Australia captain Mile Jedinak says complacency is a dirty word as the Socceroos focus on two World Cup qualifiers, starting with Thursday s clash with Tajikistan in Adelaide.
Ange Postecoglou s side are on track to seal their spot in the next stage of qualifying for Russia 2018 ahead of their final two qualifiers.
Most expect the final group game against second-placed Jordan in Sydney on March 29 to be decisive in determining who finishes first.
Jordan, now coached by former Tottenham and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, are two points behind the Socceroos.
But focusing on Jordan would mean the Socceroos would overlook the first hurdle, which is Tajikistan, something Jedinak says simply cannot happen.
The fact we haven t had a game in such a l…
Lucas Leiva is confident Liverpool have what it takes to see off Augsburg and reach the Europa League round of 16.
Jurgen Klopp s side claimed a 0-0 draw in the last week s first leg in Germany, making them favourites to settle the last-32 tie at Anfield on Thursday.
And Lucas feels Liverpool are well placed to advance to the next round for the first time since 2010-11, despite the threat of the away goal.
It s an opportunity to go to the next round in a tournament we want to go as far as possible in. It s a European tournament and they should always be taken really seriously, the Brazilian told Liverpool s official website.
Always when you don t concede away from home, it s good. It s in our hands in front of our fans. We have to approach it with con…
Juan Carlos Osorio thinks his Mexico team will face a different beast to the Germany that thrashed them at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Sunday s World Cup Group F opener.
Joachim Low s experimental side swept to glory in the intercontinental tournament in Russia a year ago, with the fact 13 of that victorious squad have been named for Die Mannschaft s World Cup defence coming as a resounding endorsement.
But the return of seasoned stars such as Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil has changed the dynamic in Osorio s opinion, with the patient possession approach of Brazil 2014 returning in favour of the eviscerating transitions that set up a storming 4-1 win over El Tri in Sochi a year ago.
In our opinion this German national team is a very di…
AC Milan midfielder Andrea Bertolacci has returned to former club Genoa on loan.
Genoa confirmed they have sealed a deal to sign Bertolacci on Saturday in what is thought to be a season-long deal, although the length of the agreement was not officially specified.
The 26-year-old has spent two seasons with Milan since joining from Genoa in a €20million deal in 2015.
However, Bertolacci struggled for form and fitness in 2016-17, making only nine Serie A starts under Vincenzo Montella in a total of 15 top-flight appearances, having featured 27 times in his debut season, with 21 starts.
Bertolacci now gets the chance to revive his career at Genoa, with whom he played from 2012 until 2015 as part of a co-ownership deal with Roma.
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Verdict: France win
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Two sides who endured very different levels of success at this summers World Cup, Didier Deschamp s newly crowned World Champions will look to start where they left off when they travel to the Allianz Arena on Thursday. Up against a Germany side with their confidence at an all-time low, this will be an incredibly tough test for Joachim Löw s side.
Germany
Starting with the hosts, although Germany traveled to Russia as the defending champions, Joachim Löw s side were drastically short of form. Eventually finishing bottom of Group F, Germany s problems were epitomized by their 2-0 loss to South Korea in their final outing. Only managing to pick up three points out of a possible nine, The Whites are endurin…
have been impressed by the form of Sparta Prague s Vyacheslav Karavaev and are considering a £2.5 million bid for the Russian fullback, according to the .
The right-sided defender had a successful first season at Sparta Prague, bagging four goals and 10 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions. Despite only being 22 years of age the fullback has already played in the Europa League and Champions League, as well as being part of the 2013-14 Russian Premier League-winning CSKA Moscow side.
West Brom is the potential destination for the Russian defender and the Baggies would welcome the fresh-faced youngster. Tony Pulis side have a reputation for being a formidable defensive unit, though they are without a win in their last six games in all competitions.
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Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham says he has not decided on his international future as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his latest England squad.
Southgate will reveal his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria on Thursday.
The in-form Abraham would not look out of place after marking his 22nd birthday with an eighth goal of the season in Chelsea s 2-1 victory at Lille in the Champions League.
Abraham won two England caps in a pair of friendlies in November 2017 but remains eligible for a change of allegiance to Nigeria.
It is always a privilege to be wanted by both nations, Abraham told the BBC.
I love both nations and for me I am clearly doing something right for Chelsea.
My time will come…
They were tipped for an embarrassing group-stage exit on home soil but Russia have defied the odds to reach the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
The lowest ranked team in the showpiece tournament, there were widespread fears Russia would bow out with barely a whimper, having failed to win a match at Euro 2016 and the 2014 World Cup.
Russia also failed to impress during last year s Confederations Cup, sparking serious concerns about the quality of the national team.
We won t have new players tomorrow. This is our main team, then-deputy prime minister and current Russian Football Union president Vitaly Mutko said at the time of the warm-up tournament via R-Sport news agency. Aliens aren t going to fly in to play for Russia.
Тренировка на…
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has been unable to make a final decision on a new date for the postponed Clasico clash originally set for October 26 due to new input from LaLiga.
RFEF confirmed the postponement of the match last Friday following political unrest in Catalonia.
Violent scenes have broken out in Barcelona after nine Catalan political leaders received long prison sentences for their roles in the region s 2017 referendum and subsequent declaration of independence last Monday.
A rally in Barcelona has been called by pro-independence politicians for October 26, ultimately resulting in El Clasico s postponement for security reasons.
RFEF left Barca and Madrid to agree a date between themselves and they mutually accepted to reschedule…
1958. That was the last time that Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. At least, until Monday evening. Certainly, November 13, 2017 will go down as one of the darkest days in Azzurri history, and the image of a heart-broken Gianluigi Buffon will be long seared in the memories of millions of fans around the world.
Next year s World Cup will truly be interesting, as Italy now join notable sides like Chile and the United States who will not feature. Chile, arguably, were dealt a hard blow from the outset as the difficulty of South America s qualifying system always means the huge likelihood that someone will have to remain at home. The USMNT s failure to qualify for their first World Cup since 1986 after losing to Trinidad and Tobago was greeted by shock, anger, and dismay…