Zanetti, Cambiasso back for Argentina

Julian Nagelsmann hailed Serge Gnabry s unique ability as Bayern Munich prepare to face Dynamo Kiev in Wednesday s Champions League clash.

Bayern crushed Barcelona 3-0 in their Group E opener and have won the most games (20), while scoring the most goals (73) across the last three Champions League campaigns.

Robert Lewandowski has been directly involved in 27 goals in his last 17 appearances in the competition and has ended on the winning side in all 17 games, the joint-longest run of wins by a player in the tournament s history.

However, Nagelsmann preferred to focus on Gnabry, who has scored three and assisted twice this term, ahead of the visit of Dynamo.

I didn t do anything with [Gnabry] consciously and didn t have that many conversations, Nagelsman…

Manchester United managed to come back from behind to beat Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a very late winner after Alex Telles cancelled out an early opener from Paco Alcacer for the Spanish side.

After the match, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke very highly of the mentality of the Portuguese superstar.

That s just what he s done throughout his career. He s so strong mentally.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks of Cristiano Ronaldo s emotional strength

— Football Daily (@footballdaily)

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Russia s 2008 UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint-Petersburg signed experienced Portuguese international defender Bruno Alves for 22 million euros from Portuguese champions FC Porto on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old capped 35 times and an ever present at the World Cup finals where Portugal exited in the second round is yet to sign his contract as he has to undergo a medical.

Alves, who has had loan spells with Farense, Vitoria Guimaraes and Greek giants AEK Athens, won four successive league titles with Porto and was named Portuguese player of the year in the 2008/09 season.

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Lars Bender will miss the FIFA World Cup after suffering a thigh injury during Germany s pre-tournament training camp on Thursday.

The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder was named in Joachim Low s provisional squad for the finals in Brazil after impressing during the Bundesliga season.

Germany are currently in northern Italy before heading to South America next month, but Bender will not be on the plane after the German Football Association confirmed he damaged a muscle in his right thigh during a training session.

If just before a tournament injury fails a player then that s disappointing, said Low.

For Lars, I m personally very sorry.

I know he wanted to be in Brazil, he is an absolute role model.

Bender has made 17 appearances for Germany since his debu…

Colin Calderwood was appointed the new manager of Scottish Premier League side Hibernian on Monday on a three year contract ending his period as assistant coach at English Premier League outfit Newcastle United.

The 45-year-old has previous managerial experience at Northampton Town and Nottingham Forest, where he won praise for the stylish football they played, before agreeing to join Newcastle as Chris Hughton s assistant in January 2009 and which saw them regain their Premier League status.

However, the former Scottish international defender who won 36 caps and had spells at among other clubs Spurs and Aston Villa said the pull of a top job in his homeland had proved too much.

The opportunity to manage a top-flight side in my home country was hard for me to t…

Claudio Ranieri has returned the compliments paid to him by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri ahead of Fulham s trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Sarri spoke of his deep respect for his Italian compatriot before the pair s meeting in a west London derby that pits the Premier League s fourth-placed side against the team propping up the table.

A 3-2 win over Southampton gave Ranieri a fine start to his Craven Cottage tenure and the 67-year-old is relishing a reunion with both his former club and an old friend.

Sarri is really smart, he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. I followed him for a few days in Cobham [Chelsea s training ground]. There is great study behind him, good insights, a huge passion. 

When we met, he reminded me of an episode from the days in …

Ilkay Gundogan swapped sun and sand in December and January for the cut and thrust of the Premier League when he joined Manchester City – and the Germany international could not be happier.

Former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Gundogan was Pep Guardiola s first signing at Manchester City in 2016 but had his campaign curtailed by a cruciate knee ligament injury.

A cast of walking wounded at the Etihad Stadium, including Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho, means he is likely to be a key figure as the fixtures pile up this time around.

City face the next step of their Premier League title defence at Everton this weekend, while a Christmas and new year period Gundogan used to watch from afar is one he now anticipates with relish.

I remember the ti…

Sergio Ramos debut for Paris Saint-Germain has been pushed back again as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.

Ramos ended a 16-year association with Real Madrid as he joined PSG in July on a free transfer, but he has not played since Los Blancos Champions League semi-final loss against Chelsea in early May.

Reports suggested the centre-back, who signed a two-year deal at the Parc des Princes, could make his debut on Friday against Angers. However, PSG have confirmed that is not the case.

The Ligue 1 champions released an update on Thursday, announcing Ramos is still in individual training with a view to joining the squad in 10 days, which means he will also seemingly miss Tuesday s Champions League clash with RB Leipzig and the trip to Marseille for Le …

Lionel Messi could spend the latter days of his career at Inter Miami in Major League Soccer – at least, the club s co-owner is optimistic such a deal could be arranged.

Messi s future has been shrouded in uncertainly for the best part of a year, with the six-time Ballon d Or winner attempting to force a departure from Barcelona last August.

While that did not come to fruition, with Messi unwilling to drag the club through the courts in an attempt to exercise an apparent get-out clause, his future has been a constant source of speculation through 2020-21 due to his contract expiring at the end of June.

Barca president Joan Laporta said this month that contract discussions were going well, with Messi seemingly happier at the club since the October resignation of…

Robert Lewandowski enjoyed a thrilling Signal Iduna Park leaving party as Borussia Dortmund edged Hoffenheim 3-2 on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Poland striker, who will join Bayern Munich at the end of the season, failed to get on the scoresheet in his last home game for Dortmund, but his team-mates stepped up in the Bundesliga’s penultimate round.

In a match of little importance – Dortmund and Hoffenheim had already been assured of finishing second and in mid-table before kick-off respectively – the visitors stormed into an early lead through Roberto Firmino.

However, a Kevin Grossreutz curler, a rare header from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lukasz Piszczek’s half-volley ensured Jurgen Klopp s men will enter their final league game of the season at Hertha Berlin with …