Aguero could miss up to 11 matches after car crash

Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero, faces missing up to 11 games for his club and country, after he was involved in a car accident in Amsterdam on Thursday night.

The incident left him with a broken rib.

Aguero, who has since flown back to Manchester, could be out for up to two months.

The 29-year-old is set to miss 11 games during his enforced lay-off, including City’s trip to Chelsea tomorrow, as well as two World Cup qualifiers with Argentina.

His father, Leonel Del Castillo, told TyC Sports: “The taxi was driving very fast, Kun asked him to slow down, put on his seat belt and crashed instantly.

“He was lucky. They put him on painkillers, he was released and taken to Manchester.”

Chelsea vs. Man City: Conte challenges Hazard to repeat performance against Athletico

Antonio Conte has challenged Eden Hazard to repeat his dazzling performance against Atletico Madrid when Chelsea face title rivals Manchester City on Saturday.

Hazard was in fine form, during the week, as Chelsea became the first English team to win at Atletico with a 2-1 success in the Champions League.

The 26-year-old was making only his second start of the season in Madrid following three substitute appearances after surgery on his ankle.

Now Hazard is poised for his first Premier League start of the campaign

With Manchester City looking strong, Chelsea boss Conte wants Hazard to help the champions draw level on points with the leaders at Stamford Bridge.

“If he was able to play one game like the last game against Atletico Madrid it means he’s ready now to play with continuity,” Conte told reporters on Friday.

“For us he’s an important player. Last season he had an important season, he played very well, he performed as a top player. I’m very happy for him.”

Nigeria vs Zambia: Rohr to make final decision on Iwobi this weekend

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, is yet to make a decision over Alex Iwobi’s availability, for next week’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia in Uyo.

Rohr is waiting to see if Iwobi will make Arsene Wenger’s squad, for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Brighton, before replacing him with someone from the standby list.

“Coach Rohr is not in a hurry to beckon on any of the standby players for now,” Super Eagles, media officer, Toyin Ibitoye, told Completesportsnigeria.com.

“He said he would like to see if Iwobi will play against Brighton, but may have to invite any if the standby if Alex fails to make the bench.”

Iwobi is struggling with a muscle strain and missed Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Bate Borisov in Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League tie.

Chelsea vs Manchester City: Conte speaks on Aguero’s absence

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has said he has enough faith in his players, to look after themselves when they have off days.

Conte was reacting on Friday, to news that Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero, was involved in a car accident on Thursday while coming back from a concert in Amsterdam.

“I was a player and when you have your day off you must take responsibility to try to make the best decision for you, the team and the club,” he explained.

“I like to give responsibility because the players are not kids. They are men, they have families and children and I think that it is important to give them responsibility.

“I’m sorry for the situation and I hope Sergio is feeling good. I think and I hope that he stays well.”

Chelsea welcome City to Stamford Bridge Saturday evening.

Mourinho to appear in court before Manchester United’s trip to Chelsea

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has been summoned to appear in a Madrid court on November 3, two days before he takes his team to his old club, Chelsea, in the Premier League.

Spanish authorities opened a case against Mourinho in June, for alleged tax evasion during his time as Real Madrid boss.

The 54-year-old allegedly did not declare revenue related to his image rights in 2011 and 2012 and owes the Spanish state nearly £2.9million.

Mourinho’s agent issued a statement at the time denying the allegation and pointed out he paid nearly £23m in taxes during his stint in Spain, at an average tax rate of more than 41%

It also stated that he had reached a settlement agreement with the Spanish taxman in 2013.

Angel Di Maria, Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi have all been convicted of tax evasion in recent years.

Conte blasts Premier League over Manchester City fixture

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, has criticised the Premier League, for scheduling their clash with Manchester City on Saturday.

After spending Thursday recovering following their stunning 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid, it leaves Chelsea just one day to prepare.

City played Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday at the Etihad, giving them a 24-hour headstart over the Blues.

“Don’t forget, Manchester City played (on Tuesday) at home,” said Conte.

“To have only one day to prepare for this type of game is not right. I’m very surprised to see that we have to play on Saturday, not on Sunday. I don’t understand why.”

Conte says the international break which follows the City game, means it was less necessary for the game to be played on Saturday.

“There is the international break. It’s very difficult to understand,” Conte added.

The Italian insisted Chelsea would be ready, but he may delay selecting his team until Saturday afternoon.

“Maybe I’ll wait until one hour, two hours before playing.

“This type of game (against Atletico) you use a lot of physical and mental energy. I want to speak with everyone and then to make the best decision.

“(But) to play a big game is better because we can keep the concentration very high,” he added.

Champions League: What Mbappe said after win over Bayern Munich

Paris Saint Germain forward, Kylian Mbappe has boasted that there is more to come from the French giants, after they trounced Bayern Munich 3-0 on Wednesday.

“The story is only just beginning,” Mbappe told Canal+.

The 18-year-old added: “We knew in our hearts that we had to put in a great performance against a great team. We did that.

“Expectations were high, which is normal after a summer transfer window like ours. It was a complete performance and now we move on to the next match on Saturday. We are here to win every game.”

Ronaldo dodges questions on new Real Madrid deal

Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, on Tuesday refused to answer questions about a new contract at the club.

The 32-year-old instead told reports to ask the club’s president, Florentino Perez.

Ronaldo was linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in June, after he was accused of not paying €14.7million in taxes on image rights income.

He denied the charges but could face a bill, including fines of more than €40million or even time in prison if he is found guilty.

Perez has already dismissed the idea of Madrid’s record goal scorer receiving a pay increase, to help him deal with the situation.

When asked if he expected to extend his deal, Ronaldo speaking after his brace against Borussia Dortmund, said: “That is a good question.

“I am happy, things happen in a natural way. That is a better question maybe for the president – he would know better than me how to answer.”

Nigeria vs Zambia: Full list of Super Eagles players invited by Rohr for Uyo clash

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has released a list of 23 players, that will take on Zambia next week, in a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Uyo.

Captain John Mikel Obi, Odion Ighalo, Alex Iwobi are some of the names included.

Portugal-based goalkeeper Dele Alampasu could not make the list, alongside wing back Tyronne Ebuehi and South Africa-based Daniel Akpeyi.

The list comprises the same set of players who got four points off Cameroon during the last international week.

All invited players are to be in Uyo on Monday, October 2, 2017.

The full list of the invited players:

Goalkeepers: Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah); Ayodele Ajiboye (Plateau United FC)

Defenders: William Ekong (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Abdullahi Shehu (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus); Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); Elderson Echiejile (Sivasspor FC, Turkey); Uche Agbo (Standard Liege, Belgium); Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes FC, France); Olaoluwa Aina (Hull City, England)

Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Tianjin Teda, China); Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (CD Feirense, Portugal); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel); Mikel Agu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Odion Ighalo (Chang Chun-Yatai, China); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Anthony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel)

STANDBY: Dele Alampasu (Cesarense FC, Portugal); Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag, The Netherlands); Aaron Samuel (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Afeez Aremu (Akwa United); Ifeanyi Ifeanyi (Akwa United)

Nigeria vs Zambia: Why Rohr dropped Omeruo from Super Eagles’ 23-man squad

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, left out Kenneth Omeruo from the 23-man squad , that will take on Zambia in a 2018 World Cup qualifier next week, because of his slow start to the new European season.

According to Complete Sports, Rohr opted for Chidozie Awaziem and Uche Agbo, because of their impressive performances for their clubs.

Awaziem and Agbo have featured consistently for Nantes and Standard Liege respectively, since the new campaign began.

Omeruo, is currently on loan at Kasimpasa from Chelsea. He had to wait three weeks into the new season, before the deal was completed to take him back to Turkey.

The defender only made his first start (second appearance) for Kasimpasa last weekend.

I’m tired of fans criticizing me – Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has hit back at his critics and expressed surprise that he continually has to prove himself to the fans.

Ronaldo silenced his critics after stepping up again with a double for the Blancos.

The Portuguese scored twice to help Madrid secure a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old’s domestic return has not gone as planned as he is unable to net in two La Liga games since retun from suspension.

But the Portugal captain said he is getting tired of the constant criticism as he had already proven himself.

He told Atresmedia after netting his 400th goal for Madrid, “It seems that I have to keep showing exactly who I am in every match.

“I am surprised by what the public thinks of me, my numbers speak for themselves, I am an exemplary professional and I always have a clear mind.
“The criticism is getting worse.”

Ronaldo said the team stepped up which led to the winning at Dortmund for the first time.

He added, “Before the game we spoke about how much we wanted to win in Dortmund.

“We did what the coach told us, the team has been phenomenal, creating opportunities and it isn’t easy to score three goals here.

“We played well.”

Finally: Cristiano Ronaldo fixes wedding date

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez plan to tie the knots after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Real Madrid superstar has given his fiancee a £232,000 five-carat diamond ring.

And Portuguese daily, Correio de Manha, claims the pair will officially get married next year.

Georgina, 23, is pregnant with Ronaldo’s baby. And her new dance teachers have accidentally revealed the sex of the couple’s unborn child .

The salsa pair confirmed suspicions Cristiano and his partner were expecting a girl in an Instagram gaffe.

Georgina posted a video of her enjoying her first class in a loose top which hid her baby bump and said: “Dancing makes your heart happy. Thanks to my teachers Basi and Deisy for giving me my first salsa lessons. I’m happy.”

Their reply, removed from social media after it was spotted by eagle-eyed fans, was: “A pleasure giving you salsa lessons.”

Zidane hails players over defeat of Dortmund

Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane has hailed a “perfect performance” of his team after a 3-1 Champions League Group H win at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Zidane told his post-match news conference that Real had started well and that although Dortmund had caused them problems, he was very happy with the overall performance.

“The truth is it was perfect,” Zidane said. “We played a great game from start to finish. We started the game spectacularly against a rival who can make it difficult for you.

He said, “The key was to keep possession and to press well. We had some tough moments in the second half, but I am very proud of what the players did. Playing with authority was the key today.”

“I am happy for Cristiano again, as there is always talk of problems when he doesn’t score,” he added.

“I am also happy for Gareth as the goal will be very good for him. Today we saw Gareth in very good form, playing like that and scoring too,” he said.

Zidane said, “In every game we see he is returning to how he was before. He was up front in our shape, but naturally drifted to the left, where he can be lethal.”

CSKA Moscow vs Manchester United: We have to be humble – Mourinho

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has told his squad to be “humble”, ahead of their Champions League game at CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night.

Mourinho says his side must accept they will be second best for the periods of the matches.

United have dropped only two Premier League points and got their Champions League off to a winning start against Basle, but their manager said that there were no guarantees of continuing that kind of success and that humility was key.

“We cannot guarantee we’ll continue this line of success but the way to try to keep it is to continue what we are doing. We try to play well and in the moment the opponent has superiority, we have to be humble and cope with the moments of the game,” he said.

Mourinho will be without midfielders Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Paul Pogba for the match.

Why Wenger dropped Ozil against West Brom – Keown

Former Arsenal midfielder, Martin Keown, has claimed Arsene Wenger dropped Mesut Ozil from the starting 11 against West Brom on Monday, because he doesn’t trust him.

The 28-year-old is into his final season at the Emirates, with reports suggesting he will join Manchester United as a free agent next year.

Ozil had missed Arsenal’s previous three games with a knee problem, before being named on the bench against West Brom.

Speaking live from the game on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday night, Keown said: “I think he loves playing football, Sanchez, I don’t see there’s an issue with him.

“Ozil of the two players, are they going to sign, aren’t they, is the one I wouldn’t trust as much mentally, and I believe he’s not playing tonight because the gaffer really can’t trust him anymore.

“I think it’s a huge story that Ozil doesn’t play tonight.

“If you look at their pre-seasons, Ozil wasn’t in the German squad in the summer, he came back on the very first day of pre-season, and didn’t then start the season, there was a bit of suspicion around him

“Last year he went missing for a couple of months and I think that’s his tactic in terms of getting away from the football club.

“I don’t know – but I have a feeling that he’s going to take his reliability away from selection.”