Manchester United are beatable, says Olympiacos' Michael Olaitan

The Nigerian believes his Greek side can upstage the Red Devils when both sides meet in the Champions League round of 16 first leg encounter on Tuesday   

 Olympiacos’ Michael Olaitan is optimist his side can brush aside England’s Manchester United                     onTuesday’s Uefa Champions League encounter to be staged in Greece.                                                                                                                                                                               

The game billed for the Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki will see the Thrylos attempt to make it to the last eight against David Moyes’s men that have been blowing hot and cold this season and Olaitan believes the Red Devils are beatable.

 “If you do not believe in the dream, then you better not play I say generally and if you do not believe this, then you better not get off the field,” Olaitan told Gazzetta.gr.

“We will do everything to oppose this huge team called Manchester United.

“Whether we qualify or not is not to prejudge anyone. What we can anticipate is that we will fight!

“If we fight, we hope to do something great,” he concluded.

The Nigerian has made two appearances in the Champions League this season and will be gunning for his third game against the former European champions.

Olympiacos are unbeaten in the league since February last year and have this season amassed an astonishing goal difference of plus 69, conceding just nine goals. 

Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Messi - who will be Champions League top scorer this season?

The Sweden international currently leads the goalscoring charts, but he faces stiff competition from the Spain-based duo

With the Champions League slowly approaching its business end, the race for the top scorer title is hotting up.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo sat top of the goalscoring charts following the group stage with nine strikes, but last week Zlatan Ibrahimovic leapfrogged him with a double in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Ronaldo and Madrid are yet to play the first leg of the last 16, though, so the Portuguese has the chance to add to his tally in Wednesday's away game against Schalke.

Elsewhere, Lionel Messi has not given up on the Champions League Golden Boot. The Argentine currently sits on seven goals, with Barcelona all but through to the quarter-finals at the expense of Manchester City.

The Premier League giants have two candidates for the top scorer title in the form of Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo, but both will have to be at their best in the second leg at Barca if they are to overturn a 2-0 deficit and threaten Ibrahimovic.

Another striker who will still be dreaming of challenging for top spot is Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa, who has now netted five times following his winner against AC Milan last week.

Additionally, outsiders such as Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Edinson Cavani (PSG) and Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) are all still in contention, but will have to find their scoring touch in the next few games if they are to have a realistic shot at the Champions League Golden Boot.

Arsene Wenger accuses Arjen Robben of play-acting as ten-man Arsenal lose to Bayern Munich

    Wenger hit out at  Robben Over this moment                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                        Arsene Wenger accused Bayern Munich of ‘diving all game’ on a disastrous night for Arsenal.

Goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller put Pep guardiolas men firmly in charge ahead of the march 11 Return

But Wenger hit out at the Germans after Wojciech Sczczesny was red carded for bringing down Arjen Robben in the game-changing moment.

He fumed: “Our keeper went genuinely for the ball. He touched Robben and he certainly made more of it. I told him afterwards.”

TV replays showed the Pole - in further trouble with UEFA for making an obscene hand gesture - had collided with Robben’s standing leg.

His dismissal was one of three hammer blows for Wenger on the night as he also saw Mesut Ozil’s early penalty saved and Muller make the tie near-impossible to recover with his late goal after Arsenal had hung on gamely at 1-0.

But it was the red card that upset him most. He added: “Robben has enough experience to know to make more of it. Overall I felt Bayern made more of every single contact and we are not used to it in England.

“The fouls that were given are not given in the Premier League. but we have to get used to it and to accept it.”

Barcelona charged for fraud in Neymar tax probe

According to a judge at the Spanish High Court, the Catalan club failed to declare a €37.9 million payment in their signing of the Brazilian forward from Santos                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Barcelona have been charged by the Spanish High Court for tax fraud in their signing of Neymar from Santos last year.

The Catalan club were hit with news of the latest probe on Wednesday as prosecutors claimed Barca failed to pay a sum of €9.1m owed on a taxable payment of €37.9m, and despite pleading their innocence in a statement released on their website, judge Pablo Ruz revealed on Thursday that the Blaugrana will be charged in court.

The charges concern alleged fiscal irregularities between 2011 and 2013, relating to the Brazilian's controversial transfer.

In a document submitted on Wednesday, prosecutors claimed Barca failed to pay a sum of €9.1m owed on a taxable payment of €37.9m to the player's parents, with the judge considering that Neymar - as a non-Spanish resident - would be obliged to pay tax on that sum in either Brazil or Spain.

"We express our total willingness to collaborate with the Justice authorities in this matter, as we have done since the first moment the issue arose and in any other area in which our presence may be required," Barca's statement read on Wednesday.

A complaint by Barca socio Jordi Cases over the lack of transparency in the controversial deal led to an initial investigation into club president Sandro Rosell and saw the 49-year-old tender his resignation last month.

New president Josep Maria Bartomeu then presented documents at a press conference later that week that broke down the costs of the transfer.

Those revealed that Barcelona had in fact paid out €86.2m in the total cost of the operation, although the Catalan club insisted that the transfer itself remained at the oft-quoted figure of €57.1m.

Bartomeu has vowed to fight all charges in the controversial case.

Champions League: Jose Mourinho feels Barcelona have lost their mystique

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Manchester City will be facing the worst Barcelona side in 'many, many years' in the last-16 of the Champions League.                                                                                                                                                                                                   City face Lionel Messi and company in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening in a highly-anticipated game that would have gone down just as well as the final.

Barcelona won the Champions League in 2009 and 2011 but have since gone out to Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

And Mourinho feels they are not a side that should be feared as much as 2011, when they beat Arsenal at this stage and then Real Madrid before seeing off Manchester United in the final at Wembley.

Mourinho worked alongside Sir Bobby Robson at the Nou Camp and has enjoyed a mixed relationship with the club since, especially during his time as manager of their fierce rivals Real.

When asked about the match, he said: "City have a chance.

"Of course by history Barcelona is the favourite, but this Barcelona, this season, is showing that it is not the same in previous years."

 "Of course, they have [Lionel] Messi - he is special - and they have more than him. But I think this is the worst Barcelona of many, many years."                       

Manchester City star Aguero ruled out of Barcelona clash

                                                                                                                                                                     The Argentina striker has not recovered from the hamstring strain he suffered last  month but Fernandinho will be ready to make his comeback against the Catalans                                                                                                                                   Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Sergio Aguero will play no part in the first leg of Manchester City’sChampions League last-16 tie against Barcelona.

The Argentina international’s season has been interrupted by a series of niggling injuries, the most recent of which came during his side’s 5-1 hammering of Tottenham last month when he tweaked his hamstring shortly after opening the scoring. 

Pellegrini had been hopeful that the former Atletico Madrid star would be fit enough to make the substitutes’ bench for the visit of Tata Martino’s side, having stepped up his rehabilitation with a return to first-team training last week. 

However, the Chilean confirmed on Monday: "Aguero is not on the squad list. We'll see if he can be fit for Saturday [against Stoke], but maybe it's difficult."

Aguero has scored 26 goals in 25 appearances this season, including six in the Champions League, and his head-to-head clash with international team-mate Lionel Messi was due to be one of the most intriguing aspects of the heavyweight clash. 
                                                                                                                                                                Pellegrini, however, was hopeful that midfield enforcer Fernandinho could be ready to make a return from injury after missing the last three games with a muscle strain.

“[Fernandinho] has a chance, he’s in the squad list for Tuesday, we’ll see tomorrow - he worked without any problem,” he added.

    

Raheem Sterling: Liverpool winger in England contention

England manager Roy Hodgson says Raheem Sterling's impressive form for Liverpool has put him in contention for a place in his World Cup squad.

The winger, 19, has been a first-team regular for the Reds this season and scored twice in the 5-1 win against Arsenal this month.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          His only England appearance to date came against Sweden in November 2012.

But Hodgson said: "Since he got back into the Liverpool team his form seems to be going up and up."

After making his international debut, Sterling struggled to secure a regular place in Liverpool's starting line-up last season.

However, he has made 25 appearances so far in 2013-14, scoring six goals, and has played a key role in helping Brendan Rodgers's side stay in contention for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Hodgson added: "He is doing it for a top team and that puts a lot of pressure on everybody else because if you can do it at the top of the table with Liverpool then you can do it in an England shirt as well."

Sterling is not the only player whose form has impressed Hodgson this season.

Forward Wilfried Zaha, 21, has two England caps, having made his debut in the same game against Sweden as Sterling, before making a substitute appearance in last August's 3-2 friendly victory over Scotland.

The former Crystal Palace man had been unable to force his way into the first team at Manchester United, but is featuring regularly for Cardiff City, who he joined on loan last month.

Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany admits his side were out for 'revenge' in FA Cup win over Chelsea

Vincent Kompany claims revenge was firmly on the mind of the Manchester City players when they took on Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Manuel Pellegrinis men progressed to the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win, courtesy of goals in either half from Stevan Jovetic and the returning Samir Nasri.

The success cames just 12 days after Chelsea left the Etihad with all three points, after Jose Mourinho delivered something of a tactical masterclass. And Kompany claimed the players were determined to turn the tables and progress in the competition.

The Belgian told ITV: "We wanted revenge today. 12 days ago we had a really bad game, we gave them a lot of chances.

"Today we just adapted, they played the same and it was comfortable for us.

"From the word go we were hard in the challenge, we were spot-on creating a lot of chances and we didn't give any away.

"It's a big win against a strong team. We love the FA Cup. I think it was a great game for the competition and we're really happy with the result."

Barca game golden chance for City to tempt Messi

City's clash with Barcelona could offer the Blues the chance to win a bigger prize than the Champions League itself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 Lionel Messi has been the glittering jewel in the Catalans’ crown for the past decade, but if City put on a stellar showing next week they might sow a seed of doubt about his future at the Nou Camp.

And if victory for City on the pitch combined with Rolls Royce treatment off it can tempt the mesmerising midfielder into a Blues move, Tuesday could prove to be one of the most important days for the club since Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover.

Messi’s future has been the subject of intense speculation this season despite the fact he signed a contract extension last February until 2018.

Before Christmas there were tense words between player and club when Messi claimed director Javier Faus didn’t “know anything about football” after the official said there was no obligation to review the star’s contract.

This week Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted he could not say when another contract extension might be agreed and said: “We cannot say when it’s going to happen because when we do things with our players we try to keep as much confidence as possible.”

Any club is going to have to upset the odds to prise Messi away from Barcelona, but if there is a scintilla of a chance of him searching for a new challenge, then City are better placed than anyone of doing what would be the deal of the century.

Firstly they are one of a very select band of clubs that could finance the deal.

Sheikh Mansour has poured over a billion pounds into the Blues since his takeover and has deeper pockets than anyone in world football. Financial fair play comes into the equation in any deal like this but the potential income generated by Messi would outweigh the transfer outlay.

It is thought Real Madrid have already recouped the staggering £80m fee they paid United for Cristiano Ronaldo - they sold 1.2m shirts bearing Ronaldo’s name in the Spanish capital alone during his first year at the club.

Signing Messi would also give City a nitro boost in terms of global appeal. The Blues have made great strides in the past few seasons but still have a way to go. To take social media as a guide, City have 9.3m Facebook likes compared to Barcelona’s 55m, Real Madrid’s 51m and United’s 41m.

So City have the financial muscle to do the deal, but big spending Paris St Germain could also put themselves in the same monetary bracket.

Where City have another advantage is their staff and players.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano and football director Txiki Begiristain are former Barca men, instrumental in Messi’s rise to greatness and perfectly placed to launch a charm offensive.

Messi would be at home in the City squad too.

Countryman Sergio Aguero has already pleaded with Messi - godfather to young Ben Aguero - to join him at City, as has former Barca midfielder Yaya Toure. Argentines Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis would also make Manchester feel like a home from home for the little genius.

City fans will be hoping to get a glimpse of the future in more ways than one on Tuesday.

                 

No Guns No Devils Clash,8 Things we learnt from Arsenal vs Man U Last Night

Add caption

There are many words for ‘crap’

Cagey, chess-like, attritional, pensive, combative, fascinating, committed, intriguing, hard-earned, respectful, tight, watchful, compact, tactical, disciplined, tense, determined, spirited, frustrating, pensive, engrossing and workmanlike.

The boys are keepers

Last night is what happens when you place trust and belief in talented young players and allow them to grow into their roles. Wojciech Szczesny and David de Gea were absolutely outstanding and again make strong claims to being the best two goalkeepers in the country.

What was especially pleasing was how both keepers maintained their concentration throughout such a dirgefest and managed to produce quick-thinking and stunning saves on the rare occasions they were called upon. At only 23 years each it’s all very impressive.

Quit your jibber-jabber

Speaking of talented youngsters two players who’ve previously been heralded as national saviours were just plain awful. Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshere both had stinkers and seemed far more intent on having a good old moan than actually playing football.

Wayne Roney and Jack Wilshere were dissapointing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           They harangued the referee incessantly and their play was just as offensive. Rooney twice beat players purely by miscontrolling the ball, and Wilshere limped around ineffectively as per. The former doesn’t deserve £300k a week and the latter is playing on reputation alone.

Just be Kos

If David Moyes was after a model for the type of defender he needs at Old Trafford, he need look no further than Laurent Koscielny. The Frenchman was imperious and has been for the best part of two years. His last-ditch tackling was perfectly timed and he was unlucky not to score.

Nemanja Vidic also proved he had great judgement – in deciding to call it a day. He spent the first half being bullied by Giroud and the second half pushing him over. Things improved once professional hat maker Rio Ferdinand made a short cameo in between tweets.

Away the lads

Manchester United’s away support showed once again why it’s widely respected as one of the loudest and best in the country. Whilst an internet full of miseries whine and moan about what’s going wrong and how it affects them, the Red Army simply supports.

No one can deny that Moyes and his team are struggling and bereft of confidence, but the visiting supporters reacted by singing his name throughout. It’s fine and well trying to replicate that at Old Trafford, but away from home it’s genuine, real and magnificent.

Impotent Gunners

Giroud may have won the physical battle with Vidic, but his finishing was nothing like as handsome as his face. If Arsenal had had a decent striking option on the bench they could easily have taken three points. Instead their bank balance benefits where their title challenge does not.

Walcott may be injured but that happens in football. If you’re serious about winning the league for the first time in a decade you sign the striker you desperately need. Who knows what next season will bring and whether Arsenal will ever get a better chance.

Right back, wrong cover

With Evra running down his contract, Vidic retiring and Ferdinand possibly following suit, David Moyes knows he’ll have to replace three-quarters of his defence in the summer. Last night showed why he probably needs to add another right-back to complete the set.

Rafael is a committed, talented and more than able to remain as first option, but after him there’s nothing but horribly square pegs. Smalling goes from looking composed and confident in the middle to clumsy and leggy out wide, and Valencia is a complete liability. Sort it out, Moyesy.

Barren minus Aaron

Arsenal really miss Aaron Ramsey. This may not be breaking news granted but it was screamingly evident last night. Barring a few bursts from Tomas Rosicky there was no one breaking through from central areas and piercing the thin red line of United’s midfield.

The Gunners have a number of talented midfielders but none with Ramsey’s irrepressible dynamism. Wilshere used to have it but lost it and can’t find it. Instead it may be worth playing Oxlade-Chamberlain centrally in front of two sitting midfielders. Worth a go at least.

Something’s the Mata

United need to work out how to get the best out of Juan Mata and fast. He’s a player of undoubted quality but seemed lost and ineffective. Moyes obviously gave him licence to roam but it did little good as the talented Spaniard resembled Rudolf Nureyev at a rave.

His new teammates need to get closer to him and give him options. Mata thrives on having players around him so he can exchange clever passes before playing the killer ball. It may be an idea to surround him with the likes of Kagawa or Janet Jazz Jazz Jam, who are on the same wavelength.

Revealed! Arsenal flop Gervinho 'helped Chelsea sign Eden Hazard from French club Lille'

New book by the Ligue 1 side's former coach Rudi Garcia tells of unwitting role the ex-Gunner apparently played in getting the Belgian to Stamford Bridge

Good call! Eden Hazard ended up talking to Roman Abramovich when Drogba rang Gervinho

Revelations in a new book have lifted the lid on how Chelsea secured the signing of this season's star player Eden Hazard.

And it turns out that hapless former Arsenal forward Gervinho had a key role in the Belgium winger's move to the Blues!

Hazard, now 23, was one of Europe's hottest properties as the teenager led Lille to the Ligue 1 title in 2011.

And former Lille boss Rudi Garcia has now claimed in his autobiography that it was a phone-call that went through Gervinho which defined the youngster's future.

Gervinho - who just a few months later would sign for the Gunners - fielded a call in the Lille dressing room from Ivory Coast team-mate, and then Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba.

"Pass the phone to him," Drogba is said to have demanded, referring to Hazard. "There's someone who wants to talk to him over here."

When Hazard picked up the phone, Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich was allegedly waiting at the other end of the line and is said to have promised the wonderkid he would TREBLE his wages if he moved to Stamford Bridge.

Although Hazard remained in France for another year, he turned down a host of Europe's leading clubs - including Manchester United and Manchester City - in 2012 to sign for the west Londoners.

clerverly hopes

David Moyes' men, who lie 11 points off fourth place in the Premier League, will head to the Middle East for five days of warm weather training

Tom Cleverley hopes a warm-weather training trip to Dubai will kick-start Manchester United's disappointing season.

Wednesday's goalless draw with Arsenal means United are 11 points adrift of fourth place in the Premier League and winless in their last three games. 

Already out of the FA Cup and adrift in the league, United have a last-16 Champions League clash with Olympiakos later this month and Cleverley expects the training break in the Middle East will help preparations for the tie with the Greek champions. 

"We'll go away and have a good five days of warm-weather training which will bring us together and hopefully do us good for the run-in," he told the club's official website.

"Warm-weather training is good for fitness as well as team bonding and the team spirit you get from having all the lads together.

"We did it last year and it really helped us - hopefully it'll have the same effect this time."

Cleverley has made 27 appearances for United in all competitions this season as David Moyes' men have struggled to keep pace with the top four.

belgian boss favours the chelsea star