on paper.

Sir Alex Ferguson teams have had much success over the Villans since the league's inception, only losing on three previous occasions.

Aston Villa currently sit in 17th place with the club precariously balancing above the relegation zone having scored only eight goals in 10 games.

On the injury and suspension front, Nemanja Vidic, Shinji Kagawa, Phil Jones and Nani are all certain to miss out, while Chris Smalling could feature, having returned from a long spell on the sidelines midweek.

For Paul Lambert's side, Charles N'Zogbia and Richard Dunne are unlikely to feature, but Karim El Ahmadi is available to play having completed his suspension.

Arsène Wenger has made it plain that he is opposed to England's selection of Jack Wilshere for next Wednesday's friendly against Sweden and fearful of what could happen to the midfielder, as he feels his way back to full fitness after 17 months out with a foot injury. The Arsenal manager, who said that too many of the November friendlies were motivated by the desire to make money rather than by football reasons, suggested that all he could do was hope that Wilshere does not suffer a setback.

Wenger has discussed the issue with Roy Hodgson, with whom he has a good relationship, and reached a compromise with the England manager over the extent of Wilshere's involvement. The 20-year-old is expected to play for 45 minutes in Stockholm, although the Arsenal manager would rather that he did not feature at all.

Wilshere has played three matches for Arsenal since his return, completing 90 minutes for the first time in the Champions League at Schalke on Tuesday. He was sent off in his second game, at Manchester United last Saturday, and as a result he is suspended for Saturday's home game against Fulham.

Saturday marks the first Derby d’Italia of the 2012/2013 Serie A between Juventus and Inter Milan. The main storyline of the game is the fact that the arch rivals are first and second respectively, but there is much more behind this encounter than usual.

This is a battle of the best at home and away. Juve come in with five wins from five at the Juventus Stadium, the host venue, and Inter have also won all five of their matches on the road. Inter have conceded just once in an away tilt, a 3-1 victory at Bologna on October 28th. Along with that, they’ve scored eleven times. This despite media and fans saying that the Nerazzurri are suspect at the back and have much more to offer up front. While that is true, Inter look like a different team when they travel. Juventus are of course no pushovers at home. The Scudetto holders have kept their ground like the fortress it was last season, picking up wins against the likes of Napoli and Roma. Something has got to give, someone will suffer their first blemish. Also, Juventus have now gone 49 games unbeaten, dating back to May 2011. A win or draw would extend that streak to the half century mark, something that Inter will be trying desperately to avoid.

As for the match-up itself, it’s an intriguing one in terms of the potential starting XI’s. Juventus have a full squad available to them, meaning Kwadwo Asamoah, Stephan Lichtsteiner, and Giorgio Chiellini will slot back into the usual 3-5-2 system. Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal also return to the midfield after getting a rest. Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic should be the main partnership up front again, but there are rumblings in the major Italian newspapers that Fabio Quagliarella could be given yet another start, but factoring in that he played midweek, it’s unlikely. Antonio Conte will want his most in-sync players, who are Vucinic and Giovinco at this point in time. Can they show up when it matters most? For Juventus fans, they better because the strikeforce hasn’t been contributing to a lot of the goal scoring this season. It’s mainly come from midfield, so hopefully the striking duo can bag a couple

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been unable to welcome back any of his injured players ahead of his side's Barclays Premier League match against Man City.
The champions visit Upton Park knowing the Hammers will be missing Guy Demel and Matthew Taylor, with both hoping to be back in contention within two weeks.
Ricardo Vaz Te and Jack Collison are West Ham's long-term absentees.
Meanwhile, Manchester City welcome back Javi Garcia, Pablo Zabaleta and James Milner but Micah Richards has been added to the injury list.
Midfielder Garcia (thigh) and fullback Zabaleta (hamstring) have recovered from injuries while Milner returns after serving a one-match suspension against Swansea last weekend.
However, midfielders David Silva and Jack Rodwell (both hamstring) and defender Maicon (foot) are still out while Richards suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury against Swansea, although Mancini is hoping he will be fit again within a month.
Match Notes
With Ricard Vaz Te still sidelined, Sam Allardyce reckons Andy Carroll will be the key to defeating the champions.
The centre of City's defence has been their main weakness this season, and the robust Geordie represents their most significant domestic challenge so far.
The visitors do, however, have some forward muscle of their own, with Eden Dzeko expected to partner Sergio Agüero up front.
Betting: Home 19-5, Away 7-10, Draw 14-5.
Stat of the game: City have 18 goals from nine Premier League games. At this stage last season they had 33.

Chelsea comes into this game knowing it is a must-win. While Swansea is a solid squad, they are an opponent that Chelsea has to beat, especially at this stage in the season, with Manchester United and Manchester City each trailing by a mere point.

If Chelsea relinquishes their first-place position, it may be difficult to get it back, especially if they move down to third.

They will count on Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, both of whom have scored four goals in the Premier League this season, to continue leading them on offense.

But this match will come down to the two goalkeepers. Petr Cech has been outstanding for Chelsea, conceding just nine goals and saving 31 shots in his nine starts.

Last Saturday, in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Man City, Tremmel came in with about 30 minutes remaining, and he is prepared to lead Swansea over the next eight weeks.

Vorm had been spectacular, but was hurt diving to save Carlos Tevez's game-winning shot in the 61st minute.

Before seeing Chelsea on Saturday, the Swans have a Capital One Cup match against Liverpool at Anfield, so Tremmel will get a little bit of preparation.

Swansea looked stingy against Manchester City last Saturday, and will hope to build on that momentum against Liverpool, so they should come out in great form against Chelsea.

Swansea also enjoys home-field advantage against Chelsea, but I don't think that'll be enough to hold off the European champions.

The fixture marks the first opportunity for the Netherlands international to play against his former club and the Frenchman has called on the travelling support to give him a good reception.

"I hope it is a respectful reception because he has played for us for eight years, he has done very well for us. You want him to be respected," he told reporters.

"We campaign against discrimination, it was still the case last week so why should it not be the case this week?

"I don't know what the fans will do, I think he will get the reception I hope for."

The 29-year-old striker enjoyed an eight-year stay at Arsenal before moving to Manchester United for €30.5 million in August. He has scored nine goals in his first 12 games for his new club

The midfielder picked up the knock during Tuesday's 3-2 comeback Champions League win over Braga at Old Trafford.
He will miss United's Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday and their return match against Braga in Portugal.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed: "Kagawa is out for three to four weeks. Playing on Tuesday didn't help. It is disappointing."

If you didn’t look at the Group H table, you’d think Manchester United was struggling so far in the Champions League. Two rather pedestrian performances have led to some criticism for their European play, but they’ve also earned six points. They’ll look to make it a perfect nine at home to Braga on Tuesday.

Last season, in their disastrous group stage exit, the Red Devils drew Portuguese opposition at home, a 2-2 final stalemate with Benfica. United’s defensive worries may be exposed at Old Trafford.

Braga has been scoring plenty of goals domestically, and have the firepower and confidence to threaten a patchwork United back four. After a shocking 2-0 loss at home on match-day one, Braga bounced back with a win at Galatasaray. They will need something from back-to-back matches with United, but anything on the road would be seen as a bonus.

Despite Roberto Di Matteo having completed moves for the likes of Edin Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin before the transfer window slammed shut, Lucescu revealed that the Champions League winners also tried to sign Shakhtar's gifted midfield playmaker.

The Ukrainian side's manager insists that Chelsea's offer was too low and, ahead of the crucial Champions League Group E clash at the Donbass Arena on Tuesday, Lucescu has called on Willian to show Di Matteo he made a "big mistake" in not completing a deal for the 24-year-old Brazil ace.

"Willian was far away from Chelsea," Lucescu told reporters.

"They didn't even get anywhere near to our requirements, having done nothing to make my promises to Willian come true.

"Speaking specifically about the amounts, they officially offered the sum for which we had bought him young.

"I would really like them to highly appreciate his true value tomorrow and realise that they made a big mistake."

Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo insisted he had no role in negotiations to sign Willian, but did hail the former Corinthians man as a "fantastic player".

"As an assistant [at the time] I wasn't involved in those conversations but Willian is a fantastic player with good qualities," the Italian commented in his pre-match press conference.

"We have a good squad with good players and I don't know where his future is, but the way he is playing here he looks quite happy."

Lucescu also noted that Chelsea showed an interest in defender Darijo Srna during Carlo Ancelotti's reign at Stamford Bridge, while also joking he was keen for club owner Roman Abramovich to show an interest in all of his players at Shakhtar.

He concluded: "Several years ago, I had a conversation with Ancelotti, and he was interested in Srna.

"My wish is that, after tomorrow's match, Chelsea get interested in all of our players."

Arsenal travels to Norwich City for a Saturday night Premier League match between two teams at opposite ends of the table.

Norwich currently sits 19th in the EPL standings with three points while still searching for its first win of the season. Arsenal is undefeated in road games this season (2-0-2) and is looking for a win get back to the top five on the table.

These two teams are known for their exciting style of play. This match could feature a ton of goals, with the majority coming from Arsenal, currently plus-8 in goal differential. Norwich is last in the league with a minus-12.

Stoke City defender Andy Wilkinson has warned Manchester United that they should fear his side when they arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday.

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Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is refusing to treat Saturday's Premier League clash against Chelsea as a personal revenge mission.

The 35-year-old was sacked as Chelsea manager in March after less than nine months in charge and faces the Blues for the first time since replacing Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane.

But despite leaving Stamford Bridge under a cloud, Villas-Boas will not be treating the match any differently to any other league fixture.

He said: "In the end there is one thing which has been to a certain extent blown out of proportion in some ways - this is certainly not a personal matter.

"This game is not going to decide the future of both teams in the Premier League - after this game there will be 30 more games to play and both teams will have decisive matches in front of them. It counts as three points. It doesn't win us a trophy."

The former Porto manager did, however, suggest that his players may have revenge on their minds when they run out to play the European champions.

Chelsea's first ever European Cup success meant Spurs missed out on this season's Champions League despite finishing fourth in the league.

Spurs were also beaten 5-1 by their London rivals in the semi-final of last year's FA Cup and Villas-Boas feels his squad could be looking to get their own back on Saturday.

He said: "It is the team who took this club out of the Champions League, this is the team who prevented this team from playing in FA Cup final last year.

"So in the end we certainly have ingredients for it to be a spectacular match, hopefully.

"We never know how the game can develop. But certainly, a good game might hopefully give us a chance to go nearer the top, which is what we want."

Mourinho stated after the Clasico that both players were from another planet, but he is now having second thoughts about his previous statement, and believes his compatriot is well ahead of the Argentine forward.

"It would be a crime if Cristiano didn't win the Ballon d'Or. If Messi is the best in the world, it's only because Cristiano is from another planet," Mourinho stated to A Bola.

"He wasn't born on Madeira, but on Mars. So he's not from planet Earth. That's why he's the best player in the universe.

"If Cristiano does not win it this year, it has to do with his image. He doesn't sell himself well and isn't always a nice guy."

The flamboyant coach then voiced his opinion that it is more difficult for Cristiano Ronaldo to excel than it is for Lionel Messi as he has not been surrounded by the same team-mates for years.

"Things are much harder for Cristiano than they are for Messi. Messi grew up with his current team and team-mates," he added.

"Cristiano, on the other hand, came here from England and arrived at a struggling team. He has had to develop in a team that wasn't the finished article yet."

Soccer is a very physical sport and some try to abuse that fact by diving. In your opinion who is the worst of them all. Lets name names. Yarn!

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Billed before the game as a "must-win" encounter by manager Roberto Mancini, the side managed to walk away with a point after a last-gasp penalty from Mario Balotelli levelled the scores, but Rooney believes there was only one reason why the game wasn't out of sight by that point, with Hart on top form throughout.

"Have to say Joe Hart has been incredible. For me best keeper in the world," Rooney tweet

After losing their first group game 3-2 away from home against Real Madrid, picking up a positive result was required to keep the team in touching distance of both the Spanish champions and Jurgen Klopp's side, and Mancini was equally as effusive in his praise of the goalkeeper's performance.

"Joe Hart saved us from an incredible defeat," Mancini told reporters.

"He saved everything, so I should say thank you to him.

"He gave a fantastic performance. I don't know if it is the best performance in football history, but he did very well."

Manchester City currently sit third in the group now on just the one point from their opening two games, behind both Real Madrid on six and Borussia Dortmund on four, but they now face Dutch outfit Ajax in their next two fixtures.

If not Joe Hart, name your world best goalkeeper? Yarn!

Porto are likely to recall winger Silvestre Varela in place of Christian Atsu for Wednesday's visit of Paris St Germain in the Champions League.

Centre-back Rolando is available for selection as he has completed a one-match European suspension picked up in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in last season's Europa League.

Otherwise, Porto manager Vitor Pereira has no new injury or suspension concerns.

PSG are boosted by the return of forward Ezequiel Lavezzi and defensive midfielder Clement Chantome for the trip to Portugal.

Chantome served a suspension in the 2-0 win over Sochaux at the weekend, whilst Lavezzi returns after injury.

Winger Jeremy Menez may also make the starting line-up after he was rested for their last domestic encounter.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants his side to make amends for Saturday's defeat to Chelsea when the Gunners take on Olympiacos in the Champions League tomorrow.

The north Londoners saw a successful start to the season abruptly halted at the weekend as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal sit seven points shy of the Barclays Premier League leaders as a result, but attention now turns to their Champions League campaign.

Wenger's side takes on the Greek champions tomorrow and the Frenchman wants to see an improved performance in the Group B encounter.

``The players are focused and disappointed that we lost the game,'' the Arsenal manager said.

``They are still down of course, but we have a Champions League game in front of us at home and we want to put things right.

``It is about how we respond. I am impressed by the mentality of my team, but the mentality is as well about how you respond to disappointment.

``I am confident we will, but that is what we want to show tomorrow.''

Arsenal will be hoping to make it two wins from two Group B games tomorrow, having returned from Montpellier with three points on matchday one.

Olympiacos lost their opener at home to Schalke and Wenger knows tomorrow's clash at the Emirates provides a chance to take a stranglehold on the group.

``Olympiacos are already in a position where their backs are to the wall because they have lost at home and in this Champions League when you lose at home it is very difficult,'' the Frenchman said.

``They are highly motivated to know they have to give everything to make it through. They are experienced and basically it is the same team (as it was) at the back of last season.

``I think they had a difficult start against Marseille and after became stronger and stronger through the competition last year.

``It looks similar this year, they had a difficult start at home against Schalke and if you analyse their team it is 90% the same as last season.''

Wenger, who is still serving a three-game touchline ban, will have to do without several key players tomorrow night.

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is still three weeks from a return from an ankle injury, while midfielder Tomas Rosicky and right-back Bacary Sagna remain sidelined.

Playmaker Mikel Arteta faces a fitness test on an ankle injury, while midfielder Abou Diaby is out with a thigh strain that forced him off against Chelsea.

Olympiacos will have to do without talisman Rafik Djebbour for tomorrow's trip.

The Algeria international was rested for Saturday's 1-0 league win at Atromitos but has failed to recover from a thigh injury in time for the match.

Djebbour is joined on the sidelines by Ljubomir Fejsa, Vassilis Torossidis and Tassos Papazoglou, while Francois Modesto faces a late fitness test.

``Our aim is to perform well,'' Olympiacos coach Leonardo Jardim said.

``We are not the favourites in this match, yet in football you never know what can happen.''


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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini feels his team must improve quickly if they are to qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds - but believes they do have it in them to go on and win the competition.

City, beaten 3-2 by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in their Group D opener last month, are looking to get their European season kick-started tomorrow when they take on German champions Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium.

With Dortmund having begun with a 1-0 win over Ajax, the pressure is on the Blues to secure all three points if they are to avoid a repeat of their maiden Champions League campaign last term, which ended in failure to qualify from another difficult group.

While acknowledging the club are relatively inexperienced at this level, Mancini accepts there is a considerable weight of expectation on City to make major strides on the European stage, and has stressed the importance of his players cutting out the kind of mistakes he felt allowed Real to snatch victory against them.

The Italian is optimistic, though, that if City do manage to up their game and make it beyond the group stage, there is no reason why they cannot then go all the way.

``This is the second year for us in the Champions League and the second year that we got the worst group,'' Mancini said.

``Like we have improved (over the years) in the Premier League, we need time to improve in the Champions League, but we don't have a lot of time - only five more games, and we need to improve quickly.

``We need to not concede easy goals to drop points like we did against Real Madrid. If we want to go through, we need to improve very quickly.''

Asked if he felt he was still learning about Champions League football on a personal level, Mancini said: ``I don't need to learn.

``The Champions League is a difficult competition, but football is the same. It doesn't change - it is still 11 players against 11.

``The problem is that you are always playing against the best team from another country and every game is difficult.

``I hope I can improve my record in the Champions League, and I think we have arrived at the time where we can win the Champions League.''

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, feels his team have taken valuable lessons from their experiences in the tournament last season and has made it clear they are looking to get something out of tomorrow's clash.

Dortmund returned to the competition last term for the first time in eight years, but had a disappointing time of it, finishing bottom of their group after suffering four defeats in their six games.

The German outfit are back again in 2012-13 after securing a second successive Bundesliga title under Klopp, who feels they are wiser for their experiences in Europe of a year ago.

So far this time out they have made a positive start in Group D by beating Dutch league winners Ajax 1-0 at home, and while the 45-year-old is expecting tomorrow's assignment to be a tough one, he is optimistic Dortmund can emerge from it with a positive result.

Asked if he felt his side were getting used to the Champions League, Klopp said: ``We have taken a step forward and we have learned a lot from defeats in past Champions League campaigns.

``Tomorrow will be a different question. But at the end of the day, we have come here to get something out of the game.

``We are fully focused, we want to get a result tomorrow night and that is what we will be playing for.''


http://espnfc.com/en/preview/355664/preview.html?soccernet=true&cc=3888

Jose Mourinho has stated that he plans to return to English football - but not as Manchester United manager - as he hopes to go toe to toe with his old foe, Sir Alex Ferguson, one more time.

Real Madrid boss Mourinho has long been touted as the favourite to replace Ferguson when he eventually steps down at Old Trafford.

And the 'Only One' has always made it clear he has unfinished business in England, following his spell at Chelsea, and plans to make it the destination of his next assignment.

However, the former Porto and Inter Milan manager has revealed he wants to make his English comeback anywhere but United, as he hopes Ferguson will still be around at the club for his return.

"I think football will lose a lot when he stops," he told CNN. "For me, he's the boss. I call him the boss because he's the boss of the coaches and I hope that when I go back to English football he still manages Man United.''

Despite Tottenham having not tasted victory against United since May 2001, Vertonghen claims that the north London club are riding high after picking up their first two wins of the season against Reading away and QPR at home, and the subsquent confidence will put them in good stead for Saturday's clash.

Former Germany coach Berti Vogts has criticised Lukas Podolski's attitude for the national team and his former club Koln, but says the striker's professionalism will improve at Arsenal.
The Mannschaft international has scored three goals in six appearances for the Gunners following his summer move from the Bundesliga, helping the north London side remain unbeaten in the Premier League so far.

However, Azerbaijan manager Vogts believes the 27-year-old still has weaknesses which must be ironed out by Arsene Wenger, such as his work-rate.

Regarding Germany's Euro 2012 exit at the hands of Italy, Vogts said: "It is always the defence that gets criticised. But the defence starts with Podolski. When he loses the ball he must start running back once in a while.

"Now at Arsenal, he has a manager under whom he has to work really hard in training. Now he gets educated as a professional."

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The 31-year-old defender is set to begin a personal hearing on Monday to deny that he used "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" against Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League match against QPR last October.

Terry has been cleared of racially abusing the R’s man at Westminster Magistrates' Court in July, and cites the governing body’s independent panel as the main focus of his decision.

"I feel The FA have made my position with the national team untenable," Terry said in a statement.

"Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour.

"I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision. I wish Roy and the team every success for the future.

"I would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78 caps.

"I have had great pleasure in sharing that honour with all the players that I've played with.

"I would like to thank them, the fans and my family for their support and encouragement during my international career."

The Brazil striker is continually being linked with a move away from his current club, with clubs such as the Blaugrana, Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly keeping tabs on his situation.

In the eyes of the AC Milan forward, the Catalan giants would serve as the best option for Neymar if he wants to become the best player in the world.

"It will be very difficult for Neymar to become the best player in the world in the Brazilian league. That's why he should make the move to La Liga," Robinho was quoted as saying by Lancenet.

"If he decides to leave Santos and he has the choice to join Real Madrid or Barcelona, I would advise him to pick Barca.

"Barcelona are a great club and Brazilians have always done well there."

Photographs of Chelsea players kissing the Champions League trophy inevitably plaster the walls around Stamford Bridge after their memorable victory in Munich last May. Yet it is not only the décor but also the dressing room that has changed with the London club’s penalty-shootout triumph.

The Italian is determined to repeat the feat this term but, when quizzed on what the European win meant to him, insisted it was not on his mind.
He told reporters: "When you are at a big club like Chelsea, there is always pressure to win trophies and bring more success.
"Everybody was pleased we finally brought the Champions League trophy to Stamford Bridge but now we have to look forward now, that's in the past."

Various stumbling blocks lie in Chelsea's path to European success, starting with Juventus Today and their star man Andrea Pirlo.

John Obi Mikel admits Chelsea were ``kind of lucky'' to win the Champions League but insists they now have a team capable of historic back-to-back triumphs.

The Blues kick off the defence of their European crown tomorrow night, with many still pinching themselves at the manner in which they finally ended their agonising wait for club football's biggest prize.

Chelsea's astonishing run has led some to dismiss their triumph as being down to nothing more than blind luck, with Liverpool legend Graeme Souness declaring: ``Nobody in the history of football has ever had that much luck.''

Mikel, who was crucial to their success after playing every minute from the quarter-finals onwards, said this afternoon: ``When people say that, sometimes it's actually not true.

``I think we worked very hard for what we achieved last season.

``But, at the same time, you need luck in everything you do.

``So, yeah, we were kind of lucky but, this season, it's a different story altogether.

``We brought in new players that are going to help us in this campaign.

``So, hopefully this season, we can play good football and win games.

``And hopefully, we can go very, very far in this tournament - hopefully get to the final again.''

His manager Roberto Di Matteo, whose appointment as caretaker was the catalyst for a sensational turnaround in Chelsea's fortunes back in March, disagrees about the role of luck.

``They said the same about many other managers when they won,'' he said.

``You need to deserve everything you get, and I think we worked very hard for it. We prepared ourselves very well against our opposition.

``It can't just be that [luck].''

However, Juventus are using Chelsea's success as their inspiration.

Juve will be playing in Europe's premier club competition for the first time since 2009, and it will be only their third Champions League campaign in seven seasons.

The Turin giants used to take a place in the competition for granted until the Italian match-fixing scandal consigned them to the wilderness.

But they arrived in London today on an incredible 42-game unbeaten run in Serie A, having not lost a single match on their way to last season's title.

And goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon insisted his team-mates had already proven they were big game players for both club and country.

The Italy star said: ``Before Chelsea won the Champions League, in the previous years, they were always the team to beat and they always failed.

``And then, when they started struggling, when they were in a declining phase, that's when they actually won the Champions League.

``What's beautiful about football is that it's not always the team that's considered the stronger one that's actually going to win.''

The 34-year-old, who has seen it all at Juve since joining them 11 years ago, added: ``Obviously, we're an emerging team at the moment.

``We've got many young players but they're all coming up strongly.

``It's a team that's got a great future and, regardless of the fact that you definitely need experience in the Champions League, we also take into consideration that many of our players have also played international games with their national squad and they've got experience, confidence.,

``I think you can probably put on the same level playing international games with playing in the Champions League.''

``So, in that respect, we think we're at a very good point at the moment.''

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The Champion League action is hours away from kicking off. This season's campaign is bound to be filled with hard tackle, great goals, dramas, tears, disappointments, joys and all. So let start early and predict the team you think will carry it this 2012/2013 campaign. Yarn!

Before the game, Mourinho had claimed he was more worried by his side's faltering form than by Cristiano Ronaldo's well-documented sadness. And on this evidence, he had every reason to be. One win, one draw and two losses in La Liga so far represents his worst-ever start to a season as a coach and, to make matters worse, Madrid are already eight points behind Barcelona.

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The 25-year-old striker is determined to impress new manager Brendan Rodgers and build upon the one goal he has scored so far this season - and is hoping the Reds leave the Stadium of Light on Saturday with their first win of the season.

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