Abate out to impress

Barcelona midfielder Alex Song says it would be very special for him to face former club Arsenal in the Champions League knockout stages.

The 25-year-old joined the Catalan giants in a 15-million pound deal during the off-season after seven years at the north London club, and the two sides could meet after Arsenal failed to win their group.

Arsene Wenger s men have been foiled three times previously by Barcelona in the Champions League, most notably in the 2006 final, along with the 2010 and 2011 knockout stages.

Of course, I would like to play against Arsenal, Song told reporters.

For me to go back there, where I had seven magnificent years, would be something very special.

If we draw Arsenal I d be happy to see the fans again, go back to th…

I can’t write today about anything that has happened in the football world over the past couple of days because I have been away from my computer. I have not been in England at all and indeed, as you are reading this, I am in the wonderful city of Barcelona.

I’m away with a couple of friends, so if you are reading this in the morning I am probably feeling pretty awful and hung over and if you are reading this after lunch, I am probably completely drunk. That is what we English are like when we go abroad as I’m sure you know!

One of the things we are doing whilst we are in Barcelona is going to tonight’s game between Barcelona and Racing Santander at the Camp Nou. I don’t think it would …

Nottingham Forest have brought Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson back to the club on a three-year deal.

The 27-year-old moved to Celtic Park in 2011, having spent four years at hometown club Forest.

After struggling in his first season in Scotland, he played a key role under Neil Lennon last term, making 50 appearances as Celtic cruised to the title and impressed many with a UEFA Champions League win over Barcelona, which Wilson played in.

The defender had featured in all of Celtic s Champions League qualifying fixtures so far this season, including Wednesday s 0-0 draw with Elfsborg which sealed an aggregate triumph over the Swedish side.

And he insisted he was only willing to leave the Glasgow club for a special offer, such as a return to Forest.

Wilson told…

Arsenal have completed the first signing of Unai Emery s tenure with the acquisition of Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner.

The Switzerland international ended his time with Juventus having secured a seventh Serie A title in 2017-18, with Massimiliano Allegri s squad pipping Napoli to the Scudetto in the closing weeks.

Lichtsteiner was a champion of Italy in all seven of his seasons in Turin, making over 250 appearances for the Bianconeri.

He will add valuable experience to Emery s squad for the 2018-19 Premier League season, although his arrival puts Hector Bellerin s future at Emirates Stadium in doubt.

Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad, Emery told Arsenal s official website.

He s a player with great quality w…

Saudi Arabia coach Juan Antonio Pizzi has played down the expectations weighing on World Cup hosts Russia and claimed all teams come with pressure .

Pizzi s men open the tournament on Thursday when they face off against Russia in front of a sold-out Luzhniki Stadium and millions of television viewers worldwide.

But while Stanislav Cherchesov s side have to cope with the demands of their legion of followers, not to mention a hugely critical local media, the hopes of Saudi Arabia are much more modest.

Nevertheless, Pizzi insists the match carries the same expectancies for both teams.

He said: I think all the teams come with pressure. Sometimes we create our own pressure and that helps us do a good job.

Obviously, the fact we are playing against the…

Asmir Begovic insisted his only concern at this point is success with current club Stoke, despite reported interest from Manchester United.

The Bosnian international moved to the Britannia Stadium in January 2010 from Portsmouth in a deal worth 3.25 million pounds, and has since displaced Thomas Sorensen as the club s first-choice custodian.

But his impressive performances have reportedly attracted admiring glances from the Premier League leaders, while the January signing of Jack Butland suggests boss Tony Pulis is planning for life after him.

Despite the speculation, however, the 25-year-old insisted he is focused solely on performing at the highest level for his present employers.

I have no time to think about this. My only concern is Stoke City as I …

Erik ten Hag has few concerns about Manchester United defensively and is instead focused on improving their attack as his side head to Sevilla on Thursday.

United have been without a number of key men at the back, including Lisandro Martinez, who will miss the remainder of the season.

Martinez sustained a broken metatarsal in last week s 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

Own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire saw United improbably throw away a two-goal lead at Old Trafford, yet Ten Hag is not worried about a repeat.

He is looking to see United make progress in front of goal after a succession of wasteful performances. They have underperformed their xG in seven consecutive Premier League games, fall…

Ruben Loftus-Cheek will consider leaving Chelsea if he is not given assurances about getting first-team football.

The 22-year-old looks set to replace the injured Dele Alli in England s Group G fixture with Panama on Sunday, having impressed in a cameo appearance against Tunisia.

Loftus-Cheek, a product of Chelsea s academy, has found opportunities hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, but played 26 times on loan at Crystal Palace in 2017-18 as the club steered clear of a relegation battle.

The England midfielder still has three years left on his contract with the west London club, but acknowledges he needs to be playing regularly so his career does not stagnate.

That’s the key for me next season regarding where I end up. I want to play. I want to play…

Valencia CF goalkeeper Diego Alves is flattered by speculation linking him with a move to FC Barcelona, with Victor Valdes all but set to leave the Camp Nou next summer, understands.

Earlier this season, Valdes, 31, revealed he will not sign a new contract with the Spanish champions.

The Blaugrana have been linked with a number of Europe s top goalkeepers, including the likes of Marc-André ter Stegen and Pepe Reina, since Valdes shocking announcement, but increasing speculation has suggested Brazil and Valencia shot-stopper Diego Alves could replace the 31-year-old at the Camp Nou.

Alves, whose current contract at the Mestalla expires in the summer of 2015, joined Valencia from Unión Deportiva Almería for an undisclosed fee in 2011 and has ma…

Jupp Heynckes has encouraged Bayern Munich to show consistency as they eye a place in the UEFA Champions League final.

The newly crowned Bundesliga champions eased to a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the first-leg at the Allianz Arena and, although many believe Bayern have a big enough advantage to be confident of their place in the Wembley showpiece, Heynckes is keen for his side to ensure that do not fall victim to a dramatic comeback in Wednesday s second-leg at the Camp Nou.

We can t think too much about the first-leg result, Heynckes said.
After the match we can evaluate things, but I cannot say which team is the better one. Barcelona have played at such a high level for so many years. Bayern want to prove that the match in Munich wasn t a one-off.
We have to take into…