Gianluigi Buffon believes the most determined team will win when Juventus face a rematch with Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Friday s draw produced a repeat of last year s final, which Madrid won 4-1 in Cardiff despite Mario Mandzukic s wondergoal.
Juve have lost two of the last three Champions League finals, having been beaten by Madrid s LaLiga rivals Barcelona in Berlin in 2015, with Buffon yet to win the competition in his illustrious career.
But 40-year-old goalkeeper Buffon is typically philosophical about his side s chances of progressing to the last four, with Juve hosting the first leg on April 3.
Alcune volte abbiamo vinto noi, altre volte abbiamo perso. La verità è che quando si perde con determinate squadre, composte da …
Andrea Pirlo cited the 2-0 loss to Inter in January as a turning point for in-form Juventus as they prepare to face Antonio Conte s side once again, this time in the Coppa Italia.
Arturo Vidal and Nicolo Barella scored the goals as Inter deservedly triumphed at San Siro last month, the defeat inflicting further damage on the reigning champions in their bid for a 10th straight Serie A title.
However, since that setback in Milan, Juve have won four games in a row without conceding. That run includes lifting the Supercoppa Italiana at the expense of Napoli, as well as a Coppa Italia quarter-final success over second-tier SPAL.
Next up in the competition is a two-legged tie with Inter and, having been second best in the previous meeting, Pi…
Trepidation has been a common feeling among Manchester City fans when it comes to the adaptation of new signings under Pep Guardiola.
That s not necessarily down to doubts over the players generally, or Guardiola, but rather how those two factors will come together.
After all, it s been noted for a while now just how common it seems to be for Guardiola s signings to perhaps underwhelm in their first season at City, only to then kick on and really make an impact in their second season.
While it s hardly an exact science, numerous players fit into that category; Riyad Mahrez, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva are certainly among them, and there s even a case to be made that Ferran Torres could qualify given he s made a solid start to 2021-22 after an up-and-down 2020…
Barcelona full-back Dani Alves has praised the resilience of Sevilla after his side had to come from behind to win 2-1 on Saturday.
Barcelona full-back Dani Alves has praised the resilience of Sevilla after his side had to come from behind to win 2-1 on Saturday.
David Villa and Lionel Messi both scored following Alberto Botia s first-half strike for the visitors, as Barca extended their lead at the top of La Liga to 15 points over Atletico Madrid, who play on Sunday.
Speaking after the game, Alves said he was satisfied with Barcelona s reaction to going behind and also praised the visitors resolve.
It was a strange match especially because of how cold it was, but in the end we managed to win, the 29-year-old Brazilian told Mundo Deportivo.
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Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal s Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still…
Kwesi Appiah has been appointed as Ghana head coach for a second time.
The 56-year-old was handed a two-year contract with the Black Stars on Tuesday ahead of returning to the job from May 1.
Appiah originally led Ghana between April 2012 and September 2014, finishing fourth at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil before crashing out in the group stage.
The Black Stars had been without a permanent coach since Avram Grant departed in the aftermath of another fourth-placed finish at AFCON, with Maxwell Konadu stepping in as caretaker.
Ghana are currently five points off the pace in Group E of the CAF section of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
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Portuguese media outlet that Nicolas Gaitan is set to sign a contract extension with Benfica.
Even though his current deal is not due to expire before June 2018, the Eagles were determined to tie the Argentine winger to a new contract due to the heavy interest in his services.
And it would appear they have managed to persuade Gaitan that his future lies at Estadio da Luz as A Bola claims a new contract until 2019 has been agreed.
What is more, the player s release clause will be increased from €35 million to €45 million, which is definitely bad news for his suitors.
Nicolas Gaitan long ago developed into a key member of the squad at Benfica and he has been earning rave reviews for his performances of late.
The 27-year-old has managed a total…
Manchester City are interested in signing Nathan Ake from Bournemouth in January, according to . They will, however, be forced to go head-to-head with Chelsea for his services, and the centre-back s contract apparently puts the London club at a favorable position.
Having had him on loan for the first half f 2016/17, Bournemouth signed him from Chelsea on a permanent basis at the end of the season, but the Blues have had a buy-back clause inserted in the deal, which gives them the right of first refusal. It practically means that to get the deal over the line, City will have to pay an amount Chelsea aren t willing to match.
Ake has arguably been the Cherries best player for a while now, and he would certainly come in handy at the Etihad with City boss Pep Guardiola serio…
Sevilla captain Vicente Iborra has concluded his move to Leicester City, signing a four-year contract with the Premier League club.
The clubs announced they had agreed a fee for the 29-year-old midfielder on Tuesday, reported to be in the region of £12.5million.
An imposing presence, Iborra joined Sevilla from Levante in 2013 and made 172 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 30 times and lifting the Europa League on three occasions.
He is Leicester s second signing of pre-season following centre-back Harry Maguire s arrival from Hull City.
‘Ibo’ has penned a four-year deal at King Power Stadium and becomes ’s second signing of the summer!
— Leicester City (@LCFC)
I m very happy to be here with Leicester C…
Bayern Munich battled back to claim a 3-3 draw against Arminia Bielefeld in a storm-laden Bundesliga thriller.
Greeted by heavy snow on their return from Club World Cup glory, Bayern were caught cold by their relegation-threatened opponents as debutant Michel Vlap and Amos Pieper stunningly gave Arminia a 2-0 half-time lead.
Robert Lewandowski scored his 25th Bundesliga goal of the season in sumptuous fashion three minutes into the second period, although substitute Christian Gebauer swiftly replied for Uwe Neuhaus men.
Corentin Tolisso and Alphonso Davies continued the flow of easy-on-the-eye goals, but Bayern could not find a winner.
Manuel Prietl reacted quickest when Cedric Brunner s ninth-minute long throw was partially cleared and�…