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Klopp set for Anfield debut

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Anfield's patrons will run the rule over Jurgen Klopp for the first time on Thursday when he supervises his maiden Liverpool home game against Rubin Kazan.

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Anfield's patrons will run the rule over Jurgen Klopp for the first time on Thursday when he supervises his maiden Liverpool home game against Rubin Kazan in the Europa League.

Having grown accustomed to the tactical tweaking and press conference grandstanding of Brendan Rodgers over the last three years, the denizens of Anfield Road are now adjusting to the methods of the gregarious German.

Klopp has dazzled in his early media appearances, but last Saturday he unveiled his blueprint for on-pitch success with a high-pressing, hard-running team display in a 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.

“I liked what I saw,” former Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports this week. “Very rarely do you see a manager stamp his authority on a team from day one, but that's what he did.”

Liverpool's players ran a combined 116 kilometres in the game – making them the first team to outrun Spurs this season – and Carragher said: “As soon as they lose the ball, you can see they will keep pressing until they win it back.

“They're organised and you can see that has been worked on in the first two or three days in training.”

Klopp jettisoned Rodgers' back three in favour of a 4-3-2-1 system at White Hart Lane, which saw 20-year-old Belgium international Divock Origi operate as a lone striker.

Injuries have restricted Klopp's options in attack, but he is expected to have Daniel Sturridge back for the visit of Rubin, while Christian Benteke is also closing in on a return to fitness.

Sturridge, who recently returned from a five-month lay-off after hip surgery, hurt his knee in a training-ground clash with Jordon Ibe, but Klopp said his absence at Spurs had been purely precautionary.

“I know Daniel now since one week and for six days he was perfect in training,” said the former Borussia Dortmund coach, whose side host Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Liverpool manager added: “Everything we did, he was full of power, skills. He was outstanding. It is OK for Daniel (to have missed the game against Tottenham).

“We need Daniel for sure and if we played this game on Thursday, then maybe he would play. No problem. I trust 100 percent this player.”

Klopp's European pedigree – notably a Champions League final appearance with Dortmund in 2013 – was one of the factors in his appointment by Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group.

For now he must content himself with the Europa League and despite successive 1-1 draws at Bordeaux and at home to Swiss side FC Sion, Liverpool remain well placed to qualify from Group B.

They are currently second in the group, two points below Sion and a point above Rubin, who lost 2-1 away to Sion before drawing 0-0 at home to Bordeaux.

The team from Kazan in Tatarstan come into the match on the back of a 3-1 home win over FC Ufa in the Russian Premier League, which ended a series of six matches without victory in all competitions.

Former Russia winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is particularly looking forward to the trip to Merseyside as he previously spent three years playing for Liverpool's neighbours Everton.

“For me it will be very nice to walk onto the pitch at Anfield,” said the 30-year-old left-footer, nicknamed 'Billy' during his time at Goodison Park.

“We know that the Europa League is not the most important tournament for the English teams, but I expect a tough and interesting match on Thursday.”

Rubin caretaker coach Valery Chaly has a close to full-strength squad to choose from, although Bulgarian midfielder Blagoy Georgiev is a doubt after missing the game against Ufa through injury. – AFP

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Jose slams ref after Kiev draw

Jose Mourinho accused the referee of being “weak and naive” for failing to award Chelsea a penalty in their 0-0 Champions League draw at Dynamo Kiev.

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Kiev - Jose Mourinho accused the referee of being “weak and naive” for failing to award Chelsea a penalty in their 0-0 Champions League draw at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

Mourinho took aim at Slovenian Damir Skomina after he waved play on when Cesc Fabregas was tripped by Serhiy Rybalka in the first half of the Group G stalemate in Kiev.

“The referee was weak and naive with the penalty,” he told BT Sport. “I cannot understand what the official behind the goal does because he doesn't make a clear decision too.”

The comments appeared to be a thinly-veiled barb at Arsene Wenger and the English Football Association after the Arsenal manager used the exact same phrase to describe referee Mike Dean following Chelsea's 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September.

Wenger escaped punishment for that outburst while Mourinho was last week fined 50 000 pounds ($77,205) and given a one-match suspended stadium ban for saying referees were afraid to give penalties for his team following a defeat by Southampton.

In the wake of his punishment, Mourinho described the FA fine as a “disgrace”, joking that “afraid costs 50,000 pounds. Weak and naive, you can do it.”

Asked by reporters in Kiev if he was afraid of being punished, he joked: “All right, it was not a penalty. I think the referee was very good but made one mistake.

“The referee in the Scotland rugby game was very good but made one mistake and now the whole of Scotland is crying,” Mourinho added, referring to their defeat by Australia in the World Cup on Sunday.

Tuesday's draw left everything to play for in the group with Porto leading the way on seven points from three games, two clear of Dynamo and three ahead of Chelsea.

Chelsea have the chance to improve their immediate outlook when they host Dynamo in their next outing on Nov. 4.

Kiev coach Serhiy Rebrov, no stranger to English football having played for Tottenham Hotspur, said his hopes of reaching the last 16 have not been dimmed despite drawing their opening home fixtures.

“Home draws against Porto and Chelsea are solid results,” he said. “It is no problem, we will try to collect points in the away games too.

“Our strikers have been silent in the past two games but I hope they will do the talking in the next match.” – Reuters

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Rakitic double sinks BATE

Two goals from Ivan Rakitic gave Barcelona a comfortable victory away to BATE Borisov and consolidated their position at the top of Champions League Group E.

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Minsk, Belarus, - Two goals from Ivan Rakitic gave Barcelona a comfortable 2-0 victory away to BATE Borisov on Tuesday and consolidated their position at the top of Champions League Group E.

Rakitic, who came on following an injury to Sergi Roberto after just 17 minutes, hit a sublime strike into the top corner having been set up by Neymar at the start of the second half.

A livewire Neymar led Barca in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi but while they had plenty of possession they lacked a cutting edge in the first half.

Neymar was again the provider after 64 minutes for Rakitic who sealed the win with a clinical finish past keeper Sergey Chernik.

Barca laid siege to the BATE defence in the opening minutes, starting with a strike from Neymar from the left of the area saved by Chernik.

Luis Suarez had a header tipped over and then Munir El Haddadi, preferred to Sandro Ramirez in attack, should have scored but his shot was too weak and the keeper blocked it.

Barca continued to push forward but too often their final pass was poor while BATE offered little danger at the other end.

Rakitic, who was surprisingly left out with Javier Mascherano starting in midfield, missed a glaring chance when, unmarked, he headed over the crossbar before the break.

He made up for it with his excellent strike on 48 minutes and then clipped the ball over Chernik from close range for his second on the night.

“I was glad to help team and the most important thing was that we got the victory. It is not easy to play here in these conditions and the cold,” Rakitic told reporters.

“I think it was (our most complete game this season) as we were solid at the back and gave away few chances, while in attack we worked hard and maybe just lacked another goal. We are on the right lines.”

Barca have seven points from three games and BATE have three. – Reuters

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Arsenal stun Bayern with late goals

Arsenal have bounced back to defeat Bayern Munich in a frenetic Champions League clash.

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London - Arsenal bounced back off the ropes to land two late sucker-punches and score an unlikely 2-0 win over Bayern Munich after the Germans had dominated an outstanding Champions League match on Tuesday.

Olivier Giroud came off the bench after 74 minutes and headed the opener three minutes later while Mesut Ozil scored with virtually the last kick of the game against his World Cup-winning team mate Manuel Neuer to hand Arsenal a memorable victory.

Their first win in Group F after two defeats rekindled their chances of reaching the last 16 and ended Bayern's run of 12 successive wins in all competitions.

“It was important to reproduce our Premier League form tonight and we did that. We got the balance right between defence and attack,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.

But for long periods, it looked as if a goalless draw or a Bayern win would be the most likely outcome.

Bayern dominated possession but could not find a way past a superb Arsenal defence in which Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker played superbly and Petr Cech made some important saves.

At the other end, Arsenal had more chances, but never looked like getting the better of Neuer who made one stunning save to deny Theo Walcott from scoring with a header after 34 minutes, but then cost his team dearly when he flapped at Santi Cazorla's 77th minute freekick, allowing Giroud, who had just replaced Walcott, to stoop low and head home.

Ozil scored on a breakaway with virtually the final kick when his shot just crossed the line with Neuer scooping it clear just too late.

The victory means Bayern and Olympiakos have six points apiece, Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal three each with Arsenal travelling to Munich and Olympiakos at home to Dinamo next.

Bayern, without the injured Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Goetze, still had plenty of potency going forward and although Robert Lewandowski, with 15 goals in his last seven games, was kept relatively quiet, they continually forced Arsenal on to the backfoot.

Although there were no goals before the break, both teams produced football of the highest quality with the pace never relenting from the kickoff, which some 300 Bayern fans missed.

They staged a “stay-away” for the first five minutes to protest over the cost of a ticket for the match, but when they took their seats, applause rang around the stadium from both home and visiting supporters.

REUTERS

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Moscow holds fond memories for United

Man United return to the scene of their 2008 Champions League triumph looking for a second away win over CSKA Moscow.

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Moscow - Manchester United return to the scene of their 2008 Champions League triumph looking for a second away win over CSKA Moscow in exactly six years on Wednesday.

United, who won their third crown when they beat Chelsea on penalties at the Luzhniki Stadium in May 2008, returned to the Russian capital on Oct. 21, 2009 and beat CSKA 1-0 with a late goal by Antonio Valencia.

The Red Devils will be looking to repeat that victory at a different venue, the Arena Khimki, as the Luzhniki is under reconstruction for the 2018 World Cup finals.

United will travel to Moscow in good heart after an excellent 3-0 win away to Everton kept them third in the Premier League at the weekend.

Manager Louis van Gaal was delighted with that return to form following a defeat by the same score away to Arsenal in the previous game.

Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and Wayne Rooney scored the goals, with Rooney once again playing just behind new young striker Anthony Martial, who has made a fine impression since joining from AS Monaco in the close-season.

“Maybe it is the start of many, many victories. I am not stupid, I won't change too much on Wednesday,” said Van Gaal, who left out fellow Dutchmen Danny Blind and Memphis Depay at the weekend following the Netherlands' failure to qualify for Euro 2016.

While United may have one eye on next Sunday's local derby against Manchester City, they would do well not to underestimate a CSKA side who have been in excellent form domestically as well.

CSKA are unbeaten in their last 19 matches in the Russian Premier League, equaling a club record set in 2001, and beat Ural 3-2 on Saturday to stay five points clear of second placed Lokomotiv Moscow.

However, head coach Leonid Slutskiy has been critical of his team's performance.

“Unfortunately we are unable to fully control the whole match,” said the 44-year-old, who in August also started to coach the Russian national team.

CSKA will be without Bibras Natcho who is suffering from a head injury, but fellow midfielder Roman Eremenko is expected to be fit following a groin strain. Experienced central defender Vasili Berezutski is also expected to return.

Russian international goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes. CSKA's captain is looking to end an unwanted record, having failed to keep a clean sheet in 33 consecutive appearances in the Champions League.

Reuters

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Spurs suffer Chadli blow

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nacer Chadli has been ruled out for six weeks after he sustained ankle ligament damage.

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London - Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nacer Chadli has been ruled out for six weeks after he sustained ankle ligament damage during Saturday's goalless draw against Liverpool, the Premier League club said on their website (http://ift.tt/19tWWDu).

The Belgium international was forced off the field after 11 minutes on Saturday having landed awkwardly inside the Tottenham penalty area.

Chadli joined the growing ranks of Tottenham players on the treatment table, including recent signing Son Heung-min, midfielder Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb.

The 26-year-old Chadli, who has scored one goal in 11 appearances this season, is set to miss the North London derby against Arsenal on November 8 and the clash with champions Chelsea on November 29. – Reuters

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Banyana captain’s Rio joy

Banyana Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk described Banyana’s qualification for the Olympics as a great way to make up for the failure to qualify for the World Cup.

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Banyana Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk described Banyana’s qualification for the Olympics as a great way to make up for the failure to qualify for the World Cup and the best way to see how the squad has progressed.

Speaking after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat of Equatorial Guinea in Bata, Van Wyk, spoke of the disappointment of missing out on the global showpiece in Canada and the elation of making it to the Rio Games.

“Oh yes it does (erase the pain of missing out on the World Cup),” Van Wyk told Safa Media. “This is the next big event that we could have qualified for and we have done it.”

A goal just after the hour-mark by Jermaine Seoposenwe helped Banyana overcome an Equatorial Guinea outfit that they had previously played second fiddle to – Van Wyk and her teammates defying the odds to book a second successive Olym-pic participation after their debut in London 2012.

“In 2008 we played in the final of the African Women’s Championship (AWC) and we lost to them 3-1. We travelled to them in 2012 after beating Nigeria for the very first time and, understandably, our emotions were on a high after that achievement.

“We played Equatorial Guinea two days after and they beat us 4-0, and everyone was asking if we would ever beat them ... So, here we are, we proved everyone wrong. We were strong as a team and we believed in ourselves and we knew we were capable of beating them. We saw in the first leg that we could actually defeat them because we were on top and dominated play. That is exactly what we did in the second leg – we created some chances and could have scored early on. We went really strong at them, and we fought hard ... I am extremely proud of the team.”

Earlier this year, Banyana missed out on World Cup qualification by a whisker – some poor finishing ensuring they finished fourth at the AWC when third would have seen them qualify.

That near miss was the driving force behind their impeccable Olympics qualifying campaign that saw them go unbeaten against Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.

“This team has put in the time, hard work, effort and sacrifices to qualify for the Olympic Games. We really deserve this reward.

From day one when the coach started with us she said we want to get to the Olympic Games because we missed out on something big – the World Cup – so we also wanted to do it for her.”

Now that they have qualified, Banyana are eager to build on their experience from London.

“As a team we will show how much we have progressed since then. It will be interesting to see and compare the level that we are at competing against some of the best in the world. I believe South Africa has talent and can compete with international teams. We can’t wait to start preparations for Rio”. - The Star

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Guardiola wary of Arsenal

Pep Guardiola has warned his Bayern Munich players to brace themselves for a ferocious test from an Arsenal side fighting for Champions League survival.

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Pep Guardiola has warned his Bayern Munich players to brace themselves for a ferocious test from an Arsenal side fighting for Champions League survival.

Arsene Wenger's side are in severe danger of failing to reach the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years after two dismal defeats.

The Gunners were beaten at Dinamo Zagreb and then suffered the embarrassment of losing at home to Olympiakos, leaving them pointless at the bottom of Group F.

Another loss when Bayern visit the Emirates Stadium would put Arsenal on the verge of a stunning exit and Bayern boss Guardiola expects the hosts to fight like wounded animals on Tuesday.

“For them, they have an advantage because they have to win, when that happens with these kind of players, and the history of this club, they are going to make the best performance possible,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday.

“I don't expect anything other than a fight for the 90 minutes.

“We have to look for another way to compete against them because of the enthusiasm they will have, so we will have to be intelligent and control our game.

“Of course I prefer to come here with six points, but I can imagine my team with zero points and playing in Germany against Arsenal.

“I can imagine the mentality of my team -- we would be an animal, because it is our last chance, you give everything and that will happen with Arsenal, so you have to be prepared.

“We saw what happened with Arsenal against Zagreb and Olympiakos, when no-one expected them (their opponents) to win, and it will be the same for us tomorrow.”

Guardiola's team have won all of their opening nine German league matches - a Bundesliga record - and have also made a 100 percent start to their Champions League campaign.

But Guardiola has no intention of letting his players rest on their laurels.

“There are still 12 points up for grabs, we are not qualified yet and have to fight and against one of the best teams in Europe,” Guardiola added.

“They have great quality and are a very technical team.

“It is very difficult to play against them and find one Arsenal player who does not have quality.” – AFP

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Toure hurt by lack of recognition

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disgust at those who are quick to criticise his performances.

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Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disgust at those who are quick to criticise his performances and admits to being hurt by what he feels is a lack of recognition.

The Ivory Coast captain also claimed that winning trophies and earning a lot of money have not made him any happier as he feels sickened by “lots of bitter people who tried to dirty my name”.

Last season, Toure scored 10 league goals, half his total from the previous campaign, as City failed to defend their title, finishing eight points behind champions Chelsea in second place.

“I have just come out of a season with City where we finished second in the English league, which is the hardest in the world,” Toure told L'Equipe on Tuesday.

Concerning the goal-scoring exploits which helped City win the league the previous season, Toure said: “I scored 26 goals, 20 in the Premier League, and nobody mentioned it. You understand a bit my disgust.

“Here (in England), when it is bad, they stress it; when it's good, they leave that in the dungeon. They have always used their little methods to annoy and alienate me.”

Toure, who joined City from Barcelona in 2010 and has won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup once, says the media should focus more on his trophy haul rather than his pay packet.

“The journalists were talking about my salary and saying that it was a disgrace,” the 32-year-old Ivorian added.

“They asked what I was going to change at City. And so, did you see what happened next? We won nearly everything. In fact, it is recognition that I do not have that hurts me. It is a bit sickening.

“It has hurt me. Everyone thinks I am happy: I have won titles, lots of money, but, no, I am not happy.” – Reuters

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McClaren hoping to break Tyne-Wear ‘hoodoo’

The Magpies have crashed to five straight defeats in the Tyne-Wear derby and Steve McClaren says the Black Cats are favourites.

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Steve McClaren believes Sunderland will be favourites in the derby but says it is time for Newcastle to break the hoodoo.

The Magpies have crashed to five straight defeats in the Tyne-Wear derby and McClaren says the Black Cats are favourites to keep that run going when the two sides clash at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

However, Newcastle can take plenty of heart from Sunday's 6-2 thrashing of Norwich and McClaren says it is crucial they take the feel-good factor into the game against Sam Allardyce's men.

"Football is all about momentum and we have to take it forward," McClaren said. "It's a tough one next. Sunderland have won the last five derbies, they are the favourites and are at home.

"It's a hoodoo and we have just got to break it. It will be a tough game. We have to prepare like we have every week. We had good focus last week and we must take that into the game."

Allardyce has also said it is a make-or-break game for his newly inherited Sunderland side, who will be fired up to make it six wins from six and boost their own survival chances. - Fermale First

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Fines didn’t deter Mourinho - FA

The FA insist they had to issue Jose Mourinho with a suspended stadium ban because £101 000 in disciplinary fines since 2013 failed to improve his behaviour.

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The FA insist they had to issue Jose Mourinho with a suspended stadium ban because £101 000 in disciplinary fines since 2013 failed to improve his behaviour.

Chelsea’s Portuguese manager, who returned to Stamford Bridge two years ago, was fined £50,000 — in addition to the possible ban — for saying referee Robert Madley had been ‘afraid’ to award a penalty in a 3-1 defeat against Southampton.

And the FA have published the written reasons for their decision.

‘It appears to us that increasing levels of fine are not on their own going to be a reliable deterrent for Mr Mourinho against improper comments to the media.

‘We have in mind particularly that the more than doubling of the January 2015 fine as compared with the May 2014 fine has not deterred him from this latest and more serious breach.

‘In our judgment the fair way to impose this deterrent is to suspend the ban so that Mr Mourinho is able quite easily to avoid its ever coming into effect. The matter is in his hands.’

The FA’s three-man panel threw out Mourinho’s comments on English not being his first language.

‘His English is far too sophisticated for that to affect our conclusion, as the interviews themselves demonstrate,’ they said.

Ahead of tonight’s Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev, Mourinho insisted Chelsea could complete a historic quadruple despite a poor start to the season.

The 52-year-old said: ‘We can win all four. I think we can win all four but also lose all four. Everything is open, we are in October.’

Defeat in Kiev would leave their hopes of a second Champions League title teetering.

Mourinho has targeted four points from two games against Sergei Rebrov’s men but with a side short on confidence, that will be easier said than done.

‘First of all we are losing 24 hours, like we did in Porto,’ he said. ‘When you play Tuesday, the fact one team plays Friday and the other plays Saturday means we are already losing 24 hours of important recovery.

‘We have a tactical plan to compensate for that. We need to keep the tactical awareness, the tactical discipline, the spirit, the effort, the concentration.’ – Daily Mail

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City hope to avoid more injuries

Manchester City will be almost as concerned to avoid further injuries as they are to take three Champions League points when Sevilla visit the Etihad Stadium.

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London - Manchester City will be almost as concerned to avoid further injuries as they are to take three Champions League points when Sevilla visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Four days later Premier League leaders City have a big local derby at third-placed Manchester United.

Manuel Pellegrini's side are already without top scorer Sergio Aguero who hit six goals in two games, five of them in 20 minutes against Newcastle United, before suffering a hamstring problem playing for Argentina.

Playmaker David Silva was also injured on international duty and will miss Wednesday's game against his fellow countrymen.

Captain Vincent Kompany was not considered fit enough to play in Saturday's 5-1 win over lowly Bournemouth while midfielder Samir Nasri strained a hamstring injury in that game.

“I prefer to play with Aguero and Silva,” Pellegrini told reporters before adding he was “very happy” with the performances of attacking players Raheem Sterling, who scored a hat-trick, Wilfried Bony and record signing Kevin De Bruyne.

Both teams have three points from two Group D matches after losing to Juventus and beating Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Wednesday's game will be an emotional occasion for City winger Jesus Navas who came through Sevilla's academy and played nearly 400 times for the club.

Navas, a World Cup and European Championship winner who last played for Spain in March 2014, won two UEFA Cups, one European Super Cup and two King's Cups before leaving for City in 2013.

Sevilla's stuttering start to their La Liga campaign continued on Saturday when the Europa League holders had to come from behind to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw at modest Basque side Eibar.

Unai Emery's side are 12th after eight matches, having managed only two wins, although they did beat Spanish and European champions Barcelona 2-1 earlier this month.

“The draw left a bitter taste but was also positive as it was the third match in a row we accrued points,” said goalkeeper Sergio Rico after the game at Eibar.

“That allows us to continue growing as a team although there are still things to improve.” – Reuters

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No reason to fear Bayern - Wenger

Arsene Wenger says Arsenal have no reason to fear Bayern Munich in their make-or-break Champions League showdown.

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Arsene Wenger says Arsenal have no reason to fear Bayern Munich in their make-or-break Champions League showdown because the German giants have weaknesses that can be exploited.

Bayern will arrive at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night in imperious form, having just set a record for the best start to a domestic season with their ninth consecutive Bundesliga victory.

Pep Guardiola's side have also dominated the European campaign, with a 100 per cent record from both Group F matches so far, netting eight times without reply.

Arsenal have suffered successive defeats from their first two Champions League fixtures and will be in severe danger of failing to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years if they lose to Bayern.

But Gunners boss Wenger, while willing to show his admiration for the 2013 European champions, has no doubts Arsenal can rattle the Germans if they emulate the performances that brought them successive 3-0 wins over Manchester United and Watford.

“You can consider the teams who win the Champions League are the best in the world because most of the time they win after the World Cup of the clubs in recent years,” Wenger told reporters on Friday.

“However, there is no team without weaknesses.

“What we want to do tomorrow is win the game. We want to defend well, attack well, score the first goal, that is massively important in the big games.

“You can never promise you will score three goals in 20 minutes because that would be absolutely crazy. What we can do is start in a strong way and that is what we will try to do.”

To overcome Bayern, Wenger admits Arsenal need to show a completely different attitude from the tame displays delivered in their European losses against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.

“We have some ground to make up in Europe as we have not been at our requested level in our first two games,” Wenger added.

“Our focus has been much stronger in the Premier League than it has been in Europe and we know in this game the focus needs to be exactly the same than in the Premier League.

“We maybe could be suspected in the first two games of not taking the opponent seriously enough.

“Now we have the needed belief and confidence that we are doing something right, so that helps.” – AFP

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Ronaldo, Messi headline Ballon d'Or shortlist

Real Madrid's blockbuster 'BBC' forward line and Barcelona's devastating 'MSN' trio are set to go head-to-head for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award.

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Real Madrid's blockbuster 'BBC' forward line and Barcelona's devastating 'MSN' trio are set to go head-to-head for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award after all six were named on the 23-man shortlist by Fifa on Tuesday.

Real's Cristiano Ronaldo, who set a club scoring record with his 324th goal on Saturday, will be going in search of his third consecutive World Player of the Year award.

He faces competition from his team mates Karim Benzema of France and Welshman Gareth Bale who make up the Spanish side's 'BBC' frontline.

Joining them are four-times winner Lionel Messi, the Argentine great, and his fellow South American strikers Neymar and Luis Suarez who form Barcelona's feared MSN frontline that fired a combined 122 goals last season.

Barcelona, who won La Liga, the Champions League and domestic cup last year, have the most players on the shortlist with Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta, Argentine defender Javier Mascherano and Croatian Ivan Rakitic joining their front three on the award.

Real have five with Colombian James Rodriguez and German World Cup-winner Toni Kroos also named.

German champions Bayern Munich also have five representatives with Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Vidal is joined by Chilean compatriot Alexis Sanchez after their Copa American success in July.

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, winner of the last four African Player of the Year awards, is the only non European or South American to make the list.

The list was composed by the Fifa Football Committee and a group of experts from France Football. The winner will be announced in Zurich on January 11.

Shortlist

Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City)

Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid)

Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City)

Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain)

Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona)

Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid)

Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich)

Javier Mascherano (Argentina/Barcelona)

Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona)

Thomas Mueller (Germany/Bayern Munich)

Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich)

Neymar (Brazil/Barcelona)

Paul Pogba (France/Juventus)

Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/Barcelona)

Arjen Robben (Netherlands/Bayern Munich)

James Rodríguez (Colombia/Real Madrid)

Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal)

Luis Suarez (Uruguay/FC Barcelona)

Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast/Manchester City)

Arturo Vidal (Chile/Bayern Munich). – Reuters

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Sterling targets more goals

After a hat-trick against Bournemouth, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has set his sights on bigger targets.

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After a hat-trick against Bournemouth, Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has set his sights on bigger targets, starting with Wednesday's Champions League encounter at home to Europa League holders Sevilla.

Sterling inspired City to a 5-1 demolition of Bournemouth on Saturday in his best performance since joining from Liverpool in a deal that could be worth up to £49 million ($75.7 million, 66.7 million euros).

With Wilfried Bony also scoring twice, Manuel Pellegrini's side barely missed the injured Sergio Aguero and David Silva, but ahead of successive games against Sevilla and Manchester United, Sterling knows that City's path is about to become a great deal steeper.

“That was my best game so far for City. I had chances and I finished them, so I'm happy,” the England forward told the club website.

“The movement up front and the passing from midfield has been really good in the last few games and we've been playing some good, free-flowing stuff.

“We have to put this game to one side now and look towards Sevilla on Wednesday and Man United next weekend. But our focus for now is purely on Wednesday.”

Having crushed Newcastle United 6-1 prior to the international break, City have now scored 11 goals in two games, but the transition from domestic to continental competition has been a consistent area of concern in recent seasons.

City won their first five Premier League games without conceding a goal, only to crash 2-1 at home to Juventus in their opening Group D assignment last month.

A 90th-minute Aguero penalty saw them win at Borussia Moenchengladbach in their second group game, but with Juventus having beaten Sevilla 2-0 on the same night, a shootout for second place is already on the cards.

As well as Aguero and Silva, City are also currently without both left-backs Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy, meaning right-back Bacary Sagna is expected to fill in on the left side of defence.

Skipper Vincent Kompany is in line to return after being rested against Bournemouth, while Pellegrini has allayed fears about the fitness of Yaya Toure after he was taken off at half-time.

Although fit, Toure is not content, as he disclosed in an interview with L'Equipe on Monday in which he said that he was “not happy” due to a perceived lack of recognition from the English media.

While the Ivorian broods, Wednesday's game is likely to be a happier occasion for City winger Jesus Navas, who played 393 games for Sevilla during a 10-year period prior to alighting in northwest England in 2013.

Sevilla's domestic struggles continued on Saturday as they could only manage a 1-1 draw at Eibar, which left them 12th in La Liga with just two wins from their opening eight games.

However, they have shown their ability to rise to the occasion as one of those victories came against European champions Barcelona.

Unai Emery's squad is also beginning to take shape after a spate of injuries, but Gael Kakuta, Sergio Escudero, Nico Pareja, Daniel Carrico and goalkeeper Beto are all expected to miss the trip to Manchester.

Beto's absence has allowed Spaniard Sergio Rico to reclaim his place in recent weeks and he believes a change of scenery can do Sevilla good as they have produced their best in European competitions over the past two years.

“Now we have to change our mentality,” said Rico, whose team have not won in England in three attempts.

“It is a different competition and we need to turn the page and think only about Manchester City. It will be very difficult to win there, but we go with all the desire in the world.”

Influential Argentine midfielder Ever Banega returned from injury as a substitute at Eibar and is expected to start at the Etihad Stadium.

Ukrainian international winger Yevhen Konoplyanka could also be brought into the starting line-up after making another strong impact off the bench. – AFP

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