Ventura ready for Romagnoli ´gamble´ to stop Spain

Italy head coach Giampiero Ventura is willing to embrace the gamble of starting Alessio Romagnoli against Spain on Thursday.

The 2010 world champions face the Azzurri at Juventus Stadium in their second qualifying match for the World Cup finals in Russia.

Italy triumphed 2-0 when the sides met in the last 16 at Euro 2016, but experienced defender Giorgio Chiellini who scored the opener on that day in Paris is suspended for Thursday s encounter.

Romagnoli, 21, missed AC Milan s dramatic 4-3 Serie A win over Sassuolo on Sunday with a minor injury complaint, but Ventura is prepared to hand him his senior Italy debut from the start in Turin.

If Romagnoli plays, it will be just one small step towards the future, he said on Wednesday.  He s a young player wit…

John Arne Riise moves to Cyprus

Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia have announced the signing of former Liverpool full-back John Arne Riise on their official website.

The Norway international arrives at the club as a free agent with his deal at Craven Cottage having expired back in May.

Riise has signed a two-year deal with the Cypriot champions, who will face Barcelona, Ajax and Paris Saint Germain in Champions League Group F.

The 33-year-old began his career at Aalesund and went on spend four years at Monaco before signing for Liverpool in 2001.

Riise enjoyed a great deal of success during his time at Anfield, making 234 Premier League appearances and scoring 49, while helping the Reds win the 2004/2005 Champions League trophy.

The Norwegian footballer left Liverpool in the summer o…

Inter Milan set sights on Bernard

Shakhtar Donetsk winger Bernanrd has emerged as a transfer target for Serie A giants Inter Milan.

The Brazilian hot-shot is out of contract at the end of the current season and as a free agent fits perfectly into Inter Milan’s plans for next summer.

Nerazzurri are under pressure to meet the strict Financial Fair Play regulations and are likely to base their entire summer transfer strategy on free agents.

Highly rated Brazilian winger Bernard is definitely one of the players Inter Milan are looking at. Bernard’s agent Adriano Spadoto has welcomed the interest from one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

“Bernard is a player who is ready to play in any European league. It’s always good that there’s interest in him but we’re deciding his future at the m…

Mourinho rejects ´best coach in the world´ tag

Yuriy Vernydub may believe Jose Mourinho is the best coach in the world, but the Manchester United manager is not convinced.

The Zorya head coach was full of praise for his opposite number ahead of Thursday s Europa League clash in Odessa, United needing a draw to secure their progression.

Vernydub admitted his side were nervous ahead of their first meeting with the Premier League side which finished 1-0 to United something he hopes to avoid in matchday six.

Facing Mourinho was an honour for the 50-year-old, Vernydub describing the Portuguese as a great coach and someone he is desperate to learn from.

Mourinho who was named FIFA Coach of the Year in 2010 was flattered when learning of  Vernydub s comments but insisted he was far from the world s best.

´I´m blessed with golden genes´ – Adebayor insists he is ready for new Premier League chance

Emmanuel Adebayor insists that his golden genes mean he can cope comfortably with being given another chance in the Premier League.

The striker has been without a club since he was released by Crystal Palace last June and was most recently linked with Lyon, although no deal with the Ligue 1 club materialised.

Adebayor has nonetheless impressed at the Africa Cup of Nations with Togo, who will qualify for the quarter-finals if they defeat DR Congo on Tuesday.

And the former Arsenal man, who turns 33 next month, hopes that his performances can convince any would-be suitors in England that he still has plenty to offer.

I am confident that I can still play at that level, he said, as quoted by FIFA.com.  I am blessed with golden genes. Physically, I would ce…

Olivier Giroud leaves Chelsea for Milan

Olivier Giroud has joined Milan in a reported €2million (£1.7m) deal from Chelsea.

Giroud has signed a contract with the Rossoneri – said to be for two years – after they met the modest release clause in his contract.

Chelsea triggered a one-year extension for Giroud last season, which meant a free transfer was not possible, but there were otherwise few obstacles to block the move.

While Giroud was rarely a first-choice option at Chelsea following his arrival from Arsenal in January 2018. He found starts particularly hard to come by following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.

After the German replaced Frank Lampard in late January, Giroud made only three Premier League starts, none of which came after February 28.

Previously, under Lampar…

Japan 1 Qatar 3: Ali leads Sanchez´s men to maiden Asian Cup title

Almoez Ali made history as Qatar triumphed against Japan to claim their first Asian Cup title with a 3-1 final win on Friday.

Tournament top-scorer Ali took his tally to a record-breaking nine goals with a sublime overhead kick before Abdelaziz Hatim then curled in a brilliant second before half-time.

Japan dominated possession after the break yet took their time to forge a response, with Qatar who had kept six clean sheets en route to the final finally conceding when Takumi Minamino scored in the 69th minute.

Felix Sanchez s men would not be denied, though, and Akram Hassan Afif punished Maya Yoshida s handball with a coolly taken penalty to clinch the 2022 World Cup hosts maiden triumph.

Ali took just 12 minutes to light up the final, controlling A…

Wilfried Zaha happy at Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha could be one of the most in-demand Premier League players this summer, as reportedly Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham are all eying a move for the Ivory Coast international.

However, it seems he may be set to disappoint his potential suitors by staying with the Eagles for next season. quote Zaha as saying: I have no plans on leaving,

I m enjoying my football, you can see how much I m enjoying it. This is my home and there s no reason for me to leave.

Is maturing into a fine player

Wilfried Zaha has always been one of those frustrating players who have big talent but can never seem to find consistency. However, despite injury problems, Zaha has found a new level of consistency in the past few seasons.

This se…

Ireland 1-1 Serbia: Three things as late Milenkovic own-goal cancels out Milinkovic-Savic opener to give Ireland a point

The Republic of Ireland and Serbia shared the spoils in what was the fifth match of the 2022 World Cup Qualifications in Group A for both sides at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic gave the visitors the lead in the 20th minute with a fine header from a corner taken by Ajax winger Dusan Tadic, but an unfortunate own-goal from Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic set the score back level with just three minutes left on the clock.

Missed opportunity for Serbia

Having topped the table going into the matchday, Serbia went out in search of a win in Dublin with coach Dragan Stojkovic picking a very attack-minded lineup. Fulham s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fiorentina s Dusan Vlahovic led the line upfront, supported by Milinkovic-Savic and Tadic from j…

Milner sick of second and ´desperate´ to taste glory for Liverpool

James Milner believes Liverpool should have won more trophies in recent years and is desperate to ditch the Reds reputation of being nearly men.

The England international lifted two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup and an EFL Cup during his five seasons at Manchester City but has failed to add to his medal collection since joining the Reds in June 2015.

Now in his fourth season with Liverpool, Milner has been on the losing side of three cup finals and his best Premier League finish in a Reds jersey is fourth.

Jurgen Klopp s side sit second, one point behind Milner s former club City, and will almost certainly improve on recent league campaigns – but that is not enough for Milner.

You know, it s been so long since we won a league title, Milner told UK newsp…