Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic insists his side are not afraid to face Barcelona.
The Red Devils have been successful domestically in recent years, winning four of the last five English Premier League titles, but lost Champions League finals to Barca last season and in 2009.
After the second defeat, manager Sir Alex Ferguson himself admitted that Pep Guardiola s men are the best team his side have ever faced.
But Vidic insists fear is not an emotion that he would feel if he is confronted with the prospect of playing Barcelona again.
I don t know why you are always asking Manchester United players how we are going to bridge that gap, Vidic told reporters. Like I say again, this team is successful. We are doing some good things.
We don…
Austria coach Didi Constantini has paid the penalty for the hammering by neighbours Germany last Friday.
Contstanini will leave when his contract ends in December following the team s failure to qualify for Euro 2012, the latest in a long line of disappointments for the national side.
The Austrian federation (OEFB) said that the search for a new coach would begin immediately and Constantini s successor could make his debut in a friendly in November.
The contract which expires on December 31 this year will not be renewed, said the OEFB in a statement on its website following a meeting between Constantini, 56, and federation president Leo Windtner.
According to the timetable, the new coach should be established by the start of November with his debut in …
Carlos Tevez makes his long-awaited return for Argentina in their friendly against Croatia on Wednesday.
The Juventus star is set to make his first international appearance since 2011 after being selected by coach Gerardo Martino.
Martino, who took over in August, said it had become impossible to ignore the in-form Tevez.
The 30-year-old has scored eight Serie A goals this season, equal most in the league, and netted twice against Parma on Sunday.
Tevez adds some much-needed spark up front for Argentina, who relied heavily on Lionel Messi on their way to the World Cup final.
Martino s side face Croatia in London before a clash against Portugal in Manchester six days later, and he has named a strong squad for the clashes.
Argentina have met…
Manuel Pellegrini has heaped the pressure on himself ahead of Manchester City s must-win UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
City s hopes of progression to the knockout stages are hanging by a thread after claiming just two points from their first four matches.
Pellegrini s men suffered a morale-sapping 2-1 home defeat to CSKA Moscow in Europe s premier club competition earlier this month in a match that saw them finish with nine men.
The Premier League champions have enjoyed plenty of success domestically in recent years, with two league titles and glory in the FA Cup and League Cup appeasing the club s super-rich owners at least for now.
However, City s backers still long for European joy something that has not been forthcoming.
Kno…
Burnley have completed the signing of Phil Bardsley from Stoke City, according to the Mail Online.
The full-back has completed a £1.5m move from the Potters, with half of that fee paid upfront and another half due to the selling club should certain performance related add-ons be triggered.
He joins on a two year contract, and reunited with forward Jonathan Walters who also swapped the Bet 365 Stadium for Turf Moor this summer.
Bardsley played six times for Burnley in a loan spell during the 2005/06 season one of a number of temporary stints he had during the five years he spent at Manchester United earlier in his career.
He signed for Sunderland half way through the 2007/08 campaign and went on to make two hundred appearances for the Black Cats befo…
Barcelona have no plans to make a bid for Juventus star Paulo Dybala when the transfer window reopens, insists president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
With Neymar having completed a world-record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, the Camp Nou club have been linked with a move for Argentina international Dybala.
The 23-year-old forward has impressed since joining the Bianconeri from Palermo in 2015, winning Serie A twice and helping Juve to reach the final of the Champions League last term.
But Bartomeu, who has come in for criticism following what was perceived to be a poor window for the club, claims his own admiration for Dybala will not lead to a move for his services.
How do I look at Dybala? He s a great player, but we re happy with the team we have, he …
Germany s national team director Oliver Bierhoff has confirmed Niklas Sule is the player to have tested positive for coronavirus.
It was announced earlier on Tuesday that a member of Germany s squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Armenia had returned a positive PCR test result and had immediately gone into isolation, though the player was not named at the time.
Four other players who were judged to have been close contacts also had to isolate, though no other positive results had been recorded within the camp.
At a subsequent news conference, Bierhoff confirmed Bayern Munich centre-back Sule was the player to have contracted COVID-19.
Sule is double vaccinated, and the earlier update stated he had not shown any symptoms.
…
Wolfsburg have confirmed the signing of Switzerland international full-back Kevin Mbabu from Young Boys.
The 24-year-old will join the Bundesliga club at the end of the season in a deal reportedly worth in the region of €9.2million.
I m really looking forward to this new challenge and the adventure in the Bundesliga, Mbabu told Wolfsburg s website after completing his medical on Thursday.
The facilities at the club are ideal for me to keep improving as a footballer at a high level.
Managing director Jorg Schmadtke added: Kevin Mbabu made a very positive impression on us when we scouted him and reinforced that impression during our discussions with him.
He s particularly strong and quick, and he s a player who will fit in well at VfL Wolfsbur…
Aleksandar Mitrovic s late winner saw Serbia seal their spot at the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Portugal in Lisbon.
Portugal went ahead after just two minutes as Bernardo Silva capitalised on a defensive error to set up Renato Sanches, who opened the scoring with an unerring finish.
Dusan Tadic s deflected strike levelled the scores later in the first half, with Rui Patricio partially culpable for allowing the ball to cross the line.
Substitute Mitrovic completed a dramatic turnaround in the 90th minute as he headed in from Tadic s cross to send Serbia top of Group A and condemn Portugal to the playoffs.
Final do jogo. O objectivo do Mundial ainda não acabou: há um play-off para disputar. Vamos todos, !
— Portugal (@selecaoportu…
Derby County s total points deduction for 2021-22 has reached 21 and relegation looks a near certainty after the Rams admitted to breaching accounting rules.
The Championship club s financial woes came to a head in September when they filed for administration, which was subsequently followed by a 12-point deduction.
That sent manager Wayne Rooney s men to the foot of the table where they remain, having won once in nine league matches since.
Their points total of six had them nine adrift of safety with 17 matches played, though they will now see that dip below zero once again, with relegation to League One practically assured.
Derby confirmed their appeal against the initial 12-point deduction had been withdrawn, while the new sanction relates to rule b…