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Estudiantes: reaparecería Román Martínez

BUENOS AIRES -- Poco a poco comienzan a despejarse las dudas. Casi descartada la presencia de Juan Sebastián Verón, Mauricio Pellegrino definió el probable once para el partido que Estudiantes disputará ante River, por la fecha 14 del Torneo Final.

Con Carlos Auzqui y Patricio Rodríguez suspendidos, el entrenador determinó durante una serie de ensayos tácticos que Mauricio Rosales y Jorge Luna sean sus reemplazantes.

Además, se producirá el importante regreso de Román Martínez, ausente en los últimos tres partidos por un esguince. El exvolante de Tigre ingresará en lugar de Israel Damonte y asumirá la conducción ante la baja de Verón.

De esta manera, Gerónimo Rulli; Leonardo Jara, Jonathan Schunke, Leandro Desábato, Jonathan Silva; Mauricio Rosales, Gastón Gil Romero, Román Martínez, Jorge Luna; Franco Jara y Guido Carrillo serán los once que salgan desde el inicio ante River.

Estudiantes enfrentará a River desde las 17:10 hs. del miércoles en el Estadio Único de La Plata y con el arbitraje de Germán Delfino. El "Pincha" intentará mantener el liderazgo del Torneo Final y su invicto, ya que en el actual campeonato sólo perdió ante Boca en la fecha 4.

Perazzo, tras la goleada a Argentinos: "Era una final"

BAHIA BLANCA -- El entrenador de Olimpo, Walter Perazzo, celebró el martes doblemente el triunfo sobre Argentinos Juniors, un rival directo por la permanencia.

"Era una final, se llegó con mucha tensión por ser un partido de descenso, si no ganábamos se nos iba a complicar bastante, y fue de los mejores partidos de Olimpo desde el Nacional B para acá", sostuvo Perazzo tras el encuentro.

El técnico dijo que Olimpo "hizo un gran partido en todas sus líneas y si Argentinos hizo poco fue mérito de Olimpo porque fue muy superior, en especial en el primer tiempo".


José Valencia: "Ganamos una final anticipada"

BAHIA BLANCA -- El delantero colombiano de Olimpo José "Trencito" Valencia consideró el martes que su equipo ganó "una final anticipada" ante Argentinos Juniors por 3 a 0, en la lucha por la permanencia en Primera.

"Es importante el resultado y ganamos una final anticipada. Es importante ganar de local y me pone contento haber hecho dos goles", expresó el atacante tras el cotejo, desarrollado en el Estadio Roberto Carminatti.

Valencia le agradeció además al entrenador Walter Perazzo por la oportunidad que le da como titular en el equipo.

"Cuando tenés chances hay que aprovecharlas y este grupo cada día está mejor", agregó el delantero, que proviene del Portland Timbers de los Estados Unidos.


Argentinos: Borghi se fue en silencio, tras caer en Bahía Blanca

BAHIA BLANCA -- El entrenador Claudio Borghi se retiró en silencio del estadio Roberto Carminatti tras la goleada que sufrió su equipo, Argentinos Juniors, ante Olimpo pero antes del encuentro, el presidente del club, Luis Segura, confirmó su continidad en el cargo.

Segura estuvo junto a Borghi en un palco luego que el árbitro Darío Herrera expulsara al entrenador, quien en la semana había asegurado que seguiría hasta fin del torneo mantenga o no Argentinos la categoría.

Fue un golpe duro para Argentinos pues Olimpo es un rival directo por la permanencia, que esta vez lo hundió en el último puesto en la tabla de promedios.

Trinidad already thinking about Argentina, Iran

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago -- Trinidad & Tobago head coach Stephen Hart has already trained his sights on international friendlies against Word Cup-bound teams Argentina and Iran on June 4 and June 8, respectively.

Despite the magnitude of the task facing the Soca Warriors, Hart believes the two games present a wonderful opportunity for the national side top gauge its development.

“We are going into games against two international teams that are going to be fully prepared for the World Cup,” said Hart. “It’s both teams’ last games before they enter the World Cup so you have to have realistic expectations and approach.

“As far as I am concerned, the players have to understand that they are going into these games purely as a measurement of where we are at and where we need to be if you are going to play on the world stage.”

The Trinidadians have not played since November of last year, when it defeated Jamaica twice in the span of five days without conceding a goal.

Facing Argentina on its home turf, though, poses an entirely different set of challenges.

“Arguably, you are going to play one of the favorites (Argentina) to win the World Cup, which in itself, playing them at home is a very comfortable situation for them and an uncomfortable situation for us,” Hart noted. “But I think that is a healthy situation because as we build for the future, you have a potential scenario of qualification that you have to play a set amount of games away from home.”

With the actual squad not expected to be chosen until late May, Hart is well aware that preparation for the fixtures would be crucial.

“We haven’t played since November, so now we have to try and gather the team to make sure we are prepared to play against Argentina,” the 54-year-old explained. “I would like ideally to have about ten days with the players, but we have to look at the fact that some players will still be playing in their leagues and others will be off for a quite awhile, which means we have to address their standards and basically get the team in some sort of preparation mode hopefully with an international game before Argentina.”

Trinidad, which advanced to the quarterfinals of last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, is currently the number one ranked team in the Caribbean Football Union and is 76th in the FIFA rankings.

Liga MX’s table toppers meet in CCL final

MEXICO CITY -- Whether it’s the Mexican Clausura or the CONCACAF Champions League, there’s very little that separates Cruz Azul and Toluca.

Before continuing with the pursuit for domestic glory, they meet in the CONCACAF Champions League final with the first leg on Tuesday at the Estadio Azul.

Although this is the fifth All-Mexican final in the six-year history of the reformatted competition, this is their first CCL encounter and neither has lifted the trophy yet. Cruz Azul has lost in each of its previous two finals appearances – to Atlante (2008-09) and Pachuca (2009-10) – while Toluca is making its championship debut.

The winner advances to December’s FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.

“It is a match that we are worried about more in making the Club World Cup than avenging anything,” said Cruz Azul goalkeeper Guillermo Allison, who is expected to fill-in for the suspended Jesus Corona.

Cruz Azul was a perfect 4-0-0 in the group stage to earn the No. 2 seed in the knockout phase. La Maquina defeated Sporting Kansas City (5-2 agg) in the quarterfinals before rallying to overcome Club Tijuana (2-1 agg) in the semifinals.

Toluca was also posted an unblemished group-stage recod, earning the top seed in the championship stage on goal difference. It beat the San Jose Earthquakes (2-2 agg) on penalties (5-4) in the quarterfinals and defeated Alajuelense (3-0 agg), in the semifinals.

Though the Red Devils have never defeated a Mexican foe in four CCL outings, Allison fully expects a very difficult challenge.

“[Toluca] has a great offense and a great goalkeeper in Talavera, a national team goalkeeper,” said the 23-year-old. “The truth is that they have us attentive, very concentrated. We know that they create a lot of danger.”

Allison also expressed his appreciation to the Cruz Azul supporters and pledged that the team will do its best to make them happy.

“We owe a great deal to the fans, the institution and with all the people who support Cruz Azul, we know they are anxious for Cruz Azul to be champion,” he finished. “So the truth is that we want to give the best of ourselves in this match to give them joy.”

In their 2014 Clausura meeting on March 1, Cruz Azul topped visiting Toluca, 1-0, on 79th minute goal by Christian Gimenez.

As CCL final approaches, Toluca feels no pressure

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Ahead of the first leg of its CONCACAF Champions League final encounter against host Cruz Azul, Toluca is confident and unstressed.

At a press conference on Monday evening, head coach Jose Cardozo spoke about his team’s mindset before the next day’s encounter at the Estadio Azul.

“There is not a bit of pressure,” said Cardozo. “They are great players. We are accustomed to playing difficult matches and that puts us at ease, knowing that it is a squad with a lot of experience in what it has been through, what they have given. The team is good. It is not feeling any bit of pressure.

“We are relaxed but concentrated knowing in what we have to do tomorrow.”

Cardozo, who won a CONCACAF club title in 2003 as a player with Toluca, maintained that there are no favorites in a series that pits the top two teams in the current Liga MX Clausura standings against each other. The Red Devils are targeting a good result in the opener, so that they have the upper hand in the return leg next week at home.

“They are two strong teams, two teams with a lot of tradition in Mexican football,” expressed the 43-year-old. “We know that we have a difficult opponent and also we want to be difficult for them. It is an important match and we want to win it. We are going to be focused on the 90 minutes and try to take home an advantage from here.”

Though Cardozo anticipates that Toluca will maintain its style and play good football, he realizes that the game will be tightly contested.

“I think it is going to be a close game,” the former Paraguay international concluded. “We have to be smart in having possession of the ball. We have to be concentrated all 90 minutes. We are going to play to our style…play well, we try to always play well and look for the opponents’ goal, to have the calm of scoring the first goal and then suddenly be able to manage the match.”

Allison, Cruz Azul remain calm ahead of CCL final

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – As the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final on Tuesday quickly approaches, all is tranquil in the Cruz Azul camp.

Goalkeeper Guillermo Allison, who is expected to step in for the suspended Jesus Corona against Toluca, expressed those sentiments during a Monday press conference at the club’s training facility, La Noria.

“There is a lot of calmness, a lot of assuredness in the team,” said Allison, who has made one appearance in the 2013-14 Liga MX Clausura. “We are concentrated on what is going to happen tomorrow night, and the truth is that the ghosts and everything of the past are there and going to stay there. We can stir them up to learn from them and we can leave them there.

“The truth is that Tuesday is another final and like any other we want to win it.”

La Maquina’s history in domestic and international finals is well documented. It hasn’t won a Mexican league or CONCACAF crown since 1997, the year that both trophies were captured. Head coach Luis Fernando Torres was in charge back then and leads the team now.

Despite being only 23-years-old, Allison is confident that he can do the job and pointed out that Corona has been a great help in preparing for the biggest game of his career.

“The truth is that [Corona] has been a great teammate,” commented Allison. “He is a great person that I respect a lot and I have great admiration for him. He has supported me and he has kept me calm and I know that I have his confidence and the confidence of the team.

“The whole world dreams of playing in a final. All of us come into the moment, to be able to get something at this stage, and the only thing that can be done is to enjoy it.”

If a lack of minutes on the field with his defenders was a concern, Allison said that they are all very familiar with each other.

“We are working day to day,” he concluded. “We know each other very well. I have been with the club a long time. I have not played much, but I know all of my teammates. I know how they perform on the field and they know me.”

Cruz Azul will be making its third appearance in a CCL final and first since falling to Pachuca on the away goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate draw in 2010.

Vice President of the United States Joe Biden to attend World Cup match

Vice President of the United States Joe Biden is set to attend at match at this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.

The 71 year-old took in United States 1-1 draw with England at the 2010 World Cup and believes the tournament is an unmissable spectacle.

“It was an honour to be at the last World Cup, watching Spain win,” he said, as reported by mlssoccer.com. “It was a thrill to actually stand here with the cup, it´s the real deal.

“You have to attend a World Cup, if you ever wonder what it means to people. It’s the most unusual sporting event I’ve ever attended, and I’ve attended thousands, probably, in my career. It’s a feel, and you can feel it even before you get anywhere near the stadium, you can feel it even before you land.

“It’s in the air, it’s a palpable sense of energy that I’ve never quite experienced before. It’s the most consequential sporting event in the world. It’s amazing how deeply, deeply, deeply passionate every country is about the World Cup."

Willian Jose named in Real Madrid squad for Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona

Jose has scored goals for Real´s ´B´ team this term - Action Images
Brazilian attacking player Willian Jose has for the third time been named in a Real Madrid squad, but this time it is for tomorrow´s huge Copa Del Rey final against perennial rivals Barcelona at Valencia´s Mestalla stadium.

The young starlet, 22, joined Real in a short time ago from Deportivo Maldonado and has also spent time on loan at Sao Paulo, Gemio and Santos in his brief career. Although yet to make an appearance of the bench for his Spanish employers, Willian is clearly edging closer.

An under-20 international with eight goals in 15 games, Willian has impressed at Madrid´s ´B´ team this term and is thought to be held in high regard by manager Carlo Ancelotti.

And with the world´s best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, ruled out for a month with a muscle injury, the young Brazilian´s chance to make a huge name for himself may well be just around the corner.

Brazil forward Fred talks up possibility of Europe move after World Cup

Brazil striker Fred has admitted he can see his future in Europe and has talked up the prospect of a move to Italy.

The Fluminense forward has played in Europe before and he revealed that an approach for him came after the Confederations Cup but no concrete offer was forthcoming.

Fred spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport this week, and said: “There was an approach after the Confederations Cup.

“They met with my brother who is also my agent. Previously Lazio, Napoli and Roma had held talks with my club but no concrete offer ever came.

“Inter are one of the big clubs, where greats have played like Ronaldo and Adriano. I follow the leagues in Italy, Spain, England. Especially Serie A.

“I’d like to play there. Besides Inter I see a lot of games that Napoli and Juventus play, they are very strong. There are very good for me to score many goals.”

Football Italia quoted the 30-year-old and he admitted after the World Cup a move to Europe could happen.

“After the World Cup then? I do not know how things will go,” Fred added.

“I am happy at Fluminense. I few years ago I thought my future would be only in Brazil. But now I see a possible return to Europe.”

Julio Grondona (h), de Arsenal: "Arreglamos con Palermo"

BUENOS AIRES -- El presidente de Arsenal, Julio Ricardo Grondona, confirmó el martes que el nuevo entrenador del club será Martín Palermo y acusó a Gustavo Alfaro de "haber forzado" la situación para abandonar el club.
"Arreglamos con Palermo. Me dijo que quiere tomar experiencia, que tiene muchas ganas de trabajar y agarrar rápido", anunció el titular del club por Radio América.

En cuanto a la desvinculación de Alfaro, Grondona comentó que con el técnico habían "pactado no decir nada de lo de junio", momento en que el entrenador le pondría punto final a su nuevo ciclo en Arsenal.

"Yo no tengo la culpa de que haya forzado la situación para irse. Nos puenteó, habló primero con mi viejo antes que conmigo", expresó un enojado Julito Grondona.

Y afirmó: "En Arsenal no atamos a nadie, el que se quiere ir, se va. Alfaro es el técnico más exitoso de la historia de Arsenal, pero hubo una gota que rebalsó el vaso", afirmó el dirigente.