Rafael Benitez has suggested he will resist the temptation to add to his squad this month by emphasising his belief that his current squad can deliver a first league title in 19 years.The Spanish manager has been linked with a move to bring former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey back to Anfield but there has been no movement on that front since the transfer window opened at the start of January.With Fernando Torres, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa all back from injury, Benitez believes Liverpool are in good shape for the battle with Manchester United and Chelsea over the second half of the season. We finished 2008 very well, we played with style and have scored a lot of goals, Benitez said. I am very pleased and happy with the situation and hope it will be the same in the new year. We have other players apart from Torres coming back from injury. There is Skrtel, Aurelio and Arbeloa all fit now. It will be like signing three new players. We do not need to go into the transfer market, we are certainly not desperate to do so. If we find we need something we will try, but it is always hard in this window and very expensive. But we are in a good position and I am happy to use the players we have now plus the ones returning from injury. The only departure from Anfield is likely to be out-of-favour winger Jermaine Pennant, who is reportedly a target for AC Milan.Benitez will however be without defender Emiliano Insua until February 8 after the Argentinian, who has recently broken into the first team, was called up by his country for the South American Under-20 Championships.
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Competition: Champions League
Market: AS Monaco to win against Fenerbahce
Odds:
French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco welcome Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce to the Stade Louis II in the second leg of the third round of tonight’s Champions League qualifier, and are favourites to come out on top to reach the playoffs of the competition.
Monaco suffered a 2-1 defeat in the first leg at the Şükrü Saracoğlu last month, but they will reach the Champions League playoffs with a win and a clean sheet this evening. Should they concede, however, the home side will need a two-goal margin to progress without penalties.
On home soil, Monaco lost only three of 19 games at the Stade Louis II last season, and will fancy their chances against a Fenerbahce side who…
A couple of days ago I was writing an article about the biggest winners and losers of 2008 in preparation for the end of the year. Amongst the biggest losers I included Juande Ramos. I wrote that he had gone from hero to villain over a very short space of time during the year and was definitely one of the biggest losers.
Losers
Now, the fifty-four year old manager has been appointed the boss of Real Madrid. That’s hardly the role of a loser now is it? I’ll have to rewrite my other article, although as I also had Real Madrid as one of the biggest losers of the year (falling so far behind Barcelona, failing in Europe, not getting Cristiano Ronaldo, etc) maybe the appointment might not turn out to be all that it should be.
So why, …
Fabinho has admitted he found it tough early on in his Liverpool career but he is satisfied with his first season at the club.
The Brazil international had to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after joining from Monaco for a reported £39million in the off-season.
But Reds manager Jurgen Klopp eventually came to rely on the 25-year-old as a regular starter in a campaign that concluded with a Champions League final triumph over Tottenham in Madrid.
In my first season I knew there would be a learning and settling-in period. I went through this, Fabinho told the club s official website.
It didn t last that long but I remember it wasn t easy starting afresh, I was left out for a few matches.
FABinho.
Boss.
— L…
Thomas Tuchel declared himself pleased after Paris Saint-Germain were drawn against Saint-Etienne in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue.
PSG saw off second-tier opponents Le Mans 4-1 in Wednesday s last-16 tie at MMArena to remain on course for a record-extending ninth success in the competition.
The Ligue 1 champions thrashed Saint-Etienne 4-0 in last weekend s league clash and head coach Tuchel had no complaints about being paired with Claude Puel s men in the domestic cup.
It s a good draw because the match will be played at home, he told Canal+. It s good that we don t have to travel.
The main thing is playing at home, which is easier to organise and easier for the players. We have a lot of travelling in January and February so it s good to…
AC Milan boss Vincenzo Montella says he will sleep easier without having to face Gonzalo Higuain when his team travel to play Napoli on Saturday.
After securing a 3-2 victory over Torino in his first match in charge, Montella takes Milan to Stadio San Paolo to face last season s runners-up.
The head coach feels Napoli are ahead of his team in terms of their development but is glad they will be without Higuain, who scored a Serie A record 36 league goals in 2015-16 before joining Juventus in a €90million move.
Higuain is a player who makes you lose a few hours of sleep, so on the whole I m glad he won t be there, Montella said at his pre-match media conference.
But we are facing a team which is competing for the Scudetto. It s a team which has lost …
Chelsea have completed the signing of Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina, while Manchester City sent a further three players out on loan.
Reports linking Alonso to Chelsea had grown in the past week, but after initially denying a deal was close on Monday, Fiorentina announced the transfer on Wednesday.
The former Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland left-back s switch was quickly followed by confirmation from Chelsea, who revealed a five-year contract has been signed.
Alonso s arrival at Stamford Bridge may not be Chelsea s final move of the day, with a sensational return for Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz confirmed to be on the brink of completion.
And here he is! Welcome to Chelsea, !
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
The Blues have allowed J…
Pep Guardiola played down fears over Holger Badstuber s fitness after the defender sustained an injury in Saturday s 2-0 win over Stuttgart.
The centre-back was substituted late in the first half during the champions 2-0 victory at the Allianz Arena to raise concerns that he had suffered another knee injury.
Badstuber had been sidelined since 2012 due to serious knee injuries before making his long-awaited return in July.
But Bayern revealed that the 25-year-old suffered a hamstring problem on Saturday and coach Guardiola is hopeful that his latest injury is not serious.
We will get the diagnosis tomorrow [Sunday]. But I don t think it s that serious, said the former Barcelona coach.
Franck Ribery marked his first appearance of the season with a…
Everton are set complete the permanent signing of Gerard Deulofeu, .
The Barcelona winger, who was on loan at Goodison Park during the 2013/14 campaign spent last season with Sevilla for whom he helped win the Europa League having made five appearances in the competition before returning to the Nou Camp.
During his time with Roberto Martinez’s men, he played twenty-nine times in all competitions, scoring four times including a late equaliser in a draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in eighteen months ago.
He has played just six times for Barcelona’s first team, with his last outing for the La Liga champions coming in a 5-0 win over Mallorca in April 2013.
Should a deal for the one-time Spain international be finalised, he would become th…
Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer refuted claims a deal has been agreed for Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
New manager Pep Guardiola previously spoke of his desire to bring the 22-year-old to the Allianz Arena, with reports suggesting a four-year contract had been finalised for the player.
But Sammer moved to quell those rumours.
Why would we not communicate it if something was signed? he told Bild am Sonntag.
No, of course that is not the case.
Thiago has become unsettled at Camp Nou after failing to establish himself among the Barcelona first XI last season.
A move to Germany would see him reunited with Guardiola, who left Barcelona at the end of the 2011-12 campaign.
…
Celtic boss Neil Lennon has confirmed the club have punished striker Anthony Stokes for attending a function for murdered IRA leader Alan Ryan.
The 24-year-old has been out of action since August and has found a return to the starting line-up a difficulty after regaining full fitness.
The striker s controversial attendance at a function in Dublin in September for Ryan has been met with a damning response by his coach, who said that his decision to attend damaged the club, which has strong religious and political links.
We spoke to him internally, Lennon said.
I am not going to moralise to him, but you cannot damage the reputation of the club. He is aware of that now. It has been dealt with internally. And he has taken it on board, absolutely.
…