Poland midfielder Eugen Polanski believes a fast start to the European Championships against Greece is vital for his under-rated side.
Coming into the tournament, Poland may be one of the host nations, but with a FIFA ranking of number 65 in the world, they are a long way behind their Group A opponents Russia (world number 11), Greece (14) and Czech Republic (26).
Although Greece won the 2004 European Championships, Group A is without all the major favourites for this year s competition in Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
And, with such an open group, 26-year-old Mainz midfielder Polanski believes getting a fast start may just be enough to take his side through to the quarter-finals.
It s important to win the first game and start the tournament with th…
Rafael Benitez will leave Newcastle United at the end of his contract this week.
Manager Benitez had been in negotiations with the club over an extension to a three-year stay defined largely by the Spaniard s frustration at Newcastle s transfer activity.
However, those talks have failed to produce a resolution and the 59-year-old will depart when his contract expires on Sunday.
A Newcastle statement on Monday read: It is with disappointment that we announce manager Rafael Benitez will leave Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract on 30th June 2019.
It is with disappointment that we announce manager Rafael Benítez will leave Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract on 30th June 2019.
Full club statement:
— Newcastle U…
Chelsea have expanded their promotional efforts into Asia.
The Champions League finalists have launched official websites in Indonesian and Korean, with the Indonesian portal the first for a Premier League side.
The new sites are the third and fourth Asian-language outlets created by the 2009-10 Premier League champions, following sites in Thai and Chinese.
The club also publishes information in Russian, a nod to owner Roman Abramovich.
This is further evidence of Chelsea s dedication to our supporters in Asia, said chief executive Ron Gourlay in a statement.
We have more than 15 million supporters in South Korea and Indonesia, and we are delighted to be able to offer them this service.
Chelsea went to Asia last year when they visited …
Colombian full-back Pablo Armero has joined Flamengo on a season-long loan, the Brazilian club announced on their official website.
The 28-year-old has prematurely ended his loan spell with AC Milan to join the Brazilian giants having failed to make a single appearance for the Rossoneri since January.
Pablo Armero has been owned by Udinese since the summer of 2010, when he arrived from Palmeiras, but he spent last couple of years with Napoli, West Ham and AC Milan.
And having enjoyed very little success since leaving Friuli, the experienced defender will be hoping to get his career back on track in South America.
In spite of the lack of action at club level, Armero remains an important player for Colombia and he produced some very good performances in fi…
Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov believes he is through the hardest part of his battle against acute leukaemia.
The Bulgarian was diagnosed with the illness in March, ruling him out of the conclusion of Villa s season, and has since undergone regular chemotherapy.
Petrov visited the club s Bodymoor Heath training ground on Thursday his 33rd birthday and spoke of his determination to overcome the problem, telling the club s official website: I ve been a strong character since the start of my career.
I am just not going to stop fighting. I have always been a fighter and I will just keep fighting.
I always believed that you need to be patient and you need to believe in things, and I believe I will get better.
I know I ve got a few more mont…
Juan Mata scored the winner as Manchester United bounced back from their humiliating defeat at Chelsea with a 1-0 derby victory over Manchester City in the EFL Cup fourth round, extending their local rivals winless run to six matches.
This was a tie between two managers in need of a reassuring win – Jose Mourinho after the embarrassment of a 4-0 defeat on his return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and Pep Guardiola amidst what is now the longest barren spell of his coaching career.
A much-changed City side started strongly but were unable to make the breakthrough, allowing United to find a way back into the match.
After finishing the first half strongly at Old Trafford, the hosts made a flying start to the second, hitting the post through Paul Pogba before Mata …
South American football s governing body CONMEBOL say the ban handed down to UEFA president Michel Platini is wrong and puts the FIFA presidential election in jeopardy.
Platini has appealed the 90-day suspension imposed on him by FIFA amid the ongoing corruption investigation involving world football s governing body.
Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter were initially handed bans on Thursday the former alleged to have made a disloyal payment to the Frenchman in 2011.
Both men deny any wrongdoing, with CONMEBOL stating Platini needs to be treated as innocent until proven guilty, adding that the sanction is untimely and disproportionate .
The Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol (CSF) does not agree with the decision provisionally banning FIFA presiden…
Juventus icon Gianluigi Buffon and coach Massimiliano Allegri will reach notable landmarks against historic rivals Fiorentina on Friday.
The match will be Buffon s 500th league game in a Juventus jersey, while Allegri will take charge of his 200th fixture as the club s coach across all competitions.
Buffon is only the second player to reach 500 league games for the club, with Alessandro Del Piero (513) the only other player to do so.
The majority of those appearances have come in Serie A, but 37 were in the second tier during the 2006-07 campaign after Juve had been demoted due to the Calciopoli scandal.
500 Gianluigi Buffon will play tonight his 500th league game for Juventus. Legend.
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo)
Allegri reaches the 200 …
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dismissed suggestions Pep Guardiola has raised the bar in football over the past decade.
Guardiola s Manchester City are on track to win the Premier League and face Wenger s men in the EFL Cup final Sunday.
The Spaniard has enjoyed plenty of success with the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich during his coaching career, including winning two Champions League titles.
However, asked if Guardiola had raised the bar, Wenger played down the 47-year-old s impact.
No, because you look at Barcelona and they are still the best team in Europe, he told UK newspapers.
You have to accept that the modern game has changed with the recruitment of the best players in a short number of clubs.
We, as managers, can maybe im…
Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney has vowed to do everything he can to ensure Champions League football returns to the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have not competed in UEFA s showpiece competition since 2016-17 after finishing outside the Premier League s top four in three successive campaigns.
Arsenal reached the Europa League final last season and have made a positive start to their latest campaign this time around, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 and Standard Liege 4-0 in their first two Group F outings.
Tierney played a full part in Thursday s comfortable win over Standard, but the Scotland international insisted his side are more worthy of a place among Europe s elite.
The club is a massive club and deserves to be in the Champions League, he told …