Juventus are destined to win the Champions League and Barcelona will not be able to prevent the Serie A champions march to Cardiff.
That is the conviction of former Juve star Gianluca Vialli, who skippered Juve to European glory in 1996 and believes Massimiliano Allegri s side are the strongest team on the continent.
Juve defeated Barca 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie and head to Camp Nou as strong favourites to progress on Wednesday, despite the hosts well-known powers of recovery.
Allegri has the strongest team in Europe, ex-Chelsea boss Vialli told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
If Juventus eliminate Barcelona, the self-esteem will grow. After such a step, you feel like a dragon.
in the zone for .
— JuventusFC (@juventu…
La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Champions League holders Real Madrid are keeping close tabs on Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
The Polish footballer has enjoyed an excellent start to his career at Stadio San Paolo, producing 6 goals and 7 assists in 45 competitive outings.
His very good showings did not go unnoticed and to show their interest in his services.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Real Madrid are also casting admiring glances towards Zielinski, but head coach Maurizio Sarri has no intention of selling his prized asset.
Piotr Zielinski, 22, moved to Italy back in 2011, joining Udinese from Zaglebie Lubin, while he also enjoyed a successful loan stint with Empoli.
His suitors Real Madrid will contest a Champions League…
With the likes of Ibrahim Afellay already on the books and Xherdan Shaqiri expected to sign soon, Stoke City can make a genuine bid for European qualification, according to Charlie Adam.
After losing 1-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday described by Adam as only one game the gloss may have been taken off Stoke s close-season recruitment, which saw Afellay, Marco van Ginkel, Joselu and Glen Johnson arrive at the Britannia Stadium.
But Adam remains excited about the potential of Mark Hughes Stoke squad, with the latter having confirmed on Monday that talks have resumed to sign Switzerland international Shaqiri from Inter.
Shaqiri would be Hughes 10th signing since last season, and Adam said Stoke have built a squad that can challenge for the UEFA Europa League at lea…
Sami Khedira is not in the Germany squad for their Nations League opener against France, but Joachim Low says the Juventus midfielder remains available.
Khedira is the headline absentee from the Low s first selection since Germany were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.
Leroy Sane was omitted from the Russia 2018 squad, but the Manchester City winger returns, while Thilo Kehrer, Kai Havertz and Nico Schulz have received their maiden call-ups.
Jonathan Tah of Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg striker Nils Petersen are back in the squad after missing out on the World Cup.
Arsenal star Mesut Ozil is out after retiring from international football, but Sane s City team-mate Ilkay Gundogan keeps his place after apologising for the pair meeting Turkey…
Hakan Calhanoglu is determined to reward AC Milan for the faith they have shown in him after he joined the club following a FIFA ban.
The Turkey international was suspended for four months after it was deemed he had breached a contract with Trabzonspor, a club he had agreed to join in 2011, only to extend his stay with Karlsruher SC.
That ruled him out of Bayer Leverkusen s Bundesliga campaign from February onwards and has fuelled the 23-year-old s desire to hit the ground running at San Siro.
I want to thank you for making this transfer happen and trusting in me. I want to give a lot back, he told Milan TV.
The last four months have been hard for me, but I am very happy to be here in Milan. I want to give my best performance for the fans, the club and …
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon does not expect Gareth Bale to leave the club but says the forward s future will depend on the whims of current chief Florentino Perez.
Bale joined Real in September 2013 for a world-record transfer fee and helped them win the UEFA Champions League in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, Bale has been hampered by injuries this campaign and the subject of much criticism from media and fans for his performances, leading to speculation he could leave for Manchester United.
Calderon, Real president from 2006 to 2009, told the International Business Times: It [Bale s future] will depend on the whims of the president [Perez].
But you have to have in mind that he protects much the players that he si…
Dedryck Boyata will join Hertha Berlin after his Celtic contract expires at the end of June, the Bundesliga side have confirmed.
Belgium international Boyata joined Celtic from Manchester City in 2015 and made 135 appearances for the Scottish club, including 32 outings this season.
But with his contract at Parkhead up at the end of the campaign, Hertha handed the 28-year-old a long-term deal.
Boyata told his new team s official website: I am pleased that the deal has worked out. It is an ambitious club and we have similar goals.
I am looking forward to the new season and want to achieve something with the club.
Boyata has not played for Celtic since March because of a knee injury and was not part of their squad for Sunday s Scottish Premier Le…
Mesut Ozil rejected crazy offers from Asian clubs worth a reported £1million a week to stay at Arsenal, according to his agent.
The 30-year-old agreed to a new deal with the Gunners in February which is said to be worth in the region of £300,000 per week, after months of speculation over his future.
His representative, Dr Erkut Sogut, has denied money was the main problem during protracted negotiations with the club and suggested Ozil could have earned world-record sums had he agreed to move away from north London.
We had some really big offers from Asia. There were some crazy offers, he told Standard Sport. But, for Mesut, money was by no means the biggest factor.
Money is definitely one important thing to consider, but people must remember that f…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola accepts the pressure is on to deliver silverware this season if he is to keep his job at the Premier League heavyweights.
City have enjoyed a flying start to the season in their bid to build on the titles won in 2011-12 and 2013-14, top of the table ahead of neighbours Manchester United on goal difference.
But after failing to land a trophy in his first season in England after arriving from German champions Bayern Munich, expectations are high on Guardiola to deliver this time around.
And the former Barcelona boss is clear on what it will take to remain in charge.
I cannot deny it is to win titles. Everybody expects that, Guardiola told BBC s Gary Lineker on The Premier League Show.
We are going to be judge…
Paul Scholes has been fined £8,000 by the Football Association (FA) after admitting to breaching betting rules.
Former Manchester United and England star Scholes was charged in April in respect to 140 bets placed on football matches between August 2015 and January 2019.
Scholes brief tenure as manager of League Two club Oldham Athletic began in February this year but he fell foul of FA regulations because the bets in question took place when he was a director of Salford City.
Alongside former United team-mates Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and David Beckham, Scholes owns a stake in Salford, who were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history last season.
Eight of Scholes bets were placed on FA Cup matches, a…