Arsenal vs Cologne: Wenger reveals fears about Europa League opener

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has admitted he feared Thursday’s Europa League opener against Cologne, would be cancelled after kick-off was delayed due to crowd problems.

Wenger's men won 3 - 1 at the Emirates stadium, not before the clash was pushed back by one hour to 9:05

 , because of crowd congestion in London.

A reported 20,000 Cologne fans descended on London despite only 3,000 tickets being available, while some German supporters made their way into the home end as riot police were deployed inside and outside the stadium.

“We waited patiently in our dressing room but what was difficult for me was that I had all kinds of plans to think about.

“Do we play tomorrow? At what time do we want to play? Do we play next week? But they have a Bundesliga game midweek, we have a League Cup game midweek. Do we move it to Tuesday and play Thursday? It was all kinds of speculations that we had to analyse.

“In the end, at some stage, I thought they will not play the game. I can’t see the police taking any risk. We live in a society of 100 per cent security.

“I thought they would never take a gamble to play this game when I saw the images around the stadium but I must say our supporters dealt well with the situation. There was no aggravation and I hope everything goes well after the game.

“Was it the right decision? If nothing happens after the game, yes.
“[The Cologne fans] were very clever. I don’t know how they managed to infiltrate our fans and get everywhere but they did that very well. I don’t know did they go through Arsenal membership, on the internet. But they did very well,” Wenger told reporters after the game.

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Chelsea vs Arsenal: We will win if it is 11 vs 11 – Conte.

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, is hoping to finish Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal with 11 men.

Speaking ahead of the game on Friday, Conte hinted that red cards shown to Victor Moses and Pedro Rodriguez in the two previous meetings between the clubs were unjustified.

“I hope to finish the game with 11 players, because in the last two games, FA Cup final and the Community Shield, we finished two games with 10 men,” he said.

“I hope this. Then during the game I think the best [team] wins.”

Asked if he would instruct his Chelsea players to be more disciplined this time around, Conte said: “For sure when you start the game you try to keep always the right discipline, but in both situations I think you have to see very well if there was the red card or not.”

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Spain threatens to arrest over 700 Catalan pro-referendum mayors

Spain’s public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered a criminal probe of over 700 Catalan mayors who are cooperating with an October 1 independence referendum deemed illegal by Madrid.

The move increases the pressure on Catalan officials just one day before the pro-separatist camp officially kicks off its referendum campaign in the Mediterranean port of Tarragona.

Furious at the decision to instigate a probe, Catalan municipal associations called on all the region’s mayors to protest in Barcelona on Saturday to show their “rejection of a Spanish judicial system that goes after the media, ballot papers, ballot boxes… and now mayors”.

The prosecutors’ office ordered the mayors who have agreed to help stage the vote be summoned to court as official suspects and if they do not appear to “order their arrest”, according to a copy of the ruling obtained by AFP.

Pro-independence Catalan president Carles Puigdemont dubbed the move an “atrocity scarcely worthy of a democracy”, and said he would attend Saturday’s protest.

Catalonia’s pro-separatist government has asked the wealthy northeastern region’s 948 mayors to provide facilities for polling stations for the plebiscite.

So far 712 mostly smaller municipalities have agreed to participate, according to a list posted on the website of Catalonia’s Municipal Association for Independence (AMI) which represents 750 municipalities.

“They can arrest us! They’re crazy!,” David Rovira, the pro-separatist mayor of L’Espluga de Francoli, a town of some 3,800 residents, told AFP by phone, adding that Madrid had “proposed nothing” to appease Catalonia’s demands for greater autonomy.

Jordi Turull, spokesman for the Catalan government, told reporters that the executive would support the region’s mayors and would “respect their decision”.

The ruling comes a day after prosecutors ordered police in Catalonia to seize ballot boxes, election flyers and any other item that could be used in the referendum.

Prosecutors have already launched an official complaint against Puigdemont and members of his government over their referendum plans, accusing them of civil disobedience, misfeasance and misappropriation of public funds — the latter carrying jail sentences of up to eight years.

And on Wednesday, the official referendum website was shut down following a court order, the Guardia Civil police force said, prompting Puigdemont to immediately tweet the address of a new website.

‘Don’t go’

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative government has vowed to do everything in its power to stop the referendum. It argues that Spain’s 1978 constitution stipulates that regional governments cannot call an independence referendum.

Rajoy on Wednesday urged Catalans to boycott the referendum.

“If anyone urges you to go to a polling station, don’t go because the referendum can’t take place, it would be an absolutely illegal act,” he said.

Spain’s Constitutional Court has suspended a referendum law that was fast-tracked through Catalonia’s regional parliament last week but the Catalan government has vowed to go ahead with the vote nonetheless.

Catalan authorities routinely ignore the court’s decisions as they do not recognise its legitimacy.

In his first public comments since the Catalan government signed a decree calling the referendum, Spain’s King Felipe VI said the rights of all Spaniards will be upheld against “whoever steps outside constitutional and statutory law”.

But constitutional law professor Javier Perez Royo said it would be difficult for the state to stop the referendum if huge numbers of Catalans disobey the law and vote.

Economic worries

Catalonia, which is roughly the size of Belgium and accounts for about one-fifth of Spain’s economic output, already has significant powers over matters such as education and healthcare.

But Spain’s economic worries, coupled with a perception that the region pays more in taxes than it receives in investments and transfers from Madrid, have helped push the cause of secession from the fringes of Catalan politics to centre stage.

Hundreds of thousands of Catalans rallied on Monday in Barcelona on their national day to demand their region’s secession from Spain and support the right to vote.

One big banner at the rally read: “Goodbye Spain”.

Opinion polls show that Catalans are evenly divided on independence. But over 70 percent want a referendum to take place to settle the matter, similar to the plebiscite held in Scotland in 2014.

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2018 World Cup ticket goes on sale

Ticket sales for the 2018 World Cup began on Thursday, nine months to the day that the tournament kicks off in Russia.

“Fans all over the world will also be able to book their place as ticket sales for the tournament start exclusively on FIFA.com/tickets,” world football’s governing body said.

FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura said the ticketing system will give fans “a fair chance” to secure tickets for the June 14-July 15 extravaganza.

The sales process has been divided into two phases.

During the first period, which starts on Thursday and finishes on October 12, fans will be able to submit their ticket applications.

All applicants will be duly notified of the outcome of their applications before the second phase gets underway after the draw for the finals takes place on December 1.

The tickets purchased during both sales phases will be delivered free of charge to applicants in the weeks leading up to the tournament, with deliveries planned to start in April.

FIFA says that at the request of Russian authorities everyone attending World Cup matches will need to receive a FanID, the official identity document issued to the fans.

The FanID and a valid ticket are required to enter the World Cup venues.

Having a FanID gives supporters some additional benefits and services provided by the host country, such as visa-free entry to the Russian Federation, certain free inter-host city travel and free use of public transport on matchdays.

The World Cup will be played at 12 venues in 11 Russian cities — Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

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Injured Pogba could be out for ‘weeks’ – Mourinho

Manchester United’s French midfielder Paul Pogba reacts following a challenge during the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Manchester United and Basel at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England on September 12, 2017. 

Paul Pogba could be out of action for a “few weeks” after suffering a suspected hamstring injury that took the shine off Manchester United’s successful return to the Champions League, manager Jose Mourinho said.

United, who missed out on qualification for Europe’s premier club competition last season, coasted to a 3-0 victory on Tuesday, with goals for Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.

But, making his debut as United captain, Pogba lasted just 18 minutes of the Champions League Group A game before being forced off by an apparent left hamstring injury, with Fellaini taking his place.

The 24-year-old Frenchman reportedly left Old Trafford on crutches.

“I don’t know (what the severity is),” Mourinho told MUTV, the club’s in-house television station. “I just know from experience it’s a muscular injury. In my experience, muscular injury stops you from playing for a few weeks, I think.

“It looks for me too (like a hamstring injury) but I haven’t spoken yet to the medical department.”

But the United boss said he had midfield options for the weekend’s Premier League clash with Everton, including Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick, Fellaini and Nemanja Matic.

France will be hoping Pogba is fit in time to play in the crucial World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria on October 7.

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Ronaldo beats Messi in new FIFA ratings [Full list]

The EA Sports have release their official player ratings for FIFA 18, with Real Madrid striker, Cristiano rated above his Barcelona rival, Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo occupied the very top of the list, though it’s the Real Madrid man who tops the whole rating with a whopping overall ranking of 94 stats.

In comparison, Messi is in second place with overall rating of 93 stats while PSG strike, Neymar is placed in behind the Argentine International on 92.

Only one Premier League star has been included in the FIFA 18 top ten, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard sharing ninth place with Toni Kroos, each boasting a rating of 90 apiece.

See full list of top 10:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

2. Lionel Messi

3. Neymar

4. Luis Suarez

5. Thomas Muller

6. Robert Lewandowski

7. Sergio Ramos

8. Eden Hazard

9. Toni Kroos

10. Gonzalo Higuain

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Chelsea vs Qarabag: Conte drops Victor Moses for Champions League opener

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has left out Victor Moses from his starting 11, as they open their Champions League campaign at home to Qarabag.

Moses is replaced by summer signing, Davide Zappacosta, who arrived at Stamford Bridge from Torino.

Conte had hinted that he will make significant changes to his team to face.

The Blues’ return to Champions League action, falls within a gruelling September run of seven matches in 21 days across three competitions.

After Qarabag, Conte must prepare his squad for the visit of rivals Arsenal, to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“We played a tough game [against Leicester City] and for sure now if we play seven games in 21 days, it’s not easy,” Conte said on Monday.

“For this reason it’s normal to prepare some rotations [in the team]. I trust all my players in my squad. There is the necessity to rotate and to play game by game.
a tough game against Arsenal. Then Carabao Cup [against Nottingham Forest], then two days more against Stoke, then Atletico Madrid, then Man City.

“I think it’s normal and there is the necessity to do rotation. Otherwise you arrive to play the rest of the games with your team without energy.”

Chelsea XI vs Qarabag: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill, Zappacosta, Kante, Fabregas, Alonso, Willian, Pedro, Batshuayi.

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Messi hat-trick ensures Barca pounce on Madrid stumble

Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (C) vies for the ball with Espanyol’s midfielder David Lopez (down) and Espanyol’s defender Mario Hermoso during the Spanish Liga football match Barcelona vs Espanyol at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on September 9, 2017.

Lionel Messi’s hat-trick saw Barcelona move four points clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga as Ousmane Dembele marked his debut with an assist in a 5-0 rout of local rivals Espanyol on Saturday.

Earlier, Madrid paid for the absence of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and a series of missed chances by Gareth Bale as they were held to a shock 1-1 home draw by newly-promoted Levante.

Barca made no such mistake as for all their early season off-field problems, Ernesto Valverde’s men have taken maximum points from their opening three La Liga games.

Messi led the way with a virtuoso performance, but his opener also needed a huge slice of luck as he was wrongly not flagged offside from Ivan Rakitic’s through ball before blasting into the top corner.

Barca’s second arrived thanks to a counter-attack from an Espanyol corner led by Messi and Luis Suarez before Jordi Alba’s low cross was slotted home at the near post by the Argentine.

“It is a privilege to play with the best player in the world,” said Suarez.

“Game-by-game he keeps showing that Messi will be around for a long time to come.”

Messi put the outcome beyond any doubt by rounding off his hat-trick with another sharp finish from Alba’s cut-back.

Dembele has the unenviable task of replacing the departed Neymar and Barca’s 105 million-euro man had to wait until 22 minutes from time for his debut as he replaced Gerard Deulofeu to a standing ovation.

He showed why Barca have made the 20-year-old the third most expensive player ever as his pinpoint cross was swept home by Suarez to round off the scoring after Gerard Pique had headed home Barca’s fourth.

However, even a fine display didn’t dissuade the bad feeling towards Barca’s under-fire board after a chaotic summer in the transfer market and splits between the boardroom and the dressing room, with Messi and Andres Iniesta yet to sign extensions to their contracts which expire in 2018.

Suarez’s fifth goal was met with chants for president Josep Maria Bartomeu to reign.

Much-changed Madrid held 
At the Santiago Bernabeu, a much-changed Madrid paid a heavy price for a slow start as they dropped points at home for the second consecutive game.

A Levante long-throw from the right was allowed to bounce inside Madrid’s six-yard box before Ivi Lopez spun and fired across Kiko Casilla into the far corner after just 12 minutes.

“We can’t be happy with our performance, above all in the first half,” said Real boss Zinedine Zidane.

“We don’t need to go crazy. We need to have patience and think about the next game, which is just around the corner.”

The hosts were dealt another blow midway through the first half as Karim Benzema limped off and with no other natural striker on the bench, Bale was forced to play as an auxiliary centre-forward.

Madrid levelled nine minutes before half-time when Sergio Ramos’s towering header was parried by Raul Fernandez, but Lucas Vazquez bundled home the rebound.

Bale then had a huge chance to turn the game around, but was denied by a smart stop from the Levante keeper as he tried to curl the ball home with the outside of his left foot.

Marcelo saw a fierce effort from the edge of the box turned behind by Fernandez, but the Brazilian appeared to kick out at Jefferson Lerma as he hit the ground and was shown a straight red card.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Madrid still nearly grabbed all three points as Toni Kroos’s effort from the edge of the area clipped the outside of the post.

Atletico Madrid also trail Barca by four points as without the suspended Antoine Griezmann they drew a blank in an intense 0-0 draw at Valencia.

Sevilla moved up to second, just two points behind the leaders, as goals from Paulo Henrique Ganso, Wissam Ben Yedder and Nolito secured a 3-0 win over Eibar.

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Premier League Match Day 4: Here are 5 things to watch out for

The Premier League returns this weekend after the international break.

Interestingly enough, this two-week hiatus was not felt – especially if one is a Super Eagles fan – as the country enjoyed decent football.

In this report, DAILY POST looks out the things to watch out for this weekend?

1. Manchester City vs Liverpool: It all kicks off at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday by 12.45pm, when Manchester City welcome Liverpool. It promises to be a thrilling affair, as both teams have begun the season decently. And yes, if you are into betting, you might want to put your money on a couple of goals, as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s men are fantastic going forward.

2. Wenger to bounce back? The last two league fixtures – away at Stoke and Liverpool – brought grief to Arsene Wenger. Five goals conceded, none scored, six points dropped. On Saturday, the Gunners host Bournemouth at the Etihad. And it should be a great game for them to bounce back.

3. United flying start to continue: Jose Mourinho’s men travel to Stoke in the last game of Saturday. United have been terrific in their first three games and sit pretty at the top of the Premier League. The Bet365 Stadium will be a difficult place – it always his. But I expect the Red Devils to get a result.

4. Drinkwater back to Leicester: Danny Drinkwater completed his move from Leicester City to Chelsea on transfer deadline day. And his first league fixture in the Blue of the Premier League champions? Back at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. Would be interesting to see how he does if he features.

5. Alexis, Coutinho, Van Dijk, et al: Some sagas ran the entire length of the summer transfer window. And some were not even concluded. Alexis Sanchez, Philippe Coutinho and Virgil van Dijk will still be at the same clubs when they fly back from the break. Especially as most of them made it abundantly clear they wanted out, I am keen on seeing how they get on until January at least.

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