Zinedine Zidane admits fondness for Juventus

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he would have preferred to avoid Juventus in Friday's Champions League draw because of his attachment to the Italian giant where he spent five happy years.

The match, to be played on 3-11 April, is a replay of last season's Champions League final, which brought Zidane back-to-back European crowns with a 4-1 win in Cardiff.

"I spent five years over there and it was an important club in my career as a player, so obviously it always has an effect on me when we play Juve," said Zidane, who as a Juventus player lost the 1998 Champions League final to Real Madrid.

"I would have preferred to avoid Juventus for many reasons," said the coach who joined Madrid as a player in 2001, scoring a wonder-goal to clinch the Champions League final with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.

"But we drew Juve and now I have to concentrate on that and forget about everything that happened to me there as a player even if it'll always be there in the back of my mind."

"They look as solid as they were last year," said Zidane of the Juve outfit renowned for rock-solid defending and clinical breakaway finishing.

Zidane was also quizzed about Gareth Bale's state of mind and was asked if the Welsh winger was depressed at Madrid after missing selection for both legs of the last-16 victory over PSG.

"He's a very important part of our squad, he is happy to be with us and he has showed that. You can think whatever you want but he isn't sad," Zidane insisted.

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Brazil suffer blow as Luis breaks his leg

Brazil's World Cup preparations have suffered a blow with serious injury to Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis.

He had been preferred over Juventus' Alex Sandro in Brazil coach Tite's squad released Thursday for the upcoming friendlies against France and World Cup hosts Russia.

But hours later he suffered a broken leg in Atletico's Europa League tie at Lokomotiv Moscow.

He underwent surgery in Madrid on Friday and returned home on Saturday.

"His absence is estimated at eight weeks," Atletico said in a press release.

That would put his return some time in mid-May, meaning he would not play for Atletico again this season and giving him little time to rediscover his form and fitness ahead of the World Cup which begins on June 14.

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Ernesto Valverde wary of 'treble prophecy'

Ernesto Valverde dismissed the idea that he, as Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique had done before, would win a league, Cup and Champions League treble in his first season at the helm.

Valverde has regalvanised the lacklustre Barcelona of last season taking over the team that had just lost Neymar and revitalised their fortunes and the form of their star player Lionel Messi.

But despite an eight point advantage over Atletico Madrid, a cup final date with Sevilla in April and a relatively easy draw with Roma in the Champions League quarters, Valverde says Barca a treble is a big ask.

"I don't believe in prophecies," said the Basque whose Barca outfit host Atletico Bilbao Sunday.

"Everything is possible and we will give it absolutely everything," he promised.

"I would have signed in my own blood if you'd offered me this position at the start of the season."

But Valverde pointed to Roma as the obstacle that could make the difference between his Barcelona and those of Guardiola and Luis Enrique.

"Roma beat Chelsea 3-0, a team against which we struggled," he said after a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge had preceded a Messi inspired 3-0 win at the Nou Camp.

"Roma also finished above both Chelsea and Atletico (in the group stage) and Atletico is our main league rival, so you get a bit of the measure of the size of rival they are," he said.

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Reasons Why Lifestyle in Abuja is better than Lagos

This Argument became a Trend online, i am a person who haved lived in both city for a while. so i decided to choose abuja as the best, therefore i am presenting you a few reasons why Lifestyle in Abuja is better than Lagos.

CLEANLINESS
Abuja on the average is cleaner and neater than Lagos. There are some places you will go to in Lagos and you will wonder if it is animals or human beings that reside there.

The hygiene condition is just beyond terrible in many places in Lagos.


WELCOMING NATURE OF THE INDIGENES/ EQUALITY
The indigenous people of Abuja/FCT are very much more welcoming and friendly than those of Lagos, to the extent that people hardly notice the existence of the presence of the indigenous groups of the city. Tribalism and discrimination is not an issue in Abuja. 

The Oba of Lagos threatened to drown a group of people in Lagos just because of political and tribal differences in the last Lagos state governorship elections.
Some Nigerians were even deported in their own country from Lagos back to their states of origin. Such can never be heard of in Abuja.

If you are a stranger in Lagos and you probably don't understand yoruba, you may be insulted by the yoruba speakers for that. Such can hardly happen in Abuja.

Abuja is situated in the centre of the country (middlebelt), where neither Yoruba, Hausas or Igbos can claim indigeneship, hence all are of equal status. That is why it is called the CENTRE OF UNITY. Uniting all Nigerians in equality and oneness.


HUMAN CONGESTION
Lagos is one place where human congestion is common due to the extremely high population density. Some places are so busy with people moving all about and congested that one can easily suffocate due to improper circulation of air. In such crowdy places where many people are sweating, some are coughing, e.t.c, all manners of communicable and contagious diseases could easily be contacted, typically unlike Abuja.

TRANSPORTATION COST
Transportation in Abuja is far cheaper than that of Lagos. Imagine in Lagos from a place like Ojota to Mile 2, one will spend around #300, but in Abuja #300 can take you from Karu to almost anywhere else in the city, even with a drop. Not to talk of places in the Lagos island where transportation cost is something else.

TRAFFIC 
This is one aspect that makes living in Lagos like hell. You can imagine being caught up in traffic for hours with no way out. In Lagos, many people have to wake up as early as 4 p.m to leave their houses just in order to escape traffic. It's that terrible.In Abuja, there are so many easy alternative routes to almost every place due to the very developed road network.

POLLUTION
The pollution of the atmosphere in Lagos is extremely high compared to Abuja.
So many industries and factories in Lagos which empty their toxic wastes into the atmosphere and surroundings which are very unhygienic. This means that people in Abuja breathe in purer and less toxic air than people in Lagos.

STRESSFUL LIVING
You can imagine someone who reaches his house by 11:30 p.m because of traffic and still has to wake up as early as 3:00 a.m just to hurry up to leave his house by 4:00 a.m in order to escape traffic. Such a person is very much prone to great stress and probably sickness, but such is not the case in Abuja because of the lower population, better traffic conduction and a more developed road network.

CRIMINALITY

The criminality rate in Lagos could go for one of the highest in the world.  If one manages to escape the 419ers in Lagos, you may be intercepted by the Human ritualists, Street hooligans and thugs, Yahoo yahoo boys, and all manners of negative vices of the society.
The criminality rate in Abuja is far lower compared to Lagos.


CULTURED ATTITUDE
People in Abuja on the average behave more cultured, civil, polite and enlightened than people in Lagos. Lagos is a place where any kind of crazy attitude goes, but if you come to Abuja with a crazy attitude, the way you see people living more cultured and sophisticated, you will definitely be compelled to change, just to try to belong. Abuja is definitely a better place to raise up children and a family.

BEAUTY
Abuja on the average is more beautiful than Lagos. Take the most beautiful places in Lagos and those in Abuja and compare and Abuja is surely to surpass Lagos. Take the worst places in Abuja, and they may rank on the average compared to Lagos.

Whether you choose to live in Lagos or Abuja, it’s a matter of choice!, there is flight booking everywhere But from what you can draw from the above, would you prefer a location where you can be anything you want to be or a place where you can live in luxury? From a pivotal point of view, Abuja seems like a way better choice of place to live in.

You know now which to choose. The choice is yours. Wait a minute though, you might even intent to try out which is better if you are in Abuja and intend to spend some time at Lagos state. Just book your flight from Abuja to Lagos here

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Lionel Messi Announces The Birth Of His Third Son (Photo)

Leo Messi, has confirmed the birth of his third son, Ciro, on Instagram . FC Barcelona including other superstars have congratulated the Argentine.

See Instagram post below:-

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Liverpool fear nobody in UCL - Firmino

Roberto Firmino says Liverpool fear nobody in the Champions League and would welcome a clash against a fellow Premier League club in the quarterfinals.

Jurgen Klopp's side were the first English team to book their spot in the last eight with a goalless draw at home to Porto on Tuesday, giving them a 5-0 aggregate win.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are also through but Tottenham are out after defeat to Italian champions Juventus on Wednesday.

Manchester United, who host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, and Chelsea both play their second-leg matches next week.

The Champions League quarter-final draw on March 16 is open, meaning no teams are seeded and clubs from the same national association can be drawn against each other.

"Yes, we'd like a draw against an English club. Why not?" said Brazil international Firmino, who has 22 goals this season and is part of a devastating front three at Anfield alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

"We have shown in the past few seasons we can beat all the English clubs. Our record is good against them.

"We feel we have played well against the top English clubs and shown we can beat them but we are not afraid of anyone in the draw."

Firmino, 26, is set to feature for Brazil at the World Cup in Russia but said first he is focusing on winning his first trophy with Liverpool.

"I want to be part of it and am I happy to be part of the squad but that is a long away ahead," he said.

"The season is not over, I have my objectives with Liverpool and I want to concentrate on them. If I can do well, then that will be important for my position in the (national team) squad."

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Busquets takes aim at Liga organisers

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets hit out at La Liga's schedulers after his side beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on Sunday in a top-of-the-table clash less than 72 hours after playing away in the Canary Islands.

Lionel Messi scored from a free kick to decide the game and take the Catalans eight points clear of Atletico at the top of the standings, although the Liga leaders were pushed all the way by Diego Simeone's side in a game of few chances which did not live up to the hype.

Atletico were given one day's rest more than Barca leading up to the game, with Ernesto Valverde's side facing a three-and-a-half hour flight back from Las Palmas on Thursday after their 1-1 draw, while Simeone's side had played at home to Leganes the previous day.

"We got back to Barcelona and we had to train without resting. If La Liga wants to be considered the best league in the world, they need to do certain things better," Busquets told reporters.

"It's not an excuse; it's the reality. When we lose, I don't like to complain but we've won today so I'm going to take advantage of the fact (to voice an opinion)."

Barca left back Jordi Alba was suspended against Las Palmas but joined Busquets in complaining about his side's lack of rest before the crucial game against their nearest challengers for the title.

"They need to fix the calendar," Alba said. "I was feeling very tired and I didn't even play in Las Palmas, so imagine what it was like for those who got home at four in the morning on Friday. They need to sort out these little details."

Barca captain Andres Iniesta started both games and was forced off towards the end of the first half against Atletico with a hamstring injury.

The veteran midfielder will undergo tests on Monday although reports in the Spanish media said he would be out for around three weeks, ruling him out of the Champions League last-16 second leg against Chelsea on March 14.

"Iniesta is a unique player, a little like Messi, so it's difficult to find a player who can replace him," Barca coach Valverde said of his captain.

"We'll wait and see how bad the injury is. He carried on playing at first so we thought it wasn't too bad but we're not sure. He was playing incredibly well."

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Tottenham is ready for Juventus - H.M Son

Tottenham Hotspur have nothing to fear ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game against Juventus and possess plenty of firepower to progress to the quarterfinals, midfielder Son Heung-min said.

Tottenham clawed their way back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw with the Italian champions in Turin in the first leg of the last-16 tie.

"We play at home but we are not scared," Son said. "We need to play our game, be confident and play forward like we play at Wembley. That's the most important thing.

"We are hungry. We are not finished... it's a Champions League game against a difficult opponent... I hope it's a great atmosphere and I think we have a great opportunity," the South Korean added.

Son scored twice as Spurs outclassed Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 games.

Tottenham, who are preparing to move to a new stadium next season, have taken time to settle in at their temporary home but are favourites to reach the last eight.

"You can see how well Tottenham play. We deserve to play in the Champions League to the quarter-final or even more. We are good enough," Son said.

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‘Could not have imagined title runaway’ - Pep

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he never imagined his team would run away with the Premier League title as they are doing this season.

City are 18 points clear of second-placed Liverpool after beating Chelsea 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and need just four wins from their final nine games to be sure of the title.

Asked whether he felt such a season of dominance could be possible, Guardiola said: "Before? No way. No way, no. Who could believe it? I think if you ask the players, the players (couldn't believe it) neither," he said.

"In terms of not just the results but the way we played, today was another demonstration. We showed the same desire as at Stamford Bridge. That is what pleases me the most.

"To have the distance, 25 to Chelsea, 33 to Arsenal. Tottenham, Liverpool and United, they have had good results and kept a good pace. We are so far so good... I think it is a consequence of the way we play. The way we play today is a bit similar to what we have done (this season)," he said.

With nine games remaining, City who are on 78 points, have a chance to become the first team to break the 100-points barrier in the history of the English top flight.

Guardiola said, though, that his focus was not on records but on securing silverware.

"We are not going to play for the records. Records are always a consequence of what you have done but they are not the main thing.

"What really matters is to be champions. I never spoke with the players about the records. Next week at Stoke we are going to try and play like we play all season. After, at the end, we will see," he said.

Guardiola has had a tense relationship at times with Argentine striker Sergio Aguero but he said the forward was playing the best football since the Spaniard took over at the club last season.

"Since we were together here with Sergio, the last month and a half, two months, is the best Sergio I have seen. He doesn’t lose one ball, he makes a movement in behind, he is the first man to help. Okay, he didn’t score – he will score in the future. It is no problem, he did really well."

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Manchester City fined after behaviour inFA Cup

Manchester City have been fined £50 000 for their players' behaviour in the stormy FA Cup defeat against third tier Wigan.

Several of Pep Guardiola's stars surrounded referee Anthony Taylor following the controversial dismissal of City defender Fabian Delph in the first half of the Premier League leaders' shock 1-0 loss.

"Manchester City have been fined £50 000 after admitting a charge of failing to ensure that their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion," a Football Association statement said on Friday.

"The incident took place in their Emirates FA Cup tie against Wigan Athletic last month."

Following Delph's dismissal, City manager Guardiola and Wigan boss Paul Cook argued on the touchline.

At the end of the fifth round match – won by Wigan thanks to a Will Grigg goal – Latics fans invaded the pitch, while City supporters were involved in unrest, with some damage caused to advertising boards.

City striker Sergio Aguero was confronted by one fan on the pitch in an incident which was investigated by the FA, who decided to take no action against the player.

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