Williams prefers Bale absence

Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic insists the club will not become distracted from their own development when Pep Guardiola takes charge at Manchester City.

The Bayern Munich head coach will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, having agreed a three-year deal with the 2014 Premier League champions.

Guardiola s arrival has been viewed as a major coup for City as they aim to establish supremacy over their local rivals, but Vidic says his old club will not be giving much thought to the former Barcelona boss  arrival.

I believe he wants to be part of the best league in the world, the recently retired defender told MUTV.  All top players and the managers want to be part of English football. That s great for the play…

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli has called on Mario Balotelli to prove he can make the headlines for the right reasons at Euro 2012.

There were doubts over whether the Manchester City striker would be selected for next month s tournament, following several incidents during the domestic season in England.

However, while indicating that he is aware of Balotelli s ability to draw unnecessary attention to himself, the 54-year-old Prandelli has urged his star striker to silence his critics and let his football do the talking.

In my opinion, he has to see it as an extraordinary occasion for him as it is for the national side, Prandelli told FIFA s official website.

It is a time for him to be written about for what he does on the pitch and not what he has done o…

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds:

Bookmaker:

Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to pick up where they left off in 2017 as they prepare to open the new year’s Bundesliga account in a home clash against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Borussia Dortmund

The only club to have picked up fewer points than reigning champions Bayern Munich over the past two years in Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund have suffered a disappointing kickoff to the new campaign in German top flight.

The stuttering start resulted in BVB losing five of 17 league matches, which consequently led to the sacking of Peter Bosz back in December. Peter Stoger was given the vote of confidence to make things right and help the club get back up on their feet and the early signs are quite promising.…

Paraguayan striker Nelson Valdez is set to extend his loan deal from Rubin Kazan, the player’s representative has revealed.

The experienced footballer was loaned to Valencia in August 2012 after failing to settle in Russia, and he seems to have done enough to persuade los Che to extend his deal at Mestalla.

The player’s representative reveals the two clubs are in talks over a two-year extension to the current loan deal.

“Next week will be officially announced that Valdez will remain in Spain for another two years,” agent Gabriele Giuffrida .

“At the moment, Rubin and Valencia are working on the agreement. Now, I am waiting for confirmation from both clubs.”

According to the agreement, Valdez’s loan deal will be extended for another …

Cesar Azpilicueta has admitted he came close to leaving Chelsea for Barcelona last season, but that he ultimately felt a responsibility to remain in my home .

The Blues skipper penned a new two-year contract extension earlier this month, to end weeks of speculation over his future, after the club triggered a 12-month extension clause before his prior deal expired amid the off-season.

The Spaniard completed a sweep of major honours at Stamford Bridge with the Club World Cup in February, and says that he felt ready to consider a move back to his home country in the aftermath.

But the subsequent sanctions imposed against owner Roman Abramovich amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw him have a change of heart, with a desire to stand by the team as they transitio…

Stoke City are the latest side to be linked with a move for Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, .

Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are also interested though it is the Potters who are leading the race to secure his services.

The twenty year old broke into the Villa first team in the 2014/15 campaign and has since racked up forty-five appearances for the club in all competitions, with his one and only goal so far coming in a 3-2 defeat to would-be Champions Leicester City last September.

Prior to making his debut for the recently-relegated outfit he spent a season on loan with Notts County, where he played thirty-eight times and scored five goals.

Internationally, he represented Republic of Ireland at U17, U18 and U21 level before switching allegianc…

Benfica have reached an agreement to sign Atletico Madrid forward Eduardo Salvio, .

The Spanish newspaper reports that the two clubs have agreed on the transfer fee, while the player’s agent Agustin Jimenez trashed out personal terms with the Portuguese club.

Salvio will undergo a medical at Estadio de Luz on Wednesday before signing a long-term deal with the Eagles.

The highly rated winger joined Atletico Madrid in a €10 million deal from Lanus in January 2010 and he scored 2 goals in 13 La Liga games during his first six months at the club.

The player was then loaned to Benfica, where he impressed the club chiefs by scoring 4 goals in 19 league games.

The Eagles have attempted to bring him back to the club ever since his loan stint ended an…

Arsenal s Lucas Torreira has acknowledged he is finding it difficult to enjoy life in England following his move from Sampdoria.

Having impressed for Uruguay at the World Cup in Russia, Torreira left Samp to join Arsenal in July 2018, becoming Unai Emery s most expensive signing at a reported fee of close to £27million.

The 23-year-old had a promising debut campaign at Emirates Stadium, making 50 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals as Arsenal claimed a fifth-place Premier League finish and reach the Europa League final.

However, Torreira has revealed that, despite his performances on the pitch, he has endured a hard time adapting to England, conceding he preferred his lifestyle in Italy.

I don t know if there are many things that I…

Joachim Low had a suspicion Germany would meet Italy in the Euro 2016 knockout stages after the world champions thrashed Antonio Conte s men 4-1 in March.

Italy were comprehensively beaten in that friendly in Munich but Low is not surprised Conte has managed to transform the Azzurri from seemingly rank outsiders into genuine title contenders in just over three months.

I thought it back then because the Italians recover from a loss like that, they are not influenced by it, he said of the prospect of the teams meeting at the competition following that eye-catching result. 

We know the Italians, they grow as a unit at tournaments like this. They have got very good players, several of whom know each other from playing together at Juventus.

Friendlies are …

Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama warns that his side will not be sitting back and admiring Barcelona in their Champions League encounter.

The Hoops star describes the La Liga outfit as one of the best teams in the world and has urged his team-mates to be focused throughout the entire match if they hope to come out of the fixture with their heads held high.

We all know about the quality of this (Barcelona) team, the players, how they play and what they have won, Wanyama told Goal.com.

But we are not going there to sit back and admire them as they pass the ball around. I am sure all the players selected will be ready to put in a top-class performance.

We have had a good start (to the Champions League) and it s important to maintain that and eye qualific…