PRE SEASON 2015:Stuttgart 4-2 Manchester City| Highlights Download

Manchester City were humiliated in their final match before the start of their Premier League campaign as Stuttgart ran out comprehensive winners at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

A near full-strength City side conceded four goals by half-time in Germany, with a back four of captain Vincent Kompany, Bacary Sagna, Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov ruthlessly exposed time and again.

Kompany and Mangala were too often drawn apart, while Stuttgart also found plenty of joy on the flanks with the City defence all at sea.

Filip Kostic's well-taken opener put the Bundesliga side on their way and David Didavi doubled the lead for Alexander Zorniger's men after combining well with Florian Klein.

Two goals in as many minutes from Daniel Ginczek then left the home fans buoyant and the visitors shell-shocked.

Kelechi Iheanacho and Edin Dzeko grabbed late consolations for City - who also lost 4-1 to Real Madrid on their tour of Australia last week - but manager Manuel Pellegrini has plenty of work to do with their Premier League opener against West Brom just nine days away.

Raheem Sterling tested Stuttgart goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton early on with a low 20-yard drive, but City were opened up the first time in the 15th minute.

Kostic ran between Sagna and Kompany to meet Ginczek's flicked header before slotting coolly past Joe Hart.

It was 2-0 just after the half-hour mark. Didavi combined excellently with Klein on the right, the former latching onto the latter's through ball in the penalty area and finished through the legs of Hart.

Ginczek scored his first in the 36th minute when City were again caught cold at the back, the forward prodding home Martin Harnik's low cross from the right.

A minute later Ginczek had his second and Stuttgart's fourth. Kompany completely mistimed an interception and the striker found space to calmly take Didavi's pass and dispatch clinically past Hart.

It was little surprise that Kompany was one of three City players - alongside Samir Nasri and Wilfried Bony - substituted at half-time.

City improved after the break with Sterling curling wide of the far post from the left of the penalty area, while Tyton made a smart stop from Bruno Zuculini's close-range effort.

The visitors got on the scoresheet in the 84th minute when Iheanacho drilled into an unguarded goal after Tyton was left stranded from David Silva's cross, before Dzeko side-footed home Sterling's cross from the left in the closing stages.

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Barcelona won't appeal Uefa flag fine

Barcelona have announced that they will not appeal Uefa's decision to fine them €30,000 over the display of pro-Catalan independence flags at the Champions League final.

Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu had previously stated that the club were determined to fight the ruling, which related to the 3-1 win over Juventus in Berlin on July 6, arguing that while they respected the European governing body's decision, they did not agree with it.

However, Barca released on statement on Saturday revealing that they have opted against an lodging an official appeal, after being granted a meeting with Uefa to discuss the matter further to ensure that they will not be sanctioned again if their fans continue to display Catalan flags at European games.

"When the club became aware of a possible sanction from Uefa, legal staff worked on an appeal but, once sent to the governing body, it became clear that closing Camp Nou was a possible sanction and that there was a latent threat to the club," the Blaugrana statement read.

"However, the club then received the minimum financial penalty in the Uefa regulations, with no future threat of a stadium closure.

"This change was considered by the FC Barcelona as an important step in this appeal process.

"Still, the club informed Uefa immediately that it did not agree with the punishment, in defence of the right to freedom of expression of its members and fans, and wanted to ensure that these events would be reviewed to prevent the same punishment occurring in the future, since the club considered them unjust and disproportionate.

"The club considered it appropriate to continue fighting, in the most appropriate way, and informed Uefa of this.

"Before the deadline for filing the appeal, the European body accepted the fact that FC Barcelona did not resort to an appeal, in exchange for a work meeting for a diplomatic solution at the highest level, at the earliest possible date, which has yet to be determined.

"FC Barcelona is convinced that it must preserve their rights and the collective rights of its members and fans with all the power but with the right strategy."

Barcelona have long supported Catalunya's bid for independence from Spain, with the club considered a key component in the region's cultural identity.

However, under Uefa rules, supporters are forbidden from display flags, banners or messages of a political nature.

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Brazil FA confirms Fred failed a doping test

Fred tested positive on a doping test during the Copa America, Brazil's football association (CBF) has confirmed.

The Shakhtar Donetsk star, 22, had banned substance hydrochlorothiazide in his bloodstream, which can act as a masking agent to hide illegal drugs from testers.

The CBF said in a statement on Friday that it had provided a list of medications and their usages to organisers two months before the start of the Copa America.

Hydrochlorothiazide was not part of the list, nor was it available to the CBF, the confederation said, but it stressed Fred had its support.

Fred started two games for Brazil as they reached the quarter-finals in Chile before being knocked out by Paraguay.

Uefa is currently investigating Shakhtar Donetsk's decision to field Fred in Tuesday's Champions League third-round qualification first leg following a complaint from Fenerbahce, with whom they drew 0-0.

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Cech can be Arsenal's Van der Sar - Wenger

Petr Cech can do for Arsenal what Edwin van der Sar achieved at Manchester United, says Arsene Wenger.

The 33-year-old moved to the Emirates Stadium for around £11 million in June to end an 11-year spell at Chelsea where he won 15 trophies, including the Premier League four times and Champions League once.

Van der Sar joined United as a 34-year-old in 2005 and went on to win 11 competitions, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League once, before retiring from the game in 2011.

"His move is a bit like Van der Sar. He went from Fulham to Man United but still had five or six years at Manchester United, so I don’t see why [Cech] shouldn't have a few more years," Wenger told reporters.

"He's very serious, he trains well, has no big problems. He has an intimidating presence that is for sure. He makes the goals look small. That's the kind of charisma he has. He is a big size.

"He has a good combination between quality, agility, size, he looked like he was built for English football. I think he is a very bright goalkeeper as well."

Wenger identified Cech as a potential purchase before his move to Chelsea in 2004 after being impressed by the Czech goalkeeper at Rennes, but missed out during Jose Mourinho's first summer in England.

He added: "Before he went to Chelsea we were interested, as the guy who brought him to Chelsea is a good friend of mine and he told me there was an exceptional keeper at Rennes.

"He was very young when he went to Rennes. One of my assistants, Boro Primorac, his son was a player in Rennes and he said they had a very good goalkeeper. I think Chelsea were a bit quicker than us."

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Cech can be Arsenal's Van der Sar - Wenger

Petr Cech can do for Arsenal what Edwin van der Sar achieved at Manchester United, says Arsene Wenger.

The 33-year-old moved to the Emirates Stadium for around £11 million in June to end an 11-year spell at Chelsea where he won 15 trophies, including the Premier League four times and Champions League once.

Van der Sar joined United as a 34-year-old in 2005 and went on to win 11 competitions, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League once, before retiring from the game in 2011.

"His move is a bit like Van der Sar. He went from Fulham to Man United but still had five or six years at Manchester United, so I don’t see why [Cech] shouldn't have a few more years," Wenger told reporters.

"He's very serious, he trains well, has no big problems. He has an intimidating presence that is for sure. He makes the goals look small. That's the kind of charisma he has. He is a big size.

"He has a good combination between quality, agility, size, he looked like he was built for English football. I think he is a very bright goalkeeper as well."

Wenger identified Cech as a potential purchase before his move to Chelsea in 2004 after being impressed by the Czech goalkeeper at Rennes, but missed out during Jose Mourinho's first summer in England.

He added: "Before he went to Chelsea we were interested, as the guy who brought him to Chelsea is a good friend of mine and he told me there was an exceptional keeper at Rennes.

"He was very young when he went to Rennes. One of my assistants, Boro Primorac, his son was a player in Rennes and he said they had a very good goalkeeper. I think Chelsea were a bit quicker than us."

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Di Maria wants to join PSG - Pastore

Javier Pastore has revealed that Angel Di Maria has told him he wants to ditch Manchester United and join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

A move away from Old Trafford has looked likely for some time after the Argentine endured a rough debut campaign under Louis van Gaal following his British record £59.7 million switch from Real Madrid last summer.

The winger has looked set to join PSG for weeks, with Laurent Blanc admitting that a deal is "close", while he has also been fined by his current club for not joining the squad on their pre-season tour of the United States.

Pastore, who recently committed his future to the French champions by signing a new four-year contract, is confident Di Maria will join him at the Parc des Princes and believes he will be a decisive player if a deal is done.

"I told him to join us," Pastore told  Le Parisien.  "He also asked me many questions about the club, the city and the way of life for his family.

"He wants to come. He is a very great player. Plus, he alone can win important matches."

Di Maria scored three goals and set up a further 10 in his 27 Premier League appearances for United last season.

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'Pedro will move to the Premier League'

The president of Pedro’s first club claims he has been told that the Barcelona forward will move to the Premier League this summer.

The 27-year-old has been tipped to join Manchester United as Angel Di Maria closes in on his move to Paris Saint-Germain, although Chelsea and Liverpool have also been linked.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted earlier this week that the club have received no offers for Pedro but Jaime Lorenzo, president of CD San Isidro, claims the player’s mother has confirmed to him that her son will be leaving Camp Nou.

“The other day, Pedro’s mother told us he was leaving for England,” Lorenzo told El Larguero.

“I think it would be a good challenge for him and he will have more playing time.

“We will send him a gift! If the agreement is €30 million (£21m) at least €450,000 (£316,350) belongs to us, even though these contracts have some specific clauses."

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Luis Enrique trusts me - Sergi Roberto

Sergi Roberto is confident of playing a more important role at Barcelona this season, revealing that coach Luis Enrique has told him that he has the utmost faith in his ability.

The 23-year-old has shown promise over the last few years since his emergence from the Blaugrana youth system but has been unable to nail down a regular starting berth due to the presence of Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the first team.

While Xavi departed the Camp Nou side this summer to join Al Sadd, Arda Turan has been recruited from Atletico Madrid, though the Turkey international is unavailable to play until January because of the club's transfer ban.

Roberto thus believes that he will see more game time during the 2015-16 campaign, not least because of the unwavering support of his boss.

"Luis Enrique told me that he trusts me," he told reporters.

"What I want is to play more games and help the team. I hope to play more minutes than last year. Being versatile is good for me, but I don't know where I will play.

"Last year, Xavi was ahead of me, now this year it's Arda. But he can't play until January, so I have a chance.

"I played as a defensive midfielder last year to give Sergio Busquets a rest and this year I may get the chance to play in the side."

The midfielder is expecting a bright start to the season for Barca, as they prepare to add to last year's treble when they compete in the Uefa Super Cup and the Supercopa de Espana.

"We have two finals in the next week," he said. "Last season was a great season but now we have a chance to win two more titles.

"Then, if we win the Club World Cup [in December], we will have won six trophies, which would be great for the team."

Roberto played just 12 games in La Liga last season, but made 17 appearances in the top flight the year before.

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PRE SEASON 2015: Sagan Tosu 1-1 Atletico Madrid (Pens- 1 vs 0)

Miguel Angel Moya turned from zero to hero in a matter of minutes as Atletico Madrid defeated Sagan Tosu 4-1 on penalties in Saturday's friendly.

The contest at the Best Amenity Stadium finished 1-1 in normal time after Tosu levelled in the 82nd minute when Moya and Stefan Savic made a hash of Ryosuke Tamura's cross.

However, goalkeeper Moya made amends as first Daichi Kamada's spot-kick in the shootout hit the bar, before Kamura's effort was saved.

Atleti will feel aggrieved not to have won in normal time. Koke scored direct from a corner in the 18th minute with Tosu goalkeeper Eisuke Fujishima standing firm to redeem himself after failing to deal with the delivery which allowed the Spanish side to take the lead.

Diego Simeone's men almost went in front as early as the eighth minute when the ball fell kindly for Lucas Hernandez in the area, but he lashed a left-foot half-volley wide.

The tempo was somewhat lacklustre until Koke broke the deadlock in unusual circumstances. His bending corner from the left nestled in the far corner after beating everyone including Fujishima, who flapped in vain at the ball.

Buoyed by the goal, Atleti pressed for a second and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's teasing low ball from the left narrowly missed the on-rushing Fernando Torres.

The trend continued after the break with Carrasco leading a swift counter-attack by marauding through the Tosu midfield and dragging a 25-yard shot wide of the left-hand post.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, Angel Correa burst to the left byline and pulled the ball back to close-season signing Luciano Vietto, whose low shot was saved by the legs of Fujishima.

Sagan's chances had proved few and far between, but they levelled in the closing stages.

Tamura showed Jesus Gamez a clean pair of heels on the right flank and his cross should have been dealt with better, but Moya and Savic got themselves in a tangle and the ball wriggled over the line.

That led to spot-kicks, and while Tosu failed with their first two efforts, Antoine Griezmann, Gabi, Tiago all scored, before Vietto's chipped effort completed the win.

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360 Official: Super Eagles Oshaniwa joins Hearts

Nigeria international Juwon Oshaniwa has signed a three-year contract with Hearts after passing his medicals on Friday.
The 24-year-old, capped 17 times by the Super Eagles, left Ironi Ashdod after a disappointing season in the Israeli topflight where they got relegated to the second division.

The Tynecastle club have had to be patient as the dealings became twisted up in administration but Hearts manager Robbie Neilson believes the wait for the Nigerian international will be vindicated when he eventually plays his way into the team.

"It has been difficult because we had hoped to get him for pre-season so we could build through there with him but hopefully it will be worth the wait,” says Robbie Neilson.

"We did it last season with [Adam] Eckersley and [Miguel] Pallardo. They were guys who came in after we had started and it’s just part of football and you just have to deal with it.

"Everyone wants to get their full squad in for the first day of pre-season but it never happens like that.

"We are expecting him to do really well for us and it’s usually worth the wait when guys like this come in.

"It has been the longest transfer saga ever. He needs to come in and he needs to train and get to know the players, with a view of next weekend or possibly the midweek game against Motherwell,” he concluded.

Oshainwa is likely going to make his debut for Dundee in the Scottish Premier League next week.

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Sirigu could leave PSG - Blanc

Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc has admitted that goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu's future at the club is uncertain.

The arrival of German shot stopper Kevin Trapp at Parc des Princes means the 28-year-old's position as the No.1 goalkeeper is in doubt.

Sirigu has subsequently been linked with a move away from Ligue 1 and while Blanc insists he remains important to the French club, he does not know what the future holds for the Italian.

“Salvatore has a contract with us," the head coach told reporters. “The situation is not simple for him, but he is one of our three goalkeepers.

“His situation could change, but everything might stay the same as it is now.”

Sirigu, who joined PSG from Palermo in 2011, is contracted to the club until 2018.

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Di Maria wants to join PSG - Pastore

Javier Pastore has revealed that Angel Di Maria has told him he wants to ditch Manchester United and join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

A move away from Old Trafford has looked likely for some time after the Argentine endured a rough debut campaign under Louis van Gaal following his British record £59.7 million switch from Real Madrid last summer.

The winger has looked set to join PSG for weeks, with Laurent Blanc admitting that a deal is "close", while he has also been fined by his current club for not joining the squad on their pre-season tour of the United States.

Pastore, who recently committed his future to the French champions by signing a new four-year contract, is confident Di Maria will join him at the Parc des Princes and believes he will be a decisive player if a deal is done.

"I told him to join us," Pastore told  Le Parisien.  "He also asked me many questions about the club, the city and the way of life for his family.

"He wants to come. He is a very great player. Plus, he alone can win important matches."

Di Maria scored three goals and set up a further 10 in his 27 Premier League appearances for United last season.

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Di Maria wants to join PSG - Pastore

Javier Pastore has revealed that Angel Di Maria has told him he wants to ditch Manchester United and join Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

A move away from Old Trafford has looked likely for some time after the Argentine endured a rough debut campaign under Louis van Gaal following his British record £59.7 million switch from Real Madrid last summer.

The winger has looked set to join PSG for weeks, with Laurent Blanc admitting that a deal is "close", while he has also been fined by his current club for not joining the squad on their pre-season tour of the United States.

Pastore, who recently committed his future to the French champions by signing a new four-year contract, is confident Di Maria will join him at the Parc des Princes and believes he will be a decisive player if a deal is done.

"I told him to join us," Pastore told  Le Parisien.  "He also asked me many questions about the club, the city and the way of life for his family.

"He wants to come. He is a very great player. Plus, he alone can win important matches."

Di Maria scored three goals and set up a further 10 in his 27 Premier League appearances for United last season.

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