Moutinho: Porto not peeping past Malaga

Italian champions Juventus will add more power to their backline during the summer transfer window as their UEFA Champions League exit to Bayern proved that the Old Lady need alternatives for Barzgli, Bonucci and Chelini.

Juventus’ defensive trio is not getting any younger and the club’s hierarchy have already started contemplating summer moves to bolster the last line of the team, report.

The Italian media outlet is suggesting that Juventus’ main target is Bayern Munich defender Mehdi Benatia, who has already played in Serie A during his career, having spent 12 months at AS Roma.

The Moroccan defender has found his playing time limited in Munich and Juventus believe he could be tempted for a change of scenery in order to resurrect his career.

Bena…

Roma have completed the permanent signing of Antonio Rudiger from Stuttgart after exercising their option to buy the Germany international.

Rudiger joined Roma on a one-year loan deal ahead of the 2015-16 campaign for an initial fee of €4million and the Serie A side have now paid an additional €9m to land the defender on a permanent deal.

Roma have exercised their option to buy Antonio Rudiger and have thus signed the 23-year-old on a permanent basis, a statement on the Stuttgart website reads.

The agreement between both sides contains a set transfer fee, a number of variables plus a sell-on fee for VfB.

VfB wish Antonio Rudiger all the best for the future, in particular for the upcoming European Championship in France.

Rudiger was a key f…

Borussia Dortmund close their Bundesliga campaign at Hertha Berlin with a fresh wave of speculation surrounding star man Marco Reus.

Germany international Reus has been in typically excellent form this term, netting 16 league goals and playing a central role in Dortmund’s upturn in form after a December slump that included a 2-1 loss against their hosts this weekend.

The 24-year-old was named as the club’s player of the year but when he spoke to the Ruhr Nachrichten newspaper about his future at the club, Reus hinted that a lack of major honours since joining Dortmund from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012 might lead him to seek pastures new.

It s like that in this business every player only has one career and wants to get the best out of it, he said.

You have…

Image Courtesy: scoopnest.com

While the scoreline may suggest a boring match was being played out at Rose Bowl between Brazil and Ecuador (for those who haven t watched the game) on Saturday, the reality had been far from different.

It was an excellent performance by both teams who eventually cancelled each other out and find themselves deadlocked in the second spot in Group B. With heat and humidity taking a toll on players, both the South American teams put in impressive performances and fought till the end to find that crucial goal that just didn’t come for either team.

Here are five major observations from the match:

Tactical summary

The opening of the match was highly entertaining with both teams showing the willingness to get forward.…

Antonio Di Natale has urged Italy manager Cesare Prandelli to play him as a central striker at Euro 2012.

Di Natale – who has scored 80 Serie A goals for Udinese in the last three seasons – has not represented his country since the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in which the Italians failed to make it past the group stage just four years after winning the tournament.

The 34-year-old striker is back in the fold now though, after being selected in the country s provisional squad, and believes he can forge a good partnership up front with his fellow forwards.

Obviously I d like to play as much as possible, Di Natale told reporters on Tuesday.

My best position? I like to be used as a centre-forward now. I was better out wide when I was younger.

I think …

On Wednesday Polish champions Wisla Krakow will start their next European campaign away at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem against Beitar.

Since 1998, when Boguslaw Cupial invested in Wisla Krakow, they are the most successful team in Poland, having won 6 championships, 3 second places and 2 cups. Wisla also fought successfully in the UEFA Cup in 2002/03 and 2006/07 but the owner s biggest dream a profitable Champions League group stage still hasn t come true despite several attempts.

After a disappointing 2006/07 campaign, when Wisla finished only 8th in the Ekstraklasa (the lowest position during Cupial s reign), new coach Maciej Skorza confirmed Wisla s supremacy on domestic fields last season. They finished with a 14-points margin over second-placed Legia Warsaw.