Ajax sign former Germany international Westermann

Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio said he is expecting a tough match against England when the two teams meet in their FIFA World Cup opener.

Cesare Prandelli s Italy will go head-to-head with England in their Group D opener in Manaus on Saturday a repeat of their Euro 2012 quarter-final tie.

Italy prevailed on that occasion, winning 4-2 on penalties en route to the final.

The four-time World Cup winners will be up against a completely different England side to that which took to the field in Kiev two years ago, with Ashley Cole, John Terry, Ashley Young, Scott Parker, Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott amongst the absentees from their squad in Brazil.

It will be a very difficult match, but just as they have changed since the Euros, so have we, Marchisio told reporter…

Zinedine Zidane joked he would never be Real Madrid s Alex Ferguson amid the pressure he has faced at the helm.

Madrid managed to ease the pressure on their coach with a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach that sent them into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Zidane is in his second stint at the helm of the Spanish giants, and has already won three Champions League titles and two LaLiga crowns among other trophies as a coach.

The 48-year-old ruled out becoming to Madrid what Ferguson was at Manchester United, where the Scot spent 27 trophy-laden years.

I don t think I ll ever be the Alex Ferguson of Madrid, for sure, Zidane told a news conference.

I want to enjoy what I m doing. I don t know how long I m going to stay here, I don t …

An injury-time goal from substitute Ronald Hernandez earned Venezuela a 2-2 draw with Ecuador in a dramatic finish to the Copa America clash on Sunday.

Jose Peseiro s men looked to be heading for a second defeat in three games after Gonzalo Plata joined Ayrton Preciado on the scoresheet for Ecuador, those goals coming either side of Edson Castillo netting for Venezuela.

However, Hernandez headed in at the death in Rio de Janeiro to boost his side s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the tournament.

That allowed Venezuela to add to the point they earned when holding Colombia to a 0-0 draw.

 ¡Empate agónico! Ronald Hernández llegó sin marca y metió un buen cabezazo para que la iguale el encuentro

 Venezuela  Ecuador…

Manchester United defender Daley Blind has vowed to fight for his place amid reports new manager Jose Mourinho is ready to offload the Netherlands international.

Blind has developed into a key figure at Old Trafford since joining the club from Ajax after the 2014 World Cup, but the departure of Louis van Gaal has cast doubt over his future at the club.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old is keen to work with Mourinho and is not thinking about leaving United just yet.

I am looking forward to working with Mourinho. We will have to wait and see whether anything changes for me, Blind told NOS.

I will just give my all and work hard. Mourinho is a manager who has achieved a lot and I am keen to work with him. 

I might not be as big as Pepe, but I think I…

Napoli have revealed Ignacio Fideleff has joined Parma on a season-long loan.

The centre-back, 23, arrived only last off-season from Newell s Old Boys but barely featured for Walter Mazzarri s side, having made just four Serie A appearances in 2011-12.

With the likes of Paolo Cannavaro and Hugo Campagnaro already commanding starting berths in defence and Miguel Britos also returning to fitness, Fideleff has opted to look elsewhere for regular first-team football.

He will initially join Parma on loan for the upcoming campaign, with the club then having the option of purchasing 50 per cent of the player s economic rights if he impresses.

Meanwhile, Parma have confirmed the departure of Francesco Valiani to Siena for an undisclosed fee.

The attackin…

that Inter Milan will have to increase their offer to lure Aleksandar Kolarov away from Manchester City.

The Serie A side seem keen on brining the unsettled full-back to the San Siro but if they are to do so, will have to dig deep into their pockets.

He only joined City back in 2010 for £19 million but the English Premier League club are willing to lose money on him, with £9.3 million being the sum they would apparently accept.

Inter are believed to find this amount too high and will do everything they can to sign the 26-year-old for as lower fee as possible.

Kolarov has had a successful time at the Ethiad Stadium so far but was not involved in the starting line up towards the end of the recent season.

Should these talks break down, then the I…

Harry Kane has damaged the ligaments in his right ankle and should return to training in April, Tottenham have announced.

The England striker sustained the injury during the first half of Spurs 4-1 win over Bournemouth on Sunday and was replaced by Erik Lamela.

After the game, manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was concerned by the issue, sparking fears that Kane s club season could be over, while his participation in England s World Cup campaign in Russia was also thrown into doubt.

In light of those worries, Wednesday s announcement shed something of a more positive light on the situation, with the club confirming the forward, who has 24 goals from 29 Premier League appearances in 2017-18, should return to train with the squad at some point next month.

…

Flamengo begin their Club World Cup campaign against Al Hilal in Tuesday s semi-final, with coach Jorge Jesus convinced they will prove themselves to be a better team than tournament favourites Liverpool.

Jesus – who coached Al Hilal until January this year – has overseen a wonderful few months for Flamengo since being appointed in June, guiding them to success in the Brasileiro and Copa Libertadores, which booked their place in the Club World Cup, adding to their Campeonato Carioca success prior to the Portuguese boss arrival.

Flamengo lifted the Libertadores trophy for only the second time in their history thanks to a dramatic 2-1 win over defending champions River Plate last month – star striker Gabriel Barbosa netting twice in the final minutes of the match hav…

Ki Sung-yueng feels he has returned to Swansea City a better player after spending last season on loan at Sunderland.

The South Korea international found himself something of an outcast under former Swansea boss Michael Laudrup, but has been offered a second chance to shine by the Dane s successor Garry Monk.

Ki is confident he has more to offer the Welsh club this time around, and attributes his improvement to his time on Wearside last term.

Asked whether he felt he was a better player than the one who initially arrived at the Liberty Stadium from Celtic in 2012, Ki told Swansea s official website: Yes, I think so.

It feels like a new start for myself and everything has gone well so far.

It was tough at Sunderland at first because we had a new …

Barcelona s strike-force of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar probably make them favourites to progress to the Champions League final

Two of the giants of European football meet on Wednesday night as Barcelona host Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp in the Champions League semi-final first leg. The tie promises to be an explosive one with so many sub-plots.

Returning hero

One of those sub plots is the return of former-Barcelona legend Pep Guardiola to Catalonia.

The 44-year-old enjoyed a trophy-laden four years as head coach of the Catalan giants, which saw him win three La Liga titles and claim the Champions League on two occasions, among other silverware.

Not only did Guardiola win trophies, he won acclaim as his team is considered by many to be …