Spain continue their Euro 2012 preparations with a friendly against South Korea at the Tivoli Neu Stadium in Austria on Wednesday.
Since accounting for Serbia 2-0 at the weekend, Vicente del Bosque has named his 23-man squad for next month s championships.
There are four members missing from the Spanish squad that triumphed over Germany to win the 2008 European championships Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevilla and injured pair Carles Puyol and David Silva.
Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, who netted 14 goals during the 2011/12 La Liga season, was included, along with Barcelona s Pedro.
Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez was a surprise omission, despite turning in an impressive substitute display in Saturday s 2-0 friendly victory against Serbia, with Valen…
Brazil face a crunch Copa America clash in Sunday s Group C meeting with Venezuela, and they do so without star forward Neymar.
The Barcelona man has been handed a four-match suspension following his red card at the end of Wednesday s 1-0 defeat to Colombia.
After the final whistle had been blown, Neymar appeared to kick the ball in the direction of Pablo Armero before attempting to headbutt Jeison Murillo.
It is the second time in 12 months that Brazil head into a crucial fixture at a major tournament without their talisman.
At the World Cup on home soil last year, Neymar suffered a back injury in the quarter-final win over Colombia, and was ruled out of the last-four clash with Germany, where the hosts suffered a humiliating 7-1 thrashing.
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Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick still has not spoken to Ralf Rangnick about the team despite the German s appointment as interim boss being confirmed on Monday.
United announced at the start of the week that an agreement had been reached with Rangnick over a relationship that is set to span two and a half years.
Initially, Rangnick will take charge until the end of the season before moving into a consultancy role.
Rangnick has previously shaped German clubs such as Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig from top to bottom, with his future advisory position at Old Trafford suggesting United are planning an overhaul of their football operations, which have long appeared outdated compared to their rivals.
But the 63-year-old s start at the club has be…
England cannot rely on Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham alone to win them the Euro 2024 crown, according to France great Marcel Desailly.
Bellingham has enjoyed a sensational debut campaign at Madrid that has seen him score 21 goals in all competitions and assist eight more.
Despite still being aged just 20, the youngster will already have the weight of a nation on his shoulders in the European Championship finals.
Desailly is a big fan of Bellingham, but he suggests Gareth Southgate may have to consider tweaking formation if England are to succeed.
Too much quality can kill the quality, Desailly told Stats Perform. This is your problem, you see?
All the players have to be able to perform at the same time and help each other. The Dutch ha…
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris insists he is focused on his duties with France ahead of their opening World Cup qualifiers.
France face Finland and Belarus during the international break, and the national side s captain has dismissed claims his deadline-day move to White Hart Lane has hampered his preparation after an off-season of uncertainly over his future.
Lloris told France Football: About my personal situation, it is neither the place nor the time to discuss this.
I think I m professional enough to make sense of things.
Throughout the preparation (with Lyon), there was a lot of noise and a choice has been made (to sell), but I prepared myself the best ways with OL to deal with this qualifying phase.
I have much desire to start this …
A close aid to Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta believes the fiasco regarding Neymar s transfer from Santos could end up costing the Catalan giants €222million.
Laporta previously stood as president between 2003 and 2010, overseeing arguably the most successful period in the club s illustrious history.
Brazil international Neymar arrived at Camp Nou from Santos in 2013, but the deal has come under investigation, with accusations that the funds for the transfer were not appropriately distributed.
At a presentation of the economic plans Laporta has for Barca should he be elected president, Joan Oliver sounded a warning about the potential cost of the deal as the saga drags on through the courts.
I think that when you look at the financial pr…
Ezequiel Lavezzi says there is no point hiding that champions Paris Saint-Germain have no real rivals in Ligue 1.
Bankrolled by the Qatar Sports Investment group since 2011, PSG have won the last three titles and claimed the domestic treble for the first time under Laurent Blanc last season.
Having built a 13-point lead at the top of the table after taking 12 wins and two draws from their first 14 games, the capital club are once again pulling clear in the title race, and Lavezzi claims it is a challenge for the squad to remain motivated despite their dominance.
There s no point hiding that PSG are too strong for the other clubs, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Our challenge is to find the stimulus to work hard, and in this sense I think the team is doing a g…
Ligue 1 big guns Marseille and Lyon have been showing interest in Fiorentina playmaker Jordan Veretout, one of his agents has revealed.
The 25-year-old joined Viola in a €7 million deal last summer after a disappointing spell with Aston Villa, and he has enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in Serie A.
Veretout made the headlines by bagging a hat-trick in Fiorentina’s 4-3 loss to Lazio, taking his goal tally to 8 this season.
French giants Marseille and Lyon have clearly taken notice, although the Frenchman is unlikely to leave Viola for another year or so, according to his agent.
“I think that Veretout will stay at Fiorentina for at least one more season,” Oscar Damiani told Radio Monte Carlo.
“Afterwards, if a serious offer arrives, Fi…
Phil Foden is disappointed not to have made more starts in an up and down World Cup for the England attacking midfielder and hopes to play a big part against Senegal.
Foden made his first start of the tournament in a 3-0 win over Wales on Tuesday that sealed the Three Lions place in the round of 16.
Gareth Southgate is facing a tough selection for the showdown with the Africa Cup of Nations champions at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, with Foden waiting to discover if he will keep his place in the team.
It has been a mixed World Cup for the Manchester City star, who hopes the best is yet to come
It has been up and down, he told BBC TV. [I am] disappointed not to start more games, but it is part of the tournament. I am a team player and when I get the opportun…
Neymar was one of the stars of the show as Brazil won the Confederations Cup
Last night Brazil defeated Spain 3-0 in the Confederations Cup final. In truth, the Selecao were the better team from the off and took just 95 seconds to take the lead.
The victory will have come as a shock to the system to world champions Spain.
Shock
Spain have not suffered a competition defeat in three years, having claimed victory in Euro 2008 and World 2010 in South Africa.
However, the world champions just never really got started and Vicente Del Bosque’s team never recovered from conceding the early goal.
Determined
The Brazilians, roared on by a manic home crowd put in a determined display and straight from the start never allowed the Spanish pl…