Lazio defender Stefan Radu has been ruled out for two months with a knee ligament injury.
The Romania international picked up the injury during a training session and could miss his side s next 12 games in Serie A and the UEFA Europa League.
A statement on the club s official website confirmed that Radu sustained the problem on Wednesday, and had been diagnosed with a rupture of his medial knee ligament after medical examinations.
The 26-year-old will have his leg in a brace to stabilise his knee for three weeks, but he is not expected back in training for eight weeks.
Radu joined Lazio from Dinamo Bucharest in 2008 and has made 130 league appearances for the club including both matches in Serie A so far this season.
Striker Sergio Floccari will join Radu o…
Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has revealed that he was on the verge of signing for Marseille as a youngster.
Born in Agen, a city between Bordeaux and Toulouse, the centre-back was hoping to join OM as it was the most famous club in the proximity of Bandol, a coast city where his family used to live.
But, he was eventually forced to sign with Toulouse as regulations banned players under the age of 15 to travel over 50 km in one direction.
“I was hoping to play (for Marseille) because of the proximity of my family living in Bandol, but OM rather recommended us Toulouse, which was closer,” Laporte explained to La Provence.
The youngster has since come a long way as he moved to Athletic Bilbao in 2010 and quickly went on to establish himself …
Nottingham Forest have signed defender Jack Hobbs from Hull City on a season-long loan,.
The transfer will be made permanent next summer, when the 24 year old will begin a pre-agreed two year contract at the City Ground, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2016.
Hobbs began his career at Lincoln City, before moving to Liverpool having played just three minutes of league football for the Imps.
He spent most of his four years with the five times European Champions on loan, though he did make two Premier League appearances, as well as twice being named as an unused substitute in their 2007/08 Champions League campaign before moving to Leicester City a year later.
During the Foxes promotion winning 2009/10 season, Hobbs was named the clubs player…
Liverpool defender Kolo Toure pledged his support for team-mate Mamadou Sakho after it was revealed the Frenchman failed a drugs test.
Sakho tested positive for a banned substance after the 1-1 draw against Manchester United in the Europa League on March 17 and could face a lengthy ban.
While the 26-year-old is not formally suspended at this stage, he will not be considered for first-team duty until the matter is resolved a decision taken by the club in conjunction with the player with Liverpool likely to request the testing of a B sample.
Toure said he could empathise with Sakho after suffering a similar plight five years ago when he was banned for six months after failing a drugs test while at Manchester City.
The former Ivory Coast international wa…
Market: Croatia win
Odds:
In pole position to snatch top spot in Group D, Croatia will look to carry on their fine run of form when they face off against Iceland in their third and final group outing.
Starting with Iceland, despite earning that historic 1-1 draw with 2014 World Cup finalists Argentina in their opening matchup in Group D, The Blues put in a tired second-half performance against Nigeria and slumped to a 2-0 defeat. While they do currently sit third and a win on Tuesday could see them jump into second spot, we believe they won t have enough to trouble a high-flying Croatia side. Also, aside from their 1-1 draw with Argentina, Iceland have now failed to pick up a win in any competition since January and have also only recorded one clean sheet in 2…
Josef Martinez helped Atlanta United equal an MLS record in a 7-0 thrashing of New England Revolution, while Vancouver Whitecaps moved top.
Martinez scored a hat-trick at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Atlanta equalled the largest margin of victory in MLS history.
It took just 73 seconds for Martinez to open the scoring, the Venezuela international finishing powerfully from an angle.
New England were reduced to 10 men in the 16th minute as midfielder Xavier Kouassi was shown a straight red card.
The visitors outing would get much worse, Martinez scoring two penalties – both times after handballs – and Antonio Delamea Mlinar seeing red for giving away the second spot-kick.
It was 4-0 before half-time as Anton Walkes struck, and Atlanta would net thre…
James Rodriguez has not torn a muscle but has swelling in his calf, the Federacion Colombiana de Futbol (FCF) has confirmed.
The midfielder limped out of Colombia s 1-0 win over Senegal that booked a World Cup last-16 clash with England.
Bayern Munich star James was therefore considered a doubt for Tuesday s game in Moscow.
And Colombia confirmed in a statement that James has undergone a scan on the injury.
Results showed that he has a minor edema without a fibrillar rupture in the right soleus, the FCF said.
James was the Golden Boot winner at Brazil 2014 as Colombia reached the quarter-finals.
Colombia are set to train in a behind-closed-doors session on Sunday.
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Borussia Dortmund failed to kickstart their Champions League campaign as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at APOEL on Tuesday.
Having lost to Tottenham and Real Madrid to sit bottom of Group H, Peter Bosz s side needed to make up ground in the battle to qualify for the knockout stages.
However, a club famed for their Yellow Wall struggled to break down opponents wearing the same-coloured shirts in Cyprus and they remain six points behind Real and Tottenham.
They needed a towering header from Sokratis Papastathopoulos just to pick up a point on their travels, the defender sparing the blushes of his goalkeeper Roman Burki, who gifted APOEL the lead.
The Switzerland international s careless pass presented Lorenzo Ebecilio with possession and although …
Verdict: Mo Salah to score anytime
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Having both been frustrated with respective results at the weekend, both Liverpool and WBA will be highly motivated to turn a corner in their midweek fixture.
Reds need a swift return to high-tempo football following the Merseyside derby stalemate, whereas Alan Pardew is facing a difficult reality of his new gig at West Bromwich.
Liverpool
The Reds are coming off from a frustrating weekend in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp’s men put in a low-tempo display which came as a huge contrast to their high-intensity performances witnessed over the past few weeks. Liverpool scored whopping 15 goals in their last three matches prior to the Merseyside derby and were widely expected to co…
Alvaro Morata believes he has returned to Real Madrid as a more mature player.
Despite impressing after breaking into the Madrid first team in 2010, Morata was moved on to Juventus in 2014.
The 23-year-old claimed two successive Scuddeti with Juve and developed a penchant for scoring in big matches, prompting his former club to exercise their buy-back option.
Reports suggested Madrid were likely to sell Morata on at a profit, but coach Zinedine Zidane insisted he was at the Santiago Bernabeu to stay.
The striker feels his time in Turin helped him bloom, and he is now willing to give everything for his boyhood club.
It is a day of great joy for me. I m back at home. It has been two long years and a long wait to return, said Morata at his presenta…