Griffiths Bags Hat-trick In Celtic Win

Super-sub Leigh Griffiths scored a hat-trick as Celtic came from behind to claim a 4-1 win over Kilmarnock that extends their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

After a first half that failed to produce a shot on target, Kilmarnock took a surprise lead in the 50th minute as Daryl Westlake's deflected shot got the better of Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

The Hoops weren't behind for long, though, as Scott Brown fired them level in the 58th minute before Griffiths headed the home side in front eight minutes later.

Griffiths claimed his second in the 80th minute with a vicious strike from 25 yards before completing his hat-trick with an angled shot five minutes from time to send Celtic eight points clear of Aberdeen with just six matches remaining.

"Defensively we were very good for the first 60 minutes, but our attacking play was too slow," Celtic manager Ronny Deila said.

"With Leigh coming on we had a lot of momentum and we finally opened them up and got our goals."

Killie manager Gary Locke looked for positives in defeat.

"I thought the game plan was working a treat. We were quite compact, well-organised and their fans were starting to get frustrated and then we went a goal up," he said.

"We probably should have defended better, but I think we have to look at the positives and we contained them for long spells."

UNCHALLENGED

Deila made four changes as he looked to freshen up his side from their drab draw with Inverness CT at the weekend.

The Hoops monopolised possession from the start, but despite their pressure they were unable to test Killie 'keeper Craig Samson and were continually left frustrated on their frequent forays forward.

Virgil van Dijk had the home fans out of their seats when he rose unchallenged to connect with a Kris Commons corner to send a bullet header towards goal, but his effort flashed narrowly wide.

A shot on target finally came immediately after the break when John Guidetti played the ball into Brown's path, but the Celtic captain fired his shot straight at Samson.

This sparked their opponents into life and Killie took a shock lead with their first shot on goal in the 50th minute.

Westlake worked room for himself at the edge of the Celtic box and his strike took a wicked deflection off Jason Denayer to completely wrong-foot 'keeper Gordon on its way into the net.

Brown hauled them back on equal terms in the 58th minute. A poor defensive header reached Sammy Clingan on the edge of the box and the Celtic captain dispossessed him before lashing a shot into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

Celtic took the lead for the first time in the 66th minute through substitute Griffiths.

Commons showed some fancy footwork in the box before floating a cross to the back post where the Scottish striker sent a header into the turf and bouncing over the outstretched hand of Samson.

Stefan Johansen missed an open goal before Griffiths got his second with a superb low strike from 25 yards that swerved away from Samson before crashing into the net off the inside of the post.

The striker then completed his hat-trick 24 minutes after coming on to replace the ineffectual James Forrest when he beat the offside trap to latch on to a long ball over the top of the Killie defence and drill an angled shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

Klopp Favourite For Man City Job

Juergen Klopp is being tipped as Manchester City's next manager after announcing on Wednesday that he would be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season after seven years in charge.

With Manuel Pellegrini's future at Man City under scrutiny after his side's feeble defence of the Premier League title and another disappointing Champions League campaign, speculation is rife that Klopp will replace the Chilean.

Pellegrini has one more year left on his contract.

British bookmaker William Hill said Klopp, who captured two Bundesliga titles for Dortmund and reached the Champions League final, was 5-4 favourite to be the next Manchester City manager and quoted odds of 6-4 that his next club would be the English champions.

Klopp has also been linked with Real Madrid.

It is easy to see why Klopp is being linked with Man City.

He has bags of charisma, a proven record in the Champions League where City have struggled, speaks good English and plays an attacking brand of football.

The 47-year-old went on record last year he would be interested in working in the Premier League.

Porto 3-1 Bayern Munich: Dominant Hosts Down Pep's Men

Porto took advantage of a host of defensive errors to stun Bayern Munich and prevail 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Bayern came into Wednesday's clash at the Estadio do Dragao as favourites, but a trio of mistakes at the back leaves them with a huge task at the Allianz Arena next week.

In a dramatic start to proceedings, Ricardo Quaresma took full advantage of two glaring errors from Bayern in the opening 10 minutes, first converting from the penalty spot after Jackson Martinez had dispossessed Xabi Alonso and then been felled by Manuel Neuer inside the box.

Quaresma then robbed Dante and produced a calm finish to double his tally and leave visiting coach Pep Guardiola standing aghast on the touchline.

Bayern, missing the likes of Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben, got themselves back into the tie shortly before the half-hour when Thiago Alcantara scored his first goal since February 2014 with a close-range finish.

But Jerome Boateng's second-half lapse in judgement afforded Martinez - back after over a month out with a groin problem - the opportunity to net his seventh Champions League goal of the campaign, leaving Bayern facing an uphill challenge in the second leg.

Porto took the lead in the third minute after Martinez robbed Alonso on the edge of the area and then went down under Neuer's sliding challenge.

The goalkeeper was booked despite appearing to get a touch on the ball and Quaresma sent him the wrong way from the spot.

Robert Lewandowski headed over as Bayern almost found an equaliser, only for another defensive slip in the 10th minute to allow Porto in for their second.

Dante miscontrolled to leave Quaresma with a free run on goal and he coolly slotted past Neuer with the outside of his right boot.

A stunned Bayern slowly regained their composure and, after a period of sustained pressure, got their reward in the 28th minute when Thiago converted Boateng's low cross at the back post.

Neuer almost suffered further embarrassment six minutes later when he fumbled Alex Sandro's cross onto the crossbar, before gathering at the second attempt.

The Germany keeper excelled himself 12 minutes into the second half, though, producing a superb reaction save to keep out Boateng's deflection from close range.

But there was little he could do in the 65th minute as Boateng misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing Martinez to control, round Neuer and slot home.

Porto held on to their two-goal advantage in the final stages in a performance that was only soured by cautions for Sandro and Danilo, ruling them out of next Tuesday's return leg.

Bayern, meanwhile, will hope to have at least Schweinsteiger and Ribery back for that fixture as they aim to overturn the deficit following their first defeat on Portuguese soil.

Five-Point Agenda: Making The Super Eagles Great Again

The last nine months have been a purely forgettable one for the Nigeria national team – the Super Eagles. From a second round qualification at the 2014 World Cup, the team has plunged to lows never envisaged by its throng of fervent followers and supporters.

Since the end of the World Cup in Brazil, the team has not had a substantive manager with ‘caretaking’ the order of the day as the Nigeria Football Federation dallies with the appointment or otherwise of Stephen Keshi. However, that is not the crux of this piece.

We are looking at what has happened to the team and what can and should be done to rescue it and in the same instant stop bringing heartache and headaches to her teeming supporters.

Mark Gleeson gave a simple exercise on a programme on television last week when he said, “Can you mention how many Nigerian players are playing in Europe?” He mentioned Mikel Obi, Vincent Enyeama, Ogenyi Onazi and then stopped…

Six to 10 years ago, you could start and name at least 15 players before stopping, now it is only three before you start ‘Googling’ the names and where they are presently playing.

Now what that tells you immediately is that the team does not have big names anymore. What is presently constituted are just players of average ability and even below.

So what needs to done?


Change the coaching crew

A team is almost always as good as the manager at the helm. I know some people will disagree with this point but let’s objectively look at the current setup. Over the last four years, Keshi, Daniel Amokachi and company have told us that they are rebuilding the side. However, a side that is being rebuilt is not supposed to be in this current state. You cannot perpetually be in a state of rebuilding – when are we supposed to enjoy the rebuilt side? All countries fall into the trough in which Nigeria currently finds itself but there is a process to be used to get out of that period on time even though we know there will be lots of pain to bear.


Get a manager that understands youth development

Not all coaches have the penchant or the patience to blood youngsters and stay with their choices. So it is not a crime – people like Jose Mourinho do not have time for fledglings, they want fully formed players that understand and can key in to their strategies. Keshi seems to be a manager like this and so in this reproductive stage, he will be found wanting.


Promote the young players immediately

Since we can never be a 100% sure of the ages of the players in the lower cadre national teams, the ones that have shown promise, especially in the U-20 setup should be promoted immediately into the senior team. There is no need of waiting for them to ‘mature’. Let them get experience and playing mentality understudying and playing with their more experienced seniors and spend more time playing in the national team.



The NFF must have a cogent process of ‘selling’ our players

We cannot continue to delude ourselves on the basis of cash inducements. Why did the NFF allow Kelechi Iheanacho to sign for Manchester City? It was foolhardy to say the least. When would he be able to force his way into a cash-laden team like City, who can buy the best players? He and the country would have been better served signing for clubs like Anderlecht, Ajax, Montpellier, etc., there he would have had the opportunity to quickly develop.

The U-17 World Cup winner shone for City during pre-season, where his display ensured that a player like John Guidetti was sent out on loan to Celtic of Scotland. But that kind of loan would have benefited the precociously gifted Nigerian, but we do not even know what he is doing today.


Monitor, sift and monitor again

The restructuring and building of a new national team that we can all be proud of must be seen as a project. And as a project progresses, there will always be the need to evaluate constantly. There are players that will fall off the grid and there are others that will jump into the limelight. So the Technical Department of the NFF has serious tasks to accomplish, rather the time-wasting exercise of training match readers. There is data software available to help do whatever monitoring is required.



In all the above, there will be things that need to be added and variations and corrections that will have to be made as we go on and that is why a proficient NFF is needed to accomplish the tasks that have to be accomplished. In all this I have not mentioned the local leagues because they are already in a systemic failure stage.

So let us use the blueprint developed by the German Football Federation, through which they regenerated their national side by creating the kind of footballers that fitted their plan. We can go the same way if we are determined and ready to pay the price!

P- S-G 1-3 Barcelona: Suarez And Neymar Give Visitors The Advantage

A quickfire brace from Luis Suarez put Barcelona on course for the Champions League semi-finals as they claimed a comfortable 3-1 first-leg advantage in their quarter-final meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.

After Neymar's 18th-minute strike had given the Catalan giants an important away goal at the Parc des Princes, Suarez scored twice in 12 minutes in the second half to help Barca put one foot in the last four.

Having nutmegged substitute David Luiz, the Uruguayan held off Marquinhos and Maxwell to nudge home his first, before outfoxing Luiz again en route to a beautifully-finished strike.

That set the seal on the result and put Barca on the verge of a seventh European semi-final in eight seasons, with Gregory van der Wiel's deflected strike eight minutes from time doing little to offer Laurent Blanc's side hope.

Having fallen behind early on, the French champions were also hit by the injury-enforced withdrawal of captain Thiago Silva - and that loss was keenly felt.

His absence added to the omissions of energetic midfielder Marco Verratti and talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic - both serving one-match bans - and the hosts now face an uphill battle in the return leg next Tuesday.

Following a low-key start, Barca - for whom Dani Alves was suspended - gradually got into their groove and went ahead when Lionel Messi struck Salvatore Sirigu's right-hand post with a curled strike 13 minutes in.

The visitors' persistence was eventually rewarded when Neymar opened the scoring five minutes later - Sergio Busquets dispossessing Adrien Rabiot and allowing Messi an opportunity to craft a perfect throughball.

Neymar made no mistake with his finish and PSG were  dealt a double blow in the aftermath of the goal, as captain Silva was forced off to be replaced by Luiz.

Javier Mascherano - one of three Barca changes from the weekend Liga draw with Sevilla - produced a last-ditch tackle to deny Edinson Cavani a sight on goal as Blanc's men enjoyed their first spell of sustained pressure.

Despite ending the half strongly, PSG almost fell further behind prior to the break when Suarez dispossessed Luiz, only to shoot tamely at Sirigu.

That momentum continued into the second half as long-range strikes from Javier Pastore and Rabiot caused problems Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

However, Suarez took the game beyond PSG with a sublime first after 67 minutes, as he showed skill and strength to beat three markers and prod past Sirigu - registering Barca's 400th Champions League goal.

Suarez cleverly evaded Luiz again and made it three soon afterwards with the only blow to their night coming when Jeremy Mathieu diverted Van der Wiel's strike past Ter Stegen with time running out.

Mathieu made amends with a timely block from Cavani's strike before the end, helping maintain Barca's two-goal lead ahead of the second leg at Camp Nou.

Jack Wilshere Says Arsenal Is A "Joy To Watch"

Jack Wilshere says Arsenal's recent performances have been a "joy to watch" during his injury-enforced absence.

The England international has been absent since November with an ankle problem and he has thus missed their current run of eight consecutive Premier League victories.

Arsene Wenger's men are now just seven points behind table-toppers Chelsea - though the Blues have a game in hand - and the two London rivals are set to meet at the Emirates on April 26.

Wilshere, who has been stepping up his rehabilitation in recent weeks and featured in an Under-21s game earlier this week, has now admitted that is savouring Arsenal's steady improvement.

"Not just over the last season, I think it's over the last few years [that we have made progress]," he told the club's official website.

"We lost a lot of players from when I started in the first team, a lot of people said Arsenal would never come back but we didn't listen to them.

"We kept going, added real quality, world-class players to the squad and the main thing here is the team ethic.

"You can see that we have a great atmosphere around, everyone wants to work for one another and we go into every game knowing we can create chances if we stay strong defensively.

"I remember when I got my first injury and it was the year when Cesc [Fabregas] left. We struggled that year at the start and it was tough to watch.

"It has been totally different this year - they have been playing great football and it has been a joy to watch."

I Want To Impress Luis Enrique - Ter Stegen

The Germany international is yet to make his Liga debut but wants to use the Champions League to demonstrate just what he can do

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen says his goal is to show coach Luis Enrique that he is worthy of more first-team minutes.

The Germany international signed for the Liga leaders last summer from Borussia Monchengladbach and was handed the No.1 jersey vacated by the departing Victor Valdes.

Alves Closer To Barcelona Stay Than PSG Move

SPECIAL REPORT: The Brazilian right-back is hoping to pressure the Catalan club into awarding him a three-year deal as the possibility of a Paris switch now appears dead
Dani Alves still hopes to be at Barcelona next season - even though his representative claimed last week that the right-back would not be signing a new contract at the Camp Nou.

Stephen Keshi’s Long Wait Ends On Friday

The out-of-contract coach of the Super Eagles is expected to put pen to paper on Friday in a new two-year deal that would take him to the end of the 2017 Afcon in Gabon

After a prolonged battle over the coaching job of the Nigeria senior national team which has seen the Super Eagles’ fortune dip in recent time, respite seems to have finally arrived.

Dr. Sanusi Mohammed, the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, told media on Thursday that the signing of a new contract by coach Stephen Keshi will be done by Friday.

“I promise you by Friday, the issue of who becomes the coach of the Super Eagles will be over because it will be sorted out finally. So by Friday we will all know the new coach of the Super Eagles,” said Sanusi.

Goal reliably gathered Keshi would arrive Abuja from his base in Benin on Thursday early enough for the Friday unveiling.

An impeccable source told Goal that “Keshi has agreed in totality with the leadership of the NFF on his new two year contract that would expire after the finals of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, if Nigeria qualifies any way.”

Keshi is expected to earn Five million Naira per month and would report to the Technical Committee of the NFF.

Sanusi equally spoke on plans to bring in more investors into the game to support football development, and not relying solely on the Federal government for support.

“I want to use this medium also to call on all aggrieved parties and friends that love football to please come together to move the game to the next level.. Let's build our football together,” he concluded.

The 53-year-old has also confirmed his intention to meet with the NFF and sign the contract on Friday.

“Yes, I have been called for the contract signing. It is happening this week. We’ll tidy it all up,” Keshi was quoted by SportingLife.

Keshi’s previous contract ended after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he led Nigeria to the second round, the first time since 1998.

While the NFF faced internal crisis of its own, his contract was not renewed as he was asked to work on a per-game basis as Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

All Eyes On Kano As Enyimba Visit

Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata in Kano will this Sunday be the centre of attraction as current NPFL champions, Kano Pillars will go head-to-head with their much heralded foes, Enyimba.

The resumption of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has thrown up a mouth watering clash and potentially the biggest game of the season in the three week old Glo Premier League.

League champions Kano Pillars will welcome two-time African champions, Enyimba of Aba in a week 4 encounter that has become one of the most anticipated games every season in the Nigeria's top flight football.

Kano Pillars and Enyimba have become unarguably the biggest sides in the country in the last decade.

Kano stadium on Sunday will be dressed in the home colours of Yellow and Green

Pillars have won the last three Glo Premier League titles and would hope to add another this year starting with this weekend's duel against perennial rivals, Enyimba.

Both teams were knocked out of this year's Caf Champions League at the same stage, and they would want to put behind them the ouster with a win in this Sunday's clash.

Kano Pillars were put to the sword by Moroccan side, Maghreb Atletic Tetouan 5-2 on aggregate while Enyimba were bundled out by Egyptian club, Smouha 2-1 on aggregate.

Enyimba fans are still battling to come to terms with their defeat in Egypt as they claimed that their boys lost to the referee that officiated the match and not to their foes.

As expected, this weekend's clash holds a lot for both teams as they try to get over their ouster from the continent and get the fans back into happy mood

Match background.

Pillars have played only one match this season, and the tie was the 2-0 spanking of Bayelsa United at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kofarmata

The armed robbery attack that occurred along the Abaji-Lokoja highway when the Sai Masugida were on their way to honour a week two encounter at Heartland in Owerri do them no good as five of their players were shot.



Enyimba's gunslingers will aim to end Pillars 13 year home unbeaten streak

The attack necessitated the League Management Company (LMC) to put on hold a couple of their games and their engagements on the continent .

Enyimba have stuttered a bit playing a drab goalless draw against Akwa United in Aba, but picked up a valuable point away at Lobi Stars before dispatching off Bayelsa United 1-0 as well.

Enyimba would have recorded an outright victory at Lobi Stars after experienced defender, Idris Aloma netted the opener, but the Stars struck back right at the end

History favors Kano Pillars as they go into this match on Sunday because Enyimba have never won in Kano, and the Sai Masugida would want to consolidate on this feat.

Form coming into the game

Kano Pillars: W L W W L W

Enyimba: W D W D W L

Last six meetings between the two sides

February 29, 2012 Kano Pillars 2 Enyimba 0

May 9th, 2012 Enyimba 2 Kano Pillars 2

May 12th 2013 Enyimba 3 Kano Pillars 0

October 8th, 2013 Kano Pillars 1 Enyimba 0

June 1st, 2014 Kano Pillars 1 Enyimba 0

November 16th 2014 Kano Pillars 3 Kano Pillars 1

OBIOZOR's EXIT

Kano Pillars are still in pain over the exit of Nigerian international striker, Christian Obiozor who left the Sai Masugida unceremoniously.

Obiozor's move to Kano Pillars in January was well celebrated, and the petite forward scored six goals to emerge as the club's leading scorer in all competitions before his exit.

The rationale behind his exit at Kano Pillars is still hidden as Obiozor claimed his employers did not follow the terms of his contract, but Kano Pillars officials are still mum on the matter.

Super Eagles striker, Gambo Muhammad who would have been another striking weapon for Okey Emordi is still recuperating from the injury he sustained in the armed robbery attack as he was shot at the chest, and this could give Enyimba's defenders some ease.

“I know this match will definitely be tough for my players, but I have told them the method that would help us in Kano, and I'm sure that we would not lose this tie,” Enyimba coach, Kadiri Ikhana said to supersport.com

Fenerbahce Interested In Boateng

Kevin-Prince Boateng’s season struggles has seen him linked to many clubs away from Schalke 04.

Last month, Schalke sporting director, Hordst Heldt, publicly declared the club has no intentions to curtail its existing deal with the former AC Milan midfielder.

“There are no signals from either Schalke 04 or Kevin-Prince Boateng to want to end our contract prematurely. There are also no inquiries from other clubs, so we have not dealt with the subject.

”He has one more year on his contract, and I can assure that from both parties there is not the intention of an earlier departure,” Heldt said in the first week of March.
But his poor form and lack of playing time has seen the Ghanaian international continually rumoured for an exit in the summer.

Reports in the Turkish media claim Fenerbahce have joined clubs like Inter Milan, Fiorentina, AS Roma and Lazio to jostle for the signature of the troubled 28-year-old.

Boateng has also been linked with a move to American Major League Soccer side, LA Galaxy, should he seal an exit from Schalke after the 2014/15 season.

Pirlo Still Makes The Difference For Juve

Even at 35 and playing his first game in seven weeks, Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo made the difference in their 1-0 win over Monaco on Tuesday.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri took a calculated risk by thrusting the bearded midfielder into the Champions League quarterfinal first leg tie for his comeback after recovering from a calf muscle strain.

Even though he looked somewhat rusty after his layoff, Pirlo, whose calm, thoughtful style is becoming a rarity among the high tempo and relentless pressing of the modern game, repaid Allegri's trust with interest.

With his very first touch, he lofted the ball over the Monaco defence to send Alvaro Morata clear on goal, but the Spaniard was fractionally offside.

He was the calming influence in a midfield where an anxious Juventus gave away possession too often in the first half and it was his long, floated pass over the Monaco rearguard which led to a Juventus penalty and only goal just before the hour.

Pirlo caught the Monaco defence off-guard with a perfectly weighted ball for Morata, who got clear of the Monaco defence and was judged to have been fouled by Ricardo Carvalho as he charged towards goal. Arturo Vidal converted the penalty.

"Pirlo had a good 70 minutes which is excellent considering that he hadn't played for 50 days," said Allegri.

"Set pieces can be decisive in these games and I needed a touch of quality on the passes in midfield to break through those tiny spaces. In fact his pass was decisive for the penalty."

Allegri said that the scoreline, without an away goal for Monaco, gave Juventus a "slight advantage" as they tried to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2002-03.

"It's to be expected that in a quarterfinal, you don't beat Monaco three or four nil, they have the best defence in the French league. They're difficult to stop on the counterattack and we had problems in the first 15 minutes," he said.

Juventus, who are on course for a fourth successive Serie A title and have reached the Coppa Italia final, could also become the first Italian team since Inter Milan in 2009/10 to reach the last four.

"It's still an open tie and we must respect Monaco, who are a decent side," said defender Patrice Evra, in his first season at the club.

"We didn't make the mistake Arsenal made in underestimating them, even though 1-0 isn't an amazing result. In spite of that, it gives you a platform to get through to the next round. There's still a lot of work to be done in Monte Carlo."

"We're a good team and, by getting through to the next round, we'd become a great team," he added.

"We must keep moving forward: this shirt brings enormous responsibility, especially when thinking back to the great players who have made history."

Marcelo's Suspension Bad News For Real

Holders Real Madrid and city rivals Atletico emerged from Tuesday's tempestuous 0-0 Champions League quarterfinal draw knowing that Real left back Marcelo and Atletico midfielder Mario Suarez are out of next week's return leg.

Each picked up a late booking in the clash at Atletico's Calderon stadium, a repeat of last year's final and the seventh time they have faced each other this term, that means they will be suspended for the second leg at the Bernabeu on April 22.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone has a much easier task to replace Mario by bringing in Tiago to play in the defensive midfield role alongside captain Gabi.

Marcelo's absence, by contrast, will deprive Real of one of their most effective lines of attack and Simeone's counterpart Carlo Ancelotti is likely to be forced to turn to the ageing Alvaro Arbeloa or the erratic Fabio Coentrao to fill in.

Marcelo, a dressing-room heavyweight at the club and an inspirational presence on the pitch, links up well with Cristiano Ronaldo down the left and can send over dangerous crosses for the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

He is also adept at dashing inside towards the penalty area and slipping a killer pass through the defence to create a scoring chance for his teammates.

His defensive skills have improved in recent seasons, while Arbeloa and Coentrao are less likely to be able to thwart some of Atletico's forward forays involving playmaker Arda Turan and right back Juanfran.

Real wasted a host of chances on Tuesday, especially in the first half when Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak pulled off a string of brilliant saves.

"We come away with a bittersweet taste in the mouth because we didn't get a goal to take a lead into the return," Real centre back Sergio Ramos told reporters.

"Madrid had control for practically the whole match, though the second half was trickier," added the Spain international.

"We have to draw positive conclusions. It was a really taxing, intense match against opponents who always make things very difficult, and at a ground that's always tough to go to."

Real have not beaten Atletico for seven consecutive matches in all competitions, their worst run against their neighbours in the club's history.

Transfer Rumours And Paper Review – Wednesday, April 15

Manchester City are planning to table a mega-bid for Raheem Sterling on the day the transfer window reopens.The reigning Premier League champions have made the Liverpool forward a primary target this summer as they look to increase their homegrown quota. Liverpool value Sterling at around £50million, a fee that City can certain afford. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City have identified Aaron Cresswell, the West Ham United left back, as a potential transfer target in their attempt to bolster the number of home-grown players in their squad as part of a planned reshape this summer. (The Times)

Manchester City midfielder James Milner is keen on a move to Arsenal. The England ace is set to leave City on a free transfer and favours a switch to the Gunners over Liverpool. (The Sun)

Manchester United are confident of beating rivals Liverpool to German World Cup-winner Sami Khedira. The Real Madrid midfielder, 28, has made Champions League football a priority for choosing his next club - and looks destined for a move to England. (The Sun)

Manchester United will offer Southampton Javier Hernandez as a sweetener to persuade them to sell England defender Nathaniel Clyne. Clyne heads Louis van Gaal’s summer shopping list and the Old Trafford giants' boss is willing to trade Hernandez plus a sizeable transfer fee for the £20m-rated right-back. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa want to make Tom Cleverley's loan move from Manchester United permanent with a £40,000-a-week contract. Everton are also interested in the 25-year-old, who is a free agent in the summer. (Daily Telegraph)

Atletico Paranaense attacking midfield starlet Nathan is set to have a medical at Chelsea ahead of a £4.5m move to Stamford Bridge. (Daily Telegraph)

Stoke manager Mark Hughes insists Victor Moses’ injury problems will not put him off signing the on-loan Chelsea winger permanently in the summer. (Daily Express)

Madrid Derby Ends Goalless, Juventus Beat Monaco

Real Madrid were left frustrated by a brilliant Atletico rearguard performance as Carlo Ancelotti’s side were held to a 0-0 draw in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

A combination of wasteful visitors' finishing and inspired defensive work from the hosts ensured the contest lies firmly in the balance as Real failed to score for the fourth time at the Vicente Calderon this season.

Real dominated the early proceedings and should have gone ahead within three minutes, but man of the match Jan Oblak denied Gareth Bale when the Welsh winger should have really scored.

Oblak saved from Bale and James Rodriguez either side of a Luka Modric opening, which the former Spurs midfielder fired over after a fine break involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo.

Atletico were restricted to containing their city rivals and looked to pounce on the counter attack, and Iker Casillas had to be sharp to deny Antoine Grezimann after Sergio Ramos’ poor clearance.

After the break, Arda Turan spurned the hosts’ best chance by heading just wide from Juanfran’s clever clipped cross, whilst Atletico centre-back Miranda brilliantly blocked close range efforts from Bale and then Ronaldo soon after.

Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic then appeared to be punched in the stomach by Real full-back Dani Carvajal, but the incident went unseen by the match officials.

The game opened up in the later stages but both defences held strong going into next week’s second leg at the Bernabeu as Atletico extended their unbeaten record over their arch rivals to seven games since last year’s Champions League final.

In the other tie, Juventus will take a slender lead into their second leg in France after an Arturo Vidal penalty ensured a 1-0 victory over Monaco in Turin.

Alvaro Morata, Carlos Tevez and Vidal were all guilty of wasting great openings for the hosts in the first half against an Aymen Abdennour-inspired Ligue 1 side.

Monaco, who had conceded just four goals in the competition until tonight, frustrated their hosts and had chances to go ahead, but Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco shot straight at Gianluigi Buffon when well placed.

It took until just before the hour mark for Juventus to break down their stubborn opponents, and it arrived through Vidal’s emphatic penalty after Ricardo Carvalho tripped Morata just inside the area.

Aside from a Dimitar Berbatov header that went harmlessly over the bar, Monaco never really threatened an equaliser as the hosts held on for a crucial advantage in their bid to reach a first Champions League semi-final since 2003.


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Juventus' Lead Is More Comfortable Than It Looks

COMMENT: The Bianconeri's slender lead should be enough to tee up another successful passage, with the second leg likely to play into their hands

It was not all thrills and spills, and it wasn’t always convincing, but Juventus’ 1-0 first-leg victory over Monaco in the Champions League quarter-final was as satisfying as any they have chalked up in recent years. A slender lead it may be, but it feels a hell of a lot like a winning one.

After the unabated joy that the 3-0 away win over Borussia Dortmund provided in their last European fixture, this was an altogether edgier performance as Juve took their time in overcoming the principality side.

But that was always going to be the case against a reserved, contemplative Monaco outfit for whom goalscoring has often been considered more a bonus than a necessity this season. With just 46 goals in 40 games across Ligue 1 and the Champions League, Leonardo Jardim’s men are hardly bursting with potential in front of goal.

And while Massimiliano Allegri will have been somewhat concerned with the two good chances offered up to Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco in the first half and another allowed to Bernardo Silva after the break, he will know that one more goal in the second leg should be enough to take Juventus into the semi-finals.

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Whereas the previous round’s narrow home victory left a sense of nervousness in the air, with Dortmund having scored an away goal and built a historic case for not being written off, this one felt very much like the completion of the hardest part of the job.

Juve looked for a fast start, with Alvaro Morata firing over after a nice move, but were quickly rocked onto their heels when Monaco showed the capabilities on the break which had seen off Arsenal in the round of 16. After Layvin Kurzawa was given plenty of space to shoot on sight and Ferreira-Carrasco twice forced good saves out of Gianluigi Buffon, the Bianconeri realigned their expectations.

They became more considered, realising the necessity to patiently turn possession into clear chances rather than play at the higher pace which is normally their emblem. Rushed attempts to get in behind the Monegasques’ back line only resulted in the turnover of the ball.

Andrea Pirlo was not quite up to pace, but was in his element as Monaco retreated and gave him time to pick out passes. Carlos Tevez spurned a great opportunity at the far post after a wonderful build-up had allowed Claudio Marchisio to pick him out with a cross-field ball. Arturo Vidal was busy but also wasteful as he fired over late in the first half when it appeared easier to score.

He eventually did find the net after the controversial moment which defined the match. Alvaro Morata blazed through to meet a typically pinpoint Pirlo through-ball but was clipped by Ricardo Carvalho.

As the last man in a clear goal-scoring opportunity, the Portuguese should have been shown the red card but was instead booked. As if to negate the first incorrect decision, referee Pavel Kralovec also pointed to the penalty spot despite the initial impact having taken place outside the box. In fairness, at full speed, it was a close call.

Either way, Vidal’s successful spot-kick was always likely to be enough. Rather than throw everything at their opponents in the search for a killer second, Juve happily accepted the 1-0 lead and took no further chance. They know they are better than Monaco, and what’s more they are clearly convinced of revelling in the conditions the second leg will provide.

As they proved in Dortmund, the slightest sign of the game opening up can only be positive news for Juventus. They have far more firepower, look much more deadly in open space and press much more urgently than Monaco.

One-goal leads have often been proved to be insufficient at this stage of the Champions League, but this one feels very different. It will take a minor miracle to stop Juventus reaching the semi-finals now.