Gago among three Argentina inclusions

Fenerbahce join race for Sneijder

A report in Turkish newspaper that Fenerbahce are preparing a January assault on Inter star Wesley Sneijder.

The highly rated midfielder has been dropped from the squad after refusing to accept a pay cut and is almost certain to leave Giuseppe Meazza in January.

AC Milan and few other high-profile clubs are believed to be interested, but Fenerbahce have also joined the race for the experienced midfielder.

After signing Raul Meireles in the summer, the Turkish giants are eager to add another star player in the winter transfer window.

They have been closely following Kaka and Bafetimbi Gomis, but have now switched their attention towards Sneijder.

The Netherlands international is still held in high regard …

Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti wants referee Nicola Rizzoli to handle their game with Napoli on Sunday better than he did last season.

Napoli defeated Inter 3-0 at San Siro in October 2011 in game in which Joel Obi was sent off in the first half. In addition to this, there were a number of other decisions by the official which were disputed by the hosts.

Zanetti hopes Rizzoli s calls will not influence the game this time around.

Last time there were some refereeing mistakes that decided the match, so I hope that Nicola Rizzoli will do better this time around, the Argentine told Inter TV.

We are well prepared for this game and fully understand that Napoli are more than just Edinson Cavani.

It will be a top clash and a very spectacular encou…

New Chelsea boss Luis Scolari has reportedly set his eye on German sensation Bastian Schweinsteiger. According to the Daily Star, the Blues are preparing a £10 million bid.

The article also reports that Manchester United could join the battle for the 23 year old Bayern Munich winger – if they lose Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

Schweinsteiger, gave one of the best individual performances of Euro 2008 in the quarter-final against Portugal, who were at the time, managed by Scolari. He was instrumental in dismantling the Portuguese defense creating two goals and scoring one in Germany’s 3-2 win.

Scolari was wowed by the German and at times couldn’t take his eyes off him. Moreover the player added fuel to…

Three European places and the relegation fates of two sides will be decided on a tense final day in La Liga.

Following their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday, Europa League champions Atletico Madrid now have their eye on a much bigger prize Champions League football.

With league champions Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia sealing the other three berths, Atletico will battle Malaga and Levante for Spain s fourth and final Champions League place.

Despite two-straight defeats Malaga (55 points) remain in prime position, with a win over all-but relegated Sporting Gijon required for them to seal the final spot.

Atletico (53) face a tricky trip to Villarreal (who must also win to ensure they are not relegated) and like Levante, will be hoping Malaga…

Bordeaux have been cleared to remain in Ligue 2 just three days before they are due to start the season.

The club were facing the prospect of dropping into the third tier of French football due to financial irregularities.

Les Girondins were relegated after finishing bottom of Ligue 1 last season and were last month told they would be in the Championnat National for the 2022-23 campaign following a DNCG (National Directorate of Management Control) investigation of their finances.

The six-time champions of France, who reportedly have debts close to €40million, immediately announced their intention to appeal, but the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed their sanctions will stand this month.

There was good news for Bordeaux on Wednesday, tho…

Robert Lewandowski has hailed Lionel Messi as one of football s greats, suggesting it could be another century before a player of his quality comes along again.

Lewandowski led Bayern Munich to a domestic and European treble last term, scoring a remarkable 55 goals across all competitions.

The 32-year-old has picked up where he left off this season, with 15 goals from 14 appearances ahead of Saturday s Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig.

Lewandowski scored one and set up another as Bayern trashed Messi s Barcelona 8-2 en route to their Champions League triumph in August, a result which contributed to the Blaugrana s talisman asking to leave Camp Nou.

Messi did not get his wish, however, and ultimately agreed to stay on and see out the final year of his cont…

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is prepared for an uncomfortable Champions League final against Atletico Madrid and their coach Diego Simeone, for whom he has special affection .

Madrid closed out a 1-0 win over Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday to join their local rivals in the final in Milan later this month.

Simeone has previously stated he would be happy to have Spain centre-back Ramos in his defensively obdurate team and the admiration is mutual.

I am happy to say I wish the best to El Cholo [Simeone], who wants a Ramos in his team, the 30-year-old told reporters.

In the end, we are rivals but I have a special affection for him.

The San Siro clash will be a repeat of the 2014 final, where Madrid claimed their 10th Eur…

Nemanja Matic on the fringes / Image via skysports.com

It has been a challenging season for the Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic, who struggled to find his pace throughout the campaign.

Not only did he suffer at club level, but the 27-year-old enforcer also saw out a disastrous Euro 2016 qualification process, during which normally quiet and silent Nemanja Matic hit out at his teammates’ commitment and desire.

Change of fortune

Matic was one of Chelsea’s key men during the last season when Blues won the Premier League title, but his sudden demise was to some extent interpreted as one of the key reasons for Chelsea’s struggles during the ongoing campaign.

Jose Mourinho kept picking the out-of-form midfielder hoping that Matic will get back t…

Midfielder Orlando Engelaar is set to miss another two international matches with the Netherlands as result of a knee injury.

Engelaar, who recently left FC Twente to sign with Schalke 04 in Germany, suffered the injury in the first leg of the Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid two weeks ago.

The player, who formed part of the Dutch team at Euro 2008, also missed Holland s previous friendly versus Russia last week.

Engelaar did appear in training today but the injury turned out to be too serious.

The Dutch team plays another friendly with Australia on September 6th, followed by their first World Cup qualifier versus FYR Macedonia four days later.

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Ben Davies will not feature for Wales in their Euro 2024 qualifier against Turkey.

The Football Association of Wales announced the Tottenham defender has stayed at home for the birth of his first child.

Kieffer Moore is also absent for Rob Page’s side after being sent off during their humiliating 4-2 defeat to Armenia in Cardiff on Friday.

DIWEDDARIAD CARFAN

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